NOVEL NEXT Chapter 409: What Would You Do If You Were Me?
Aurelius stormed into his office, the heavy double doors slamming behind him with a thunderous echo that rattled the shelves.
The air seemed to vibrate with the force of his steps as he crossed the marble floor, his silver mask gleaming under the room's lantern light.
His hands clenched into fists, knuckles pale beneath the skin, as he rounded on the nearest servant.
"The Shard of Oblivion! Destroyed! Just like that!" His voice cracked like a whip, deep and venomous.
"And the silence, gone! Months of planning, years of positioning, undone in the space of an instant. All because of these... incompetents I'm surrounded by!"
He paced, each step echoing loudly with his power. The entire complex vibrated as he raged.
"Do you fools even understand what this means? We just lost our greatest defense. The advantage, the foothold we just carved into Carthage's foundations, washed away!"
"While I sit here, the rest of the city's parasites will begin sniffing out the weakness in our control." He slammed a hand against the armrest of his high backed throne-like chair, leaving a faint dent in the dark wood.
Finally, he stopped pacing and turned sharply toward his assistant. "Who? Who did this?"
The assistant hesitated, an error in itself, before lowering his gaze. "All evidence points to the group of Terence Ross, my lord. Him and his companions."
Aurelius's jaw clenched, and for a few seconds, the vibration intensified. It was as if any moment now, the building would drop on them.
Then a few seconds later, it eased off, Aurelius exhaling as he calmed himself. Then he turned to his assistant.
"Summon the general in charge of capturing Terence Ross. Now."
The assistant bowed quickly, retreating with the air of a man eager to be out of the room before the Warden's rage found a new target.
No sooner had the door shut behind him than it opened again, this time admitting Kant, Warden of Knowledge, and Maren, Warden of Statistics. Both strode in with grim expressions.
Kant spoke first, his tone grave. "We've just received word, Airelius. There's a large army heading for Carthage."
Aurelius' gaze snapped to Kant immediately. "What do you mean?"
"Our scouts report the banners of multiple factions from across the Arondale mountain range. It appears that most of the range has banded together to attack."
"With the Shard gone," Maren added, "we no longer have the silence to smother their communication or sap their strength before they reach our walls. What are our options?"
Aurelius's eyes narrowed behind the mask. As much as he wanted to rage right now, he had no other choice than to take charge.
"Options?" He frowned. "We have no time for hesitation. Mobilize the army. Every Knight, every battlemaster, every conscript. If they want to test the strength of Carthage, then we show them why our city has stood strong for centuries in the most dangerous place in existence."
Kant inclined his head. "Understood."
Maren nodded in response. "We'll see it done."
When the two Wardens left, Aurelius sank into his chair, the silver mask on his face tilting slightly as he leaned back.
He sat in silence for a long moment, his mind working on the news he'd just received, considering what other options might exist.
If he could search the family archives, the same old records where he'd found the Shard of Oblivion, maybe he could find another artifact like it. Something that would restore their advantage, and ensure Carthage did not fall to the vultures circling outside its walls.
The door opened again, and General Festus strode in, his armor bearing the fresh scratches of recent battle.
"My lord." Festus said, kneeling.
"So it was you." Aurelius's gaze fixed on him, cold and unblinking. "You let Ren escape."
Festus lowered his head further. "I— I—" He stammered, before accepting his fate. "Yes, my lord."
There was no raised voice this time, and neither were there any explosions of his rage.
Instead, Aurelius rose slowly, each movement unsettling as his shadow stretched across the floor towards the kneeling general. His voice, when it came, was low and deadly.
"Do you have any idea what I endured to reach this point, Festus? The years of training in the frozen peaks outside, while my peers lived in comfort? The endless drills until my muscles bled? The ridicule from those who believed my family destined to serve, never to rule? Every drop of blood, every scar, every humiliation… all so that I could seize this city's reins."
He began circling Festus, each step feeling like an attack on the kneeling man. "And now, when total dominance was within my reach, you, my general, allowed a single man to slip through your fingers. And that man destroyed the Shard of Oblivion. The weapon that would have crushed the will of any army before it reached our gates."
Aurelius stopped directly in front of him. "Tell me, Festus. If you were in my place, what would you do to yourself?"
Festus's shoulders trembled. "My lord… I beg for leniency. Give me another chance and I will..."
The sentence ended in a strangled gasp. Aurelius's hand shot out, gripping the general's throat.
A flicker of silver light flared from beneath his mask, and in the space of a heartbeat, Festus's body went limp. Aurelius released him, letting the corpse collapse to the floor with a dull thud.
"Dispose of him." Aurelius said, as if discussing the removal of refuse. Two silent attendants, who had been waiting in the shadows, stepped forward to drag the body away.
Alone again, Aurelius turned back to his chair, settling into it with the composure of a man already moving on to his next move in the game.
He tapped one finger against the armrest, thinking. Terence Ross had to die. Him and the two at his side.
Not just because they had destroyed the Shard. Not even because they had embarrassed his forces. But mostly because they were dangerous, and danger was something Aurelius could not allow to fester in Carthage.
He rang the bell at his side. When an attendant entered, Aurelius gave the order in a voice as calm as the blade of a guillotine.
"Begin a city wide manhunt for Ross and his companions. I want every soldier, every informant, every shadow in Carthage searching for them. They will not leave this city alive."