A Necessary Enemy(3)

Zim’s expression warped between shock, humiliation, and insanity, but the terror Richard had expected did not show itself. “I’m the Highland Unicorn—”

He couldn’t help but interrupt the deranged viscount, “I know. You’re the son of Earl Yatu, and your mother is the king’s cousin. Those of royal blood in the Sequoia Kingdom typically have Highland at the start of their titles. Unicorn is a good follow-up, but is that it?”

Zim was stunned, speaking with disbelief, “You know all that but you still dare teach me with such disrespect? Let me go immediately! Once I’m back in my lands I’ll bring my army and get revenge! When the time comes I’ll kill your entire family, and torture you, and...”

“And take my woman,” Richard kindly reminded him.

“Yes, yes, your woman! That little girl isn’t half bad, I never saw such pretty eyes before! Once I drain all your blood, I’ll entertain her properly! First will be me, then my beloved dog, then my loyal guards...”

Watching as Zim sent spit flying everywhere, Richard frowned slightly and asked, “Aren’t you afraid I’ll kill you here?”

“You’re just a frontier knight...” Zim suddenly went silent, regaining his senses as his face filled with panic. Beads of cold sweat surged from his forehead.He wasn’t completely stupid, and now he realised that his opponents were so strong none of his men could flee. If this frontier knight in front of him ordered everyone killed and his own body thrown into the wilderness, nobody would learn what had occurred in this desolate land.

Richard chuckled and jumped off his horse, “So you aren’t that dumb. Let’s make sure you remember this better, I think you need some more entertainment. You lot, strip the honourable Viscount. Olar, flog the lord ten times. Remember to use his own whip, ours aren’t as high-quality!”

The barbarians stripped the viscount quickly; Zim squealed like a pig being slaughtered, but soon he was completely bare. The obese youth’s skin was fair and tender, an almost blinding white.

Given how vile and ruthless Olar was, the elven bard took the whip and spared no strength as he lashed out at the viscount’s buttocks. The whip’s end left a deep, bloody imprint on Zim’s inner thigh, pushing his screams an octave higher.

Richard raised a hand, stopping the elf’s second whip as he pointed between Zim’s legs. “Olar. Take care not to ruin that part of our beloved viscount. They’re extremely tender! If I’m not wrong, most of his value is in that place.”

The elven bard didn’t quite understand the underlying meaning behind the words, but he still understood the direct order. His wrists twisted once more, the whip landing on Zim’s fair, tender buttocks and his lower back. He left a few more bloody imprints on the inner thighs, but this time he took care to avoid the sensitive areas. The viscount’s pitch raised with every whip; it seemed like there was endless energy in that fat body supporting his squeals.

The ten whips were finally finished with great difficulty, but the fellow was still howling. The marks from the lashes were slowly puffing up, the process slow and painful. It wasn’t much better than the actually flogging.

Richard finally walked over to Zim and lifted the man’s chin, their faces no more than ten centimetres apart. The viscount’s eyes were blazing with flames that were a contradiction of fury and fear.

He smiled tenderly, patting the man’s face, “My name is Richard, Richard Archeron. Don’t forget it this time. Once you get back, gather your army as soon as possible for your revenge.

“Also, I’m a frontier knight, not a normal one. Know the difference between the two, so you won’t make such a foolish mistake in the future.” Having said this, Richard stood up and brought out a handkerchief, wiping the hand that had patted the slob’s face. This act upset the so-called Highland Unicorn no less than the ten whips. The fury was so intense in that chubby face that it looked like he would suffocate.

The naked noble was then tossed to the ground. The guards whose limbs were fine immediately helped him up, removing their own clothes for him to change into. Those whose arms were chopped off had already bound their injuries, withstanding the pain with great difficulty as they headed towards the viscount. Nobody cared for the corpses of their dead companions; they would end up feeding the beasts of the land.

Watching Zim’s figure recede into the distance, Richard shook his head and pointed at the guards whose limbs were fine, “If I were them, I’d definitely find a way to escape right now.”

“What will happen after they return?” Flowsand asked.

“They’re doomed to die. Those that lost their arms won’t be spared either.”

“Why did you treat that moron so well?” she continued with a frown. From her point of view, there were many methods to take care of such arrogant fellows and teach them a lesson. The best would be to kill him and have the wind wolves eat his body. That way, there would be no traces at all. Richard’s method seemed to be the most violent, but there were also issues that would crop up in the future.

“We need enemies now, and Zim is the best kind to have,” Richard smiled in answer.

“Also...” he paused, “He dared think of taking you. I’ll leave a shadow in him for the rest of his life!”

......

With the episode concluded, the troops continued to advance. Dawn the next day, they had reached Richard’s first true territory on this plane, a little village called Bran with about a hundred families.

Bran was at the foot of a mountain, with a little brook passing through the village. It was less than ten kilometres away from the path between the Sequoia Kingdom and the Bloodstained lands. The Land of Turmoil in the southeast had forests, swamps, and a steep mountain range. That was where the broodmother was wandering around, clearing out all the powerful beings it could find.

Richard didn’t stay at the village for a long time. He just met the village head and some elders, learning a little about the population and the environment before he left for the Land of Turmoil.

At the foot of the mountain, tens of wind wolves walked out single file, escorting two of his that had bundles tied around them back. Some stayed by Richard’s side, giving him twenty in total. This was the maximum number that he could simultaneously control.

Having sent the four orcish idols he’d obtained from the Bloodstained Lands to the broodmother, Richard led the group forward to Baron Fontaine’s territory. A messenger had already sent word that he hoped to meet the Direwolf Duke. And back at the forest within the Land of Turmoil, the broodmother heeded Richard’s command and turned back, heading towards the borders of the Bloodstained Lands.

Now, everything was put in play. All that was left was the meeting with Duke Bevry. The results of that meeting would determine Richard’s next bait. While he himself felt like the bait he’d thrown out was ample and would pander to the tastes of the duke, he couldn’t be a hundred percent sure of the results.