It was nighttime on the forest road leading back to Deep Valley City.
Smallwood rode on horseback, his face beaming with a triumphant smile.
"Damn him for daring to threaten me! For making me lose face in front of everyone!"
"Not only will I get my things back, but I'll also set fire to your army to create chaos!"
Behind him followed over twenty family soldiers, their horses laden with heavy packages.
And a large number of carts pulled by lead horses.
"Hahaha! All the losses to the territory have been recovered!" Smallwood excitedly told a knight beside him. "Father will be very pleased!"
"That Lord Arthur, who fought the wildlings to the death, just made things easier for us!"
"Our territory was burned to the ground by that Lord Arthur! This is compensation!"
"When we return, Father will surely reward us handsomely."
Smallwood was still fantasizing.
Suddenly, urgent hoofbeats sounded from ahead.
Lord Lofo Deep Valley, accompanied by two knights, charged over, his face ashen.
"Father!" Smallwood greeted him with surprise.
But unexpectedly, Lord Lofo Deep Valley showed no sign of reining in his horse, rushing forward with a grim expression.
"Bang!!!" Lord Lofo said nothing, delivering a fierce punch that knocked Smallwood off his horse and to the ground.
Smallwood scrambled to his feet, blood gushing from his nose and mouth, dazed and disoriented, his mind a blank.
"Fa… Father… What are you doing?"
"You idiot! Idiot!!" Lord Lofo trembled with rage, his eyes bloodshot, pointing at the packages on the ground and the packhorses behind. "Bastard! You bastard!!"
He had arrived too late; his son had secretly taken people out of the city without his knowledge, instructing no one to tell him.
It was only now that he had received the news, calling two knights to rush here in a hurry.
He was shocked by his son's foolishness and audacity!
"Why are you so foolish!! How dare you do such a thing!!" Lord Lofo trembled all over.
He Luo, finally somewhat clear-headed from the beating, quickly defended himself:
"Father, calm down! Don't worry! I only brought about twenty family soldiers!"
"The news will definitely not leak! And by then, Lord Arthur won't have any evidence to say I did it!"
He thought his father was worried about the crime he had committed, which was almost on par with kinslaying, oath-breaking, and treason.
"Ah——!!" Lord Lofo pointed at him, trembling all over, his eyes bloodshot, too furious to speak, even the horse beneath him was tense and restless.
"How could I have a son like you!!"
"Seven Gods above!! Please punish me!!"
Lord Lofo considered himself a man of his word, so he had carried out the request he had already agreed to with Arthur, to retrieve half of the spoils outside the city.
Moreover, he could sense that this sixteen-year-old young noble was by no means a benevolent person.
A benevolent person would not be able to command three hundred farmers to defeat wildlings.
He wanted to offer his son to Arthur to atone for the crime, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. His wife had died young, and now he had only this one son.
Lord Lofo looked at his son with a mixture of anger and disappointment, feeling that he might have been too busy governing the territory and had neglected him.
To the extent that he was so dishonorable, and even more so, so foolish.
Truly foolish!
Since he chose to do such a thing, he shouldn't have brought only twenty people, but everyone!!!
To make the other party hesitate, and to prevent the news from leaking, they wouldn't dare to do anything, and could only request the Lord's intervention!!
Then there would still be room for maneuver, even if he had to don the black robes himself and go guard the Wall in place of his son!
But now, bringing only twenty people, wasn't that precisely giving the other party an opportunity to kill them and silence them!!!!
And after finishing the deed, not immediately returning, but dragging these life-threatening spoils and wasting time!!!!
Isn't this waiting for the other party to pursue them!!!!
At this thought, the furious Lord Lofo dismounted and gave his son another punch!
Smallwood finally looked at his father in pain.
"How dare you commit such a crime!!!" Lord Lofo rushed forward, kicking and cursing. "How dare you commit such a crime!!!"
But ultimately, seeing his son's face covered in tears and blood, he stopped his actions.
Lord Lofo's punching motion turned into a pull, yanking He Luo off the ground and pushing him onto the horse's back.
"Get on the horse with me! Quick! Before they come! We must leave! We must return to the city immediately!"
But he froze, his skin crawling with goosebumps.
All the hairs on his body stood on end.
Because he heard it.
A cold, emotionless voice, yet it filled him with dread, making him shiver all over.
"Lord—Lo—fo—where—are—you—going?"
Lord Lofo's face turned pale, and he stiffly turned his head, looking towards the source of the voice.
Arthur, the boy he deemed of unequal status, slowly walked out of the shadows.
