Building a Kingdom and Conquering the World - Chapter 143

Chapter 143: Muddy Waters – The Pirates on the Bay (VI)
The bandit gazed at the king with fear, sensing the coldness of the blade near his neck. He feared that any slight movement might result in his death – “The previous bandit chief gave me a ship and a crew to explore the coast in search of other harbors away from the bay. He wanted to raid them or sell goods” – he said, attempting to speak clearly and avoid stuttering, his mind racing with desperate plans to escape.

The king looked deep into the man’s eyes. His eyes were like a window, allowing him to see the gears and strings turning inside the bandit’s mind. Henry slightly moved the sword, pressing it even closer to the man’s neck, forcing him to continue talking.

Getting the subtle hint, the man hurriedly continued – “We returned five months ago with news about the sea, but when we got here, we were surprised to see that the chief had died and a General from the capital had seized the power over the Bay. We couldn’t fight against a group that killed even the chief, so we hid on a small island until we found a way to safely return to the city.”

Henry gave a small smile and asked, his eyes briefly flickering in a purple light, like flames – “If you feared so much for your own lives, why did you choose to attack me and my troops?”

The man swallowed hard, the blade cutting deeper into his skin, making a thin stream of blood slither down the sword until it reached the handle. – “O-one of my sailors said y-your majesty had arrived at the bay with only a force of about a hundred soldiers. W-We thought that we could kidnap y-your majesty and ask for a heavy ransom. We could even be more free in the kingdom.” – he stuttered between the words, not daring to raise a lie.

However, when he finished explaining, Henry slightly pressed the blade deeper into the man’s neck. The smile was still on his lips, but his eyes held an expression ready to slash his throat and let him bleed to death.

“I am telling the truth! I-I swear!” – The man desperately screamed, causing the blade to pierce even deeper into his flesh.

Henry stopped and retrieved his sword, the serious look in his eyes gone as if it never existed in the first place – “Of course, I believe you” – he said as he picked a clean white cloth from the table, cleaning the blood off the blade before handing it back to Leier, who took it and retreated to the back, guarding the king.

“So, did you only bring this many men thinking that you could kidnap the king of this nation?” – Henry asked, circling the table and sitting across from the man, his fingers rhythmically tapping the wooden surface.

Each tap seemed to echo deep into the man’s soul, the pain from his leg serving as a reminder of his sin of plotting against the king and the repercussions of such an act. He couldn’t even walk and the injury might even accompany throughout his whole life.

However, despite the warning from his body and soul, the man gritted his teeth and said, his tone trying to sound as truthful as possible – “Yes, I only brought these men.”

“Are you sure? I don’t like liars you see” – The king asked, making the man’s eyes slightly tremble. However, he still nodded. The crew on the boats could serve as his last line of survival and he had a plan to use them.

However, the king still caught the subtle tremble. He turned to Leier and asked -“Is there anyone still alive up there?” – Leier nodded – “Bring one of them here.” – Henry ordered.

At those words, the bandit’s eyes trembled with a desperate light. He wanted to scream for him to stop and even tell the truth, but the words didn’t leave his mouth. He remained silent until the figure of a battered man was dragged into the room. The flickering firelight allowed him to see that it was one of his crew members, but his body was totally covered in blood, one of his hands missing, and probably a few teeth, as blood kept pouring out of his mouth.

The soldier forcefully pulled the man, who had no strength to fight back, until he was right in front of the king. The soldier kicked the back of his knees, forcing him to kneel down in front of Henry.

Henry’s taps on the wooden surface became slower, but the sound seemed to spread throughout the whole building. He gazed deeply into the battered man’s eyes and said, his tone sounding almost amicable – “So, your chief there gave me a few pieces of information and I would like to confirm it with you, is that ok?” – Henry asked, even though he knew that the man had no reason or strength to resist his interrogation.

The man nodded his head, his eyes instinctively reaching for his chief, as if seeking help. There, he could see not the courageous and confident leader that led them through countless sea storms. There was only the vessel of a desperate man, looking at him with a strange look that he couldn’t figure out the reason for. It was a desire to live.

