Chapter 676: Ceremony

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Governor Knox

“The communication blockade has broken,” informed Osward. “Inform, Lord Silver,” I replied, without looking away from the retreating undead.

I had already informed him of the retreat with my skill a few minutes ago.

The blockade had blocked the skills as well, but I was able to break through it with the aura and had a Brief Call with him.

“Connect me with Carla,” I said a moment later.

Brief Call: Allows me to talk to people other than Master Silver, such as those from Velvet Garden and city officials, but the range is greater with Master Silver.

“She is ready for you,” informed Osward, surprising me. It usually takes some time.

‘Remus said, You want to talk to me,’ she said, the moment they connected. I could feel gravity in her voice; she had felt something was wrong and was likely waiting for my call.

Hearing that, the heaviness returned in full force, and tears started to stream down my face once more.

I didn’t reply to her immediately; I tried to control my tears, but they seemed uncontrollable.

“Onaz is dead,” I informed through the tears, and there was silence. I could hear nothing other than a teary gasp.

“She died protecting me,” I added, and began to cry even harder.

There was a silence; I could feel the shock.

“It is just like her. Doing things on her terms, never letting others dictate it. Even in her death,” she replied after more than a minute’s silence.

I could feel the grief in her voice, the tears she was shedding, as well as the pride that accompanied them.

“It is my fault. I should have been the one who died,” I said, trying to wipe my tears, that are coming out like a flood.

“Stop it!

“Knowing Onaz, she did this thinking of the consequences; that woman wasn’t the one to decide with impulse, even when she had only a moment to think,” replied Carla, and I couldn’t help but smile.

Onaz wasn’t perfect; she had many flaws. It’s why I didn’t like her much at first, but she became a true friend as I came to know the real her.

Her bitchy nature was defence mechanism to protect herself. Inside, she was a beautiful person.

“Onaz died, but she died by her choice. You should respect that and not let the grief overwhelm you,” she said when I didn’t reply.

Yes. The woman didn’t regret her decisions, even until the last moment.

I need to respect that.

“Thank you,” I said. Her words had helped me with the grief. It is not overwhelming anymore.

“Be strong, Ina. Not for yourself, but for her,”

A minute later, I cut the call, and I looked forward.

The army had started to bring the injured and the dead into the city; the healers and doctors had already gone out to them as the undead began to retreat.

Most of the army is still standing guard to defend against any ruse of the undead.

I watched the injured coming in, till I saw a person and a carriage. Seeing them, I had climbed down the wall and stopped at the gate.

“Governor,” officers greeted. I nodded at them and turned to Barb; I was relieved to see that she was well.

Unlike most, she has a few injuries. However, she is looking a little pale.

“How is she?” I asked, in privacy, looking at the carriage. “Very bad,” she replied.

“The healing spells aren’t working; the progress of the essence potion is slower than the common potion, but she is fighting,” she added, worried.

I heard what the General did. The last person who had done that with the artifact had died, turning to ashes.

I nodded and walked to the carriage. The guard opened the door, and I stepped inside. There, I saw the body, charred head to toe.

For a moment, I thought she had died, but the faint rising of her chest told me that she was alive.

It is the carriage that is keeping her alive.

It looked like any fortified medical carriage, but it was more than that. There are hidden charms everywhere, and right now, they are all activated.

I could faintly feel them with my aura. If I didn’t know they were there, I wouldn’t have even felt them.

This carriage came from Greltheaven three days ago. I hoped we didn’t need to use it.

It is especially made for the General.

To save her, if she overdrafted the power of the artifact. The charms here are primarily healing charms, with most focused on the spirit’s injuries.

Hun!

I sat down and touched her charred skin, and a surprise appeared in my eyes.

‘So, this is what she means by fighting,’ I thought. General Azalia had her aura active in her body.

This is the last thing one should do in her condition.

Her spirit already strained, but here, she is using the aura to fight against the leftover energy of the artifact, which wants to burn her to death.

I looked at the artifact, the most beautiful weapon I had seen. She is still holding it tightly, and I didn’t dare to pry it out of her hands. Trying would be disastrous.

The artifact is harming her, but it also could help her.

