A lovely garden surrounded the Orline mansion. This mansion was a bit smaller than Duke Alfredo's mansion, but it had more occupants.
Lance told Jack that Hans lived in this mansion with his wife and his three children. Aside from them, his brother and his sister also lived inside. His brother was still single. His sister had a husband and one child.
Jack met them all when he entered the guest room with Lance. They were gathering to mourn Neil's passing as they awaited the return of Neil's body, which had just finished the examination. Lance greeted them and promised that Neil's body would be brought here in a couple more hours.
They bowed when they saw Jack, but Jack could see hostility in their eyes. They were no doubt blaming him for Neil's death. If he didn't go and open the border and the settlements to the orcs, no orc would be murdering Neil.
Their eyes were the same as the other civilians who happened to lay eyes on Jack in this town. Jack did not doubt that if this country didn't have Serenity's Blessing, World Peace Garden, and Joy's Recreational Hub, this town would have erupted in a revolt already.
Even so, the enchantment and Wonder Buildings could not hold back the tide forever. They were not the solutions. To regain stability, he had to bring the murderers to justice and ensure such an incident would not happen again.
After a short meet and greet with the Orline family, Hans' wife brought them to the study room.
Jack and Lance entered the study room and saw Hans sitting in his chair with his back on them. He was staring out into the large windows, gazing at the front lawn. He had seen Jack and Lance through those windows when they came. The mistress of the house closed the door after they entered.
Jack saw several empty wine bottles on the desk.
"Lord Orline…," Jack began.
"The orcs are not our enemy…," Hans cut Jack's words. "That's what you said."
Jack went silent. He could sense the pain and resentment in Han's voice.
"For the good of our country, you said… We have to see the big picture…," Hans continued speaking without turning back.
He then stood up. "Now… One of my sons is dead… MY SON…!!!"
Hans turned and smashed his work desk using his fist. He was a level 65 elite human. The desk cracked from the impact.
"You said we have to keep letting the orcs into our town! You said they want peace! Is killing my son an act of peace?! Still, you defend them! When you should have dragged them all out and burned them at the stakes! And I, who have lost a son, am being imprisoned in my own house… for the crime of asking for justice for my son…!! Is this how you rule this kingdom…?!"
"Hans…!!" Lance scolded. "You are talking to His Majesty! Get a grip on yourself…!"
Lance turned to Jack and offered an apology for Hans. "Your Majesty, please forgive him. He is drunk. It is not him talking…"
"You bet your ass it is me talking!" Hans yelled. "I may be drunk, by my mind is still clear. These wines do nothing to cloud my mind, even when I want them to!"
Hans swung at the wine bottles on the desk. The bottles clattered as they fell onto the floor.
"Are you going to punish me, king?! For speaking my mind? For demanding justice?" Hans continued. "Go ahead! Show the people of this country who you truly are…! I should have joined the rebellion in Themelot… I didn't because I thought, maybe we should give this new king a chance to prove himself… What a fool I am…"
ραΠdαsΝοvεl.cοm "If you join the rebellion, you would have been punished!" Lance rebuked. To Jack, he said, "Your Majesty, I've warned you about this. Please, forgive him and let him be for the moment. Wait until he cools down before we talk to him…"
"Lord Orline…," Jack called again. His word was soft. There was no sign of anger in his tone. "I can't tell you that I understand your feeling… I don't think anyone who has never lost an offspring will ever understand… But I accept your anger. I swear to you I will bring the orc who has murdered your son to justice! If I can't capture him to let you carry out your revenge, I will take the revenge myself!"
Hans scoffed at Jack's words, but then he realized Jack had acknowledged the murderer as an orc.
"You… You admit that the murderer is an orc?" Hans asked.
"All the evidence points to this conclusion, I can't deny it," Jack said.
"Then it's time to round up all the orcs! We should hang them all in public squa…"
"Lord Orline!" Jack reprimanded. His tone turned stern. "I will bring the murderer to justice. Not all the orcs. The perpetrator is one orc or a group of them. Not every orc. We cannot condemn the entire race for the deed of one individual. Once we find out this murderer…"
"You are still shielding them…!!" Hans again slammed his fist. He looked ready to lunge at Jack. "All these talks and all you want is just to defend them. You orc-loving cunt…!"
Lance charged forward and gave Hans a hard slap. He was a special elite and his level was higher, at level 70. Hans fell to the ground from the slap.
"You fool! You can be hanged for that!" Lance scolded. He then looked back at Jack, hoping Jack would forgive the outburst just now.
Jack gave him an assuring look. He didn't mind the insult. He had received worse insults in the past. But of course, if this had happened in public, he would have no choice but to roll out punishment. Otherwise, the kingdom's dignity would be laughed at. Luckily, this happened within a closed room.
At this time, a knock was heard on the door.
"Who?! We are not to be disturbed at the moment!" Lance yelled in irritation.
"It's me," they heard Sherly's voice. "We've just talked with the teams in the other towns. We have something real to follow up on this case."
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