She was just an ordinary person from Earth. She had never led anyone in her life. She had never commanded a crowd, never stood in front of people whose lives depended on her words. This scene felt too heavy, too real, too strange. For a moment, she didn't know what to say, and the silence stretched.
Harold remained bent forward, still waiting. The slaves stayed motionless, their foreheads pressed to the cold stone, like they were praying to a god.
Sienna Vale took a slow breath, forcing herself to steady her voice.
"Grandpa Harold, stand up," she said firmly. "Everyone else, stand up too."
Harold hesitated, but Sienna Vale's tone left no room for refusal. The old butler straightened. One by one, the slaves also rose, though they still kept their heads lowered.
Sienna Vale stared at them for a moment, then spoke again, her voice carrying across the courtyard.
"Listen carefully. We are in the Black Soil Wasteland now. This place has no fertile fields, no mines, no rich cities. All we have is this abandoned castle. All we have is each other. Whether you like it or not, your bodies carry the House Vale's mark. That means your fate is tied to mine."
She paused and looked over their faces.
"If the House Vale survives, you survive. If the House Vale dies, you will die with it. That is the truth. It won't change no matter how much you cry or how much you curse."
The slaves stood still, but their breathing became heavier. Sienna Vale could see it. They were listening, not like machines, but like people who were starving for words that mattered.
Sienna Vale's voice grew steadier.
"But even if we have nothing, we still have hands. We still have legs. We still have brains. Everything in this world is built by human hands. As long as we can work, we will not starve."
Her gaze sharpened.
"And now I will say something clearly. You may not believe it, but I will still say it."
She lifted her chin and spoke loudly enough for every slave to hear.
"If you work hard, if you truly contribute to the House Vale, then one day I will free you. I will remove your slave status and make you civilians."
A ripple ran through the crowd.
It wasn't loud, but it was unmistakable. Several slaves trembled. Some raised their heads for half a second before quickly lowering them again, as if afraid they had heard wrong.
Sienna Vale continued, her voice calm but firm.
"Your children will not be slaves. Your grandchildren will not be slaves. If you have sons, they may one day join the House Vale's army. They may become warriors. If they perform well, they may become knights. They may even rise higher than that."
Her eyes swept across them again, cold and clear.
"I am not promising you a dream. I am giving you a road. Work for me, and I will reward you. Work for the House Vale, and the House Vale will not treat you like animals."
Then Sienna Vale raised her right hand, her voice deepening.
"I, Sienna Vale, swear this by the honor of my family. Everything I said today, I will fulfill."
The courtyard fell into a strange silence.
The slaves stood frozen, as if their bodies had turned into stone. Their faces were pale, their eyes wide, their lips trembling. Many of them had probably never heard a noble swear such words in their entire lives.
Because on this continent, slaves were born slaves.
They died slaves.
Their children were slaves.
Their grandchildren were slaves.
Freedom was a fantasy people only dared to whisper about.
Some slaves had rebelled before, uprisings had happened, but those rebellions were crushed like insects. Slaves had no armor, no weapons, no training, and no backing. They were only meat to be slaughtered.
Now, a noble was telling them they could earn freedom without rebellion.
Not by dying.
But by working.
It was like being handed a key after spending your whole life in chains.
Harold, Mirella, and even Tiara stood stunned. Wood and Stone didn't understand everything, but they could feel the change in the air. The atmosphere had become tense, heavy, as if something invisible was awakening.
Harold's face twitched slightly. He didn't fully agree with Sienna Vale's promise. Not because he was cruel, but because it was dangerous. Freeing slaves was not a small matter. It involved laws, noble customs, and countless risks. Still, Sienna Vale had already spoken, and worse, she had sworn by family honor.
Harold could not let her take those words back.
Meanwhile, Sienna Vale looked down at the crowd again and continued, pushing the flame further.
"You don't need to wait for orders like dead wood. If you have ideas, if you can build something useful, if you can improve our life here, then speak to Harold. Show your value. If what you do benefits the House Vale, I will record your merit."
She pointed lightly toward the castle.
"Merit will be counted. It will not be forgotten. Once your merit reaches a certain level, you will become a civilian. You will become a true resident of the Black Soil Territory, under the protection of the House Vale."
The slaves could no longer remain still. Their eyes were burning now, like dry grass touched by fire. Their bodies straightened unconsciously. Some clenched their fists. Some bit their lips hard enough to draw blood.
Hope had entered their hearts, and it hit like thunder.
Sienna Vale could feel it clearly.
Just moments ago, these slaves had felt lifeless, like empty shells waiting for orders. Now, they looked alive. Their eyes had light. Their faces had purpose. Their bodies carried energy, as if they could tear down the walls with their bare hands.
Harold stared at them and realized the same thing. His chest tightened, and for the first time, he understood what Sienna Vale had done.
A hundred slaves who only feared punishment were nothing.
But a hundred slaves who believed in a future… that was a force.
Harold's lips slowly curved into a real smile, and her eyes grew moist again. Deep inside, something she had almost lost began to return.
Belief.
Sienna Vale nodded, satisfied, and raised her hand.
"That's enough for today. Go to work. Move the supplies. Organize the courtyard. Tomorrow I will give you new tasks."
The slaves responded loudly, their voices overlapping like waves.
"Yes, Young Miss!"
Then they moved.
Not slowly, not lazily, but with strong steps. They rushed toward the piles of materials like people fighting for their own lives. Their movements were fast and eager. Even their posture had changed. They looked like they were building their own future with their hands.
Sienna Vale watched them for a moment, then turned and walked down the stairs from the wall.
Harold quickly stepped forward. Mirella and Tiara followed behind, and Wood and Stone walked like silent guards. Sienna Vale didn't speak much as they headed toward the inner fortress, but her mood was steady now.
When they returned to the dining hall and sat down, Sienna Vale raised her hand.
A half-eaten white radish appeared in her palm.
She placed it on the table.
Harold's eyes widened so suddenly that it looked as if his soul had almost jumped out of his body. His gaze locked onto Sienna Vale's hand, then onto the radish, then back onto Sienna Vale.
For a moment, he couldn't even breathe properly.
Sienna Vale looked at him calmly and asked, "Grandpa Harold, do you know what this is?"
Harold didn't answer the question. His face was full of shock, his voice trembling.
"Young Miss… just now… you… you…"
He couldn't finish the sentence.
Because on this continent, storage equipment existed, but it required magic or battle Spiritual Energy to activate. Sienna had drunk the Water of Nothingness. She had no energy. She couldn't use storage equipment at all.
Yet Sienna Vale had just taken something out of thin air.
That meant only one thing.
Sienna Vale smiled faintly, then waved her hand.
"Don't panic," she said calmly. "It's nothing dangerous. It's an ability I obtained by accident. You only need to know that it exists, and you must never mention it to outsiders."
Then Sienna Vale pointed at the radish again, her eyes sharp. "Now, forget about everything else. Tell me first. What is this?"
Harold had lived in the imperial capital her whole life. He had served nobles, dealt with officials, seen betrayals, seen executions, and watched families rise and fall like dust in the wind. Compared to those things, a radish appearing out of thin air was strange, but it wasn't enough to make him lose him mind.
His gaze sharpened, and the first thing he asked was not about the radish at all.
"Young Miss," Harold said slowly, his voice low but tense, "can you use magic?"