Free Web NovelChapter 269: 269:Death.
Far below the palace, the prison remained silent, only the occasional sound of dripping water and footsteps from the guard could be heard.
Most, if not all prisoners were fully asleep on cold stone, having gotten used to it. Guards maintained their posts, nothing seemed unusual or appeared wrong.
Yet deep within the prison something moved. A figure walked through darkness, unnoticed. The guards never reacted and the barriers never activated.
It was as though the prison itself had no knowledge of the figure’s existence, like a phantom. He moved calmly, unhurried. His footsteps made no sound and his presence left no trace.
He walked deeper into the prison until he arrived before a reinforced cell. Inside sat Councillor Renault. The former noble looked exhausted now.
His arrogance had faded and his confidence had weakened. His future had become obvious, only death awaited him.
Councillor Renault looked up the moment he felt a presence expecting guards. At first, confusion appeared, then recognition, followed by pure relief.
The old man rose from the bench the chains around him rattling loud enough to attract attention.
"Protector."
The figure stood quietly outside the cell, his face remaining hidden beneath a dark cloak. Only a faint smile could be seen.
Councillor Renault’s shoulders relaxed as though salvation itself had arrived.
"You came."
The Protector remained silent. Councillor Renault laughed weakly.
"I knew you would... I knew you would save me."
His voice trembled slightly from both fear and devotion. The Protector finally spoke, his voice was calm and gentle, almost friendly.
"You’ve done well, Renault. "
Councillor Renault’s eyes brightened immediately. Years vanished from his face, the words clearly meant everything to him.
The Protector continued.
"The work you accomplished was valuable."
Councillor Renault lowered his head, almost reverently.
"I only followed the path that the Lord has laid before us. The dark elves will prevail over all."
The Protector smiled faintly.
"Yes."
Silence followed afterwards. Councillor Renault finally looked up again.
"What happens now?"
For the first time, uncertainty entered his voice. The Protector folded his hands behind his back.
"The same thing that always happens."
Councillor Renault frowned slightly.
The Protector’s smile widened.
"Tomorrow... The royal couple will visit you, again."
Councillor Renault tilted his head slightly, confused.
"They already visited today."
"It will be worse tomorrow."
Understanding finally appeared. Councillor sneered lightly slightly. The Protector ignored it.
"They’ll ask more questions."
Councillor Renault laughed bitterly.
"I won’t answer even if they torture me to death." freewebnøvel.coɱ
The Protector nodded.
"I know."
Councillor Renault smiled proudly, like a loyal servant receiving praise. The Protector watched him for several seconds.
Then spoke softly.
"You’ve already done enough." frёeωebɳovel.com
Councillor Renault froze. Something in those words felt strange. The Protector stepped closer and the shadows around the cell seemed to deepen.
Councillor Renault’s smile slowly faded as a painful realization slowly began forming. It was terrifying, even for him who had been ready to die.
The Protector’s voice remained gentle.
"You can rest now."
Councillor Renault stared.
"No..."
The Protector smiled, a warm smile. The kind offered to an old friend and suddenly the councillor understood, this wasn’t a rescue but an ending.
Councillor Renault’s eyes widened.
"P-Protector..."
The figure raised one hand. The councillor froze, his voice disappeared and his body stopped moving.
The prison became completely silent. The Protector looked at him calmly, almost kindly.
"Thank you for your service," he flatly said, "Your son will take over now and continue your legacy from now on. As for your family..."
The councillor’s eyes slowly lost focus, his body slumped and life vanished. The Protector watched for several moments then turned away.
He began walking, his steps still as quite. The guards and wardens ignored him, just like the first entry.
Before disappearing into the darkness, he paused briefly. A faint chuckle escaped him, Soft and amused, almost fond.
"The two of you are getting close."
His voice echoed quietly through the corridor but no one heard. The smile beneath the hood widened slightly.
’Making an old man like me do all their dirty work. I should retire when this is over’
He chuckled again before disappearing into the darkness, back to his daily life.
The surprising part was that Atheline and Lilith knew him, trusted him. They had spoken with him countless times, shared meals with him, and accepted advice from him. Yet neither would ever imagine he was standing here in a mission to correct a kingdom he had helped build after watching it break the first time.
.
.
.
Atheline was still halfway through his tea when a sharp knock echoed through the doors of their private dining room.
Lilith looked up while Atheline sighed, both already knew. Nobody interrupted them this early unless something had gone wrong.
Zelpher entered moments later. One glance at his face told them everything.
Lilith slowly set her cup down.
"What happened?"
He bowed.
"The councillor is dead."
Silence filled the room. Atheline stared at him blankly without saying a word while Lilith remained perfectly still. Neither looked particularly surprised. Their expressions changed to one of annoyance almost at the same time.
Zelpher seemed to notice.
"You expected it."
Atheline met Lilith’s gaze across the dining table then shrugged.
"I’d be more surprised if he had been left alive."
She folded her hands.
"He knew too much."
Zelpher nodded slowly, that matched his own conclusion. Lilith rose.
"Show me."
Zelpher nodded and took the lead. She glanced back at atheline to was still seated. He nodded and stood up following behind her.
"I hope we can find something good," he mummbled to himself as he caught up to her.
.
.
.
The prison had become chaos; guards moved throughout the corridors, investigators examined every passage, manipulators inspected barriers and officers reviewed records. Nobody understood how it had happened, which made it worse.
Lilith and Atheline arrived less than twenty minutes later. The prison commander personally escorted them, his expression awful. Worn by someone fully expecting execution.
Atheline almost felt sorry for him. The commander stopped before Councillor Renault’s cell. The reinforced door remained closed while several investigators stood nearby.
