"So what do you want me to do?"His voice rose sharply.
"Kill them?"
The entire group fell silent.
Ethan pointed toward several children hiding behind their mothers.
"Kill these children?"
"Kill these common people?"
His gaze swept across everyone standing before him.
"Is that what you want?"
No one answered.
A knight finally spoke after a few moments.
"We can imprison them."
Ethan laughed bitterly.
"Then what?"
"Use them as slaves?"
"Send them back to the Empire?"
His voice grew heavier while his expression darkened.
"The way things are going, the Empire will soon have more slaves than it can handle."
"And once that happens?"
He looked directly at the knight.
"What do you think comes next?"
The knight lowered his head.
No answer came.
Everyone understood.
Silence spread throughout the village while many soldiers lowered their gazes, and the respect they already held toward Ethan quietly deepened.
Finally, one knight spoke softly.
