Dale couldn't believe that he had survived the attack in the night. The people that attacked the bandit weren't some military force. They looked ordinary, even frail.

But they had a white hair witch that was unimaginably strong. He alone had subdued most of them. The rest surrendered for the fear of their lives.

What was more puzzling was that they were very forgiving to the bandits. Dale thought that all of them would be executed on sight. But the white hair witch kept his words and spared them.

He even allowed the injured to be cared for by his people. Dale just didn't understand what was happening.

Dale, and a few more injured bandits, were placed in the largest house in the bandit camp. They were taken care of by these people and bandaged nicely.

"Why are you doing all of this?" Dale asked his healer.

"Ah. You must be thinking why are we saving you, yes?"

The healer answered him. He was a man under Kraus. A homeless thug that once caused trouble in Mucktown.

Dale nodded in silence.

The healer replied, "I can't say on behalf of our lord what the reason is. But I guess that it is because he is merciful."

"Merciful?"

The healer nodded, "I was once a cutthroat in my town. My job was to terrorize people and take their coins from them.

But then our leader, Kraus, recruited us. He was also a former thug.

Lord Snow took us in and showed us a better way to live. We became some sort of helpers that went around town to help people. Lord Snow paid us of course."

"Pay you? Just to help people?"

The healer smiled. There was more to the story but he didn't say more. Helping people lower their guard and you could learn more from them. Kraus recruited all of them to gather intel inside Mucktown. But these bandits didn't need to know that. Instead, he changed the subject.

"Any other lords, me and Kraus would have been hanged in the gallows for all to see. But Lord Snow allowed us to have a second chance. Maybe he wants to give you a second chance also. If I were you, I would make myself extremely useful.

Lord Snow can be merciful. But he is also very ruthless. He has burned his enemies… Alive… Before."

Dale trembled gently just imagining that scene. From what he gathered, Siderius was a very forgiving high lord, but he would not hesitate executing every bandit if need be. Dale understood that he needed to make himself useful. Otherwise, only death would be waiting for him.

The healers took care of the injured bandits and left. These men and women weren't actually healers. They only knew very basic first aid skills. Billy, on the original three thugs, taught them how to do it. It wasn't that difficult to be honest. All they needed to do was clean the wound and apply the bandages and herbs.

There were a few guards standing around in the house to watch over the bandits. The bandits were also tied down to the bed, not allowing them too much freedom. In the end, they were still prisoners.

Suddenly, Siderius entered the wooden house.

"High Lord!" The guards turned to him and bowed immediately.

Siderius nodded. "Just keep doing what you're doing."

"Yes, my lord!"

Siderius looked around and discovered Dale. He grabbed a chair and sat down next to Dale.

"So. You are the blacksmith of the bandits, huh?"

Dale tried to force a smile on his face. But he knew it looked very ugly.

"Yes, my lord. I am a blacksmith."

"I saw the weapons you forged for them. They are crude but you have the basics down."

"Thank you... Thank you for your compliment, my lord."

"I am a direct man so let me just tell you why I'm here. Smithing is a very valuable profession. I have a blacksmith but he will need some help in the future. You would be a perfect assistant for him."

"I... Do you mean you will forgive my crimes and let me become an assistant, my lord?" Dale couldn't believe his ears and asked again.

"Of course not," Siderius chuckled, "Your skill is valuable. But you made a mistake. You will have to face the same sentence as every other bandits. You will need to work in my new domain to make up for your crime. When your debt is repaid, you can walk free again."

"I see..." Dale's expression darkened.

Siderius patted him on the back. His pat was so strong that it caused Dale to cough a few times.

"Don't worry. You will only need to do some manual labor. While serving your sentence, you can also help my blacksmith with his work as well. The better you do the less amount of time you will have to work.

It all depends on your performance and your effort in rehabilitation."

Suddenly, another injured bandit spoke up.

"I also know how to do woodwork, my lord. If I can help, will my sentences be reduced too?"

"Of course. This is not limited to Dale. As long as your performance during your sentence is good, your serving time can be reduced."

The bandits looked at each with joy in their eyes. This was the first time they heard about this type of punishment. Most of the time, the punishment for a crime was very cruel. Chopping the hands off for a thief. Stripping the freedom of bandits and turning them into slaves. Or worse, becoming gladiators in some secret fighting rings.

All of these sentences had the same kind of disadvantage in Siderius' mind. It would forever remove the potential of any man. Chopping a thief's hands would make them a disabled for the rest of their life. Siderius saw no benefit in that. A thief could turn into a woodcutter, a fisher, or something else. If he was truly unable to reform, a simple death sentence was better. Otherwise, he would just become a useless beggar that couldn't do anything except leech off society.

That was also why there were so many beggars in Mucktown. Most of them were former criminals and disabled people.

In Siderius' eyes, the worth of a human was simply how much he could contribute. Now that Siderius already had a domain of himself, he would make sure to use every single person to the fullest of their potential, making them the best version they could be. Instead of ruining them forever. Of course, for cases that he couldn't save, he would let them go to the afterlife. Siderius had no time for useless men in his domain.

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