Vow Fulfilled

Suleiman's right hand was still resting on Lushen's shoulder.

He watched the tears churning in the man's eyes and felt the trembling of his body.

Suddenly feeling a bit awkward, he found himself momentarily at a loss for words.

The room fell into a strange silence, with peculiar emotions flowing through the air.

Just as Suleiman grew increasingly embarrassed, the tightly shut door was flung open from the outside.

Suleiman seized the opportunity to withdraw his hand.

Roslyn, his face covered in dust and his expression frantic, rushed in, only to freeze at the sight before him.

Surprise quickly eclipsed his panic, though he still managed to react and hurriedly salute Master Suleiman.

Seeing how flustered Roslyn had been upon entering, only to seemingly forget what he had come to say due to the bizarre scene, Suleiman's expression and voice swiftly returned to their usual composure.

"What is the panic! What is the matter?"

Roslyn took a few rapid, ragged breaths, a look of resentment appearing on his face:

"Master Suleiman, I took men to the nearby town to sell our spoils!"

"That pack of cunning leeches actually tried to drive down the price of the goods we risked our lives to seize!"

"They are nothing but parasites! They deserve to rot in the seventh hell!"

Roslyn continued to curse the merchants of the Westeros world in anger, while handing the ledger over to Suleiman.

The common folk at the bottom of the Westeros world mostly loathed merchants; to them, a merchant was synonymous with greed, and greed was one of the Seven Deadly Sins.

But when Suleiman took the ledger and saw the numbers, he was shocked, yet simultaneously felt a sense of relief.

No wonder everyone wanted to go out and plunder.

This was far faster and much easier than honestly tilling the land, collecting rent, or working hard at trade.

It was a way to accumulate massive wealth rapidly through the most barbaric of means.

It was time to fulfill his vow.

"Lushen! Roslyn!"

"Go assemble the troops!"

Suleiman looked at Lushen and Roslyn and commanded.

"Yes! Master Suleiman!" Roslyn replied loudly.

"Yes! Master Suleiman!" Lushen also stood up, his voice hoarse.

The two accepted the order, immediately turned, and walked quickly out of the room to gather their respective squads.

Soon, the sounds of chaotic footsteps and the shouts of soldiers echoed throughout the village.

The soldiers, who had been scattered about, heard the signal to assemble.

Ignoring their exhaustion, they were all filled with excitement and hurried toward the assembly point.

They knew that Roslyn had returned after selling off the spoils.

Before long, several hundred soldiers stood in neat ranks in the small square at the center of the village.

They were still covered in the dust and bloodstains of battle; the blood was difficult to scrub away.

Thus, they simply left it as a mark of their heroic fighting.

At the very front of the ranks, Lushen and Roslyn stood tall before their respective squads, awaiting the arrival of Master Suleiman.

Suleiman was still waiting; at times like this, it was necessary to make the soldiers wait.

To let them grow increasingly anxious, excited, and eager.

Finally, he rose slowly, walked out of the room, and came before the lined-up soldiers.

Yet he still did not speak, merely letting his gaze sweep across his men.

Of course, this was another piece of trivia he had read about in the past.

It was said that this could build up emotion, allowing humans to form the most intense emotional memories.

It could also reinforce authority—it could strengthen a leader's authority, as the soldiers were waiting for their reward.

Seeing Suleiman arrive, the soldiers all looked at him with fervent, dazed eyes.

But Suleiman did not speak, and their various emotions burned through their bodies like fire.

They could not wait any longer!

A powerful yearning, a hope for wealth and for changing their destinies, was magnified to the extreme at this moment.

Though it was not a pleasant thought, Suleiman felt just like he used to when stray dogs on the street would look at him while he held food...

They could not wait any longer.

They could not wait to know what Lord Suleiman would say next.

That extreme tension and anticipation filled the entire square with a suffocating silence.

Under these gazes, Suleiman slowly raised his right hand, which was clenched into a fist.

He knew he could not wait any longer; if he waited any further, this would no longer be a minor secret, but common knowledge.

He feared that these conscripts, whom he had trained to be as fierce as wolves and tigers, would rush up and hack him to pieces.

Seeing that Suleiman had finally made a move, some soldiers excitedly raised their hands high into the air.

They shouted loudly, "Long live Lord Suleiman!"

This wave of intense, fierce, and fanatical fervor quickly swept through everyone!

"Long live Lord Suleiman!"

"Long live Lord Suleiman!"

One by one, then another, and another, everyone began to scream along!

"Long live Lord Suleiman!"

Lushen and Roslyn looked at Suleiman with proud eyes; this was their lord, their master!

Everyone's gaze was fixed tightly on Suleiman, who stood on the high ground in front of them.

They waited for this young noble, who had led them to acquire massive wealth, to speak every single word that followed.

