As noon approached, a dull thudding grew from a distant rhythm, pounding in the ears of everyone in Newly Town.
It was the sound of ten armored warhorses, treading upon the dirt in unison.
"Enemy attack—!"
The lookout's roar shattered the tranquility.
Immediately after, the piercing clang of an alarm bell echoed over Newly Town.
But the expected chaos and screaming did not erupt.
The moment the lookout's shout faded, a farmer bent over in the fields snapped upright, his face pale.
But he didn't run. Instead, he snatched up the hoe from the ground, grabbed his son's wrist in a death grip with his other hand, and practically dragged him toward the town.
He muttered, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. Just do as the lord taught us. We'll be fine..." But his voice trembled uncontrollably.
The people within the town also began methodically following the procedures of their "emergency drills."
The forge fires were quickly doused, and the sound of hammering ceased abruptly.
