Chapter 29: Downplaying the Serious, Ignoring the Trivial

They waited in silence, everyone looking at each other, feeling somewhat restless. Judging from what Nagran had said earlier, this matter wouldn’t be easy to resolve. If punishment was imposed, it would likely be severe—such charges could even lead to the death penalty. Fighting and killing within the barracks could be considered rebellion, and the consequences were obvious. Death penalty might be avoided this time, but the punishment would still be serious. At these thoughts, everyone grew uneasy.

Compared to the others’ anxiety, Rod was more worried about what was happening beyond the city walls. What had happened to make that officer rush in? Why had Nagran left his duties behind? Could it be that battle had actually broken out? These thoughts filled him with concern.

After about four or five minutes of agony, the gates of the barracks opened again, and Nagran reappeared before them. Seeing him, Rod breathed a sigh of relief, while the others wore grim expressions, knowing they were about to face final judgment.

Looking closely at Nagran, he saw him frowning slightly, lowering his head as he sat down at the front. Then he simply sat there, saying nothing, staring at the group as if deep in thought.

Under his intense gaze, everyone felt uncomfortable, as if they were helpless lambs laid out before a butcher for his inspection—extremely distressing.

“Alright, tell me, how should this matter be handled?” After what seemed like a long while, Nagran took a deep breath and asked curiously.

“Please, General, look—between us, the Death Scythe Squad has always contributed greatly to Iron Bar Town, achieving many victories. We haven’t asked for any rewards or benefits. Now that those brats led by Carter are causing trouble, honest people like us can’t just stand by, right? We admit we’re at fault, but we’re doing this to protect the people. Considering our hard work over time, even if it hasn’t yielded great results, could we please get a lighter punishment? Just once—we promise it won’t happen again.” Seeing that Nagran was ready to deal with the matter, Skora quickly stood up, approached him, and spoke humbly with a humble smile.

We can’t let Nagran reveal the outcome first. If he does, everything will be decided, and there won’t be any chance to turn things around. If we speak first, there might still be a slim chance to salvage the situation—this is something the experienced Skora understood well.

As Skora spoke, the others immediately grasped the implication and began pleading and admitting their mistakes. For a moment, the scene became quite lively.

“Alright, go back all of you! Let’s see what you have to say,” Nagran shouted loudly, frowning at the chaotic situation. This made everyone quiet down, and they returned to their seats, too afraid to speak further.

“What do you think?” Nagran turned to the officers beside him and asked after the silence settled.

“Actually, Carter’s group isn’t exactly good people either, as the general knows. Although the Scythe of Death Squad went a bit too far and acted impulsively, their intentions were good. Maybe we can give them a lighter punishment?” One of the officers glanced at Rod’s group, pondered for a moment, then spoke hesitantly.

As he spoke, the others began to agree. After all, the Scythe of Death Squad was now very important to Iron Bar Town. In the face of interests, everyone would think carefully. Besides, Carter’s group had a terrible reputation, and these soldiers had no goodwill toward them! So of course they wouldn’t care about their fate. Just considering the bad deeds they’d committed, these tough soldiers would have loved to take matters into their own hands to eliminate that group. Now that someone else was stepping in, they certainly had no objections.

Moreover, everyone knew well about the relationship between Brado and Emio—there was no need to make things too tense!

Listening to their arguments, Rod, Skora, and the others showed a slight smile and breathed a sigh of relief. Since everyone was pleading, the situation probably wouldn’t escalate.

“Hmm, you’re right. That group isn’t good people either. They did abduct two girls some time ago. Well, you guys caused quite a stir this time, but considering your contributions to Iron Bar Town, after careful discussion, we’ve decided to give you a chance!” Nagran said slowly, looking at Rod’s group.

“Okay…”

“Thank you, General!” Hearing Nagran’s words, everyone below erupted in excitement. Their anxious hearts settled, and cheers filled the air as they began to pat his horse, with voices expressing gratitude and vows to earn redemption by killing more enemies in the future.

