Chương 10: Memory of Condemnation & Cowards Hiding in the Darkness

Before Tiberius and Tranio's fight was over, Gaius and Lucilla watched the chaos unfold. Their eyes were wide in terror, but Galan just casually strolled past them, his gaze landing on a guard named Lar who stood near Marcus. Lar was a burly veteran with a thick, grease-stained beard and a nose that had been broken many times. He stood frozen, clutching his halberd in a death grip, his thoughts a chaotic spiral of panic as his eyes jumped between the two assassins and his comrades. They're unstoppable…

they're going to kill everyone… what do I do—what do I do?! I have to run—no, they need me—but I can't… As he was trying to find a way out, Lar saw a peculiar boy approaching him from the gate. The boy strode forward with an unnerving calm, a faint smile on his face.

"W-who are you?!" Lar stammered.

"Me?" Galan pointed at himself, faintly amused.

"I'm the one responsible for all of this." He tilted his head.

"Wanna fight?" His response and smile cut through Lar's chaotic thoughts. The man's panicked gaze darted to Marcus, who stared back, wide-eyed and just as shaken by Galan's words. I have to do something! If I don't act now, we're both dead! Lar thought, suppressing his fear. Once his eyes were back at the child, his mind narrowed to a single, desperate thought. He raised his weapon, braced his legs for a sprint, and drew a deep breath.

"That's him! He's the leader!" Lar's halberd hurtled toward Galan's chest. But the boy didn't move. He simply lifted his forearm. The blade struck his skin with a dull clang, as if hitting solid stone, protected by his innate divine shield. Lar froze, realizing the kind of creature he had just attacked. Galan's smile deepened. He clamped a hand on the weapon, spun, and threw the man across the clearing.

And with a flick of his wrist, he sent the halberd spinning through the air before catching it by the haft, now aimed at its former owner. He advanced, each step measured and deliberate.

"No! Wait! I'm sorry!" Lar trembled, dragging himself backward.

"Deus, quaeso!" This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. But he was begging to the wrong god. Galan's mindcast plunged into Lar's memories, uncovering countless memories of his involvement in the winery's underground operations.

"It's too bad you didn't stop yourself from harming those people," Galan said, his voice cold.

"If you did, I would have spared you."

"Wh—what do you mean?! No—!" Galan drove the halberd down, bringing the fight to an end in a single strike.

"Three," He pulled the halberd back just as an explosion erupted behind him. Gaius and Lucilla flinched, turning to see a guard engulfed in flames.

"Four," Galan counted, walking past them. Then, someone felt a sharp pain in her lower right chest.

"Fi—" He checked again.

"No, wait. She'll be fine."

"Who?!" Gaius demanded.

"No one you should worry about," Galan said calmly.

"Those two better be alive after this, you hear me?" he sent to Lucius.

"Sure, Master." Galan then approached Marcus, the terrified navigator.

"Your judgment has come," Galan boomed, raising the halberd.

"Galan, no! He's innocent!" Gaius screamed.

"I... accept my fate," Marcus whispered, bracing for his judgment. And Galan served it… by tapping him on the shoulder and saying, "You did good, buddy. Keep it up." But the stress was too much to bear, causing Marcus' eyes to roll back. He slumped to the ground, unconscious from sheer terror.

"A 'thanks' would've been nice," Galan shrugged, dropping the halberd beside Marcus.

"Here, a present." A short time later, Tiberius' axe took the life of another guard.

"Five." Galan turned and strode to the center of the camp, approaching the soup pot. Plunging his hand into the lukewarm broth, he used his flamecast to heat it, a shimmering veil of power cloaking his hand. The soup boiled in seconds. He took a bite of pork.

"Quite good," he declared, turning to the terrified cooks.

"You two have made a fine meal." Tullius and Decimus stammered their thanks, bowing frantically as Galan casually resumed eating from the pot. ───────────── ⚔︎ ⚔︎ ⚔︎ ───────────── Earlier, in the shadows of the stables, the two lead guards had crouched in hiding. Caeso was a tall man with a permanent scowl and graying hair at his temples. Beside him was the younger Decius, whose face was still smooth and free of battle scars.

"Caeso, why is this happening to us?" the younger one, Decius, sobbed.

"What did we do to deserve this?"

"Quiet!" Caeso hissed.

"Panicking isn't going to save us. Listen to me. There's always a leader. If we kill him, the rest will retreat."

"But what if this is punishment from the gods? For everything we did to those people?"

"If the gods had a problem with us, they would have killed us years ago," Caeso sneered.

"This isn't divine retribution. It's competition." Just then, they heard the shout from outside.

"That's him! He's the leader!" Caeso raised his eyebrows.

"Wait… Lar found him?" Without a second thought, he began to sneak out of the stable.

"No, wait! Don't go!" Decius pleaded.

"I'll be right back," Caeso promised, his expression grim.

"Stay quiet." He slipped out into the chaos, leaving his terrified friend alone in the dark.