Not that I believe, I could pry it out of her hands without killing myself.

We will need to send her to Greltheaven as soon as possible, but we can’t right now; it’s not safe. The enemies, especially assassins, could easily take advantage of her condition.

She will need a secure escort, and the procedure for it is already in place.

A few minutes later, the carriage came to a stop, and I got out.

“How are you feeling?” Barb asked. I just looked at her. “We lost another shining star.” She said with a sigh, before her eyes became steely.

“She will pay for this.”

With those words, she took the carriage to a place that we had already prepared and secured while I sat in another carriage. A few minutes later, it stopped, and I got out.

The hospital, which was empty a few hours ago, is now filled with people.

I looked at them and talked to people before stopping at the private room. In there is a young orc with injuries covering every inch of his body.

He looks pale, nearly lifeless.

“How is he?” I asked the healer. “Good. He has lost blood and strained his spirit, but he is out of danger. Even if we didn’t do anything, he won’t have a problem recovering on his own,” he replied with a smile.

It immediately made me feel relieved.

Even before the battle, he was one of the most important powerhouses we had. General Stone had called him the one with the greatest potential.

In the battle, he once more had proved that by killing Lv. 30s and even awakened the aura.

I didn’t stay for long. I have other hospitals to visit.

Hours passed, and then another before my carriage returned to the city hall. There is a briefing by Colonel Trask; with General Azalia incapacitated, he takes charge of Panar’s army.

“Governor,” greeted Argis, my advisor, as I stepped inside the city hall.

“How are you holding up?” I asked the man.

He didn’t reply, just looked ahead, with his emotions bottled up in his heart.

Onaz and he were competitors; one came from the Velvet Garden, the other from the city, both with their ambitions, but they were also involved with each other.

They had hidden it well, but I knew.

I could feel deep pain in the man’s eyes, which he was desperately trying to hide. I wish I could give him time to deal with the grief he is feeling, but I can’t, at least not today.

Today, I need him; the city needs him.

…

Carla Salt

I reached his office in the city hall and walked straight toward the door.

The guards bowed and opened the door. I nodded and stepped inside.

There was Remus, with General Stone in front of him.

“Lord Silver,” said Stone, and nodded at me before walking out of the office.

“How are the girls?” he asked as I sat down. “Sad, but also feeling proud of her,” I replied, feeling the same emotions as them.

Hearing that, he sighed in pain.

“How is the General? Is she out of danger?” I asked. To that, he shook his head.

“She is in very much danger, I don’t know whether she will be able to make it,” he replied. I could see that he was very stressed about it.

“It would have been great if there had been a response from the Dustorn fortress,” I said, and looked at him.

His silence is enough to tell me there is no response from it.

Chief Robin and Valentina are still in Dustorn Fortress, the place that could stop the undead. We have been waiting for their response for days, but we have yet to receive anything.

How are the undead taking it?” I asked. “They have stopped at the border and are amassing,” he replied.

Hearing that, I couldn’t help but shudder.

I heard a few things and knew how difficult the battle was. We have lost many people, with half of our powerhouses in no condition to fight.

This time, when the undead came, their numbers won’t be just half a million.

We had made preparations, but having more time would have helped us more against the undead.

“Lord Silver, there is a message from Tranquill Bathhouse.” Informed Zela, breaking the silence.

“What did they say this time?” he asked. “They are activating sub-clause 9b,” she replied, and the smile appeared on my face, the smile without mirth.

“These bastards have no shame,” I said.

9b might be a non-enforceable clause, but they didn’t have to activate it; however, since they activated Section 7. I am not surprised.

9b is just a suggestion or request based on interpretation. It is activated to inform us that they are ready at any moment.

If we agree, the process could start within the very hour.

They have already activated the section to force us to do it in ten days, within minutes of undead attacking us, and now this.

“They think the undead would conquer us. Taking away their opportunity to swallow the Velvet Garden,” said Lola, with deep anger in her voice.

I looked at Remus. He remains silent, his face unreadable.

I didn’t stay in the office for long; less than a minute later, I walked away. Remus is busy; I had only come to check on him.

I returned to my carriage, and it moved toward the tower.

Hun!

Minutes passed, and as I entered the circular road, I saw something.

