Free Web NovelChapter 240: The Emperor’s Mistake
[Sah’Rumeh Village — The Next Day — Council Hut]
The council hut had fallen silent, not the peaceful silence of agreement, not the calm silence of understanding, but the suffocating silence that followed an ugly truth.
A truth nobody wanted to hear and a truth nobody could ignore. Grand Duke Lior sat motionless behind the wooden table. The parchment trembled slightly between his fingers for the first time in many years...the powerful Grand Duke looked pale.
Genuinely pale, across from him, several officers remained speechless and standing behind him... Kael stared at the document with disbelief written across his face.
The parchment contained the investigation reports and the answers Levin’s question had forced them to seek, and now that they possessed those answers...neither father nor son felt relieved, only ashamed.
Kael slowly exhaled, then finally spoke. His voice sounded distant, almost hallow.
"So it was true. The attacks never began unnecessarily. They never began because of hunger, and they never began because the beasts simply hated us." His eyes lowered toward the report, then quietly—
"Emperor Tharzek caused all of this."
Silence, the words echoed through the council hut, heavy, uncomfortable, and unforgiving. Grand Duke Lior closed his eyes for several moments; he said nothing. He then slowly leaned back into his chair; his hand rubbed his forehead.
The beginnings of a headache already forming.
"The Emperor did leave for a hunting expedition eight months ago." His voice carried frustration and regret. "We insisted he take knights. We insisted he take captains and we insisted he take mages."
His fingers tightened around the parchment. The Grand Duke looked toward the ceiling as though searching for patience. "But he refused; he insisted on taking only a single knight and a single captain."
Silence.
Then he lowered his gaze. "And now I finally understand why."
The room remained silent because everyone understood. The fewer witnesses present...the fewer people capable of exposing the truth.
Kael folded his arms; his expression darkened. The question escaped almost immediately. "But why? Why would he do it? Why would an emperor deliberately provoke Ashkareth?"
The captain shook his head because none of it made sense. Ashkareth wasn’t merely a beast, a creature powerful enough to destroy entire settlements. Powerful enough to challenge armies.
Why provoke such a thing? For pride? For glory? For sport?
Kael’s jaw tightened; the possibilities only made the situation worse. Meanwhile, Grand Duke Lior sighed heavily, a sigh filled with years of exhaustion.
"I do not know." His voice lowered. "And perhaps that is the most frightening answer. I truly do not know."
The wind outside howled against the walls, and then Kael stepped toward the table, his eyes never leaving the parchment.
"Father."
The Grand Duke glanced toward him. Kael’s expression remained serious. "The Emperor’s mistakes created this disaster, the deaths of villages, the soldiers, and the months of suffering. All of it traces back to that hunt."
Nobody argued because nobody could. Then Kael continued.
"And yet..." The room became quieter somehow, quieter. "We expected the Malik of Zahryssar to solve everything for us."
The words landed heavily like stones. Grand Duke Lior’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he remained silent. Then Kael looked toward the mountains beyond the window, toward the healer’s hut and toward the place where Zeramet remained.
"The more I think about it...the uglier it feels." His voice lowered. "We ask him to stay, we ask him to fight, we ask him to hunt, and we ask him to risk his life."
The captain laughed once, a humorless laugh. "And for what? So we do not have to risk our lives anymore?"
Nobody spoke because the truth was painfully uncomfortable. Then Kael slowly turned; his gaze met his father’s.
"Do you not see it? It feels as though we want him to become our shield, our sword, and our sacrifice, just as Malika said."
The council hut became silent. Several officers lowered their heads, unable to meet his gaze because the accusation was not entirely wrong.
Then finally...Grand Duke Lior spoke slowly and carefully as though weighing every word. "He is the only one capable of protecting our lands."
The answer came immediately, firmly and almost defensively. Kael stared, and the Grand Duke continued as his jaw tightened.
"The Emperor may have committed a grave mistake, a foolish mistake, or a catastrophic mistake, but the reality remains unchanged. One of the Ashkareth is dead, and the remaining clan still lives. and ordinary soldiers continue to die."
The older wolf leaned forward, his voice lowering. "The Malik possesses power beyond ours; he possesses strength capable of ending this nightmare, and whether we like it or not..."
His gaze drifted toward the distant mountains.
"...that truth remains."
Kael remained silent for several moments. Then quietly asked, "And what if he finds out it was our own emperor’s mistake that caused all this commotion and he refuses?"
The question struck harder than expected; the Grand Duke froze because until this moment...nobody had considered it, not truly and not honestly.
What if Zeramet simply said no? What if he decided his children mattered more? What if his consort mattered more? What if Zahryssar mattered more? What if Qashmir’s problems ceased being his responsibility?
The silence stretched longer and longer. Until finally Grand Duke Lior slowly lowered the parchment, his expression becoming unreadable.