Watching this scene, Rod smiled bitterly inwardly. What so-called discussion? It was clearly him acting alone from start to finish. But it didn’t matter. Anyway, this matter was now over, and he could breathe a sigh of relief.

“Wait… why the rush? Hmph! Quiet down! Do you really think this is the end? Death is avoidable, but punishment is inevitable!” Frowning, Nagran glared at the crowd below and shouted loudly.

“General, please, don’t do this!” Suddenly, the noisy crowd fell silent. Skora looked troubled and said with a pained expression.

“Did I say it’s over? This is just a lenient punishment. Do you know what kind of crime this is? If pursued to the end, none of you would survive. Letting you live now is already a great fortune. What more do you expect? Do you little brats think you can rebel?” With a hint of a mysterious smile, Nagran spoke calmly to Rod and his group.

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone became solemn, staring at Nagran with troubled expressions. They knew this matter wouldn’t be resolved easily; otherwise, it would have been surprising.

But it didn’t matter. As long as the punishment was mild, it was fine. Everyone knew that as long as the mountains remained, there would always be firewood. They just secretly hoped Nagran would show mercy.

“I think we can settle this here. You all seem to admit your mistakes, and the other side indeed did wrong. You were forced to fight back, so there’s no need to pursue this further. Punishment is necessary! But the situation is urgent—the beast army is lurking, and we need everyone’s help. Since you seem capable, I’ll give you a chance to atone for your crimes. Each of you will receive ten lashes. Brado, Skora, and Krod, the leaders of the Three Reapers Squad, led the rebellion, so each of you will get twenty lashes. That’s it! I hope this will teach you a lesson. If such a thing happens again, there will be no leniency!” Nagran said slowly, frowning at the group.

After finishing the conversation, he looked down at the group below. At that moment, Rod and the others all had frozen expressions, their faces stiff in an exaggerated manner. Seeing this, a faint smile appeared on Nagran’s lips.
“Boss, I didn’t hear that wrong, did I?” Feeling his clothes being pulled, Rod turned to look and saw Curly asking him with an exaggerated expression.
“If nothing goes wrong, no!” Rod nodded, also speaking in a dazed tone.
“It can’t be a mistake. Is that it then?” Scora’s voice followed, filled with disbelief.
“It’s over!” Keroth replied.
“Thank you, General! You’re magnificent!” Immediately afterward, cheers erupted once again. Everyone became excited. They had originally thought there would be some severe punishment, and everyone was anxious. No one could have imagined such an outcome!
Ten whips! What kind of punishment was that? It might be harsh for ordinary people or soldiers, but for those at their level, it was nothing at all—basically harmless. Even the twenty whips that Rod and the others had received weren’t much of a deal. Could a royal-level powerhouse really be knocked out by twenty whips? Perhaps they wouldn’t even care. Such a light punishment was truly surprising. Everything changed too quickly, and the previous worries seemed utterly unnecessary. The sudden shift from hell to heaven was hard for everyone to accept.
“Alright, that’s it. I have matters to attend to. Go down and receive your punishment. Remember, I’ll say it again—there’s only one chance. If you offend again, there will be no mercy!” Satisfied with their reactions, Nagran gave a wry smile before getting up, giving some instructions to an officer nearby, and then walking away, leaving the excited crowd to continue celebrating and cheering.
Watching Nagran leave, Rod frowned slightly. Things had changed too fast—too quickly to process! There seemed to be something off. The punishment was practically no different from no punishment at all! It didn’t resemble Nagran’s usual style at all. If that were really the case, he wouldn’t have spoken to everyone that way earlier! As for feelings, Rod knew their relationship wasn’t close enough to allow him to downplay such a serious matter and make it seem trivial.

Suddenly, Rod remembered that Nagran had left once during the incident, and something significant had changed after he returned. Could it be related? Frowning, Rod lowered his head and thought quietly.