Imperial Throne

Chapter 2: Ambush

“Father.”

Yam returned to the small courtyard from the mountain forest path, carrying a short axe and a large bundle of firewood on his back.

On this mountainside, seven small courtyards of varying sizes had been established, each housing between three to five people. Among them were youths like Yam, robust middle-aged men like the one beside the vegetable garden, and numerous women and children.

There were three mountain paths leading from the mountainside.

One led uphill to the peak, where over a dozen similar courtyards and a larger vegetable garden were located.

Another led downhill, serving as the only developed route up and down this mountain, which stood at less than 300 meters above sea level.

The third path led to the back of the mountain, commonly used by residents for daily logging and firewood collection.

At this moment, Yam was returning via the forest path.

“Take a rest for the next couple of days; no need to go to the back mountain,” the middle-aged man in the courtyard turned his head upon hearing Yam's voice and then smiled.

Upon hearing this, Yam's face lit up with joy. He immediately set down the bundle of firewood and asked with a smile, “Is the group recruiting?”

The middle-aged man, Ion, nodded and replied with a smile, “The group received praise from the village chief of Tim Village for the last mission. Now, with winter approaching, both Tim Village and another nearby village have approached us to handle their security. The leader feels we are short-handed, and since your group has matured, he plans to recruit you all and form a new team.”

“That's great!” Yam exclaimed with delight.

However, his expression soon turned somber. “But what about Mother...?”

Mentioning this, Ion also looked helpless.

He naturally understood his wife's concerns.

Yam was his second son. His eldest son had joined the mercenary group five years ago and tragically died during a mission three years prior, leaving his wife with a heavy heart.

Last year, when Yam became an adult and expressed his desire to join the mercenary group, his wife vehemently opposed it, and Ion didn't know how to persuade her.

Privately, he hoped Yam would join the group, as he himself was one of the two vice leaders of the Iron Wolf Mercenary Group.

“Sigh, it's hard to explain this to your mother right now. Just consider this outing with the group as a training experience,” Ion sighed and continued, “This new team will be personally led by the group leader to Tim Village, so it should be relatively safe. Just observe and listen more, and speak less.”

“Yes, Father.”

Yam said no more and quietly returned to the slightly smaller house adjacent to the main courtyard.

This courtyard had two houses: the larger one belonged to his parents, and the smaller one was shared by the three brothers.

“Brother.”

Seeing his younger brother Akar, Yam nodded without saying much.

However, when his gaze fell upon the rusted iron longsword hanging on the wall, he couldn't help but sigh.

His eldest brother Arsen, had died during a mission three years ago, and the only keepsake returned was this rusted iron longsword.

It was said he had bought it in the city for a few copper coins.

Though the sword appeared worn, with a missing pommel stone and a blade covered in rust, those who held it would realize it was quite heavy, several pounds heavier than a typical longsword, and its edge was surprisingly sharp, capable of cutting through even the hide of ordinary magical beasts.

His father, Ion, had once remarked that this sword was no ordinary weapon; Arsen had truly found a treasure.

“If I ever die, don't even think about joining the mercenary group,” Yam said, patting Akar's shoulder. “With our eldest brother gone, if I die too, and you still want to join the Iron Wolf, Mother would go mad.”

Akar, only thirteen years old, looked aggrieved upon hearing his second brother's words.

That evening, as expected, arguments erupted from the main house.

Soon after, their mother's sobbing could be heard.

Akar and Yam exchanged glances, and Yam asked again, “Did you understand what I said this afternoon?”

“Yes,” Akar replied sullenly, nodding his head.

As night deepened, Yam found it hard to sleep, his mind replaying the day's events at home.

He knew his mother understood the situation but was burdened by her emotions.

The Iron Wolf Mercenary Group had been founded by his father, another vice leader, and the group leader, initially as a means to avoid taxes.

In the Gem Territory, taxes were numerous. Beyond the seasonal agricultural levies in spring and autumn, there were taxes on goods, transactions, city entry, and the most despised of all, the adult tax: every adult, regardless of gender, had to pay one silver coin annually.

According to these tax regulations, a farming family of three had to pay nearly ten silver coins in taxes each year; for merchants, the amount could range from twenty to fifty silver coins.

This heavy burden left the commoners of the Gem Territory in dire straits, so much so that even bandits and marauders rarely came here, unless they were truly desperate.

