NOVEL NEXT Chapter 105: Show No Mercy
BANG!
The sound of gunfire echoed through the place as a 9mm round from a SIG M17 shot forward and hit the back of the woman who had stepped on Gideon.
All the soldiers froze in shock and reflexively looked back.
"Who is that?!" they demanded, turning at once.
Gideon looked too. Lena and Luke stood at the front gate of the residence. It was lunchtime, so they were returning. But unexpectedly they saw Gideon threatened by the royal troops.
"Luke. Lena. You're green to shoot!" Gideon ordered.
"Stay in position, Capt."
Lena and Luke began firing in controlled bursts at the troops attacking Gideon. The members of the Order of the Blue Rose tried to fight back, but the 9mm rounds struck them in the left chest or the head.
Gideon rose, drew his pistol and released the safety on the SIG M17. Standing upright, he pointed the gun forward, aimed at Queen Anastasia.
Panic spread. Just three people managed to push back the royal troops concentrated in the front yard of the Baron's residence. Lena and Luke moved close to Gideon, back to back.
"What happened?!" Luke complained.
"Princess Hannah tried to kill me by making up her story!" Gideon said firmly.
"You all stop if you want the Queen to be safe!" Gideon shouted loudly.
Queen Anastasia grew angrier; Gideon's actions had gone too far. He had not only nearly assaulted Hannah, he had also threatened her life. Villains like Gideon could not be allowed to live.
"Disgusting!" the queen spat.
"You almost raped my daughter, then turned and threatened my life. Do you have no shame?!" she snapped.
"Say that to your daughter who lied!" Gideon replied.
"My daughter would never lie to me," Anastasia said.
Hannah still resisted, not wanting to look at Gideon or her mother. But she was willing to speak if only three people listened: herself, Queen Anastasia, and Gideon.
That made Queen Anastasia suspicious. Gideon did not mind because he was innocent. He wanted to see how the face of a cunning liar like Hannah would change when she told the truth about the bruises on her body.
"Alright. We talk inside!" Queen Anastasia ordered.
Gideon agreed, lowering the gun though still holding it with the safety off. He glanced briefly back, asking Luke and Lena to standby while watching the royal troops' movements. They understood and obeyed.
The three of them entered the Baron's residence and stood near the front door. Gideon's and Queen Anastasia's attention focused on Hannah, who had removed her helmet so her flushed face was fully visible.
"Tell me. What really happened?" Hannah's mother asked.
"Actually … I lost the fight," Hannah whispered, lowering her head and closing her eyes.
"What do you mean? Gideon did not rape you?" Queen Anastasia asked. Hannah fell silent, then shook her head.
"Are you sure? Are you trying to confess just to save my life?!" Queen Anastasia shouted.
"I am telling the truth. I followed him, but he noticed me. I challenged him to a fight, but I lost."
"If you do not trust your daughter, then you can ask the villagers. They saw the fight," Gideon explained, folding his arms.
"Call them!"
Gideon opened the door and told Luke and Lena to go to the village. Announce to the villagers who had seen Gideon's fight to come to the Baron's residence. Everyone must come, no excuses.
"What actually happened?" Lena asked.
"I will tell you later. Can you call them?"
Lena hesitated, then agreed. With Luke, they left the Baron's house accompanied by soldiers of the Order of the Blue Rose to make sure there was no intimidation.
"They went to call those people," Gideon said.
He also called for the maids to come help clean up blood and treat Princess Hannah's wounds. When they offered to treat Gideon, he refused.
Princess Hannah and Queen Anastasia sat on the lounge sofa, with a table full of medical supplies to treat her injuries.
Gideon still stood tall, his eyes fixed sharply on Hannah with anger, disappointment, and hatred.
Occasionally Hannah whimpered as her bruises were compressed with ice. Queen Anastasia looked anxious, glancing at Gideon with vexation now and then.
Soon a group of people arrived in the front yard of the Baron's residence. Gideon and Queen Anastasia stepped outside, but their steps stopped because Hannah did not want her troops to know she had been defeated.
In the end, only a few people were allowed in. Five people entered the Baron's residence, including the judge and the man who had organized the street bets.
The five stood in front of the lounge sofa, bowing their heads to show respect to Gideon, Queen Anastasia, and Princess Hannah.
"Did you see the fight between Gideon and Hannah?" Anastasia asked.
"Yes, Your Majesty the Queen," they answered.
"Is it true that Gideon won?"
"Yes, Your Majesty the Queen."
"Did Gideon try to rape Hannah when she was defeated?" Anastasia asked.
"No, Your Majesty the Queen. He actually took her sword and brought Princess Hannah back."
Queen Anastasia fell silent. Her eyes closed as she took a long breath, her hands clenching in shame for making a quick decision without checking the truth.
She had been too shocked by Hannah's condition and had immediately believed her daughter.
Gideon turned and ordered them to leave. The five obeyed, leaving the room and going out of the Baron's residence.
"I … I am sorry," Hannah whispered, lowering her head and crying in shame.
Queen Anastasia pressed her palm to her forehead and leaned back on the lounge sofa. She was truly a mess; her earlier decision had almost led to Gideon being killed. She did not know what Gideon would do about all this.
