fantasy novels Chapter 372 Robin Hood's Suicide
Chapter 372 Robin Hood's Suicide
Chapter 372 Robin Hood's Suicide
It's only the beginning of November, but this winter seems colder than usual.
A cold front blowing from the North Sea passed through the Fusak Empire and swept across the entire Kingdom of Rune, making Backlund's already complex climate even more unpredictable.
In this situation, the streets of Backlund were sparsely populated and the atmosphere was desolate.
The biting cold wind howled through the skyscrapers, making a piercing sound.
On the street, the dim streetlights stood alone, emitting a weak light that seemed so powerless in the cold night, barely illuminating a small area.
Occasionally, a horse-drawn carriage would pass by, the clatter of hooves breaking the silence of the night before being swallowed up by the endless darkness. The shops on both sides of the road were already closed, their doors and windows tightly shut, devoid of the daytime hustle and bustle. Those once bright and colorful signs had lost their luster and become dull and lifeless under the cover of night.
On the sidewalk, there were only a few pedestrians, all wrapped in thick coats, hats, and aprons, covering themselves up completely, with only their eyes showing as they warily looked around, protecting what they were carrying.
Everyone remained silent, watching each other warily, their steps hurried, not daring to linger for a moment. Their breath condensed into white mist in the cold air, then quickly dissipated.
In the corner, several homeless people huddled together, trying to avoid the cold wind, and looked hopefully at the people hurrying by. Their eyes revealed helplessness and confusion, but no one stopped for them.
The entire city seemed to be covered by a layer of cold silence, devoid of life and vitality, with only the bone-chilling cold and endless desolation permeating the air.
Jürgen braved the cold wind to return to his apartment. Hearing violent coughing coming from inside, he quickly used his key to open the door.
After entering the house, he hurriedly hung his bib, hat, and large bib on the coat rack, then casually put aside the things he was protecting in his arms, and rushed to the bedroom. After opening the bedroom door, his violent coughing echoed throughout the entire house.
Ignoring the shards of glass and water on the floor, Jürgen rushed over and sat down on the edge of the bed, patting his grandmother, Mrs. Doris, on the back to try and ease her pain.
Mrs. Doris coughed in waves, as if she were coughing up her lungs. Each cough was heavy with pain and sounded particularly jarring in the small bedroom.
Finally, Mrs. Doris coughed up a large amount of thick, yellow phlegm mixed with blood, which stopped the heart-wrenching coughing. However, she still seemed unable to breathe, greedily inhaling the air, her chest rising and falling continuously.
Jürgen easily helped his frail grandmother lie down comfortably; her usually poker-faced expression was now one of utter helplessness.
Doris's face was as pale as a withered leaf, devoid of any color, a sickly sallow complexion. Her eyes were deeply sunken, their light dull and lifeless, filled with exhaustion and pain. Her mouth was wide open, she was breathing heavily, and a hoarse, unpleasant sound continued to emanate from her throat.
Her breathing was rapid and erratic, each breath like a struggle, her chest heaving violently as if it might stop beating at any moment due to the heavy burden.
Her frail body, tormented by illness, seemed to be on the verge of collapse, as if she would leave this world at any moment and go to the legendary underworld.
Seeing that his grandmother was getting a little better, Jürgen's worry turned to joy, and he said with a smile:
"I managed to snag some medicine at the pharmacy in the West District today. They say it's incredibly effective against this plague. I'll get you some water and give it to you now. You should get a good night's sleep, and you'll definitely get better!"
As he was saying this, Jürgen was about to get up to pour water, but Mrs. Doris grabbed him.
Mrs. Doris, who was unusually thin, seemed to have a thousand pounds of strength in her hands, holding Jurgen firmly and preventing him from leaving.
Jürgen looked at his grandmother with a puzzled expression, but obediently sat back on the bed, took his grandmother's hand, looked into her eyes, and waited quietly for instructions.
"Don't go looking for medicine—it's not worth it!"
Mrs. Doris was out of breath and could barely finish a sentence.
