00:00Knights and assassins instantly clashed in slaughter. Blades flashed and blood splattered.
00:04Within the narrow slopes of the gorge, the sounds of bursting spells, clashing weapons,
00:08and agonized screams intertwined in a soul-sturning conophany. Garak's movements were agile,
00:13wielding a runic greatsword so swiftly that neither wind nor rain could pass through.
00:17He slayed several high-tier assassins, but the enemy was numerous, and every one of them feared
00:22not death, making it difficult to break free for the moment. I sat in the carriage with a calm
00:26expression, having long anticipated that a cornered dog like Lucian would leap over the wall.
00:30I secretly sent out a magical signal, indicating to the accompanying Shadow Wardens that there was
00:35no need to hidden, and to strike with full force. Dozens of Shadow Wardens hidden in the dark emerged
00:39in response joining the flay. The Shadow Wardens were all elites who had undergone cruel training.
00:44Coordinating flawlessly, they instantly turned the tide of the battle. Though the assassins were fierce,
00:48they were no match for Battleheart Knights and the Shadow Wardens of the Ducal Estate,
00:51suffering heavy casualties. After half an hour lack of time, the slaughter ended. Dozens of assassins
00:55had been slain, leave only two severely wounded captives. Meanwhile, Lucian, who had been in the
00:59prisoner carriage, had long since cast an escape role amid the chaos. Looking back at the aftermath
01:05in Shadow Gorch, Lucian knew his momentum was gone, yet he still refused to give up. He had never
01:09expected that his meticulously planned assassination would be so fragile. During his flight, Lucian
01:13launched his final counterattack and remnants of the cult of dark sorcery to incite rebellion and
01:17treason. Lucian contacted several of his old subordiments, who had been stripped of their military
01:21parrots along with the leaders of the bandit groups. Upon receiving Lucian's promises of
01:25territory and wealth, they immediately decided to raise their arms in rebellion.
01:30They began gathering in provinces with weak border defenses, capturing towns using this
01:34to threaten the royal court. They demanded the punishment of Garak and the revaction of his
01:38heir status. Otherwise, they would summon dark magic to wreak havoc on the borders. Lucian's
01:42calculations were extremely strew. Zebellion started the royal court would surely grow oppensive.
01:47They would either compromise or he could profit from the situation and this to come back.
01:50The border rebellion erupted suddenly. Magical beacon fires swiftly transmitted the news back
01:54to the royal capital, shocking the entire court and kingdom. The king was furious and summoned the
02:01high lords to council. Garak volunteered, leading the main vanguard knights of the north to the borders
02:06to suppress the rebellion. I knew deeply that this was Lucian's final madness. He was certainly hiding
02:11within the rebel camp, waiting for his moment to strike. I instructed Garak to be extremely careful
02:15and subsequently depotched shadow warders in secret to infiltrate the rebel camp and investigate
02:19Lucian's whereabouts. The army arrived at the border and swiftly engaged the rebels. Though the rebels
02:24were numerous, they were nothing but a disorganized mob. Under the charge of orthodox heavy knights,
02:29they collapsed at the first blow and were quickly beaten back. Retreating in defeat again and again,
02:34the shadow wardens infiltrated the main rebel tent and quickly found Lucian hiding inside.
02:38At that moment, Lucian was directing the remnants to put up a stubborn resistance,
02:42his eyes full of the desperate madness of a final gamble. The shadow wardens remained unmoving and
02:46unobserved, secretly gathering all the letters and contracts detailing Lucian's collusion with
02:50the cult of dark sorcery, his orchestration of the riot. Then, coordinating from within and without,
02:55they aided the night order in breaching the defensive barrier. The camp was broken,
02:58and Lucian was captured on the spot. Looking at Garak mounted on his war horse,
03:03he fell into absolute despair, screaming like a madman. I will not accept this! I clearly could
03:10have taken back the castle! You are the ones who destroyed me! Garak's face was ice cold as he took
03:14out the evidence collected by the shadow warders. Colluding with dark guilds, orchestrating
03:18assassinations, conspite with bandits, and treason and rebellion. Every single one is a
03:21capital offense punishable by the state. With both witnesses and physical evidence present,
03:25Sudian could no longer offer any defense, leaving only deathly silence to spare. The royal tribunal
03:30convened once more. Lucian's crimes were listed one by one by the ARPA ship. Privately imprisoning a
03:34true-blood daughter, fabricating sacred miracles, spreading rumors, hiring assassins, colluding with
03:38heretics. Every single charge was an unpardonable felony. With multiple crimes punished concurrently,
03:42his sins were unforgivable. The previous sentence of exile was completely overturned. The king
03:48signed the final death warrant. Lucian, guilty of heinous crimes, was sentenced to execution at the
03:52king's gate. He would be publicly beheaded in three days as a warning to all. On the day of the
03:57execution, the royal capital square was an ocean of people. Citizens scrambled to watch, all spitting
04:02curses at Lucian for his hypocritical wickedness, agreeing he deserved his fate. Lucian was escorted up to
04:07the execution block, his hair disheveled, his former nobility and ostentations were completely gone.
04:12He looked at the surrounding Sibbons, then at Garrick and I in the hide-warring box. A trace of
04:17indignation flashed in his eyes, eventually fading into deathly silence. The mid-dose sun was
04:22blindingly bright. The giant axe in the headsman's hands fell. With a flash of cold steel, Lucian was
04:26decapitated, ending his madly paranoid, hypocritically degenerate life. Blood dyed the
04:30stone slads red, and every common mirror watching clapped and cheered. He who blasphemed the divine and
04:34the law could not escape the vast net of justice, reaping what he sowed.
04:39After Lucian's death, his remaining accomplices were purged one by one by the paladins. The border
04:43rebellion was pacified, and the royal capital returned to its former stability. The storm was
04:48thoroughly settled. The royal capital returned to its former peace, and the thorn-wheeled Marjoskik's
04:52castle yet regained its tranquility. Having gone through this ordeal, the Marjik and his lady were
04:56physically and mentally exhausted. No longer having the heart to manage the territory's affairs,
05:01they handed over keeping the seals and all defenses entirely to Garrick. Retiring peacefully to the south-wing
05:05tower to recuperate, no longer involving themselves in worldly matters. The real Elowen, having survived
05:10this calamity, became disheartened and saw through the vanity of the world. She declined the chancellor's
05:15house's pleas to stay and refused to remain in the royal capital. Ultimately, she chose to withdraw
05:19to Moon Abbey, spending her remaining years in closted prayer amid candlelight and sacred codonks.
05:25As for Garrick and me, after enduring this life-and-death trial, the bond between us grew ever deeper
05:30and indestructible. Following our grand wedding, Garrick treated me with gentle consideration and utmost
05:35respect. He consulted me on all matters of the domain and never once imposed his will by virtue
05:39of husbandly authority. I too devoted my heart to keeping the seals and the castle's internal affairs,
05:44showing filial pie to the Margarch and his lady, and treating the knights and servants well,
05:48managing the Margarch tree flawlessly. Months later, I smoothly gave birth to a baby boy. Healthy,
05:54strong, and incredibly adorable. The storms and conspiracies of the past had long since dissipated
05:59like morning mist. Those mad calculations and hatreds ultimately could not stand against order and
06:04justice, nor the warmth of walking hand in hand. For the rest of our lives, as the clouds rolled and
06:09the years passed peacefully, Garrick and I stood shoulder to shoulder atop the northern walls.
06:13With children at our knees, year after year, blessed by the holy light, we remained together for a
06:18lifetime, faithful to one another, through all the years to come.
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