CH87 Arrival at the Ashen Castle
***
"You donât need to worry. All hostiles have been put down," Jared said. Then added, "This domain will have a new lord by morning."
Alex merely nodded.
He pushed himself upright. Jared moved to assist him, but the boy waved him off.
Alexâs eyes swept over the two remaining knights, lingering momentarily, thenâwithout a wordâhe dragged his aching body out of the alley and back into the inn.
There, he collapsed onto his bed.
Fen, who had been sleeping soundly, was startled awake by the sharp scent of his masterâs blood.
Alex took a moment to reassure the wolf cub before retreating into the Sanctuary. Inside, he downed several potions without hesitation.
Despite Jaredâs words, Alex had learnt a valuable lesson tonight: never entrust your life to someone else.
There was no one who valued his life more than he did.
He split his consciousness in twoâone part directing his mana to accelerate the potionsâ effects, the other ready to react to another ambush.
...That ambush never came.
Two days later, and five high-grade Enclave potions laterâcosting a total of 2,500 gold coinsâAlex had fully recovered. The group resumed their journey as if nothing had happened.
What surprised Jared most was that Alex didnât ask a single question.
Not about who orchestrated the assassination attempt.
Not about the traitor knightâs allegiance.
Not even about the viscountâs role in the affair.
But Jared didnât know Alex didnât need to ask. The answers were already plain to see.
Theyâd been ambushed within the territory of a noble under Earl Drake Furyâs influence.
One of the attackers had been a knight serving in the Earlâs own army.
The cityâs patrol guard had failed to show up until the next morningâas if deliberately ordered to stay away.
It was obvious: the battle to determine the next heir had begun.
Without a formal revocation of Alexâs status by the Earl, his siblings had no legitimate path to inheritanceâunless he was dead.
The vassals and retainers had clearly aligned themselves with another of the Earlâs children. Given Alexâs former reputation, it wasnât surprising they preferred he not return.
The assassination was undoubtedly orchestrated by a faction backing one of those contenders. The traitorous knight and the viscount were likely aligned with that same faction.
Yet oddly, none of it truly bothered Alex.
Not the ambush. Not the betrayal. Not the attempt on his life.
He had been prepared for it.
He had read enough novels about noble intrigues to know the patterns, the betrayals, the ambitions.
This was normal.
No, what truly unsettled Alex was something else entirely:
That the traitorous knight had dared to attack the very person he was sworn to protect, in clear view of his fellow knights.
That the viscount had permitted an assassination attempt on his liegeâs son within his own domain.
There were only two explanations:
Either the knight and the viscount were fanatical zealots of the opposing factionâwhich Alex highly doubted.
Or... they genuinely believed that if the assassination succeeded, there would be no consequences.
âI know the Fury family respects strength and everyone thinks Iâm weak... but to think that grants them carte blanche to kill me is...â
That was a chilling realisation.
If there was truly no deterrent to killing himâno consequence for his murder and/or assassinationâjust to prevent him from claiming his rightful position as heir, then it meant trouble lay ahead.
Lethal trouble.
Earl Drakeâs words from five years ago resurfaced, burning themselves back into his mind:
"...You are also unfortunate to be a Fury, because if you do not obtain strength and power, only hell awaits you in every corner."
â
"While you are my first sonâmy heir apparentâyou are not my only child. Our family is built on strength and power. Compared to your siblings, your personal strength is weakâfar too weak. Your prestige within the family, after your awakening ceremony, is next to non-existent. Your siblings are waiting like hawks, ready to strike at any moment to take your position from you."
â
"Your ruby eyes mark your heritage. Your failure shames it. People will expect great things of youâand if you disappoint them... youâll die."
---
As always, the Earlâs words that day hadnât been a mere warningâthey had been akin to a prophecy.
A grim, brutal prophecy of the future awaiting Alex.
But in that bleak forecast also lay the solution. It had always been simple... and cruel.
---
"...If you want to keep your status, your wealth... your life, then gain power. Not just ordinary power, but overwhelming power. Power so vast that no oneâno hostile race, no noble, not even your siblingsâdares challenge it!"
---
Alexâs eyes flashed.
He had accepted the truth: he wasnât returning to a warm, welcoming family.
âIf thatâs how you want to play it... very well. I will play your game. But by the time Iâm done, Iâll trample you all so far beneath my feet youâll never raise your heads again.â
---
Jared, Alex, Fen (still in cub form), and the two knights finally caught up with the three scouts who had gone ahead.
The party crossed into the lands of Earl Fury, and three days later, Ashen Castle came into view.
Jared led the group through Ashen City, heading straight for the massive castle that loomed at its heart.
Upon arrival, a familiar middle-aged man stood at the front of the castle lawnâstern and proud, with an uncanny resemblance to Alex.
Jared and the knights dismounted immediately, dropping to one knee in unison.
"My liege, we have brought Master Alex," Jared announced.
"Hmm... Thank you for your hard work," Earl Drake Fury replied curtly.
His gaze swept over Alex, lingering for a moment as if measuring him anew.
"Good," the Earl nodded. "It looks like the boy who left years ago returned a proper man. Now, we can forge you into a Fury warrior."
With that, he turned and walked toward the castle doors, where a line of butlers and maids stood waiting with robotic reverence.
Alexâs lips twitched faintly.
He hadnât expected a hug. Or warmth. But still...
"What are you waiting for?" The Earlâs voice rang out. "Come along. We have much to do."
Alex exhaled softly, shaking his head inwardly.
"Yes, Father," he replied, falling in step behind the man.
As he entered the castle grounds, his eyes scanned the butler, the maids, the guardsâall bowing their heads in stiff formality.
But beneath the surface, he could see it.
There was no respect in their eyes.
He hadnât returned to a warm home.
He had arrived on a battlefield.
And everyone in it was a potential enemy.
A strange grin crept across Alexâs lips as a flicker of madness flashed through his gaze.
âVery well... Let the games begin.â
***