Steel and Sorrow: Rise of the Mercenary king

Chapter 433: Among the ants(3)

Torghan sat straighter, his fingers drumming once against the metal of his breastplate before stilling. He met his father's gaze without hesitation. "I swore fealty to him."

For a moment, there was only silence. Then, Varaku threw his head back and laughed—a deep, booming sound that filled the hut, shaking the walls as though mocking the very foundation they stood upon. He laughed long and hard, his shoulders shaking, his breath coming in short gasps as he clutched his stomach.

Torghan did not speak. He simply sat there, letting his father laugh as much as he wanted, waiting for him to finish. He had expected this reaction. He had prepared for it.

Finally, Varaku wiped at the corner of his eye, shaking his head in disbelief. "A month," he said, exhaling sharply, amusement still thick in his voice. "A single month away from home, and already you have forgotten where you come from." His gaze hardened. "You are willing to kneel to an outsider—to become his slave?"

Torghan's jaw clenched slightly, but his voice remained steady. "I will not be a slave."

Varaku snorted, leaning back as he folded his arms. "You can believe whatever you want." He tilted his head, his eyes narrowing. "But tell me, boy—if he tells you to kill your own kin, would you do it?"

Torghan hesitated for only a moment. "He would not ask that of me."

Varaku's lips curled into a smirk. "And if he did?"

Torghan said nothing.

Varaku chuckled again, shaking his head. "One month and you already forgot your real home.I think that in one more week you would be willing to kill your brother for a shiny stone.''