He grabbed the supply officer by the hair and forcefully yanked his round head upward.
Supply Officer Harold wailed miserably from the pain, struggling ceaselessly. Snot and tears flew everywhere, and his pants grew wet—he had already lost control of his bladder.
"I am a member of the Kingdom's..."
The Khorngor squeezed his throat tighter. His face instantly flushed red, unable to speak.
"Die, you fat pig!"
The man found the right moment, plunged the short knife into his lower abdomen, and with immense anger and hatred, used all his strength to slash the knife upwards.
The supply officer's fat belly was sliced open. Organs, blood, and fat spilled out like a broken dam, intestines and organs dangling from his abdomen, his eyeballs almost popping out of their sockets.
"Ptui!"
The man exhausted his strength, angrily pulled the knife out, spat into the supply officer's stomach, and cursed: "This is for you! Bastard!"
The brutal execution did not scare anyone. On the contrary, the refugees' emotions surged wave after wave toward the supply officer, who could now be declared a corpse.
Al silently watched them vent their emotions. He slowly dismounted from the Griffon and cupped his hands in a salute to the refugees.
"Humans are not like the tribe, where everyone is blessed by the Four Mothers, united as one, without selfish desires."
"You allied with the tribe and accepted our protection, yet I failed to notice these parasites embezzling your food, causing you to suffer hunger... It is my fault."
Having spoken, Al cupped his hands and slowly bowed.
The crowd suddenly fell silent. Even the crying baby was held tightly in his mother's arms. Everyone's gaze was fixed on the center of the field, on the boy standing beside the two corpses, bowing to them.
Suddenly, a loud wailing erupted. The refugees sobbed and bawled. The grievances they had endured during this period and the reality of their hunger had left everyone physically and mentally exhausted.
The Greenskins slaughtered them, the councilor representatives colluded to exploit and extort them through the supply officers, the Kingdom showed them no understanding and even wanted to drag their men away, forcing them to go die against the Greenskins.
The refugees only felt they had been pushed to a dead end. Either send their men away and drag out a meager existence under the tribe's protection, or bear the crime of rebellion and turn into bandits and outlaws.
And now, the only one to show them sympathy was the tribe—a group that had merely signed a nominal alliance with the Kingdom, had no connection to their life or death, bore absolutely no responsibility for them, yet had twice saved the refugees from annihilation; led by a leader who was the least beast-like among the Beastmen.
Yet he felt sorrow for the suffering they endured and said to them:
"This is my fault."
The young man who had previously pointed out to the crowd that they had no way out but death, and who had hesitated and wavered about proposing they convert to the Four Mothers and join the tribe, rushed out of the crowd amidst their weeping, fell to his knees, and wailed:
"Your Highness saved us in our time of peril, sheltered us in the forest to hide, and gave up your food so we wouldn't starve. How could today's events possibly be blamed on you!"
"Your Highness had already become a King, staying far away from the flames of war with your tribe. It was to help us fight the Greenskins that you stepped out of the forest to ally with the Kingdom. Your help to us is tantamount to the Goddess walking the earth. How could we possibly think this is Your Highness's fault?"
The crowd wept and shouted, agreeing with what the young man said. Al's expression changed, looking deeply moved. He hurriedly stepped forward and helped the young man up.
"Although that is true, I indeed failed to do better... Sigh!" The boy sighed and said: "The tribespeople are all very honest and united. Such a thing has never happened before. How could I have foreseen it?"
"I will personally take charge of the supplies from now on, and I guarantee it will be 'fair, just, and open'. However, the conscription is, after all, a resolution made by your Kingdom. As an ally, the tribe cannot interfere, but we will not help your esteemed council forcibly draft you either. You can all rest assured."
The young man gripped Al's hands tightly, refusing to let go.
"If we were ruled by a wise King like Your Highness, and governed by devout and kind subordinates like yours, how could today's events have happened?"
"The food issue is resolved, so we won't starve to death; but the conscription still requires us to bid farewell to our families on empty stomachs and go die against the Greenskins!"
"We killed the Kingdom's officials, which constitutes a rebellion. If Your Highness is unwilling
to accept us, we will surely die."
"Having reached this situation, we have already decided to convert to the Four Mothers, follow the example of others, join the tribe, and become Your Highness's subjects. We beg Your Highness not to refuse, otherwise we can only part with our families to die on the battlefield, or flee elsewhere to become bandits or die to beasts!"
A massive, dark crowd of people knelt down before Al. The few who hadn't reacted in time were also swept up by the crowd and showed their submission.
"We beg to join your tribe, to become your subjects, otherwise we shall surely die!"
Al blinked and actually shed a few tears. They slid down that face that possessed both handsome and beautiful qualities, displaying an expression of sorrow and sympathy that seemed unearthly.
"I cannot bear to see the common people suffer, even though you are not yet my subjects; but I am also unwilling to betray my alliance with the Kingdom. The current situation forces me to violate one of my convictions!"
The centaur girl isn't here, no one can control me!
No one!
The Everchosen's face was filled with conflict.
He turned slightly sideways, covering his cheek with one hand, seemingly unwilling to face such a painful choice. The young man gripped Al's hands tightly, begging bitterly.
The refugees shouted, begging the leader of the tribe. Al finally seemed to be moved by compassion. With a long sigh, he turned around, faced the crowd directly, and spoke with sincere words:
"I once swore to the Gods and my subjects: 'As your (their) leader, if I make a mistake, I hope the Heavens (the Gods) will not implicate my subjects, but punish only me; if my subjects make a mistake, I hope the Heavens (the Gods) will punish only me, and not punish my subjects.'" [Quote attributed to King Tang of Shang]
"The Four Mothers teach us: We cannot refuse the pleas for help from our compatriots, we cannot close the door to those who wish to pledge their loyalty. If this is truly your sincere wish, then please walk past me and recite, 'Graced by the Four Mothers, save us'."
"I will also swear to you, by the oath I swore to my compatriots and the Gods."
Having spoken, Al asked everyone to stand to his right. Those willing to convert to the Four Mothers and join the tribe were to walk past him and stand on the left.
Conversion is a very solemn matter, even after the End Times when the gods had generally fallen silent and hidden themselves.
Under the gaze of Al and the Four Gods observing the mortal realm through his eyes, anyone who walked past him was a refugee who truly harbored the thought of converting to survive in their heart. Those opportunists, waverers harboring hopes of getting lucky, would also be deeply psychologically branded after performing such an act.
If they continued to stay under the tribe's influence long-term, they would inevitably walk the path of true conversion in the end.