Shing!
As Sirius ran toward a rebel, Asher unsheathed his sword and slashed a rebel, slaying him instantly!
Thud!
Seeing this, the King Swordsmen followed suit, their swords flashing and bodies dropping. From galloped from street to street, cutting down rebels without a shred of mercy. Their lord had given them a silent order.
No mercy!
Time for mercy had ceased. By the time the King Swordsmen had slain a third of them, they arrived at the industrial part of Silverleaf and found another seventy rebels on their knees.
Two men, Baron Rutherford and Baron Scarlet, who were beaten to a state of pity, were in front of the seventy, and they all stared at the huge, armored man whose arms were crossed.
It was Geriant.
Their pupils trembled at the sight of him, but the moment they saw Asher and his men, dread, never felt before, seeped in.
“It’s the count!”
Geriant turned. He fell on one knee as Asher closed the gap.
“Geriant. Are these all of them?”
“Yes, my lord. It was orchestrated by these two men.”
Geriant pointed at the Barons.
“You made a promise to my daughter. You gave her your word… So, you can’t kill me, or you’ll lose her. Mages are rare after all.”
Rutherford chuckled softly, his eyes squarely fixed on Asher’s.
“Is that so?”
The cold sheen he found in Asher’s eyes as he said those words made Rutherford frown.
“Where is my daughter?”
He looked around.
Asher scowled. “In the stronghold. I had plans to release you after a while, but it seemed like some people never change.”
Rutherford’s pupils shook. What was Asher insinuating?
“We’re nobles, young man. We are vassals of Count William. Do you—” Read exclusive adventures at empire
“You’re vassals of a noble without a domain?” Asher interrupted, causing Baron Scarlet’s eyes to widen.
“What do you mean?”
“I’ve taken Tiberias, and in like manner, your heads shall be taken. Geriant, you shall be the executioner. Baron Rutherford and Baron Scarlet will be executed tomorrow at noon!”
“You!”
Baron Rutherford tried to stand, but a glance from Sirius made his knees weak.
Baron Rutherford could not believe it. How could a mere wolf make him unable to move any part of his body?!
Even when he faced the lion dragon, he was still able to put up a fight.
“My sons!”
Asher heard a cry. He turned and saw Ark White run past the King Swordsmen, throwing punches at Baron Scarlet.
More people were running towards the rebels, anguish and rage in their eyes.
“Stop them.”
Asher said, his teeth clenched.
His men turned their horses. Unsheathing their swords and crossing them with each other.
“Why are you protecting those men?”
“Argh! Let me go; I want to rip them apart!”
Their screams fell into Asher’s ears, causing his face to harden even more.
….
The next day.
The sun was at its zenith, and its rays descended on the town square. Right in the middle of the square was a podium.
Geriant stood upon it, looking down on the crowd. This would be the first execution in the county, and those on the list were noble leaders!
A King Swordsman standing on the other side of the podium unfurled a scroll.
He glanced at Baron Rutherford and Baron Scarlet, who were in chains.
“These men have committed the crime of rebellion and mass murder. They have disturbed the peace of this town and have taken the lives of many, causing pain to their family members. For this, the count has decreed that their punishment shall be death by beheading!”
In the crowd stood a figure clad in a black cloak. Strands of silver hair could be seen peeking out of the hood.
When Baron Rutherford and Baron Scarlet were brought to the podium, Baron Rutherford sighted the hooded figure, causing his eyes to widen.
“Aquila! What are you doing? Set me free!”
He ordered, but to his shock, Aquila turned and walked away.
“You untrained child!!”
Baron Rutherford was about to move out of the podium, but Geriant held him.
Other soldiers led him to the stump, where he was forced to kneel.
“This county will burn. All of you will burn when Count William’s allies attack!”
Geriant took two steps and lifted up the great axe.
“Till then.”
Swish!
….
While the execution of the barons was in the town, their followers were gathered together in a plain field.
With chains on their hands and legs, they gazed at the massive wolf.
Its eyes turned orange, and flames burst out of its mouth, swallowing seventy men whole. In mere seconds, all of them became ashes!
Asher watched it with his hands at his back. His face lacked a strand of emotion.
The heat of Sirius’ flames caused the snow around them to melt, and it even went ahead to scorch the soil.
“You were right after all.”
Asher turned to the speaker. It was Aquila. She just came down from a carriage and was walking toward him.
“I wasn’t. I should have seen this coming. These men would have remained in their positions had it not been for your father and his ally.”
Aquila bit her lips.
“And I made you keep him alive. It’s my fault.”
A bitter smile appeared on Asher’s face as he responded, “Having you as my commander was my goal. I was ready to make sacrifices… but the cost…”
He clenched his fist.
“No prisoner shall mine anymore. Once locked, they shall never leave their cells, not for any reason, and people like those two would be killed in battle from henceforth.”
The coldness in Asher’s voice made Aquila shudder. She could tell the death of his men and his people struck deep into his heart.
The glow of his eyes was bright, strangely bright, yet she felt a terrifying coldness from them.
Even after Asher had left, Aquila could not shake off this feeling that her father might have unleashed the part of the wolf they did not wish to encounter.
….
Two days later, a carriage came to a halt before a mountain that has a structure at the top. Asher came down, his gaze soft as he gazed at the temple.
Since that fateful day, his world seemed to turn darker. Trusting those with bad pasts became so tough that he had Kelvin read the memories of some miners who were once soldiers.
Sitting on his throne felt cold, and the carnage that happened to the people in Silverleaf, especially Ark White, kept reflecting in his mind.
With all this happening, he suddenly missed her presence.
Maybe her smile could vanquish this darkness, but going up there was a battlefield of its own.
What was he going to tell her?
After looking at the scribbled words on a piece of paper for a long while, he went back into the carriage.
“Return to Nineveh.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Unbeknownst to Asher, an elegant figure stood behind one of the temple’s windows.
Her violet eyes shook when she saw him leaving.