The destruction of Vera did not remain a secret for long.
Within days...
News spread across the entire Tribal Region.
Witnesses had survived.
Captured bandits had been interrogated.
Merchants traveling between tribes carried countless rumors.
When every piece was finally assembled...
The conclusion became undeniable.
The Vera Tribe had not fallen because of internal conflict.
It had been annihilated by the Raka Bandits.
The report spread from tribe to tribe like wildfire.
Some pitied Vera.
Others feared the growing strength of the Raka Bandits.
But among all those who received the news...
One man reacted very differently.
Lord Tuqluq.
Inside the Chief's Residence...
The old chief silently read the report.
Once.
Twice.
Then a third time.
His expression never changed.
Only his fingers slowly tightened around the parchment.
The servants standing nearby did not dare breathe.
They knew.
Whenever their chief became this quiet...
Someone was about to suffer.
Finally...
Lord Tuqluq lowered the report.
His gaze drifted toward the window.
Toward the distant mountains.
Toward Vera.
"...Varinder."
He whispered the name softly.
The two of them had never been close friends.
Nor bitter enemies.
They simply respected one another.
Lord Tuqluq had always admired one thing about Varinder.
The younger man had willingly abandoned the position of heir.
Not because he lacked ambition...
But because he believed someone else would become a better chief.
Very few men possessed the courage to make such a choice.
Lord Tuqluq respected that.
Which was precisely why...
His heart suddenly sank.
His thoughts drifted toward another person.
Ronnie.
Only a month earlier...
Justin had returned from Vera.
After that day...
His son had changed.
At first...
The changes were subtle.
A shorter temper.
Sleepless nights.
Long periods of silence.
Then came something else.
Obsession.
Whenever Varinder's name was mentioned...
Ronnie's expression would darken.
Whenever Vera was discussed...
His eyes would become strangely cold.
Lord Tuqluq had noticed.
He simply chose to believe he was imagining things.
Now...
Looking at the report in his hands...
That comforting lie began to crumble.
His fingers tightened.
The parchment crumpled.
Then—
BOOM!!
The massive wooden table exploded into splinters.
The deafening sound echoed throughout the residence.
Servants outside instinctively knelt.
No one dared raise their heads.
The Chief...
Was furious.
Without saying a single word...
Lord Tuqluq walked toward the door.
Every step caused the atmosphere to grow heavier.
By the time he reached the courtyard...
The surrounding guards were already drenched in cold sweat.
They immediately stepped aside.
None dared block his path.
His destination...
Was obvious.
Ronnie's residence.
Inside the courtyard...
Ronnie was drinking tea while reading reports.
Life had slowly begun returning to normal.
Or so he believed.
Then—
BANG!!
The doors exploded inward.
Wooden fragments scattered across the room.
The guards outside froze.
Ronnie instantly stood.
"...Father?"
Lord Tuqluq entered.
No servants followed.
No guards accompanied him.
He needed no witnesses.
The pressure alone made the air feel suffocating.
Ronnie instinctively took one step backward.
For the first time in years...
He felt genuine fear.
Lord Tuqluq stopped several meters away.
His eyes never left Ronnie.
Then...
He spoke.
Only one sentence.
"Tell me the truth."
The room became deathly silent.
"Did you have anything..."
"...to do with Vera?"
Ronnie's heartbeat exploded.
For one terrifying instant...
He thought everything had been discovered.
But years of deception quickly took over.
He lowered his head.
Forced confusion onto his face.
"...What?"
Lord Tuqluq repeated the question.
Slower this time.
"Did."
"You."
"Have."
"Anything."
"To do."
"With."
"Vera."
Ronnie immediately shook his head.
"No."
"I swear it."
"I had nothing to do with it."
Lord Tuqluq continued watching him.
Without blinking.
Without speaking.
The silence lasted so long that Ronnie began sweating.
His breathing gradually became uneven.
"I don't understand why you're asking me."
"I wasn't even there."
"I know nothing about the Raka Bandits."
The lies flowed naturally.
Too naturally.
Lord Tuqluq noticed.
Finally...
The old chief turned around.
Ronnie's shoulders relaxed.
Maybe...
He had succeeded.
Then...
Lord Tuqluq stopped walking.
Without looking back...
He spoke quietly.
"If I discover..."
"...that you are lying..."
His voice carried no anger.
No shouting.
Only disappointment.
"I will not protect you."
Ronnie froze.
Lord Tuqluq slowly looked over his shoulder.
His eyes were colder than Ronnie had ever seen.
"If the evidence leads to you..."
"...I will personally hand you over to Lord Cris."
Every drop of blood drained from Ronnie's face.
Lord Tuqluq continued.
"The day you become my son..."
"...is the day I protect you."
"The day you become a disgrace to this tribe..."
"...you answer for your own crimes."
For several long seconds...
The two simply looked at one another.
Then...
Lord Tuqluq walked away.
He never looked back.
The doors slowly closed.
Silence returned.
Ronnie remained standing.
Completely motionless.
Only after several minutes...
Did his legs finally give way.
He collapsed into his chair.
His breathing became ragged.
Cold sweat soaked his robes.
His hands refused to stop shaking.
"No..."
He whispered.
"No..."
Everything had gone according to plan.
The Raka Bandits had survived.
No one knew his identity.
No one had seen him.
Then another report arrived.
The Varien Tribe had begun a full investigation.
Every witness.
Every survivor.
Every captured bandit.
Every merchant.
Every rumor.
Nothing was being ignored.
Lord Cris had personally ordered it.
Ronnie's pupils contracted.
He knew exactly what that meant.
Lord Cris wasn't searching for revenge anymore.
He was searching for the truth.
And once Lord Cris chose to uncover something...
He never stopped.
Ronnie slowly lowered his head.
For the first time since Vera's destruction...
True fear entered his heart.
Not fear of battle.
Not fear of death.
Fear of being exposed.
That night...
He never slept.
Every creaking floorboard sounded like approaching footsteps.
Every gust of wind made him reach for his sword.
Every knock outside sent his heart racing.
Again and again...
He prayed.
Prayed that the surviving bandits remained loyal.
Prayed that Justin knew nothing.
Prayed that no witness had recognized him.
But deep inside...
He already knew.
Truth had a way of surviving.
Especially when men like Lord Cris refused to stop digging.
Ronnie slowly looked toward the moon outside his window.
His lips trembled.
"If they find out..."
His voice barely existed.
"...death will be mercy."