I play a Evil God in Otome Game

Chapter 37 - 36:Paladin(9/?)

"Let’s rest for a bit."

Hearing Frank, Simon nodded, pulled the carriage to the side, and then yawned. He was already tired. It was 6 PM. Some of the children had fallen asleep, but others were still awake and hungry.

"If anyone’s hungry, let’s distribute some food," Simon said. At his suggestion, many nodded, looking at him gratefully.

"We’re not hungry. Give it to the children, women, and the elderly first," Emily said sternly. Simon shook his head firmly in refusal. "Anyone who’s hungry can have food. We can resupply at a village nearby."

Though Emily wanted to object, she had to relent when Frank intervened. "Don’t worry, there should be a village ahead. We can resupply there."

As Simon handed out the food, he nodded. Urien, who had been talking to George, stood up and offered to help Simon.

"I’ll help too," George said, standing up to join Urien. As Simon filled small bowls with food, they served everyone.

"Here you go, sweetheart."

As mothers fed their children, Frank and Simon were talking. Frank gazed calmly at Simon. "The village needs a leader. I think you’re the right person."

Simon chuckled and shook his head. "You’re funny, old man. I’m not leadership material."

Frank’s eyes were serious, and Simon, noticing this, looked at him with surprise and doubt. "Old man, are you serious?"

Frank raised his eyebrows, staring intently at Simon. "Do I look like I’m joking?"

Simon lowered his gaze in embarrassment, but he was still determined not to be a leader. "You’re more experienced and wiser than me. Why don’t you lead?"

Frank chuckled, gesturing to his cane. "It’s time the younger ones had their chance..."

Frank’s eyes momentarily shone with admiration and approval. "You’re a good man. You may see yourself as a coward, but the truth is, we’re all cowards.

We fear death, hunger, losing someone. There’s no difference between you and me. I may have experience, but you have the opportunity to be more capable than I ever was.

All it takes is a little effort, determination, and more experience..."

Simon stood hesitantly, not wanting the immense responsibility of leadership. The thought of holding everyone’s fate in his hands felt like a curse.

Even if one person got hurt, Simon would be responsible. He couldn’t bear such a burden.

Frank seemed to understand this, sighing and smiling. "Everyone fears responsibility. That includes me."

"Even you, old man...?"

Frank closed his eyes, speaking thoughtfully. "Everyone here has escaped great pain and loss. Their families were killed; they’ve lost relatives and friends.

I’m sure, even if they seem happy on the outside, deep down, they’re all grieving. You or I may not fully understand their pain, but I do know this: a true leader provides the help and care they need."

Frank opened his eyes and looked calmly at Simon. "Even if you don’t accept it, you have the qualities of a leader."

"But the final decision is yours. If you don’t want it, I can’t force you."

Frank turned to leave. After he left, Simon sighed and sat, deep in thought. "Could I really be a leader?"

Ruffling his hair in frustration, Simon groaned. "No, I’m definitely not leadership material."

Once his family recovered, he would leave anyway. He was only here temporarily. "Exactly, just think of yourself as a temporary worker, Simon."

Without thinking further, Simon got back to the other tasks.

"George, aren’t you at all worried?" Emily whispered into George’s ear. George raised an eyebrow, confused. "Why?"

Emily gave George a sharp jab in the ribs, causing George to recoil in pain and groan. "Why did you do that?"

Emily merely shot him a cold look. "You know what I mean."

George sighed and dusted himself off. Then he looked at Emily with frustration. "Look, Emily, you might not want to worship a god, but you have to do it to survive."

Emily’s expression tightened, she frowned, and glanced at the villagers eating. "That’s the problem. The god we worship is the God of Darkness. How can you trust something like that?!"

When Emily raised her voice, George quickly covered her mouth. He gave her an angry look. "Emily, the god can hear you! What are you doing?"

Emily freed herself from George’s hand and looked at him. "No god is good. Don’t you remember what they did? They slaughtered us in the name of the goddess..."

George sighed, his eyes filled with sorrow. "I know, I know, but not every god is the same. Just have a little patience. No one is forcing you to believe."

