Chapter 51 Tieflings (Part Five)
In the “Ruined Home,” Medrosh gathered all the Tiefling refugees.
Regardless of age ender, or status high or low, as long as they were scious, all Tiefling refugees were summoo the camp square by him. It was their usual gathering pce, also used for major annous.
Medrosh first looked around, sing the faces of his kin, thin, scarred, and tormented.
"I... didn't do anything wrong."
Medrosh murmured to himself in a voily he could hear.
Finally, he made up his mind and slowly raised his sword.
"My kin, I've had enough of this wandering life, of being hunted endlessly."
"Our Tiefling blood has already flowed too much."
"What we need is not to flee—"
"But revenge, an eye for an eye, blood for blood."
This Tiefling padin, usually calm, spoke with passioensity, and a different gleam shone in his jet-bck eyes.
Many Tieflings who knew him well found this hard to believe.
"From now on, we will join the Ember ."
"The great red dragon, the destroyer of the Eagle Guards, Lord Cassius the Flying Fme, will be our master, providing us shelter and leading us in revenge against those who persecuted us—the vampires and humans."
"We will reorthwind Fortress, recim our homend."
"Lord Cassius will lead us iing a ruly fair order."
As he spoke, there roar, a tinuous murmur uments and discussions.
Many Tieflings had lost loved ones in that tragedy; revenge had loheir only faith for survival, and now the fire in their hearts was ignited by Medrosh's words.
They raised their ons high and cheered.
"Revenge!"
"Revenge! Revenge!"
"Take Northwind Fortress!"
"Cut off Duke La's head!"
Yet there were also dissenting voices among them. Although many had been affected by the tragedy, they still believed in kindness and humanity, hoping to secure a pce to live through peaceful means.
Such as Lerisha.
The young female Tiefling, filled with astonishment and anger, couldn’t help but step forward to persuade:
"No, Medrosh, we must not bee followers of the evil dragon."
"If we do this, how are we any different from that bloodsug duke!"
Many Tieflings agreed, expressing verbal support or nodding in approval.
Yet Medrosh only looked at her.
"Lerisha, you didn’t listen to what I said before."
That look made her feel strange, as though it held a sort of pity, or perhaps reluce.
But at this moment, she didn’t care. She was more ed about arguing her point.
Lerisha shook her head repeatedly, arguing early:
"No, Medrosh, you’re wrong."
"Those humans were influenced by the duke’s deception. We could tell them the truth, rally them to join us in peacefully resisting the duke's bloody rule; this is the right path."
"I’ve already tacted a group hteous people from different pces. But if we bee the dragon's followers, all of that will be ruined, I..."
Her voice suddenly halted.
The sound of a sword pierg flesh rang out.
"Swish—"
Blood spttered across Lerisha's face.
Her beautiful ke-blue eyes, filled with disbelief, stared at the man before her who had driven his sword into her chest.
"Why…"
She seemed o have expected such a thing to happen.
Medrosh’s familiar jet-bck eyes now looked so cold, sn, that it sent a chill down her spine.
Before losing sciousness, she seemed to see Medrosh’s lips move slightly, and knowing lip-reading, she uood what he wao say.
—It was "I'm sorry" in Infernal.
Her frail body slowly fell.
Warm blood gushed out, dyeing the pure white snow red.
Medrosh drew his sword out decisively.
He khe ing red dragon was watg all of this in the shadows; this was his "pledge of allegiance," signifying that there was n back, only submission.
It was also a clear decration to all those in the camp that the so-called “peace fa” would have no pce here.
Lerisha wasn’t wrong; she was just too na?ve.
So hat she thought trust alone could erase all flicts in the world, just like he once did. Now, this former knight of redemption had bloodstained hands.
"I’m sorry, Lerisha."
"This is just for our kin… to survive."
Blood on his face slowly trickled down as Medrosh thought to himself.
The surrounding Tieflings seemed stunned by this bloody se; the air was thick with silence, and everyone was hushed.
No one dared speak anymore, even those Tieflings who had cried out for “revenge” fell silent.
"Lerisha colluded with fn enemies, leaked information…"
"Punished acc to military w."
Ign the blood on his face, Medrosh raised his bloodstained sword with a cold expression.
"Revenge!"
He repeated.
"Revenge! Revenge!"
"Take baorthwind Fortress! A blood sacrifice for our kin!"
This time, more Tieflings echoed his call, cheering in rhythm, though some of their expressions seemed less than natural.
Suddenly, a dragon’s roar resounded from the sky.
"Roar—"
The red dragon desded slowly from the sky, standing oallest boulder, gazing down at the Tieflings below.
Medrosh turned and blended into the crowd at the right moment, saying no more.
Cassius spread his wings slowly, casting a vast shadow over everyone, filling the Tieflings with a powerful sense of oppression.
"I, Cassius, master of the Ember , wele your joining."
"I will grant you ample prote and support, bestow you with honor and strength, and help you establish a town here."
"And iurn, you must bey eternal followers, fight for me, defeat the greedy eagle of the north wind, and capture the entire Northwind Fortress."
Medrosh stepped forward respectfully and said:
"This town will be born under your shelter; please grant it a name."
The golden pupils of the red dragon showed a hint of mockery:
"Since you’re called devil's offspring, how about calling it 'Baator City'?"
Medrosh's expression remained unged, showing no a the insult, only calmly saying:
"Thank you for yrace."
Cassius narrowed his eyes, watg the calm and uurbed Medrosh below, secretly thinking that this was ihe person who had troubled the La Family for over a decade.
A frightening person with an almost emotionless rationality.
