The Countess Lives Twice in the Apocalypse-Chapter 59: Fifty-eight

"Kirie?" Jannah kept the smile in her face as she called the maid beside her.

"Yes, my lady?" Kirie answered sweetly.

"Would you be a darling and help Marquess Ebonics get the women and children from Rye settled in?" The Countess stared into Marques Ebonics’ eyes, daring him to object, but he didn’t show any sign of it.

"It would be my pleasure, my lady." The green haired maid smiled, "Let me lead the way for you, Marquess."

Instead of doing what Jannah told her, Clara turned to her husband and frowned, "Dear?"

Merlot shook his head and pursed his lips as he looks away from her, "It seems that you are misunderstanding something, my wife."

"What?" Clara frowned.

"Jannah doesn’t have to explain everything to us because she’s the one running this town. We were sent here so she can protect us, and her asking you to help others in this town is her way of protecting you, too." Merlot couldn’t look at Clara’s eyes as he utter those words.

He wasn’t lying though.

Jannah had bought Philipia from him and asked him to head over to the town because she’s her friend. She did it because she was concerned about them, but if his wife is going to act like this, then there’s no telling what Jannah might do.

"I locked those people inside the cell because I didn’t want to act to my own accord when I don’t make the final call. This town is not under my name anymore, my dear." Merlot sounded remorseful, ashamed that he can’t protect his wife’s dignity.

"I know that." Clara hissed and glared at him, "I was merely asking for what she did because the Duke was generous enough to assure us."

"And I’m merely asking you to get out of the room because I’m sure you won’t be able to stomach what she did." Jeriel shot back, fed up with the couple’s quarrel in front of her.

"Oh, I can assure you that I can stomach whatever she did to those men!" Clara huffed out, crossing her arms.

"Okay." Jannah chuckled under her breath, "Well, first, I killed four people to get inside the town hall, shot those men dead with my arrows. Second, I went down to the mail house because I heard from my people that they locked their women and children there. I found a man who had his dick swinging and I took his life because he was very disgusting. Third, I made sure to end those men’s life by the watch tower, cut the other men in half, severing their limbs off, watch their blood gush out, and bathe in their blo—"

Clara couldn’t even last long until the end and was quick to stand up, a hand over her mouth as she runs out of the room.

"Ha, told her so." Jeriel scoffed, a smirk on her face as she watch Kirie close the door, following the Marquess wherever she went because Jannah gave her orders.

"To be fair, it was extra detailed." Jannah lightly defended Clara’s honor.

"Did you really did those things to them?" Merlot blinked at her, three emotions swirling in his eyes as he waited for her reply.

Bewilderment, confusion, and awe.

"Yes." Jannah shrugged her shoulders, pulling the cubs closer to her body to comfort herself from the sense of dread looming over her shoulders as she recall what happened, "I found out they forced themselves to their women and eat their kids—"

"Eat?!" Merlot exclaimed, eyes with shock and disgust, "They also forced— what?!"

"Why are you shocked?" Jeriel’s eyebrows furrowed, "I thought they admitted those things to you? Did you lie to us or something?"

"No! I won’t do that." Merlot’s eyes went back their size as he realized his exaggerated reaction and rubbed his temples, "The Baron didn’t tell me anything about eating their kids or taking those women for granted.. They only told me that they locked them up because they were wrecking havoc."

"But you told us that he was preparing them as emergency rations.. What did you think it was?" Jannah raised an eyebrow at him.

"Like their soldiers or something! What else?!" Merlot exclaimed out, running a hand down on his face as he exhaled loudly, "I didn’t know that he meant it literally."

"Oh, he meant it literally, alright." Jeriel scowled when she remembered the food the men served to them, "They probably served us one of the kids.. Ugh, just thinking about it makes me sick— and those lunatics were brave enough to tell us that they weren’t monster. The nerve."

"Did.. Did you eat the food?" Merlot’s question made Jeriel throw something at him.

