Chapter 148: Dragon Rule

  The residents of Northwind Fortress would never fet that m.

  Cassius, the " Hellish camity," stood atop the turies-old city wall, his massive wings blog the sunlight.

  The Red Dragon gazed down at the 30,000 townspeople gathered below, prog the establishment of the Ember Kingdom and deg the fall of the nation they and their aors had called home.

  "roves? Who opposes?"

  The gleam of the hobgoblins’ spears left no room fotiation.

  It was not a discussion, merely a cold annou.

  Thus began the era on rule.

  At first, the people were filled with fear and uainty, barrig themselves in their homes, terrified the monsters would it atrocities—just as described in the 《Song of Ember》: defiling and dev wives and daughters, burning down homes.

  However, events did not unfold as feared by the people or as anticipated by the nobles outside Northwind Fortress.

  Duke Brad La’s crimes were exposed, with indisputable evidence found in the castle’s dungeons. Over his two turies of rule, tens of thousands were tortured to death, and tless disappearances were his doing.

  "This is utter snder!"

  "They’re trying to destroy our history!"

  The residents were in an uproar, their initial rea being to dismiss these cims as fabricated lies by the Ember Kingdom.

  But as more evidence emerged, revealing the skeletal remains and mounds of corpses beh La Castle, even the most stubborn and anti-dragon citizens had to admit their once-revered duke was truly an evil tyrant.

  Only the northern nobles remained defiant, g the evidence was falsified by the Ember Kingdom, or even that the Red Dragon had killed these people—despite the fact that the Ember Kingdom had occupied Northwind Fortress for mere days.

  Panid regret followed.

  After the Ember Kingdom's takeover, discipliieflings had bee the main force of Northwind Fortress's defense, and many residents bore bloodstains from past acts against the tieflings.

  Judgment indeed came. The tieflings arrested nobles who khe truth but tio assist irocities, dug trials in the cil square and beheading dozens.

  That day, blood staihe square.

  Yet, for ordinary residents unaware of the truth, some of whom still harbored hatred and sought revehe tieflings did not pursue further as.

  trary to his outward appearance as a vengeful extremist, Medrosh ragmatic leader focused on his tribe’s survival and willing to employ any means necessary.

  During the war-torn days at the Storm Highnds, he promoted hawkish supporters of reveo maintairibe's strength and ensure resistance. But after reg Northwind Fortress, he chose to ie the dovish fa advog peaceful coexisteh humans, bang the hawks.

  Medrosh stood atop the city wall, overlooking the now-operational Northwind Fortress.

  The bustling streets were filled with humans, tieflings, and even hobgoblins. Though harmoween humans and tieflings was impossible, open hostilities and racial sughter were avoided.

  " Lerisha, you should have uood this long ago."

  "War."

  "Only war bring peace."

  Medrosh murmured as he observed the se.

  The blue, ke-like eyes of a certain someone seemed to appear before him, filled with innod goodwill.

  He ofte regret and pangs of sce, but he did nret his choices—they had been rational at the time.

  Only rationality could save his people.

  Medrosh never let irrelevaions trol him. He also khat indulging in the hawks' vision of brutal retribution against humans would leave the tieflings without a p the Ember Kingdom.

  The dictatorship of the Red Dragon would not tolerate any race disrupting his order—eveieflings, who were being a crucial pilr of the kingdom.

  ………

  "Fresh meat for sale!"

  "Large-sized leather pants, exclusive for hobgoblins!"

  "Selling pre-La Duchy standard silver swords!"

  The streets, dormant from the war, finally regained some activity, though far from their former liveliness.

  For the 30,000 residents of Northwind Fortress, life had to go ardless of whether their rulers were vampires or a Red Dragon.

  To their surprise, the draisters weren’t as cruel and terrifying as expected—at least not after satisfying their greed by dividing up the nobles’ stockpiles of wine, meat, and treasures.

  The future, however, remained uain.

  "Theft is prohibited iy."

  "Unauthorized brarohibited iy."

  "Murderers will be senteo death."

  Cassius, residing temporarily in the cil hall, issued a series of brief "dictatorial decrees."

  Though he couldn’t enforce "viotors will die" oive residents as he did with pyers, his influence gradually made them subsciously adhere to his rules—and that was enough.

  Under Cassius’s ws, even the draisters temporarily suppressed their i brutality, refraining from excessive violend instead creating absurd situations:

  For instance, an ogre named "Big Head" devoured a taverire stod fled without paying, only to be caught by the city guard aeo three years of unpaid bor at the tavern, without food or lodging.

  To the residents' amazement, the "Ember Cw" security forces and "Noe" units rigorously purged the criminal anizations that had thrived in the nobles’ power vacuum. Groups like the "Nine-Finger Guild" and "Devil Gang" were eradicated, signifitly improving public safety.

  Formerly arrogant nobles had fallen from grader the Ember Kingdom’s new system, losing their power to oppress the on folk and even fag trials. Sves gaiheir freedom, and even a boy was rescued from a noble’s basement.

  Pyers flooded into the city, eager to seize opportuhe 《Cult of the Mae God》 guild built a steam-powered engine and began strug meized factories. The 《Magic 》 guild used spells to provide services to residents, earning gold and bringing spellcasters closer to daily life. The 《Royal Authority》 guild bought a hall and decred themselves open to all merary work.

  Some viewed these developments as mere facades by the Ember Kingdom to wihe people while secretly plotting rebellion against the empire’s tyranny. radually adapted to this new life, abandoning old traditions...

  FAL