Chapter 4: The Heavy Price of Mercy*

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*Chapter 4: The Heavy Price of Mercy*
The old stranger answered without his voice trembling at all: "God must have protected us, for they never crossed our path."
The blond soldier cut in:"Alright, that's enough. We can't leave these two men out in the cold, otherwise we're no different from them. Let them stay in this empty barn for tonight."
The old stranger held the blond soldier's hands, tears had come to his eyes: "God bless you."
The dark-haired soldier hung his bow and then, without saying anything, let the strangers inside. As they were entering, the blond soldier "accidentally" bumped into the young stranger's shoulder. The young stranger frowned for a moment, paused, thought to himself "Nice try, old man."
The dark-haired soldier continues to keep watch on top of the tower. The blond soldier led the strangers towards the empty storehouse in the village. After walking a little, they reached the storehouse. The storehouse was made of stone blocks, its height from the ground was an estimated 3-4 meters. The blond soldier opened the door of the storehouse, the inside of the storehouse was full of hay.
The blond soldier pointed inside: "It's a bit messy but make do for now."
At that moment, the old man nudged the young man with his hands, nodded his head.
The young man brought his hand to his mouth, a moment of absent-mindedness came over him, inside he thought "is what I'm doing right?"
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That's when it all changed. With this sentence from the old man, all morals ended and survival began.
The young man has a conscience, but his fear is greater.
Continued:
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The young man brought his hand to his mouth, a moment of absent-mindedness came over him, inside he thought "is what I'm doing right?"
The old man saw this. His eyes narrowed. Taking advantage of the blond soldier being busy hanging the lantern, he leaned towards the young man's ear.
His lips almost touching his ear, he whispered: "If you can't finish the job, the boss will finish us."
The young man's blood froze.
That small cutter in his hand suddenly became heavy. It felt not like a gram, but a ton.
The blond soldier hung the lantern and turned: "There, done. Let there be a little light so you don't get cold."
The old man pulled back and sat down on the hay as if nothing had happened. On his face again that grateful peasant mask.
The young man was left standing in the middle. On one side the blond soldier offering bread in his hand, on the other side the sentence ringing in his ear: _the boss will finish us._
He understood.
If he doesn't do this job, it won't be just the blond soldier who dies, but himself as well.
He was caught between his conscience and his life.
And when a man is caught between his conscience and his life...
He always chooses his life.
He closed his eyes.
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