"Tch, whatever." Emily snapped her tongue and looked away. She then went back to her task without further delay.

After Emily left, Urien approached George with a faint smile on his lips. "You seem a bit tense."

George shook his head and looked at Urien. "She hasn’t adjusted yet. I hope she gets used to it soon."

Urien nodded. "I haven’t been with Simon for a long time either, it’s been 2-3 days. Still, I’m starting to get used to it. Emily will too."

George nodded, a thin smile forming on his lips as he picked up a bowl of soup and handed it to Urien. "Take this and eat a bit, you woman-faced one; maybe you’ll become a bit more manly."

"Hey!" Urien scrunched up his face but a smile still appeared on his lips. He took the soup. "Come on, I look very manly either."

Urien, who did put on a stern face, brought a smile to George’s face. George laughed and playfully slapped Urien on the back.

"Grahahahha, you’re ten years too young to be more of a man, young man!"

Urien laughed and continued eating the soup.

"The night is coming; let’s set up camp."

Frank pulled out a large piece of fabric from the cart. The fabric was made by sewing blankets together.

"Okay, how are we going to use this?" Simon asked curiously, examining the fabric. George laughed and pulled out a hammer and six stakes. "We’re going to use the stakes to make a tent with this."

Simon nodded in understanding and then took three of the stakes. George and Simon set out to drive the stakes into the ground at five-meter intervals.

"Bring the fabric and the wooden poles!" George shouted.

They placed the lower ends of the poles next to the stakes and prepared the upper ends to support the fabric.

Before securing the fabric to the poles, they spread out the tent on the ground. Then, they checked the connection points between the stakes and the fabric.

"No problem!" Simon said.

They secured the edges of the fabric to the points where the stakes were located with ropes, then tightened the ropes sufficiently.

They placed the poles upright in the center of the tent. After connecting the top points of the poles to the tent fabric and securing the poles, they tightened the ropes to keep the tent’s shape and tied them to the stakes.

Finally, Simon and George drove the stakes into the ground and stepped back, tired. Then, a villager came with a large piece of fabric and spread it inside the tent.

"Finished, this tent should last us at least three days." Frank said with satisfaction. "After a five-hour sleep, we’ll set off again."

As the villagers agreed, Simon took a headcount. There were 36 people in total: 12 women, 16 men, 4 elderly, and 4 children.

While the elderly couldn’t work, all the men could. Since there were no settlements yet, there was no immediate need for a blacksmith, carpenter, or farmer. That could be dealt with later.

The manpower was scarce for the resources available. Still, according to Frank, there was a small town about five hours away. It would be enough to get more carts, food, and water.

The villagers had only 12 coins. Simon prayed that things would be cheap.

(5 hours later)

Night had returned once again. As Frank and Simon woke everyone up, they got ready and continued on their journey.

Six hours later, when the first rays of morning appeared in the sky, they had arrived at the town.

The town was established as a stop on a trade route. While it wasn’t very large, it was still impressive for a developing settlement.

"Emily and George, go and get as many carts, food, and water as possible," Frank calmly explained while handing over a purse of coins. "Don’t forget to haggle."

George took the purse and nodded. "Don’t worry, Grandpa. I’ll take care of it."

Emily joined him, and then they left. As they entered the town, they immediately caught the attention of some people, mostly thieves.

Emily was uncomfortable with this but didn’t show it. They wandered slowly through the town. The people looked happy.

"We need supplies for a journey with 36 people. We’ll need to get 9 to 12 horses and carts to pull them," George briefly said.

"We also need enough food to feed everyone, ensuring that each person gets two main meals and one or two snacks per day. Let’s not forget water," Emily calculated quickly.

"Hopefully, it won’t be too expensive..."

Emily sighed, and they started asking around for a merchant. Eventually, they came across one. The merchant was a somewhat overweight man with a mustache.

"Hello, madam, what can I do for you?" the merchant said, bowing awkwardly.

Emily looked at the man seriously. "We need 12 horses, carts, and enough food and water for two moon."

