Chapter 45: New Mayor
Adam stood amidst the carnage in the ruined courtyard of the Baron’s mansion. The headless body of the Baron lay nearby, his severed head resting beside it.
Lucas, the Baron’s son, was kneeling on the ground a short distance away, clutching his broken arm and bleeding from numerous shallow cuts, sobbing over his father’s death.
The few remaining soldiers were either dead, pinned to the wall, or likely buried under the rubble of the collapsed mansion. Alina watched from near the gate, trembling with a mixture of fear and awe.
Adam turned his empty white eyes towards Lucas. He walked over to the grieving young man and stopped in front of him. Lucas looked up, his face streaked with tears and blood, expecting death.
Instead, Adam pointed the steel sword he held – not the tip, but generally in Lucas’s direction – and spoke, his voice cold and commanding. "From this day forward," Adam declared, "you are the acting head of this household. You are also the new mayor of Crestport City and its surrounding territories, until the King appoints otherwise."
Lucas stared up at Adam, his expression bewildered. Mayor? Head of the household? After everything that had just happened? After this being had killed his father and dozens of his men? It made no sense.
Before Lucas could even process the strange declaration, Adam reached out with his free hand, palm facing Lucas. A soft, warm light emanated from Adam’s palm. It washed over Lucas’s body. Instantly, the stinging pain from the dozens of cuts faded away as the wounds rapidly stitched themselves closed, leaving only faint pink lines.
Lucas felt the bones in his broken arm miraculously knit back together, the agonizing pain vanishing, replaced by a dull ache and then nothing at all.
He hesitantly moved his arm, finding it fully functional again, though sore. He stared at his arm, then up at Adam, completely stunned by the effortless display of healing magic, which seemed just as powerful as the destructive force he had witnessed moments earlier.
"You are healed," Adam stated simply, lowering his hand. "Now," he continued, his tone leaving no room for argument, "you will come with me. We are going to hunt down the Spider Syndicate."
Lucas remained kneeling, still trying to understand the whirlwind of events. His father was dead, his home destroyed, he was suddenly declared the new mayor, healed by the same being who had injured him, and now he was being ordered to hunt the very criminal organization his father had been secretly working with. He felt lost, scared, and utterly confused.