The King's Banquet
Leornars turned to face Zaryter, his gaze shifting from the young boy to his own little sister, who stood silently beside them. The flickering lamplight in the hallway cast long, dancing shadows, making their figures seem even more imposing. "Stay here," he said, his voice calm but with a cold undertone. "It's better not to show a child the reality of the world."
Zaryter, clutching the little gift he had brought for Leornars, looked up, a confused expression on his face. He glanced at the wrapped object in Leornars's hand, a question in his eyes. "Is that a gift?" he asked, his voice soft and innocent.
Stacian glided over, her movements fluid and graceful, to stand beside Leornars. Her elegant dress shimmered in the low light. "Yes, but it belongs to the king," she said, her tone devoid of emotion.
Leornars shifted the weight of the gift in his hands, his expression thoughtful. "Remember this," he said. "Happiness is a gift and a curse. When everyone wants it, it becomes a luxury only the privileged can afford." With that final, cryptic remark, he and Stacian turned and walked out of the room, their footsteps echoing down the long, empty corridor toward the grand hall. As they passed, the maids looked on, stunned by their opulent attire, a stark contrast to the simple clothes they usually wore around the manor.
Outside, the cool night air was a welcome reprieve. The carriage, a sleek black vehicle drawn by two well-groomed horses, was waiting. They climbed inside and set off for the banquet. As they approached the manor gate, they saw several stern-looking guards with their trained guard dogs standing watch.
Leornars and Stacian stepped out of the carriage. The guards meticulously checked their invitation letter before waving them through. They were welcomed into the grounds, but as they passed, one of the dogs suddenly began to bark furiously, its teeth bared as it lunged at Leornars. Leornars didn't even break his stride. He simply reached out, his hand moving with a speed that was almost imperceptible in the dim light. He grabbed the dog by its collar, lifting the struggling animal effortlessly. He then, with a single, contemptuous motion, threw the barking mutt into a nearby thicket of bushes. "Noisy mutt," he thought to himself, a small, cold smile playing on his lips as he and Stacian continued their walk to the front door of the hall.
Inside, the king, his wife, and the prince sat on a raised podium, their thrones gleaming under the chandeliers. The king, however, looked anything but regal. He was pinching the bridge of his nose, a deeply confused and agitated expression on his face. "Where is that blasted chancellor?" he grumbled to himself. "The one time I need him, and he's nowhere to be found."
Hidden in the shadows, the prince carefully hid a long, gleaming knife in the folds of his coat. He then looked up at his father, a wicked smirk playing on his lips, a secret plan afoot. The hall was filled with the gentle hum of conversation as the nobles chatted calmly, unaware of the tension in the air.
Suddenly, the massive doors of the hall were flung open, and every eye turned as Leornars and Stacian walked in. The chatter died down to a hushed murmur. A few of the lords' daughters, known for their infatuation with the infamous "White Plague," rushed toward Leornars, their eyes full of admiration. He offered them a charming, but empty, smile. Leornars leaned in and whispered to Stacian, "Kill those insects." She simply gave a curt nod in response.
The king rose from his throne, his voice booming as he began a grand speech. "My forefathers formed this land, loved their people and cherished their dreams. We are here to give our thanks to the white plague, Leornars and his subordinate Stacian for enabling our kingdom to grow, and also to pay our condolences to the late princess Alisha Montgomery, my daughter who was killed by bandits. It's a tragedy and also a victory to us. We paid our debt to the kingdom of Durmount, and my sister will be set free from her bondage by king Selamedra of Durmount. Let's toast to victory," the king said, raising his wine glass. The crowd cheered, their voices echoing in the vast hall.
The Cleansing of the Capital
Leornars found himself in conversation with several nobles who were taken by his mysterious and charming demeanor. He was feigning polite interest, but his mind was elsewhere. His eyes flickered toward the grand windows of the hall. In the darkness of the night, something moved in the bushes. It wasn't a dog. A cold shiver ran down his spine, not of fear, but of anticipation. He knew that movement. He had been a master of stealth for years, and he recognized the clumsy attempts of someone trying to be unseen. "That's no dog," he thought to himself, a predatory smirk forming on his face.
He had no time to waste. In a flash, he summoned Zhylyena, his most trusted undead servant. She materialized a few meters away from the figure in the bushes, her form blending seamlessly with the darkness. She instantly linked her thoughts to Leornars, her voice a silent echo in his mind.
"My lord, there's over 50 knights outside here. They seem to be planning on either killing you if you resist or taking you hostage."
Leornars's eye twitched with a mix of amusement and anger. He loved it when a plan came together, even if it wasn't his. "Ooooh, and what else?" he asked her telepathically, a cruel smile spreading across his face.
Zhylyena, using her unique ability, delved into the mind of one of the knights. Her mental voice returned to him. "The wine that you are holding has been poisoned with a sleeping medicine. I'd urge you not to drink it."
"Good job," Leornars telepathed back. "You may return to me now." Zhylyena's form vanished, and she was once again a part of his shadow. Without a moment's hesitation, he summoned Bellian and Ascian, his two most powerful undead. His voice, now a low, menacing growl, gave them their orders. "Kill those knights who are outside, in two minutes." Bellian, his loyal undead knight, and Ascian, his high wolf, instantly vanished behind a tree, ready to carry out their deadly mission.
