Chapter 266: Hunt for the Rabid Dogs

The heavy doors of the longhouse swung open, cutting short the council session. A tribal guard, his face pale with rage and his breath ragged, rushed inside and dropped to his knee before the dais.

"Forgive the interruption, Great Shaman!" said the soldier, his voice trembling with anger. "The northern envoys have assaulted our guards inside the estate! They are beating our men and forcing themselves upon the maidens serving the feast!"

Kellar displayed neither shock nor distress. A smile formed across his face as his eyes gleamed with a promise of execution.

"It seems the rabid dogs could not contain themselves for a single day," said Kellar, rising to his feet with composure. "Ready the Garnis cannons and deploy the army. Let us move."

The command acted like a spark dropped into a powder keg. Every commander and captain present moved with fury burning in their eyes. How dare those bastards disrespect their people and lay hands on their women within their domain? What kind of man could stomach such humiliation while sitting idly by? Should anyone be capable of enduring that unmoved, he would not be a man, nor possess what it takes to be called one.

In under ten minutes, the thunder of marching boots echoed throughout the settlement. Hundreds of tribal soldiers, outfitted in silver armor and wielding their rifles, deployed in an arc encircling the guest residence, sealing off every escape route toward the lake or main thoroughfares. Simultaneously, the headquarters’ watchtowers and battlements swarmed with marksmen, training heavy sights through the windows.

Upon sensing the thundering boots and the military press surrounding the estate, the festive atmosphere inside the dining hall froze. The foreign envoys began growing nervous.

Inside the room, the Valorian soldier who was enjoying himself while forcing the weeping tribal maiden across the timber table went still. As he glanced up through the window, his blood ran cold: hundreds of soldiers encircled the house in dead silence, training their sights upon the dining hall with those black metal rods he had mocked moments ago.

The thundering of boots outside the estate ground to a sudden halt, leaving behind a silence that presaged the storm. It was then that Brak’s voice boomed across the clearing with the force of thunder, causing the glass windowpanes to rattle:

"Step out immediately or prepare to be exterminated!"

Upon hearing the command, the Valorian soldiers, driven by arrogance, began exiting toward the main entrance. They dragged the weeping tribal maidens by the neck as they still attempted to resist, while shoving the two tribal soldiers who were on the verge of death from the brutal beating they had endured.

From the hallway, Count Evander Ellington witnessed the scene and set his jaw, feeling his blood run cold.

"Dammit... it seems everything has gone straight to hell," muttered Evander to himself, adjusting his ceremonial sword. "Let us attempt to halt this before it escalates to where I cannot explain it to His Majesty."

The envoys from Aethelgard stepped out onto the driveway directly behind the Valorian mercenaries.

Upon witnessing the state of his men and the abuse inflicted upon the tribe’s maidens, Brak took a step forward, his face contorted with rage:

"Release our comrades!" roared Brak. "How dare you act in such a manner within our territory? Who gave you the gall to behave like this?!"

Evander stepped forward, raising his hands in a gesture to stave off the impending catastrophe.

"Maintain your composure, please!" interceded the Count, addressing both his troops and the tribal commanders. "Release the captives at once! All of this is a misunderstanding and can be settled diplomatically!"

However, the Valorian ambassador, observing everything from the stoop, spat on the ground and confronted Evander with eyes burning in hubris.

"Shut your mouth, you fool!" shouted the Valorian envoy at the Count of Aethelgard. "I marched here under the direct command of His Majesty! I am not under your orders, and this will be handled as it ought to be! They are nothing more than fucking barbarians, and they had better understand once and for all that they are our hunting hounds, not your damned allies! Do you hear me?!"

Evander Ellington could no longer stomach his supposed ally’s outburst. He drew his blade in a single swift motion, its steel gleaming under the torchlight.

"You ungrateful fool, you are going to damn us all!" roared Evander.

Seeing their lord draw his sword, the Black Wolf Knights of Aethelgard unsheathed their weapons and formed a defensive line facing the Valorian troops. In turn, the Valorian soldiers raised their shields and swords, confronting both the nobility of Aethelgard and the ring of tribal soldiers encircling them in the dark.

Brak tilted his head slightly, seeking Kellar’s silhouette amidst the shadow of the elite guard. The shaman uttered not a word; he merely offered a subtle nod, granting him complete authority over the execution of protocol.

Brak took a step forward and raised his voice once more, icy and devoid of patience:

"I shall not repeat myself. Drop your weapons and prepare to be judged!"

One of the Valorian soldiers, consumed by rage, drunkenness, and arrogance, yanked at the tribal maiden he held captive. He hoisted her into the air by her neck, pressing his dagger against her flesh.

"Shut your mouth, you damned savage!" shrieked the soldier in a howl, spitting onto the stone. "You are nothing more than our bitches, and you had better act like it! If I want to fuck every single one of your women, it should be an honor to you! You exist solely to obey us!"

In the midst of his rant, the soldier clamped his fist with excessive force and snapped his wrist.

CRACK!

A dry snap echoed across the entire clearing. The young woman’s body went rigid for a fraction of a second before going limp. Without the trace of remorse, the mercenary tossed her aside onto the paved floor, letting her drop like a broken rag doll.