Gone.
The word echoed through the chamber.
It should have been a relief.
Thaddeus should have felt a weight lift from his shoulders.
Starscourge Gerald—one of the most dangerous men to ever walk this world, the lone swordsman who had carved his way through an empire—was dead.
A warrior affiliated with the enemy nation. A man who had once forced the Thaddeus Duchy into retreat. A legend who had humiliated him in battle and shattered five of his greatest generals.
A threat, finally removed from the world.
But—
He didn't feel relieved.
He didn't feel satisfied.
He felt—
Strange.
Lucavion's words shouldn't have affected him like this.
And yet—
Something settled deep in his chest. A hollow weight. A realization that, despite everything, left him feeling—
Empty.
Thaddeus exhaled slowly, his fingers curling tighter against his chair.
