When Paul Gleman led the main force of the Northwest Legion to Storm's End, the orcish rebellion had already been quelled.
Those riot participants who were not killed on the spot were all imprisoned, and orcs who did not participate in the riot were also ordered to stay indoors.
Inside the council chamber of Storm's End, Paul Gleman's fingers tapped unconsciously on the long table. The smell of burning and blood wafting in from outside the window had not yet dissipated, and Harrison's report had just made him frown.
"As for the orcs at the banquet, Major Derrick took the safest approach, considering the riots that were breaking out in the city at the same time, and executed them all."
Paul's fingers paused abruptly when he heard "execute them all." His gaze swept over the two men before him—General Halson nodded slightly, while Earl Duke's face was ashen.
"Was there no screening?" Paul's voice was soft, yet it made the temperature in the hall drop sharply. Everyone could hear the unusual tone in the Earl's voice; it wasn't exactly anger or dissatisfaction, but at least some kind of negative surprise.
"Lord Gleman!" Schroeder suddenly spoke up, his knuckles tapping on the city defense map on the table. "I believe that, given the urgency of the situation at the time, Major Derrick's actions were very wise."
Count Duke pushed a stack of interrogation records in front of Paul, the edges of the papers still stained with dried blood.
"The mastermind behind the riot is named Kajak, the leader of the Bloodclaw tribe. His surviving accomplices have all confessed." The old knight's voice was hoarse but calm. "They originally planned to take action that very night."
Paul took the document and quickly glanced through it.
That night, Kajak and his men were preparing to make their move, but Yuriko's sudden invitation disrupted the orcs' plans. Kajak decided to play along—a harmonious banquet would be the best cover, effectively lowering the humans' guard, but refusing to attend would only arouse their suspicion.
So he postponed the riot until he returned from the banquet.
"Those orcs who didn't wait for their leader to return acted prematurely," Duke added calmly. "Kagak clearly overestimated the patience of his kin. Rumors quickly spread among them that the banquet that night was a trap and that Kagak and his men had been arrested. The orcs didn't want to sit idly by and wait for their doom, so they launched a riot without a core leader."
General Harrison pointed to the East End marker on the map: "If we hadn't taken care of the planners in the banquet hall first, the riot that night would have been much harder to handle."
"Derrick's actions are indeed cruel." Earl Duke looked Paul straight in the eye. "But if we let any of them escape, or let them manage to make contact with the outside world, it will be our soldiers and civilians who die that night."
Paul let out a long sigh of relief, his inner conflict resolved by the two of them. "Well, sometimes the cruelest choice is the most necessary, especially since they were once the enemies who invaded Aldor, and they were even aliens!"
As a time traveler, his old perceptions from growing up in a peaceful era have been largely worn away, and with his current identity, he has begun to understand the necessity of such an iron fist.
At this moment, the old knight's voice rang out again: "My lord, I further suggest that all orc prisoners in Windbreak Keep be executed, including all orcs captured in this war, to prevent such things from happening again."
"My lord, this is something I cannot agree to!" Paul sternly rejected his proposal. "I do not want Aldo's soldiers to develop a habit of solving problems through killing. We cannot set that precedent."
"Prince Yuriko is visiting." Count Duke was interrupted by the guard's announcement before he could say anything.
Paul smiled. "Gentlemen, let's hear what our prince has to say. Please invite him in!"
Yuriko Rodney stormed into the council chamber with heavy footsteps, his armor so bright in the morning light that it was hard to open one's eyes, and his cloak billowed like waves with his violent movements.
"Paul!" the prince's voice shrill with anger. "Look what your good men have done!"
Paul gestured to his servants to offer the prince a seat, but Eurico showed no intention of sitting down, standing there like a wooden stake in front of Paul.
"I poured so much effort into preparing that banquet!" the prince roared, spitting furiously. He abruptly ripped open his coat, revealing a silk shirt embroidered with doves—clearly specially prepared for the banquet. "And the result?"
"Your soldiers just barged in so rudely, killing all my newly recruited men without any explanation! Heaven and Earth Father, I had just promised to be their protectors!"
"Your Highness!" Paul's voice was eerily calm. "The situation was urgent that night, and Major Derrick's actions were very wise. Moreover, Paul's mastermind, Kajak, was at your banquet. You can see his accomplices' testimonies right there on the table."
He used what Harrison and Duke had just said to him against Yurico.
"What kind of damned confession is this!" the prince exclaimed, his fingers trembling. "Even if Kagak did the wrong thing, what about the others?!"
"Of course it's possible, maybe even all of them! We don't have time to check them all!"
"But that butcher Derrick didn't even give them a chance to explain! Couldn't they have just taken them into custody first?"
Yuriko slammed his fist on the table, making the ink bottle jump. "I want him in the Crystal Palace court!" The prince's roar echoed through the stone walls. "Remove this butcher from his post immediately!"
Paul slowly rose to his feet, his fist slamming against the edge of the table with a dull thud. "I cannot comply, Your Highness." His voice was not loud, but it instantly silenced the council chamber.
"How dare you—" Yurico Rodney looked at him in disbelief.
"Although Colonel Derrick's actions were not perfect, he was authorized by me, and I allowed him to make his own judgments and take his own actions regarding the emergency situations in the areas he passed through!"
Paul said firmly, "If you insist on punishing Derrick, then punish me as well—but I must remind you that this must be approved by His Majesty the King."
The prince's face turned bright red, and his neck guard opened and closed repeatedly with his heavy breathing.
"Those were the generals whose surrender I personally accepted; that was my honor!" he roared, "but Derrick trampled it all away!"
"No, Your Highness," Paul suddenly raised his voice, "he is precisely the one who protected your honor!"
He pointed out the window to the still-smoking eastern district, "If even one of those orcs is up to no good—in fact, it has been confirmed that at least Karjak is one, and he is the biggest organizer of the riot—letting those scoundrels continue to live and cause even greater destruction would be a major blow to you and to the honor of the royal family."