Chapter 250: The Punishment

Chapter 250

The Punishment

Jason gritted his teeth, watching the actions of the soldiers with frustration. If it had been him before, he would have hurriedly allowed them to rise and not held them accountable. But now, he was no longer the same. After being scarred by the girl’s words, even now, Ellie was still sneering at him with contempt.

This didn’t even include the eldest young lord of the Setter family, who had just insulted him, saying he couldn’t control his subordinates well, not knowing their movements... The soldiers’ actions, resembling rebellion and defiance, only fueled his anger further.

As a soldier, shouldn’t they explain themselves according to military regulations? Especially as their leader, should he act rebellious against him? Just using the phrase "he’s angry" clearly destroyed his image. Did they think he would make decisions merely out of anger!?

"Oh, it seems you are quite magnanimous, wanting to take the blame for your subordinates, is that right? Good! Then I’ll make sure you get the punishment you deserve!" Jason strode forward, drawing his sword, and immediately struck at the other man’s neck.

"Gasp!!" The head soldier was shocked. He never expected that the usually foolish and seemingly kind prince would suddenly change like this. Wasn’t Prince Jason supposed to sigh and wave his hand, saying, "Don’t let it happen again next time"? Why had he suddenly become a completely different person!?

It wasn’t just the head soldier who was shocked; Ellie herself was surprised by Prince Jason’s demeanor. His behavior seemed to perfectly mimic Aman’s character.

Wasn’t this hero supposed to be the one who made the heroine feel most at ease? His character was crafted to be a silent yet generous future emperor, who punished wrongdoing but still gave chances for redemption. He wasn’t narrow-minded like Aman, who ultimately scared the heroine with his methods.

That was the archetypal prince in the novel. Previously, her Professor Medik had been persuaded by Professor Lucien to become more positive. Wasn’t that mean the nature of the main character, the number one hero of the story, would be influenced by someone to change too?

"Y-Your Highness, are you going to execute me? P-please reconsider, I didn’t..."

"Didn’t you? Didn’t you want to take the blame for your subordinates? The lightest punishment for allowing enemies into the Ares Kingdom as if it were their own home is death!"

"I haven’t even considered what harsher punishments should be given. The harshest might be seen as rebellion and result in the execution of seven generations!"

"Oh...and there’s your punishment as the leader. As a leader, you will be stripped of your assets and removed from the military due to this being an extraordinary situation. Yet you neglected it, which could severely impact the kingdom. What do you think those people would do to me? They intentionally captured me alive to take me to their kingdom. They must have a plan to threaten the Ares Kingdom."

“If the harm to the kingdom is greater, then the punishment will be more severe. What should I do...your subordinates’ punishments are already numerous. So, who should receive yours?”

Prince Jason let out a bitter laugh. He couldn’t sneer like Aman when pressuring enemies, but the anger in his eyes was enough to instill fear in everyone!

“And there’s also the punishment for all of you that I believe the squad leader can’t take on behalf of. When a member of the royal family is in danger, shouldn’t you have rushed to help as quickly as possible?”

“And now...almost half the night had passed, and until this battle ended, Duchess Ellie stalled for hours waiting for help. But in the end, you still didn’t show up! I’m truly amazed by your efficiency!”

Jason’s roar echoed continuously, until his eyes began to well up with tears. He wasn’t strong enough to face everyone now. He felt deeply disappointed with his soldiers’ actions. He had always trusted them, but now he realized Ellie was right about everything.

Maybe...after this, he should kneel and apologize to Vida, and look at her sincerely again. Her sincerity might be greater than those he had always trusted...but how could he have hurt someone who was sincere to him like that? Didn’t that make him no different from this scum?

Silence enveloped the small camp immediately. No soldier dared to speak. They all sensed the prince’s profound disappointment in them. Some were fearful of the punishment they would receive, especially those with the death penalty looming over them.

Since he was just ordinary people who had become squad leader by flattering high-ranking nobles to secure their positions, he wasn’t particularly smart. After hearing he would be executed along with his family of seven generations, he lost his composure. The large man started crying continuously, making embarrassing, sobbing sounds.

“You all go back to the city and handle this yourselves. I believe the kingdom will compensate these children for the danger they faced. As for the beast-hunting mission, do it yourselves. I’m taking Ellie to rest; she’s been through a lot.”

Owen didn’t care about the others’ drama. He was only concerned about the young girl who had been sleepless and trying her hardest. His woman deserved to be well-protected, but because she was still a student, this tough mission became her burden.

Owen didn’t wait for any reply. He wanted Ellie to rest and recover from her exhaustion. So, he lifted the small, now appropriately weighted Ellie, into his long arms and held her close to his chest.