Jürgen, who usually presented himself as a professional in front of outsiders, now had red eyes and said with a smile:
"Grandma, please don't say anything more, and don't think about anything else. Today I went to the hospital and saw many patients who were in much worse condition than you. Some of them took this medicine and were able to get out of bed and move around in just two days. If they can recover, you definitely can too!"
Mrs. Doris still didn't let go of Jürgen's arm, and with great difficulty, she spoke one word at a time:
"Don't waste your money on this old woman. I've lived long enough and it's time for me to go to the goddess's kingdom."
You're not married yet, you don't have children yet, and you still have to pay taxes next month to keep your house. Don't waste any more money on me.
In the Kingdom of Rune, real estate is subject to annual taxation, which is approximately three percent of the property's value. The tax rate fluctuates annually, but the fluctuation is not expected to exceed one percent.
This is also the largest expenditure for the middle class in the Kingdom of Rune each year, with most middle-class families investing at least one-third of their income in it annually.
This has resulted in many people being forced to sell their homes each year because they cannot afford the huge property taxes, and being forced to enter into rental agreements with buyers in order to continue living in their homes.
The house where Mrs. Doris and Jürgen now live was purchased by Mrs. Doris's husband years ago.
After Jürgen's parents died in an accident more than a decade ago, the family had no extra money and managed to save the house by living frugally. It wasn't until Jürgen graduated from the law school of Backlund College and started working at a law firm that he was able to breathe a sigh of relief.
Her chronic cough was caused by her refusal to light the heater for warmth during the winters for many years.
Having lived for decades, Mrs. Doris knew very well how exorbitantly a medicine could be sold during a pandemic.
If Jürgen continues to invest money in her, he could very well lose the house his husband left him next year, which she absolutely will not allow.
Moreover, even doctors are now unwilling to come to her home, and hospitals no longer accept patients like her, which means she has no reason to live anymore.
Jürgen understood his grandmother's concerns, and he knew how the money in his hands had been disappearing like water these past few days. But there was nothing he could do. On one side was the house left by his grandfather, and on the other side was his grandmother, who had raised him with great difficulty and was his only relative in the world.
He couldn't just stand by and watch his grandmother die for the sake of the house, so he lied with a smile:
"You don't need to worry about next month's property tax. I heard from my colleagues at the law firm that some members of parliament have proposed to postpone this year's property tax payment. Moreover, the newspapers say that the government is doing its best to suppress drug prices. His Majesty the King will not stand by and watch his people die."
So please don't worry too much. Just take your medicine and get better. You still want to see me walk down the aisle and witness the birth of my child.
As he spoke, Jürgen tucked Mrs. Doris in, picked up a few large pieces of glass from the floor, and left the bedroom to prepare the medicine.
Mrs. Doris watched her grandson leave with a look of doting reluctance, then said sarcastically:
In all my years of life, I've never seen a government that could suppress prices during a major disaster.
Having witnessed far too much in her life, Mrs. Doris simply did not believe that the Kingdom's government would care about powerless middle-class people like them.
Mrs. Doris knew that her dutiful grandson would never stand by and watch her die like this, and would never abandon her. However, for the sake of the future, she could not watch her grandson spend all his money and incur a mountain of debt.
So at this time, it was necessary for her, the elderly woman, to take action.
With that thought in mind, Mrs. Doris, having made up her mind, patted her black cat, Brody, who had always been by her side on her left, and then took out a large shard of glass that she had hidden under her pillow and began cutting her wrists under the covers.
Once, twice, many times.
Grabbing Jürgen seemed to have exhausted her strength, so although she tried several times, she couldn't completely cut through the wrinkled skin. Although she made some wounds, there was no major bleeding. At this point, Mrs. Doris became a little anxious. She closed her eyes to rest for a while, and finally gathered some strength, found the right angle, and successfully cut the artery on her wrist.
As blood flowed from her wrist, Mrs. Doris's life gradually slipped away. At this moment, it seemed that even illness could not defeat her, and the cough that had tormented her for many years seemed to have disappeared. She seemed to see her old husband who had died many years ago, and a heartfelt smile appeared on his thin face.
