CH226 Alex, the Apologiser

***

Arriving at City Hall, Alex and Udara met Lieutenant Cross, who was coordinating and collating military affairs on Alex's behalf, as well as Laura, who was engaging the victims' families in another room.

Nodding briefly toward the Lieutenant, Alex headed to the families' room first.

"Why have you gathered us here? Killing our loved ones wasn't enough?!" a middle-aged man suddenly roared at Laura.

"Hey, calm down," another man tried to restrain him.

"Calm down? My son... my son is dead!" the grieving man shouted, his voice cracking. "Not only did the so-called Guardian Family of the empire arrive late after the Wildkin attack, but you unleashed the very spell that killed my son!

"What right do you have to celebrate a victory? You came late and you killed the people you were supposed to protect!"

His eyes burned as he turned to the others in the room, even shouting toward those lingering outside the doorway.

"Why are you all silent? Is it fear? What more do you have to fear from them? Who among you hasn't lost someone to the Wildkin, or them? Where were they when the monsters stuffed themselves with your loved ones before your very eyes? Have you forgotten the screams, the agony, as your kin were devoured alive?

"And now they dare claim victory?" The man's voice broke into sobs.

"Yes... you are strong, aren't you?" another man wept bitterly. "If you had arrived earlier... my wife... she would still..."

More and more people broke down in grief. Sadness morphed into anger, and that anger spread like wildfire.

The Fury soldiers also lost themselves to rage as their patience was worn thin by their words.

"We owe you nothing!" one soldier snapped. "Blame yourselves for swearing fealty to a weak lord!"

'Alas... as I feared.'

The ugliness of human nature reared its head before Alex's eyes. The grief of the people, combined with years of resentment under noble oppression, was about to erupt. And it was the Fury family who would bear the brunt.

If it were any other noble, they would suppress the unrest with threats and violence. But Alex could not bring himself to do the same.

He stepped forward, striding into the room where the victims'—his victims'—families gathered.

The civilians fell silent, almost instinctively, as his very presence exuded the gravitas of authority.

Alex stopped in front of them and faced the crowd directly.

"The Fury Family was only recently informed of the true severity of the Wildkin raid. The Kellerman family, in their hubris, downplayed the threat. By the time we could rally sufficient forces, the situation had already spiralled beyond control. Even the Kellerman nobles themselves abandoned these lands in secret."

His voice grew heavier, every word deliberate.

"You have every right to be angry. Be it us—the Guardian Family of the North—or the lord you swore fealty to, we nobles have failed you. We failed in our duty to the people of the great Virellian Empire."

He paused, his crimson eyes sweeping the room.

"But from this moment onward, with your support, I tell you this; we are here now. We will drive the Wildkin scum from your lands. And the Kellerman family will be made to answer for the failure they brought upon you."

Alex drew in a deep breath.

"I know that nothing I say now can ease the sorrow or grief in your hearts. But if you will allow this grave sinner to try..."

He lowered his head and bowed deeply.

"I sincerely apologise for the pain and suffering you have endured because of our failure... the empire's failure."

Not only the victims' families in the room, but also the civilians gathered throughout City Hall—and even the Fury soldiers themselves—were utterly stunned.

"Young Lord Alex, what are you—?" A soldier began, but was quickly pulled back by his companion, who silently shook his head.

"Who... who might you be?" asked the grieving father who had first cried out. His voice was raw, trembling between anger and disbelief.

Without lifting his head, Alex replied, "My name is Alex Fury. I am the General in command of the Fury family forces tasked with reclaiming your lands from the Wildkin."

'Fury? A scion of House Fury bowing his head to commoners?'

The civilians could hardly believe their eyes or ears. Yet Alex wasn't finished.

"I am also the one who killed the loved ones of those gathered here."

A ripple of shock spread through the crowd.

"That spell... it was you...?" a young woman whispered, her voice unsteady.

"Yes." Alex confirmed without hesitation.

The revelation struck them harder than the spell itself. Some fell back onto the floor, their legs giving way. The idea that one so young could unleash such destructive power was unfathomable.

But more confounding still was the question; why would someone so powerful bow his head to them, mere commoners?

"Why... why have you gathered us here?" another woman asked, her voice trembling with fear.

Alex finally raised his gaze to meet hers.

"No one can deliver true justice to you for what I've done. So I felt you deserve at very least to see the face of the man responsible. If you cannot let go of your loss, then if one day you gain the power, or if you can move someone who has it, you may come after me.

"That is your just right.

"And... as someone pointed out, it is exactly what I myself would do."

His voice carried a heavy note of guilt, tinged with bitter self-mockery.

"Then why?" the father demanded, his eyes burning. "Why did you strike such a spell down upon us?"

Alex drew in a slow breath and exhaled.

"Because we could not allow the Wildkin to use you as tools to threaten us. If it worked here, they would repeat the tactic in every human settlement they conquered. There would be no end to it.

"And for you, for the common folk, that would mean enduring far worse suffering under Wildkin rule."

His crimson eyes dimmed as he continued.

"The spell was designed to kill only the captors, allowing my forces to rescue the hostages. But I miscalculated. Three of the lances struck the hostages themselves. I also failed to account for the vitality of certain Wildkin. They were meant to die instantly, yet some survived long enough to drag another nine hostages from the wall... to their deaths."

He added softly, "I say this not as an excuse... but because, in that moment, it truly was the best move we could have made."

***

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