The army moved at a steady jog, the ground rumbling beneath their feet as rhythmic breaths synced with the ever clanging armor. Elron, watching a couple of soldiers collapse face-first into the dirt. He then barked, "Halt! Everyone, stop! Rest at once!"

  A horn blared in response, signaling the army to stop. Elron dismounted alongside Maris, grumbling, "We've pushed harder than this before. What's their issue?"

  Maris, panting slightly as she tried to match her leader’s pace, replied, "My lord, you forget, the vast majority of your army are just normal elves.”

  Elron cast his gaze over his troops, nearly the entire column dropping to the ground in unison, gulping down water from their canteens. The sudden shift in the wind brought the smell of sweat and musk crashing into his face holes. "Ugh, fine," he muttered.

  His eyes traveled up the road to the next village. "We could have been there already if we had pushed ten more minutes."

  Maris scanned the exhausted soldiers and offered, "You could dismount the riders and take the High Elves ahead. They would be enough—"

  Elron grabbed her shoulders, shaking her lightly. "Maris, you’re a genius! Muster them immediately!" He spun on his heel, already heading toward the village.

  Hundreds of soldiers gathered behind him, their posture rigid and eyes sharp, trailing Elron as he led them toward the village gates. Upon arriving, they found no guards, no greetings, just a crowd gathered in the center, focused on a commotion. So engrossed were the villagers in their squabbles that they didn't even notice the soldiers slipping through the gates, encircling them like wolves.

  Elron gestured left and right, and his troops grinned as they began to wrap around. Before anyone could grasp what was happening, Elron mana-stepped into the heart of the gathering.

  "What’s going on here?" he asked, his voice carrying across the square.

  Two men, previously locked in a shouting match, paused only for a heartbeat to glance at him before resuming their bickering.

  A flicker of anger flashed across Elron’s mind. His hand went to his blade, drawing it with a sharp ring of steel. "Excuse me!"

  The men froze, lowering their hammers. One, a human, turned to Elron with wild eyes. "Is it true?! Are we all forfeiting our lives?"

  Elron’s gaze narrowed. "Word travels fast." He scanned the crowd, his voice turning cold. "Stop this foolish fighting and bring me your village elder. I need to speak with him."

  The High Elf infront of him bowed slightly, his face still drawn. "My lord, the elder went missing soon after the new law reached our village."

  Elron's brow furrowed. "Hm, suspicious." His eyes darted around, searching for any signs of deceit. "Then by general rule, the next eldest elf assumes the role. Until that person is determined, I will be your elder."

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  A murmur rippled through the crowd, their faces shifting between confusion and fear. Whispers spread like wildfire as they speculated about their pending fates.

  Suddenly, the human leapt past the High Elf, charging at Elron with his hammer raised high. "I won’t die like a dog!" he screamed, bringing the hammer down with all his might.

  But the prince was gone in an instant, sidestepping the blow with ease. The man stumbled forward, crashing face-first into the ground. Elron then delivered a sharp kick to the man’s ribs, sending him sprawling, a boot print embedded in his apron.

  Elron rested his sword on his shoulder, eyeing the man as he gasped for air. "Oh, so you are an ascendant, I see. Most men would be done after that."

  The man, eyes blazing with fury, jumped to his feet, swinging the hammer wildly. He aimed to knock Elron’s head clean from his shoulders in one furious motion.

  However, In a fluid-like blur, Elron ducked under the blow and drove his blade into the man’s gut. As the man bent over, Elron leaned in, whispering, "You were strong, but strength means nothing without skill." With a swift motion, he dragged his sword across the man’s stomach.

  The body hit the ground with a wet thud, organs spilling out like twisted ropes, painting the dirt in red. A stunned silence followed, but it was brief. The villagers erupted, throwing those who resisted into the center of the ring, forcing them to kneel before the prince.

  As Elron stood amid the chaos, the screams of the wounded and the sobs of the helpless filled the air. The world seemed to tilt as he spun on his heels, searching for threats that did not appear. His mind buzzed, trying to comprehend how everything had fallen into place as it did.

  Maris touched his back, her voice soft. "The people are waiting for your next command, my lord."

  Elron blinked, shook his head, and wiped the sweat from his brow. He scanned the kneeling humans, their eyes wide with fear. "Too easy..." he muttered.

  A voice rose from the crowd. "My prince, we have complied!"

  Elron began pacing around the kneeling humans, his fingers brushing their shoulders and arms as though weighing their worth through touch alone. "I’m not satisfied," he mused, his voice carrying an unsettling calm.

  He continued his path, locking eyes with each person until one man caught his attention—a richly dressed merchant, his face turning away, refusing to meet Elron's gaze.

  "You," Elron growled, grabbing the man by the arm and yanking him to his feet. After a quick pat-down, Elron pulled a heavy coin pouch from the man’s belt, shaking it in the air. "And what is this?"

  The merchant’s voice cracked, "Give that back!"

  Elron backhanded him with his gauntlet, the crack echoing through the square. The man fell to his knees, blood trickling from his lip. Elron held the pouch overhead, letting its contents spill to the ground—gold coins raining down like worthless treasures.

  "See this?" Elron barked to the crowd. "This is what humans care about—not you. They live short, meaningless lives chasing after shiny metal. And for what? Nothing that we elves value. They destroy our forests, pillage our resources, all in the name of greed."

  Without warning, Elron’s thumbs pressed into the merchant’s eyes, the man shrieking in agony. The prince leaned in, his breath hot against the merchant’s face, "Let this be a lesson." He twisted his thumbs harder, the sickening sound of a pop giving way as blood streamed from the man’s ruined sockets.

  The merchant collapsed, hands trembling as they reached for his face, now a mass of mangled flesh. The knelling humans were horrified into silence, their breath stolen by fear.

  Elron stood tall, wiping the blood from his hands. "Let this be a lesson to those who value greed over their own kind." He turned and walked through the crowd, his voice cold and final. "From this day forth, may your village prosper.”