It was thete hours of the morning and the vige fell into a very doubtful moment just after the joyful and bright moment they experienced in the morning.


    "Darlin, pleasee back home safe," Rnd''s wife, rissa said to Rnd with a sad expression on her face.


    The baby in her hand let out a lovely chuckle as he stretched his tiny hands towards his father, signaling for him to pick him up, clearly unaware of the emotional moment going on between his parents.


    Rnd took his son from her hand and yed with him a little before responding to rissa with a smile, "Lord Rowan is going to lead us to greatness, I believe it. And do not worry about me, I will be back very soon and when I do, our vige will no longer be under those damn people and our son will be able to grow under the same peaceful atmosphere we grew with."


    She sighed and prayed in her heart for his safe return and the victory of their vige.


    Rnd continued to y with his son. He was still ying with him when two of his soldiers knocked on his door and called him out with panic in their voices.


    rissa looked at her husband questioningly, "What is happening?" She asked as she took the baby from him.


    "I don''t know but do not panic, those bratty soldiers are always running and do not know how to call someone out peacefully." He smiled at her and rushed to meet the two soldiers outside.


    rissa went outside with him.


    When the two young soldiers saw her, they greeted her and she nodded.


    Then both of them turned to Rnd and said in hurried voices, "Sir, we need to go the south boundary immediately. You have to see what is happening!"


    Their tone made rissa even more worried but she bade them farewell.


    Rnd grabbed his sword and ran with the soldiers towards the northern border.


    "Tell me exactly what is happening," he requested as they ran.


    "We don''t know, the soldiers were gathered there but we heard that they have caught a traitor who has been leaking information to Glenwood," they replied immediately.


    "A traitor in our midst?" Rnd was confused, he has never for once in his life imagined that someone from the vige would have the guts to betray them.


    ''Could it be him?'' he wondered as he ran even faster. Leaving a big gap between the young soldiers who struggled to follow his pace.


    As they ran towards the northern border, they met with Captain Josh and Bryce who were also running in that direction.


    "You guys heard it as well," Josh asked Rnd and Bryce as he ran beside them.


    "Yeah! There is a fucking traitor in our midst, I heard. If it is true, I will kill that person myself!" Bryce let out anger in his voice.


    Rnd didn''t reply and kept running ahead.


    Soon they got to the northern border and saw that arge group of soldiers gathered.


    Rnd looked around looking for the other captains but he only spotted Bryce, Oliver was nowhere to be found.


    ''I hope it isn''t him!'' He thought in his heart as he ran towards the crowd.


    "Clear the way," he demanded and the soldiers cleared way immediately.


    The three captains ran through the path cleared for them and reached the front of the crowd but they were shocked with the scene unfolding.


    Behold, Rowan could be seen standing beside two bloodied and almost unrecognizable figures on the ground. His eyes carried an intense anger they haven''t seen before and his hands were stained with blood.


    Amidst the noise generated by the young soldiers, the whining and flinching of the figures on the ground could be heard.


    Rnd''s eyes widened as he observed the faces of the two people on the ground, "Oliver and young Judas?" He called out with shock.


    While he reacted pretty calmly, Bryce didn''t.


    With a cold expression on his face, he turned and asked the young soldier beside him to confirm before taking action, "Why are they on the ground?"


    "They are the bastards who have been giving information to Glenwood. They were caught by the brilliant n set up by Lord Rowan and the white-haired handsome man. They..."


    Bryce didn''t even wait for the soldier toplete his statement before dashing towards Oliver.


    "Oliver you bastard! How dare you!!" He thundered as hended a punch on Oliver''s face.


    He didn''t hold back after the first punch and continued raining down more hard punches on his face. Oliver let out loud cries of pain but no one stepped in to help. Due to the beating he had already received from Rowan, fighting back became impossible and he could onlyy there and receive all the punches that rained down.


    "That''s it captain Bryce! Deal with that traitor!"


    "Punch his balls!!"


    The young soldiers chanted with loud voices.


    Rnd watched as Oliver got beaten up without a single urge to help even though they had been friends since childhood. To him, whosoever put the life of the vige at risk and betray them is no friend!


    Rowan watched it all take ce without making any moves - He is still contemting about the details he received from D''andre before he left the vige for the merchant tournament.


    "Build your territory and your followers and get stronger as fast as you can Rowan. The date for the first tournament of Outworlders might arrive soon and death is not impossible," That was what D''andre said to him.


    ording to him, transmigrators are referred to as Outworlders by the system. He told him a lot of important details before teleporting out of the vige. He left his carriage as a gift to Rowan for their new friendship.


    As Rowan recalled those details, he made up his mind to do everything to make his territory progress. He returned his gaze to Oliver and anger zed in his eyes.


    Rowan opened his inventory and brought out the dagger he purchased from D''andre before he left. The dagger was shy with a sleek ck de that gave it a menacing feel.


    With the dagger in hand, he cleared his throat and the crowd became silent immediately.


    "What I am about to do to these two today should serve as a lesson to those who ever thinks of betraying our trust and love," Rowan started as he walked towards the pummeled Oliver and Judus.


    Bryce left Oliver and Judus and stood at the sideline, watching Rowan take action.


    "Winterseed has been a calm and loving vige since its creation and no one has ever thought of betraying their people! I will not let such stupidity start during my reign," He continued.


    His words caused the soldiers to look at him with respect and fear as they could feel the deep fury brewing inside him, a sight contrasting his usual loving smile that adorns his face everyday.


    Rnd looked at him and tried to speak him out of killing them. Oliver was his childhood friend and while he hated him formitting such evil, he didn''t have the heart to watch him die.


    "Lord Rowan, Oliver has been a good viger since birth. We can''t simply kill him, we should imprison him and make him pay for his crimes." He said.


    "We do not have space to waste on them," Rowan replied in a chilly tone, "Those who dare to endanger my people will face immediate death."


    Silence sprawled over the northern border following his chilly words, not even Rnd tried to speak for Oliver and Judus again.


    "Please.. Lord Rowan, spare me!" Oliver began pleading out as he saw that no one was trying to stop Rowan.


    He became hopeful when Rnd tried to plead with Rowan but his hope died quickly after Rowan''s cold response.


    As Rowan moved closer to him, Oliver felt as though death was stepping closer and he kept pleading frantically


    "Please I didn''t know what I was doing, Lord Rowan. Give me a second chance to prove myself!!"


    "Rnd, Bryce, Bruce, Josh! Help me!"  He turned to his fellow captains and pleaded with tears dripping down his eyes.


    But they all ignored him. Bruce, Bryce and Josh kept a cold look on their faces, only Rnd showed a semnce of pity but he didn''t try to help.


    At such a crucial moment, with death only a minute away, Oliver couldn''t help but reflect on all his carefullyid ns and schemes to seize control of the vige. He had been so close—just a few steps away, just a few days from victory—and now, everything was slipping through his fingers, shattering right before his eyes.


    ''I can''t let this happen! I''ve worked too hard for this!'' he screamed internally, his desperation rising.


    The hateful curses and mocking words of the young soldiers rang in his ears, fueling his growing rage. His anger red, but his body was weak, beaten, and broken.


    With onest, desperate effort, Oliver gathered every ounce of strength left in his vocal cords and screamed out a name, hoping against hope that it would save him.