Chapter 140: Wrath

Akar arrived at a location on the eastern side of Kalel Village, based on the intelligence he had gathered.

This place was a wasteland located on the eastern outskirts of the village. The soil here was relatively loose and not suitable for cultivation, so the villagers of Kalel Village had long abandoned it. Later, as several villages were destroyed during the war, Kalel Village urgently needed labor in the post-war period, so they began to accept refugees whose original villages had been destroyed. Among them, families who had lost their main labor force, or had illnesses, or had larger households, were settled in this area.

At a glance, Akar saw more than a dozen houses here, all densely clustered together without any planning—built entirely at random. It was unlike the orderly layout he had seen elsewhere in the village, not to mention the cleanliness of the streets.

Akar didn’t know whether Archis lived here, as the only information he had received was, “If you want to find a single-parent family among the outsiders who lost their husband, you can only try your luck in the east of the village.”

Nearby, a group of children of intermediate age were playing with mud.

Perhaps it was due to the lack of water sources, or perhaps water was a relatively precious resource in this area, so the source of the mud they played with could only come from their own bodily output.

Akar walked toward the group of children.

Several slightly older ones immediately stood up from the group. They quickly wiped their hands on their pants, trying their best to smear the mud and stains onto their clothing—only then did Akar notice that, no matter how mischievous the children were, they deliberately kept their upper clothing clean. Their pants were darker shades of brown or black linen, so even if they got dirty, it wouldn't be easily noticed.

The only thing that couldn't be concealed was the faint stench emanating from their bodies.

However, such a smell was not really a problem for laborers, mercenaries who lived by the blade, or traveling merchant groups.

As for nobles or wealthy merchants, it was impossible for them to come into contact with these children anyway.

“Mister…” the first child to step forward quickly began to speak, but after only two words, he became flustered.

“Idiot, the boss taught us—we have to say ‘Your Excellency’!” another child next to him quickly shouted.

But before the first child, who had suddenly shown an enlightened expression, could speak again, the one who had fallen a step behind had already rushed to speak: “Your Excellency! Is there anything I can help you with?”

The first child immediately showed a look of frustration.

However, he didn’t speak again. Instead, he stood to the side like a hunter waiting for his opponent to make a mistake.

Akar knew how to deal with this group of children.

He had encountered them once already upon entering Kalel Village.

So he quickly pulled out a copper coin from his belongings. “I have a question. Whoever can answer it will get this copper coin.”

“Your Excellency, go ahead!” The child’s eyes lit up, and he immediately responded, “I know everything!”

“Have you heard of the name ‘Archis’?”

The children looked stunned upon hearing Akar’s question and exchanged glances with one another.

Especially the first and second boys who had rushed up, as well as the one who had reminded them about the proper title—they all immediately showed wary expressions.

This unexpected reaction made Akar realize at once that they knew something.

“Archis is just… Ah!” one child, who was clearly a bit slow to react, suddenly exclaimed in realization but was quickly pushed to the ground by a slightly older child next to him in a panic.

“So, you do know something.” Akar smiled, then took out more copper coins from his belongings. “Whoever tells me where Archis is will get this entire pouch of copper coins.”

He had investigated many matters in Kalel Village over the past few days.

At a tavern, getting information required buying drinks—sometimes even treating everyone—so it usually cost at least a silver coin or more. But for street gossip, rumors of uncertain truth, or even hiring someone to run errands, large quantities of copper coins were needed.

So, in preparation for today’s search, Akar had specifically exchanged several pouches of copper coins—while technically one silver coin could be exchanged for an entire pouch of copper coins, these children only seemed to recognize copper coins. Especially the visual impact of a full pouch of copper coins was, in their eyes, far more persuasive than silver.

What surprised Akar, however, was that these children, even when faced with the temptation of a pouch of copper coins, managed to hold their tongues.

“What’s wrong? Too little?” Akar frowned slightly and then took out another pouch of copper coins. “Then how about two pouches?”

“I know…” a child nearby began to speak urgently, but he was immediately punched to the ground by the first boy who had rushed up to Akar.

The boy quickly started crying.

But the other children all distanced themselves from him with looks of disdain.

“Your Excellency, may I ask why you’re looking for Archis?” the second boy suddenly asked.

