Chapter 9

The people looked at Rick in disgust and anger. They probably want to cut him to pieces after hearing everything but are too scared to approach because of Kaido. Even I am having second thoughts about having to stand too closely to a Ceberus. They are known to be aggressive amd attacks anyone that is not their owners.

'I can't believe Athy actually summoned him.' I sighed in my mind.

"Now that you have heard the truth," my father faced the attackers, "do you still want to continue this fight?"

All of Kaido's heads turned towards them and started snarling. Drops of saliva flew everywhere and the people looked terrified at the sight.

"We surrender." An elderly man threw his weapon to the ground. He looked tired as he looked around. Others, seeing it, started to follow him and also dropped their weapons to the ground in surrender.

"I accept your surrender. As the Arch-" My fathers speech was cut off with a loud scream. We all looked towards the origin of the scream and saw the blond knight being dragged by a red monster. It was one of Athy's summoned spirits, Skirr, from the high orc demon clan.

Skirr was assigned to protect my father with the other high orc, Amir. What is he doing outside my father's shadow? I looked at my father questioningly.

"I ordered him to go after that knight. I don't want anyone who is in this mess to be able to run away." My father explained. Skirr dragged the blond knight right in front of Kaido. The blond knight and Rick now sit closely together.

"Ehem." father cleared his throat and looked at the people. "As I was saying, House Castellan has cleared it's name but your families are still not found. As the Archduke, I shall go with you to pick them up from the whorehouse and make the people there pay for their crimes together with those two." He said pointing at the two idiots hugging each other in fear of Kaido's three heads.

"Your Excellency." The men kneeled and picked up their weapons to attack the whorehouse.

They all went together with my father leading and Skirr right behind him protectively. The knights who came with me from Riverforth also went with them. Me, my mother and my sisters were left behind to help the injured men. The sun was already very low as night will soon come.

"Why didn't you go with them sis?" Uriel asked me while she helped a man who broke his leg.

"Father wouldn't wait me in a whorehouse." I replied as I helped an old man out of a fallen tree.

'These man most probably got themselves injured by the tornado she summoned.' I thought to myself as I looked at the others who are being helped inside the castle by Athy's summoned spirits. She actually summoned healers who had already died. I sighed as I looked at her and thought, 'Smart. Her ability to summon is really useful.'

It was already dark when we finished cleaning up the castle with the help of Athy's summoning abilities. Mother and Uriel cooked dinner for us as there were no workers left in the castle, they all ran away when the fight broke. We helped the injured eat and we also gave food to the blond knight who refused to talk and Rick who was still shaking in fear.

"Mother," I called, "You better get some rest." My mother is not good at handling blood. She would get dizzy amd faint at the sight of serious injuries.

"Sis is right mother," Uriel looked up at mother with her most worried look, "get some rest and we will take care of things here."

"Right. I'll just rest upstairs," mother sighed as she headed for the stairs, "call me when your father is back."

"Athy, send some of your spirits to guard mother's quarters." Uriel said and Athy motioned for two women spirits to follow mother up the stairs.

"My lady," the elder man I was passing by called my attention, "what are you?"

I looked at him and smiled. "We are the daughters of House Castellan."

"T-those things that came from the ground, what a-are those my lady?" he asked again. This time the people around us were listening, they started murmuring and whispering amongst each other.

"Those are protectors sent by the god Sidapa to protect our youngest sister whom he blessed himself." I replied at him still smiling.

"T-then the rumours that House Castellan being abandoned by the gods and goddesses are all untrue?" He said and I smiled at him before nodding. His eyes went wide at the realization. Loud gasps can be heard from the people who were listening.

"Are you from the city sir?" I asked him referring to Westreon city outside the Castle.

"No my lady, I am from the water tribe down the east terretory of Westreon." He replied.

"Is the rumour about our house being abandoned widely spread there sir?" I asked him.

"Yes my lady, it created chaos for our clan leaders." He looked at me.

"That rumour has spread all over the kingdom my lady. Everyone has heard of those rumours and it only got worse when the entire Castellan family refused to show yourselves outside." an older man with graying hair butt in.

The man in front of me smiled, "Dont worry my lady, I will clear all those rumours when I return to the clan with our missing people." Everyone else also started talking, promising to clear those rumours when they return back to their clans and people.

We talked about random things to lighten the mood. About two hours since mother went upstairs, a man came in to inform us that he could see lights from afar. I went out to see these lights. A few more minutes and sounds of footsteps and talking can be heard. I was able to see Skirr first, as he was big, red and glowing faintly. Father was walking in front of him and the knights were behind him.

The lights came from balls of light flouting above them, an ability of someone that attacked us probably. There were women and children together with them. I sighed. I can hear the others who also went outside start to sniffle and cry. There were women and children who started to run towards us and families reunited together collapse in embrace. Some of the hostages who couldn't find their family members outside went inside the castle as other men who couldn't stand were inside.

We hugged our father when he approached us and Skirr went back inside his shadow.

"Welcome back father," we chorused, "Congratulations on winning the battle."