Henry tapped the wooden surface stronger, making the man’s attention turn back to him. “There is no need to look at him. If you tell me everything that I need to know, I will let you live, but if you dare to lie to me, I will make sure to kill you…” – Henry said, before adding – “in the worst way possible.”

The man hurriedly nodded, hope coming to his eyes, even forgetting about his leader’s desperate gaze. He could survive. Henry asked – “How many months has it been since you guys returned?” – The man hurriedly answered, not even trying to hide it – “F-Five months, sir!” – Although there were a few missing teeth, his voice was still clear. At that response, the bandit leader’s eyes shone with hope. Good job! He wanted to scream a compliment.

“Where were you staying ever since you guys came back?” – Henry pressed on, not wasting any time, gazing deeply into the man’s eyes, who tried to look at the chief, but the stare of the king didn’t allow it.

The man could only respond after a second of silence – “We had been staying on Ontario Island, Sir!” – He had to survive, even if it meant giving away their base and betraying the chief and others. At his answer, the hope in the leader’s eyes grew stronger.

“Good!” – Henry said. The bandit leader didn’t actively give him this information, but he also didn’t try to take it from him, so it was expected – “Is there more of you guys waiting outside?”

“Yes!” – The man immediately responded, pointing with his remaining hand to the sea’s direction – “There is a ship filled with others waiting for the leader’s orders in the sea bay. They plan to shoot fire arrows at the city with the signal of the leader.”

Henry flashed a smile as his eyes turned to the bandit leader. “Is that so?” Henry could see the man’s hand trembling as he opened his mouth, as if trying to say something, but the words never came out. He was dead, no, he might face a future worse than death. Hope vanished in a single second…words could indeed kill.

Henry gestured for the soldier to take the man out. He had already accomplished his objectives and everything else could be slowly taken from their leader. -“I keep my word, don’t kill him or the others, since we might need them.”- He had a plan on how to use these men, but now, he needed to have them obey his every word.

“What was your plan?” – Henry asked, looking at the man who didn’t respond and lowered his head in fear, awaiting his eventual death. The king continued as if he was talking to himself – “Get me out of the house and tell them to shoot at the city? You can’t even run away with that leg. Or did you think that I would have followed you all the way to that boat for you to capture me silently? A dumb plan”

The man kept his head down, his whole body seemed unable to stop trembling with fear. Indeed, his plan was to lure the king to the boat using new discoveries as a ploy, a desperate plan born in a moment of panic.

“Leier!” Henry called. “Take forty men and bring the others to me. Try keeping them alive, but if they show resistance…” His eyes flickered with a purple light. “Kill all of them, throw their bodies into the sea.”

Leier hesitated for a moment, but understood that the king’s orders were absolute – “Yes, my liege!” – Leier said, adding – “I will ask two guards to remain here to guard you.” – She couldn’t leave the king without safety measures.

Henry said nothing and only nodded, his eyes looking interestingly at the pirate leader. It was like a cat looking at a desperate cornered mouse. He silently got to his feet, picking up a fork resting near a set plate, and walked towards the man. Although he wasn’t looking, the bandit leader could hear Henry’s footsteps against the wooden floor resounding through the room.

“You know” – Henry said, holding tightly to the fork – “I am a very patient man, even more so when I find a useful resource. However, I really dislike lies, and even if the resource is valuable, it must learn to be trustworthy.”

Henry’s hands flashed, and the fork suddenly pierced through the man’s hand, embedding itself into the wooden table. The man screamed, but Henry didn’t care, leaving his hand nailed to the table and returning to his seat, crossing his legs as he sat comfortably.

“I will let you live, but don’t lie to me again,” the king said, his eyes looking at the pained man. “Now, let’s talk about where your abilities might be useful and about your discoveries, shall we?”

The man nodded frantically, beads of sweat glistening on his forehead. He knew he had narrowly escaped death, but the price of betrayal was heavy. Henry leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable as he contemplated the next questions. He wanted to use the sea as a first avenue of expansion for his kingdom after conquering Luak and Aritreia. It was something that had to be done.

“Have you managed to find any harbor?” – Henry asked – “Islands? People?”