“Take the carriage toward those girls,” I said to the driver, looking at the teenage girls of the college doing something near the canal.

The carriage rode through the bridge and turned before stopping.

Click!

I got out and walked toward the teen girls, who had now turned toward me.

“What are you all doing?” I asked. Seeing them fastening a big, heavy-looking iron cauldron in the boat.

“Sister Onaz once told us that when someone died at her home, they would place a lamp in the tiny boat and place it into the lake in their honor.”

“So, we are trying to do the same for sister Onaz. We already got permission from the headmistress,” replied the green-haired teen, named Yenis.

My heart couldn’t help but melt at this, and tears welled up in my eyes, but I managed to control my emotions and looked at them sternly.

“This doesn’t seem like a tiny boat, and that cauldron is not a lamp,” I said.

Looking at the boat and the large cauldron, I don’t think these girls told Margaux the scale of what they are doing when they asked for her permission.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have given it.

This could become dangerous, given the presence of other boats on the canal; it is very popular, with people reserving boats in advance.

Hearing my words, their expressions deflated. Some even brought tears to their eyes.

“Though I think it will be a fitting tribute,” I said, and immediately the smiles lit up on their faces.

Since the girls want to honor Onaz, I will not stop them.

They kept looking at me for a couple of seconds, and seeing that I wasn’t leaving, they returned to their work.

I have work, a lot of it, but my feet didn’t move.

As time passed, it attracted an increasing number of onlookers. More girls arrived and watched, even the people enjoying the boats watched as they passed by.

They were nearly finishing when two women appeared beside me.

“These girls! They didn’t mention the size of the boat when they had asked for permission,” Margaux said exasperatedly as she stopped beside me, with Miss Dawnstar.

“It’s good they didn’t,” I replied with a smile.

Soon, the girls finished fasting over the cauldron, before filling it with wood and adding the fuel to it.

I thought she would light up, but the green-haired girl came toward me with the burning torch in her hand.

“Sister, please light up the fire in honor of Sister Onaz,” said Yenis. “It was your idea, girls, you do it,” I replied, but the teen girl shook her head.

“You are the first, sister,” she replied. Once again, calling me ‘sister,’ rather than ‘chief,’ as most have started doing.

Some still call me ‘sister,’ but only when we are alone, not in public.

I wanted to decline once more, but I felt eyes on me. Many of the girls have arrived, hundreds of them, including Caena and Madams from the tower.

All of them were looking at me sombrely.

What was their small act to honor Onaz had turned into a grand ceremony. One that our fallen sister very much deserves!

“Thank you, sister,” I replied with a smile and took the torch from her hand.

I looked at the simple wooden torch as I walked toward the boat.

Each step would flash memories of Onaz before me. Unlike Mena, she wasn’t likable. She had many flaws, but a hundred times more goodness.

She deserves this honor.

I stopped at the boat and looked at the large cauldron before bringing the torch to it.

Fwhoosh!

As the cauldron was touched, deep yellow fire burst out of it. Burning brightly, like the woman in whose honor we had lit up the fire.

Hun!

I was watching it burn when the teen handed me the flower. I looked at her in question, but she only smiled.

I smiled back and placed the flower into the boat while saying the prayer.

I didn’t give a speech or speak words about her. I do not feel like I could at this moment.

Caena came after me and put a flower in the boat, and then it was Margaux. After us, it was the madams.

The other girls took turns after them, gathering flowers from the park’s trees and placing them in the boat while saying a prayer, their words either spoken or silent.

We had forbidden plucking the flowers from the trees, but today, there will be no punishment.

More girls came from college, but also from the legacy.

I looked at Caena. “They want to pay their respect,” she replied, and I nodded.

We watched as a hundred girls turned into a thousand. Making the boat filled with flowers from all sides. Became so heavy that I feared it would sink, until Caena cast a spell secretly.

It took a while, but every girl present in the city paid their respect, be it the ones in college or those who are working in the tower.

Every girl came, including the staff, like Eudo, Eleme, and others.

“Sister, release the boat,” said the young girl. I nodded and released the rope that was holding it.

“Rest in peace, sister,” I prayed, watching the boat floating in the canal.

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