Chapter 49 – The End of A Long Siege (2)

Benton expected that after the siege was done. He would be able to roll on a satin bed. He would drink mead and go back to work. But who would have thought that those words would come out of Mia?

“What?” said Benton confused.

“A simple question, Sir Benton,” Mia said slowly. “Are you working for the Alva’s?”

“I don’t understand,” Benton stood up. “I’ve been working on this stronghold for year’s milady! How could I betray you?”

Everyone looked at Benton as he said that. The main hall was still in disrepair. There were rubble and fallen debris but it was safe compared to the other locations. Benton could see that all of their eyes were gathering at him. He was sweating.

“I would like to believe that. But Sir Benton, I have evidence that proves that you are working for the Alva’s. And at the moment,” She closed her eyes. “I hate traitors. I hate them with all my spite that I may just hang them on that platform there for everyone to see.”

“Milady!” protested Benton. “I have in this City for years! I have served under your father as loyal retainer! Yet you accused me of being a traitor?”

“Yes.”

“How absurd this is! To think that I would be labeled as a traitor! My heart’s wounded!” he shouted. “So where is this evidence milady?” Benton gritted his teeth.

Mia looked blandly at Benton before gesturing her chin. Then, Joshua, who was sitting quietly along with Archie and Cassia stood up and walks in front of Benton along with a bundle of rolled parchments.

“You...” Benton said coldly.

“Hello, Sir Benton,” Joshua adjusted his voice. He coughed before continuing. “I am here to say that you are traitor.”

“How so lad?” said Benton with venom on his tongue.

Joshua grinned maliciously. “What I am holding are letters from you. These letters had the wax seal of the Lord of Alva. There are also reports here how you have already detailed the entire place. You’ve made two maps for this place, one for the Warlord and one for your other Warlord.”

“Tsk, is this all you can do?” said Benton. “Prove that it is mine?”

Hearing that made Joshua look at Benton as if he was dumb, he pointed at this hand. “I’ve observed the writings around this place. I’ve been learning and Old Gale there on the table can prove that those are your writings.”

Old Gale stood up. “I vouch for him. Those letters are clearly him. No doubt. No one writes like that other than him.”

“Old Gale...!” shouted Benton. “You testify against me?” He then looked at Mia. “Milady, this is clearly false and I’ve done nothing wrong.”

Yet what Benton got was silence. She only stared at him as Joshua continues.

“And that’s not at all. I’ve managed to bait your falcon into delivering your letters to me. Usually, you would only feed your falcon rats but to make your Falcon disloyal. I’ve fed it a marinated roasted duck. The falcon was lured and I was able to get a tube containing letters from the Lord of Alva himself. The letter reads: I thank you, my friend, this gun will be mass-produced at once!”

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Joshua unrolled the letter for everyone to see. Then, they saw that seal of the Lord of Alva. Benton looked at Joshua who stating all of this. He wanted to refute but Joshua continued.

“As you can see, you have been handing reports; dossiers and many more. I have investigated you. I have scoured your room and found three secret compartments. There are four letters you didn’t burn. The others were as old as your service in this stronghold.”

Benton cut in. “So you’ve been spying on me!”

“Yes,” said Joshua coldly. “The moment you wanted to create the repeating rifle. I was curious. At first, I thought it was nothing. I recreated that Lorenzoni system poorly. I wanted to know why you would be interested so I investigated out of paranoia. And this ‘paranoia’ made me found about this.”

Benton looked at Joshua angrily. “I...”

“Trying to speak? Or would you like me to continue and tell the people around me about the letters? Read them aloud so they can hear the sweet words of the Lord of Alva.” Joshua folded his arms. “By heavens, I am in no position to do this. I am a newcomer and you may be jailed for this. But if you are trying to sell that lever and sliding lock system to further someone’s agenda. Then by the Gods, I will not stand for it.”

Benton stood still. Suddenly, he threw something out of his pocket. This created a thick smoke that covered the hall for ten seconds, enough for Benton to escape. But oddly, no one chased Benton. Everyone waited. As Benton runs inside his workshop, take his strongbox, and ran to the stables to get a mount. But as he rides away, he was able to notice that there was no one chasing him. He was surprised. But as he let his guard down he opens the strongbox of his to check.

But as he did, he saw that inside there was string connected to an oddly shaped bomb crafted with scrap metals. He could smell rust and aluminum. It didn’t bother him but a single clink of the string along with something being pulled made Benton want to throw his box out.

Yet it was too late. The strongbox he was holding exploded right in his face. The combination of gunpowder exploding then the Thermite made Benton’s face explode. His body tumbled down, the mount he was riding tripped as it squealed in pain as the Thermite burns even its scale.

The explosion was like thunder. In the room where everyone was partying, there was nothing but a cold harrumph of the Warlord of the City. Of course, Joshua, who already long rigged Benton’s box with a Thermite bomb, knew that it would happen. If it failed then Benton would be killed by the Knight Templar’s.

Joshua was about to return to his seat. But suddenly the cold silence was broken by a haughty cackle. The voice made Joshua shudder in fear. The cackle of that sweet yet devilish voice made him stop. He looked at where that voice was. All the confidence that he had when presenting the evidence against Benton vanished.