Chapter 210: Sheriff
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Apa ordered the caravan to turn and headed towards the inn around noon. According to Apa, the sheriff of the city, Urter, was a very capable man. After the city fell, he hid in the slums with the homeless and the beggars, and thus avoided the Shansa soldiers’ search. After the soldiers left, he came out of hiding to maintain order in the city.
Normally, the city would have been plagued by chaos due to the power vacuum. Urter was the one that stabilized the city and prevented further damage.
Violet City was famous for its beauty, but because of the Shansa occupation, it was nothing close to beautiful. The streets were filled with filth, and the homes that lined the streets were mostly destroyed. There were only a few people on street, and their expressions were apathetic at best. Apa told Anfey that out of the two hundred thousand people that had inhabited the city, around three thousand were killed, and over ten thousand were missing. Most of the missing were women between the ages of fifteen and thirty. Over five thousand women were confirmed captured by the Shansa soldiers. Which meant at least five thousand families had lost their daughters and wives.
Anfey asked Apa whether it was possible to find the missing persons, but Apa simply shrugged and said it was almost impossible. The women would not be treated well. If they were sold into slavery, the slave owners at least would not beat and starve them. If they remained with the Shansa soldiers, their fate would be much worse. The siege of Blackania City had been going on for too long, and the soldiers were frustrated. When the soldiers became agitated, they would take it out on the women they kept as prisoners. Many of the women could be found if someone try to dig through the Shansa campsites.
Five thousand was only the number of the confirmed casualties. Maho Empire lost seventeen cities on the eastern front. What would the combined casualties be? The number would be terrifyingly large.
When a kingdom prospered, its people thrived. If a kingdom suffered, however, the people suffer even more. Maho Empire would ask for a large sum of money for retribution, but it would be used on rebuilding cities and armies. The people would not get any compensation for their losses.
Apa jumped out of the carriage first after they arrived at the inn. He knocked on the roof of the carriage and told Anfey and Suzanna that it was safe for them to get off.
Anfey lifted the curtain of the carriage and pointed at a basket. The unicorn looked at Anfey and saw that he was very serious. It stood up and moved into the basket unhappily. In order to avoid trouble, Anfey trained the unicorn to sit still in the basket. Even though the high tier magic beasts were intelligent, the unicorn was still too young to understand the commands.
Suzanna took the basket and covered it with a piece of black fabric. She wanted to talk to Anfey and release the unicorn, but it was not possible. She knew Anfey too well, and she knew that the unicorn’s gaze could soften her, but not him.
The four of them walked into the inn. The inside of the inn was quiet and empty. It was a large inn, but all the tables were empty. Two maids were napping on the counter. Hearing footsteps, they started awake and turned, visibly relaxing when they realized it wasn’t Shansa soldiers.
The two maids glanced at the three newcomers, and their gazes fell on Suzanna. They were shocked by how beautiful she was, and the fact that she had been spared by the soldiers.
Apa walked over and said something to the maids in a hushed voice. The maids nodded, and one of them turned to lead the three towards the second floor. She stopped in front of a door, and opened it for Suzanna and Anfey. She kept staring at Suzanna, which made her uncomfortable. Suzanna was afraid that the maid would discover what was in the basket.
Black Eleven closed the door behind him, shutting out the prying eyes of the maid. The first thing Suzanna did was take the fabric off of the basket and let the unicorn jump out. Even though it had only been confined to the basket for a short amount of time, it was unbearable for a magic beast who loved freedom.
"Sir, do you need anything?" the maid outside asked timidly.
"Not yet," Black Eleven said. "Apa, where is that sheriff? Shouldn't he be waiting for us?" Black Eleven already knew what was going to happen. Yolanthe had ordered him to help Anfey in his future endeavors, which meant he must look out for him. Anfey was the new lord of this city, and it was very rude to keep him waiting.
"I don’t know," Apa said with a shrug. "He’s busy. Maybe he got held up."
Black Eleven shook his head disapprovingly and sat down on a nearby chair.
After a few moments, a knock came. Apa walked over and opened the door.
A man in his mid-thirties walked into the room. He smiled at Apa apologetically. "I apologize," he said, "for my lateness. We’ve just discovered some bodies and I was needed at the scene."
Anfey looked at the man. Judging from his appearance, he was just an ordinary person. No one, however, acted the way the looked. There were many things, such as body language and expressions, that could be used to judge a man’s characters.
After he jumped out of the carriage, Anfey had observed his surrounding. The streets were almost empty, and there were no carriages on the road. Even if the sheriff had arrived as soon as they entered the inn, he would still not knock on the door this fast. He was either already around, or already in the inn.
"I shouldn’t be the one you are apologizing to," Apa said with a smile. He glanced at Anfey and said, "This is Urter, the sheriff of Violet City."
The unicorn walked over curiously and looked at Urter. Suzanna stood and called, "Come here."
The unicorn bounced back to Suzanna and rubbed itself on her leg. It knew very well that it should never anger Suzanna. If it angered Anfey, Suzanna would try to protect it. If it angered Suzanna, no one would protect it from Anfey’s anger.
Urter narrowed his eyes. Everything, from the way it walked to its speed, indicated that it was not just a common pet. What kind of men keep unicorns as pets?
"Please wait for a few moments. I have some things I need to take care of," Urter said. He walked over to the door and called down the corridor, "Don’t wait for me."
"Yes, sir," someone outside replied.
Urter closed the door behind him and glanced at the people in the room. His eyes fell on Anfey. "What did you want to talk about, my lord?"
"Let’s sit and talk," Anfey said.
"No, no. I am quite alright standing, if that does not bother you," Urter said, smiling.
"Just sit down," Suzanna said. She pulled out a chair for Urter and smiled at him. It was strange to go from a mercenary to the lord of a city. Suzanna was still getting used to it.
"Thank you, thank you," Urter said. He glanced at Anfey, then sat down slowly.
"I'm not going to waste anytime," Anfey said. "I’m Anfey, and I need some information, since this will be my home from now on."
Urter’s eyes widened. "You’re Lord Anfey, then?" Due to political needs, Yolanthe had described Anfey as a hero. He was fearless, and was ready to face challenges such as the Griffins Aerial Squad. Urter now knew what kind of men kept unicorns as pets.
"You know me?" Anfey asked. He wasn’t sure what Yolanthe had done, and was surprised. Even if Urter had found out he was the lord of Violet City, he should not be that shocked.