Chapter 191 King Latrel Silversin

Chapter 191 King Latrel Silversin

Inside the throne room of Aritreia, Latrel Silversin, now self-proclaimed King of Aritreia, sat on the throne with a sword in one hand and a cup of beer in the other. His eyes were full of anger and frustration, creating a heavy tension in the air. Beside him stood a golden-haired woman, the rightful queen of Aritreia, now reduced to a mere servant. She carried a silver tray, her face bruised and swollen, with purple marks and red eyes that betrayed a hard beating.

"Have you still not found them?" - Latrel demanded furiously, glaring at the soldier standing before him, the captain of the capital's patrol team.

"No, Your Majes—" - The soldier began, catching himself as he almost addressed him by his former title. His eyes flicked briefly toward the golden-haired woman, a sorrowful glance, before correcting himself - "King Latrel." "You worthless scum!" - Latrel roared, throwing the cup at the soldier's face. The metal hit with a sickening thud, sending the soldier stumbling backward, blood flowing from a gash on his forehead. He lowered his head, staying silent even as blood dripped onto the floor. "They can't have just vanished into thin air!" - Latrel hissed, his grip tightening on his sword as his rage inflated even more as desperation mixed within him.

He pointed the sword threateningly at the captain - "Expand the search area! If you don't bring me news by the end of the day, I'll have your head impaled in the middle of the capital. And your wife and children, well, they'll make perfect new slaves for this throne. We are in need of new...hands anyway."

The soldier's heart trembled at those words - "I will find them, King Latrel!" - He said, his voice shaking as he dropped to the ground, his blood dripping onto the stone floor. Then, he quickly got to his feet and hurried from the throne room, leaving a trail of blood behind, afraid to cast another behind him.

But just as the vision of victory filled his mind, a sudden, deafening explosion shook the palace. The ground trembled beneath his feet, and the walls seemed to shake violently as if the mountains themselves were roaring in anger. Dust and bits of stone fell from the ceiling as Latrel gripped the armrests of his throne, his face pale with fear.

"What's happening? Guards! Guards!" - He screamed. But no answer came. For long, agonizing minutes, the palace shook as if it would collapse. When the tremors finally stopped, Latrel let out a shaky breath, his knuckles white as he pried his hands from the throne and gripped his sword.

He rushed to the door, ready to punish the guards for not responding him. But when he opened the doors, the sounds of distant, desperate screams echoed through the palace halls. The guards who had once stood outside his throne room were nowhere to be seen. "Something is wrong." - Latrel thought, his sharp mind realizing that something terrible was happening outside of the walls. Maybe, Stahl was already attacking them - "Damn it!"- he cursed, slamming the door shut behind him as he desperately searched the room for a way out.

-x-

Outside, after breaching the capital's walls with the explosion, Henry led his army through the streets of Aritreia.

"Kill all who resist" - This was his only command.