Lu Mingfei, become the King of Elden!

Chapter 273 Even if you kill me, I won't...

With the knight commander's charred head in hand, Lu Mingfei easily intimidated the remaining soldiers of Hyde Fortress and seized control.

He left the now peaceful Hyde Fortress and, with a blessing, returned to the edge of the Misty Forest.

He rode his spirit horse to the ruins.

Kenneth Hyde waited anxiously in place. When he saw Lu Mingfei appear, he immediately rushed over excitedly, his face beaming with uncontrollable joy and anticipation.

"Warrior! You're back! How is it? Hyde Fortress..."

His voice trembled slightly with excitement.

Lu Mingfei reined in the horse, looking down at him calmly:

"The fortress has been captured. The resistance inside has been eliminated, and it is now under our control."

"Great! Great! The golden tree is above!"

Kenneth Hyde was overjoyed and almost danced with excitement.

He could almost see himself returning to the fortress and restoring his family's glory.

He hurriedly took a beautifully decorated, seemingly ancient brass dagger from his waist, presented it with both hands, and spoke with great gratitude:

“Great warrior! This is a heirloom passed down through generations of my Hyde family. Though it is not as precious as other gifts of gratitude, it represents my heartfelt thanks! Thank you for reclaiming my family's territory! I, Kenneth Hyde, will never forget your kindness!”

However, Lu Mingfei did not take the short knife.

He remained silent, only slightly raising his head. His golden eyes beneath his mask suddenly lit up, like two scorching suns, and an immense, mountain-like pressure instantly enveloped Kenneth Hyde!

Kenneth Hyde's ecstatic expression froze instantly, as fear washed over him like a tidal wave.

He felt as if a mountain was pressing down on his soul, his knees buckled, and he almost collapsed to the ground.

Kenneth Hyde involuntarily lowered his head, no longer daring to look directly into those eyes that contained boundless power and majesty.

In the suffocating silence, Lu Mingfei's cold voice slowly rang out:

“Kenneth Hyde…you may have made a mistake.”

“I took Hyde Fortress not for you, nor for your so-called family glory.”

Lu Mingfei said calmly:

"Hyde Fortress is now my territory. And I am the de facto ruler of Stoneville City."

Kenneth Hyde's mind, which had been clouded by joy, finally regained its composure.

He then remembered that the knight in front of him, clad in silver armor, was the ruthless man who had killed "Limb-Splitter" Grik and wielded the Great Rune!
No, he's not a knight at all, he's Stoneville, or even the Grand Lord of Nymgford!

Lu Mingfei ignored his fear, the light in his golden eyes remaining cold, and continued to ask:
“Now, tell me, Kenneth Hyde. If I allow you to return to Hyde Fortress and restore order there… what will you do?”

Under Lu Mingfei's terrifying pressure, he trembled all over, cold sweat soaked his inner lining, and his brain worked frantically, trying to give an answer that would satisfy his new master.

Looking at the knight's blood-stained armor, Kenneth Hyde finally understood that the wheels of time had rolled over, and the glory of the old nobility was worthless in front of this man.

His future fate depends entirely on the other party's will at this moment.

However, Kenneth Hyde also had his own ideals.

He gritted his teeth and said, his voice trembling:

"I will resume communication with the demi-humans, reorganize the city's defenses, kill the leaders who surrendered earliest, restore production, and bring Hyde Fortress and the Fog Forest back to order." "Oh?"

Lu Mingfei was somewhat surprised:
"A demi-human?"

Those ugly races that look like monkeys and are discriminated against?

Kenneth, hearing the mocking tone in Lu Mingfei's words, assumed that Lu Mingfei was also someone who looked down on the demi-human race and thought he had said something wrong.

His fear intensified, but he steeled himself and continued:

"That's right! It's demi-humans! Those lowly beings will not be excluded by the proper order! Demi-humans or hybrids, they should all be included within the scope of the order!"

“If you are a despicable person filled with discrimination and hatred, a tyrant who enslaves his subjects, then you are not one of my kind, Kenneth Hyde!”

Lu Mingfei's eyes suddenly blazed with golden light, and the invisible pressure instantly increased several times, almost suffocating Kenneth Hyde!

At the same time, with a "whoosh", Lu Mingfei drew the Lost Knight's Greatsword from his back, the blade carrying a chilling aura, and placed it firmly against Kenneth Hyde's slender neck!
The blade pressed against his skin, the icy touch sending a shiver through Kenneth's body, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

“Even if I kill you right now,” Lu Mingfei’s voice was filled with undisguised killing intent, “you’re still unwilling to bow down, unwilling to manage ‘my’ territory the way I do?”

Kenneth Hyde felt the blade against his neck, a blade that could take his life. The immense fear made his teeth chatter and his face turn deathly pale.

Under such fear, his pride was instead aroused.

Kenneth Hyde closed his eyes tightly, and with all his might, roared out:

“No…that’s right! Kill me! A tyrant who only knows how to rule with fear and force, who harbors prejudice and enslaves his subjects, can never become a king on the right path! You are not someone I, Kenneth Hyde, am willing to serve!”

As he uttered these words, he was prepared to be beheaded immediately, his body trembling violently with fear and resolve.

The expected excruciating pain did not occur.

Instead, the heavy pressure on his neck suddenly disappeared.

"bass."

There was another soft sound, the sound of the greatsword precisely returning to its sheath.

Kenneth Hyde slowly opened his eyes with surprise and uncertainty, and saw that Lu Mingfei had already sheathed his sword, and the light in his golden eyes had also diminished considerably.

Lu Mingfei looked at him and slowly said:

"……interesting."

The murderous intent in his tone vanished, replaced by a hint of admiration.

"It seems that your obsession with 'order' is not entirely an act."

Lu Mingfei nodded slightly:
“A nobleman who is not afraid of death and insists on his own set of ‘inclusive’ principles… Kenneth Hyde, you have earned my respect.”

Kenneth Hyde was completely bewildered, utterly unable to keep up with the new lord's rapidly changing emotions and intentions.

Lu Mingfei stopped looking at him, turned to look in the direction of Hyde Fortress, and said calmly:

“Remember what you said today, Kenneth Hyde. You can manage Hyde Fortress; I will grant you a certain degree of autonomy. But remember, the final order of this land rests with me. And your so-called ‘legitimacy’ needs to be proven with concrete results, not just empty talk.”

"Now, go and fulfill your promise. Let me see what your so-called 'maintaining fair order' will actually bring."

(End of this chapter)