Chapter 321: After The Battle

The faint light from the lamp failed to illuminate the room thoroughly. It smelt of dust, making one's nose itch. The room was bare of furniture. Within the enclosed area, a only a single lamp was placed at the far side of the ominous room. A faint shine gleamed within the darkness revealing a pure case of flawless white ice leaning against the wall. It was big enough to fit one person inside. All of a sudden, the door of the room slammed open with a bang, and furious footsteps echoed within the area.

Ice shattered, and fragments of it flew like shards of a broken mirror.

A hand reached out and grasped the throat of the man trapped within the cold coffin. Platinum blonde hair came loose from the woman's scalp. Her eyes were venomous as she stared at the choking man struggling within her hold. Anger swelled deep inside Ghana's chest. She couldn't believe why she trusted this man in the first place! Tightening her grip around Quade's neck, she gnashed her teeth in fury. How could I be so stupid as to believe in this bastard!

Quade scratched against her hands, struggling to breathe and letting out choking noises. However, the amusement in his eyes remained, infuriating Ghana even more. She threatened to raise the spear in her other hand. The warrior imagined punching bloody holes all over this asshole's chest.

"Ghana..." A voice warned her from behind.

The female maeruthan flinched at the call. Her movements stopped as he hesitantly turned to look behind her shoulder. Ghana swallowed. "Moulin..."

The youth furrowed his eyes. Silver pupils shifted to gaze at the breathless man. With slow steps, he approached his friend and the man she held. There was elegance in his gait. White strands of his hair fell loose on his back, swaying at every step he took. However, despite his exquisite appearance, the temperature around him dropped. Swirling within the room, the cold felt as if one was stuck in the middle of a blizzard. The young maeruthan's gaze was cold.

Moulin gazed at the two. Based on Ghana's words, she must have released Quade, convinced of the man's story about aiding the rebellion. Although Moulin questioned his friend's naivety, Quade wasn't entirely lying. Nonetheless, his way of helping served to tick people off.

Several hours had passed ever since the death of the Orcan Lord. When the news reached every corner of Gaclan, most of the city rejoiced. The Orcan Pride that had ruled the City stepped down under the orders of the new Lord of the Pride, Accrius. The Pride would follow every command of their Lord until the end of their lives. Thus, even if they felt deceived, they refused to voice out their thoughts, fearing the wrath of their Lord. The humans and orcs that had suffered under the cruelty shed tears. Soon, the walls dividing the city would be demolished a bridge would unite them together once again.

Nhero, along with his men, took control of the palace, getting rid of every wicked man and woman. Slowly, they planned to rebuild the city piece by piece.

Moulin drew his brows together. His eyes zeroed on Quade. The sinkhole that had caused the death of the previous Orcan lord and almost ended Accrius originated from him. It turns out that during the fight between Accrius and his brother, he had been slowly digging out a hole beneath the ground. It was a relief that the Orcan Beast was gone for good. However, Moulin would think the opposite if he was in Accrius's shoes.

Recalling the dull look in Accrius's emerald eyes, Moulin could understand how losing someone important could do the heart and mind. After all, he had gone through the same experience once.

''Let him go...'' Moulin sighed.

As his words finished, Ghana's hold loosened, letting the man fall with a loud thud. Quade was still restrained and gagged. He hissed when his body hit the floor. As Moulin neared her, Ghana felt shame wash over her. She refused to lift her eyes and meet Moulin's gaze. Moulin only smiled at her.

''I don't blame you for anything,'' Moulin whispered to her with a faint smile. Ghana swallowed and nodded before she hesitantly met her gaze. Moulin continued, ''Let me have a word with him...''

Ghana flinched. ''But Lord Hadrian said-''

"I'll be quick."

Silently, observing him, Ghana then sighed. She left the room while coldly glancing back at the man sitting on the floor. The moment the door closed, Moulin gazed turned cold. He took a step forward, oblivious of the faint sheet of frost left on the ground. The youth snapped his fingers, and the ice between Quade's teeth crumbled. The man hissed, tasting blood in his mouth.

Afterwards, a soft, throaty chuckle slipped in Moulin's ears.

"My dear Moulin..." Quade lifted his eyes and marveled at the beauteous appearance above him. Within his mouth, he licked the edges of his teeth. ''Are you now satisfied? The battle has ended, and you won. You must feel ecstatic.''

Moulin narrowed his eyes. ''Did you forget that you were the one who planned to finish it in the end?''

''Ah, now that you've reminded me. It was I who killed the Orcan Lord.'' A smirk appeared on his pale lips. ''Do I get a reward?''

''You keep your mouth shut. Keep it to yourself. It isn't you who killed him. It was Accrius. No one must know.'' Moulin snapped. ''Is that clear?''

''Now... now... Hold on there. This isn't how you properly silence someone, my dear.'' Quade leaned back against the cold wall. He grinned, and a malicious light flashed within his eyes. ''It's only fair if a deal is made.''

Bang!

