BANG! BANG! BANG!
Continuous shots echoed from the back of the mansion, stopping Nathalie and Butler Gilbert. Both were already at the mansion’s back entrance when they looked back at the sound.
They could still see a bit of the pavilion, only to catch smoke from multiple rifles being fired at once.
"What a sha," Nathalie whispered, staring at the smoke coming from the pavilion before slowly turning to resu her steps. "He would’ve been better ntored by ."
Butler Gilbert kept his silence, staring in the direction of Zoren’s execution. After a second, he turned and followed Nathalie.
Walking a step behind her, he leaned forward a little, studying her back quietly, repeating the words she had just said in his mind.
"He is Naylani’s son," he muttered, and Nathalie replied without looking back at him.
"And my own flesh and blood." Nathalie kept her eyes ahead, showing no trace of pity or regret despite her words.
It wasn’t like she felt any emotional attachnt or connection toward Zoren. The only thing that connected them was their blood—that was all. Perhaps, if the forr head of the Zorken Family were alive, this would be a big deal. But tis had changed, and Nathalie didn’t care about bloodline whatsoever.
The only reason the thought crossed her mind was that... she couldn’t help but wonder about the possibility of nurturing Zoren. He would have been a better piece than Jonathan. The latter, after all, was nothing but a pawn trying to be king.
"About his n outside..." Gilbert trailed off as Nathalie cut him off.
"Kill all of them," she ordered, even though she’d promised Zoren to spare everyone. "Bury them all alive along with this island. After that, we’re leaving."
Gilbert lowered his head and stopped while Nathalie continued to walk away. After a second, he raised his head and gazed at her side. A subtle smile turned up on his face.
"Madam," he whispered, feeling a sense of pride in his heart. "In this lifeti... you won—I made you win."
---
Back in the Pavilion
CLANG!
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The sound of gunfire echoed in the pavilion as smoke quickly fogged the area. The sll of sulfur was thick in the air, enough to suffocate anyone.
Then—
THUD!
THUD!
Limp bodies falling to the ground one after another started to make a nice rhythm. When the smoke thinned, Zoren still held the teacup handle, but the rest of it had already shattered on the table.
"Ah, no..." he whispered, staring at the broken cup, bodies lying around him. "It seems every ti I drink tea, I always get interrupted."
Now that he thought about it, it had been a while since he was able to truly enjoy tea.
Snapping his eyes up ever so slowly, his gaze glossed over all the bodies now lying on the pavilion floor. Even those blocking the entrance and exits were down, the pond surrounding the pavilions rippling as so had fallen over. The water quickly turned red as Nathalie’s pet school of fish quickly had their feast.
On top of these bodies, though, were red dots skimming through each of them.
"Ugh..."
BANG!
Zoren almost jolted at the sudden gunfire, only to see one of the n trying to lift his head get shot down in an instant.
All these laser lights were enough to light up the place, yet not a single dot landed on him.
Slowly, Zoren turned his head to where the laser lights were coming from. He couldn’t see where they were; they could be from a mile away or a few more. Or perhaps, from other islands.
Either way, the corners of his mouth curled up into a satisfied smile with a tinge of relief.
"First Brother," he whispered. "You did it."
---
Sowhere on the Island...
Atlas stood behind countless people who had thronged one of the tallest hills on the island. All n and won were ard, though they wore civilian clothes. Yet, they handled their weapons with such precision and skill.
Even so, Atlas, as always, the doubtful lad, wouldn’t be satisfied with just a display of arms without seeing the result. Holding a pair of huge binoculars, he could see Zoren in a pavilion, looking in their direction with a smile.
"What is that fool smiling about?" he deadpanned, lowering the binoculars.
A chuckle rang from his side, making him turn, and his eyes fell on an old granny. His eyes moved down to the old granny, who was also lowering her binoculars.
"What a bold thing to do," she said with a laugh. "However, that is not a surprise from a Zorken."
She then snapped her eyes up at the young ice sculpture clad in human skin beside her. "He must’ve trusted you too much."
"Everyone trusts , sadly," he answered monotonously. "Must be because of our ranking. I am the eldest, hence the first placer."
The granny laughed. "HAHA! No wonder that young lady just wants you to hide from the world."
"I know," Atlas peeled his eyes from her as he watched a man approach them. "I’m too precious for this world, that’s why."
"Haha..." the granny shook her head in amusent, looking at Atlas’s side profile. "Everyone will hate and respect you, for sure."
She then turned her head to the approaching bulky man, who had stopped before the two of them. He lowered his head slightly before facing her.
"Madam, our team is ready," he remarked. "And the party in the mansion has started."
The granny smiled before she cast Atlas a look. "Do not report to . It’s him you report to now."
The man slowly lifted his eyes before he shifted his gaze to Atlas. The latter’s expression hadn’t even changed from the beginning until now. Actually, Atlas looked a bit more bored now that he had gotten what he wanted.
"Do what you must," was all Atlas said with a jerk of his chin. "Just make sure none of my family will get hurt..."
He paused and approached the man, who was akin to a giant compared to him. "Or I’ll kill you myself."
The bulky man didn’t react. He simply stared at Atlas before nodding in understanding, before he wordlessly turned. But before he left, he snapped a finger at a few of them.
"I’m sending ten of you across the island. Cover for them."
With that, a few people just automatically packed up their stuff, even though he didn’t na one. As this was happening, the granny turned to Atlas.
"How about you?" she asked in amusent. "Aren’t you going to join the party?"
"I’m coming, but I’m not putting myself in the middle of it."
Her brows rose. "And why not?"
"..." Atlas blinked at her as if he couldn’t believe she even asked the question. "It’s dangerous."
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