The merchant’s eyes lit up, and he nodded eagerly. "Of course, of course! Ask and you’ll receive! I have everything you need!"

The merchant said joyfully, stroking his mustache. "That is, of course, for a certain price..."

Emily clicked her tongue. "Go ahead, name your price."

The merchant laughed and quickly responded. "Only 20 gold coins."

George furrowed his brows angrily. "Nonsense! Why is it so expensive!?"

The merchant calmly continued explaining. "10 gold for the horses and carts, 5 gold for the food and water, and the last 5 gold for my service fee."

Emily glared at the merchant. "This is the first time I’m hearing such a thing! Are you trying to scam us?!"

The merchant laughed and raised his hand as if surrendering. "Calm down, young lady. I see you’re not familiar with this town."

The merchant grinned slyly, inspecting George and Emily’s clothes. "Keep in mind that I’m the most reasonably priced merchant here. Others probably wouldn’t even bother with you."

Emily, furious at the merchant’s mocking tone, was about to approach him, but George held her back by the arm.

"No need to cause a scene. We’ll check with other merchants," George said with a frown, glaring at the merchant. The merchant shrugged and turned away. "Suit yourselves, but I’ll be here if you change your mind. My door is always open."

For a moment, Emily had to resist the urge to punch the merchant in the face. George gave him a sharp look. "Alright. Good day."

Then they quickly walked away.

"What are we going to do?"

"We’ll tell Grandpa, of course. We don’t have much choice, do we?" Emily said in frustration. George could only sigh. "Let’s look around a bit more. Maybe we’ll find a reasonable merchant."

Emily nodded, and together they spent an hour wandering through the town, asking dozens of people and merchants, but most were still too expensive.

And since they were strangers wearing low-class clothing, many people simply ignored them.

"Ughhh!" Emily groaned in frustration, kicking a stone. After an hour, they hadn’t even managed to negotiate with a single merchant.

"Forget it, let’s at least buy the food and water," George said, defeated. Remembering the first merchant they spoke to, Emily grimaced. "Are we really going to that guy?"

George nodded. "We have no choice. He was the cheapest."

So, Emily and George returned to the merchant’s shop and approached the man.

The merchant smiled as if he’d already won. "I knew you’d be back. So, will you take it?"

George nodded. "We’ll take the food and water."

He then handed the merchant 5 gold coins. The merchant didn’t take the money, leaving George’s hand hanging in the air as he laughed and said, "Sorry, but that’s no longer enough. It’s now 10 gold."

Emily’s face flushed with anger while George’s expression darkened. "Wasn’t the food and water 5 gold?"

The merchant put on a fake sympathetic look and said, "Half of my stock was sold today, so prices have gone up."

The merchant lied with a shameless grin, stroking his mustache. "Madam, if you don’t have the money, you can leave. After all, I only deal with those who can afford it."

Emily couldn’t hold back anymore and clenched her fist. "This is outright extortion!"

The merchant remained unmoved. "I’m not forcing you to buy anything. If you don’t want it, you can leave."

"We’re buying it," George said in a low voice. Emily immediately protested. "But George—"

"We have no other choice, Emily. If not, people will starve."

Emily wanted to keep arguing, but George’s words stopped her. He was right—the merchant was the only one willing to deal with them.

George took out 10 gold coins from the purse and handed them to the merchant. "Here. Now give us the supplies."

The merchant took the money eagerly and nodded. "Don’t worry, it’ll be delivered to you shortly. Please wait outside."

"Alright, we’ll wait outside."

Emily and George left the shop and walked together.

They didn’t speak for a while. As the merchant’s workers loaded various supplies onto the cart, the merchant soon emerged from the shop with the same smug grin on his face.

"Alright then. The workers will accompany you," the merchant said cheerfully. His workers followed George and Emily as they pulled the cart.

Soon, they arrived at the place where the peasants were staying. The workers unloaded the food and the wooden barrels of water from the cart.

The food was varied. Bread, cheese, dried meats, and vegetables, among many other things, could be preserved for a long time thanks to runes carved on small stones.

As people gathered around the merchant, Simon, Urien, and Old Frank finally arrived, surprised at seeing only food and water.