The sheath of her dagger.

"Why would we eat anything that has human meat in it? I’d rather die by starvation because I would never resort to cooking another human being just to survive." Jeriel growled at him, glaring menacingly.

"Calm down." Merlot raised his hands in the air in a surrending manner, "I’m only asking."

"Well, you asked something stupid."

"Okay, that’s enough." Jannah sighed out, breaking the tension between the two before the upcoming argument turns into a fight.

Merlot cleared his throat as he adjust his position on his seat, "So? What are you planning to do with them? Are you going to do the same thing you did to the men from Rye to them?"

Jannah paused, blinking, thinking about what to do with them.

Wouldn’t it be better to ask the women about this? Jeriel asked her through the communication link.

"Let’s ask the opinions of the people they locked up." Jannah went with her little sister’s suggestion and smiled at Merlot, "I’m sure they have a lot of things stored for them."

The man shuddered upon seeing the kind smile on his friend’s face. Are all knights like her and her little sister?

"Alright.." Merlot trailed off and looked away from them.

"With that out of the way, let’s discuss what we need to do to the people of this town and the people we brought with us." Jannah straightened her posture, "Since we have a lot of mouth to feed, we need to put them to work. Everyone will have a role in this town."

The air around them turned serious, but bearable, making Merlot nod his head in understanding.

"I understand. I have told your knights what to do and we only do it during the evening because those things runs away once the sun comes down." Merlot informed her, filling her in with the things he has done for the town.

"Just like you told me, this town has thicker and sturdier walls compared to the previous towns. The forest around the walls are also good hunting grounds, but it was difficult for our people to hunt during the night." He leaned forward, intertwining his fingers in front of us face.

"They will get used to it and will have no choice, but to adjust." Jannah sighed out as she keep on petting the leopard cubs in her lap, the mother leopard who settled herself by her feet was purring and vibrating against her left leg, soothing her nerves.

"How about the lodging? I’ve got a feeling that you two will take more people in and will have this town overpopulated." Merlot voiced out his concern, his eyebrows furrowed.

"If you read the blueprints I gave you. You would see the part where I said "town extension" on the bottom right." Jannah countered back with a smile, "If you’re worried about manpower then don’t worry about it, I have something in my sleeve that can help us build walls faster."

"Faster?" A look of doubt crossed Merlot’s eyes as he cocked his head to the side, "I’m sure you’re aware that we can’t do any work during the day, right?"

"We can work during the day though." Jeriel interjected sharply.

"She’s right." Jannah backed her little sister’s words, "We can carve out arrows, reload the cannons, make bullets for our guns— we have enough gunpowders from Count Nige, and I’m pretty sure I sent it here."

"Oh." Merlot blinked at them, looking like found child who was lost for days, and was quick sigh as a apologetic look crossed his features, "Why didn’t I think of that? Goodness me, I’m so sorry. I think I was too stressed out by the sudden appearance of those things that I failed to think rationally."

"But you were rational enough to send those bastards to their temporary jail." Jeriel was also quick to assure him, "I’m sure you’ve done enough considering that you’re not really trained to take down those things."

"Take down those things?" A horrified expression emerged in his face, "What did you mean by that?"

"Exactly what I meant." Jeriel pursed her lips and frowned at him, "We have been shooting at them to pass the time back at Rye. We can lessen their numbers that way."

"But there’s too many of them!" Marques Ebonics exclaimed.

"Marques, even if there’s too many of those things, we have no choice, but to fight back. It’s either them or us." Jannah sighed out, raising a hand to rub her temples to stop the incoming headache from forming.

"I’ll tell your men and my men what to do once we’re done talking about the housing arrangements of our people, alright? Are you good with that?"

"I don’t have a choice, do I?" Merlot let out a sigh, "Also, they’re not my men anymore."

"Pardon?"

"You just proved to me why you should be the leader of this group, my friend. They’re not mine, but yours now."