Chapter 285: The Icing on the Cake
"I am beyond pleased," declared the prince, striving to contain the eagerness in his tone. "This is a magnificent gift, Great Shaman. I am certain my father will value this gesture."
Kellar offered a smile, folding his hands with composure.
"It brings me joy to hear that, Young Prince. Well then, I shall prepare them right now so you may transport them on your return journey."
Prince Caelen knit his brow, blinking in confusion.
"Prepare...?" asked he, tilting his head.
Before the word left his lips, the four tribal guards flanking the hostages stepped forward and drew their broadswords in a metallic hiss. Without granting the gagged prisoners a second to issue a muffled scream of protest, the warriors brought the blades down with precision.
In a single synchronized cleave, four heads flew through the air, rolling across the plaza dirt slicked in blood as the severed torsos collapsed to the ground, staining the earth crimson.
Caelen’s hopes crumbled in a fraction of a second. Color drained from his face, and taking a step back with eyes wide from horror and frustration, he came within inches of losing control.
"What are you doing?!" uttered the prince, his voice cracked with shock. "Why did you kill them...?!"
Kellar remained unfazed. Maintaining a relaxed stance, he laced his hands across his chest and met his guest’s gaze with tranquility.
"Calm yourself, Young Prince," responded Kellar in a slow tone. "Their heads are easier to transport this way. Was that not what you did with your former companion, Varis? I assumed it was custom within the Golden Rose Kingdom for delivering such tokens."
Caelen felt a wave of scalding rage surge up his throat. He longed to scream, curse him, and demand answers, yet he bit his tongue so hard he tasted the metallic tang of his own blood. Unleashing his fury there meant execution.
At Grok’s signal, several guards stepped forward bearing four elegant chests. They were crafted of fine timber adorned with gold inlay and fragments of Fire-Earth stone that glinted with embers, appearing more opulent than the containers Caelen had brought with his convoy. With precise movements, the warriors deposited each severed head inside the chests, latched them shut, and stowed them atop one of the primary supply wagons.
"I trust you shall enjoy a swift return journey," added Kellar, stepping toward the carriage while locking an inquisitive gaze onto the escort. "By the by... there was a fifth captive in our custody, yet it appears he escaped last night. He attempted to sabotage our workshops. The coward fled with his tail between his legs... a true sissy. Clearly, the men of those neighboring realms are nothing more than a bunch of ball-less cowards."
Upon hearing the provocation, Grok and the surrounding tribal commanders erupted into thunderous laughter that echoed across the square.
Prince Caelen and General Valerius forced rigid smiles, offering a tight bow of their heads. Yet within, they burned with rage. Kellar branded Tari, their elite envoy, a ball-less coward right before their eyes without granting them the ability to speak a word in his defense without exposing themselves.
Kellar surveyed them and offered a silent nod. They believed they had masked their composure, yet the subtle twitch in their jaws and the tightening at the corners of their lips did not escape his hawk-like perception.
So that damned infiltrator belonged to you after all... thought Kellar, a cold smirk forming in his mind. Just as I suspected, these bastards cannot be trusted.
The royal convoy’s supply wagons began rolling toward the exterior, passing through the palisade corridor beneath the watchful gaze of hundreds of tribal warriors. Only when the last silhouette of the convoy vanished beyond the Ash Valley hills did the atmosphere in the square lighten. A collective sigh rippled through the crowd; for the first time in days, the captains’ shoulders relaxed.
"Go release everyone from the shelter," commanded Kellar, breaking the silence as he turned toward Grok. "It is over... for now."
Grok nodded and marched off with a squad to evacuate the families and civilians who remained secured within the underground facilities.
Kellar walked toward the square’s center and stood gazing at the four headless bodies lying upon the blood-soaked earth. Originally, his plan involved releasing the envoys from Aethelgard and Valoria after leveraging them as diplomatic bargaining chips, maintaining a three-way negotiation to buy time. Yet the battlefield landscape had shifted: during their captivity or transit near the excavation sites, there remained certainty that they had witnessed or caught wind of Karkadann’s existence.
Allowing them to depart with intelligence of such magnitude would mean exposing his tactical trump card to realms already plotting their destruction. A living envoy holding such secrets represented a hazard; a dead envoy, conversely, became a direct statement and a resolved issue.
Only the dead keep no secrets... thought Kellar coldly, observing the crimson pool expanding at his feet.
"Throw their corpses into the lake," instructed Kellar the guards in a firm voice, "it will feed the aquatic beasts. Clean the plaza."
Suddenly, as the warriors hauled the remains toward the lake, the air before Kellar’s eyes seemed to freeze. A luminous golden interface floated into his field of vision, unfolding a series of system notifications that caused his eyes to widen.
[Mission Completed!]
Congratulations, Kellar! You have completed a Main Quest with A+ Difficulty.
Resist territory invasions for 1 month: Completed (Base Difficulty: B)
Difficulty increase due to user course of actions: Completed (Final Difficulty: A+)
[Hidden Mission Completed!]
Mythical Beast Taming (3/3):
Little Green — Giant Green Eagle
White Tiger King — Mountain Snow White Tiger
Karkadann — Giant Mountain Turtle
[Mission Completed!] Upgrade your Village to Level 3
Expand your territory: [Completed]
Create a road network system: [Completed]
Create a drainage system: [Completed]
Create an educational system: [Completed]
Create a security force: [Completed]
Congratulations! You have fulfilled all prerequisites for a Special Event.
Kellar surveyed the cascade of rewards and system prompts with a smirk that broadened with every passing second. The hardship, high-stakes political maneuvering, and village management were yielding their dividends.