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CaveLeather Luden’s face darkened.
His grip tightened on the hilt of his sword.
He wasn’t angry because the man had insulted him.
He was angry because this was Lord Solomon’s direct order to the entire column — and this bastard had openly defied it.
But Luden didn’t explode.
He simply looked at the big soldier with a calm, flat expression.
“What’s your name?” “Rolf!
Rolf of Deddings castle!” the man puffed out his chest, proud of his origin.
“You got that, you Stinkfort farmer?” Rolf’s friends laughed and jeered around him.
Murmurs and movement began spreading through other parts of the forming ranks as well.
Solomon felt a flash of disappointment.
He sighed inwardly.
Still too soon.
I pushed them too hard.
He was about to step in himself.
If he didn’t establish absolute authority right now, this entire force would collapse back into a rabble within days.
But then he saw something.
Without any warning shout, without any dramatic roar, Luden simply drew his sword.
A cold flash of steel — and a head flew into the air, still wearing a smirk.
The watching soldiers saw it clearly.
Rolf had still been sneering, waiting for Luden to back down in humiliation.
His friends had been enjoying the show, still bitter that Solomon had put two farmers in charge instead of them.
In the middle of that smirk, Luden moved.
He stepped forward, body coiling, and drew his longsword in one smooth, powerful motion.
There was no wasted movement — just raw, decisive force.
The blade swept across Rolf’s neck.
Rolf’s mocking laugh died in his throat.
His head flew upward.
His body hadn’t even registered what happened yet.
His eyes bulged in pure shock, reflecting the upside-down image of Luden’s cold face.
He tried to speak.
No sound came out.
His heavy body swayed once, then blood erupted from the stump of his neck like a fountain, spraying the men standing closest to him, their armor, and the muddy ground.
His sword clattered to the earth.
The body twitched a few more times before crashing down.
The head landed a meter away, eyes still wide open, staring at nothing.
The sudden violence froze the entire column.
All the shouting, jeering, and talking stopped at once.
The silence was absolute.
Hundreds of eyes stared in horror and disbelief at Rolf’s body lying in a spreading pool of blood — and at Luden standing beside it, his sword still dripping.
The thick smell of blood filled the air, sharp and metallic, feeding the fear crawling up everyone’s spines.
Luden calmly lowered his sword and rested the tip on the ground, both hands on the hilt.
Sunlight glinted off the blood coating the blade, throwing red flashes across the faces of the nearest men.
Several soldiers flinched so hard they fell backward onto their asses.
Luden slowly raised his head.
His cold gaze swept across every face in the column.
When he spoke, his voice was quiet — but it carried a chilling finality that made men’s souls tremble.
“Rolf disobeyed Lord Solomon’s order.
He has been executed.” His voice wasn’t loud, but every single person heard it clearly.
The calmness of it made it even more terrifying.
Now they understood why he had asked for the man’s name.
Those who had been jeering or causing trouble just moments earlier went completely silent.
They swallowed hard, faces pale, bodies shaking.
Luden stood beside the corpse like a judge who had just delivered death.
Around him, three hundred levied soldiers stared in frozen terror.
“This,” Luden said, voice like ice, “is what happens when you disobey Lord Solomon’s orders.” He raised his voice again, cold and absolute.
“Now!
All of you — form two companies of one hundred and fifty men each!
Twenty across, six ranks deep!
Form square immediately!” His gaze passed over every face.
The arrogance and laziness were gone.
In their place was raw fear and a new, unwilling respect.
No one spoke.
No one hesitated.
Fear had crushed every other impulse.
The men moved quickly and quietly into formation.
Solomon watched it all from nearby.
He had seen the entire sequence — Luden calmly asking the name, Rolf’s arrogant taunting, the sudden draw and the clean beheading, the fountain of blood, the head flying through the air.
In that single moment, Solomon’s disappointment turned into fierce satisfaction.
His heart pounded with something close to pride.
A farmer had truly become a warrior.
He needed men like this — not just bodyguards, but people who could carry out his will and hold authority even when he wasn’t standing right there.
Watching the soldiers now forming ranks in terrified, disciplined silence, Solomon felt real relief for the first time in days.
The column was still loose and uneven, but the earlier chaos was gone.
At that moment, two horses came galloping back.
Luden and Rosslyn reined in a short distance in front of Solomon, dismounted quickly, and dropped to their knees.
Luden’s face was pale but resolute.
“Please execute me, Lord Solomon.” Rosslyn knelt beside him, glancing at Luden with a complicated expression before turning to Solomon.
Solomon didn’t speak right away.
He simply looked at Luden, waiting to hear how the man would explain his own actions.
After a moment, Solomon’s voice came, calm but carrying undeniable authority.
“Execute you?
Why would I execute you?” Luden remained kneeling.
Though his face was pale, he didn’t try to defend himself.
He simply stated what he had done.
“I killed Rolf.” “I saw,” Solomon said quietly.
“So tell me — why did you kill him?” Luden’s expression turned hard.
“This is Lord Solomon’s army.
He dared to ignore Lord Solomon’s authority and defy Lord Solomon’s order.” He bowed his head again.
“I executed him in front of everyone so that every man here would understand exactly what happens when you disobey Lord Solomon’s commands.” “But I acted without waiting for your direct order.
That could bring trouble down on you.
So I accept whatever punishment you decide.” Solomon’s face showed clear satisfaction and approval.
He stepped forward and pulled Luden to his feet.
“You did well.” “I gave the order myself — anyone who refuses a command will be killed on the spot.” “Rolf openly defied military law.
He deserved to die.
You didn’t hesitate.
You enforced the order immediately and publicly.
That is merit, not a crime.” He looked at both kneeling men.
“You two — and Old Niken — are the people I trust most.” “Luden.
Rosslyn.
Listen carefully.
You are both soldiers of House Stinkfort now.
One day you will stand on your own and fight for me.
In critical moments, you will have to carry out the hardest and most necessary tasks in my name.” Luden and Rosslyn stared at him, eyes turning red.
The weight of his words — and the trust behind them — hit them hard.
CaveLeather