"You are foolish, Hannah," Anastasia murmured with regret.
"Didn't I tell you not to provoke him?"
"I am sorry. I could not let my troops know I was beaten by Gideon who fought me empty handed."
"Who cares! Gideon is the leader of the Ghost team, everyone knows his skill is beyond ours. Your soldiers will understand that!" Anastasia shouted, making Hannah keep crying silently, sobbing.
With a flushed face and watery eyes, Queen Anastasia rose from her seat and bowed her head, apologizing for her daughter's stupidity. She promised to punish Hannah once they reached the Capital.
"Please, do not make this problem bigger," Queen Anastasia pleaded with tearful eyes.
Gideon remained silent with his arms crossed, looking at Queen Anastasia and Princess Hannah with anger. He had just realized what kind of person Hannah was, and she did not fit with him or his team.
"Hannah is the stupidest, most cowardly, and most dishonest woman I have ever met in my life. I will forgive you for her cowardice," Gideon said.
"But never think I will join your troops to handle problems in the north and west."
"I do not want to be part of a traitor army. I will not side with traitors!" Gideon snapped.
"Of course, Gideon," Queen Anastasia replied.
"You are forbidden from staying here. This noon, you must leave without troops."
"Without troops?" Hannah asked.
Gideon pointed to the cut on his neck, nearly slit by the Order of the Blue Rose troops led by Hannah. He forgave what Hannah had done to him, but she had to face consequences for her betrayal.
He walked out of the Baron's residence and stood alongside Luke and Lena. Lena glanced over; Gideon's expression was cold, heavy with a strong killing aura.
Queen Anastasia and Princess Hannah came out too, wanting to know what Gideon would do.
"All royal troops gather."
"Drop your swords. Remove your helmets!"
Queen Anastasia nodded, agreeing so that all her troops would follow Gideon's command. Lena and Luke looked surprised, unsure of Gideon's intent.
"Capt? What—"
"Do not interfere!" Gideon cut in, firmly.
Lena looked shocked; Gideon had never been this angry before. She saw him step forward, holding the SIG M17 with the safety off. Lena's eyes widened.
BANG!
With a single pull of the trigger, a 9mm round blew through the head of a female soldier standing in front of Gideon.
Everyone was stunned. Soldiers tried to reach for their weapons, but Gideon shouted again.
"Do not take your swords!" Gideon bellowed loudly.
Hannah and Anastasia could only stare. The weapon Gideon used was enough to kill quickly.
Lena tried to stop the killing, but Luke held her back. Lena's attention turned to Luke.
"Gideon almost died. He is venting his anger," Luke said.
"Killing the soldiers? Are you insane?" Lena asked.
"Rather than killing royal families, it is the soldiers who pay for siding with cowards," Luke replied.
BANG!
Gideon shot another female soldier, and they trembled in fear as if Gideon were the angel of death. Queen Anastasia could not stop him; preventing Gideon would be like retracting her apology.
Hannah acted quickly. She removed her armor and bowed before Gideon, leaving all pride behind for the sake of her soldiers' lives.
"Please … Lord Gideon. It is my fault. Punish me, do not them!" Hannah cried, sobbing louder.
"You are a princess of King Moko. How can I punish you?"
"I am just a lowly Baron, remember?"
BANG!
Another soldier died, one by one they fell to the ground. The cruelty Gideon showed was a display of his power. No one should betray his trust.
More and more soldiers died. Hannah stayed on her knees, repeating the same pleas for Gideon to forgive her and spare her troops. But Gideon did not care.
BANG!
Seventeen soldiers were dead, using up all the magazines of his SIG M17. Gideon glanced sharply back, his clothes stained with blood with some splashed on his face.
The Order of the Blue Rose troops surrendered; their lives were now in Gideon's mercy.
"PLEASE FORGIVE ME, LORD GIDEON!" Hannah screamed.
"Lena, mags!"
Lena clenched her hands, then stepped forward to Gideon. Instead of handing over magazines, she hugged his body tightly, calming the rage in his heart and stopping him from killing more.
"That's enough, Gideon."
"They deserve to die for siding with a coward like Hannah!"
"Everyone has made mistakes, remember?" Lena asked.
"Hannah is sorry now. The soldiers also see their mistake. There is no need to kill them."
"You are Gideon. Our captain. Our savior."
"You do not want to become a second Nozel, right?" Lena said.
Gideon closed his eyes, took a deep breath and let it out slowly. A click sounded from the pistol he held, showing Gideon had reengaged the safety. Lena was glad he listened.
KICK!
Before leaving, Gideon kicked the last surviving soldier hard; that soldier's life was spared only because Gideon had run out of mags and Lena had come to calm him down.
"Get out of my sight!" Gideon threatened, and the soldiers obeyed.
A total of seventeen soldiers died from Gideon's execution. Hannah still knelt, begging for mercy; Gideon ignored her.
He walked with Lena to the Baron's front door. His steps stopped beside Queen Anastasia.
"Because you helped me during the winter, I spare the lives of some of your troops, and I spare that coward Hannah!" Gideon declared.
"Watch your behavior before I start a new front of war in the south!"