Leo was greeted as a hero upon his arrival at Briarhelm.
Around 6 p.m., just as the sun was beginning to set, Leo reached the capital of the Eastern Duchy, where the gates swung open to welcome him. A few minor barons had arrived earlier with small forces of only a few thousand men each, but it wasn't until Leo and Viscount George appeared that the East Duke truly felt a sense of relief.
"Baron Boss, Viscount George, welcome to Briarhelm, thank-you for responding so swiftly to my call" East Duke Victor said, as both Leo and George bowed in respect.
"We must act swiftly now, for the rebels are making the situation worse with each passing minute.
I've already given an order to recall the local defending forces and my army back to the periphery of the city, so every armed man that you encounter on the streets today can be considered an enemy.
What I want you to do now is sweep the city sector by sector with your troops and force the civilians who are not affected by the fire back into their homes, restoring law and order at once.
I cannot trust my own men, and will need additional help from you once we have regained control over the city, however, the first thing we must achieve is control over the streets–" Victor said, as he shared his plan with George and Leo.
It was a flawed plan, and Leo could see through it with ease.
The plan did not take into account those citizens whose houses were burning in fire and had nowhere else to go?
If suppressed for no reason under such stressful times, they would undoubtedly grow to resent the Duke in the future, however, Victor did not seem to care about such details.
For him, restoring the law and order of the city was his only priority, and hence he did not care about the means necessary to achieve it.
"Worry not my Lord, I'll deploy my forces at once. They will help restore law and order in the city" George said, as contrary to how he talked about Victor behind his back, whilst in his presence, he became as obedient as a dog.
"I will too, however, before I deploy my forces, I'd like to go to a vantage point and survey the condition that the city is in, before I make the deployment.
This is so that I can identify the areas that have become the most violent and the areas that are the worst affected by the fires.
But worry not my Lord, once I have the data I need, I will also act swiftly to quell rebellion" Leo said, as the Duke nodded understandingly to his request.
It was a sensible decision to scout the area before deploying the army and hence Victor suggested that the two of them do it together.
"A very reasonable request Baron Boss…. Let's go to the highest point in my manor which couples as a viewing deck for the city.
From there we should get a good look at the whole city" Victor said, as he invited Leo to his own Manor's viewing deck.
"Thankyou…" Leo said, as he gracefully accepted the offer and began following Victor towards his manor, much to the annoyance of George who wanted to use this chance and cozy up to the Duke himself.
On their way towards the viewing deck, the East Duke began his rant on the rebels, much to the annoyance of Leo, who had no interest in his hateful words.
"These fucking rebels," East Duke Victor spat angrily, his face contorting in disgust. "They've infected every corner of the Empire, corrupting the minds of the weak. Traitors, every single one of them! They're like rats, gnawing at the foundation of our civilization. But I'll have them all slaughtered, burned out of their holes! If it were up to me, I'd hang every last one of them from the gates!"
Victor's rant continued, his voice growing more venomous with each word, but Leo barely heard any of it. The Duke's rage-filled words were little more than background noise, drowned out by the dark thoughts swirling in Leo's own mind.
'How should I kill him?' Leo mused, his expression remaining neutral, though an evil smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.
The thought of plunging a dagger into the Duke's back, clean and efficient, was tempting. A single swift strike between the ribs, piercing his heart in an instant, seemed like a quiet, classy end to an arrogant man.
However, if he followed this method of assassination, he would miss out on the Duke's expression as he betrayed him, and Leo really wanted to see his face when he plunged that dagger, as he wanted to say that this one was for his master 'Ben Faulkner', to the Duke before he died.
Hence he wondered if something slower, more… entertaining would be a better option to choose?
As to what it could be, Leo's thoughts drifted to Dumpy's lethal poison.
Just a single drop on the edge of his dagger coupled with a small cut—barely a nick on the Duke's skin—would be enough to make the Duke writhe in agony as the poison coursed through his veins.
Leo imagined the man's face contorting in fear and pain, the once-proud Duke reduced to a pitiful figure gasping for mercy, and the idea seemed almost too delightful to pass up.
However, there was always the most straightforward option—slicing the Duke's head clean off. Decisive. Quick. And it would make a point as instead of telling the Duke why he died, he could then use his head as an example for the world to understand why he died.
'Hmm…. What should I pick? Should I eenie, meenie, mini, mo my way into this?' Leo wondered, as Victor's voice droned on in the background, oblivious to the fact that the man walking beside him was planning a most gruesome death for him.
The Duke had no idea he was living on borrowed time, each step bringing him closer to his end.
As they finally reached the viewing deck of the manor, the chaos of Briarhelm unfolded before them.
The city was ablaze, dark smoke rising into the twilight sky, as fires raged across the landscape, consuming buildings and spreading panic among the people below.
Screams and shouts echoed from the streets, adding to the already oppressive atmosphere, as the city, once a symbol of order and prosperity, was now a portrait of utter chaos.
Leo stood beside the Duke, gazing down at the burning cityscape, his mind still preoccupied with the question: 'How should I end him?' As shockingly, even in the face of such horror and tragedy, Leo did not feel an ounce of sympathy for those who suffered below him.
Unlike Luke, who had a kind heart and an inherently righteous personality, Leo possessed no such quality.
Having been raised in a tough environment as a child, the only people Leo cared for were his own family and himself, while the world mattered little to him.
He was no hero who fought for the masses, nor was he a saint who cared for their plight.
However, for those who offended him, Leo was worse than the god of death himself.