Before Aman could request to follow, Owen had already disappeared, leaving his brother to cry internally. However, Aman did not abandon his shamelessness. He invited Koross to run back to the city, so they could return to the Setter family. With so many events occurring, it was necessary to report everything to the family.

After Aman arrived in the city, he found a middle-aged woman waiting anxiously. When she saw Aman, who had come with Ellie before, she rushed to ask worriedly,

“My lord, what happened? Is everyone safe?” Though Aman didn’t know who she was, he wasn’t foolish enough to miss the concern in her eyes. This woman clearly cared deeply for everyone.

“They’re safe.”

“Oh, and what about Ellie? Is she injured?”

“Hmm? She’s safer than anyone. My brother has taken her to rest now. We’re also heading to the Setter family.”

“Understood. Thank God.”

“Hah! Thank God? You should thank my eldest brother instead,” Aman said before striding into the teleportation platform. He wanted to return to Set City as quickly as possible, hoping to see his brother there.

And indeed, as the war situation grew tense, the Setter family remained remarkably calm. Apart from sending some resources to the kingdom for minor war efforts, they focused solely on gathering more resources. The eldest young lord’s next target was no longer to seize cities in floors 1-6.

When everyone learned what the eldest young lord planned next, their hair stood on end. It seemed that the war between kingdoms was of no concern to him. If Owen wanted to act, he could destroy the Rhea Kingdom in one fell swoop. No! The Rhea Kingdom was just a puppet. They heard that the eldest young lord had brought information about the Seven Night Poison group, handing the matter over to the family head, Steven, to handle.

If Owen were to handle it himself, he could settle it in an instant. However, entrusting it to his father might allow them to negotiate something with the Ares Kingdom, which would be more beneficial than having someone as impatient as Owen handle it.

Within the Setter family, the sound of intense training echoed continuously. To meet the eldest young lord’s demands in the next 1 year, they had to prepare for the unprecedented task of conquering a city on the 7th floor, becoming the first family in the world and in history to do so!

This goal was so grand that whenever they moved, all kingdoms would anxiously await the outcome. Even the seven associations might become restless.

They had been stuck on the 6th floor for centuries. Initially, seizing a city on the 6th floor was already big news for everyone. It wasn’t surprising that all eyes were on the Setter family.

However, the eldest young lord treated seizing cities on the 6th floor like taking a stroll. The first city left everyone stunned, the second amazed them, and the third surprised them. But after that, it became routine.

If the eldest young lord announced defeat in seizing a city, that might make bigger news. Now everyone knew that the eldest young lord of the Setter family had transcended humanity, reaching a superhuman level. This was not surprising, as he had been afflicted with life-consuming disease since childhood. The disease was so severe that even taking medication containing Tezetrons every day didn’t cure it. Thus, everyone knew he possessed immense power from birth.

The power to sweep everything away wasn’t what everyone was focused on; they were more interested in the person who helped this emperor recover!

“The eldest young lord is back, and Lady Ellie is with him!” The family guard ran in to report with a panicked expression.

Earlier, they had been in a serious meeting, even though it was late at night. The eldest young lord, though just listening, had contributed many useful suggestions. It was about training the younger generation and strengthening the family’s combat forces.

The initial goal was to be able to seize a city on the 6th floor by themselves without suffering severe damage. After accomplishing that, they would lead everyone into the battle to cross into the 7th floor.

However, while discussing the resources needed for training, and other matter that required the eldest young lord’s input, he suddenly stood up and rushed to the teleportation platform. His silent actions left everyone stunned, halting the meeting to await his return.

They speculated this might be related to Lady Ellie, as she was the only one in the Tower of Eternity. If it were a matter concerning the Setter family in the tower city, the eldest young lord wouldn’t have rushed off personally.

Or else, a soldier from the Setter family would already come to report a problem, but there were no other issues. Their assumptions were proven correct.

Their eldest young lord didn’t return alone but brought back the little lady as well. Something must have indeed happened in the tower.

“What happened?”

“Uh, my lord, the eldest young lord said to wait for the second young lord to explain. He’s currently taking Lady Ellie to her room and has called many servants to look after her. He also ordered food and snacks for her, so if she wants anything, it’s to be brought to her immediately. Hence, the kitchen staff are hurriedly preparing food.”

“Sigh, and Aman is returning too?”

“Yes, my lord, that’s what the eldest young lord said.”

Hearing the soldier’s words, Steven couldn’t help but hold his head, while the other elders sighed. It would be better if he were more manageable. At least he could tell them what he was going to do instead of disappearing suddenly.

While the high-ranking members of the Setter family were holding their heads, Owen had already laid the little girl on her bed. Selin continued her duties well. When the eldest young lord placed Ellie down, she quickly took over, preparing a change of clothes and water for bathing. Owen watched the servants working satisfactorily and then checked the girl’s mood.