Chapter Eight: Community service

"One eighteen... One eighteen." I turn the knob on my radio off. The message was a code to let us know the ambush was ready. I start walking down the road towards the ambush point. It was on a narrow section of the road, and we had to destroy part of the cliff to make it even narrower. Then, we placed the explosives under the road, where we would stop them.

I stand in the middle of the road surrounded by goats. The engines of the convoy are starting to come closer as the rocks around me begin to rumble from their weight. Two IFVs, an attack helicopter, and several armored vehicles were in the convoy.

The explosives won't be enough to destroy them, but they will be enough to throw around the people inside and injure them. As for the attack helicopter, we have several men with some old twenty-millimeter anti-tank rifles waiting for it to fly over. They were given good equipment and vehicles, but don't know how to use them effectively. At least, that's what my mentor thinks, and I hope he's right. After all, I'm the one who will be staring down the barrel of an autocannon.

A few minutes pass, and the lead IFV rounds the corner and then slams on the brakes as it sees me and all of the goats in its way. The IFV stops about ten meters in front of me, and its gun aims right at me. I slowly raise my arms, and a very long minute passes as I stare down the barrel of the gun.

Luckily, I am wearing a cloak, so it can't see my mini assault rifle on my back. One of the hatches on the IFV opens, and a man peeks out from it, starting to yell at me. I ignored him and continued, staring at the helicopter as I waited for the signal.

Then I see sparks and fire come from the helicopter's engine, and with that, I clench both fists, signaling to detonate the explosives. A loud boom and shockwave hit me. The entire road was engulfed in dust and debris. I grabbed my gun and ran up to the opened hatch of the IFV.

I jumped into the hatch and started shooting the concussed men in the IFV. Then I grabbed the dead body of the gunner and dragged him out of the seat. I took my seat in the gunner's position, and the controls were just as my mentor had described them. Grabbing the controls, I spin the turret around towards the other IFV.

I switched to the anti-tank missiles and fired both of them at the IFV in the rear of the convoy. Two large explosions send molten metal everywhere, and flames burst out of the top of the IFV as the ammo cooks off. I then switch to the twenty-five-millimeter auto-cannon and start firing at the men who dismounted their armored vehicles.

Loud explosions can be heard as the HE shells hit the ground all around the men. It's a good thing that so much dust was being kicked up because I can only imagine how gruesome it must be to get hit or even be near one of those shells when they go off.

After a few more bursts of the gun, I decided that it was time to bail before air support showed up. I take the explosive charge from my bag and place it in the ammo rack. With the fuse set, I retreat out of the hatch and run down the road. A few minutes later, the IFV explodes in a fireball as the remaining ammo cooks off.

I run back to a safe location and turn my radio back on. "It's done." Then I turn off my radio. A large shadow quickly moved past me. It was a drone, and considering I'm still alive, it probably won't shoot at me. It circled around me for a few minutes before it left and started to chase down some poor saps who were looting the convoy.

It launched a few missiles into a group of them. What idiots. They should have followed the plan rather than trying to steal some gear and weapons. I hopped into one of our escape tunnels and made my way back to base.

That nameless man was waiting for me to give a report. However, he already knew exactly what had happened. I had to ask how he knew that the hatch to the IFV would open. "You want to know why they were so foolish enough to open the hatch that was keeping them safe? Simple, that man felt sympathetic to you. You probably reminded him of his own daughter, or maybe he would have felt bad killing a young girl."

"Whatever he was thinking ended up getting him and his men killed. People often think they are complex creatures, full of logic and common sense, but ultimately, they let their foolish emotions guide them. That's why we can easily take advantage of them. For you see, even smart men are rendered dumb by foolish emotions like sympathy in war."

"That's why these emotions can be easily manipulated and used for your benefit." I don't want to admit it, but he's probably right. After all, I'm also doing all of this for an illogical reason, and he's exploiting that. "You did well today, Lenka." He pats me on the back and hands me a syringe and a vial of insulin. "Lenka, your reason for fighting is foolish, but..."

