The Guardians' Throne - The First Magic Swordsman

                    It was a risky plan, but Erean wasn't planning on taking too many people with him. Some people raised the possibility that some assassins might be lurking around, but Erean didn't think that was actually possible. If that were the case, they would have faced some during the battle. Not to mention, Erean was one hundred percent sure that the dark-cloaked man, who Zaos defeated, was the assassins' leader. Ferdinand probably won't pay the others without him to follow, so they won't have any reason to fight.

                    As it turned out, Erean's prediction was spot on. There were no assassins anywhere near the mountain, the mansions of the merchant families, or even on the whole island. Not to mention, they didn't find any signs of Ferdinand or his men.

"Now this is weird…" Drannor said. "Do you think this is a crazy trap, Captain?"

"No, I would say that he had to leave the island because he has bigger problems," Erean said. "Really, big problems… he left the island without leaving a single lackey behind since people here are just leaving their lives without any problem."

"What should we do, then?" Drannor asked.

"We will move everyone back to their homes and make sure to spread the news while we check the situation on the islands," Erean said.

                    In the end, Erean and Drannor stayed hidden and watched the port city while the rest of the guards went to take Orleand to the port. Once they returned, he decided to show up at the center of the port city. A crowd showed up, and despite the fact that they had a good idea of what happened, they still revealed that they decided not to involve themselves in that mess. Although Orleand had some friends among the group, he wasn't surprised by their choices. In the end, he wouldn't have done the same for them, sacrificed his life, and put his family at risk to save theirs… so, he couldn't say that they should have done the same.

"Where is Ferdinand?" Orleand asked. 

"He left three days ago, in a hurry," Distri, the captain of the ship that brought Ameria's entourage, said. "He took all his men with him, but he also destroyed that before leaving…"

                    It was exactly two days after the battle, so Erean assumed that the defeat wasn't what made him move away with all his men. Erean had noticed that the building that received and sent the crows had been burned down… probably soon after Ferdinand received the same bad news that made him leave the island.

"What are the plans now, Captain?" Orleand asked.

"There is nothing much my group can do, sir," Erean frowned since Orleand never called him captain before. "I was going to ask you what we should do; I believe we are going to need a fleet to be able to do anything, to escape or even to join the next fight."

"All the big merchant families lost their guards, and Ferdinand probably sacked us while we were away," Orleand said. "While some of us have some riches in other islands that we can use to hire some mercenaries, I don't believe we won't accomplish much that way."

                    Orleand was facing a certain type of crisis, he worked hard to become a successful merchant, but all the money he had didn't save him from that situation. He thought that the Sairus kingdom system was better since the people followed the royal family when the same recognized and repaid their loyalty in a number of ways, with titles and lands. Not with just plain money. 

                    Erean could see precisely what Orleand was thinking, but he also couldn't tell the merchant that he couldn't obtain loyal and useful guards overnight. The problem he had faced was just a result of many years of peace and the fact that his country actually didn't have a single leader respected by many. Things in the Sairus kingdom were different because the royal family was basically a symbol of the humans who defeated the demon god. Not to mention, Dalyor was a direct descendant of the human who dealt the last blow on the demon god. While that story seemed a bit fantastical, the followers of the demon god still exist to that day, so he had the story and a legend on his side.

"Even if money can't solve the entire situation, it will help us," Erean said. "Let's just make sure to pay them well and tell those who might join our side what Ferdinand did."

"All right… so I guess it is to let everyone return to their homes," Orleand said.

                    Erean nodded, and the people of the port town began to work to help as well. While they ignored Ferdinand's actions, they couldn't keep doing that. Ferdinand wasn't there to see that, so they could do what they wanted.

                    Many carriages left the port and then moved toward the mountain where the families of the merchants were hiding. Some people celebrated, while others began to cry. They finally could return to their homes after one month of hiding while they feared for their lives every single day. While that had been a terrible experience, everyone knew that it would work to make them better leaders… probably. One could only hope that some of the heads of those families learn something from that. Just being rich wasn't enough when things got really dangerous.

"How is he?" Drannor asked to Ameria and Noemi, who stayed behind and looked after Zaos while he was unconscious.

"Well, his complexion improved, but there are no signs yet of him waking up," Ameria said. "I am not sure if the poison is what made him stay unconscious. This long or it was the blood loss."

"It was probably the blood loss…" Erean said. "Still, as I said, he is a kid with a lot of vital energy, so I am sure he will wake up. Perhaps even faster than before now that we can return and use those mansions."

                    Ameria smiled. Zaos needed a bed to rest properly, but he wasn't the only one…