Devourer

Chapter 66: Foolish Girl, Royal Orders

I was in my little vault as I fine-tuned the adaptations to Legiana. We were in the dead of winter, the snow flurries were falling everyday. Funnily enough, I couldn’t even feel the temperature difference, I guess that was chalked up to my natural bodily resilience. Honestly, I could barely feel temperature, the closest thing I felt too uncomfortable temperature was literal fire. Like when I was fighting Azatharine or when I shoved that White Fire Egg in my mouth when it was too hot.

It’s been two months since Mahaila arrived and honestly nothing much has happened. She’s mostly just hanging around the palace, posing as an adventurer that Cecilia took a liking to. Some in court question this decision, but honestly thus far Cecilia has a reputation for unorthodox decisions and methods. Case and point the alliance with me, a decision that was once thought madness is now Elysia’s best hope in the coming war. So although it did raise some eyebrows many just accepted it as another of the Empress’s strange but wise decisions.

There were some other minor things that happened as well, Beatrice and that Aaron boy got married and now there’s a noticeable bulge at her belly. Interestingly in this world the females don’t always take the male names. Elysia has this superior and inferior system, basically since both of them were commoners and Beatrice is of a higher position, Aaron had to marry into her family. So now Aaron had to take Beatrice’s family name of Godwinn, a strangely un-sexist tradition. Strange… but interesting.

As for the crown of headaches, Maria has been surprisingly good at keeping her little affair hidden. As far as we know she has been quite discrete and the Tralis soldiers are none the wiser. But honestly we have no idea if any of the soldiers sent out any covert letters to Tralis. There’s simply too many channels to monitor all of them, so if we intercept any outgoing letters from Tralis then it’s purely luck.

So in truth words can come down at any time, but everything is ready. We can be at Averlin in about two hours thanks to these modified Harrier Hounds, they were basically like Spots that were adapted for speed. The tunnel to Averlin was already dug and all we had to do was hop into one of the holes and go. Well, Legiana and Mahaila will anyway, I can’t exactly fit in there without shrinking my body. Which of course is not a good idea to do.

Well, let’s see how long Maria can run this little charade…

Just as Legiana emerged from the cocoon and got up a little shakily I heard the loud tapping of feet. I turned to see Cecilia running down the stairs and she paused as she looked at me.

“The secrets out, we need to go now.” Cecilia said.

Well, speak of the devil… looks like it’s showtime…

“I see…” I said as I turned to look at Legiana who shook off the initial fatigue from the modification.

“I am ready, my king.” Legiana replied.

“Good.” I said. The three of us exited the vault followed by about a dozen Shadow Adjutants. Cecilia renamed them Sneaky Adjutants… because of course she did…

They were just extra sneaky Adjutants… hence the name… Sneaky Adjutants…

When we went past the magical barrier I saw Mahaila standing at the side in her human disguise. She was looking at the barrier with great interest.

“For more than a hundred thousand years I have walked this world and I still can’t get past the enchantments… Personal ability can only take you so far I suppose, the sheer size of which magical arrays can be constructed will beat any individual.” Mahaila mused.

“I gathered as much, after all all my kin are dead. Luckily for me…” I said as I sent out a mental command and I watched as a patch of ground in front of me collapsed downwards as my Hive opened up this entrance.

“Well, they would have eaten you without hesitation once you got big enough. It is not in the nature of the Firstborn to cooperate.” Mahaila said as she walked over to the entrance of the hole.

“Then what does that make me?” I asked as I watched the Shadow Adjutants jump into the hole.

“A weirdo. In a good way.” Mahaila replied with a smirk.

“Right… good luck…” I said with a smirk at her little jab.

After I watched Legiana and Mahaila disappear down the hole I turned to see Cecilia nervously biting her lip.

“Stop that you’ll ruin your lips, come on let’s head back to the room, it’s cold out here.” I said as I offered her my hand.

Cecilia smiled as she took it and climbed onto my arm.

“I assume Mahaila carried you here?” I asked as I noted the lack of a carriage.

“Yes, she’s faster than you actually. On land at least.” Cecilia said as she let out a small sneeze.

“Are you getting a cold?” I asked as Cecilia sniffled.

“I think so, Mahaila was running really quickly in this weather.” Cecilia replied as she rubbed her nose in irritation.

“Well let’s get you some place warm then.” I said as I channelled some ether into my body causing it to heat up slightly, similar to the way that Phoenixes could ignite their bodies.

“Is this temperature alright?” I asked and I saw Cecilia sigh in satisfaction.

“Yes, that’s much better.” Cecilia replied.

“Great.” I said and with that I took off towards the capital. I was still keeping an eye on Legiana just in case I had to take over.

When I arrived back at the room. Cecilia let out another sneeze as she walked over to the hearth.

“Can you heal that away?” I asked, slightly concerned.

“No, minor colds like this aren’t affected by healing magic for some reason. The scholars suggest that the illness is so minor that the magic doesn’t recognise it as a…” Cecilia said but sneezed halfway through.

“Threat.” I said finishing her statement as Cecilia roughly picked a handkerchief and wiped her nose.

