Part 2
The interior of the town hall was cold and austere, its severe gray walls commanding silence rather than respect. Only the soldiers standing rigidly in the corridors brought the faintest trace of life to a place otherwise frozen in time.
Wide marble stairs led up to the doors of the office of the one who now ruled the city.
There, seated atop the dais, Selka calmly reviewed the stack of documents before her with meticulous care. There was no extravagance in her surroundings—only order. And in that order was a reflection of herself: cold, precise, and utterly unyielding.
"Duchess," Lina announced solemnly, "I have brought these citizens from Varka who seek an audience with you. They still doubt our prosperity and independence."
Selka raised her gaze. Her gray eyes, cold and calculating, swept over the visitors as if she had already stripped them apart piece by piece.
"Thank you, High Pontiff. Leave our guests to me."
Lina bowed with flawless grace and withdrew without another word.
Selka rose to her feet, descending the steps slowly until she stood before them.
"Welcome to Mermur," she said softly—yet her voice carried an authority that froze the blood. "How may I help you?"
Ulises bowed with respect, and Kazuki followed suit with clear reluctance.
"Forgive our intrusion into your… seemingly prosperous city, Duchess. But Arkenfel belongs to Valdheim. I demand to know what has happened here."
The duchess narrowed her eyes.
"Are you aware that you came three months after this city begged for aid?"
Her words landed like lead in the air.
"Bureaucratic issues… no one knew how to proceed," Ulises replied, his voice stiffening.
Selka turned away, walking toward a large map hanging on the wall. She traced the borders with her fingertip.
"Three months ago, Arkenfel suffered a direct assault from Mist Valley," she said evenly.
"That's impossible," Kazuki shot back with confidence. "I was here five months ago with a group of heroes. There was nothing but fog."
Selka barely turned, her gaze like sharpened blades.
"As I was saying, before you interrupted, only the High Pontiff and I managed to defend this city from complete ruin."
Her tone had not risen even a fraction, yet the silence that followed was more menacing than any shouted threat.
"We negotiated with Mist Valley and reached an agreement to establish a new territory," she continued, her calm unbroken. "The corruption of Balliard and Laverick condemned this city. We… freed it."
Ulises clenched his fists, his knuckles trembling, but he said nothing.
"Since then, we have reduced taxes, expanded the territory to include a nearby farming town, and everything is thriving as never before."
"Pff…" Kazuki let out a disbelieving laugh. "Do you really expect us to believe that two women defended an entire city?"
Selka regarded him as one would a spoiled child.
"How naïve… I don't care what you believe. Mermur is free of Valdheim. And if you have any problem with that… you will hear from Mist Valley."
"If I kill you right here and now, I can take the city back myself!" Kazuki declared, trying to sound heroic as his hand moved toward his sword.
Fool, what are you doing? Ulises thought, cold sweat sliding down his neck.
Selka snapped her fingers. The young man froze instantly, unable to move a single muscle.
"What's wrong, boy? Did you get a cramp? Or are you playing statue?" she asked with mocking sweetness.
"What kind of trick is this?!" Kazuki growled, straining uselessly against invisible chains.
"Are you truly weaker than a woman?" she taunted, tilting her head just slightly. "Learn to measure your words before you pretend to play at being an adult."
"I am a hero! My duty is to protect the people!" he roared, though his body remained locked in place.
"Please…" Selka's cold smile curved ever so slightly. "You're just a brat playing hero. The real world doesn't bend to speeches. Only the strong survive."
Her eyes glimmered with a mocking light as she leaned in ever so slightly.
"For your fortune, I happen to feel merciful today… otherwise, I'd have crushed you like the pitiful insect you are."
"Forgive our insolence, Duchess…" Ulises stepped in at once, his voice deep and steady. "We'll take our leave immediately. Please, don't harm the boy. He is… still immature."
Selka regarded him with disdain, as one might glance at a book already read. This wasn't the first time a general tried to mask humiliation with diplomacy.
She snapped her fingers once more, and the paralysis dissolved. Kazuki gasped, trembling with rage and shame.
"Leave my city before I regret showing mercy," she said, returning calmly to her seat and picking up her documents as if nothing had happened.
Ulises didn't hesitate. Gripping the hero by the shoulder, he shoved him toward the exit.
"Thank you for your compassion, Duchess," he said before retreating.
"This isn't over…" Kazuki muttered through clenched teeth, unable to swallow the humiliation.
Once outside the city, the convoy began the return to Varka without incident.
Ulises remained silent, turning over everything he had seen in his mind. He couldn't afford to sit idly by.
What lies in Mist Valley?
Have the vampires and werewolves returned?
Or were they never exterminated, and the old records were lies?
Balliard was a fool, yes… but he had been strong. What in the world had truly happened here?
The questions gnawed at him. He needed a war council—immediately. The commanders of the east and west had to be summoned. The kingdom had to open its eyes.
Meanwhile, his disciple Kanzaki burned with a different fire. Politics and strategy meant nothing to him. All he could think about was the pride two women had shattered with the flick of a finger.
Two women far above his level.
The faces of Lina and Selka etched themselves into his mind like an inescapable duality.
"I'll make them pay… I swear I'll make them pay…" he whispered, his hatred growing sharper with every word.