The other children also gathered together, then stared intently at Akar.

 "I am his family."

  "You're lying!" The child who had run the fastest at first was clearly impulsive and reckless in nature, so as soon as he heard Akar’s words, he immediately retorted, "Aches said that aside from his mother, he had no other family!"

  Akar grinned, then suddenly threw a pouch of copper coins at the other.

  The child fumbled a bit before managing to catch it.

  And Akar's next words left him completely frozen.

  "You know where Aches is, and you've already taken my money. If you don't lead me there, I’ll report you." Akar sneered. "By then, even if I drag you away, your parents won’t be able to say anything—because you broke the rules. ...If I remember correctly, in Kalel Village, rules and honesty are very important, aren't they?"

  "I—I didn’t take your money!" the child panicked and threw the pouch back at Akar.

  However, because Akar hadn’t tied the pouch’s opening tightly, when the child tossed it back, Akar failed to catch it. The pouch hit the ground, and the copper coins spilled out, some even rolling away.

  "Idiot!" a child in the crowd shouted in alarm. "Hurry and pick up the coins!"

  Akar glanced at the child and realized he was the one who earlier reminded the first child about how to address him.

  "There were one hundred and fifty copper coins in that pouch. How many do you think they’ll recover?" Akar asked slowly, staring at the boy.

  Just as Akar had expected, the child’s face instantly turned pale.

  "Looks like you're smart."

  The boy quickly rushed forward and began picking up the coins with everyone else, but no matter how they counted, they only ever came up with a hundred—still fifty coins short of what Akar claimed.

  "Everyone, go back and get your coins!"

  At the boy’s command, some ran home immediately, while others stayed put.

  After a brief hesitation, a few of those also went home, but a small number clearly showed reluctant expressions.

  Soon, the children returned. They pooled all the coins and counted them, but there were only twenty more—still a significant gap.

  "Sir," the boy said, clutching the coin pouch along with the twenty extra coins. He approached Akar, trembling, and offered the coins with both hands. "We were wrong. Please forgive our offense."

  Akar said nothing. Instead, he placed several more coin pouches into the boy’s hands.

  The boy’s face grew even paler.

  "If I said right now that each of these pouches contains one hundred and fifty copper coins, would you dare to bet?" Akar shook his head. "Tell me where Aches is, and all this money is yours."

  "Sir!" the boy looked up, his face resolute and serious. "You must first tell me—why are you looking for Aches!"

  "I already said, I’m his family," Akar replied calmly. "To be more precise—I’m his uncle."

  The boy looked up, his face full of astonishment. "You’re really his uncle?"

  "Why do you think I’m lying?" Akar shook his head. "Or rather—do I even have a reason to deceive you?"

  "But..."

  Perhaps the children also realized that indeed, there was no need for deception.

  Due to the circumstances of their upbringing, they were more sensitive and clever than others their age. Especially struggling at the bottom of society, they understood the importance of unity even more. Moreover, they were still young and hadn’t yet faced harsher realities, so they could still hold onto their inner sense of loyalty, unwilling to easily betray a companion.

  Of course, not everyone was like that.

  The first child who almost betrayed Aches—perhaps it could be said his head wasn’t very sharp.

  But those who hadn’t gone home to retrieve the money clearly weren’t the same—they might resist external temptations, but when faced with personal gain, they wouldn’t hesitate to abandon others.

  "Something’s wrong! Something’s wrong!" a child ran over in panic. "Aches is being cornered by Yabos and his gang again!"

  All the children stiffened, and many turned to look at Akar.

  "What’s going on?" Akar turned to the boy who was clearly their leader.

  "About a month ago, Yabos challenged Aches to a fight but lost. Then he went home and brought an adult." The boy’s face fell. "After that, both Aches and his mother were beaten—Aches nearly died! And because his mother had been caring for him nonstop, she collapsed from exhaustion a few days ago. That’s why Aches has been going out lately, trying to earn money to get medical treatment for her."

  As the children chattered, Akar's expression grew darker and darker.

  Eventually, he laughed in fury: "So, because that Yabos’s grandfather is the Village Chief of Kalel Village, no one dares to oppose him, is that it?"

  All the children lowered their heads.

  "Lead the way!"

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