Chapter 7

"There is something important I have to take, please wait here." Ellia walked back into the shop, closing the doors. It left Ralf alone with the big and mighty Mordred. The child stared right at the knight, and the knight returned the favor. After a while, Mordred burst into laughter for no apparent reason.

However, his smile then froze upon his face. A sudden burst of flames emerged from the medicine shop, blasting its roof almost ten meters into the sky. Even a powerful knight like him had not noticed when the explosion occurred."

The knight let out a shout, charging into the medicine shop. The walls were like cheese to him, even the raging flames unable to do the slightest harm to him. Inside he was greeted by the sight of elegant Ellia. He wanted to save her but was shocked to see that the flames were coming out of her body. Ellia had set herself on fire.

She smiled once she saw Mordred, and then burnt and disappeared, leaving no traces behind. Mordred stood up straight, his body still engulfed in flames as that smile was etched into his memories. So beautiful, so elegant. And yet so complicated.

Ralf was hysterical, kicking at the other knights that we were stopping him from entering the shop, but his efforts proved futile. The place crumbled down right in front of him, Mordred walking out of its ashes to see a devastated child crying as if his life depended on it.

He remained silent for a short while, before saying, "You had a great mother. Let's go, I'll bring you to your father." The abrupt event stupefied the villagers of Kate Valley, as they watched the flames die down in a daze.

They didn't want to believe that the medicine shop that had been there for them these past ten years had been ruined in the blink of an eye.

Mordred stayed behind with the army as the remaining knights got back in formation and escorted Ralf out. He didn't intend to have Ellia buried, she had been lost entirely to the flames. Only a crazy genius would be able to burn themselves completely, and it gave Mordred newfound respect for this woman he had only met once.

The corners of his mouth curved into a smile as he looked at the ruins, mumbling to himself, "This woman truly is worthy of my Lord."

A knight approached Mordred from the side, "What should we do with the villagers here, sir Mordred?"

He glanced at the folks that gathered around the commotion, caressed his prickly stubble, and said with indifference, "This village has too many grown men, the lord will not be pleased. Kill everyone."

...

Gazing at the distance, Ralf realized that his father was a great man. He was looking at the distance. The city has a big population. The city was built along with the shape of the coast, looking like an arch yet steep towards the west. The long narrow piece of land was like a beast in slumber.

The houses and streets were organized systematically, with a tall wall surrounding them to protect their residents. Vast land and inexhaustible water lay on the outskirts of town, the river cutting through its center to empty into the seas as it provided unending irrigation for the fertile land.

The renowned Black Castle was built upon the hill, within the city, a complex and majestic building that could house three thousand warriors. Trebuchets were built atop the various towers of the castle, looking over the city with disdain. None of them were ever been put to use since their construction, no enemy had ever breached the city walls.

The castle city was the best deterrent, designed more than carefully with a fortified core and complex mechanism protecting it. The wooden battlements at the top could be extended and retracted, and the entrance of the city was layered with five types of security checks.

There were many other traps as well, not visible to the naked eyes. Indeed, it was claimed that a thousand warriors could protect Black Castle once it had been completed, the castle being impenetrable as long as they had sufficient supplies.

Many travelers of various identities visited this city, each with their motives. But they all had to agree that the architect of the Black Castle was a genius. An unnamed general from a noble family was once invited to perform a thorough analysis of the castle, and he concluded that with a well-equipped army of fifty thousand alongside siege one would have to pay the disastrous price to take the castle.

However, the castle was never been put to test. Its previous lord had never been keen on defense, and even if they had a weaker army they would rather use the vast plains of steep mountains to kill their enemies using guerilla warfare. What's more, they had always won.

The lunacy of the Archerons was well-known within the alliance. Nobody would fight these lunatics, especially with the family having geniuses within its ranks at all times. The notorious Duke once remarked, 'The combination of lunacy and genius multiplied the family's power.

A twenty thousand man troop of his had been defeated by the Archerons elites in a long, violent battle, less than a tenths surviving the battle. And this wasn't with any random soldiers; his troops were amongst the best in the entire continent.

The Archerons family tree had two marquesses and seven earls to its name in its several hundred years of development, alongside numerous viscounts and barons.

The family held more than twenty-five million acres of land despite their rather short history. Their strength and influence in the alliance are not to be belittled. It was bizarre how many of their ranks occupied noble positions despite them not having a Duke, forget a grand duke, to their name.

They had great armies, powerful mages, strong warriors, and countless subordinates of strange occupations like dragon warlocks, hell riders, and shadow shamans. This was in the Akan continent that was never at peace.