Their bodies trembled wildly from extreme desire.

The entire square seemed to be shrouded in an invisible emotion called greed and desire.

Combined with the deafening shouts of "long live," they converged into a terrifying sound wave that made the very ground seem to tremble.

Suleiman stood at the center of this sound wave.

He watched the boiling crowd before him in silence, listening to their cries.

He finally understood the sentiment behind the phrase, "A real man should be like this!"

His right hand remained a fist, and slowly, he opened it and placed it gently against his chest.

Seeing this action, the soldiers finally quieted down.

Suleiman scanned his soldiers, and wherever his gaze fell, the soldiers lifted their heads and puffed out their chests.

Without beating around the bush, he cut straight to the point.

Suleiman spoke slowly; his voice was not loud, yet it reached the ears of every soldier clearly.

"Soldiers! I once made a vow to you!"

"Of all the spoils of war! Half belongs to me! Half belongs to you!"

Suleiman looked at Roslyn.

Roslyn understood his intent and immediately took a few men with him.

They carried several heavy wooden crates out from the building beside the square.

The crates were not large, but judging by their strained footsteps.

The contents inside were absolutely packed to the brim!

Suleiman's voice rang out again, and although the tone was no different from before.

This time, his voice sounded so pleasant to the soldiers' ears, as if it were a flame!

The soldiers looked at their Suleiman, and their Suleiman pointed his finger at them.

"Now!"

"The vow is fulfilled!"

Roslyn and the others slammed the lids of the wooden crates open!

Madness!

As hundreds of soldiers saw this mountain of wealth within their reach, their taut nerves completely snapped.

Their eyes turned bloodshot, and their breathing became heavy and ragged.

Many trembled all over, their hands clenched into tight fists.

Their fingernails even dug into their palms without them noticing in the slightest.

"Long live Lord Suleiman!"

"Kill the Wildlings!"

"Kill! We will follow Lord Suleiman to kill from now on!"

A roar of madness instantly erupted into the air!

The square was a scene of boiling, fanatical chaos!

This is the most direct power brought by wealth!

Their lives were changed by violence and slaughter!

They marched toward death when conscripted, and gained wealth through battle.

Suleiman's voice rang out once more.

"Your fighting and bloodshed! The commanders of your two squads have seen it!"

"Step forward one by one! Based on each of your performances!"

"According to the magnitude of your military merit! Your share will be distributed!"

This was Suleiman helping Lushen and Roslyn establish their authority.

Consolidating their positions as squad leaders.

One by one, the soldiers stepped out of the ranks in order and approached the chests.

When Lushen grabbed a handful of Silver Stags, even needing a small pouch to hold them, everyone could not help but redden their eyes.

All of them, living in the world of Westeros, had spent their entire lives struggling on the poverty line.

Their greatest wish was merely to save enough money to buy food; it was happiness enough if their families didn't freeze or starve to death.

They had never imagined that through a single battle, they could obtain such an astonishing reward.

This money was enough for them to bid farewell to their past hardships and let their families live a good life.

"Gate, this is yours!" Roslyn placed a bulging money pouch into the hands of a young soldier.

Gate took the pouch in a daze, his hands trembling uncontrollably; he had shot an arrow into the eye of a Wildling.

He looked down at the heavy weight of the bag, then looked up at Roslyn's earnest expression.

His lips trembled as he tried to say something, but no sound came out.

He was a hunter, and this was money he couldn't have saved even after twenty years of hunting!

"Dell, this is yours!" Lushen handed him a full money pouch.

He was a soldier from Deddings Town, a veteran grunt selected by Maester Walder to be thrown into this squad as cannon fodder.

In his past experience, the promises of noble lords were often discounted, especially when it came to distributing spoils.

Why bleed and sacrifice? Wasn't it better to hide and just collect military pay?

But this time, he didn't know why, but he chose to believe.

When he saw the opening behind that two-meter-tall Wildling, he had charged forward.

He had pierced his chest with a single sword thrust!

The crisp clinking sound of the Silver Stags colliding and the astonishing weight in his hand.

Made even this Deddings Town veteran unable to stop his eyes from reddening.

This money was enough for him to buy a big house in his hometown and marry a wide-hipped wife.

To live a stable life, and even support his parents!

Toman stepped forward, as Lord Roslyn had let him go last.

But there were no coins left in the chest.

He raised his head in agony.

Only to see Lord Suleiman looking at him with a smile.

"You are Toman?"

"Yes! My Lord!"

He saw Suleiman walking toward him:

"Their bravery!"

"Lushen and Roslyn, have seen it!"

Now, he stood before him, handing over a small box.

"And your bravery!"

"I have seen it!"

He knelt down before Suleiman and wept bitterly.

I think I will never forget this moment, Toman thought.