Tynesday, 7th of Maia, 470th Year of the Fifth Era

Most of the remaining bandits had surrendered largely without issue following the example of all the Newlander army veterans. There were only a little over a dozen of the veterans left and they had all to various degrees grown discontent with George's rule, tyranny, and megalomania. Most of the skilled bandits that had the least scruples had already been eliminated by the Halak during the failed conquest of Hosniari.

The younger bandit warriors who were mostly escaped slaves, orphans, or refugees, had more of an attachment to the old veterans who trained them compared to George himself. All these factors lead to a relatively peaceful surrender of arms to the Halak.

George had directed the surrendered bandits and officers to open the gates to welcome the Halak King Tagam into Palmerton to which they complied. The king had entered the city with the rest of the army marching behind him, banners unfurled and arrived with the full splendour of their arms and armor on display. All of this while accompanied by the men singing hymns and chanting.

Many of the native Halak within Palmerton greeted King Tagam's arrival with great cheer and fanfare, singing along joyfully to the hymns that the warriors were singing. Some of the Halak even fainted from crying and dropping to their knees on all fours in relief that they'd been liberated. It was a moving scene to many of the villagers there. Their king had come to finally save them from their suffering.

When King Tagam arrived at the front of Palmerton's Great Hall, he was greeted by Lord Parulian and Gregory who had already prepared to welcome him to the city. Outside of the great hall along with the warriors who had completed the infiltration were the hundreds of surrendered bandits who were standing at attention, bereft of their weapons but still standing with an acceptable amount of discipline. The king looked to be somewhat impressed by the display. It was a truly miraculous event. To think they had managed to capture a fort this well defended without any casualties. Simply incredible.

In front of Lord Parulian and Gregory, knelt a sorry looking man with disheveled blond hair, half-naked wearing only a red-coloured robe and nothing else beneath him. He was kneeling with his head bowed and his arms bounded together behind his back. It was indeed the notorious bandit king, George Palmer, himself.

Judging from the looks of it, the bandit king's legs were broken as they looked deeply bruised and twisted. His exasperated panting and his weakened state with bruises all over his body and a deathly pale tint to his skin could invoke much sympathy from even the harshest of people. However, all of that was irrelevant when discussing the full list of atrocities that he had committed in the past year of his life of banditry.

Speaking of which, King Tagam had snapped his finger before a soldier had approached him and handed over a piece of parchment from which the king started listing off George's many crimes one by one. "...For the active engagement in the unlawful trading of the subjects of various clans loyal to the kingdom as slaves. For multiple accounts of extortion upon merchants of the realm. For the unlawful occupation of land belonging to several vassals of the realm. For the unlawful capture of a clergyman of the church. For the vile rape of several women and vassal daughters… and for multiple other infringements upon the law and just the fact that I despise looking at your sorry face. Your crimes are steep, and the penalty is death."

Gregory looked over to his kneeling brother. It was quite something really. Normally his brother would be the kind of person to immediately lash out the moment things didn't look like they were going his way. But now… It seemed that he hadn't the energy to even scream. But despite his apparently weakened state, George was still able to muster up the courage to look the king dead in the eyes.

"...Just get on with it already…" George said before he spat on the ground in front of him as a final act of defiance against the Halak King.

"...Have you really nothing else to say? Do you not wish for your last rites?" King Tagam asked seriously as his eyes looked towards the recently freed and still very disheveled Reverend Hazelby. "I'm sure the good reverend would still find it in his heart to administer at leas that to you. Despite the unwarranted hell you've apparently put him through."

"Fuck that…" George let out a little chuckle. "I don't need the pity of some priest nor the mercy of his God. Heaven wouldn't suit me anyways…"

"...And for the sin of blasphemy as well…" King Tagam could only give a sigh at George's attitude. "Anything else?"

"...There is something…" George had turned his gaze towards his brother. Gregory couldn't help but stiffen up at the sight of his brother glaring at him with such fierce eyes. Despite the fact that he could no longer wield aura, there was still this feeling of dread he had managed to hold over him. But instead of cursing him outright, George gave him an ominous smirk. "I hope you're proud of yourself, baby brother. I won't be there to protect you anymore… But you already knew that."

George gave one final chuckle before he once again locked eyes with the Halak King. "Get on with it. I haven't got all afternoon, you old twat!"

