Meeting the Councillors

Estefan walked into the council's meeting room. The heavy door swung open violently, pushed aside by the severed heads of the guards who once stood watch. The heads rolled across the floor, sending a wave of panic through the room. Councillors jumped to their feet, terror etched across their faces.

"Sorry to ruin the mood." Estefan said casually, stepping inside, "but it seems there's an issue with management."

The room remained silent, all eyes darting nervously, not at Estefan, but at Galliard, who stood beside him as their eyes were shifted back and forth between them. Galliard was standing some feet behind Estefan who did not say anything to the terrifying brutality of his new lord Baron.

Estefan chuckled and turned to his butler. "No need to look at him. His begging won't save you from me." His gaze turned icy. One of the councillors stammered, "W-Who are you?"

Estefan sighed in disappointment. "None of you received my father's orders?" He clicked his tongue. "I'm the new ruler of this city and by that, I mean your superior, your ruler, your master. And judging by your incompetence considering you didn't even check the orders of the Duke, I'm disbanding this pathetic council immediately."

One councillor ran to Estefan and dropped to his knees. "My lord, please forgive us. We didn't know…" It was a councillor named Vetrigar who was one of the oldest and said to be an influential Councillor of the city due to lasting in the council for decades.

Estefan planted his foot atop the man's head. "I don't want apologies. I want information, detailed records on the gangs and criminals ruining this city. You're going to give them to me. Fast."

He walked to a nearby seat and sat down, crossing one leg over the other. "Don't keep me waiting, I don't want to waste time on such stupid inconvenience."

An hour passed. The councillors returned with boxes stacked high with files and documents. They scrambled to arrange them neatly before him.

Estefan eyed them coldly. "Dogs like you only move when the whip cracks. But before I read a word of this, I need to be sure none of you are already wagging your tails for the enemy."

Their reactions were immediate, sweating, trembling, downward glances. Estefan watched them closely, noting how their eyes kept drifting, not to him, but elsewhere as if they were avoiding meeting their eyes with him.

He was furious but held it in, Estefan understood that all of them were compromised. None of them were loyal to the Duchy since they all were afraid of him and his questions. Although it was an obvious outcome, he did at the end hoped for at least one of them to be good but it was not to be.

"Simple question." He said. "Raise your hand if you've ever served the gangs or any criminals for money or maybe blackmail or threats like out of fear or whatever. Just raise your hand."

No one moved, not one of them thought of raising their hands to reveal their relation with the criminal organisations.

All Estefan could see was that they were more afraid of those scum than him. Even though he literally showed them the heads of their guards. "They fear them more than they could fear me or father… Seems like those criminals are either brutal or splashed quite a lot of money to keep them all silent." He whispered to himself while looking at them.

Estefan sighed. "Of course not. Because none of you serve the city or the Duke. You serve yourselves. Your greed. Your cowardice. The people are just tools to you. And when tools break, you throw them away."

He was not wrong, Estefan although wasn't exposed to much of the world of politics could easily figure out the issues of it. He understood that those who were in power only cared about fattening themselves with money, food or even fake praises from the people over false achievements or over their ego of being at the top.

They only care about themselves, the ones who were beside them, their families as the people were nothing but tools.

Tools meant to ensure they can get the money and food they need for luxury. He didn't feel pity but only disappointment on them because his father failed to see through this and get rid of them before. It was clear that people like this would definitely betray the Duchy for money.

He stood slowly, voice growing colder. "You betrayed the people. You betrayed the Duke. You betrayed this land. And for that, the punishment is death." He declared, because there was no other thing which was more deserving than death for people like them.

He sat there and rubbed his eyes while tutting with disapproval "There is no point in continuing this." Those were his last words before a whisper of cold air was felt by the Councillors on their neck. Then came the blood which was spurting, flowing, staining everything red in the large hall.

One by one, the councillors dropped. Some choked on their own screams. Others writhed, clutching their necks. Some simply collapsed, lives extinguished by unseen blades. The execution was as artistic as it was ruthless, slow, merciless, precise.

Only one man remained: Vetrigar, the elderly councillor who had begged for mercy. He trembled, blood soaking his robes as he knelt in the pool of his colleagues' remains.

Vetrigar stared down onto the blood, he could see his face reflected on it and he then saw Estefan's face. It scared him because he saw Estefan staring at him with a rather fearsome smirk, like if he was facing the devil itself.

Estefan remained seated, smiling faintly. "You understand now, don't you?" He asked while looking at the old councillor.

Vetrigar nodded, eyes wide in horror. "A… monster." He whispered.

Estefan laughed for a bit because he heard what Vetrigar said. "Call me what you like. But I do what must be done. And you.." Estefan stood up, "You're still useful. For now."

[To be Continued]