Chapter 9

The Baron took out an amulet shaped like a circle with a blue gem lodged in its center. Ignoring the presence of his two administrators, he activated the amulet. A bright blue light glowed from the gem, before it turned into a large hologram.

After five minutes, a rather suave looking young man glanced back at the Baron, almost struggling to stifle his laughter. It was none other than Baron Katich.

"Oh my holy Sun, pray what happened to you Baron Mith? You seemed to have aged several decades." Katich mocked in his typical tone.

At this moment Mith had an calm poker face on, but his eyes were filled with rage. "Are you ready to handle a trial in the King's court?" He calmly asked.

"What do you mean?" Katich asked back in surprise.

"You can stop acting innocent. I have enough proof to implicate you and your family. I'm sure the King would have much to say about the internal destabilization you've caused." Mith spoke slowly, emphasizing each word like a hammer.

"You can't prove anything." Katich finally snapped back after a moment of silent stares.

"We will certainly see that in court, won't we." Mith asked rhetorically. "Be prepared for justice. Such a terrible scheme won't go down well with the Viscount Bilary either. I hear his son just became a Grand Knight."

"Lord Mith... What do you want from me? Certainly you didn't call me to threaten me with a trial?" Katich finally sighed and dropped his facade of superiority.

"Simple. I want to know who was the co-conspirator. If you tell me that, I will drop the case." The Baron said in a tired voice.

"Are you sure you want to know?" Katich asked seriously. "Knowing will only make things worse."

"Just tell me." Mith replied with carefully held back anger.

"The Baroness. Who else could it be? Mind you, I never interacted with her, but my spymaster did." Katich quietly replied.

"Are you sure?" Mith asked as he gripped the desk, so as to not fall from the dizziness that suddenly struck him.

Katich nodded. "I am. Who else could hatch such a wretched and complex scheme? Looks like she wanted to eliminate your bastard once and for all, but the whole thing turned into a giant mess!"

Without warning, the Baron cancelled the call and got up. He looked old, but the anger in his eyes had given him an unknown energy.

He suddenly screamed. "Philora!"

"Philora!"

"Get down here now!"

The Baron imperiously marched into the training area, and his powerful yells caused everyone to tremble in fear. Everyone had arrived in the training area, even the dazed Jain and the confused Trive.

Philora was the last to arrive. She saw the crazy look on her husband's face and trembled with fear. She had never seen him like this before. Old, decrepit yet crazed!

"Come!" He screamed on top of his voice, which boomed about the training center. Hints of the knights energy began to gather in his body.

"What is the matter dear?' Philora asked weakly. Her entire body was trembling when she saw the Baron take out his sword. The sword was not an ordinary weapon. It was a minor artifact that a friend had gifted him. Mith carried it around wherever he went.

"It is time for your to confess to your crimes." The Baron coldly said.

"Crimes, what crimes?" She asked innocently.

"Do you think behaving like this will fool me? I am giving you a final chance. Did you or did you not collaborate with Baron Katich to hatch this disastrous scheme in Herish Village?"

"What are you talking about? How could I ever create such a scheme and injure my own children?" Philora asked, in tears now.

"I have all the evidence I need to carry out justice. Confess and leave this Barony, or die!" Baron Mith screamed, causing everyone to tremble again.

"What are you saying? I did not conspire to do anything! It must be him! Yes. HIM! This bastard is the root of all evil! He must have hatched this plan to oust me! Whenever his dead eyes look at me, I can see him fantasizing the ways in which he can kill me!" Philora began screaming hysterically while pointing at Locke, who detachedly observed this scene.

He had his poker face on. But he had to admit his plan had worked incredibly well. His goal had initially been to weaken the relationships of this rather tight knit Baron. But as his plan progressed, he found increasingly relevant opportunities that he adapted to and used perfectly. That things would have reached such a head was out of his expectation.

The Baron had lost a significant portion of his life span, and even better, his domineering mental fortitude. That idiot Jain had run himself into the battlefield, ending up a cripple. Trive had shown himself vulnerable to his machinations and he had managed to get Trive's trust.

Best of all, ofcourse, was what was happening right now in front of him. Philora, that bitch. Locke would now complete his revenge for her nefarious schemes. From separating her mother from him, to killing her and starving him in his formative years and treating him like a servant. The payback for the dark history would occur today.

"Look at him!" She screamed. "Look at how his evil eyes are glinting with joy! I'm telling you he plotted all of this."

Locke continued to have a perfect poker face. When Hess saw that he patted the poor boy's shoulder for support.

"Treason! He is a treasonous bastard, that one! Arrest him! It was him, I assure you!" Philora continued to scream desperately, when a powerful slap interrupted her rabid screams.

"Shut up!" The Baron shouted, but then the eldest son suddenly entered the circle using his wheelchair.

"How can you beat mom? She is right! It was that bastard! It must have been! Who else but slimy bastards like him would do this? It was he who turned me into a cripple...!" He too was slapped. This time, it wasn't the slap that Philora received. Mith had completely transformed into a knight once again before slapping his son.

Jain's jaw broke and he was flung into the air before crashing into a pillar. He once again broke several bones in his body. He lay there limp in shock.