155 -152- The deceased general, The imprisoned mage

Noxus Calendar, February 3rd

Inside the immortal bastion of Noxus, in the shadows, a man sitting on the throne coughed heavily. "Is this the answer you brought?" he exclaimed. "An invitation from Zaun?" 

Darkwill, with crimson eyes, glanced at the letter in his hand. Supporting his face with frail, branch-like fingers, he sneered at the Noxian general kneeling before him, asking, "What's the name of that Viscount again?"

"Your Majesty, it's Boklan."

"Bang!"

"Clang!"

A crystal cup smashed against the general's head, and shards scattered on the floor. Crimson blood flowed from his forehead as Darkwill leaned back, staring coldly. "Have you executed him?"

"Apologies, Your Majesty. Please forgive me."

Prostrate on the ground, the general kissed the floor with his forehead.

"Is he already dealt with?"

The general lifted his head, blood flowing into his eyes. Without blinking, he nodded forcefully. "As per your command, Viscount Boklan has been hanged, dismembered, and fed to the hounds."

Darkwill coughed, then said, "Fed completely?"

"No... Your Majesty, only two leg bones are left, and the skull wasn't completely consumed."

"Throw it to the earth dragon. I don't want a trace of him left in this world." Darkwill rose, descended the steps, and approached the general.

With greasy and foul-smelling hair scattered, sparse stubble on his chin, Darkwill looked like an undignified drunkard at first glance. 

But if one saw his eyes...

Those eyes were so malevolent that a mere second of eye contact felt like plunging into an icy abyss.

What kind of eyes were they?

—Cold, fierce, cunning, cruel, heartless.

In Darkwill's crimson eyes, anyone could see the negative emotions of the world.

"One month.... You will have one month," Darkwill said, crouching before the general. Near his ear, he whispered, "I don't care how, but within a month, Sion must be unleashed upon Piltover."

"Your Majesty, General Sion doesn't differentiate between friend and foe...."

The general spoke with a trembling voice.

Sion — a deceased general.

He was the mighty undead general of the empire and the previous hand of Noxus, a monstrous force to be reckoned with.

He singlehandedly break through a city's defense, that was Sion.

However, General Sion had a significant issue — resurrected by necromancy, he couldn't distinguish between allies and enemies. 

On the battlefield, he often inflicted massive damage on his own side. 

Moreover, activating General Sion each time came at a great cost. Therefore, in recent years, the empire had kept General Sion sealed.

But now, Darkwill's intent was clear.

The undead of the empire was about to be unleashed again.

"That's your concern."

Darkwill patted the general's head, stood indifferently, and, looking down at him, said, "Understood?"

"..."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

"Get out."

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Noxus Calendar, February 4th

Demacia —

In the majestic city of Demacia during night, within the Crownsguard family, Tianna, having removed her massive shoulder armor, a glass of wine in hand, stood before a man. 

Even though he was seated, his towering figure was evident — a robust man, muscular like a bear.

"Aunt, why did you let..."

"Shut up, Garen."

Swirling the cup in her hand, Fiora sternly spoke, "Haven't you noticed yet? Haven't you noticed what Luxanna has been doing lately?"

"Aunt, she just interacted with a criminal mage. Lux is young; she might think they share something, but she'll understand later."

"Understand? Later?"

Fiora shook the cup and, with a raised eyebrow, said sharply, "Garen, our family has sacrificed for generations for the kingdom. We can't lose our honor for a few flashy tricks!"

"Have you forgotten about Whiteng?" Tianna sighed.

//// For this name, I translated myself, couldn't find the official translation of this name, if y'all know, leave a comment. /////

Garen lowered his head, silent.

Whiteng was the man who imparted knowledge to Garen, teaching him about the outside world and instilling the beliefs of the Crownguard family. 

He was Garen's best uncle. However, he died when Garen was eleven, killed by a mage. This event solidified Garen's view that magic was evil.

Ironically, a few years later, Garen's own sister, Lux, was discovered to be a powerful mage. 

In other countries, having magical talents would lead to a better life, but in Demacia, magic equaled sin. 

Being a noble family of Demacia, the Crownguard family could have exiled Lux if she were anyone else.

Now, the only restraint on Lux's actions was already an act of mercy from Tianna. 

Tianna, despite having a husband, had no children of her own. Garen and Lux, treated as her own, became Tianna's focus and were raised as if they were her own children.

"Eldred thinks that mage is dangerous. He warned me to keep Lux away from him."

"Uncle..." Garen began to say.

"No need to call him that," Tianna calmly said. "Just call him by his name."

"Aunt, is your relationship with Eldred still the same?" Garen hesitated.

"You, and Lux, are enough for me to worry about." Tianna, rarely revealing this side of herself, rolled her eyes, looking at Garen. "My eyes only see the safety of the nation and the honor of the family."

"Love? Garen, that's not something I can have." Tianna waved her hand, whispering, "Lux has light magic. Her future is to marry the Crown Prince. Only this way can we secure Lux. And, just like Eldred and me, Garen, there is no room for love in political unions."

Garen remained silent. After a moment, he nodded.

He trusted Tianna because, in his eyes, Tianna was the guardian of both him and Lux, almost like their mother.

"When Lux returns, I hope you can supervise... no, warn her," Tianna rubbed her temples and continued, "This time, the family can pretend not to have seen anything. But if there's a next time, Garen, Lux and that mage will both face consequences."

"I don't want her to start a conflict with me again over this."

Thinking about Lux, Tianna also had a headache.

Since discovering Luxanna's magic, Tianna's relationship with her had deteriorated day by day. Now, she even changed her name to Lux.

"Yes, I understand, Aunt."

Garen nodded.

That mage... was his name Sylas?