“Aren’t you gd you had me here?” Adam asked, doing his best to ighe fact their army was currently cutting down fleeing soldiers.

  The Baron’s eyes were wide with shock, having never seen such a force of nature before. ‘He is surely a Night Lord!’ Yet, though Adam was smiling, the Baron could see the look in his eyes. It was a deeper pain than he would have expected, sidering how eager Adam was to rain down balls ing fire against his foes.

  Some of the soldiers assisted with putting out the flickering fmes, which was threateo set the fields and woods alight. Robert stared at the death before him, frozen in fear. ‘The sir is a Night Lord?’

  “Let’s head to the town, I guess…” Adam said, staring ahead of him.

  “You do not wish to cim the loot?” the Baron asked.

  “Leave some of the army behind ahem hahe loot.”

  “It would be too dangerous to leave even half the army behind,” Matteas stated. “The darkness may engulf them.”

  “Then leave behind your most trusted knight and three quarters of your army,” Adam said. “Even if they try to rebel, they ’t do anything, not when I’m by your side.”

  Matteas was going to refuse exactly because of that, but he wouldn’t have admitted to it. Of course, there was also the fact the army would protect him against Adam. ‘No…’ Matteas thought back to the three giant balls of fire which had rained from the sky. ‘Even with my army, I would be uo defeat him.’

  “Arm one of your knights with that bde, though I might sider to take it as our share of the loot,” Adam stated. “Ah, actually, I’ll let your knight use it for now, but once I return the barony to you, I’d like that sword.”

  ‘Does he truly not wish for the power of a baron?’ Matteas slowly bowed his head, before they made their way forward.

  Victory!XP Gained: +200XP: 16 400 -> 16 600

  “You fihe battle too easily,” Jurot stated, his entire body itg to fight.

  “Against some random baroness whose family we already defeated?” Adam asked, raising his brow. “We’re here to make a det story for ourselves.”

  Jurot nodded. “I would like to fight in a duel.”

  “A duel…” Adam smiled. “Now that’s a great idea.”

  Jurot nodded again.

  “You’re a Night Lord!” Robert accused, staring up at Adam in awe and shock.

  “I’m no Night Lord,” Adam stated.

  “You are!”

  “I’m not.”

  “You are!”

  “Robert, have I lied to you so far?”

  “Yes.”

  “When?”

  “Now.”

  “I’m not a Night Lord! I’m very strong, and I know magic, but I’m not a Night Lord! From what I know, Night Lords ’t walk in the day, isn’t that right?”

  “Yes, but you’re a Night Lord!”

  “I’m a Day Lord, not a Night Lord!” Adam growled in response. “Do you uand?”

  “You’re a Day Lord?”

  “That’s right!”

  Robert blinked. “All the Day Lords are dead!”

  “There really are Day Lords?” Adam asked, raising his brows in shock. ‘I guess that makes sense?’

  “Yes.”

  “What are they?”

  “They are the warriors of the Sun Father.”

  “Oh, then I’m not a Day Lord.”

  “Yessir, you’re a Night Lord.”

  “Yes, sir,” Adam corrected, “and I am not a Night Lord.”

  “You-,”

  “If you call me a Night Lord one more time, I’ll leave you ba town and you find someone else to help raise you into a strong warrior!”

  Robert frowned. “No, sir! You ain’t no Night Lord!”

  Adam huffed. “Look at this ungrateful punk!” Adam shook his head, before chug. His eyes and smile remained sad.

  The group tinued forward, the Baron leading his knight and a dozen soldiers, as well as Adam and his panions. They left behind the gossiping soldiers and knights, who were still in awe of Adam’s capabilities. They were all certain he was a Night Lord.

  Matteas rode up towards the town, which had closed its gates upon seeing the fn army. Guards gathered at the walls, with the oldest guard standing atop it. Charles stared down at the arriving warriors, and his eyes fell to Adam and the others. ‘They’re here…’

  The lord motioo his knight, who raised the rocky bde, revealing they had at least taken the baroness’ bde.

  “I have e after defeating your dy’s army in battle,” Matteas stated, certain some of the army had mao return back to the town. “Surrender yourself to me and I will treat you fairly.”

  “You wish to bee our lord, Baron?”

