The Countess Lives Twice in the Apocalypse-Chapter 64: Sixty-three

"What?"

"Leave the town?"

"Is she serious?"

"Who is she again?"

"Just because she lead the war to victory? Did she seriously think she has the rights?"

"She’s just a woman! She’s supposed to be staying at home!"

The crowd was restless, their expressions one of annoyance and disapproval.

A low hum of muttering and murmuring filled the town square as people whispered to one another and shook their heads in disagreement.

Some people stood proud with their arms crossed, their body language conveying their lack of enthusiasm for the Countess’s message.

Others fidgeted uncomfortably, their eyes darting around the crowd as if searching for an escape from the uncomfortable atmosphere, but ultimately seperates themselves from the group who’s against the Countess.

Despite Jannah’s efforts, the townsfolks was clearly not receptive to what they had to say and the negative energy they emit is clear as day.

Merlot, who didn’t expect for the town people to split in half, frowned at them.

"It seems that there are more individuals who’s not against me." Jannah eyed the said people and they nodded their heads at her, shooting her a relieved and thankful look.

Jannah smiled at them before she turned to those who are against her, "Since the people is divided then I’ll take the other half with me outside the wall. We’ll go out to scout the area and will check if there’s any clearing we could use for our resources."

"As if we’ll come with you!"

"Yeah! We would rather kick you out!"

"This is our town!"

"You can’t do this!"

"You have no rights!"

Half of the crowd jeered and shouted, their faces twisted with anger and contempt from her words alone, but they didn’t do anything except for simply hurling insults and threats towards her.

The mood was tense and hostile, the energy from the group was frenzied and chaotic. It’s obvious that there’s no way she could communicate her way over the noise from the angry mob.

Jannah could only let out a sigh. She bought the town from Merlot to make it her base and even planned to keep the people living in it as her people to compensate them, but it seems that they don’t want it.

"Your town?" Jannah asked the jeering crowd and glared at them, "And who rules over this town? You?"

"No! But it’s obviously not you!"

"Marques Ebonics owns this town!"

"Yeah! You don’t have the rights!"

Jannah simply shook her head, "It seems that my message can’t be delivered across your thick skulls. Listen up! I already bought this town from him so if you’re not going to cooperate then you leave me no choice!"

"Knights!" Merlot calls out with a loud voice, sensing Jannah’s signal and immediately barking out order.

Suddenly, the sound of boots thumping against the ground filled the air as the knights burst into the crowd, their sheathed weapons held high and their faces set in grim expressions.

Arthur and Polo, are at front, glaring at the group protesting against the Countess.

The crowd hesitated for a moment, unsure how to react to the sudden interruption, but then they erupted into chaos.

"You can’t do this!"

"How dare you?!"

"Get out of our town!"

"Attack them!"

Some tried to flee while others fought back, but the knights were prepared and quickly overpowered them. They embraced for the impact of the upcoming runners and easily brought them down.

It was a chaotic scene as the knights efficiently apprehended the most vocal and aggressive members of the crowd, pushing them down on the ground, waiting for the order to be made.

"Aren’t you lots embarrassed of yourselves?" A young man who was standing in front of the separated crowd asked, looking down on the older men that was pushed on the ground.

"The Countess’s knights saved you when we almost got attacked by those things outside!" The young man glared at them, his eyes glossing ever so slightly.

"The knights did that! Not her!" A man growled out, struggling under Alejandro’s grip which made the knight lift the man momentarily before slamming him on the ground, knocking the air out of his lungs.

"Agh!" He gasps loudly, coughing.

"We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for our lady." Polo tightened his grip on the man below him, glaring at the man under Alejandro.

"You heard them." The young man scoffed at them as he shot them a sinister smile, "Going with the Countess outside the wall would probably be the best since that’s what you did to my father."

"He came out on his own accord!" The woman under Haile yelled, struggling.

"He didn’t!" The young man screamed back, the tears that was tethering on the corner of his eyes finally fell, "You forced him! You told him to get out because of what?! Because he can hunt?! My father was already old! That hunter days of his was way past his days!"

Jannah watched as the young man let out his bottled anger, screaming on the top of his lungs, his voice shaking and breaking.

"He couldn’t even lift his axe! Yet you selfish and arrogant bastards forced him out! You deserve to go out there to be torn to shreds! Just like how my father experienced while you watched!" He sobbed out, his clenched fists shaking by his side.

"Unbelievable." Arthur murmured, his grip on the man under him tightening slightly.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

The sound echoed through the town square, a call for attention and authority that silenced the young man, protesters, and the knights.

The people fell eerily quiet, all eyes darting towards the source of the sound— the noblewoman standing in the middle of the platform.

The knights watched their master intently, their hands tight on the men they previously apprehended, attention briefly diverted from their task, but still keeping their postures tense and ready.

They were listening to her, and the crowd was too, albeit with a hint of confusion and curiosity.

They looked up at Jannah, puzzled by her actions. Was she taunting them? Encouraging the crowd to resist more? To let the men continue their verbal assaults? But then, they noticed something different about her expression.

The woman on stage, despite the tense situation, was strangely calm and composed. Her eyes were locked with the young man, no sign of defiance or anger on her face, but rather has a sympathetic and neutral look on her face.

Seeing that they got quiet, Jannah let her arms fall to her side.

"What did you mean by what you said?" Her question hangs in the air, pointed directly to the sobbing and hiccuping young man.

"They—" He opened his mouth to speak and managed to say one word, but got stopped when someone interrupted him.

"Don’t you dare!" The man under Arthur growled, struggling and glaring daggers to the young man who glared back at him with the same ferocity.

"Arthur." Jannah only had to call his name to let him know what she wants.

Almost immediately and simultaneously, the knights brought out something from their pockets, shoving it inside the mouths of the protesters under them to silence them.

They pulled out something else and ultimately wrapped it around the protesters’ head, keeping whatever they shoved inside their mouth in place.

"What did you put in there?" Jannah’s face scrunched up in disgust.

"Dirty rag, my lady." Arthur’s voice was calm, but the smile on his face was brutal, as if he didn’t just say he shoved something dirty inside the mouth of the protesters.

Hearing his response, the protesters started struggling once more.

"Anyways." Jannah ignored the muffled voices and turned back to the young man, she gave him one nod to let him know he can continue.

"Those things.. Whatever they are, they first appeared here two days ago before your knights arrived, my lady." The young man started with a glare thrown to the woman under the knight, "She saw them first and told everyone about them."

"Mmmmm!" The woman was screaming, but it was muffled due to the rag in her mouth.

"They know my father was good with blades and trails because he was a retired hunter, but he’s already old." The young man frowned and looked away, "They made him choose. It’s me or him."

"So he chose to go out there instead?" Jannah tilted her head, crouching down and sitting on the edge, tired of standing up.

"Yes." The young man nodded his head before glaring at the protesters again, "Then they made me watch by the watch tower as those things tear my father to shreds.. I could still hear him screaming in my sleep."

"Oh, dear." Clara whimpered, covering her mouth as she glanced at the young man with sympathy.

"Your knights arrived after midnight, my lady. Those monsters have gone somewhere else by then." The young man lowered his head as he finished retelling what happened.

Jannah hummed softly, glancing at the protesters with squinted eyes. She felt the mother leopard rub her head against her arm before forcing herself on Jannah’s lap, laying her head on her thighs.

"I’ll begin my house inspection as planned and once I’m done, we will go out to check the perimeter." Jannah announced to the people, "Does anyone want to object?"

A woman raised a hand, "Would they die from those things? If you can, can you please guarantee they suffer from it?"