Chapter 305: Do you know the meaning of your own words?
Chapter 305: Do you know the meaning of your own words?
Such a sudden oath—especially coming from a fourth-stage warrior—made Ethan’s face light up with surprise in an instant.
His eyebrows rose slightly.
"Do you know the meaning of your own words?" Ethan asked, his eyes narrowing as he examined every feature of the warrior before him.
He already knew quite a bit about the City of the Howling Fire, especially through Theron’s son’s friend—the sole survivor of that massacre at the claws of that second-stage beast.
The old Lord of that city was already approaching five hundred years of age—practically the natural limit of life for a normal human fourth-stage Awakened.
In other words, he was at the age when he needed to prepare to place an heir on the power, but... what if that heir wasn’t powerful enough yet?
The Eternal Forest was not like the rest of the continent, where so much was governed by laws, rights, and honor.
When a subordinate became stronger than his own Lord, it was common for that Lord to be left with only two choices: get rid of the subordinate before it was too late, or, failing that, flip a coin and rely on luck.
Perhaps he would gain a powerful and loyal subordinate; perhaps he would lose his own head in the ensuing struggle, leaving his settlement in the hands of a new Lord.
That perfectly explained why Theron was there, so badly wounded and on the brink of death.
He had become too strong, and his Lord, fearing that growing power, had ordered his death without hesitation.
"Yes, Lord Ethan, I am aware." Theron nodded firmly, his gaze not wavering for even a second. "My father always told me that there were four kinds of men in this world."
"Men destined for mediocrity, men destined to become great kings, men destined to kill great kings, and men destined to serve great kingdoms."
"I am destined to serve great kings. Of that I am certain."
Ethan did not reply immediately, scratching his chin in silence for a few moments, as if weighing each word in his mind. "Can you move about freely?"
"Yes, my body has recovered well."
"Excellent." Ethan’s lips curved into a satisfied smile, and he rose from his chair, extending his hand to Theron, who was still kneeling on the floor.
"How would you like to be the next commander of Goldenveil’s First Legion, once it’s formed?" Ethan asked, a bright smile lighting up his face.
Theron, who had already grasped the outstretched hand, wore a strange, confused expression. "A legion? What does the Lord mean by that?"
The confusion on his face didn’t last long, for soon, walking alongside Ethan, he was leaving the barracks behind.
When he stepped onto the streets of Goldenveil, all carefully paved with black basalt bricks, he felt as if he’d been thrust into a completely different world.
He hadn’t realized it until that very moment, but the magical density in Goldenveil was infinitely greater than anywhere he knew—at least twenty or thirty times greater than that of the City of Howling Fire.
He let his eyes wander over the people on the street.
Humans, elves, and dwarves walked side by side, all watching the two of them with a mixture of genuine curiosity and reverence.
On the horizon, beyond an inner wall, a colossal tree soared nearly a hundred meters high, its majestic branches stretching in every direction.
Next to it, he spotted a palace so immense it seemed unreal, as if it had come straight out of a dream.
The City of Howling Fire was large, with more than twice the population of Goldenveil.
Yet it seemed insignificant compared to what his eyes now beheld.
Ethan watched Theron’s awestruck expression with a gentle smile on his lips before finally speaking.
"Although the legion is still incomplete, you can take command of it right now. Well, actually, after a period of training under Doran, since you’ll need to learn the basics of Goldenveil’s military laws and war arts before taking command of anything."
Theron swallowed hard, nodding immediately afterward, a determined gleam appearing in his eyes. "It would be an honor, my lord."
"Great. Doran is in his office; let’s have a drink." Ethan gave Theron a few friendly pats on the back, guiding him back inside the barracks, where Doran was already with three other people: Cain and his elven friend, Vaelith, as well as Vaelith’s father and current second-in-command of the Goldenveil Guard, Thalion.
The four were chatting animatedly about various topics, sharing a few bottles of green fairy wine amid subdued laughter and casual remarks.
Since Doran and Thalion were two of the most powerful men in Goldenveil, there was certainly no shortage of that kind of wine around.
The very moment Ethan appeared in the doorway, everyone stood up at once, greeting him with firmness and respect.
Ethan waved casually, motioning for them to sit back down, and settled himself onto the large, comfortable sofa in Doran’s office.
Theron did the same shortly afterward, receiving a respectful nod from each of those present.
Even Cain and Vaelith, who were only at the peak of the second stage and close to a breakthrough, immediately realized that Theron was a Fourth-Stage Awakened.
Although they were technically higher in rank than Theron, no one there would dare disrespect him, not without having actual power over him.
Fortunately, Theron was a humble man by nature, with no intention of flaunting his power.
"It’s good to have you all here," Ethan said, opening his spatial ring and removing a carefully rolled-up map from it.
He pushed the wine bottles to one corner of the table before unrolling the map completely, smoothing out the edges with the palms of his hands.
Using his ability to scan for nearby resources over the past few months, that was all he had been able to find.
It was time to finally prepare to launch the greatest military campaign in Goldenveil’s history—a campaign that would begin in no more than two weeks.