Chapter 560 - : 560 : Justice Is Not Revenge!

Chapter 560: Chapter : 560 : Justice Is Not Revenge!

Aiden stood perfectly still in the center of the village square, the late-afternoon sun casting long shadows across the cracked dirt and broken tents.

Surrounding him were the four Uldrien wolves who had only moments ago sworn their absolute loyalty to him, trembling on their knees with ears pinned flat against their skulls and tails tucked so tightly between their legs that it was almost painful to watch.

The air around them crackled with fear, but it was fear of a different kind now—fear mixed with the crushing weight of every villager’s eyes.

"Kill them!"

The cry rose first from the front row, sharp and desperate.

"Kill them all!"

It came again, from a mother clutching her young son to her chest, her voice breaking on the last word.

Aiden remained silent.

His eyes moved slowly across the crowd—not with anger, not with triumph, but with something deeper. A mother of three clutched her youngest daughter so tightly the girl’s face was buried in her boobs, tears soaking into the fabric.

An old bunny man with silver-tipped ears stood rigid, tears streaming silently down his wrinkled cheeks as he stared at the wolves.

A young woman nearby shook so violently that two of her friends had to hold her upright, their own faces pale with shared pain.

These people weren’t screaming for blood because they loved violence. They were screaming because their hearts had been torn open, because their world had been shattered in the space of few days.

Aiden’s expression changed. The playful smile that had been playing on his lips since the wolves first charged vanished completely. His blue eyes narrowed, not in rage, but in understanding. He glanced down at the four wolves. Their bodies were pressed hard against the dirt, claws curled inward as if trying to disappear. Not one dared to lift her head. He looked back at the villagers, and something in his chest shifted.

"I understand."

His voice was quiet, almost gentle. Yet somehow, every single person in the square heard it clearly, as if the words had been spoken directly into their souls.

"I understand why you want them dead."

The silence stretched, thick and heavy. Mothers wiped tears with trembling hands. Fathers clenched their fists until their knuckles turned white. A young man whispered, "They took my mother..." and the grief in that single sentence nearly broke Aiden’s heart.

Aiden continued, voice steady and filled with the weight of every loss he could feel radiating from the crowd.

"You lost parents."

His gaze shifted toward the grieving women, the one who had begged to be taken instead of her son.

"You lost husbands."

He pointed gently at an elderly couple whose hands were clasped so tightly their hands trembled.

"You lost children."

Then another. And another. His eyes swept slowly across the entire village, taking in the faces of mothers who watched their children be born into terror, of young bunnies who had lost best friends, of families whose entire lives had been turned upside down.

"Children."

"Friends."

"Family."

The four wolves lowered their heads even further, foreheads touching the dirt. The pink-maned wolf’s ears twitched with shame, and the black-maned wolf let out a small, broken sob that she tried desperately to swallow.

Aiden took a slow breath, letting the weight of their pain settle inside him. When he spoke again, his voice was firmer, yet still kind.

"I won’t tell you to forgive them."

The villagers stared at him, some hopeful, some doubtful.

"I won’t tell you that your pain doesn’t matter."

His voice became even stronger, carrying the quiet authority of a leader who had already carried this village on his shoulders.

"And I certainly won’t stand here and pretend that what they did was acceptable simply because they have chosen to follow me now."

The pink-maned wolf trembled violently. "Master..."

Aiden raised one hand, palm up. The moment his fingers curled slightly, she fell completely silent, her body relaxing in relief.

Then Aiden turned toward the villagers, his voice softening again, full of genuine compassion.

"But I also won’t execute them simply because you are angry."

A low murmur rippled through the square. Some villagers looked confused. Others looked furious. A burly male bunny stepped forward, chest puffed out with determination.

"Then what are you going to do, Lord Aiden?"

Aiden looked directly at him, meeting his gaze without flinching.

"Justice."

The man froze, mouth opening and closing like a fish.

Aiden pointed calmly toward the four wolves.

"They will answer for what they have done."

The wolves’ eyes widened in a mixture of hope and dread.

"But they will answer under my rule."

His gaze hardened just enough to show the steel beneath the kindness.

"And if they ever hurt another innocent person..."

The air suddenly grew heavy, thick with unspoken promise.

"...I’ll be the one to punish them."

The four wolves shuddered, the sound of their claws scraping the dirt the only noise for a moment.