In the next second, Moulin had pressed Quade's head beneath the heel of his boot. Silver eyes stared tauntingly at the man groaning in pain. ''Let's have a deal then. Keep your silence, and I won't crush your head.''

Quade winced as he felt Moulin pressed him harder into the floor. A layer of iced crept unto Quade's scalp. Moulin's expression darkened when a laugh rang throughout the room. Amusement danced within Quade's eyes. '

"Indeed, you have grown beautifully fierce as I imagined you would." Quade felt a shudder course through his body. "How delightful."

Moulin's look morphed into disgust. 'This guy is crazy...'

Moulin abruptly removed his foot as if he had just touched something nauseating. Taking a few steps back, he revealed a ruthless gaze to the man struggling to sit on his heels. ''Your answer?''

Quade chuckled. '' I'm disheartened, my dear. Perhaps, if you offer me something I want, then I shall do as you wish.''

''Ugh...'' Moulin raised his gaze as he felt his head starting to ache. He was suppressing the urge to ram the man's head into the wall until he'd bleed to death. Lowering his gaze, his voice deepened. In the end, he said. ''It depends if I want to grant it or not. Nevertheless, there's still another option.''

A flash of light briefly appeared, and Quade set his eyes on the dazzling arrow of ice pointing directly on his forehead. He could feel the pure ambiance of the mana wafting towards his face. His sick obsession grew inside his chest, and it appeared as if it would be the greatest thing to be pierced by the youth's heavenly weapon.

Moulin ignored his repugnant expression and spoke in a deadly voice. "What do you want?"

...

"I want..."

Suddenly, Quade began to lean forward. He didn't hesitate to approach the sharp point of the arrowhead. Until there were only centimeters left between his skin and the arrow's deadly tip, he even dared to smile.

"A piece of you... The strands of your gracious hair would even do... That is all..."

"..."

This sick bastard...

Moulin abruptly drew back. "Is that all?"

"Yes, my precious Young Master."

...

Moulin stared at him for a couple of seconds. Although he felt compelled to end this bastard, Malyana and Nhero still had some use for him. It was dangerous to have Quade run his mouth whenever he wanted. He hoped Malyana would be fed up with this man and get rid of him.

Flash!

In a split second, Moulin withdrew his sacred weapon. He materialized a sharp dagger within his grasp and cut a few strands of his wavy white hair.

Moulin tossed the silvery strands to Quade before turning on his heels. The hair strands fluttered as they fell on the man's lap. Moulin made no move to spare him a glance as he headed to the door. Before he left, he dropped a warning. "Keep your word. If I find out you've broken it, I'll shred you to pieces." Then he left with a slam of the doors.

Quade stared at the doors for a couple of seconds before he carefully picked up the white hair strands from his legs. Compelled by the feverish enthusiasm in his chest, he chuckled. "Ah, how beautiful..."

.........

"Did he cooperate?"

Moulin was met with Ghana's nervous expression. The woman was staring at him with apprehensive eyes. She looked as if she would collapse in the next second. Moulin nodded to her in response.

"He agreed."

Ghana lets out a relieved sigh. With Ghana by her side, Moulin began climbing up the stoned staircase. He forced himself to dump his and Quade's conversation out of his head. Just remembering it made Moulin want to empty his stomach.

Not long after, Moulin separated from Ghana. He ventured through the hallways, eyeing the large cracks across the walls and ceilings. Sometimes, he would come across large chunks of rocks that had fallen from the ceilings and walls. The whole place looked as if it would collapse at any minute. The thought made Moulin want to leave the place as soon as he could. He didn't feel safe.

As he made his way, he would pass some human and orc servants who'd immediately bowed to him at first sight. Gratitude and fascination filled their gazes. Moulin didn't need to know why they were so grateful. However, he didn't feel joy from it. Although he had joined the battle, he didn't really contribute much.

Arriving before two large double doors, Moulin entered languidly. A large round table was situated at the center of the room. There were three people within. Malyana, who had previously worn a blank expression, brightened at the sight of Moulin. A scoff sounded a few meters away from her. Emlen raised his eyes and his gaze softened. The two looked as if they were in the middle of an argument before Moulin had shown up.

"Moulin..."

At the sound of the deep voice, Moulin's heart thumped. Silver eyes drifted to the man standing a distance from the two. His prominent figure would spark one's desire to fall on their knees and beg for his attention. Moulin met Hadrian's eyes, and he couldn't help but such in his heart. Fortunately, Moulin had time to swoon for him now.

As Moulin approached Hadrian, the man walked towards him as well. Moulin ignored the deep gazes from the other two in the room as he kept his eyes on his lover.

However, when he was about to reach for Hadrian, the Hercullian Lord stopped.

"...?" Moulin looked at Hadrian blinkingly.

The man's eyes suddenly deepened. He drew nearer to Moulin until his face was just inches from the youth. Before Moulin could wonder about Hadrian's actions, the man spoke.

"Did you cut your hair?"