“Yes…” Cecilia said.

“Go lie down, I need to observe what is going to happen.” I said as I laid down and focused my mind on Legiana. For this I want to give her my undivided attention, she would most likely deal with the combat. The main thing is subtly, Mahaila is there so it should be easier, I hope her hundred thousand years of experience was actually worth something…

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Captain Navis scowled as he looked down at the letter in front of him. He looked up to see his men eagerly looking at him, lust clouding their eyes. He sighed internally as he looked at the letter, he knew why the Prince assigned him here.

The reason was simple, Captain Navis despised the act of a man forcing himself on a woman. His own sister was a victim to this and she still has night terrors of that day even ten years later. One of the Prince’s greatest talents is his ability to delegate. He knew about Captain Navis’s feelings on the matter. Which meant he was the one of the better commanders for keeping the peace since he could keep the soldiers in line.

The army has swelled significantly in preparation for this war, this meant skimping on the less important training… like ethics training…

Which means Tralis armies tended to loot, burn and rape their way across conquered territory. This is a useful thing when you are on the offensive since it keeps morale up and keeps the soldier eager for the next advance.

But to occupy a territory was a different thing entirely. Doing such things will only breed resentment in the population and eventually partisans will appear. In addition Averlin was not just your usual occupied territory, it was also the home to the Prince’s favourite toy. Princess Maria was beautiful and very desirable, which means the soldiers lusted for her. Thus Captain Navis was sent here to keep them in line and make sure nothing happens to the Prince’s favourite toy.

“So Captain, should we get the rest of the boys?” one of his soldiers asked eagerly.

Captain Navis glanced up from the letter and scowled. He commanded a garrison of five hundred men from Tralis, if each of them had a turn the Princess would be dead by the end of it. Even fifty would be a risk… so would twenty actually…

He knew without a doubt that the Prince only dared to send these instructions because Captain Navis was in command. It was a shrewd thing really, if Captain Navis wasn’t here then the Prince would have been more explicit in his orders. How many men were to do it, for how long, what they were allowed to do, what they weren’t allowed to do…

But now he could just dump some vague orders and force Captain Navis to make the call. To make it look like he was the one holding them back. It redirects resentment onto Captain Navis’s head, rather than have the lingering resentment fall on the Prince.

“Bring me the performance roster, the first page will do.” Captain Navis said calmly and the soldier’s smiles faltered slightly.

“Now…” Captain Navis ordered coldly and one of his men nodded as he left his office. Of course they weren’t happy, it was plainly obvious that he intended to reward the best performers. Afterall he only asked for the first page…

Tralis has this system of recording military merit, it helps promote the capable ones to positions of power and by extension increasing the effectiveness of it’s military. This system’s benefits are plain to see considering how easily the Tralis army smashed the Beralis forces in the open field. The Beralis army was filled with officers promoted through favours, connections and bloodline. Glory hunting killed the army as much as the blades of Tralis did…

Disorganised formations, the flanks moving out of concert, cavalry charging too early…

Incompetence at it’s finest. From what the reports said the Beralis army was like a dozen small armies that just happened to be standing in the same place…

Navis looked up to see his man return with the roster and he extended his hand to take it. He looked down at the list and decided on six men. It should be a safe number, not sure how they wanted to do it but a woman only had three holes so they should be done in two hours at most. He will be there to make sure it doesn’t get out of hand…

Honestly he really wanted to disobey this order but disobeying the crown prince was a quick way to get yourself hanged… he had a wife and a pair of little girls in the capital… so he couldn’t let them starve because of his moral compunctions.

If he just sent one or two men up to the Princess’s room then the Prince would know he was going easy on the Princess. If the Prince thinks he is going soft he will be replaced and then who knows what the next commander will do?

“The top six, bring them here.” Captain Navis said as he handed the roster to one of his lieutenants.

“But Corporal Gravis is on shift right now.” one of his men said and Captain Navis narrowed his eyes in response. The man who spoke up was number 7, so did he think he could take Corporal Gravis’s place?

“Then you will take over his shift. If you want to fuck a princess you need to work harder to control yourself. Do you know why you are 7 and not 6? It’s because you beat a whore black and blue last month.

You think I don’t know what happens down there? I gave explicit instructions to all of you to keep your hands to yourselves. Leave the women of this city alone. If you have urges go to the brothels and pay but do not harm the workers.

So far we have over four hundred cases of harassment on the streets and a dozen dead whores. Don’t even get me started on some of your tabs and unpaid debts. I trust you remember when I hanged one of your fellows for killing three whores in two months?” Captain Navis said coldly as he rose to his feet.

This immediately shut him up and as Captain Navis scanned the room he saw some of his men look away uncomfortably. The only ones who could hold his gaze were the ones he knew that followed his orders strictly. Soldiers were always a rowdy bunch especially the the more incompetent ones. All the more capable soldiers were in Beralis prepping for the spring campaign.

