Chapter 596: Hope in the Ruins ( 596 )

Gumarak’s eyes narrowed, voice steeled with grim interest.

“Is that the only reason you surrendered?”

The commander lowered his gaze. “No, Chieftain. That wasn’t the main reason.”

“Then speak. Why?”

The commander exhaled slowly.

“While the halfling commander and his army were still pinned to the ground by that gravity spell… I heard the fool shout back at this ‘Lord Javier’. He mocked him—challenged him. Said if he was a real man, a real commander, he’d fight fair. No magic. No tricks.”

The chamber remained silent as the commander’s next words fell like weight.

“And Lord Javier… he agreed.”

The officers shifted in their seats, stunned.

“He said, ‘Very well. I accept your terms. A battle without magic.’ Then he released the gravity spell. Just like that. As if it cost him nothing.”

“He climbed down from his mount. That odd bird—Pekko, I believe. And then…”

The commander’s voice faltered for a moment. “He stood. Alone. Without raising a weapon. He reached for a warhorn and began to blow it himself.”

“But the halflings… didn’t wait.”

The commander clenched his fists.

“They attacked before the horn’s sound even faded. A wave of arrows, spells, and everything they could throw—all aimed straight at him and the knights standing behind him.”

Gumarak’s grip on the armrest tightened.

“At that moment, I thought… ‘This boy is dead.’ No matter how strong his spell earlier, no one can survive that much magic. No one.”

He paused, gaze distant.

“But then… something terrifying happened.”

The war room was frozen in silence.

The commander’s voice was low, but it echoed loud and clear in the cold chamber.

“…He let them attack.”

He looked straight at Gumarak, disbelief still lingering in his eyes.

“The boy, that Lord Javier… he just stood there. Letting them throw everything at him. And nothing hit. Nothing even scratched him. His knights didn’t raise a shield. They didn’t flinch. Not even once.”

Gumarak’s brows furrowed, lips tight. “And you saw this?”

“I was standing on the wall, Chieftain. We all were. Watching. We thought it was some kind of illusion. But the halfling commander—he looked just as shaken as we were.”

A pause.

Gumarak spoke, barely above a whisper. “What happened after that?”

The commander’s breath caught. “…That’s when it happened.”

“Something flew overhead. At first, we thought it was a wyvern. But it wasn’t. It was small, fast, metallic. Unlike anything we’ve seen before. ”

Gumarak glanced at his generals. Even they couldn’t hide the confusion.

“We watched it… and waited. Thought maybe the knights would finally move. But…”

He slowly shook his head.

“…We were wrong.”

The commander’s next words struck like thunder.

“The thing in the sky started firing. Mana projectiles. Repeated bursts. Like raining destruction. One after another…explosion after explosion.”

He stared at the ground as if he could still see it.

“They exploded among the halflings… and within minutes—they were gone. All of them. 120,000 troops. Gone. Blasted into nothing. Not a body left to bury.”

The generals around the room paled.

“I saw it, Chieftain. Every last second. That boy… didn’t lift a finger. His knights never moved. It was like… he could have wiped out an entire army at any time. And he chose not to. Until he was attacked unfairly.”

Silence. Then Gumarak stood slowly, the weight of his kingdom hanging from his shoulders.

The commander’s voice cracked slightly, but he held himself upright, hands clenched at his sides as he faced Gumarak.

“Tell me, Chieftain… how was I not supposed to surrender?”

His words hung in the air like a heavy blade.

“Our soldiers were starving. Outnumbered. Exhausted. We had barely 10,000 left… facing 120,000 halflings, and then him—that boy, Lord Javier.”

The room stayed silent. Not a single general dared speak.

“If he could crush that many without even drawing his sword… if his knights didn’t move an inch… if that unknown flying weapon could reduce an entire army to dust in moments…”

He took a shaky breath.

“…Then how could we possibly fight him?”

Gumarak looked down at his own clenched fists. The truth in the commander’s words struck deeper than he wanted to admit.

The commander continued, quieter now.

“When I decided to surrender, I asked only one thing—that he spare our people.”

He looked up again, gaze steady.

“And he said this: ‘I’m not here to kill. Those who lay down their weapons will be spared… and fed.'”

Gasps and low murmurs rippled among the generals, but none interrupted.

“He kept his word, Chieftain. He didn’t touch a single one of us. He gave us food. Medicine. ”

The commander knelt again, placing both hands to the floor in a full bow.

“I do not beg for forgiveness, Chieftain. Only that you understand… he could have wiped us out, but he chose mercy. I chose to accept it—for the sake of our people.”

The commander’s forehead touched the cold stone floor as he bowed deeply, voice unwavering.

“If you decide to punish me… behead me… it’s up to you, Chieftain. I have no excuse for my weakness.”

Silence gripped the war room.

Not even the crackle of the brazier could be heard over the weight of those words.

Many of the commanders lowered their eyes. A few clenched their fists—not in anger at the man before them, but at their own helplessness. They all knew the truth: if they had stood in his place, many would have done the same.

Gumarak’s weathered eyes stared down at the kneeling man. His heart was torn between duty… and the undeniable reality.

The commander didn’t tremble. He didn’t beg. He had made a decision—one born not from fear, but from responsibility.

After a long pause, Gumarak finally spoke, voice rough but calm.

“…You are not weak.”

The commander’s shoulders tensed.

“You made a choice not for yourself… but for the lives behind the walls. And unlike others, you lived to return. That is not weakness. That is leadership.”

He turned to the other generals.

“If any man here claims he would’ve fought to the last, knowing what this commander saw—stand up now.”

No one moved.

Gumarak stepped forward.

“There will be no punishment.”

“But there will be answers. And I will meet this… ‘Lord Javier’ myself.”

( End Of Chapter )

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