Building a Kingdom and Conquering the World

52  The terrified Marcus

Henry was alarmed and surprised that such a backward country as Luak could come up with such a clever strategy to eat away his kingdom's forces, while faking a good intention. Most of the countries in the north had their army's structure permeated by those of a noble bloodline and the selection of leadership's positions were all in the king's hands.

This rigid structure acted like a toxic venom that hindered the growth and development of those potential seedlings. It was a common situation throughout the whole north. It reminded Henry about the Dark Ages on Earth, a time when the development of science, mathematics and medicine came to a halt all over Europe, accompanied by the loss of most Roman and Greek knowledge.

"That delirious and greedy king can't be the mastermind behind this plan, so who is this?"- Henry's fingers kept drumming against the armrest as he muttered to himself. – "That deranged and greedy Milo can't possibly be the mastermind behind this plan…So, who is pulling the strings?"

The king's silence hung over the room like a guillotine, ready to strike and claim the messengers' heads. Zuna kept her head bowed, maintaining a respectful stance as she awaited his response. Meanwhile, Marcus failed to conceal the disdain and arrogance in his eyes, his high nose also betraying him.

"This situation has been strange from the beginning." – Henry thought, paying no heed to the shaking and stupid messengers – "First, the nobles' betrayal makes no sense since they are merely trading their current positions of power for an uncertain future in another country. Second, a stranger appearing deep into the Frozen Forest and supplying Gedhe with information about the noble's treachery, allowing a timely invasion. Third, Luak's strategies have suddenly become unconventional, indicating that some kind of external force may be behind them. Someone is trying to reach their grasp towards this Far North."

"It can't be a powerful nation, like the Misunne Empire, or they would have already taken Stahl."- Henry mused, barely above a whisper. - "Perhaps it's the work of a single individual...but who?"

Despite his best efforts, Henry couldn't come to a conclusive answer. The force or individual responsible for eating away Stahl's forces and hindering his kingdom's progress without revealing their face had to be incredibly smart. Henry realized that in order to uncover this enemy, he would have to be willing to dive into the mud and get his hands dirty.

He needed to be willing to get close to the shadows' light to see the world beyond it and see the enemies laying their traps. With that conclusion in mind, Henry flashed a smile as his consciousness returned to the present and to those standing before him.

He didn't care about Marcus and only focused his gaze on Zuna, examining the young woman before him. She could be considered attractive, even back on Earth, but still a few leagues away from the standard of the models of Earth.

As a result of their differences in status and power, Zuna could clearly feel the king's gaze fixed on her, like that of a hawk observing its prey. She had never felt this kind of tension, not even in the presence of Luak's king, Milo. She couldn't determine if this pressure came from the king himself or the old man behind him, with old eyes shining upon her every movement.

"You guys can leave!" – Henry inclined forwards and pointed his finger to Marcus.

"What?"- Marcus' blue eyes widened in surprise, but quickly turned to undisguised rage as he realized the meaning behind Henry's words and gesture.

Henry's eyes bore into Marcus as he spoke in an annoyed tone- "Were you not listening? I don't require you or your soldiers' presence. You can return to your country and relay the news of Stahl and Luak's alliance."

"You!" – Marcus clenched his fists as his eyes burned in rage and his hands rapidly reached for his sword.

At that moment, suddenly, a shadow flashed in front of him, and Marcus felt a sharp pain on his elbow, making it impossible to move his hands. He looked down in shock to see his arm detached from his body, while blood spurted everywhere and painted the floor in red. Luther had appeared in front of him in an instant and slashed his arm away. The soldiers behind him had no time to respond to the old man's movements.

The room fell into a deadly silence, with no one daring to move, except for Marcus.

"Ahhhhhhhhh" – Aritreia's messenger painfully screamed as he dropped to the floor, clutching his bleeding arm while shouting to his soldiers. –"Help me! Help me!"

However, they remained frozen in place, paralyzed by the fear, the menacing figure of Luther, who was still holding his bloody sword, challenging them to take one step forwards. In the end, Marcus was on his own.

The scene caused Henry to nod his head at Luther. He was indeed the best bodyguards and teacher. He stood up from his throne and approached the wounded and desperate man, who was painfully crying and screaming.

He picked up the detached arm with a sadistic smile as he said – "It seems like you won't be need this anymore."

At his words, fire suddenly engulfed the lifeless arm, rapidly burning it to ashes. Henry shook his hands, throwing those ashes to the air. During the entire process, Henry's silver eyes never left those of Marcus, who watched in horror at the scene. In his eyes, the king was like the devil himself, ready to torture him.

"Don't worry!" – Henry reassured him as he closed on him with the searing fire engulfing his right hand – "Let me fix that arm for you."

Henry moved slowly, but with each step, Marcus tried desperately to crawl away, leaving a long trail of blood on his wake. He grabbed one of his soldiers legs and shouted for help, but no man dared to budge in front of Luther's attentive gaze.

"Help! Help!" – Marcus shouted and shouted, but no one moved. Soon, Henry was already in front of him.

 "Don't worry…I will save you"- Henry didn't care for Marcus's shouts and rapidly began to cauterize the wound.

The foul smell of burning flesh permeated the room as the wound cauterized and the bleeding stopped. It was a painful process, enough to make Marcus to pass out.

"You can take him!" – Henry ordered the trembling soldiers, before taking out a white fur handkerchief and cleaning his hands. He hated dirtying his hands.

On the other hand, Zuna and her troops watched the scene with growing fear. They were terrified of the devilish flame that covered the king's arms. It was known throughout the entire north or even in the Central Region. They didn't want to get themselves hurt by that. He was like the devil.

"We can now begin the discussion." – Henry smiled to Zuna.