"With Milt dead, we have no City Lord, so we currently need to appoint a new one," Harin explained.
"And what are your thoughts on the matter?" Nina asked.
"Because of Milt and Xirin, Serpent City lost many of its elders this time. Among those who remain, one faction supports you, another faction supports Lord Idir due to bloodline considerations, and a final faction wants to hold a fresh election within the clan. However, in terms of sheer strength and prestige, the support for you and Idir far outweighs the rest."
Harin’s posture was deeply respectful. "So we would like to ask for your decision: between you and Idir, who will step up as the new City Lord of Serpent City?"
He didn’t ask Idir directly because he knew this matter ultimately rested in Nina’s hands.
Although Serpent City was home to other beast tribes, it had always been ruled by the Serpent clan; they had never once had an outsider as their City Lord. Nina, however, was an exception.
First, her overwhelming strength had earned their absolute submission. Second, she was the chosen master of their sacred artifact. Third, she was Idir’s female and had already given birth to powerful Serpent offspring. Consequently, many of the remaining elders were more than willing to swear allegiance to her.
To them, both she and Idir were ideal candidates, and since Idir deferentially followed her lead, it made little practical difference which of them took the mantle. His main worry was that neither of them would be willing to accept the position. After suffering such devastating losses, they desperately needed a formidable leader to anchor the city.
"But Idir and I will be leaving Serpent City in a few days, and we likely won’t reside here long-term," Nina pointed out.
"That won’t be an issue," Harin quickly reassured her. "The city rarely experiences major crises, and we can handle the day-to-day matters ourselves. If any serious trouble arises, we can always request your presence to resolve it."
Besides, one of Lady Nina’s husbands was a High Priest capable of setting up teleportation arrays, making it incredibly convenient to request her aid whenever needed.
Nina thought it over, then turned to Idir. "Do you want to be the City Lord?"
"Nina, I think it’s better if you take the position," Idir replied. "If you’re worried about being spread too thin, you can leave the city’s affairs to me to manage."
Since Nina was the one who had saved Serpent City, he felt she rightfully deserved the title, and he was more than happy to act as her deputy and handle the legwork.
Nina considered this for a moment. "Alright, let’s do that."
She wasn’t particularly bogged down by administrative work anyway; the husbands handled most of the affairs for the Barbarian City and White Sand City. She usually just listened to their briefings and stepped in to make the critical decisions.
Seeing that Nina had accepted, Harin and the elders beamed with joy. Dropping to one knee, they declared, "We pay our respects to the City Lord."
In terms of pure capability and influence, she was indeed their preferred choice. Moreover, with her as the City Lord, many of the beastmen who had previously fled the city might actually choose to return.
"Rise, everyone," Nina said. "Now that this is settled, is there anything else?"
Vair stepped forward to report, "City Lord, now that the citizens have fully recovered from the plague, they would like to hold a grand celebration tomorrow. It will be entirely funded by the public and won’t draw from the estate’s resources."
Nina nodded. "It is indeed a time for celebration, but let’s contribute a gesture of our goodwill to the festivities as well. I’ll leave the specific arrangements to you."
"Understood," Vair replied. He then looked at her expectantly. "City Lord, the citizens would be deeply honored if you would attend. Will you join us?"
"Sure, I’ll go join in the fun tomorrow," Nina agreed.
A bright smile broke across Vair’s face. "The people will be absolutely thrilled to hear you’re coming."
Harin then stole a glance at Idir. "City Lord, there is one more matter, and it concerns Lord Idir."
"Oh?" Nina raised an eyebrow.
"Regarding our past misunderstanding and the way we treated Idir because of his curse... we would like to formally offer him our sincerest apologies." Harin gestured behind him, and several beastmen stepped forward.
"Don’t worry about it. It’s in the past," Idir said flatly. His personal vengeance had been exacted, and he held no lingering interest in the rest of it.
"Lord Idir, we must apologize regardless," Harin insisted.
The beastmen behind him bowed deeply. "On behalf of the entire city, we are deeply sorry. We were blind and foolish. We swear that from this day forward, we will never again discriminate against any beastman carrying the curse."
The beastmen bowed their heads as they apologized.
One by one, Harin and the other elders offered their sincere, formal apologies to Idir on behalf of their respective clans.
Idir accepted their apologies, a sense of quiet closure washing over him. From this day forward, those who carried the curse would never again be branded as harbingers of doom. They could finally step out of the shadows and live their lives openly in the light.
After covering a few more administrative details, Harin and his companions took their leave.
As for the City Lord’s estate, Nina had no desire to move into the old, tainted palace. Instead, she decided to expand and renovate Idir’s current residence, designating it as the new official estate.
Once their business was concluded, Nina called the children over. "Cubs, we’re going to a big celebration tomorrow. Come and pick out your favorite outfits to wear!"
"Yay!"
The cubs cheered with excitement; their mother was taking them out to play! Nina and her husbands brought out a wide array of colorful clothes, and the little ones eagerly began sorting through them with bright, happy smiles.
Meanwhile, after a formal trial, the captured loyalists of Milt and Xirin were sentenced to death. They requested a final meeting with their families before their execution, a request which Nina granted.
Penny accompanied her mother to the dungeons to see Alar one last time.
Looking at him through the bars, Penny’s eyes filled with sorrow. "Father..."
Alar offered her a gentle, weary smile. "There’s no need to grieve for me, my child. My own greed led me to harm many of our kin. This is my rightful punishment."
In truth, he had lived in a constant state of guilt and regret for years, but from the moment he took that first fatal step, there had been no turning back.
After bidding a tearful farewell to his mate, Alar turned his gaze back to Penny. "Do you know why Tair ultimately chose to cultivate that vile, forbidden ability?"
At the mention of Tair, the grief in Penny’s eyes deepened. She shook her head; she had only learned that Tair was one of the killers after the truth came to light.
"It was because of Idir, and because of you." Alar let out a heavy sigh. "He felt he could never measure up to Idir, which made him desperate enough to let himself be manipulated by Milt."
Guilt flickered in Penny’s eyes. If she hadn’t been so relentlessly obsessed with Idir, perhaps Tair would still be alive.
Alar continued softly, "I’m not telling you this to blame you, my child. I only want you to understand that some things simply cannot be forced. There are other males out there whom you should look at with an open heart—males who might truly be worthy of your devotion."
He paused, letting out a soft sigh. "Penny, it’s time to let go of what was never meant to be. I only want you to find real happiness."
He was well aware of her deep-seated obsession with Idir, but there was never any future for them. He did not want her to remain trapped in a cage of her own making.
Penny lowered her gaze. "I understand, Father."
Tair’s death had shattered her illusions and forced her to grow up. The very moment he drew his last breath, she had finally realized that Tair had occupied a place in her heart all along. Moisture pooled in her eyes, hot and bitter. She had realized the truth far too late; the one male who had loved her unconditionally was gone forever.
Seeing that she had truly taken his words to heart, Alar felt a weight lift from his shoulders. "Alright. Go on home now."
"Goodbye, Father," Penny choked out, her heart aching with reluctance.
Suppressing the sting of tears in his own eyes, Alar nodded. "Mm. I won’t be around to look after you anymore. You must take good care of yourselves."
Penny nodded. Giving him one last, lingering look, she and her mother turned and walked away, their tears flowing freely.
Alar watched their retreating figures grow increasingly blurry until they vanished from sight, his own tears finally spilling over.
The executions were carried out that very night.
The next morning, the grand celebration in the city officially began.