Chapter 223 Declaration Of War
Chapter 223 Declaration Of War
"Is everyone okay?"
"Yeah, everyone's fine. We lost a couple of soldiers, apart from that no one's life is in danger." Sheera replied, "But what do we do about these extras?"
Sheera, being a royal knight and a soldier, knew her enemy was merely following the orders of their lord. Just like they were following Ashton's orders. In her eyes, the soldiers were misguided by incompetent leadership and thus she was treating them with a sliver of honour.
Ashton, on the other hand, knew them better than that. Obviously, it was thanks to his [Detection] skill, he knew exactly how full of shit every single one of them was and wanted to treat them as such.
"What do you mean? what about them?" Although Ashton knew exactly what Sheera meant, he wanted her to voice the words and not imply something and leave the rest to Ashton.
"They surrendered so according to the rules of the knightly order, they are prisoners of war. Therefore, we have to feed them and provide housing for them. Whether it be a prison cell or a tent, or any other place."
"And you think these assholes deserve it? You might have forgotten, but I vividly remember their lustful eyes as they stared at the women of the city. Even though they weren't looking at me, I felt disgusted beyond any limit and you want me to give them food?"
"But my lord-"
"Sheera, I respect you. I really do, but I'm not compassionate enough to do what you're asking of me." Ashton turned around to walk away, "But I will make an exception. I will let them help rebuild what they destroyed."
He continued, "If they work, they get food and water, if they don't... well then I'll force them to work either way. Minus the food and water, of course. Relay this to them, also, only those who agree to work will get medical attention as well. That's all."
"As you wish, my lord."
Sheera replied and walked away to execute his orders. Her facial expression was the same as before, however, Ashton could feel a sense of disappointment in her voice. He simply shrugged his shoulders and went inside his tent where an unsightly guest was waiting for him. She will have to deal with her emotions herself.
After capturing Peter, Ashton had spent three hours turning him into an obedient pet. After having his fingers thoroughly broken beyond repair and both of his hands shoved up his ass one after another, there wasn't anything Peter wouldn't have done to get in Ashton's good graces. Even if it meant betraying his lord.
Torturing him wasn't something Ashton enjoyed doing, but Peter's screams must have brought a semblance of peace to the residents who have been suffering through the years. For now, that was enough... at least until Ashton enacted the second phase of his plan.
"Ready to talk?"
"Woof! Woof!" Peter enthusiastically replied.
"I shouldn't have gone overboard..." Ashton scratched the back of his head, "You have my permission to talk normally."
"Thank you, my Lord! Thank you!"
"You seem to know who I am, then why did you still attack me? Do you not fear the wrath of king Jonathan?"
Ashton jumped straight to the point. It had been bugging him a lot why these fuckers attacked him even though they knew who he was. Even if they didn't, they should have recognised the royal knights around him, that should have been enough to make them realise what they were about to do.
"Mistress Mera had assured lord Morgan that the king would not interfere in the matter at all." Peter replied while huffing like a dog, "All I know is she had to give Lord Morgan some kind of proof before he was convinced with her plan."
"What proof?"
"T-That I d-do not know, my lord. I swear on my life!"
Ashton simply nodded. He knew Peter wasn't lying because his [Heartbeat Sense] didn't go off. Which it would have if he had been lying, just like he had been doing initially. However, he wanted to know what kind of proof could Mera possibly have with her to pull off something like this?
Also, why wouldn't Jonathan do anything? Ashton knew Mera and Jonathan were closer to each other than they had been before, but regardless of that, Jonathan would still need him to ask Alucard for help in dealing with the swamps.
'Maybe it was a wise decision to get close to Alucard. I cannot trust Jonathan to have my back anymore.'
He kept thinking about it, but not a single answer came to his mind. And then it hit him like a truck. No matter how close Ashton was to Jonathan, at the end of the day, he was but a weapon to him. Something he could discard either after its purpose was filled or he got his hands on a better weapon.
'Hm... shooting arrows in the dark wouldn't do me much good. For let's keep an eye on the matter and focus on evolving. Once I hit level 30 on all genes, I should be strong enough to take anyone in Lycania in a fight.'
"W-Would you like to know anything else, M-My Lordship?" Peter asked nervously.
"No. But I do have a task for you."
"A-Anything for you, sir! Just say the word."
"Return to your lord and tell him, I have taken his men hostage. If he wants them back, then I am willing for an exchange." Ashton instructed Peter, "All of the people whom he has taken from the village along with proper compensation for the destruction he and his soldiers have caused. Give me those two things and you'll have your soldiers back."
"Sure, my lord. I will covey your message word by word to him! B-But... sir, lord Morgan can be stubborn sometimes... What should I do if he refuses-"
"Then tell him to prepare a thousand graves for them and a few more for his family," Ashton replied as if he didn't know the kind of weight his words held.
It was basically a declaration of war. There were only two options, either do what he said or be prepared to die. Ashton had let these fucking nobles do as they please for far too long. But now that he had the power to kick their asses, he wasn't going to back down. Not by a longshot.