The Debt Of Fate-Chapter 307: Start a revolt

After the wounded had been treated and the dead counted, King Edward strode among the soldiers and called for their attention.

Torches burned as night fell. The men stood in uneven lines, many with bandages on their arms or blood still on their armor. Their faces were tired, their eyes dull.

"My soldiers," he said, his voice firm, "do not let lies weaken your hearts. These rumors are baseless. They were spread by our enemies to divide us."

He paused, looking across the crowd.

"We do not serve false gods. We serve the one true God, and He has not abandoned us. Today’s battle proves that. We were tested, and we stood our ground."

Silence answered him. King Edward was disappointed, but he did not show it.

Some soldiers lowered their heads. Others stared into the distance. No cheers followed his words.

Seeing this, Edward continued, his tone sharper. "Doubt is more dangerous than any sword. If you let fear rule you, you will destroy yourselves before the enemy ever can."

Still, nothing changed.

The men listened, but their hearts were closed.

"You are the royal army. You fight to keep peace and protect the crown. Would you allow some baseless rumors to bring you down?"

"No," a few soldiers finally responded.

Hearing that response, King Edward encouraged them further and praised their efforts.

The camp became a bit more lively, which greatly relieved the king, but that night many did not sleep. Whispers moved quietly through the tents.

At dawn, the camp woke to an ugly truth.

Tents stood empty.

Weapons and armor lay abandoned on the ground. Fires had burned out without anyone to tend them. A large number of soldiers had fled during the night.

The commanders rushed to report.

"Your Majesty," one said carefully, "we have deserters. Many of them."

King Edward stood in silence as the words sank in.

He had noticed the spirit of the soldiers yesterday; that was why he had bothered to praise them.

"Count how many have left," Edward forced himself to calm down. He could not help but remember the general’s warning not to kill when he had just arrived, but he had been too angry to listen to logic at that time. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Now, with deserters—no matter how insignificant—it would solidify the rumors.

"Yes, Your Majesty." The men went out, and half an hour later returned with a detailed report. Apart from the dead and injured, about a quarter of the men fit for battle had left.

When Edward looked at the report, he was furious. He did not expect that simple rumors could lead to such a disaster. He had thought he would be away from the royal city for at most a month, but given the sudden turn of events, the plan he had at hand suddenly became useless.

"Send out a report. Anyone who returns within the next three days will be forgiven; otherwise, the penalty is death," King Edward declared after going through the report.

...

Royal City

The rumors soon reached the royal city.

People spoke in the streets and markets. Some said the king had angered the gods.

Fear spread quickly, turning neighbors against one another.

"This is just some baseless rumor started by Lord Aureline. Don’t tell me you believe it," one person asked his neighbor.

"What do you mean baseless? I saw a trader today. He saw the guard of the late Prince Christopher himself. It can’t be false," his neighbor argued.

"So? Do we have proof that he is indeed the late prince’s guard?" the first neighbor refused to believe.

"Proof or not, I have never seen smoke without fire," his neighbor replied, convinced he was right.

This kind of conversation happened in different places. Some believed, others doubted, but within a few days, chaos followed.

Temples filled with worried worshippers. Churches echoed with prayers and cries for mercy.

Some even demanded answers from the royal family. The city guards struggled to keep order as arguments broke out in public places.

Lord William saw the danger clearly.

He went to the royal church and met with the high priest in private. The air inside was heavy with incense, the candles burning low.

"This fear is tearing the city apart," Lord William said. "If it continues, we will have unrest within the walls."

The priest nodded slowly. "The people need guidance. They need to be reminded that the kingdom still stands under God’s protection."

"Yes. I ask the high priest to speak to the people. They will listen," Lord William said.

The high priest paused when he heard those words. He could tell that the king was about to fall. "If His Majesty were here, I would ask him to come for confession, perhaps..." The high priest stopped speaking.

Lord William felt his heart miss a beat. "Are you saying that God has rejected King Edward?"

"I am not saying anything, but the royal family is indeed not innocent. The late King George opened the temple of the old gods. He brought back idols to the land. It is only logical for the wrath of God to be upon the land," the high priest said.

"Then what can be done? I will listen to you," Lord William said. He could not overturn the decree of the late king, but he could help cleanse the land.

The two had a long discussion, and they reached a decision.

There would be days of prayer for the kingdom. Bells would ring across the city, calling everyone to the churches. The priests would speak of unity, faith, and patience, urging the people to put away the false gods so they would be protected by the one true God.

"We must pray for mercy," the high priest added as Lord William got up to leave.

"I understand. I will make preparations," he said.

"Good. The Lord be with you," the priest smiled.

...

After leaving the church, Lord William immediately got into his carriage and went straight to Ernest’s house. Although the king had instructed that he should not give him so much power, given the chaos, he felt that no one else could manage the situation better than Ernest.

Ernest was working in his study when he was informed of Lord William’s visit. He quickly left everything to welcome him. After all, Lord William was currently the Hand of the King, so it was like having the king visit him.

"Lord William, it is an honor to have you visit, but you should have just sent for me," Ernest said, his posture humble to show respect.

"General Ernest," Lord William said with a polite smile. "That would have taken too much time. Moreover, given your health, I wanted to see things for myself." Lord William had no choice but to say those words. Of course, he did not agree with many of King Edward’s decisions, but he had to be loyal.

Ernest smiled and led him into the receiving hall.

"Please, take your seat," Ernest said. He waited for Lord William to take his seat before sitting down himself.

"Would Lord William prefer tea, or shall I have them serve you fine wine? I still have one gifted by His Majesty. It is the best of its kind," Ernest said.

"Tea is fine. I still have a lot to do and would not dare drink wine yet," Lord William answered. Ernest immediately acknowledged this, and within a short moment, tea was served.

"I am sure that General Ernest must have heard of the chaos around," Lord William went straight to the reason for his visit.

Ernest nodded. The news was already everywhere.

"There are going to be prayers for the next two days. I want General Ernest to take care of the security. Given the way the news has spread so quickly, I am worried that someone is behind it," Lord William continued.

"Lord William, just give me the order," Ernest smiled.

"That’s good." Seeing that Ernest was easy to talk to, Lord William was pleased. He had been worried that Ernest would hold a grudge since he had not been given any proper duty since recovering from the poison.

...

"Why was Lord William here?" Anastasia asked. She had been staying indoors since her pregnancy, trying her best to take care of herself.

"There are going to be prayers for the next two days. He wants me to ensure the security and, if possible, arrest those deliberately spreading the news," Ernest said. Although Lord William had not voiced that part, Ernest could guess what he was thinking.

"What... do you plan to do?" Anastasia asked, becoming worried. Since the news of her pregnancy, she had noticed that Ernest was hiding many things from her. While she understood why he made that decision, it still worried her.

"What do you mean?" Ernest frowned.

"You started the rumor from the second region," Anastasia said. She did not believe Lord Aureline had such information and had not used it for such a long time.

Ernest looked at her. Although he was proud of her insight, he wished she was not so brilliant. He did not want her to feel worried or stressed. After all, their child depended on her health.

"So? What do you intend to do? If you don’t tell me, I will worry," Anastasia said. She could tell that he was unwilling to speak.

"Start a revolt in the royal city," Ernest answered honestly.

"You..." Anastasia was shocked by his answer.