Wards were a type of magic that everyone who understood anything about the arcane agreed was useful but flawed.
A dozen Apprentice mages were required to set up even rudimentary ones, and unless one had the luck to be residing on top of a leyline - which was almost never - they’d dry out the casters over the course of a few hours.
To try and offset this, wards were often tied to circles or runic inscriptions, depending on the specific school the mages drawing them ascribed to. This allowed them to be activated even by a singular caster, who’d then use mana crystals to supply the power.
A town the size of Alpar might not have enough to justify building a tower, but it still had a small group of mages. They were enough to power the wards, alongside the stockpile, for up to a week, giving nearby army corps the time to get there and fight back against any enemy that threatened the king’s peace.
It was understood in military circles that it was better to wait until wards ran out of power unless one had a surplus of powerhouses - enough that their mana could be expended on breaking the wards while leaving some left to storm the defenses.
In a situation like Alpar’s, most military commanders would leave a squadron of soldiers to guard the courthouse and ensure no one could leave it while beginning to prepare for the coming siege. The 104th would take at least two more days to arrive, even if they had been alerted immediately after Leonard’s trial, due to needing to pull together the troops, gather supplies that were spent over the Incursion, and cross the Darkwood.
The courthouse’s wards were not exceptionally powerful. Even without monsters like Leonard and Amelia around, the local garrison could have broken them in a few hours. However, that would have left their stores depleted in a dangerous moment.
So, any sane commander would have taken the risk of leaving an enemy stronghold in their midst rather than weaken their forces.
The same limitations did not constrain Leonard. Being a Hero, he was already much more powerful than almost any other class, at parity of Blessings. He was also the most powerful Hero in modern history, as far as the kingdom of Haylich went, and that was only with what they knew, which wasn’t even half of the truth.
Leonard had managed to keep his true power hidden from almost everyone. Initially, it was simply because he didn’t truly understand how much stronger he was than everyone else. But with the years on the front came experience and understanding, so he started showing only what was absolutely necessary.
While it wasn’t time yet to reveal his true might, he had decided that there was no need to limit himself as much anymore.
With a thunderous boom and a blinding flash of light, the wards around the courthouse broke. Using a [Word of Power] might have been overkill, but Leonard didn’t care if he fried the controller in the process.
A few seconds later, while everyone was still busy rubbing the stars from their eyes, Amelia joined him, gracefully emerging from a nearby shadow to stand next to him.
“He’s still alive. The bastard didn’t even bother keeping hold of the wards once they were active,” She commented dispassionately.
Leonard sighed, “Well, at least we should be able to get some information out of him. Gareth, Oliver, take a few men with you and get the judge!”
His order was immediately followed. His squire and the knight had brought a few dozen adventurers and veterans with them and didn’t hesitate to storm into the now-open courthouse.
“Gerard, secure the people inside and the archives. Let’s see if we can’t find anything useful.” He got a curt nod from the man, who set about doing his duty.
It took only ten minutes before Oliver and Gareth returned, holding the same mousy man who had tried to condemn him to slavery aloft. His feet kicked the air uselessly, and he was busy screeching insults and threats. “Unhand me! Do you even know who I am?! I am the Lord of Alpar! I am the authority here! Obey me!”
It was a pathetic sight, and Leonard wouldn’t have minded letting it go on for a while longer, but there was a reason why he had ordered the man be dragged out where the entire town could see it.
“This isn’t doing you any favor, Eichelbaum,” He said, and the man quieted, directing a venomous glare his way.
“You have abused the power entrusted to you by the law to further your own goals. I have been a victim of this personally. But I don’t think you are the sole responsible for this. You are the product of a system meant to oppress the people. Will you beg for forgiveness from those you should have protected and appeal to their mercy?” Leonard asked impassively. He knew he wouldn’t.
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A hateful snarl twisted Eichelbaum’s lips. His glasses were askew, and his hair ruffled. Dark bags marked his eyes. It was obvious that the man had been well aware of what would come for him ever since his plot failed. Leonard didn’t expect anything but poison to spill from his lips, but that was precisely what he wanted. A man like Eichelbaum, who had only wielded power to hurt others, would never have the wherewithal to understand his position.
The judge looked at the assembled populace and saw no friends there. “You disgusting traitors! How dare you raise your arms against the lawful power?! This whole town is a shithole, and I’ll see you all in chains for this! When Thelma’s forces arrive, you’ll pay!”
Leonard nodded, and Oliver brought down the pommel of his sword to the back of the man’s head, who crumpled down in a heap.
“People of Alpar, as you can see, the kingdom's representative is little more than a thug. His reign of terror ends now! The revolution has begun!” Leonard shouted, and the crowd roared back.
He let them express their joy for a full minute before lifting a hand. Once they quieted enough to hear him, he continued, “As you heard, this man has already contacted the royal forces. Even trapped and defeated, he still tried to hurt Alpar as much as possible.”
Boos and shouts of anger answered him. For just a moment, Leonard contemplated throwing Eichelbaum to the mob to see what they’d do to him, but he shook that thought away. The man needed to be pumped for any information he might have. It’d be a waste for him to be torn apart before they got everything.
