Rousing Speech

Annie slowly walked out of the hut and into the town. However, she wasn't wearing the dress she had bought from Euwelyn anymore. She was wearing the uniform of the Demon King's maids- although she had had it modified to be a little more modest. If she weren't aging like this, she might not have, but she wanted to spare the children the sight of her slowly wrinkling skin. While she missed her youth, she didn't feel uncomfortable in this old body. It hadn't been that long since she was bedridden in her old world, so she still remembered all of the little tricks she used to keep herself going for so long.

Finally, Annie made it to the crater Lilin had made- or rather, the site where the crater had been. One of Euwelyn's constructs had patched the area up that night, and it had become something of a hotspot for many of the villagers. When they didn't have much to do, they would linger around here. Annie made her way to a particular rock, then stood on top of it. Clearing her throat, Annie braced herself. She couldn't hesitate to think once she started, and she had to say everything just right. This wouldn't be easy, but it had to be done.

"People of Toteca!"

A few people looked up, but not many were paying attention. Annie scanned the crowd, seeing that most of the people whose attention she had grabbed were more shocked by the sound than invested in anything she had to say.

"I am a servant to the Demon King!"

That got a lot more eyes. Annie could feel the hostility rise instantly, the people's anger quickly picking up. Most of the town already had terrible opinions of the Demon King and anything associated with him, and Lilin's attack had only exacerbated hostilities further.

"I understand that you have not paid the tax levied upon you, but I also understand there is a reason why!"

The people started to murmur between themselves. A few recognized Annie as a woman who had been around, and most of those people immediately knew what she had been doing.

"She's the one who's been corrupting our children!"

Annie recognized the voice immediately. It was Brady's father.

"I understand that your harvest has not been sufficient for both taxes and your own lives. I understand that it is a struggle to feed your families and children. I understand that your children have been laboring to provide an income. Most of all, I understand that the money you earn should be yours first, and the tax of the King should be as small as it can be."

The townspeople started to fall silent. Few still held ire against her, but even their anger could give way to reasoning. Annie breathed an internal sigh of relief, seeing the progress she needed on their faces.

"I have been a part of your town for the better part of a week. In that time, I have seen the struggle of your people. I have seen the near-famine you live in, and have been taught of the Mana that was stolen from your lands by the treacherous Sir Tristan. This poor harvest is due to the wrongdoings of the Demon King, so I understand that you do not wish to give your money to the very King who stole these things from you."

The people began to cheer halfheartedly. They could hear that Annie was about to say something else, so their glee was quite muted. Annie felt a pit in her stomach, preparing herself for the dangerous part of her speech.

"However, I need your trust. I have given money to the beggars of your town, food to the hungry, and provided aid to the injured. I swear to you, if you hand over the money that you owe in taxes, I will repay you the food you need to live. For your lives to change, I need your trust!"

The crowd immediately broke into angry conversation. An obvious question was shouted.

"Why do you need our money? What are you going to do with it?"

"My plan is to undo the tyrannical of the Demon King, but the Demon King must trust me before I can! If I return emptyhanded, he will simply destroy this town and be done with it! For my plan to succeed, I must return with the tax I was sent to collect!"

Annie bowed deeply, shouting the line she had practiced endlessly at the top of her lungs.

"This is the favor I humbly ask of you! For you to show a kindness and trust that I am willing to give you! For you to give a mere servant the kindness and mercy that she promises you in return!"

As she waited with her head bowed, Annie prayed that her gambit would pay off. There was no good way to ask for this money, nor was there a way she could phrase it in a way that would be both honest and motivating. All she could do was rely on the villagers to be as generous as she knew their kids were.

However, the angry voices rose in volume.

"To hell with you and your empty promises!"
"You're just trying to get rich before we're wiped out!"
"No servant of the Demon King will ever have my money!"

Annie flinched, staying bowed even as she hear the voices of the people rise against her. She had nothing else. She had no other plan. This wasn't even a good plan, she had to have missed something. Annie started to kick herself. She should have planned better, thought about it more. She should have told them she was going to use the money for something, anything other than just asking for trust.

Then, a pair of small footsteps made their way to Annie's side. She flinched, expecting to be struck, but the blow never came. She looked, gasping as she saw Brady. Tim joined next, followed by some of Brady's friends.

"Miss Smith," Brady said nervously, "I trust you!"

Slowly, some of the beggars Annie had seen around the town began to emerge from the crowd, and the other children she had fed on her first day joined around her. Brady turned to the crowd.

"I-I... I might just be a kid! I might not be the best! But... Miss Smith is honest! She... She wants to help us! She helped me, she helped all of us!"

"Miss Smith bought all of my family's bread," Tim shouted, "A-And she didn't keep it for herself! She gave it to anybody she saw was hungry! She wants to help!"

One by one, Annie heard the voices of the downtrodden rally around her, shouting their own stories. Annie couldn't hear all of them, the overlapping voices making it hard to hear what any of them were saying, but the voices alone made her shake. She stayed bowing, tears starting to drop from her face and soak the ground beneath her. To her utter shock, the voices around her slowly began to rise over the anger. Finally, a voice pierced over everybody else's.

"SILENCE!"

Annie looked up, seeing a very familiar woman. It was the woman from the inn, and her face was painted with conflict.

"You... you're the woman who was with that demon," she said. "You've been staying at my inn, and... I've been following you. I was trying to keep an eye on that demon, but... You're leaving something out!"

Annie's heart sank. This woman had a loud, commanding voice, and it sounded like she was going to turn the crowd against her once and for all.

"You've nearly paid our entire tax yourself!"

Annie's eyes shot wide open. Had she, really? She had no idea, she still didn't know what any of this currency stuff meant.

"You kept buying food and toys for the kids, giving money to the beggars, and you've paid for your room every night. Between all of those things, you've paid our entire tax."

The woman turned towards the aggressive crowd, shouting now. "I know all of you have the money to pay your damned portion of the tax! She's put enough money into our town to more than cover it, so if you have any ounce of goodness in your heart, trust her damn words! I hate them as much as you, but if you want to see something happen, this is the only woman I've ever met who can change anything!"