From all directions, from deep within the jungle, from behind the bushes, one by one, soldiers covered in blood and holding sharp blades emerged.
Their blades were stained with fresh blood, glowing red in the dark night.
Although the soldiers of Deep Valley City immediately drew their weapons, the trembling of their weapons in their hands indicated their extreme fear.
Lord Lofo forced himself to take a deep breath, barely managing to calm himself:
"Lord Arthur, this matter is my doing. I am willing to go to Dai Ding City with you for trial and accept the most severe punishment."
"My family will compensate you for the casualties and losses you have incurred, no matter how many times over!" His tone was humble.
No longer did he view the person before him as a child, but as a noble of equal status.
He knew there was no need to argue this matter; it was better to admit it.
Arthur did not speak, looking at him and shaking his head with a smile.
He had to admit that the pressure from this sixteen-year-old noble and his soldiers was so immense.
He released his hands from the horse.
And knelt on one knee before Arthur, "I will voluntarily don the black robes and guard the Wall! In exchange for your forgiveness!"
So humble was he that his son immediately jumped off his horse and tugged at his father, "Father! Father!"
But Lord Lofo remained motionless, offering no response.
Arthur did not speak, merely looking at him and smiling.
But this smile terrified him, and what made him feel fortunate was that this young man had not given any orders to his own soldiers, so he could only maintain his posture.
He had once not wished to speak fairly with this young man, but now he yearned to beg and plead for him to speak to him.
"Your soldiers must abandon their swords, and you, Lord Lofo, must kneel on both knees before me and present your sword." Arthur said, his face wreathed in a light, carefree smile.
In Westeros, kneeling on both knees represented complete, unconditional surrender, a utterly humiliating display of total submission and subservience.
Lord Lofo stood up, his robust body seeming to be weighed down, his stooped figure becoming incredibly old. He slowly walked towards Arthur.
"No!!! Father!!!" Smallwood cried out, trying to rush forward, but was held back by two knights from Deep Valley City, struggling fiercely. "No!!! Father!!!"
The knights and household soldiers of the Deep Valley family all had reddened eyes.
Lord Lofo slowly walked to a spot three paces from Arthur, his legs feeling as if they were filled with lead.
One leg knelt, but the other refused to follow, so he had to press it down hard with his hand.
He lowered his head deeply, holding his sword above his head with both hands.
Lucien went up and took the sword. The recipient did not take the sword himself, but had a soldier take it, which was a complete and utter humiliation!
Lord Lofo kept his head bowed, trembling all over.
"Now, have your men abandon their swords." Arthur's voice remained calm, with a hint of a smile.
Lord Lofo trembled as he tried to stand and turn to give the order, but Arthur, who had stepped forward, pressed him down.
"I want you to kneel!!!" Arthur's voice had lost its calm, a cold reprimand.
"Lord Arthur, you must swear before the Seven Gods to spare my only son, and never break your oath." Lord Lofo trembled all over, but still managed to utter the sentence completely.
"Very well! I swear before the Seven Gods!" Arthur showed no reaction, seemingly accepting the proposal as he spoke these words.
Lord Lofo trembled, pressed down by Arthur, kneeling on both knees, and with great difficulty, managed to turn around to face his soldiers.
"Abandon your swords!!" Lord Lofo closed his eyes as he gave the command, "Abandon your swords!!"
The soldiers of Deep Valley City, their eyes red, one by one threw down their swords and weapons.
Arthur's soldiers collected the abandoned swords.
Smallwood wailed, his fists continuously pounding the ground.
But soon, he could no longer cry.
A soldier standing behind him grabbed his hair, pulled his head back, and cleanly slit his throat.
Blood gushed out.
"Why!!!! Arthur!!!!" Lord Lofo roared repeatedly, his eyes bloodshot, "Arthur!!!! You swore before the Seven Gods!!!!"
"Why!!!!" "Why!!!!" "Why!!!!" "You swore before the Seven Gods!!!!"
Arthur yanked his hair, forcing him to watch his son lose his life amidst gasping sounds like a bellows.
"Your son killed ten of my guards! They were my soldiers, my brothers, my kin!!!!" Arthur whispered in his ear, "And!!!! I don't fucking believe in the Seven Gods!!!!"
Arthur slit his throat with a short blade.
He flicked the blood off his hand, signaling his soldiers.
Then he turned and walked into the darkness.
Behind him, screams of slaughter could be heard.
But Arthur never looked back.
Until his figure disappeared into the darkness.