Chapter 75: Past the doors

Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, I made my first step. Then another one. Then nothing could stop the swarm of the crowd that rushed ahead.

With the front line of the soldiers unable to regroup, the military no longer stood any chance in this fight. Was this a result of the incompetence of the commander? Was he unable to rally his troops properly? Or maybe he just didn't want to bear the weight of all the blood that he would have to split otherwise? Or maybe he just wanted to have some kind of future?

No matter which was the case, the commanding officer fo the military prevented a huge massacre from happening. By the time I stepped on the stairs leading to the town's hall, the entire area was pacified. 

Some soldiers moved aside, no wanting to merge with the crowd while avoiding a direct clash. Some others simply joined the mass of people, turning against their governor. Be it an attempt to join the winning side or a true wish to rebel against the reality, they were now all part of the crowd demanding changes.

And I was more than happy to provide them.

Moving just a few steps up, I suddenly turned around on my feet and looked at the crowd following me.

"Everyone! This dog of a governor sent his best troops against us, aiming to sap our strength. And while I'm no longer capable of executing the deeds that I did back on the holy ground…"

As pathetically stupid it was to reveal my own lack of strength, I still decided to go through with it. Not only for the sake of baiting the governor out, but also to make the entire act even more heroic. What I couldn't fail to understand was that this was the age-changing scenario.

Just like many events in the past where a single act of bravery would forever be ingrained as a picture of what started something massive, this situation was just like that. My performance today would be the deciding factor of how this entire day would be perceived later on, once it would become the founding legend of my faith.

"I fear your own power not. I might be injured and exhausted, but I will face you if you have the guts to come out. What will you do? Order the soldiers to kill their own families and neighbours before getting torn apart, or will you show some backbone and reveal yourself, you bastard!"

As much as I could feel the hate quickly breaking through the numbness of my emotions, I still managed to keep my emotions in check. Even though the man that I was calling out right now, was the main reason behind the death of my parents. 

Just thinking about it was enough to make my blood boil. Yet, in this tense moment, I suddenly came to a decision. Even though this man was responsible for the invasion of my home… I couldn't let the past hinder my future. While I somehow managed to resurrect the people on the battlefield, I had no doubt that it was impossible to do the same with my family. And that meant, there was no coming back.

Right now, I was facing a choice. Either let my emotions run free once again in an attempt to claim my revenge or do whatever necessary to secure the future of my faith. One or another, there was no way to get both. Unable to decide on the spot, I waited for the answer from inside the building, hoping it would make it easier for me to decide.

But no one answered my calls. 

"Is he going to hide inside? Who knows what defences he has in there…"

I heard a whisper to my side. Turning my head around in this otherwise eerie silence, I spotted an unknown gentleman in suit rubbing his fingers against his perfectly trimmed beard. While his face itself was not enough for me to recognise him, a trio of heavily armed mercenaries guarding his rear was enough of a giveaway of his status.

"There is only one way to find out."

Turning my face towards the mansion, I replied with a silent voice before moving forward. One step at a time, the number of remaining stairs for me to conquer continued to decrease. The huge doors of the building loomed over my mind, indicating the border between areas relatively safe and one surely filled with lethal threats.

Once again I got the feeling of walking straight into the arms of my own death. 

But I didn't stop.

Finally reaching the top of the stairs, I made just a few more steps before placing the palm of my right hand against the wood of the massive doors. In this regard, local town-hall was always pretty representative, given its medieval heritage. 

But then, someone else placed his hand against the door. Then someone else. Soon, the entire width of the door was crowded with mercenaries and common people. Looking around, I could notice that even some soldiers joined the fray with a determined look on their faces.

"Let's go."

Not even bothering to shout or magically enhance my voice, I pressed my hand forward. At first, the resistance was too great for me alone to overcome. Maybe if I used most of my real strength… But before I could even form the thought, the rest of the people around pressed ahead. With a creaking cry, the doors opened inwards, revealing a dark reception hall of the building.

Even though not even a single light illuminated the interior, one thing could be said for certain.

The building was empty!

The sight of papers thrown all over the floor, pieces of furniture lying in disarray all over the floor was more than enough to confirm this one guess that appeared in the heads of everyone who saw this. 

"The governor has escaped!"

What I thought within my mind, someone else shouted openly. What an idiot. Something like this still should be confirmed to avoid some pretty unpleasant scenarios. But as the mercenaries dashed to check the entire interior, as the report started to come in, the last doubt was lifted.

This was the moment I was waiting for. This one moment that would be forever remembered as the herald of the new times. Before the joy of the crowd inside could transfer to the rest of the citizens that were outside, I ran towards the gates. Noticing my behaviour, Pavlo quickly followed suit, organising his bodyguards on the go to make them create a corridor for us to move through.

Dashing out in the open, right at the slight plaza between the magnificent entrance and the long set of stairs, I threw my hands to the side before screaming.

"WE LIBERATED THE TOWN!"

The first scream was something that people didn't expect. So far, the entire fight was about dethroning the governor. But that was also the reason why I used those words for no other purpose than attracting the attention of the people.

"This dog of a governor escaped from the city while leaving the soldiers to give himself some more time. As of today, I proclaim the return of true democracy!"