Ion and his people evaded taxes and fled, which meant they no longer had to pay, but they were also barred from living in villages or towns. As a result, they had to carve out a home on this desolate mountain.

Even the mercenary group didn’t dare take jobs within the Gem Territory; instead, they traveled to the neighboring Red River Territory to accept commissions.

Now that the Iron Wolf Mercenary Group had grown in size, the leader and the other vice leader had already groomed successors.

If Yam couldn’t take over his father's position, then once something happened to Ion, their family would have no more say in the group.

“Creak—”

The door was suddenly pushed open slightly, letting a sliver of moonlight spill in through the gap.

Yam sat up at once.

“Father?”

Bathed in the pale moonlight, Yam recognized the silhouette entering the room.

“What’s going on?”

“Something’s wrong.” Ion’s face was grave. “A lot of people are coming up the mountain, I heard movement. Wake your brother and stay alert.”

With that, Ion shut the door.

Yam quickly shook his brother awake. After thinking for a moment, he grabbed the rusted longsword and carefully took cover inside the room.

A twinge of regret stirred in Yam's heart, he hadn’t inherited his father’s acute hearing.

It was said that Ion had once served as an advance scout in the kingdom’s army, with rich combat experience, only retiring after an arrow to the knee made him unfit for rapid raids.

The two brothers waited silently in the dark, like hunters lying in ambush, attentively listening to the sounds outside.

“Brother?” Akar suddenly clutched Yam’s hand and whispered.

“Don’t be afraid.” Though nervous, Yam squeezed his brother’s hand in return, signaling him to stay calm.

At that moment, he too heard footsteps outside the door.

But these footsteps were heavy, different from what he usually heard.

“Creak—”

Someone outside carefully pushed the door, seemingly trying not to wake the occupants.

The brothers, hidden in the shadows, were not immediately visible to the intruder, but in the moonlight, they could clearly see who was entering.

A middle-aged man in leather armor, carrying a longsword!

The moment Yam saw the man’s outfit, his skin crawled.

In the entire Gem Territory, only one group dressed like this—

Soldiers from Gem City!

They were the private soldiers of the territory's lord!

Why?

Why were they here?

Yam couldn't figure it out.

Before he could understand, a scream rang out in the distance.

The soldier abruptly turned and dashed off with his sword.

Yam recognized that the scream came from his father's house, but it wasn’t Ion’s voice.

“Brother!”

“Stay here!”

Yam gritted his teeth, shook off Akar’s hand, and charged out with his sword.

As he rushed out, he saw his father already engaged in combat with several soldiers.

Three soldiers from Gem City were attacking Ion. Nearby lay another soldier, his leather armor torn and blood flowing freely.

It was unclear if he was dead, but judging by his condition, even if he was alive, he wouldn’t last the night.

The ambush had just begun, but now that the fighting had broken out, the soldiers at the six surrounding courtyards no longer held back, they began breaking down doors and storming in.

Suddenly, cries of pain, shouts, and the clash of steel filled the air.

Up on the mountain, a bright red blaze erupted.

“Father!” Yam shouted. “I’m coming to help!”

Seeing Yam charging forward, Ion yelled, “Take your brother and mother, run!”

“No one here is getting out alive!” one of the soldiers attacking Ion snarled, then turned toward Yam. “I’ll kill your son first! Then you!”

They charged toward each other, quickly closing the gap.

The soldier, same one who had tried entering the house, raised his sword and swung it horizontally at Yam’s head.

Fueled by hot-blooded fervor, Yam didn’t dodge. Instead, he swung his sword in return.

By the moonlight, the soldier saw Yam’s rusted blade and sneered.

“A mere piece of rusted—”

Before he could finish, his fine steel sword was cleaved in two. Yam’s sword then sliced clean through his face, armor, and flesh, eviscerating him.

The other two soldiers attacking Ion were startled and froze in shock.

But neither Ion nor Yam gave them a chance to recover. They struck together, killing one, and immediately finished off the last.

Ion then strode over to the fallen, bleeding soldier and drove his sword through the man’s chest to make sure he was dead.

“Father…”

“Go!” Ion glanced at the chaos in the courtyards and the blazing fire on the mountaintop, then growled, “Take your mother and brother, we need to get down the mountain now!”

“What about Uncle Mike and the others?”

“We can’t save them!” Ion’s eyes were bloodshot. “The lord is treating us like bandits and sending troops to wipe us out! If we don’t leave now, once the knights arrive, our whole family will die!”