'Pah! Pah! Pah! Pah! Pah!'

'_'

.

The battle within the palace went on for quite some time until all knights had been subdued.

Both soldiers outside the building, as well as those working with Scott, had now won victoriously.

Only a handful of soldiers got injured with arrows, while the enemy lost woefully.

65% died while the rest remained injured.

They had no choice but to surrender because there wasn't much that they could do about it.

And while the other prisoners were properly handcuffed and guarded, Nopline and the rest had been dragged out of the passageway to the main hall on the floor they were currently at. 

'Plop!'

Nopline, Kamara, John and Lecter stared unwillingly at the men who had forced them to kneel disgracefully.

Their faces looked haggard, as if they had been journeying in the desert for years.

And coupled with the dirt and charcoal that they had previously rubbed, they truly looked like slaves.

Their breathing became coarser, as their chests rose and fell in fury.

None of them had ever suffered such a demeaning blow to their pride as they did now.

Nopline was already in tears as he felt his fleshy knees become slightly numb.

Anger, resentment, unwillingness and pain were all the things he was feeling right now.

Kamara and the rest also felt the same too.

But what could they do?

They grumbled and whispered amongst themselves anxiously.

And soon, they saw a masked man walking alongside some other soldiers towards them.

At first glance, they knew that it wasn't crown prince Altar.

The figure was taller and sturdier than Altar's.

So who was he?

Nopline's eyes turned cold when he saw the figure.

Was this the bastard Landon Obley that he had been looking for?

As expected, the guy had targeted him from the beginning.

This bastard was truly hateful.

.

The moment the masked man stood before them, everyone's body turned nervous.

They could feel the man's hatred oozing out of him from a mile away and they didn't know why.

What the hell?

How and when had they offended this fellow?

They trembled silently, while the masked man just stood there looking at them calmly.

And even though they couldn't see the guy's face, they could still feel his rage.

But why did the man feel so familiar?

John gritted his teeth and lifted his face to stare at the masked man.

"Noble Sir, who might you be?

And in what way the Teriquen empire offended your noble self to the point where you have to reel havoc to our empire's palace?

If our tiny empire did offend you in any way, then I promise that I, Duke John will give you an explanation and compensate you to your heart's content!" John said heroically. 

Since this person wasn't Altar, then it meant that they still had a chance to turn things around.

Provided they could please this man, then they would be safe right?

In the meantime, Nopline was silently panicking.

He knew it!

These bastards who he had looked after for all these years would readily sacrifice him once if they knew that this man was out to get him.

Thinking like this, he couldn't help but look at John and the rest in disdain.

What a bunch of backstabbers!

.

John waited for the masked man's response, but all he got was silence.

His smile crumbled and his face became slightly embarrassed.

He felt like digging a hole and holding in it.

F***!

Wasn't this guy too much?

John felt like the masked man hated him more from amongst them which left him baffled.

'Bro... when did I ever offend you?'

John thought for a while and couldn't remember offending anyone as powerful as this masked man.

What was up with this dude?

The silence made Kamara and the rest antsy.

And soon, they couldn't take it anymore.

"Please Noble sir, we promise to give you an explanation and compensate you properly.

This is our promise as Teriquen royals."

"Oh?

Then my dear wife and brother, why don't you tell me how you intend to properly right all your wrongs?" 

John, Kamara and everyone else turned pale fr0m fright when the masked man took off his mask.

"You... you... don't come any closer.

How is this possible?"

"You should've died a long ago.

Why are you still alive?"

"No! No! No! 

I don't believe it!

You... you... you aren't my brother.

You're an impostor!"

"Yes!

That must be it.

He's an imposter who wants the throne.

This is all a plot to put yourself on the throne, isn't it?

I know my late husband's body during his last years.

He was weak, sick and as thin as a twig.

And even ling before that when he was fine, he still wasn't as huge as you.

So who are you?

You are not my late husband.

You are an imposter!"

"You fake!

My late father left me with the throne and now you lowly imposter wants to pry my throne from my hands?

No way!

Everyone must know that you're fake!

He's fake! He's fake! He's fake!

I, his majesty Lecter Parcely am the real Teriquen monarch.

So don't even dream of it!"

"_"

.

Micheal looked at the hysterical people kneeling before him and felt it funny.

They had really gone mad just from seeing his appearance alone.

As for him not looking the same in terms of body size, that was probably because he worked out and followed a special diet that buffed him up like a superhero.

He was larger and felt stronger than before.

Again, he understood why they still doubted him and thought that his face was fake.

That was because many assassins and spies were still masters of disguise.

Of course, face masks didn't exist yet.

So assassins would physically paint their faces and even attack wall sorts of hair from animals to create facial hair and whatnot.

They could even create a fake mole and many other deformities from their skills.

Paint, hair, charcoal, wheaten flour, crushed flowers and many other popular medieval makeup skills were used by these assassins to sneak their way in and out at times.

But, if they should ever be met with rain or water, then everything might wash up.

Knowing this, John and the rest felt like the Micheal before them was an imposter.

Yes!

He was an imposter after their throne!!

.

"You're definitely an imposter.

My late husband was poisoned by one of the deadliest poisons of all that doesn't have a cure.

So how can someone like that magically heal up and transform from a twig to a giant?

Do we look like children to you?

You are undoubtedly a fake!" Kamara said while shaking her head and with her eyes wide open.

She and the rest were so shocked that they had forgotten that they were captives.

Who wouldn't be?

Someone who they found dead had come back to life after all this while.

No matter anyone's string ability to adapt to arising situations, if a person's dead relative suddenly rose from the dead... it would cause shock, panic, fear and all sorts of emotions to let loose.

Some might run for their lives, while others might scream and even confess to any offence that they had done towards that person.

And amidst all 4 of them, Nopline was the one who wanted to run for his life the moment he saw Micheal's face.

If not for the fact that his hands get handcuffed behind his back, and the fact that his knees were slightly numb, he would've already made a run for it.

All he kept whispering was the word: Ghost!

His voice was so low that no one could hear him at all.

That was how stunned and frightened he was.

After all, he was also the one who got the poison and gave it to Kamara to do the deed.

And coupled with so many things that he had done behind the scene against Micheal for the past decade, he truly thought that Micheal was here for his life.

"Ghost, Ghost, Ghost!

You stay away from me.

Ghost!!!"

(-_-)