There were five fortresses in the empire’s east, connected by a wall. To the north and south of these fortresses, there were the forests of Dusk and Dawn. Nobody knew which was which, but legends told that in Dawn the demon lord fell, and from Dusk the new one would rise.

Beyond the five fortresses, there was an endless plain, stretching all the way across the horizon. The land was still damaged from the hero’s legendary battle, so only grass and the hardiest of bushes still grew.

Because of this, enemies could be easily spotted as soon as they crossed the horizon. Just two days after the night of slaughter, an old bull was sitting in front of the middle fortress, on the grass, watching and waiting for something.

His skin was black as coal, his horns were mighty and sharp. However, aside from his head, the rest of his large, muscular body was shaped like a human. He even wore steel, rundown armor and boots to cover his flesh.

Suddenly, the beastman’s large ears twitched. He stood up with a downward gaze and waited in silence.

His heart felt tight. People started shouting at him from the fortress behind him, and moments later a shadow formed around his feet. The old beastman closed his eyes and held his breath.

Something fast struck the ground and exploded. The blast was so massive it completely engulfed the bull. Tremors reached all the way to the mystical forests, and chunks of earth rained upon the panicking soldiers on the walls.

When the dust finally settled, the old bull could be seen breathing heavily at the edge of a crater, sweating buckets, while slowly getting to his feet. In front of him, there was an elf, much smaller in comparison, but with a much more imposing presence.

“Were you behind the attacks from yesterday night?”

“No!” The bull heaved, releasing smoke from his nostrils. While retrieving his arrow, Junior observed his expression.

“Hudson, I believe you, but nobody else does. Gryla wants you dead, Siegfried says you should forfeit your fighting arm, and Cyrus demands an investigation.”

“I will take responsibility.” The bull’s veins bulged tremendously and he grabbed his right arm. His palm was just large enough to circle his entire, massive bicep, so he started crushing the muscle, leaving the bone for last.

“Stop it! Fool, do you think we can afford to have you weakened? The nine-tailed fox is moving in the south, who knows what the rest of them are planning.”

“Is the fox behind this?”

“How should I know? I’m heading there after this just in case. As was agreed upon with the others, I will take half my army to aid general Chavez and send the other half here.”

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“So be it.” Hudson let go of his bicep and straightened his back. “I will redeem myself.”

“You’re not going to ask why we discussed things without you?”

“I deserve it.”

“I’m sending my men to keep an eye on you.”

“Understood.”

Junior’s snake shaped necklace started glowing, and his feet let go of the ground. Once he rose above the bull’s head, he shrugged “You’re a weird man, Hudson Daccar. However, I do not believe you are capable of slaughter. I’ve asked the academies and the church to look into this matter. If there’s a way to prove your innocence, I will find it.”

Before the bull could mutter “Thank you,” the elf disappeared into the clouds. Rain started falling in his wake, and thunder poured over the mighty wall. The old bull gazed over the horizon one last time and puffed through his nostrils.

“Not yet,” he whispered while walking back towards the fortress. “I must endure a bit longer.”

…………….

In the following weeks, the lives of Phoenix city’s residents were turned upside down. Four days after the incident, count Vistacia returned to the city. After visiting his family’s graves, he went straight to the academy and tried to tear it all down, stopping only after Madam Isabella burned him to an inch of his life.

Classes were suspended, and there were rumors of upcoming missions to track down the killers. Worse yet, people whispered that some had stayed behind and were waiting for a chance to enact a second slaughter.

A curfew was imposed on the dukedom after dark, and guards, with the help of third year students, patrolled the streets non-stop. Weapon shops were cleared of inventory, and even the magical artifact stores were assaulted by the sons of nobles.

Paranoia and fear roamed the city streets. First and second year students barricaded themselves in either their dorms or inside the academy’s training grounds. Throughout the empire, the assassins had primarily targeted those below 18, so the sight of children became a rarity.

When a couple of teens left their dorm, everyone stared at them like they had gone mad. However, sitting still was not an option for everyone. Finn and Annie were still stuck in Nunac’s building, so it was up to their teammates to bring them food.

When Michael and Natalie stopped by the local market they were assaulted by vendors desperate to sell their wares. The price of perishables had dropped tremendously, good news, since they weren’t exactly swimming in money. After buying supplies for the upcoming trip, their team was left with only a single gold coin per person, money they were already forced to dig into while waiting for their deployment.

Armed to the teeth, Natalie and Michael left the market while keeping an eye on their surroundings. In the past four days, they had been detained by random guards, scolded by random old ladies, and a couple of third years even asked for protection money.

This time around, it was a tall noble who got in their way, right in the middle of the street, with the entire market watching with interest.

“Are you mad?” he spit on his disheveled beard. “Do you not care for your own lives, for your parents who must be worried sick!?”

Tears welled up in the man’s eyes, and he paused to rub them out. After giving each other a look, Michael and Natalie walked past him without saying a word.

“Yea, go on, what do you care? Go get yourselves killed, stupid kids.”

While the teens upped their pace to get away from the noble, Natalie saw some vendors leave their stalls to help him. He was now bawling his eyes out, hunched over pathetically while waving people away.

Eventually, a guard walked over and helped him get up. He put the man’s arm over his shoulder and helped him walk towards a carriage.

“My condolences,” Natalie heard the guard say. “Lord Vistacia, let’s get you home.”