“But do not worry! The good people of the 105th and my old comrades who fought against the Incursion have sworn themselves to our cause! Together, we’ll defeat any force that dares attack our fair town!”
Cheers followed that. In the people’s minds, if the Hero promised them something, it would happen. Leonard didn’t enjoy abusing his personal clout, but he would on this occasion. They couldn’t afford internal discord before the rebellion had even started.
Now for the edicts. I hope they don’t fight me on this, but they should be too amped up to care. It’s not them who’ll lose wealth anyway.
“Today marks the last day of oppression! Today will be remembered forever as the Day of Freedom! Slavery is abolished, and serfdom outlawed! Any found keeping others captive will be rounded up and made to pay for their sins. If you or any you know are slaves, go to the garrison, and your collar will be removed. To the slavers, I say this: submit to the nearest soldier or face the consequences!” Dozens of soldiers lifted the town banners - a tree on a rock in a field of blue - and began setting up stations with the help of some mages, as had been decided in advance.
It would take a while for the citizens to understand and go through the process, but Leonard trusted the men he had assigned to see it through.
“You are free, my people. Change is coming to the land, but you need not fear it. We are all one!” The people cheered, sealing his victory. And with that, he had crushed the last possible complaints to his rise to power. Leonard gave one last look to the joyful crowd, which would take a while to disperse fully, and entered the building.
“I don’t understand why you never wanted to give speeches. You have a talent.” Amelia commented, tapping her lip with a slender finger.
Leonard chuckled, “I wasn’t about to hand a propaganda win to old Vasily. Any speech I might have held would have just been twisted in his favor. He’s a wily old fox.”
“The king always struck me as the kind of man to revel in intrigue and plotting. We’ll have to make sure he doesn’t infiltrate us,” she commented. She gave a distrustful look to the soldiers around them, who were busy taking prisoners out of the rooms they had holed in and cataloging the captured documents.
“I don’t doubt he has some ears to the ground here, but I’m sure you can keep any message from escaping the town for a while, can’t you?” He replied, earning a nod.
“I’ll start seeing to that. I imagine you also want me to begin coordinating all the newly free men in the town and arresting the masters, yes?”
Leonard smiled, taking Amelia’s hands in his, “I’ll ask much of you in the coming months, my friend. But we’ll make a better world together.”
She sighed, giving him a half smile, and nodded, “I’ll do my duty.”
With that, he left her behind, walking briskly to the presiding judge’s office. The corridors buzzed with activity as soldiers and adventurers ran around, establishing the army's headquarters.
It was hard work, and Leonard waved away any attempt to stop and salute him. They’d need all the time possible to complete their task before their first obstacle appeared.
Two soldiers snapped to attention upon seeing him and rushed to open the door to the office, letting him. Inside, Leonard found a rich, luxurious room that was at odds with the general state of the town.
An intricate carpet of elvish make adorned the floor, which would have been enough to feed a hundred families for a month. Polished black wooden furniture made with local trees occupied most of the space. It was one of the few luxury exports of southern Hetnia.
Sitting on one of the chairs, head lolling forward, was the judge. Before him stood Oliver and Gareth, who were reading through a series of documents likely taken from the large desk placed before the windows.
image [https://i.postimg.cc/L5mwhr0Z/persimmon0-old-short-balding-judge-tied-to-a-chair-in-a-medieva-6883aff6-0786-467a-890e-74d7e4e617e5.png]
The redheaded boy huffed in annoyance as he tried to parse the words, “His handwriting is terrible. Isn’t he supposed to be a noble?”
“He’s the son of a public official. Technically, he’s part of the gentry in his role as a judge, but it’s not permanent, so most actual nobles would treat him like dirt.” Gareth replied distractedly. The man had spent many years as a sworn sword, so he was well acquainted with the intricacies of nobility.
“Anything interesting?” Leonard asked, startling his squire. The knight didn’t flinch, having likely never lost track of him with his refined senses.
“He has a lot of correspondence with local nobles, but it’s the usual plotting you’d expect,” Gareth replied before handing Leonard a piece of paper. “This one might be relevant.”
Skimming through the contents, he quickly recognized it, “Ah, so we have confirmation he informed Thelma of my actions. Was there nothing else in the logs?”
“No, and I doubt anyone here had the power to falsify them,” the knight replied, “Communication orbs are made to be sturdy. They hold records for almost a year, and only an Expert mage can manipulate them.”
Leonard nodded, turning to face his squire. “What about you? Found anything you think I should know?”
Oliver nodded grimly and walked over to the desk, picking a letter up. “This is the order that came with the paladins. The date on it is from two weeks ago.”
“Ah,” Leonard grunted, taking it. The letter itself was nothing special, simply stating that, as requested by the local authority, three paladins were being dispatched with a high-grade slave collar. The problem was that it had been written well before Belinda’s death. It could only mean that his theory about the assassination attempt coming from high up was correct.
“Well, wake him up. I have a few questions for him before he can rest forever.” He commanded grimly.