I wake up to someone knocking at my door. Kate opens the door. "Pardon me, my lady. Breakfast is ready." "I will be down after I get dressed." Kate hesitates for a second, as if she wants to say something, but then bows and leaves my room. I recall that day vividly from my dream. It was the day that I officially became the Angel of Death.

I didn't know it then, but that drone and the cameras recovered from the IFV took pictures of me, and they determined that I was one of the leaders. At that time, I was nothing more than a special card our real leader could play. That day, I realized just how good that man was at war.

The plan went off exactly as he had planned. He was a master at using people, including me. I let out a sigh. There I go being a hypocrite again. I will be using the people of this city much like that man used me. Whatever, it's pointless to think about it since I have never been a good person.

I may have gone too far with my little speech yesterday, but it seems it was so well-received that even my father has officially made it a real proclamation with my signature and our house's stamp. I wonder if Annabelle had a hand in making him do it? I still can't figure her out.

My father had it copied and sent it out to other cities, and gave a copy to Godfrey to read to the city. Well, if it means more manpower and citizens, then fine, but it makes you wonder if some half-assed words are all it takes to move these people.

Perhaps it's the world's lack of education that leads to this, or maybe these people simply lack good role models. Ultimately, it doesn't matter in the end. I get what I need, and they will have a better life. Well, I should add school to the list of things I need to build. I don't want anyone else to use this method to move my people. Plus, with educated citizens, it would be much easier for them to adjust to the new technology I will introduce.

Let's just hope that they have the capacity to learn. Knock, knock. "Enter." Kate walks into my room. She is wearing the dress I gave her. The red color suits her well and matches her hair and eyes. I guess she finished her morning chores. It's amusing that her status has changed, but her work remains largely unchanged. Well, a servant and a lady and waiting are very similar. The only difference is that she is now a lady of our court and not just a simple servant.

I think Mary is happy about it because now Kate is fully responsible for me, and she will have more free time. However, Kate's new title means that Kate is a higher rank than Mary and Annabelle. I doubt Kate will abuse that power, considering how much they have helped her. The sunlight was starting to hit the desk, meaning it was afternoon. I stand up and start heading for the door. "Come on, Kate, we have a lot of work to do today."

We were in the storage building right next to the manor. The guards moved the things I bought yesterday into this building. I go through the crates and grab a notebook, a quill, a tool-belt, and ink. I give the belt to Kate and have her put it on. "What's this for?" Kate asked. "You will see."

After she put on the belt, I put the ink into a pouch on the belt that was made to hold the ink. Then I put the quill into a little loop next to it and then gave her the notebook. She still looked at me with a puzzled expression.

"Kate, you will be in charge of taking notes." She still seems a little confused, but then bows. "Yes, my Lady." I grab another belt, put it on, and then grab the same things. "Oh, and Kate, you can drop the my lady part." Her ears are sticking up, and her tail starts to wag a little.

"Then how should I refer to you?" "By my name." "Will do... Lenka." Her ears calmed down, and her tail started to wag more. Why was she so excited about calling me by my name? I was just getting tired of everyone calling me lady. Whatever, we have too much to do today to worry about the small things. I walk outside the storage building and head towards the city's center. Let's hope that the citizens will be willing to understand what I am doing.

We reached the city's center, where there was a well and a sizeable clearing. Honestly, this city was built more like a small town. The main roads were all dirt, and the buildings were wildly thrown together. Even the well has seen better days. It makes me wonder how the manor is so nice while this city looks like it was built by a bunch of drunken fools.

I guess I have a lot of work to do. It didn't take long for people to start gathering; after all, it wasn't every day that I made an appearance. That, or they were here to stare at Kate. It's probably the first time any of them have seen a beastkin, and by the way, Kate's ears and tail are reacting; they are definitely looking at her.

Some citizens begin whispering to each other, but they are clearly failing to do so. "Isn't that a beastkin? Why is she here? She's dressed so nicely. Do you think she's the lord's mistress? Maybe she's a beastkin spy. Isn't the other one the lord's fool? Yeah, the fool that the servants always chase around."

