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nSensing the impending doom for Felix, Sylvester decided to shift the topic. “Let’s start moving out now. It’s better to begin writing a detailed report of the events here.”

n“What should we do with Zelfim Borzol, Archpriest? He’s still held in the dungeon.” Saint Seer asked. “You are the general, so it’s your decision.”

n‘Death is the only way for him. With nobody remaining alive from his tribe or faction, he has no reason to live but revenge.’

n“Bring him to the hall of the Duke’s castle,” Sylvester ordered as he realised he could do only one thing.

nWith that, everyone started to move out in an orderly fashion. The Winter Army was released in segments. Thankfully, Chief Koruk was clever, so he took his Storst faction out of the town early to ensure no clashes happened. It was going to take time to spread the word about Sylvester’s plan to the soldiers, after all. At that time, due to animosity, fights could have erupted.

nSo eventually, freed and well-fed, Sylvester and the rest arrived in the Duke’s hall. There, the Duchess was present as the true ruler of the Duchy. She had not participated in the battles as her survival was necessary for the region’s future. Hence, she was sent away to the Duchy of Zon for protection.

nAs the hall became crowded, Zelfim Borzol was brought there in chains of Darkstone. The man had nothing on his upper body, and marks of ‘special treatment’ were visible on him. But his eyes showed defiance and rage.

nThud!

nHe was made to kneel in the middle of the hall, where Sylvester approached him. “Looks like the tables have turned, King Zelfim.”

nHowever, despite defiance in his eyes, Zelfim lowered his head. “M-Mercy… Please…”

n‘Ah, he thinks I’m foolish enough not to smell his rage, anger and hatred? He only wants to buy some time.’

nBut Sylvester decided to entertain.

nClank!

nHe threw a dagger in front of the man. “I will free you, King Zelfim. But I must see your sincerity first. You wish to receive my leniency, so you must pay the price.”

nZelfim nodded strongly. “Y-Yes… I-I still have a lot of gold in the mountains!”

nSylvester smirked and shook his head. “Gold is useless. What I need is more symbolic. But I am benevolent, so I am letting you choose. King Zelfim, use this dagger and give me all your ten fingers or die.”

nZelfim’s eyes turned bloodshot red as he clenched his jaw. He realised this small exchange was precisely the same as what he did to the envoy of the Duchess who asked for the release of Felix.

nOnly now he realised it was Sylvester.

nOnly now he realised the game he was playing, he was merely a small piece in it, while the playground was owned by someone else. He was trapped within a spider’s web, with no hope of escape, everything a fabrication, every move a meticulously crafted plan devised by his adversary.

n“I will count to ten, King Zelfim.”

n“Aaargh!”

nSlash!

nZelfim didn’t waste a second and used the dagger to chop all his fingers in the left hand, instantly dirtying the floor with his blood. Sadly, his magical strength was gone, and his physical strength was vastly reduced after days of special treatment.

nSo, as he tried to cut his fingers, the bones got in the way, and he had to rub the blade on his bones to truly sever them. That, in turn, made the mess even bigger, but surprisingly he did not scream in pain.

nSylvester didn’t stop counting. “Seven!”

n“Eight!”

nZelfim finished and cut all fingers on his left hand. But soon, he realised there was no way to hold the knife and cut his right-hand finger. “Please! Just cut them yourself! I beg you!”

n“Nine!”

n“Aaaaa!” Zelfim tried to hold the knife in his jaw, but it wasted too much time. Eventually, he tried to chew his right-hand fingers and sever them. But, again, that took too much time, and he was only able to chew three fingers off.

n“Ten!”

nWoosh!

nSylvester picked up his spear and placed its blade under King Zelfim’s chin to make him look up into his eyes. “No more tribute, no more mercy—Now you die for your heresy!”

nSlash!

nA sudden arch of shining bright light emerged from the tip of the spear and plunged into King Zelfim’s neck. Smoothly, Sylvester beheaded Zelfim right there, and his head rolled off to Felix’s feet, not too far.

nNobody cheered, and nobody made a sound. With that head rolling, the entire Borzol faction, which consisted of hundreds of thousands of people, was eradicated. Sylvester, on his own with his leadership and planning, solved one of the greatest crises faced by the Church. Barbarians were no more—one faction dead, and the other had accepted the faith of Solis.

nSylvester looked around at the crowd. There were many army commanders, the three Grand Wizards, the Inquisitors, the uncle of Felix, and the Duchess with her two sons who had finally arrived home.

n“I believe the work here is done. The original people of the Frozen town will be rehabilitated back here. So, Inquisitors, you may return to Ironstone Duchy. For the Headless Order, I will complete your payment so you may also return. Armies from other noble houses, too, please retreat. Only the Holy Army of this duchy, and the army under Lord Gideon shall stay here.”

