I finally drew my sword and stabbed it down into the woman's brain. I heard a shrill cry not from the woman's mouth but from within her mind. Red and blue blood flowed out of the spot I stabbed as I retracted my sword. I looked at the woman whose eyes were still open and sighed. "You were innocent and just a victim."
I reached down and closed her eyes. I then sliced open the top of her head and pulled out the dead worm, and stored it away. I needed it to give it to Freidinia to match it up against the ones found in the undead.
I rinsed my hands off with water magic before turning to see Grace holding the king up by his ankles. His son was dead, at least, I think he is dead. The father's plotting with the Altorians failed, and now here he was, being held upside down by a young woman. I stepped over the Altorian woman's body and walked over to the beast king. I knelt down in front of him and poked him in the head. "Was it worth it? Your son is probably dead and if he is alive is nothing but a dried husk after I sucked all the blood out of his body. The Altorian, who you had as a backer, is also dead, slain by this Empress. Tell me, how does it feel to lose to two young women? You not only lost your throne but your kingdom as well. Because now….. It has become part of my Cyrilia empire."
With that, like I have done many times before, I forced a contract to keep any rebellions from forming and made sure no one harmed anyone for any reason. This included the freedom of all human slaves as well.
I wish it was not just one thing after another. But luckily, now, I do not think many will dare to start any kind of war with me, even if the Altorians instigate it. "Master, what do we do with this thing?"
"Grab him and his son and bring them with us. They will be tried and jailed in imperial court. We will broadcast it to every corner of this continent. To show the world that we, the Cyrilia Empire, are not to be taken lightly. We will bring the woman's corpse. I am sure the Altorians will be watching as well. Let's see if they will make a move then." Or at least two of the three people I planned to take back with me were able to come back. The dried-out husk that should have had only a sliver of life left had disappeared. Where the sly cat went, I do not know. Maybe he used some kind of life-saving spell he got from the dungeon.
"Should we search for him?" Grace asked. She seemed worried about something.
"No. I have already sent out my detection across the entire continent, and I can not find him. Probably the same person who is able to bypass my barriers like it was nothing. Let's check the battlefield first before heading home." With things set in the capital of the beast kingdom, for the time being, I decided it was time to head back. I will send officials over later to settle things correctly and set up a new government that would govern the land.
We made our way to the board quite quickly, thanks to Atollie. When we arrived, the fighting had already stopped, but the battlefield was filled with bodies from both sides, mainly from the beastkin side. "It's such a shame. All these people did not need to die…."
"That is life…." Atollie suddenly spoke up. "Wars come, and wars go. And in war, there will always be a loss of life."
"Mmmm. I know. War is never pretty, and I hate it. But in order to achieve true peace without everyone trying to dominate the other, we can only use a show of force that does not lose lives and hope the other nations will form an alliance with us like the few that already have." I would rather not end lives if I do not have to, but those who dare to invade my lands will pay a price for it. Hopefully, after the trial and showing off the Altorian woman, the Altorians will think twice before instigating another kingdom to attack us.
I floated down to where my father-in-law was speaking with the enemy general and hovered in the sky. "Ahem!" I cleared my throat very loudly to catch everyone's attention. I looked at both sides and bowed my head. "We will now hold a moment of silence for those who died for a war that should never have started in the first place."
Not a single person argued with me and bowed their heads. Both sides lowered their heads and closed their eyes to pray for those who had fallen. Once a few minutes passed, I looked at everyone from my empire to the beast kingdom and sighed once more. "Generals of the Beast kingdom. Take your dead and give them proper burials. The Cyrilia Empire will give money to the deceased's families and will create a plaque of remembrance for the fallen on this spot. Today will be a national holiday to celebrate the lives of those who were only doing what their leaders told them. Soldiers are nothing but men and women who fight for their kingdoms and empires. They are people just like me. I hope this day will always be in everyone's hearts as well as try to work towards a new future where all races are equal. After all…. I am no different from any of you."
I finished my speech and spoke a few words to my father-in-law before using dimensional transfer and returning to the palace. I was never expecting a standing ovation as it was a time of mourning for those who lost their lives in a meaningless war.
When I returned, I was met with Adel giving orders to the officials which stopped as soon as I appeared in the throne room. "Faith! How was it?"
"I annexed the beast kingdom. The sly cat got away, and I killed an Altorian as well as captured their best king for trial. The war is now over, and I am here…. So I guess you can say things went smoothly." I explained slowly.
Adel looked at me and let out a long sigh as she flicked my forehead. "Can you not make things sound so easy!"
Comments