If I can hear them, then I know Kate can. Her ears droop down, and her tail is tucked between her feet. I must address this issue; it would make my job more difficult. I'm about to shout out, but I am cut off. "You dare speak ill of our lords!" It was Godfrey's son. I can't remember his name, but I do recall that Godfrey was training him to be the next head guard, and I think he was around the same age as Mary. He had short blonde hair, blue eyes, and looked like the spitting image of Godfrey.

"You all should be ashamed of yourselves! I will make sure all of you will receive punishment!" I reach over and pet Kate's head to calm her down, then walk over to Godfrey's son and tap him on the shoulder. "That's enough. I will take it from here." He looks at me, then nods and takes a step behind me.

Some of the guards heard the shouting and started to surround the crowd. The crowd before me was drained of color as they realized what they had just done. The punishment for this is usually a lashing, which could be deadly depending on how many lashings you receive. However, I can use this opportunity to my advantage. After all, I needed people for work, and it seems I have found people to work for me.

"Listen up. All of you from a line in front of Kate. She will take your name and then wait on the side to hear your punishment. Guards, please assist if necessary." "Wait, that's Kate? The one in the proclamation?" One of them quietly said. I suppose they weren't aware that Kate was a beastkin.

That and it seems that my foolish younger self caused a lot more trouble than I imagined.

...That's why these emotions can easily be manipulated and used for your benefit... I don't like to think about him now, but he was always right. I can easily take advantage of this situation. There were about twenty of them, and most of them were men. They were all speechless, and the three women there were crying.

I look over at Kate, who has finished writing their names down. She calmed down, but she even looked worried about them. I walk over to her and ask if she is all right. "Yes, Lenka... don't worry about me." She says in a quiet and sad voice. I turned and faced the group that was anxiously waiting for their punishment.

"Listen up. All of you have committed the crime of insulting not only your lords but also my lady in waiting. The punishment for this crime is a severe lashing." All of their faces are entirely drained of color, and one of the women fell to her knees. "However, it seems my lady in waiting Kate wishes to show you mercy. All of you should be thankful to her."

"I have decided to lower your punishment to community service. Tomorrow morning, all of you will meet us in front of the manor. You are all dismissed." They all looked shocked and also very glad. They all start bowing and apologizing to Kate. Kate also seems pleased, and Godfrey's son still seems slightly annoyed but quickly disperses the crowd. What a day. I came here to conduct a simple survey of the city to determine where I needed to build things, but I ended up causing a scene. I walk over to Kate and pet her head again. "Let's go, Kate. We still have a job to do."

I began reviewing the map of the city that I had created, as well as Kate's notes. It makes me want to pull my hair out. There is almost nothing in the current city's layout that is usable. I pretty much have to rebuild everything from scratch. The roads are crap, the buildings are crap, the farms are crap, hell, a child's scribblings are a better layout than this city's.

I rub my exhausted eyes. This is going to be a lot of work. It's no wonder humans are so vulnerable in this world. They can barely build a city. Hell, I'm honestly surprised they even got far enough to be able to build a city. The door opens, and Father and Godfrey walk in.

"Lenka, I heard about the incident from Godfrey. I will personally make sure..." "Stop." I called out, "I already have a punishment ready for them." They both look at me, puzzled. "They will do community service." "community service?" I suppose that concept hasn't been invented yet.

"It's a nicer way of saying they will do forced labor." "I see...Then we will leave it up to you." They were pretty quick to accept that outcome, or maybe they were aware of how hard I am going to work them. Godfrey stepped forward. "It was my fault for not properly disciplining our people. I should also receive punishment."

How noble of him. Unfortunately, people like me can easily take advantage of that. After thinking about it, I probably shouldn't punish him too. I feel like that may have some unforeseen consequences.

"No, Godfrey, it's not your fault but mine. I'm the one who did not mention that Kate was a beastkin in my proclamation. I also acted foolishly and caused trouble for the city and our house. The citizens had a right to be distrustful and gossip about us."

Godfrey looks at Father, who nods, and they both look back at me. He still looks guilty, like a kid awaiting his punishment. "Godfrey, if you want to make up for it, then grab some guards and come with us tomorrow." "Understood, my Lady." Again, with that, my lady stuff. I honestly wish they would just use my name.