NOVPUB
Chapter 80: 80: Taking Charge
Ariana stared at the knocked-out guards, her gaze drifting to Albert, whose face was swollen and covered in bruises. Baroness Hela lay unconscious on the floor, having passed out from shock and fear. The once-grand mansion is now reeked of chaos, with broken furniture, shattered glass, and bloodstains decorating the walls and floor.
Ariana clutched her trembling hands, her breathing uneven. "What now?" she asked, her voice laced with uncertainty.
Kael scoffed, scanning the carnage. "That bastard ran away. But the real question is why are you even fighting him?"
"Isn’t he your damned father?"
Ariana frowned and asked," So what if he is a father? I am sure you found out something that he was hiding causing all this mess, however, you shouldn’t have escalated so much?"
"Why?"Kael asked with a frown.
"Because we need the knights. We need their strength to protect the town from disaster!"
"Disaster my ass!" Kael spat, folding his arms. His sharp gaze locked onto her. "You don’t know shit. Your dear old daddy is working with an evil cult and plans to use the townspeople as sacrifices."
Ariana’s eyes widened in horror. "WHAAAATTT!" she screamed, her chubby cheeks wobbling from the shock.
The revelation hit her like lightning, her mind spinning as the truth sunk in. She stood there dazed thinking something.
"Is that... true?" she whispered.
"Hmm!" Kael nodded.
"So now what?"Ariana looked up to Kael.
He took a deep breath and looked around. Spotting the butler who seemed to be shaking he shouted.
"Hey, you!"
"YES SIR!"Ron gave a salute coming forward.
"From now on, this place is under Ariana,"
Ariana’s eyes widened and he looked at Kael in disbelief
Kael simply nodded and turned toward the door. "You’re smart. You’ll be fine. Just take charge of the situation before things get worse."
Ariana hesitated. "Me? Take charge?"
Kael glanced back at her and smirked. "From what I saw, you’re more than qualified." He then cocked his head and added, "Also... you got some moves."
With that, he left, his mind now focused on the next step.
Ron then looked up at Ariana wondering what to do. Ariana took a deep heavy breath to calm herself first.
She closed her eyes and as she opened them, a deep monster ferocity flashed in her eyes that scared the shit out of Ron.
"Ron, first call all the servants."
"Organize the maids and servants so that no word of what happened here goes out and creates panic."
"See which knights are capable of guarding and ask them to follow Lord Kael to provide immediate help in case of need."
"Second.."
She gave a series of orders in quick succession that made everyone look at her in awe and disbelief.
Even in their wildest dream, they have never imagined that the fat pig duckling was capable of such a resolute and leadership role.
The instant shift in her attitude scared them as they wondered if after all this was over, wouldn’t she swing her sword at their neck.
So they started to follow the order in a quick session. Ron spotting an opportunity, struck quickly.
"Miss, what about Baroness and Albert?"Ron asked.
Ariana raised her brows seeing Ron’s attitude of not calling Albert a Lord anymore.
"Tie them up and lock them. I hope they don’t create any more trouble."
.........
Outside, Kael met up with Ramos and Chris. Coming out on Kael’s order, Ramoa split the knights to search for signs of undead while others to track Baron if he tried to escape.
The two were already hiding and waiting to see what’s gonna happen next but for some reason their expressions were tense.
"Did you catch him?" Kael asked.
"No," Ramos shook his head. "But I sent knights to track him. He’s headed toward the forest. Doesn’t seem like he’s running away. More like he’s meeting someone. Instead of stopping him, I let him escape to bait the bigger fish" He then shot Kael with a suspicious look.
"By the way, what the hell did you do, bastard? The whole town’s a mess! All the knights on patrol had run to the mansion and people were talking about sounds echoing from there."
Kael exhaled and quickly explained everything in a serious tone, unlike his playful self.
Ramos’ face darkened. "Shit. This is worse than I thought."
He turned to the knights standing nearby and barked orders. "Follow the leads and show Kael the way. Also, call upon others who have spread!"
"Yes, Sir!" The knights saluted and hurried off.
Kael, Ramos, and Chris followed the trail. The knights had been clever enough to leave small marks along the way, guiding them through the dense forest.
Soon, they arrived at a forest clearing near the foot of a hill at the back of the estate. The air was heavy with an ominous presence.
"Quickly, send the signal!" Ramos ordered.
One of the knights stepped forward, took out a flare, and shot it into the sky. The explosion of light cut through the dark forest, signaling their location.
Noticing the signals, the knights who had been on their task hurried their way.
Kael took a cautious step forward when Ramos suddenly held out his arm, his eyes glowing faintly. "Wait. There’s a barrier here."
Kael frowned. "Barrier?"
"Yeah. A B-rank barrier, from the looks of it." Ramos narrowed his eyes, scanning the magical formation hidden in the air.
Kael scowled. "B-rank..." That was trouble. If a B-rank mage was inside, this fight could turn ugly. He could handle warriors using Maledict Deflection and his advanced sword skills, but mages were an entirely different problem.
"Shit," Kael muttered under his breath. "If a high-rank mage is in there, I might be fucked."
Kael glanced at Ramos and smirked. "You’re not gonna make a move, are you?"
Ramos rubbed his ears, pretending not to hear.
Kael scoffed. "What else can I expect from an old coot who wasted his vitality in a brothel?"
Ramos twitched. "What did you just say?"
Kael ignored him and stepped forward. He drew his sword and slashed his palm, making everyone flinch. Blood dripped onto the ground.
"Boys, remember this spot. Baret, Gare, and Sir Chandler , guard it well." His voice carried authority.
"What you may face inside might be life-threatening and we might be overwhelmed but if we don’t do something countless people might lose their lives. As Knights who’s virtue is to safeguard people we can’t turn a blind eye to it so are you prepared to dive in."
Kael word instilled a sense of fire in their heart.
"Also..I’ll reward the ones who survive. Gold gives wealth beyond your dreams. So don’t you dare die on me."
The knights’ eyes burned with determination. They slammed their fists to their chests and roared, "YES, MY LORD!"
