Raven stood at the gates of the mansion silently and he didn't speak to any of the guards that came down from the carriages to ask him what was going on. They all wanted to know where the king was but Raven didn't tell anyone anything. He just waited for all the stakeholders to arrive.
It wasn't until four other carriages arrived from the horizon that Katherine saw Raven's shoulders lose tension and relax. Was Raven afraid that they wouldn't come?
Raven relaxed because he knew that if everyone didn't come then they would have all been killed. Raven tried his best to tell everyone just how important this meeting was so that they would all come but there could always be unforeseen exceptions. Thankfully, everyone came in time. Once the carriages arrived, Raven spoke up in a loud voice.
"Please leave your carriages outside and enter the building. Don't mind the dead bodies or the dragon. We have a lot to talk about,"
The stakeholders all came down from their carriages and congregated in front of the mansion while murmuring amongst themselves! The newcomers were still gawking at the dragon and Raven couldn't blame them. I know I said not to mind the dragon, but if I didn't already see the dragon before then I would also be shocked. No one has seen a dragon in centuries and simply seeing one now must be a giant shock to them, but they need to focus. There is something much worse than a dragon inside the mansion.
Raven told everyone to leave their guards behind and follow him before he turned and started walking inside the mansion. But no one followed him. What the fuck did he mean by leaving our guards behind? does he want us to enter the building defenseless? We can't just walk in there when all these dead bodies are scattered around!
Katherine's father was the first person to walk forward and he spoke up loudly to Raven.
"Shouldn't you at least tell us what happened here before asking us to follow you into the mansion that has hundreds of dead guards scattered around it? I don't think you understand how unnerving this entire scene is, Raven. I know you didn't do this because you're not strong enough to kill these A-class knights, but you don't look surprised by it. this is making me doubt you more than I trust you. Tell me, are you trying to take over the kingdom, Raven?"
Katherine's father said the last part with narrowed eyes and everyone also started to murmur as they had the same thought. Raven couldn't have killed all these guards because he just didn't have the strength for it, so, doesn't that means that there is someone else inside the mansion that managed to kill hundreds of guards on their own and Raven is trying to make them go into the same mansion? It doesn't make sense to trust him.
Raven sighed in a way that showed everyone just how tired he was. It was like he aged ten years from just that one sigh. When Raven spoke again, his words were heavy!
"If I try to explain what has happened in the last twenty-four hours to any of you, you wouldn't ever believe me. Just know that entering this mansion is the only way you can live and if any stakeholder is remaining outside here after I enter the mansion, the dragon will kill you and then the rest of us will die as well,"
Once Raven said this, Dragonnel rose his head up curiously to look down at them all. Dragonnel heard Raven talking about him so he became curious about what Raven was saying. But once Dragonnel rose his head, everyone thought that Dragonnel was responding to what Raven said and they all took many steps back in fright!
After some time, Dragonnel just dropped his head back in boredom while huffing. His cold breath froze everything on the roof he was lying on easily! There wasn't anything fun to hear from them so Dragonnel lost all interest.
The stakeholders stared in shock at the frozen roof! That was just a huff from Dragonnel that froze the roof! What would happen if he was trying to freeze us? Most of them could even feel the cold air all the way from the ground!
Raven just nodded to the stakeholders before he turned and started entering the mansion. He didn't even take ten steps before everyone ran after him to make sure they weren't left outside!
All the guards stayed outside the mansion and the stakeholders went inside to have their meeting. The inside of the mansion was just as bloody as the outside. There were dead bodies everywhere and body parts were hanging from different parts of the building. Katherine couldn't take two steps without accidentally stepping on a bloodstain or a body part, it was absolutely disgusting!
Katherine wondered what the hell they were doing here in the first place. All of this seems too fishy, it doesn't make sense that all these palace guards would be dead and the king would still be alive. Likely, the king was also dead. But if the king is dead, then what are we doing here? Why were we called to the mansion? Don't tell me that Raven is planning a coup... Right?
"What happened here, Raven? I think you owe us at least that much of an explanation. These people were torn apart like animals and you're walking among them like it's nothing. Don't you have any conscience?"
One of the stakeholders, a plump woman that had a fox scarf around her neck, spoke with a grimace while trying to avoid some of the blood on the floor. She really wanted to know want the hell happened here and she knew that it was the same as everyone else. It just doesn't make sense for these many people to have died without there being an all-out war. There aren't even any enemy soldiers on the floor so that means that this was a one-sided massacre. All the guards were killed and the other side didn't lose a single man.
Raven knew that they would all be curious, but even if he wanted to tell them, Raven couldn't. Floid told Raven not to reveal too much to the stakeholders until they get to the meeting room. Floid wanted the stakeholders to be in the dark for as long as possible so that Floid would be able to weed out those that are not useful and keep those that are useful. And besides, what the hell do you mean by conscience? I sold all of us like cattle just a few minutes ago. I have no conscience.
"You'll know what you need to know when you need to know it. For now, just keep quiet and follow me. But I'll give you this one bit of advice. Whoever you meet in there, don't anger him. He is not someone that forgives easily,"
Katherine rose a brow in confusion and she could see that a lot of the people were also confused. Who the hell was Raven talking about? It has to be the same person that killed all these people. But how did this person get Raven to join him? It is very difficult to make Raven so submissive and this person was able to break Raven this quickly!? Katherine just saw Raven yesterday and she could still remember how Raven slapped her. Even if Katherine still hasn't given him for what he did, she can't figure out why he would change so drastically! Raven seemed fine just yesterday so how is it that he is so mellow today? Just how strong is this man?
Raven led everyone into the meeting room where the stakeholders usually had their meetings. There were twenty-eight seats around a long oval table and there was one seat at the head. The seats were all empty but a man was standing beside the empty seat at the head of the table. Once Katherine saw the man, she shouted in anger!
"You!!? What the hell are you doing here!? And where is that master of yours!!?"
Alucard ignored her. Alucard didn't even look toward her and Katherine became agitated when she noticed that he was ignoring her!? This bastard wants to die!!
"Seat down girl. Don't embarrass me by acting like an idiot,"
Katherine's father spoke gently while walking past her and she stiffened before gritting her teeth and turning away in anger! She took a seat beside her father and she watched as everyone else also took their seats. The silence in the room was almost physical and everyone just waited for something to happen.
After some time, Floid came in from the other room at the side with his hands in his pocket. He looked bored out of his mind but he walked with a regal stride that automatically made everyone sit up straight. Katherine narrowed her eyes at Floid once he came in but she looked away once she saw him glance at her. she had no idea what was happening here so she knew better than to anger Floid pointlessly. She would listen first and then she would know if she already sealed her fate or not.
Floid took a seat at the head of the table and he waved his hand for Alucard to hand him a book. Everyone in the room recognized the book. It was a record book that only the king of Trad should possess. It held the history of the kingdom, the names of all the stakeholders as well as their assets. What the hell is going on here?
"What are you doing with that book? And what is going on with all this? Who are you people?"
One of the stakeholders couldn't take it anymore and he stood up while slamming his hand on the table in anger! Alucard only looked towards the man for a few seconds but the look in Alucard's eyes made the man slowly seat back down silently and he just bowed his head. The look in Alucard's eyes was terrifying! Alucard gave everyone a once over and then he turned back to his master.
Floid continued looking through the book calmly and once he was done memorizing everything he looked up and spoke.
"I'm going to state this before anything else. I only need nine of you alive and the other six are going to die. I've had a look through your logs and it is possible to distribute your estates among the nine that will live and everything will still work as well as before. So I'll give you five minutes to decide who lives and who dies."
The room was silent as a graveyard.
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