Chapter 3420 The Reply (Part 1) 'I need some dirt on Verhen's travel companions. Leverage. Anything that can pressure him into turning a blind eye to my business in case our paths meet. 'I can't touch him, but that doesn't make me helpless. Anything I can use against his family will work just fine as a deterrent to avoid conflict with-'Ashazi opened the door to his office, raising his eyes from the papers just the time to check he wouldn't stumble onto anything. What he saw froze him on the spot. Someone was sitting on his chair, behind his desk. Someone with their back turned to him who was drinking his whiskey and smoking his cigars. "Intruder!" He yelled while activating the panic bracelet on his wrist.. It triggered the arrays of the house and summoned his fourteen elite guards. The veteran mage soldiers rushed in, forming a single line. Ashazi took a step back in horror at their sight and fell onto the ground. His fourteen agonizing guards formed a single line on a massive metal feline's tail that impaled them like a kebab. The fourteen men were still alive, screaming and bleeding all over Ashazi's carpet. "Here you are." The chair turned around and Lith looked at the last name on his list. "My name is Lith Verhen, mister Ashazi." At a snap of his fingers, a second metal colossus lifted Ashazi from the neck and slammed him against a wall so hard that the impact created a crater. Trouble coated his prey with a healing spell that healed his wounds the moment they formed but the pain came in full. The Golem had six elemental gemstones instead of eyes and a seventh one pulsing like an emerald heart on its chest. Ashazi couldn't breathe or take his eyes off Trouble. The corpse of the Balor looked like a demon out of a nightmare and from so up close, one of its claws was enough to kill him. A second finger snap and Raptor released the guard at the end of its tail. The golem then gutted the man and started to eat him alive. Constructs had no need for food but Lith knew that one action was worth a thousand words. "We need to talk. *** City of Valeron, Royal Palace, a few minutes later. "What in the gods' names can Verhen possibly want at this hour?" Meron was still up and working or the call would have angered him much, much more. He could get a full night sleep only so often and disturbing him on such occasions was never wise. Unless there was an emergency, of course. "Your Majesty." Lith gave Meron a polite nod the moment the King answered his amulet. "The last time we talked you mentioned how you'd like to be notified before I commit a massacre so here I am." 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮 "What?" Meron's confusion faded soon after Lith introduced Alinor and Ashazi to him. The two men looked as fit as a fiddle, but with one of the best Healers of the Kingdom standing behind them, it didn't mean much. Meron could tell by the terror in their eyes that Lith had taken his time with them. "Let me get this straight, Supreme Magus Verhen." The King sighed. "Idiot number one followed you and your family because idiot number two wanted to keep you in check. Did I get it right?" "Yes, Your Majesty. You have listened to their confessions and they are willing to testify under oath." Lith replied. "With all due respect, Magus Verhen, with you standing in their same room, those two idiots would be willing to confess to being Arthan and Thrud Griffon if you asked them. Meron said. "Still, I don't understand why you called me. "You have the power to decree them outlaws. You don't need my permission to weed out two cretins. Ashazi and Alinor shuddered at those words. Death and torture weren't the worst sentences the three great countries had to offer. The worst sentence for any sane person was to be declared an outlaw. Just like on Earth in ancient times, it meant to be cast out of the law, the shield that ensured the rights of the citizens and protected their lives. Without such protection, anyone could do anything to an outlaw and no one would so much as bat an eye. Outlaws could be enslaved, tortured, or even used as sacrifices for Forbidden Magic. They weren't humans anymore and even less important than trash cans. Someone caught destroying a trash can would still be fined for damaging public property. Someone caught gutting an outlaw alive would receive no reprimand as long as they didn't do it in public and only because it was considered akin to indecent exposure. "These two aren't the problem, Your Majesty." Lith shook his head. "Do I have to remind you of Meln's message? Of the threat he poses to my family?" "Of course not." Meron narrowed his eyes, understanding what Lith meant. The King had already put the Kingdom on maximum alert and the hunt for Lith's insane brother had resumed. The Queen spared no effort in her search for Mirim Distar's killer, searching from the dirtiest slums to the shiniest noble manors for leads. "Then you understand my need to reply to him in kind." Lith replied. "These idiots just collect information, but there's no telling how it will be used in the future. As you have heard, Ashazi wanted leverage. "What better leverage than passing his knowledge on to my incontinent brother so that I don't have the time to deal with the likes of Ashazi?" "I would never work with the Poopie King!" Ashazi cried in desperation. "He's insane! He killed or betrayed everyone stupid enough to trust him!" "Hard to believe when you have already proved to be stupid enough to break the Kingdom's laws and even challenge a Magus for profit." Meron silenced Ashazi with a wave of his hand. "There's nothing the likes of you wouldn't do when truly desperate. "Please, continue, Magus Verhen." "I don't plan to kill only Ashazi and those who asked for information but all those involved. From the most insignificant lackey to the highest noble. Today, I plan to put a violent end to crime in Vinea." Lith said. "I called you to give you the time to prepare a press release to explain today's events and for the power vacuum that will ensue. If not controlled properly, the sudden disappearance of so many influential figures will create an opportunity for other criminal groups or the Undead Courts to expand their turfs." "Power vacuum?" Meron was as puzzled as Ashazi was terrified. "How many people are we talking about?" "A few thousand." Lith's reply made the King's eyes widen in surprise. "As I said, everyone involved." "And how will you find and judge so many people at once?" Meron asked. "I don't need to find them." Lith pointed at many piles of folders and files neatly stacked on the desk behind him. "Ashazi here kept a clear record of every transaction he made and has collected dirt on his business partners for years. It's what people like him call 'insurance. "I'm going to leave the files for your Archons to check and verify my claims."