The atmosphere had suddenly turned tense, but in an entirely different way. Even the Xyrrh and their slaves could only stand like statues and watch as things played out.

No one could have expected things to take on such a dramatic and changed tone.

Drakira swallowed. "Why do you question me? I'm only a single person. Ask Skolvar, he was the one that pulled the others!"

Galthor gave her a strange look, then turned to Lord Doveling. "So your new employers did not tell you?"

Drakira frowned and looked at Lord Doveling. "What? Tell me what?"

"Skolvar is dead."

This time she not only flinched, she swayed as if she'd been hit by something. "What? How?"

"I killed him," Galthor returned flatly. "That was his punishment for what he did."

Suddenly all the anger leaked out of Drakira, replaced by coldness. She took several steps back and shivered. "But... but... the tribe... the chief was dead."

Galthor frowned with disapproval as he watched her. "You might not know this, as the new people you work with don't seem to be the information-sharing type. But I also killed Commander Oryn in a duel set up by the Jaded Lord."

Lord Doveling's antennae twitched several times as if he disapproved of Galthor's tone, but he did not say anything.

Galthor was already ignoring him, his eyes only on Drakira, who opened and closed her mouth several times before she fell silent and simply looked at him blankly.

Galthor gave her the same look without looking away, and after a while, she finally seemed to collect herself. She took a deep breath and turned away.

"I will follow you back and receive my punishment."

Her voice was low but firm. She might not have forgiven Galthor for who he was, but at the same time, she couldn't forgive herself for what she'd done.

Since there was no more need to say anything, Galthor turned to Lord Doveling. "You said she could go if she wished."

Lord Doveling's antennae flickered and twitched as if he was at a loss for how things had turned out this way. "I certainly did say that, but... are you really going to go, Drakira? You're part of us now. We'll fight for you to stay if you want."

Drakira frowned. "Come on, Doveling. I know you want to turn me into the puppet that only listens to you, just like the slaves. You don't need to pretend, especially when you keep such information from him.

"At the same time, you were also fair to me. I won't forget it."

Lord Doveling didn't speak for a while, then said, "Very well. You are no longer part of us, Drakira. I hope we do not meet on different sides, and if we do, we should try our best to kill each other!"

Drakira grimaced, then bowed. "Thank you."

And that was that. So far, Galthor thought the Xyrrh were the most reasonable he'd met, but maybe that was just because he couldn't read their expressions like the others.

Either way, they left the sand castle behind and made their way back into the empty town.

"What... what are you going to do with me?" Drakira asked, worry in her voice.

Galthor shrugged. He decided to be blunt. "All of you that turned your backs on the tribe deserve death. But you are too useful, so I will keep using you. If any of you slip up, even once, then I might take your head."

Drakira shuddered when she heard that, but at the same time, she also understood what he meant.

The years he spent alone on the sick bed, without much contact with others, had made Galthor's mentality a little different from others. He did not view things in black or white, but at the same time, the grey he saw wasn't a perfect one.

"Let's go get the last one. What's his name?"

Karathra answered, "He's called Hrothgar, and he's a very strong barbarian."

Galthor frowned at that. "Strong barbarian? Is he stronger than you?"

Karathra shook her head. "I'm the stronger master, but he's the stronger barbarian."

Galthor found it weird. "What's he like?"

☆☆▪︎▪︎☆☆

So far, Galthor found the Kobolds weird as he stood in what served as their throne hall. The reason he found them so weird was because their upper body was that of a dog — different dogs looking at him with flat, inhuman eyes.

The top dog, or alpha as they called him, was a Kobold with the upper body of a black-and-white spotted dog. His teeth shone as he looked at Galthor. "You want to take Hrothgar away? Alright. I don't know if he'll follow you though. He seems to hold a grudge against someone in the tribe."

Galthor cleared his throat. From all the banners, it seemed the Kobolds didn't care. "Thank you, Alpha Carter. Then I'd like to ask him that."

Alpha Carter sat on a pile of fur and didn't even bother to stand as they entered. He stretched and waved his hand... paw. For all intents and purposes, he looked like... well, a lazy dog!

Galthor hid a smile and was thinking if he should adopt a Kobold puppy since he'd never had pets in his past life. But a single look at the Kobolds made him drop the thought.

After a while of waiting, Hrothgar finally appeared, and the moment Galthor laid eyes on him, he finally understood what Karathra meant a moment ago about him being the stronger barbarian.

Even as huge as Galthor was at almost ten feet, Hrothgar loomed over him, made of pure muscle.

He was the biggest barbarian that Galthor had ever seen.

The two of them stared at each other. Galthor's expression was carefully flat and indifferent, but Hrothgar watched him with a gloomy expression.

"You... you killed Skolvar?" Hrothgar asked.

Galthor blinked. "Well... yes. What's that to you?"

Hrothgar showed his teeth, and his gloomy expression lifted a little. "Then I will follow you. I came here when that bastard Skolvar kept disturbing, and I did not want to kiss him and his followers."

Galthor blinked. Did he just meet his first unproblematic master?

"Alright. Let's go back to our banner."

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