"Hey, hey! Who the hell is that? Blocking the Lord's carriage... how insolent!"
"Quick, someone get over there and kick him out!"
"Bastard! How dare he obstruct the Lord's path!"
Clop, clop, clop...
The knight had barely reached the middle of the road before he was swarmed by local civilians. Within seconds, his arms were twisted behind his back and he was pinned down.
"This..." Viscount Louis stood frozen. He hadn't expected Lucas's reputation to be so high that a simple attempt to flag down his carriage would result in a mob beating from the commoners.
With the road half-blocked by the crowd, Lucas's carriage came to a halt. The War Wolf squad scanned the surroundings with icy vigilance as Chris stepped forward to assess the situation.
"Everyone, make way," Chris said coldly.
Swish!
The civilians instantly stepped aside, leaving behind the battered knight, whose face was swollen like a bruised plum and leaking blood from his nose.
"Who are you?" Chris asked, his hand resting on the hilt of his blade. One wrong move and he would cut the man down.
"I—I am a knight under Viscount Louis! My master wishes to see Baron Lucas!" The knight wheezed, grimacing in pain.
"Who?" Chris frowned, casting a predatory glance toward the crowd. Had they been out in the wilderness, he likely would have greeted an unannounced carriage-blocker with a crossbow bolt first and asked questions later.
"It is I." Seeing that his goal of stopping the carriage had been achieved, Viscount Louis stepped out from the crowd.
"Take him," Chris ordered.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
"Don't move!" The War Wolf squad unsheathed their blades in unison, surrounding the bewildered Viscount and his retinue.
"I am a noble! I am a Viscount! I am here on the authority of His Highness, the fourth prince!" Louis shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Shut up." A cold glint flashed in Chris's eyes. He looked ready to crack the man across the face with his scabbard.
"Enough. Bring him over," Lucas's voice drifted out from the carriage.
"Yes, sir," Chris replied respectfully. He grabbed Viscount Louis by the collar with one hand and dragged him toward the carriage.
"You...!" Louis's eyes bulged with fury. This humiliating treatment—was he some common criminal?
"Lord, the man is here." Chris shoved Louis in front of the carriage door.
"Oh? Sent by the fourth prince, are you?" Lucas pushed open the door and looked down at the disheveled middle-aged man.
"Indeed." Louis straightened his clothes, assuming a solemn expression. "I have been sent by His Highness, the fourth prince. His Highness commands you to travel to Liberty City."
"Commands?" The corner of Lucas's mouth curled slightly. "And if I say no?"
"What? No?!" Louis stared at Lucas's indifferent face in utter disbelief.
"I have no such obligation, do I? I am not one of his landed vassals." A cold light flickered in Lucas's eyes.
Has Liam become this desperate? It seems war isn't far off.
"This is His Highness's personal order. Do you dare refuse?" Louis held up a parchment scroll, his voice dropping an octave. "Baron Lucas, you'd best think carefully. His Highness has over two thousand knights at his disposal."
This was a naked threat. He might as well have said: If you don't come, those two thousand knights will level Sedona City.
"Hahaha..." Lucas suddenly burst into laughter. He gave Louis a bizarre look and smiled faintly. "Tell me first: if I go to Liberty, what can the fourth prince give me?"
"That..." Louis stammered. How the hell was he supposed to know?
"What can he give me?" Lucas asked again.
"..." Louis remained silent. He truly couldn't think of anything. A promise? That felt far too hollow.
"It seems he can give me nothing." The faint smile vanished from Lucas's face, replaced by cold indifference. "Since he can give me nothing, what gall does he have to 'command' me to Liberty City? Does he take me for a fool he can play for free?"
"You... you are being insolent! That is the noble fourth prince! Is his command not enough?!" Louis shouted, exasperated.
"He's nothing but a stray dog that lost its home," Annie's head popped out from the side. She gave Louis a disdainful glance before ducking back inside.
"You...!" Louis's face turned beet red. He had just been insulted by a beastkin.
"A mere title isn't enough to make me take orders. He doesn't have that much face with me." Coldness surged in Lucas's eyes.
"You'll regret this! You will absolutely regret this!" Louis screamed. "His Highness will not let you get away with this!"
"I'll be waiting for him." Lucas waved a hand at Chris and retreated back into the carriage.
He had expected them to send someone with a bit of weight; he hadn't realized the fourth prince still didn't take him seriously enough to send anything but a brainless messenger. There wasn't even a token promise or a bribe to save face.
"You... you'll regret it! His Highness's knights will steamroll this place—"
SMACK!!!
Chris's scabbard slammed into Louis's face with violent force, knocking several teeth loose and cutting his shouting short.
"Move." Chris shoved the Viscount aside and escorted the carriage toward the city gates.
Clop, clop, clop...
Inside the carriage, a cold smirk played on Lucas's lips.
"Master, why didn't we just send them to the mines?" Mina asked, twirling her knife. She had been itching to give the Viscount a taste of her blade.
"He needs to go back alive," Lucas said softly. "How will the fourth prince choose? Will he march straight here for war, or will he try to win over the other lords first? It's an interesting multiple-choice question."
"Oh! Master, are you using this to put pressure on the other City Lords?" A spark of realization hit Annie.
"Today's events will spread quickly." Calculation gleamed in Lucas's eyes. He turned to Mina. "Add some fuel to the fire. Spread the word of what happened today. Make sure every City Lord knows."
He wasn't just pressuring them; he was giving them their own choice to make. It was time for them to pick a side.
"Understood," Mina replied seriously.
.
.
.
.
You can read advance chapters and view R-18 images of the characters on pat reon page.
pat reon.com/GreenBlue17
300 Power Stones for 1 extra chapter.
5 New reviews for 1 extra chapter.