The Herb King

It was the day of the execution and Hugo Ward whose hands were tied by chains was being pulled by the executioner to the guillotine. His head was covered by a black hood so nobody could see his face.

Hugo could hear the angry crowd jeering at him, but this didn't faze him. He knew that the only way for his Ward Household to survive was for him to die as the only sinner.

"Kill him!"

"Die, traitor!"

The executioner raised his hand as a signal for the crowd to remain silent. When everyone quieted down, the executioner opened his mouth. "Everyone, this man is Hugo Ward. He conspired with the Northern Viper Group to cause harm to our Leone Empire! Because of his dealings with those bandits, many of our soldiers died!"

Among the crowd, Alec Ward and the others from the Ward Household stared at their family head with mixed feelings. Some were happy, while others were sad.

"Father..." Alec clenched his hands while looking at his father in remorse.

The executioner turned his gaze at Hugo. "Do you have any last words?" He asked coldly.

Hugo Ward remained silent. No one could see his expression since it was covered by a hood.

The executioner dragged Hugo to the guillotine and positioned the man's neck directly beneath the blade.

"Kill him!"

"Kill!"

The crowd yelled out.

The executioner removed the hood on Hugo's head. A few people gasped out loud upon seeing him.

His hair was disheveled, and blood covered his face. His eyes looked wild, and his lips were twisted into a cruel smile.

The crowd grew angrier upon seeing this. Their loud cursing and jeering intensified.

The executioner felt disgusted by his expression. He then pulled the lever, which then released the blade that swiftly and forcefully decapitated the head of Hugo Ward.

Hugo's head rolled on the platform. The cruel expression on his face was still there.

The executioner grabbed the decapitated head and raised it higher in the air, making the crowd erupt into cheers.

"Father!" Alec kneeled with his hands against the ground.

The executioner placed Hugo's head inside a sack before putting it inside a chest. He then glanced at the crowd and said. "His Majesty will give a chance to the Ward Household. The members of their household will be on the frontlines in the war against the Northern Viper Group!"

Under the spiteful gazes of the crowd, the members of the Ward Household could only lower their heads. They were lucky that the emperor has given them the chance to redeem themselves.

Meanwhile, among the crowd, Albert shook his head. "His Majesty is merely using them as cannon fodder. I don't think they will survive the clash against the Northern Viper Group." He muttered.

Rendell who was standing beside him sighed upon hearing this.

Some members of the Ward Household were innocent, but they would be punished along with the other members. It was the result of betraying the Leone Empire.

Soon, the crowd thinned down as the execution was concluded. Only some members of the noble household remained to chat with their acquaintances.

"Oh, aren't you guys from the Lassiter Household?" It was Samira who came with her family.

Harold Reynolds and Julius Reynolds stared at Albert in surprise. They could sense that this man was a Level 4 Esper! It wasn't even long before they had last seen each other and this guy had already entered the elite circle.

Rendell lightly bowed his head upon seeing Samira and the others, while Albert cupped his fists.

"Sir Aethelwolf sent us here to represent the Lassiter Household." Albert said in a calm voice. He was no longer cautious when speaking with Level 4 Espers, but he still spoke to them in a respectful manner because they were Aethelwolf's friends. "I am Albert Nicholas, the commander of the Lassiter Household's army." He introduced himself. He then pointed at Rendell and said. "This man is Rendell, a trusted aide of Sir Aethelwolf."

Albert and Rendell conversed with Samira's family. Their two households were allies so they quickly befriended each other.

Soon, other people also came to chat with them.

***

Inside the mansion of the Lassiter Household.

"When you are speaking with an older person, you must speak to them politely, okay?" Aethelwolf was teaching Olivia how to be a good child. She was a magical beast so she needed to learn the basic etiquette of the humans.

Olivia nodded her head while biting on her biscuit. "Okay."

Nom. Nom. Nom.

"Alright. Let me check if you are really listening to what I told you." He paused and asked. "If a stranger comes to you and offers you a piece of candy, what will you do?"

Olivia tilted her head and replied with a bashful smile. "Take the candy and say 'thank you'."

Aethelwolf's mouth twitched. "Wrong."

Olivia stared at him in confusion.

"You should not take anything from a stranger. What if the candy they give is poisoned? You should ignore them or just politely decline, okay?" Aethelwolf rubbed her head gently. This girl lived in the jungle all her life so she knows nothing about this.

"Okay." She nodded her head. She then looked at him and said. "I want to play with Kerrin and Alba."

Aethelwolf wanted to reject her, but when he saw her big puppy eyes, he could only helplessly nod his head. "Alright, but you must listen to what I say later. You have to promise me."

"Promise." Olivia smiled widely before she excitedly jumped from the balcony.

The little girl was now accustomed to her human body and she was now as agile as a monkey. She landed on the open field and searched for Alba and Kerrin.

Aethelwolf chuckled at the sight of this. There were a lot of guards in the vicinity so he wasn't worried about her. Besides, her body was even stronger than those on the same level as her. It was the advantage of being a magical beast with Phoenix Bloodline.

While looking at the little girl who was running around carefreely, he took out a cigar and lit it up. "Hugo should be dead by now..." He muttered.