Aiden then turned his attention to the unconscious maroon-maned wolf lying nearby, her body sprawled awkwardly, blood still faintly drying on her fur from his earlier strike. He looked at her for a long, measured second, then back at the villagers.

"And her too."

He paused, letting his words sink in.

"She attacked me because she believed this village was prey. Because she thought I was just another weak human she could bully. But now she will learn exactly what happens when someone threatens people under my protection."

The villagers stared, some still angry, others slowly beginning to understand.

Aiden turned around, facing the frightened faces of the bunny villagers again. His voice softened further, warm and reassuring.

"You chose me as your leader."

A small bunny child slowly peeked from behind her mother’s skirt, her wide eyes full of hope.

Aiden noticed the little one immediately. His expression softened into the gentlest smile he had worn all day.

"And that is what I intend to do."

For several long seconds, nobody spoke. The wind rustled through the broken tents. A mother’s hand stroked her child’s ears. Then—

A small, trembling voice came from the crowd.

"...Will they really protect us?"

Everyone turned.

It was a little bunny girl, no older than eight, clutching a torn scrap of cloth against her chest like a shield. Her voice was so small it barely carried, yet every adult in the square seemed to lean forward to hear.

Aiden crouched slightly so he could meet her eyes at her level. The sun caught the tears still shining on her lashes.

"Yes," he said simply. "They will."

The child hesitated, biting her lip. "Even though they hurt people and took away my father?"

Aiden glanced toward the wolves, then back at the girl. His voice was steady, full of quiet conviction.

"They will have to earn your trust. But I’ll make sure they do. Every single day, if I have to."

The little girl stared at him for a long moment. Slowly, she nodded, her small shoulders relaxing.

One of the grieving mothers wiped the tears from her face with the back of her handle, a shaky smile breaking through. Another woman lowered her head, shoulders easing as the weight of her anger began to shift.

The anger in the square hadn’t disappeared. Neither had the grief. But something else had appeared—something fragile, but real. Hope.

Aiden stood straight again, his posture tall and commanding yet strangely gentle. His voice echoed across the village, clear and final.

"From today onward..."

The words carried over the entire square like a vow.

"...no one here will live in fear."

The villagers stared at him, some with tears still wet on their cheeks.

"Not because I’m asking you to forget what happened."

His eyes became sharp, the leader in him shining through.

"But because I’m promising you that it will never happen again."

The four wolves lowered their heads once more, whispering in unison.

"Master..."

Aiden glanced at them, voice calm but firm.

"Stand."

The four wolves immediately rose, bodies still trembling, but their eyes shining with new purpose.

Aiden looked toward the villagers, his smile warm and reassuring.

"Your first duty begins now."

The pink-maned wolf swallowed hard. "What is it, Master?"

Aiden smiled darkly.

"Protect the people you once considered prey."

The four wolves exchanged quick, nervous glances. Then they bowed simultaneously, voices steady despite the fear.

"Yes, Master!"

For the first time since the wolves had attacked the village—

The villagers did not scream.

They simply watched.

And slowly...

One person began to clap.

Then another.

Then another.

The sound spread through the entire square like sunlight breaking through clouds. Mothers clapped through happy tears. Children clapped with small, proud paws. Even the old man with silver-tipped ears managed a soft, shaky rhythm. The sound grew louder and louder until it filled the sky above the village.

Aiden stood in the center of it all, arms slightly spread, chest rising and falling with the weight of their trust. For the first time since he had arrived in here, the smile on his face was completely free of arrogance. It was satisfaction. Pure, deep, and deeply earned.

Beside him, Selisha quietly whispered, her voice soft and full of love, "Eternal Lord..."

Aiden glanced at her, one eyebrow raised in playful curiosity.

"Yes?"

She smiled, her ears perking up, purring softly. "You really are going to make this village your kingdom, aren’t you?"

Aiden looked across the square—at the villagers cheering through their tears, at the four loyal wolves standing tall, at his wives watching him with open pride, at the broken tents and the damaged homes and the future that was beginning to shine.

He chuckled, a warm, rumbling sound that carried across the gathering crowd.

"Maybe."

Then his eyes gleamed with quiet promise.

"But first..."

He looked toward the unconscious maroon-maned wolf lying nearby, still breathing slowly, still completely at his mercy.

"...I have a wolf to wake up."

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END OF Chapter : 560 : JUSTICE IS NOT REVENGE!

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