Then quietly...almost reluctantly...he answered—
"Then for the first time in generations..." His gaze moved toward the names of dead soldiers written across the report. "...Qashmir will be forced to clean up a mess created by its own ruler, and this may wipe out the entire wolf clan. So we have to make sure Malik and his malika do not know the reason behind this attack. We cannot allow that." freewёbnoνel.com
Kael’s eyes narrowed slightly, but he remained silent. Meanwhile, several officers nodded reluctantly.
Yet they nodded because despite how ugly it sounded...the Grand Duke was not entirely wrong; he wanted to save his empire, but he forgot...no one can become anyone’s shield. They thought they were doing their best to hide the truth, but what they didn’t know was that outside the council hut...an eagle sat quietly upon the roof, motionless, patient, and listening.
Iru, his sharp eyes narrowed. Not a single word escaped him, not a single movement betrayed him; he simply listened and remembered.
Then moments later—
WHOOSH!
The eagle launched into the sky, vanishing beyond the hut.
***
[Training Grounds — A Short While Later]
The morning sun shone brightly; steel clashed. The training grounds remained empty; most soldiers had already left, and most warriors had already returned to their duties.
Only one figure remained. Levin moved across the practice field; his sword danced through the air, elegant, precise, and beautiful. Yet every strike carried weight, every movement carried thought.
His hair stuck slightly to his forehead from sweat; the wooden practice post before him was already covered in marks.
Then suddenly a shadow crossed above. Levin stopped immediately; he lowered his sword and looked upward, and the eagle descended. Moments later he transformed into his human form, kneeling immediately.
"Malika."
Levin wiped the sweat from his brow, then quietly asked, "What did you find?"
Iru’s expression darkened; the answer alone was enough. "As you suspected, the meeting concerned the beast attacks."
Levin nodded; he had expected that. "What did they discover?"
Iru looked directly into his eyes, then quietly spoke. "The attacks began because of their wolf emperor."
Silence.
The winds moved through the training grounds. Levin’s expression remained calm, and then Iru continued.
Months ago, the Emperor left the capital for a hunt. He traveled with only one knight and one captain."
Levin narrowed his eyes. "And?"
Iru’s expression became colder. "He deliberately hunted Ashkareth."
Levin stared, then slowly...very slowly...a faint smile appeared. Not amusement, not happiness but understanding. The smile of a man whose suspicions had been confirmed.
"I knew it." The words escaped softly. "I knew there was something unnatural behind all this."
Iru nodded. "The hunt provoked the entire clan; the attacks afterward were retaliation."
Levin looked toward the mountains, toward the distant wilderness. Then quietly murmured, "So the wolves created their own disaster." freēwēbnovel.com
Silence.
Then Iru continued. "They also intend to hide this information from you."
Levin chuckled, a soft, dangerous chuckle. "And from Zeramet as well?"
"Yes, Malika."
The smile vanished instantly. Levin’s eyes became cold for a moment...he looked exactly like a ruler. Exactly like a noble raised within royal courts.
Then he slowly sheathed his sword. "The reason is obvious; they fear Zeramet will leave, and they fear he will refuse to fight for them."
Iru nodded. "Do you think they wish to use the Malik as their shield?"
Levin looked toward the council hut, toward the leaders discussing his husband, and then quietly replied, "They intend to."
The words carried certainty. "The wolf clans have always been greedy, and greed blinds even intelligent people. They see Zeramet’s strength, they see his power, and they see a solution, but they do not see the price."
Silence.
The winds howled, and then his voice became colder. "My Prime Alpha is not a weapon. He is not a shield and he certainly is not a sacrifice."
The training grounds fell silent. Iru lowered his head, then quietly asked, "What do we do now, Malika?"
Levin remained silent, thinking and calculating. Then slowly looked toward the healer’s hut, toward the place where Zeramet waited, toward the eggs, and toward his family. His answer came moments later.
"We help them." Iru blinked; the answer surprised him. Levin continued, "We owe them that much; they saved Zeramet, and they sheltered us, and I do not forget debts."
His gaze sharpened.
"But there will be limits. We will not fight their war for them; the wolves of Qashmir must face the consequences of their ruler’s actions. We will guide them; we will advise them, and we will help them find a solution."
Then Levin’s eyes narrowed dangerously.
"But we will not allow them to throw Zeramet into a grave simply because they are afraid to enter it themselves."
Silence.
The winds moved through the training grounds. Iru slowly nodded, understanding. Then Levin looked toward the distant mountains, toward the lands where the remaining beasts still roamed.
And quietly said—
"We do not need to destroy the clan. We only need to find its weakness."
The morning sunlight illuminated his blue, sharp, calculating, and unyielding eyes, and he clenched his fist, mumbling, "I will not let anyone touch my family."
