The commander of Noyamâs city defense forces was a middle-aged man with a thick and messy beard. He was usually full of arrogance and confidence, but he looked pathetic now with all the injuries and bruises.
"What?!" He exclaimed when he heard Leroyâs words.
"Stop acting dumb. I knew you guys were talking shit behind my back. Did you think I wouldnât find out about it?" Leroy sent him a cold smile.
"Omar, I kept it bottled in since we were fellow citizens, but I donât have a reason to do that anymore. I have already betrayed Harune."
Du-dun!
Omar, the commander of Noyamâs city defense forces, subconsciously took a step back when he sensed Leroyâs killing intent.
His heart was beating erratically. It was as if the very fiber of his being was screaming danger.
He was a Transcendent Knight, one of the best and strongest warriors of Harune. However, in front of a Venerable like Leroy, he was still nothing but a slightly stronger bug.
"Wait, Lord Leroy... There seems to be a misunderstanding between us. I never said anything bad about you... Itâs just-" Omar wanted to explain himself, but Leroy cut off his words.
"ENOUGH!" Leroyâs earth-shattering voice almost made everyoneâs eardrums bleed.
"You are not the first on my list, Omar. I have already killed a few people so you wonât be lonely in the afterlife."
After saying these words, Leroy grabbed his broadsword and charged towards Omar with unbelievable speed.
Whoosh!
Omar didnât expect him to attack all of a sudden so he was late to react.
He could only lift his shield halfway through his face when Leroyâs broadsword sliced through his neck!
Khshk!
Without suspense, Leroy decapitated the manâs head, his expression remained cold.
Thud.
The headless corpse fell to the ground with a dull âthudâ.
After killing him, Leroy lifted his sword and stabbed the head which still wore an expression of fear.
Khshk!
"From now on, I will cut down those who will look down on me and my family, whether they are the emperor or god himself!" He muttered under his breath.
Omarâs death sent Noyamâs city defense forces into disarray. A huge portion of their troops threw down their weapons and surrendered, while the others chose to flee in all directions. There were also a few loyal warriors who chose to attack Leroy out of rage.
With a ruthless expression, Leroy commanded his troops. "Kill those who refuse to surrender! Show them no mercy!"
Another battle broke out, but this time, it only lasted for about half an hour.
Five thousand city defense warriors perished, while the rest either fled or surrendered.
On the other hand, Leroyâs troops only lost a few hundred men. It was an overwhelming victory.
Looking at the defeated warriors kneeling with complicated faces, Leroy instructed his troops. "Tie them up and take all of their equipment! If they resist, kill them!"
Everyone shuddered at his vicious words.
With his warnings, the city defense forces cooperated. They even voluntarily handed in their equipment and offered no complaints.
Everything went smoothly and all that was left was to clean up the aftermath.
Suddenly, Leroy turned his head and narrowed his eyes.
From a distance, he noticed a few people observing them.
Those people... they are Astanian scouts...
It must be them. They are already here...
Thinking about this, he jumped onto his horse and approached the scout teams.
"Hey, buddies! Relax! Weâre all on the same side!" He shouted when he saw that they were about to escape.
The scout teams stopped and looked at him with strange gazes.
"What do you want?" One of them asked cautiously.
Leroy was a bit annoyed at the disrespectful tone, but he held it in.
These people were still guarded against him, but he could understand their situation. If he were in their place, he would have reacted the same way.
"Itâs alright, my friend. Thereâs no need to be nervous. You are Astanian scouts, right?"
"Yes, but what does that have to do with you, my lord?"
Leroy smiled faintly and tapped the manâs shoulder. "Bring me to His Highness. I would like to give him my report."
This guy is too scary.
The scout almost buckled under the pressure.
"A-Alright, but can you get your hands off me first? I-I... canât breathe."
"Oh? Sorry about that. Hahah!"
...
Leighnard instructed the troops to set up camp outside the city. They have been marching nonstop for a few days so most of the soldiers were already exhausted.
At this moment, Leighnard was chatting with the two Venerables when they noticed a few people approaching them.
"Itâs him."
"Heâs here."
The two Venerables mumbled with stern faces upon seeing a familiar figure among the people coming towards them.
Leighnard followed their gazes and let out a smile.
"Greetings, Your Highness!" Leroy lightly lowered his head.
"You made an extreme choice, Lord Venerable, but Iâm glad that you chose to side with Astania." Leighnard waved his hand and beckoned to him, gesturing for him to come closer.
Leroy walked closer and smiled. "I hope you will be fair when handing out the rewards, Your Highness."
Dominic frowned. This guy was speaking informally to the crown prince which made him a bit uncomfortable.
Leighnard seemed to have sensed this so he gestured at him not to make a fuss.
"Naturally! If you do your job well, you will be rewarded handsomely. Haha!" The crown prince wasnât offended by Leroyâs informal speech.
Leroy grinned.
"Speaking of which, I have already taken care of Noyam. There was some resistance, but the issue has been dealt with. We have captured close to thirty thousand warriors..."
"...The residents were scared, but they all stayed in their homes so none of them were harmed..."
"...The city officials and the heads of the various aristocratic houses are now temporarily detained in the city hallâs prison..."
"That concludes my report."
Leighnard nodded with a chuckle. "Well done, Lord Venerable. We will handle the rest here. You can tell your troops to get some rest."
"I will follow your arrangements, Your Highness."