n“Understood, Lord Bard!” the Commanders of the Holy Army and Inquisitors reacted to his orders. At the same time, the rest started to leave in silence.

nTheodore Sandwall, Felix’s brother, came forward to talk about the Headless Order’s payment. Although he wasn’t the top member of the Headless Order, since he was close to Felix, he enjoyed a leadership command over the vast seventy-thousand-strong army there.

n“It was a pleasure to fight alongside you, Lord Bard. With your leadership, we only lost a few hundred soldiers of the Headless Order.

n“We had estimated it to be in the thousands, so this is a great relief. We shall move outside the Frozen Town now and start going back. Please use the Demand Invoice to make the payment. Quad Bank of Solis will do good.”

nSylvester shook hands with the man and thanked him for coming. “If the Headless order needs something in the future, do tell me. I will try to assist to the best of my ability.”

nSylvester knew by now that he could not always rely on the soldiers of the Holy Land. There was no telling when his secret might come to light. When that happens, he’d have no soldiers to command, and the only hopeful respite would be the mercenary groups who work for gold.

nAfter the Headless Order left, the hall became nearly empty. Then, the Duchess approached Sylvester and, to his shock, hugged him like he was her child.

n“Thank you for the help. Because of you, my husband was avenged, his last rites could be performed, and his legacy was saved.”

nSylvester awkwardly got out of the hug. “It was my duty, your grace. The north must remain safe if we in the Holy Land wish to live peacefully. But I must say, after staying here for these past few months, my respect for all those who live here in the north has increased. The land here is unforgiving.”

nDuchess Melina Iceling was an old woman with a face that showed she was likely a beauty when young. But she looked more like a stern warrior over the past few months after her husband’s demise. But now, she smiled again and looked like a real noble lady.

nShe pulled forward her two sons and introduced them. “It’s quite embarrassing since they are older than you and have not achieved even a fraction of what you have. This is my eldest, Carlos Iceling and the youngest, Lance Iceling.”

nSylvester sized up two strong black-haired men, most likely in their twenties. Their eyes had the fire of wanting to prove themselves. At the same time, he smelled some jealousy, but he didn’t mind as there was a lot of worship too.

nHe shook hands with them. “Your mother is quite a strong-minded noble lady. I hope you will take good care of her and the Duchy.”

n“Thank you for going beyond your way to help the Duchy, Lord Bard.” The eldest, who was meant to become the new Duke, spoke diplomatically with a smile on his face.

nSylvester made some small talk and walked out of the castle to go outside the town. He wanted to meet and speak with Elder Chief Koruk of the Storst Faction. He could guess that the man must be distraught at the moment, knowing that if Sylvester decides to go back on his words and fight him, then he will lose.

nSylvester brought only Sir Dolorm with him as he trusted the man with nearly everything. He arrived at the makeshift camp built near the river a little south of the town. The people didn’t look very happy, however. They had believed their lives would improve after moving into the town, but now they were again nomads.

nThat was about to change for the good.

nSylvester was welcomed inside the large tent where Elder Chief Koruk rested and worked. Inside, a modest woollen mattress was placed, and a lap-height table.

n“I see a lot of anxiety on your face, Chief Koruk.” Sylvester greeted the man.

nChief Koruk smiled and gestured for him to sit. “That’s all I can do, Preacher of Solis. If the Holy Land does not accept your proposal, then I’m sure the next order of action would be to exterminate all of us.”

nSylvester didn’t sugarcoat his words and accepted the analysis. “You’re right, Chief. But I have already received the letter from the Pope’s Office. As long as you stay true to the deal of praying to Solis, then we are ready to grant you land to build your own brick town.”

nSylvester placed an unsealed letter on the table and forwarded it. It had the Pope’s seal on it, as well as King Gracia’s seal. It was the highest form of approval Chief Koruk could hope to achieve.

nSir Dolorem chimed in at that point. “But, this is merely the beginning of the partnership. The great Bard is forgiving and merciful but not naive. The world runs on the law of equivalent exchange. For every favour you receive, you must give one back.”

nChief Koruk clenched his jaw and faced Sylvester. “Haven’t we done enough already? I know what you did on the battlefield. You pushed my people to the front, so your losses are low. What else can I give you beyond this?”

n“A lot!” Sylvester commented and opened a leather bag he had brought. From inside, he took out a folded piece of a map depicting the entire Pentapeak mountain range.

nHe pointed at the map with a sly smile and confidence in his eyes. “You are old, Elder Chief Koruk. You must know the whole mountain range like it’s your backyard.”

n“What do you desire?” Elder Chief asked with a look of conflict.

n“Point on the map all the locations where I can find gold, silver, diamonds, mithril, coal and any resources you can think of.”

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n1000 GT = 1 Bonus chapter. ｂ𝚍ｎｏ𝚟ｌ.

n1 Super Gift = 1 Bonus chapter.

nApe Together Strong

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