Leornars then began walking toward the podium, still holding his wine glass. The hum of conversation in the room was now a distant echo. He raised the glass to his lips, but instead of drinking, he gave a single, loud cough. The entire hall fell silent, and every noble, every lady, and even the king himself, turned to look at him.
"Listen, you insolent bastards and whores," he began, his voice dripping with venom. "I'll be direct. None of you are leaving this hall alive. It's nothing personal, just... business. I have my own land, my own wealth. You're all just a means to an end. Now, let's begin." He paused, and in that moment of silence, he summoned one of his undead knights. The skeletal warrior appeared instantly and plunged its rusted sword into the queen, killing her instantly. Screams erupted as the nobles tried to run, but it was too late. Leornars had already summoned all 328 of his undead, positioning them outside. The few nobles who had managed to reach the doors were instantly killed.
With a theatrical sigh, Leornars watched the chaos. "Honestly," he muttered to himself, "must you rush into the fire before I've even finished speaking? This is precisely why I can't stand humans."
The nobles, now terrified, were all forced to sit on the floor. Leornars walked among them with a document in his hand. He called out names, dividing the nobles into different groups, an unsettling smile on his face. He then turned to Count Barnsley and smiled, a chilling, evil grin. Outside, the screams of the knights that King Edmund had placed there for the ambush were now dying out as Bellian and Ascian completed their gruesome task.
"You thought you were slick, setting an ambush for me," Leornars said, his voice a low growl. The king, gnashing his teeth, could only watch in impotent rage.
"This beautiful banquet is just the perfect stage for a cleansing," he said, his voice now laced with genuine disgust. "Your nation is filthy with racism and discrimination. It's truly disgusting. I'll admit, I enjoyed playing your 'savior' for a while. It was... amusing. The king threatened to send me back to Durmount, and from that moment, he was a dead man. I had a thousand ways to do it—poison, a blade in the dark—but then Princess Alisha mentioned this banquet. This felt like the most fitting way to end it all."
As he spoke, Stacian walked over to the group of frightened lords' daughters. Her face was a blank mask, but her movements were purposeful. In one swift, brutal motion, she decapitated all of them. Then, with a chilling silence, she walked back to her place behind Leornars.
Leornars gave a small, approving nod. "Excellent work. They were starting to irritate me." He then turned to a weeping lord, his face pale with shock. "Don't cry," he said softly. "You'll join them soon enough."
"What do you want?" the king asked, his voice trembling.
Leornars walked up to him and, with a vicious kick, sent him sprawling to the floor. The king's teeth scattered across the polished marble. "Disgusting," Leornars sneered. "Pick up your teeth. I said I'm here for a cleansing of the capital. Clearly, you weren't listening. I'll explain it slowly for you."
The nobles remained silent, their eyes wide with fear.
"I helped you repay your debt to Durmount, just as I promised," Leornars continued, a lecturing tone in his voice. "Then I seized the remaining funds—a surplus of over half a trillion gold coins. My farming initiative was quite profitable, it seems. With that money, I bought up every trade guild in the nation. Some merchants were bribed, others threatened. They all took the bait. I've also been in contact with the demons in the west. Your ancestors started a war with them, but they just wanted peace. Now, we share a common goal: your nation's downfall. They will invade and destroy what's left." With a casual flick of his hand, he killed a noblewoman who had just screamed.
"Silence, you disgusting chimera," he snapped, his patience wearing thin. "Now, I almost forgot to give the king his gift." He walked out to the carriage and returned with the wrapped gift he had been holding.
He handed it to the king, who was now a broken man on the floor. "Open it," he ordered.
With a trembling hand, the king opened the gift. He stared at the contents, his eyes wide with confusion. It was a carriage wheel, the same one that had belonged to his daughter, Princess Alisha. "Huh? What's this about?" the king asked.
"It's a royal crest carriage wheel. See the crest, the one cut in two?" Leornars's voice was laced with mocking contempt. "I'm sure you know what that means. Unless you're too stupid to understand that the cycle of your family has been broken."
The king looked even more confused.
"It represents the end of your family's cycle, cut off," Leornars said, and a sinister glow shone in his eyes.
The king flinched.
"Oh, and I almost forgot," Leornars said, and he summoned Zhylyena. The crowd gasped in shock at her sudden appearance.
"You know her as Princess Alisha Montgomery," Leornars announced to the gasping crowd. "She is now my undead servant."
The king, seeing his daughter's face, rose up from the floor, a guttural cry of sorrow on his lips. He stumbled toward her.
Leornars, with a swift dropkick, sent the king sprawling back to the floor. "Hold your tears for another day, I'm not in the mood for this crappy drama," he said coldly. "And since she is my most recent servant, it means I am the one who killed your beloved princess," he said with a cruel, satisfied smile.
The entire crowd froze, the silence in the hall now a suffocating weight.
"So you took the bounty on the bandits just for show," Count Sebastian shouted, his voice filled with outrage.
Leornars turned to him, his smile widening. "Exactly. I needed a convincing cover story."
Count Barnsley, unable to bear the horror any longer, stood up and began shouting, demanding to be released.
Leornars's eyes narrowed, a pure, unadulterated hate filling their depths. He summoned Bellian instantly. "Bellian," he commanded, his voice as cold as ice. "Nail him to the wall. Three meters high. Hang him by his neck and cut out his tongue. I've heard enough from him."
He then turned back to the terrified nobles, his smirk returning. "Don't worry," he said softly, "you'll all follow him soon enough."