  “I will honour ao bee your lord, and with you in my domain, I shall be your t,” the baron stated.

  “It has been many geions since our nd has heard of a t, your lordship,” Charles stated calmly. “The st time we heard of a t, they looted their way through the nd, aheir end at the hands of a Night Lord.”

  “To the victor, the spoils flow,” Baron Matteas stated.

  Adam was about to speak up, but paused. He rode up gently to beside the baron, leaning in to whisper into his ear. “We won’t loot the town or the vilge.”

  Matteas stared at Adam. “If we deny the army their loot, we will find their spears poi us.”

  “We’ll pay them well enough that they won’t, but more importantly, read some of the old noble family’s items around. I said half the loot was yours, half is mihe noble family probably has most of the loot. Let’s split that in half, and you use some of your half to reward the soldiers.”

  “What of your half?”

  “If things get really bad, I’ll help you out with it, but I’ll be using that to make sure the tow rebel.”

  “Very well.” The Baron turowards Charles, but Adam leaned in once more.

  “ I do the talking?”

  “I would rather you not.”

  “I don’t like talking to nobles, but with the onfolk? I have a deep love for them.”

  “…” Matteas remained silent for a long moment, unsure of how to proceed. Adam was…

  Adam rode forward oaring up at the guard. “Do you remember me, Charles?”

  “How I fet?”

  “I was the oo kill your lord, so I’m sure you ’t fet that, but it wasn’t just your lord I killed. I killed a lot of people when I killed your baron. I only wao kill your baron, but I oiso that time. Your baron really shouldn’t have poisoned me or my panions. We saved him from the Night Terror, and that was how he repaid us?” Adam frowned, before realising he had started off too ively.

  “Still, I didn’t mean to kill the others. The guards, sure. The meraries, definitely. The knights, a great pleasure. The cook? No. Barry? No.” Adam shook his head. “I won’t apologise for the guards, the meraries, the knights, even the noble. I will apologise for killing the cook, Barry, the others. I’m sorry, truly.”

  “You’re a Night Lord,” Charles accused, swallowing his fear. “A great evil, no, the greatest evil.”

  “I’m no Night Lord, Charles. You’ve seen my panions. I mean, you’ve been a victim under my brreat might. Our powers aren’t unexpinable, and our ons are perhaps the greatest in all the nd, but not unimaginable. I don’t really know what a Night Lord is exactly, but I know I’m not one of them, not when I’ve e across beings that would make even the Night Terror look like a baby sug at its mother’s teet.” Adam stared into Charles’ eyes, though fshes of fire crossed his eyes, the same as Charles’.

  “Charles,” Adam tihough he paused for a moment. “You’ve got a choiake. I’m going to be your baron. Then, as time will pass, I will bee a t, then so on, and so on, until I bee a duke. Then, one day, I’ll pass that title on.”

  Baron Moonglow raised his brows in surprise he was admitting to it right away. If Adam didn’t, then the Baron would have a just reason to go after him.

  “Baron Moonglow here, he’s going to knight you. You’ll bee his knight. Then I’ll bee a baron, and you will be a knight in my employ. Once I leave, you will take your position as a lord here. Your family will be raised into nobility. You’ll protect this town, your town, and your family will do so as geions pass. You will serve your king faithfully, and will honour him for the ce you’ve been given, for the ce that you took. There is another choice, but I wouldn’t reend that choice, because that choice is a choice where you keep yates closed, and you will be remembered forever as the man who put so many of his people to death.”

  Charles stared at Adam, his words sweet, so sweet that he was certain to be a Night Lord. “I ’t believe a word you say.”

  “Then e. e here and see for yourself.” Adam threw a look towards the Baron while motioning a hand to the guard. “I hope you will knight him, my lord.”

  “If you submit yourself to me now, I shall do so,” the Baron said, holding out his hand, his knight pg the bde into his lord’s hand.

  Charles did not make to move or speak for a long moment, though he could feel the expet gazes of his panions all around him. He retreated from the wall, disappearing behind it, before the door was slowly opened, only slightly, just enough to let him through.

  ‘Sun Father, help me,’ Charles thought, approag the small army ahead of him, ready to die.

  Good luck.