Kapitel 17: Chapter 17: The Ruler will step into a Villian 1
My audience had not taken the declaration well, but the surprise was understandable, at least — I don't think anyone had ever had an entire army crawl through the sewers just to infiltrate a city.
Still, in a single instant everyone's demeanor underwent a significant change.
Leonine, far from her usual haughty confidence, had withdrawn into herself, her face the picture of shell shock. She'd treated me as one would another member of the peerage until now, hadn't taken the whole Villain thing seriously, but now that I had stepped into the role I had been assigned, she didn't know how to deal with the new context.
Varath was… he'd seemed a chipper sort, but he was completely terrified now, having retreated into a corner where he just sat, trembling. The death of the duke had already unnerved him in the first place, and it seemed that my threat had destroyed the little bit of calm he had left.
And Kirin, whose full name I still couldn't remember, just looked resigned. I had pegged him as a man who believed in duty and honor, and his presence at the duke's side had seemed odd to me, but at least it seemed he didn't let honor get in the way of reason. I wasn't sure why, but of all three, he was the only one I felt bad about having threatened. I thought, in different circumstances, we might have been friends.
Even Sarjay looked uncomfortable, having finally downed the last of the guards. I had not told him of my preparations, and threatening to murder an entire city was likely putting his loyalty to the test. I would have to mend faces when we were finally out of this mess.
As it was, there were things I needed to make clear, first.
"Now that you understand our respective positions," I began slowly, choosing my words carefully, "you should also understand that there is no reason for me to deceive you." I said. "I did not kill Duke Illvere."
The reactions were mixed. While Sarjay and Kirin seemed to accept it, and Varath was still muttering to himself in the corner, Leonine actually scoffed.
"What does it matter if you did or didn't? Clearly you came here armed and ready to conquer." She brought her arms together, hugging her waist. "So go ahead and do what you're here to do. Just kill me now so I can be spared the grief." She then looked me in the eye. "You monster."
I saw red.
"Me? I'm the monster here?" I scoffed indignantly. "The worthless piece of trash you called your liege sent an innocent child and a number of his own people to their deaths, just to further his plan to rule the continent," I all but yelled as I removed the duke's letter from one of my robe's inner pockets, throwing it towards Leonine.
The letter fluttered in the air before falling to the ground a good meter from the Viscountess. She eyed it warily but approached, picking it up with a gloved hand. At the same time, Kirin approached, looking over her shoulder at the letter. She unfolded it and held it slightly to a side, letting the Baron read along with her.
I waited in silence for a minute, trying to calm my mind. It had not been right to explode like that. She had called me a monster but she wasn't wrong, not entirely. I had crossed that line by making the threat in the first place, but I still held the hope that I could get through this tribulation with my morality mostly intact. I had thought that if I did not act on the threat, my hands would remain clean — but now it seemed that I had damned myself the moment I decided to have the Dead Legion move.
I broke myself out of my philosophical musings to find two pairs of eyes trying to burn holes through my head. Leonine's hands were clenched around the letter, much like Sarjay's had been. A quick spell ensured the letter's safe return to my possession.
"When did you get this?" Leonine demanded, her voice steel. My anger did not care for the tone, and I had to clamp down on the instinct to chastise her. She was not wrong to be upset, I reminded myself.
"A couple of days ago. It arrived at my tower by way of a messenger named Vinara," I answered honestly.
Kirin mulled over it for a moment, then said, "I believe this checks out. The spymaster was absent from the palace grounds for a few days this week." Looking me in the eyes, he seemed to consider the evidence, then gave me a deep bow.
"I owe you an apology, Lord. Duke Illvere had… led me to believe him to be a much more honorable man than it now appears he was. I thank you for revealing his duplicity."
He straightened and looked at Leonine. A silent conversation seemed to pass between them, until finally she turned towards me, giving me a hint of a curtsy.
"I will, as well, apologize for accusing you unfairly," she said, though it seemed to pain her. "He was evil — but so are you. I will not apologize for calling you a monster. "
My anger surged again, but before I could even think to act on it, Sarjay had already acted.
"Watch your tone, or I will watch it for you," he thundered, his voice gaining an unnerving quality through the dark helmet. He held the tip of a sword, did he even have that a minute ago? to Leonine's throat. The Viscountess, to her credit, did not panic when faced with the naked threat, locking Sarjay's gaze — even though blocked by the helmet — and giving him a shallow nod. My knight sheathed his weapon and moved from the noble woman to stand at my side.
I hadn't realized how much I craved someone's — anyone's — validation until that moment, and I was infinitely thankful that Sarjay was still on my side. I had only known him for little more than a week, but the child had grown on me — like a fungus, largely, but it was clear I valued his opinion of me. And the simple act of him standing by my side filled me with a kind of confidence I hadn't felt in a long time — not since my adventuring days.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein