The Warden remained silent for a while, then nodded.
"Then. I'll delegate that part to you."
***
Two days later, the interior of the dome was neither orderly nor neat anymore.
Instead, it was a bloodbath.
The Esteemed Temporary Governor was dead. His most loyal warriors were dead, too — the others have either surrendered or ran away.
It was quite a feat, for the small group of Awakened warriors led by Warden to dismantle the entire local force despite being outnumbered one to ten. However, numbers did not matter too much against a well-coordinated attack. Especially if it started with a sudden decapitation strike.
Plus, the local Awakened were no match for Warden and his people. After all, those who habitually trampled the weak usually fell apart when facing the strong… and the warriors who had conquered the ancient castle were very strong.
Jest had killed the Governor himself. He incited the poor fool to attack by combining his Awakened and Dormant Abilities, then gutted him right there in the opulent dining room.
It had not been too hard. In fact, it had been rather easy… he usually struggled when fighting abominations, since those were mindless beasts. But humans were intelligence creatures, and extreme anger robbed them of their most dangerous weapon — their intellect.
So, for him, killing humans was both easier and more rewarding.
The Governor was a powerful Awakened, but he succumbed to Jest's knife all the same. As the fool's body hit the floor, Jest did not feel much pride… or much of any kind of emotion, really.
Just the satisfaction of feeling his body becoming stronger.
After that, they swiftly and strategically dealt with the Governor's supporters. Now, there were a few dozen captive soldiers kneeling in the courtyard of the luxurious mansion while they searched it for any stragglers.
That was when they discovered the hidden cellar.
…A few minutes later, Jest came back on weak legs and crouched in the hallway, breathing heavily.
Then, he shuddered and vomited on the luxurious carpet, his eyes trembling slightly.
Warden emerged from the basement a minute or two later, pale as a ghost.
Both of them remained silent for a while, looking at each other with pale faces.
In the end, Jest was the first one to speak:
"I… I think I understand what you meant. Back there, on the wall of the castle. These people… someone needs to stop them, right?"
Warden took a deep breath.
A few moments later, he said coldly:
"They are not people."
In the end, the captives did not survive the day, either.
Warden did not execute them — instead, he simply handed them to the mundane inhabitants of the dome in restraints.
Perhaps executing them swiftly would have been more merciful.
Observing the bloody spectacle outside the wall, Jest sighed...
It pained him to see all these soul fragments going to waste.