"Very well…" The king curtly handed the sentencing panel back to the soldier who had given it to him in exchange for a pistol that looked intricately designed with an already lit match. "I shall not dirty my hands directly with your sullied blood. May God have mercy on your soul."

King Tagam had shortened the distance between him and George to about four paces away. The king aimed straight to the middle of George's forehead before he pulled the trigger and a loud thunderous bang accompanied the flash of the firelock. In the next second, The front of George's skull had been crushed as he dropped back while still in his kneeling position. The round bullet had been lodged deep into his skull but had not yet fully penetrated it, causing a slight protrusion from the back of his skull with blood flowing from it and watered the ground beneath him with a fresh crimson colour.

"Separate the criminal's head from his corpse and feed the body to the tigers." King Tagam said as he put the pistol into a holster on his belt. Immediately, three soldiers had rushed in to do exactly as he bid. George's mutilated head was severed in one clean strike of a sabre while the two other men covered the bleeding base of his neck to prevent more blood from trailing before exiting the Great Hall's courtyard with the corpse.

Gregory didn't notice that tears had started falling from his eyes as he witnessed the summary execution of his older brother. His hands and shoulders were shaking despite his best efforts to control himself. The only family he has had with him in these foreign and unloving lands. Now, he was truly on his own out here. Standing on his own merits.

As he was in a state of grief, all of a sudden, Gregory could feel a pair of hands hugging him from behind. He didn't know who would dare approach him at a time like that and he was alerted but he immediately calmed down when he saw who it was. Lasta had arrived alongside her uncle and she immediately seeked him out.

Stolen story; please report.

"I'm sorry for your loss and… all that you're going through… I truly am…" A light sob could be heard in her tone of voice. Gregory couldn't help but shake his head before holding her embrace.

"Oy, why're you the one crying? Trust me, my brother wouldn't have shed a single tear for you, Lasta." Gregory tried his best to give a chuckle.

"I'm not crying because of your brother, oto (idiot)..." Lasta was still planting her face on Gregory's back, enabling him to feel the warmth of her breath and a bit of her tears. "I'm crying because I feel sorry for you…"

"Well, then you'll have to just take responsibility by standing by my side forever then."

"...That's my line…"

Despite the fact that Gregory was almost sure that no one had heard their little conversation, as if an eagle, King Tagam had turned his gaze directly towards him. Gregory couldn't help but instinctively gulp when he saw the king squint and scan him up and down before he looked like he clicked his tongue. Soon after, the king spoke once more, his eyes still trained towards him.

"And starting from today onwards, by the power vested in me as King of this realm and with the warriors of Goria as representatives of the Hulubalang as my witness, I award the rule and administration of this village to my beloved niece, Lasta Maria boru Sipirnitondi in the stead of her…" The king looked like he had a bone caught in his throat as he coughed while his face twitched a little "...in the stead of her soon to be husband, the Lord Gregory who shall henceforth be known as Tuan Gregory of the Simarhosa Clan as the Lord of the Simarhosa clan has agreed to the adoption as the amangboru of the Lady Lasta. However, all of this requires officiation from the other elders and in doing so, Lord Gregory will be accompanying me back to Hutangali proper."

Gregory had stood at attention and was about to salute the king before Lasta had tugged at his arm while whispering to him to follow her lead. Both Gregory and Lasta knelt towards the king and made the somba gesture while Gregory answered the king with the words being whispered to him by his fiancee. "It will be as you say, Lord King. Until my dying breath, I swear my loyalty both to you and to this realm!"

King Tagam gave a firm nod accepting the oath of loyalty from his prospective nephew-in-law. "Then it shall be. You will swear your oath once more in my hall at Hutangali, but for now I shall accept the loyalty you have proven to me. In regards to Palmerton, I shall station two hundred of my soldiers here to stabilise the situation. I will also send a few of my administrators here to work together with Sir Ambrose to act as regent of Palmerton in Lord Gregory's stead while we sort out the ritual formalities."

The former bandit officer had followed his now direct liege's example and gestured the somba to the king. "I am honored to serve, your majesty."

"As to the details on the restructuring of these surrendered men, and the management of the villagers who have already been… taken to natural concubinage… We will discuss it further within the king's hall. But for now, I shall relieve the former bandits temporarily of their duties and have them stationed to their barracks. All but the most senior officers among the men of Palmerton have my leave to disperse but only within the boundaries of this village."

