On the periphery of the crowd, a woman holding a child suddenly rushed out, pointing at the man named Wells. Her eyes were swollen red, and her voice was shrill:
"He killed my husband! For half a sack of moldy wheat! He smashed my husband's head with a stone!"
Several soldiers immediately stopped her but did not harm her, merely leading her back into the refugee crowd.
Another old man also tottered out, pointing at one of the men.
"It wasn't theft! My lord! It was robbery!!! He stole my only blanket! Just last night!"
The poor people kneeling on the ground still spoke out angrily:
"There is no law left in this land!"
"By what right do you judge us? You invaders! You captured the lord's family!"
"Because of your war! We lost everything!!!"
Del put away the parchment and looked at them coldly. He was not angry, but responded in a factual tone:
"By Lord Arthur's command!"
His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.
"By Lord Arthur's law!"
He took a step forward, his boots rustling on the dusty ground.
"In the lands controlled by Lord Arthur! Any act that harms civilians! Will be severely punished!"
He paused, his gaze sweeping over all the refugees present.
"Now!!! In this land! His word! Is the law!"
Del turned his back and raised his hand.
"In the name of Lord Arthur! I sentence you! To death!"
He suddenly swung his arm down.
"Execute immediately!!!"
The soldiers moved like emotionless machines, immediately dragging the crying, cursing, pleading bandits towards the makeshift gallows.
Ropes were placed around their necks.
Del didn't even look at them again, waving his hand.
The sound of wooden stools being kicked away rang out one after another. Several bodies convulsed violently in mid-air, legs flailing, like fish pulled onto shore.
Then, everything fell silent. The wind blew, and the bodies hanging in mid-air swayed gently, casting swaying shadows on the ground.
Brynden Tully's cheek muscles twitched. What was this, executing justice? He couldn't quite understand what was happening. However, what truly made the seasoned knight's pupils contract was the scene that followed.
The soldiers did not leave. They lowered the bodies and drew the daggers from their waists.
Under the shocked, incredulous gaze of Brynden Tully and Robin Lygg, they began to sever the heads of the bandits.
The faint sound of blades cutting through flesh and bone was like a cut to Robin Lygg's heart.
He let out a roar of rage, like an enraged bull, and spurred his horse forward: "Stop!!!"
"What in the world are you doing!!!"
"Stop your atrocities and desecration!!!"
His roar broke the eerie silence of the scene.
Arthur's soldiers immediately became alert, turning around and drawing their sword hilts. Their movements were uniform, and there was no panic on their faces. Those who could wear chainmail were either veterans or had earned military merits.
Del turned around and saw Robin rushing over, followed slowly by Brynden and his party. As a soldier who had once served a great family, even if he was just a slacker, he recognized Riverrun's insignia at a glance.
He bowed slightly, performing a not-quite-standard salute: "Respected sirs!"
"We are Lord Arthur's soldiers!"
But he did not stop his soldiers' actions. One soldier had already cut off a head, grabbing it by the hair and lifting it up, a hint of satisfaction even showing on his face. That head was a military merit.
Robin Lygg looked down at Del from his horse, his body trembling with anger: "What are you doing?"
"The dead should be buried in peace! This is the teaching of the Seven Gods! You… you… actually… actually desecrate corpses!"
Brynden Tully interrupted Robin Lygg's questioning. He rode his horse to Robin's side, separating him from Del.
He dismounted, walked in front of Del, and spoke in a steady voice, explaining their purpose: "We are envoys sent by Riverrun."
"Take us to see Arthur. Stinky Castle."
Del bowed respectfully: "Of course, my lord!"
"But you'll have to wait until we finish this!"
Brynden Tully's gaze passed over Del to the soldiers, and he saw a sight he would never forget.
The soldiers began to efficiently process all the bandits' bodies. Their heads were cut off and tied to their waists, and then the headless torsos were thrown into the burning village to be consumed by the flames. The entire process was quiet and efficient, as if they were handling livestock in a slaughterhouse.
Brynden withdrew his gaze and looked at Del again. He now knew one of the reasons why Arthur could win.
"Take us to see the Black Lion."
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