"M-my lord, I—"
John's icy voice made Ace's legs go weak. Despair and regret filled his heart.
How stupid had I been to think my petty tricks could fool someone so terrifying?
How could I have been so naive?
How could I?
Ace thought John was about to sentence him to death and discard him like a useless pawn.
But John, who had been watching Ace's expression, realized he had put enough pressure on the worthless commander.
If he pushed any harder, the fool might scare himself to death before John could make his next move.
So John changed tack at once and said with feigned helplessness, "To be honest, Ace, I admire you."
"Among all those goblins who only wanted to cause trouble for Faoken, you were the first to pledge loyalty to the Governor's Office."
"For Faoken's development, you even put justice above family and reported the goblin elders who tried to seize Faoken's public property."
"Granted, your lack of political and administrative ability led you to make many mistakes."
"But you were only the eldest son of the Darkmoon Clan, with no real authority. Mistakes were understandable."
"So personally, I don't want to punish you, the man in charge of Darkmoon Territory."
"But after what you've done, I'm afraid it would be hard to satisfy everyone if I imposed no punishment at all..."
With that, John deliberately gave Ace a helpless look.
"!"
Ace had thought his head was about to come off. Frightened nearly to the point of wetting himself, he stared wide-eyed, and his trembling legs suddenly went still.
He promptly slid off his chair and dropped to the floor, then skillfully prostrated himself before John. His voice rang with sincerity and even a hint of tears. "Governor, I, Ace Darkmoon, am willing to accept