Chapter 133: The Death of the Paladin

"Daniel!" Vasa exclaimed in shock.

Captain Daniel lay on the ground, the Cold-Blood Trident plunged deep into his chest, greedily drinking his life force and draining the color from his face at a terrifying speed.

"Tsk, tsk... what a noble yet foolish display of chivalry! You are all going to die anyway; what difference does it make who goes first?"

Kothar wore a sneer as he raised his hand, attempting to recall the Cold-Blood Trident. Suddenly, Captain Daniel gripped the weapon embedded in his chest with all his might, refusing to let go, preventing the Son of the Demon from retrieving his instrument of slaughter to strike down the others.

"Return! Give it back to me at once!" Kothar roared, straining to summon the trident. The weapon hummed and vibrated, like a living creature struggling to tear itself from the captain’s chest. Yet, the stubborn paladin used his final reserves of strength to hold fast, choosing death over surrender. The already fatal wound worsened with every tug, blood gushing like a fountain from the gash and bubbling from the corners of his lips.

"You stubborn fool! Just you wait!"

Frantic and furious, Kothar cursed and lunged toward Daniel, determined to tear the trident out by force. But before his fingers could touch the shaft, George Vasa pounced like a lion finally unshackled. With a roar, he gripped his sword with both hands and unleashed a powerful "Smite Evil" strike.

Kothar had no weapon to parry the flaming blade, and he could only scramble to evade. The sword grazed his ear and swung down, severing his right arm clean from the shoulder.

Kothar shrieked as he stumbled backward, slipping and falling to the ground, his severed limb spraying blood like a broken hydrant. This furious blow from George Vasa utterly shattered the courage of the "Son of the Demon." Ignoring his lost weapon, he scrambled to his feet using his remaining arm and fled in a blind panic.

Vasa did not chase him; he hurried to Daniel’s side and lifted his dying comrade, tears streaming down his face.

Daniel seemed to sense the hot tears falling on his cheeks. He opened his eyes, offered a weak smile to Vasa, and with great difficulty, removed a platinum ring from the middle finger of his right hand. His blood-soaked lips moved faintly.

Major Vasa leaned in, pressing his ear to Daniel’s lips. He faintly caught the name of a woman—it sounded like "Martha." It was the name of Daniel’s fiancée. Looking at the engagement ring in his hand, George Vasa immediately understood that Daniel was entrusting him with his final wishes, asking him to look after her.

Major Vasa held Daniel’s hand and nodded through his tears.

As if a heavy burden had been lifted, Daniel’s lips curled into one last smile. His fingers went limp, and the blood-stained ring slipped quietly into George Vasa’s palm.

An indescribable, overwhelming grief seized his heart, making it hard for the hardened officer to breathe. Just as he held the body of his friend, unable to weep, a cry of surprise echoed from behind him. George Vasa recognized it as Kothar’s voice. Suppressing his sorrow, he looked back to see a half-human, half-tree giant pursuing the fleeing villain. The treant brought a massive foot down upon Kothar, crushing his bones to splinters; blood and screams erupted from beneath the giant sole.

Never in his life had Joann felt such rage. Transformed into a treant, he trampled Kothar relentlessly until the villain was reduced to a pulp. Only after avenging Captain Daniel did the fire in his heart dim, and he shifted back into human form.

Joann stood before the mangled remains, trembling as he let out a long breath. He walked back to where Major Vasa knelt, looking at Captain Daniel, who had closed his eyes forever in the major's arms. Recalling the brief, pleasant time he had spent with this young, handsome, and cheerful paladin, a wave of unspeakable grief washed over him, and his eyes burned with unshed tears.

If there truly were gods in this world... Joann wanted to demand of them why good men were never rewarded, while scum as vile as Kothar were so rarely brought to justice.

Joann wiped his eyes, struggling to calm his emotions. He turned away, unable to bear the sight of Major Vasa’s grief. His gaze accidentally swept over Kothar’s unrecognizable corpse, and he was surprised to see that the cloak wrapping the mass of flesh remained intact, clearly imbued with some form of magic. He took a moment to peel it from the remains, used a "Prestidigitation" spell to clean it, and shoved it into his bag.

...

When Kothar fell, the fighting that had raged outside Derin Town for days finally drew to a close.

The "Goblin Lord" Letu, seeing that the tide had turned, heartlessly abandoned his lizardman allies and led his remaining forces back into the Screaming Forest.

The lizardman commanders lingering on the periphery of the battlefield no longer hesitated. They chose a nobleman with close ties to the Myrick family as their representative to approach Weiss, Flint, Tyndall, Magni, and Vasa. They expressed their apologies for being coerced into the conflict by Kothar and Basson, proposing a ceasefire and hoping that Derin Town and the Cold-Blood Tribe could bury the hatchet and restore the non-aggression pact signed in the era of Myrick.

It is easy to start a war, but ending one requires greater courage and the endurance of immense pressure. Not everyone in Derin Town was willing to accept the olive branch. Led by Flint, the local militia demanded vengeance for their fallen kin and wanted every lizardman slaughtered. Magni was equally opposed to reconciliation; in his eyes, these turncoat lizardmen had first betrayed Elder Myrick to crown the usurper Kothar as their chieftain, and then betrayed Kothar when the fighting turned against them—they were selfish, untrustworthy cowards who should be wiped out to prevent future trouble. The knights from Leyton Port held no better opinion of them, especially after the heroic sacrifice of Captain Daniel Fairfax, who had been deeply beloved by the younger knights. The call to avenge Daniel by killing every lizardman won the support of most of the knights.

No one mourned Captain Daniel’s sacrifice more deeply than George Vasa, yet in this volatile situation, he had to suppress his grief and call for calm, urging everyone to take the ceasefire offer seriously.

"Whether lizardman or human, both sides have paid too high a price for this war. If we do not stop the bloodshed now, this conflict will evolve into an eternal, unsolvable hatred, leading to generations of mutual slaughter with no end in sight... Daniel’s spirit would never wish to see this. Gentlemen, please do not let the sacrifice of Daniel and all the brave warriors who gave their lives for the cause of justice go to waste."