Meanwhile, the black cat "Brody" lay to the side, quietly watching everything.
Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Jürgen was pouring the medicinal herbs he had managed to snatch that day into the boiling water.
After putting the lid on the pot, Jürgen stood there for a long time without moving, thinking about the future.
What he told his grandmother in the bedroom was the truth, but he didn't tell her everything.
Indeed, some members of Congress have proposed in Parliament to postpone the collection of property taxes this year.
But this afternoon, Jürgen heard from his classmates at Backlund University that Parliament had actually already voted against the proposal, but was just keeping it a secret.
Jürgen was not so naive as to actually believe that the royal government could lower drug prices.
Just thinking about the overflowing hospital beds and the throngs of respectable middle-class people frantically buying up medicines today, Jürgen had absolutely no hope.
The medicine he was able to get today was obtained at a high price from a viscount's butler through his old classmate's connections.
He spent all his savings from the past six months on this one batch of medicinal herbs.
That's not the most important thing. The most important thing is where he can find another batch of medicinal herbs tomorrow.
The viscount's butler had made it clear to him that he could no longer obtain another dose of the medicine.
Also, what should I do about next month's property tax?
Jürgen, who studied law, was all too aware of the sensitivity surrounding property tax and the importance the royal government placed on tax collection.
Those who dare to cheat and shirk their responsibilities here will eventually face the iron fist of the government, and lawyers who dare to confront the government here will also meet a bad end.
Banks have now suspended personal loan services, and the people around me have lost a lot of money because of this epidemic. They don't have any extra money to lend me. Do I really have to sell my house?
Thinking about the numerous secondhand housing transaction contracts he had drafted that day, and the transaction prices that were far below market value, Jürgen was so flustered that he forgot to turn the heat down, and the pot lid was making a loud banging sound from the steam.
Just as Jürgen was frantically turning off the gas, the doorbell rang.
Jürgen, upon hearing the doorbell, did not go to open the door to greet the guest.
Instead, he pulled a revolver from his pocket, pulled the trigger, and slowly moved towards the door.
Because of this plague, countless middle-class people have gone bankrupt, and even the streets of Joewood are filled with homeless people. The security situation in Backlund is rapidly deteriorating.
At this point, Jürgen dared not be careless at all, which was why he had asked the journalist Sherlock Moriarty, whom he knew, to get him a revolver a couple of days earlier.
To be honest, without this gun, Jürgen would never have dared to walk on the street after dark.
The doorbell stopped ringing after a short while, as if the person outside had left after realizing there was no response.
Jürgen slowly walked to the door, pressed his ear against it, and after a while, hearing no sound, he slowly opened the door with one hand, while still gripping the gun tightly in his other hand.
After opening the door a crack and finding no one there, Jürgen relaxed a little, then noticed a small box placed in front of the door.
"Could this be the legendary Robin Hood?"
Looking at the small box in front of the door, Jürgen thought of the urban legend that had suddenly appeared in the past two days.
Legend has it that a gang of chivalrous thieves constantly kidnapped and extorted merchants who hoarded and speculated on medicinal herbs. They would find the locations where these merchants hid their medicinal herbs and then distribute the herbs to the poor unconditionally.
Jürgen had previously dismissed such legends, but his earlier worries and current hopes made him genuinely wish for such a band of chivalrous thieves. In his desperate situation, Jürgen abandoned his previous caution and directly carried the small cardboard box back into the house. Upon opening it, he found at least three days' worth of medicine, along with a name signed in standard Rune language—Robin Hood.
This urban legend is actually true! That's wonderful!
Jürgen was overjoyed and almost shouted out loud.
He picked up the small box and rushed to the bedroom, eager to share the good news with his grandmother.
But when he rushed into the bedroom, he found blood soaking the mattress and then dripping onto the floor.
"".
The box in Jürgen's arms fell to the ground, and he collapsed to the floor, motionless.