As the king gave his decree, the men did as he instructed. None of the former bandits dared to try anything funny, less they risked the ire of the Halak warriors. While the more senior 'officers' among the former bandits didn't show any particular emotion, Gregory noticed that many of the younger bandits in fact showed traces of excitement within their faces. He was only guessing at this point, but it might've been the change in status from being rogue bandits and marauders to becoming official warriors of a legitimate realm.

While one could look at the events of today from the perspective of a fallen ideal and the destruction of what could've been an independent state. From a more reasonable outlook, the former bandits were just that. Former bandits. While some stigma might very well still be attached to them, it didn't change the fact that their status was now no longer criminals. At the very least not in the realms of the Halaklands. They actually had a real permanent home now without having to worry about the constant stresses of being hunted down like animals.

Gregory even had a fleeting thought run through his mind in regards to his new found status. He knew the Kingdom of Hutangali had amicable relations with his former country. If things worked out well enough with his tenure as the Lord of Palmerton, he might even be granted leave to visit his birth-country, whether it be on a trade deal or even on a diplomatic delegation. Though the status of his comrades were technically only cleared within the Halak realms, surely the Republic wouldn't care so much as to jeopardise their friendly relations for the sake of extraditing a dozen deserters. At least that was what he hoped.

Coming back out of his thoughts, Gregory could only prepare himself once more as what the king had said earlier was true indeed. There were still a whole host of issues to discuss and many loose ends to tie up. The day was still far from over and he didn't expect to get any sleep that night, not until at least midnight if any of his previous talks with the Halak lords were any indication.

With that in mind, Gregory had followed King Tagam as he walked towards the doors of Palmerton's great hall. It was indeed a good structure. Even after the doors were being battered down by dozens of men, it still stood relatively well thus proving the excellence of its craftsmanship. Or at the very least, the strength of the wood found within the forests of the Halaklands.

Just before the king had entered the Great Hall of Palmerton, he had embraced Reverend Hazelby. King Tagam showed the sincere look of someone who had been reunited with a very close friend while Reverend Hazelby's own emotions were hard to discern as most of his face was covered by that thick beard of his.

"Your presence has been sorely missed, good Reverend!" King Tagam smiled, showing a toothy grin as he held the priest's shoulders. "But if I may, reverend, you smell like absolute shit right now."

"Bwahahahahahha!! I really do, don't I?" Reverend Hazelby bellowed out in laughter as he patted the king's shoulders. "Well, being stuck in a cage for half a year would do that to you. Anyways, how's my beloved Therese doing?"

"She's doing great, reverend. Suffice to say, she misses you a great deal!"

"I miss my daughter very much as well and I'd like to visit her too now that I'm able, but seeing as how you're setting things up with young Gregory over here, I don't think I'll be leaving this place anytime soon. But no matter, the work of the lord is never over, and seeing how I see Lord Parulian and his old company of friends here, the great Hulubalang as well as the Archbishop has sent you quite the support."

"Indeed they have… Anyways, I still don't know what to think of this former bandit lout getting married to our precious Lasta." The king shot another suspicious look towards Gregory who by this point was getting quite used to it.

"Hahahaha! You treat the girl more preciously than even your own daughters! Gregory here is a fine lad! Don't even try comparing him to his brother…" Reverend Hazelby had gave Gregory a reassuring pat on the back but quickly realised his mistake in referencing Gregory's recently executed brother. He quickly coughed to change the subject, "Regardless, you are right that I am in need of a wash, but seeing as how we still have plenty of things to discuss, it's best if we head inside… Gregory here knows all there is to know about Palmerton so you're in good hands."

"Very well then. If even you trust him, I'll do my best to keep my suspicions at the appropriate minimum." King Tagam said "Anyways, let's quickly get inside. The sun's nearly fully set and the night winds would be terrible."

And with that the king as well as the rest of the High-ranking warriors and officials of both the Halak and former bandits had entered into the great hall to commence further talks of reorganisation. It was only when they entered did Gregory finally remember one final loose end that he personally wanted to deal with. A certain fox-like beast girl who was currently huddled up with the rest of his late brother's personal harem.

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