The Ashbourne Guardians

"I'm Baron Asher Ashbourne, lord of Ash Fortress, and you are?" Asher said in a domineering tone. 

Jeffrey frowned but wiped out his frown in the next moment. "Jeffrey Ashbourne, your elder brother." 

Kelvin frowned deeply due to Jeffery's lack of respect. How dare he not bow to his lord?

Asher smiled. "An Ashbourne…" 

There were traces of disbelief lurking in his voice.

"Aren't you the cripple? How are you able to walk?!" Aquila gasped. 

"As you can see, I am no cripple, Miss Aquila Tyre." 

Aquila, though shocked that Asher knew of her background, remained calm externally.

"Junior brother, I can see Father left a lot in your hands. Are you sure you can rule it alone?" Jeffrey said softly.

Asher tilted his head. 

"What do you mean?"

"You're too young to rule a barony; don't be offended." Aquila said the last three words with a tone that showed that she wasn't trying to be nice.

They obviously thought Asher couldn't have been the one to make the wretched Ash town into this fortress with well-made houses and a stable society.

Kelvin's eyes narrowed.

"Might be so, but the people don't seem to bother."

"Little brother, don't let the resources of this fortress blind your eyes. This barony can only be ruled by a responsible Ashbourne. The others have failed, and I have proven to be the rightful heir by owning wheat farmlands that require thousands of farmers and hiring hundreds of warriors. With me as lord, our name will regain honor." 

"Apparently, you came to take my title away from me, and you brought a few men? That's insulting." 

Asher got to his feet, and his amicable expression became cold. "Leave."

"Wrong choice." Aquila snickered, and in the next moment, ice crept up and locked Kelvin in place. 

She got up, and cat walked toward Asher with an ice spike in her hand. "You don't speak that way to a mage. Or have you forgotten barbaric warriors like you were once our slaves?" 

Asher looked around him and saw ice spikes around his chair. If he made a little movement, the ice would pierce through his flesh!

"Last I remembered, the Tyres have never produced a mage, and the water element is even stranger. The baron nobles of the wasteland all have an ancestral lineage of fire except my family…" 

Asher tilted his head to face the encroaching woman.

"You're not a true Tyre. Your elemental manipulation made you special, but it doesn't give you the right to threaten a baron." 

"Maybe. But it gives me the right to threaten young boys, and I consider you one." She smirked and lifted the spike.

"You will hand over the title, or you won't live to see my fiancé rule." 

Asher chuckled. "Your brain might be damaged, Miss Tyre, because you probably did not consider how you would escape my men."

"She's a silver-ranked mage. The only one among all the baronies. Even if you have ten silver-ranked warriors, which I doubt you do, Aquila would still kill them."

"You're mad!" Kelvin roared in anger. Aquila sealed his mouth with ice and presented a paper, which Jeffery brought out.

Asher was to write on it, stating he had handed his territory over to Jeffery, sign, and put his seal on it.

Asher was still calm as he looked at the paper. "Do you know the most powerful force of a true Ashbourne? It's not his men or his power, but…" 

He smiled.

Jeffrey frowned, and at that moment, the double door swung open. A large, white wolf leisurely walked in and threw a glance at them.

Upon seeing the gold-ranked magic beast, Aquila's breath hitched. 

'A bonded pet beast!' 

Her heart skipped a bit. 

Her father encouraged her that the Ashbournes had lost their heritage of their powerful guardian wolves, and this was what gave her, a knowledgeable mage, the courage to behave so audaciously.

Jeffrey left his seat and shifted away. 

"H… How is this possible?!" 

"Meet Sirius." 

Asher said with a deathly tone that sent shivers down Aquila's and Jeffery's spines.

In the next moment, Sirius lunged toward Jeffrey and ripped him apart before Aquila's eyes. 

She staggered backward and suddenly felt a presence behind her, causing her to turn back. Behold, it was the man who was supposed to be in his chair, surrounded by ice spikes.

It was Asher!

"You made a mistake, but to avoid problems, I won't ask Sirius to kill you. Jeffrey is a threat, and he gave me the chance to eliminate him. I wouldn't have done it if he did nothing wrong, as my conscience would judge me, but as for you. I'll just make you what you called me."

Aquila's eyes widened. 

As she was about to thrust the ice spike into Asher's chest, Sirius slapped her with so much force that she hit the table, causing it to break into two.

"Ah!"

She screamed and fell to the ground. 

The ice melted, allowing Kelvin to move. "My Lord, why didn't you kill her?" 

Asher glanced at the unconscious woman without much expression. "Because I don't want a war with Baron Tyre for now. But she called me a cripple, and I made her one. Send her back with a letter informing Baron Tyre that she threatened my life." 

Asher walked to the door and paused. He then turned back.

"Also tell him not to keep my bird or I will be forced to send Sirius." 

After Asher left, Sirius followed him while licking its mouth. 

The moment Asher entered his room, he sat on his bed and looked at his shivering hands. He puffed out.

"Playing strong there was tough, Sirius." 

Asher looked at his wolf, which lay beside his bed, and looked elsewhere. It looked like Sirius wasn't interested in listening to him.

Having a mage cast a spell that could kill him in a second was frightening. It took lots of willpower to hide his fear and summon Sirius. 

He wasn't as brave as his men thought he was, but he wanted them to think in that direction, as it was more positive. 

'It's the last time I will be receiving guests in the dining hall. From now on, I will receive all except an acquaintance in the sacred hall, and I also need to station guards there. No one should be able to reach me so easily.'

Asher's eyes flashed with resolve.