"Didn’t you get any horses?" George looked down in disappointment after hearing Simon’s question. "They were all too expensive. The only things we could afford were these."

"How much did you pay?" George remained silent, but Emily quickly answered Urien’s question. "10 gold coins. They practically mocked us."

Old Frank squinted his aged eyes. "Seems like you weren’t exactly welcomed?"

George and Emily nodded unhappily. "No merchant trusted us or even approached us. The ones who did were all trying to cheat us. One even asked for 15 gold for just 8 horses and 2 carts."

"That’s bad, not everyone can walk for long," Simon said worriedly. Frank nodded. "Let’s go have a word with the merchant who sold to you."

Emily nodded. "Alright, as you wish."

"Everyone stay calm, the problem will be solved today," Frank said, turning to reassure the people. Then, he looked at Simon. "You come with me, Simon."

Simon nodded and followed Frank.

Emily and George led them to the merchant’s shop for the third time. When they walked in, Frank saw the merchant counting his money. Frank hit the ground with his staff sharply, catching the merchant’s attention.

"You again?" The merchant asked, almost tired but still holding a smile. Frank smiled and looked him in the eyes. "It seems there’s been some kind of misunderstanding with our kids here. You sold them a month’s worth of food and water for 10 gold."

"That’s right, a good deal if you ask me."

The smug smile on the merchant’s face made Frank’s eyes grow colder. A thin, cold smile formed on his lips. "Very good, very good. Looks like I’ll have to speak to you in a language you understand."

Before the merchant realized what was happening, Frank turned to George and Emily. "Wait for us outside and don’t let anyone in."

Simon was curious about what Frank was going to do, while George and Emily, understanding the situation, left without saying a word.

The merchant grew tense. "I don’t know what you want, but if you harm me, there will be consequences."

Frank laughed and then glanced at Simon. "Watch closely, Simon. I’m going to show you a good negotiation technique."

Simon nodded as Frank slowly walked toward the merchant. The merchant stood up nervously and looked at Frank. "Please, leave immediately, or I’ll call the guards."

"Oh, I’m so scared," Frank chuckled, and before the merchant could react, Frank swiftly swung his staff, hitting him hard on the chin.

The merchant fell to the ground instantly, clutching his chin in pain. Before he could respond, Frank pressed his staff against the merchant’s throat. Frank spoke coldly, "Merchant, I’m an old-school man. Underestimating me is a big mistake on your part."

Either we strike a fair and profitable deal, or I’ll break your bones until you can’t walk."

The merchant groaned in pain as the staff pressed harder against his throat, making it difficult to breathe. He didn’t want to give in, but as Frank pressed even harder, cutting off his air, the merchant’s vision began to blur, and fear overcame him.

"Al-alright," he gasped.

Frank smiled and returned to his grandfatherly demeanor. "Looks like you’ve come to your senses, kid. Good for you."

The merchant, still clutching his aching jaw, muttered, "You’ll pay for this..."

Frank swung his staff again, this time even harder, hitting the merchant’s chin once more.

The merchant spat out blood, some of his teeth broken and falling to the ground. Frank continued with a smile. "Sorry, my old ears didn’t hear you. What did you say?"

The merchant looked like he was about to cry. Simon wanted to intervene, but when he saw Frank’s ruthless expression, he swallowed hard and stayed silent.

"Alright, alright. I’ll sell it to you for 5 gold," the merchant said, trembling with fear. Frank’s eyebrows furrowed. "Five gold? That’s still bad. Wouldn’t 2 gold be more reasonable?"

The merchant wanted to refuse, but when he saw Frank raise his staff again, he was forced to agree. "Damn it! Fine, I’ll sell it to you!"

Frank smiled and then looked at Simon. "See, Simon? Problems can be solved through talking."

Simon wanted to say something, but seeing the merchant on the floor, he swallowed his words. He quickly nodded. "Y-yes, I see."

"Good," Frank said. Then he looked back at the merchant. "Well, what are you waiting for? Get up and prepare the goods."

The merchant, terrified, stood up and went to gather the horses and carts.