I Died and Became a Noble's Heir

Chapter 569: Bring him here

Jack processed this information with growing certainty that someone was deliberately orchestrating events.

Dungeon appearing out of nowhere. All investigation parties eliminated.

And now, the serpent attacks that seemed designed to prevent anyone from approaching the dungeon entrance.

"When did the snake assaults begin?" he asked, piecing together the timeline.

"A week ago. Small attacks at first, a dozen snakes here and there, testing our defenses. But they escalated quickly. Hundreds attacking simultaneously, different sizes and capabilities, all of them corrupted by whatever magic saturates this region."

The captain gestured toward the carnage outside the gates.

"Tonight was the largest assault yet. The Disaster-class serpent is leading nearly a thousand smaller snakes in a coordinated siege. If you hadn’t arrived when you did..."

"You would have fallen," Jack finished bluntly. "Your lord would be dead, the fortress overrun, and whatever’s in that dungeon would remain uninvestigated indefinitely."

"Yes," Captain Torven confirmed quietly.

"Our previous Lord Bale died last night from a snake bite during the assault. The venom was... unusual. Worked slowly, painfully, killed him over the course of twelve hours despite our healers’ best efforts."

A moment of silence ensued as the assembled soldiers absorbed the reminder of their lord’s demise, with expressions of grief and anger evident throughout the courtyard.

"And the new lord?" Jack asked.

Captain Torven adopted a meticulously neutral professional posture, a subtle indicator of his true sentiments toward his new commanding officer.

"The young Lord Bale has assumed leadership of the territory as is his hereditary right. He is... focused on administrative duties rather than military command."

"He’s hiding somewhere safe while his soldiers die defending the fortress he inherited," Jack translated with brutal honesty.

"Probably convinced himself that lords belong in council chambers rather than on battlefields, that tactical decisions should be made from a position of safety rather than personal experience."

The captain said nothing, but his silence was confirmation enough.

Jack’s grin returned, sharp and predatory. "That’s fine. I don’t need the brave lord to cooperate with my investigation. I need him to follow simple instructions."

"What instructions, Lord Kaiser?" Captain Torven asked carefully.

"I’ll handle the dungeon investigation personally. That’s what the King assigned me to do, and unlike your missing adventuring parties, I will return."

Jack’s tone carried absolute confidence that would have seemed arrogant if not backed by the demonstration they’d all just witnessed. "But I have two conditions that need to be met first."

"Name them," the captain replied immediately, clearly willing to agree to almost anything if it meant the dungeon would be cleared and the serpent attacks would stop.

"First, your new lord comes to this fortress immediately. Not after he’s finished with administrative duties or personal concerns. Tonight."

Jack’s yellow and orange eyes bored into the captain’s with intensity that made the older man straighten unconsciously.

"I don’t care if he’s comfortable or frightened or convinced that lords shouldn’t risk themselves. He comes here, or I leave and let your fortress handle its own problems."

Captain Torven nodded without hesitation. "I’ll send riders immediately. Lord Bale was residing at the villa, perhaps two hours’ hard ride from here. He can be brought to the fortress before dawn."

"Good," Jack confirmed. "The second condition will be discussed when he arrives. He’ll need to hear it directly."

The captain’s expression showed curiosity about what the second demand might be, but he was professional enough not to press for details when Jack had made clear they weren’t being shared yet.

"Understood, Lord Kaiser. Is there anything else you require? Quarters for you and your companions, food, supplies for your investigation?"

"No," Jack stated flatly, already turning back toward the courtyard’s entrance. "My army stays here. Their commander will make certain my demands are met while I’m gone. You will comply with those demands exactly as if they came from me directly, because they do. Any questions about what he requires, you answer. Any resources he requests, you provide. Understood?"

"Your army remains as... garrison?" Captain Torven’s tone showed he wasn’t quite sure how to handle 247 beastly warriors taking up residence in his fortress.