He couldn’t start hanging soldiers for each dead whore, that would create quite a bit of unrest among his men. Many liked to be violent in bed, it was common in Tralis so if he denied them this there would be consequences. He only hanged that one because it was really egregious, three dead in two months. If he didn’t do something there would be more dead or even rape incidents in the streets. He knows his little example worked because such incidents reduced significantly once he proved his orders had teeth, step too far out of line and you will end up at the gallows.

“Now go, bring them here.” Captain Navis commanded and his men nodded as they left to fetch them.

Captain Navis chewed his lip as he waited and eventually the six men arrived. He noticed some were eager and some had conflicted expressions.

“The rest of you out.” Captain Navis said and his men obeyed leaving Navis alone with the six men.

“I am sure you know why you are here?” Captain Navis asked evenly.

“Yes Captain.” The six of them replied in unison.

“Good, I will give you some instructions. It’s the dead of the night and from the schedule we have discovered, the knight should be with the princess now. Which means all we need to do is storm in. Once the two of them have been detained the six of you will do what you want. The knight is to be made to watch what is about to happen and he is to be killed in front of the Princess at the end. But I will be observing to ensure things don’t get out of hand.

What I mean by out of hand is that you will not touch her face or neck. That means no slapping and no choking. Also you are not permitted to throw punches or hit her excessively. Biting is not allowed as well, if you draw blood there will be punishment. If you want to pull her hair or slap her rear, that is up to you but show restraint. I will stop you if you go too far.

Questions?” Captain Navis said calmly.

“May I withdraw from this task, Captain?” one of his men asked.

“I would like to withdraw as well.” another said and Navis turned to see Corporal Gravis the number 6 member standing there stiffly.

“I understand that some of you are uncomfortable with this arrangement. But this is a command from the Crown Prince, it will happen regardless. I would rather it be done by those who do not relish in this act. I think you will be more merciful, wouldn't you agree?” Captain Navis said with a sigh.

“Captain, I am concerned that… I wouldn’t be able to… get it up…” Corporal Gravis said hesitantly.

“I see… I did not consider that… then you will go last and observe. If when it is your turn you are still not able to do it, then you can kill the knight. Your blade needs no incentive to stand after all.” Captain Navis said and he watched as Corporal Gravis nodded after hesitating for a moment.

“As you wish, Captain.” Corporal Gravis said and the other hesitant man nodded as well.

“Good… then let us be off…” Captain Navis said as he rose to his feet.

When he reached the room he pressed his ear to the crack of the door and he heard the unmistakable sound of the Princess’s moans leaking out. It was barely audible due to the construction of the door but if you were loud enough and one listened closely enough one could still eavesdrop.

This door wasn’t enchanted afterall, Averlin wasn’t rich enough to invest in something like this for a mere princess. The bedchamber of the King and council room was enchanted but not the princess’s.

Captain Navis stood back and he turned to nod at the six men, they readied their swords and moved towards the door. Navis watched his men kick the door open and he heard the Princess scream. He let his men rush in first before he wearily followed them in after a brief moment of hesitation. By the time he stepped in the knight was already pinned on the bed with a sword pointed at his head.

The Princess on the other hand was screaming and sobbing as one of his men dragged her off the bed. She was hysterical, screaming apologies and begging for mercy. Captain Navis calmly turned around and shut the door, no need to wake up the whole castle. The lock was ruined but the door still worked… roughly.

“Tie him up in a chair…” Captain Navis said evenly and he watched as his men dragged the knight screaming and kicking to a chair.

After the knight was restrained with thick ropes and gagged, Navis looked to the two of his men that didn’t want to be here. They were standing there uncomfortably, with strained expressions on their faces.

“You two make sure that he remains restrained.” Captain Navis said as he pointed at the pair and they nodded stiffly.

“The rest of you hold her down.” Captain Navis said and the other four held her down on the floor. The man that was at her legs wrenched her legs apart and began unbuckling his pants. He watched as the Princess’s eyes widened as fresh tears flowed down her cheeks. Meanwhile the knight screamed into his gag as he thrashed against his bonds.

“Hold it, the Crown Prince has a message to deliver first.” Captain Navis said as the man between her legs stopped although his swollen member was already out. The Princess was looking at it tearfully as she took in quick gasps of air, she looked like she was about to have a panic attack.

“Look at me.” Captain Navis said softly and the Princess turned to look at him slowly, eyes wide in terror.

“The Crown Prince would like to relay a message to you…

You are a stupid girl, what did you think was going to happen?

Did you truly think that you could keep this a secret?

For what you've done, you are going to be taken in front of your lover until you are no longer able to walk. He will watch your defilement and at the end of it, you will watch as we open his throat.” Captain Navis said in as even a voice as he could manage.

The words tasted like poison and ash in his mouth. On days like this he wished he was born in a different nation… perhaps Divonia…

Then the Princess began to scream and thrash in terror and desperation. Captain Navis sighed as he steeled himself for his next command.

“Begin…” Navis said through gritted teeth.

What Navis didn’t know was that there was a monster standing right outside the broken door and it was receiving a message from it’s master. That message would seal his fate from this day until his last day…

I want the Captain alive…