章 39: Chapter 39 - Noble Traitors
After sending Asara off I sent all my summons to storage apart from Lilah, Leone, and of course Migi. I'd promised the others rewards later and I would summon them all back once we got to the capital, apart from Oars. He would be my secret weapon since no enemies had escaped, which meant Biroth wouldn't know of how his army had lost just that they had. That was an advantage I was definitely going to use.
The inside of the fort wasn't anything special. There were no ornate paintings or designs on the stonework, no carpets, or chandeliers. The fort was clearly made for defense and defense alone. The hallways were tight and there were sections with heavy steel doors and plenty of arrow slits and hidden passage. The inside of the fort had been weaponized just in case they ever had to fall back and fight till the last man. It was well designed and the person who'd designed it had clearly known what they were doing. There were even some traps that could be activated by someone located at the end of some hallways. This included spikes, blade traps, and even a trap that opened up the floor into a pit of acid, which sounded very comically, though very effective since most people wouldn't expect something like that in a fort like this.
Solider and servants very scurrying around and doing all sorts of tasks, and to my surprise they didn't bow at the sight of me instead they knelt, even those carrying injured attempted to kneel though a quick glare stopped them. I was all for showing respect but there was a time and place and the life of a soldier was worth more than a simple bow. There were hushed whispers and murmurs as I passed, some full of fear and others of awe. The general consensus was that I was some sort of powerful mage or kord and that I'd personally come to rescue them.
Eventually, after fifteen minutes of walking and going through serval checkpoints and chokepoints, we arrived at a large set of doors guarded by two armored men who immediately knelt at the sight of me. I gave them a nod and they stood and quickly pushed the doors open, bowing as I passed
"This is it, your majesty," Brinehall said, taking a seat in one of the many chairs surrounding a large table with a map of the surrounding area on it. The command room was well lit by magical lights and an ornate chair at the head of the table was already prepared for me, so I took my seat and let out a slow breath.
"How long till the nobles get here?" I asked, wanting to get this over with so I could return to the capital and rest.
"Just a few minutes, your majesty," he replied. "Would you like me to go over the state of things?"
I nodded. "Yes give me your report."
"Well, we lost about half our men all in all," he started. "Half of the remaining men are injured. They are being looked at and cared for as we speak. The wall took some damage though nothing serious and none of the gates were breached."
I frowned at that. I'd been wondering why the enemies had broken through any gates and rushed in.
"Why is that?"
He smiled. "One of our scouts caught sight of the army before they arrived and we were able to block off the area around the gates and reinforce them. It will take quite a bit for work to unblock them, but it was well worth it. If they'd gotten in through any of the gates, the fighting would have gotten a lot worse."
I nodded, pleased with his decision. "You've done very commander. I commend you for your efforts and will see to it that you are resupplied with soldiers, food, and anything else you might need."
His shoulder slumped slightly at that and he looked relieved. "Thank you, your majesty."
There was a knock at the door and everyone turned as a guard walked in trailed by two nobles in fancy clothes. They looked like the typical douchebag, self-important assholes you expect most nobles to be. They were both young. One was a brown-haired woman with freckles and green eyes while the other was a teenager with similar facial features but black hair and no freckles. They both had annoyed sneers on their faces which immediately fell off at the sight of me. They rushed forward and knelt to either side of me.
"Your majesty," They both said in unions, their heads lowered. "We-"
"Don't," I interrupted. I didn't care for anything they said or their names. It didn't really matter to me. "Brinehall bring me the guards and servants who have been with them while they've been staying here at the fort."
He nodded and whispered to the guard who'd led the two nobles in. The guard bowed to me then ran off to do as asked.
We waited in silence and I didn't motion either noble to stand and didn't allow either to talk. I could practically sense the nervous energy coming from them. Perhaps my assumption was wrong. If it was I would apologize but I had a feeling I was right. All I needed was a bit more information to make a decision.
A few minutes later, the guard returned with serval more guards and servants who all knelt at the sight of me.
"Rise."
They all stood and the noble's went to follow.
"Not you two," I said, stopping them. The woman's shoulder was shaking now, and a drop of sweat hit the floor from the man's forehead.
I looked back up to the guards and servants and moved my gaze over them. None met my eyes and all looked scared and nervous.
"I'm going to ask you all some questions," I said simply. "Your going to answer to the best of your abilities, and if I even think you lying I will have your head, do you understand?"
It may or may not have been necessary to scare them with that, but fear was a good motivator and from the looks of panic and shaking that began, it had clearly worked.
"I will ask a question and those who have information and can answer will step forward and do so," I said.
They all nodded and I gave them a cold smile. I thought about what to ask then decided to go with something unorthodox "Good. The first question, are these two nobles in front of me traitors?"
The room froze and the two kneeling noble's went to rise but Lilah and Leone stepped forward and pressed them back down.
The woman went to speak. "Your majesty I-"
A smack from Lilah cut her off and she fell quiet, a small whimper coming from her. At this point, I already knew they were guilty from how they'd been acting.
"Well?" I asked, looking at the guards and servants. "I hope you understand if I find out you've withheld information, the punishment will be severe."
One of the guards stepped forward and took a deep breath before speaking
"Your majesty, I do believe they are," he said, his voice shaky. "I overheard them speaking of an agreement with Count Horver and I heard several mentions of an army."
A female servant stepped up, looking equally nervous. "I heard the same. I overheard them calling you a false king."
"That's a lie!" the male noble said and was cut off from saying anything else as Leone's foot caught him in the side of the jaw sending him into the other noble and both of them sprawling on the ground.
"Brinehall, restrain them,"
The commander nodded and nodded to some of the guards who'd entered the room with the servants. They stepped forward and pulled the nobles to their knees, one holding their arms in place while another held a spear at their backs.
"I am disappointed, but not surprised, " I said as I looked down at the two nobles, one of which was trying to speak, but was only mumbling incoherently, his jaw clearly broken. The other was crying and whimpering.
"Get them out of my sight," I said before turning to the servants. "None of you have anything else to say."
None stepped up so I motioned them to go which they gladly did, all scrambling to leave.
When the last of the servants were gone and all that was left in the room was me, Leone, Lilah, and Brinehall, I sighed and leaned back in my chair.
"Commander, I'll be leaving soon," I said. "I'll have those supplies sent to you as soon as I can. I have no other orders than to continue what you've been doing."
He opened his mouth to speak but was cut off when the door burst open and Asara rushed in.
"Your majesty, we caught the rider who came to negotiate terms."
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