The heads of three families and their children were in the meeting room. Everyone turned towards Nafız, who was sitting at the head of the long table.
“I have made my decision; you will be the first to learn the identity of the new city lord!”
Everyone in the room had been waiting for this moment. Seeing the human warriors coming from Nikonia, they were demoralized because the orcs had the power to bring one to this title quickly.
“As you guessed, it won’t be one of our armies. The City Lord is sitting in this room!
Quintus’s enthusiasm, whose eyes sparkled in an instant, would vanish just as quickly. After all that had happened, he was the least likely person. He would be lucky if he could hold the arena.
“Nafız, please explain. I’m very excited!”
Young Eftelya had attended such a meeting for the first time, and the quiet tension of the atmosphere was tiring her. Nafız looked at the girl’s situation and gave a small smile, then spoke.
“Okay, miss, I won’t keep you waiting any longer!”
“The new city lord will be Marcos of the Cervantes family!”
Time stood still in the room. While it was thought that Niko would become the City Lord because she had lived with them for so long, Marcos, the youngest male in the environment, would take on such an important task.
“Are you surprised, young man? Quintus was still the priority as Astute lived his final moments. With the final blow, you have proven your worth!”
The fat man looked at Nafız in disbelief; could he be the City Lord? The female orc took a deep breath and continued her words when the question of why did not come out of everyone’s face.
“I talked a lot today. I won’t repeat it; listen to me carefully. When I explained my plan, the three of you agreed, but you froze when the crowd in the stands began to cut. Unlike you, Quintus took priority and quickly did what he needed to do!”
What was said was true! Despite their foreknowledge, the leaders of the Partheni and Cervantes families were unsure of what to do at the people’s cries. At the same time, Quintus was able to kill his wife and son, whom he loved dearly for years, with a vengeance.
“Come to Marcos. Despite his age, he is very daring, and he knows how to evaluate when he has the opportunity. While the events were taking place, he was capable of carrying out whatever task he was given to the letter, and finally, he proved that he could do what needed to be done without getting emotional.”
From the first day in the slave market, Marcos earned Nafız’s admiration with his every move. He had extended a helping hand to the bullied Eftelya, sparring with Quintus in the arena, ensuring secrecy and efficiency at the gate under his control as the orc troops entered the city. Only one question mark remained. How brutal could it get?
She found the answer to this question when he took the dagger in Nafız’s hand and thrust it into Astute’s head. The young boy would become the new Lord of Parthenia.
“Does anyone want to say anything about this decision?”
About a hundred breaths passed, but no one seemed eager to talk yet. “I thought so too!” Nafız said, looking over the people around the table.
“Other than that, I don’t think much will change; the details will be explained when my student gets here!”
Not long after the conquest of Parthenia, news reached the tribe in the arid region. Nafız had sent her student the detailed plan of the city, the city’s financial statements, and the confidential information she had obtained from the Black Harbor Association.
Having received the news and documents, the Bookworm set off for Parthenia under the leadership of Sangre after a short examination. While examining the papers in his fast-moving cabin, he was very excited to see his master again.
The person who led the caravan had also received the news, and a different fire was burning within him. Anger! Sangre was mad because he could not be found in the carnage, and this mood was enough to make the whole caravan nervous.
The day after the meeting, the people gathered in the city’s largest square. While bodyguards surrounded the magnificent stage, the leaders and high officials of the three noble families sat on it.
The crowd, excited for the new Lord to be announced, could not contain their excitement and started shouting when they saw Quintus coming forward after a long wait.
”Silence!”
When his voice echoed, the short man turned into a giant in the eyes of the audience.
“Today, I have been tasked with announcing the new city lord. Unlike those who have been appointed over us for a century, a son of Parthenia will now rule us!”
Before Quintus could finish, a wave of enthusiasm swept through the crowd. Everyone knew that orcs from outside the city had a hand in what had happened, and they were gnawing at the fear that the new Lord would be one of them.
“Happy days are waiting for us, where we will walk behind the person who will erase the past and carry our city forward to better days. Without further ado, I am announcing our new city lord!”
When the people in the square could hear each other’s heartbeats, Quintus had his last words.
“Lord Marcos of House Cervantes!”
When the name of the house of Cervantes is mentioned, the name of Fernandez immediately comes to mind, and when they heard the name of his young son, they were surprised at first but then cried out with joy.
“Long live Lord Marcos!”
“Long live the new Lord!”
Amid the cheers of the public, Marcos strode hard towards the stage that had been left to him. Looking over the frenzied crowd, the young man began to speak as the voices faded.
“Dear people of Parthenia! As a person who grew up in the city’s heart, it is a great pleasure to be awarded this title!
Parthenia, ruled by foreigners for a century, will again be led by its children. It is our most excellent right to carry this pride in our hearts!
Marcos touched the heartstrings of the crowd. Along with his words, a flood of love was flowing towards him. Taking the wind behind him, the new Lord did not stop.
“From now on, management will be carried out by the city council. There will now be representatives of the people here!”
That was the last point; neither the murders nor the deaths of an arena full of people were unimportant at the moment. The new Lord said he was a representative of the people. People who ruled with an iron fist for years were like a raindrop in the desert where they were parched with thirst.
As Marcos finished his speech and left the stage, the festival began. Thanks to the celebrations held until the next solstice, the opening of a new era was officially declared.
Nafız and Alyon were meeting at the gladiator school of the Augustus house after the Lord’s proclamation, and they were evaluating what had happened.
“Ox-head Alyon, I’m glad I told you not to hit it too hard. It felt like my internal organs were going to come out with every blow!”
While she was eating the food in front of her, Nafız grumbled to her friend and assumed a serious expression.
”Come on, dear! You blocked them all with Abarran’s weapons; who are you kidding?”
It was Alyon whose life was in danger. If the sharp side of the weapon that came out of the wristbands came to his fists, his hands would be beyond use.
“There’s a woman in front of you! Learn some kindness, bear!”
The big orc, who didn’t know what to say when talking about a phenomenon far from his own culture, shouted with a knock on the door.
“Come in!”
It was Morrison. Alyon wanted to introduce Nafız, the person he would take as a trainer to the orc tribe in this region.
“If we had gone in the evening and dug a grave, we would probably have found something more alive instead!”
The trainer was stunned by the words of the female orc he had seen up close for the first time.
“What are you saying? Who do you think you are?”
While Morrison was staring at her, Nafız was almost defiant with her gaze. For ten breaths, the two gazed at each other like hyenas prepared for battle.
At that moment, a loud noise came from the table where the dishes were on, and Nafız slammed her hand on the table, and then, with a great laugh, the room rang. The stunned instructor looked at Alyon and saw his smile too.
“Come sit down, my friend. With that look, you’ll get more young people out of your pocket!”
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In this world of death, nothing is serious actually…
Franz Kafka