"As insurance," Jack corrected. "They ensure that your new lord follows through on traveling here, that your soldiers don’t decide to try anything stupid while I’m investigating the dungeon, and that this fortress remains standing if more serpents attack before I return."

Rhys stepped closer, his voice lowered enough that only Jack and Father Caelen could hear clearly. "Are you sure about this? What if they try something while you’re away? The minotaurs are powerful, but if the garrison turns on them with coordinated tactics..."

Jack’s laugh was genuinely amused, carrying no concern whatsoever about the scenario Rhys was suggesting.

"If they try anything, the minotaurs will kill everything here. Every soldier, every servant, every person stupid enough to remain in the fortress when they start the execution." His tone was absolutely casual, discussing a potential massacre the same way someone might comment on the weather.

"You can join me at the dungeon after that happens. I’ll leave trail markers."

The young mage stared at him for a moment, processing the complete lack of concern about potentially ordering the death of hundreds of people who’d just been saved from serpent siege.

Then he nodded slowly, recognizing that Jack’s tactical assessment was probably accurate.

Attacking the minotaur army would be suicide, which meant the garrison wouldn’t be stupid enough to try it.

Father Caelen said nothing, but his weathered features showed concern at Jack’s ruthlessly practical approach to ensuring cooperation.

Jack turned and began walking back toward the fortress gates, his stride confident as he moved through the crowds of soldiers who parted automatically to let him pass.

Father Caelen followed close behind, leaving Captain Torven standing in the courtyard with orders to summon his new lord and comply with the demonic army’s demands.

As they crossed back through the gateway into the battlefield outside, Jack’s consciousness reached along the Soul Link connecting him to Brutus.

The communication was instantaneous, with thoughts and intent transmitted directly, without the need for verbal explanation.

’You’re in command here. The captain will cooperate if he doesn’t, kill him and everyone else who resists. The new lord is being summoned and should arrive within four hours. When he does, ensure he understands that refusing my second condition means I abandon this investigation and leave them to handle their own problems. Make whatever demands you need for supplies, quarters, or anything else that keeps the army comfortable while I clear the dungeon.’

Brutus promptly acknowledged the communication, expressing both recognition and contentment regarding the trust placed in his leadership. ’Understood, Master. The fortress will be secure when you return.’

Jack smiled at that certainty as he approached where Stormfang and Voidweaver waited near the edge of the serpent corpse field.

He stopped walking, his right arm extending almost involuntarily as chains manifested from his flesh.

The chains shot forward, crossing the distance to the massive corpse in a fraction of a second. They plunged into the snake’s body not through physical flesh but through something deeper, reaching past material reality to grasp what remained after death.

The soul.

Only Jack could see it. A translucent green form that matched the serpent’s physical appearance, still bearing the shape and size of the Disaster-class monster even though its body lay dead and cooling.

The soul was trying to dissipate, to fragment and return to whatever cosmic cycle governed such things in this world.

The chains wrapped around it with inexorable force, binding the ghostly form with restraints that couldn’t be broken through simple spiritual resistance.

The soul didn’t struggle. It went quietly, recognition that whatever power the Soul Warden wielded transcended normal rules about death and afterlife.

Jack began walking again, the chains extending behind him like an ethereal leash as he dragged the captured soul along.

It followed obediently, a massive ghostly serpent being pulled through the battlefield like a pet on an invisible tether.

From an ordinary human perspective, Jack’s movement toward the forest with his companions seemed unremarkable, save for his confident demeanor.

Stormfang and Voidweaver moved to follow their master.

Father Caelen mounted Voidweaver again with slightly more confidence than before, his earlier experience making the process less awkward.

They entered the forest’s edge, purple mist swallowing them immediately as twisted trees closed in overhead.

The darkness was absolute beyond the mist’s faint glow, the fortress’s torches fading to barely visible gleam within seconds of their departure.

The purple mist grew thicker as they moved deeper into corrupted territory, the twisted landscape becoming more oppressive with each step.