The commotion in the palace quickly alerted the guards outside. The captain of the guard immediately brought his men and rushed into the hall. When he saw comrades lying scattered across the ground and witnessed the chaotic state of the great hall, his first reaction was anger.
However, when he met the eyes of the Grand Marshal lying on the floor, he seemed to understand something crucial.
Though bodies were everywhere and quite a commotion filled the air with clanging sounds, it appeared no one was actually injured seriously.
That legendary figure was using his precious sword purely as a defensive tool. He'd never swung it down to strike once. All these people on the ground had been knocked unconscious by his fists and kicks alone.
"Stop him!"
After spending two or three seconds analyzing the situation, the captain immediately knew what he had to do. He shouted and led his subordinates charging toward Levi, but unfortunately, their efforts proved utterly futile.
Before long, the great hall was filled with people lying about in peaceful disarray, each wearing surprisingly serene expressions.
The longsword scraped against the stone floor, destroying the regular patterns of the decorative slabs.
When only the gradually approaching harsh scraping sound remained echoing in the hall, Fengel finally couldn't help but peek out from behind his throne. He saw that neither his Grand Marshal nor the captain with their hundred-plus soldiers was standing. All had collapsed on the ground in an unknown condition.
"Useless! A bunch of completely useless fools!"
"You might as well strip off your armor and sell it, then send the proceeds to my personal treasury. Those treasures would bring far more joy than you worthless lot!"
"Wait, wait, don't come any closer..."
After cursing his fallen soldiers, Fengel's expression changed dramatically from anger to pure terror.
"I admit my mistake! I'll overlook what you did here today. Don't come closer! I warn you, if you dare lay a hand on me, you're challenging all of Rohan itself..."
"Ah, ahhhhh!!"
The tall black shadow gradually approached with menacing intent. Fengel screamed and collapsed beneath his throne, his mouth only capable of crying "help," looking utterly helpless.
Thud! Smack!
Sounds of punching and kicking rang out clearly, directly silencing Fengel's pathetic cries.
Levi grabbed Fengel by the chest and was about to deliver another personality-correcting punch when he suddenly stopped mid-motion.
He turned his head and glanced at two soldiers behind him who couldn't help but curiously lift their heads to watch the proceedings.
Those two soldiers quickly looked away, tilted their heads back down, and continued pretending to be unconscious.
Thud!
One final, decisive punch. Levi released Fengel and threw him to the ground like discarded refuse.
"Wuu wuu, my teeth... my teeth... I won't be able to eat meat anymore..."
Clatter.
When everything finally ended, Thengel, who had been patiently waiting outside, entered the devastated hall.
He spoke with righteous anger: "You should realize how much suffering your selfish actions have brought to Rohan's people. You've never cared how your citizens live or what they truly need."
"You also never care about Rohan's army, never show concern for those brave warriors who ride day and night across our lands maintaining national security."
"What does any of that have to do with me?"
Fengel covered his damaged teeth and wailed miserably.
Thengel's voice caught in his throat with emotion.
Whether it was imagination or reality, after this callous statement, the already quiet hall seemed to grow even more silent. The soldiers lying on the ground had visibly heaving chests. No one could know what they felt in their hearts.
"You..."
"Enough! You sneaky outsider, you traitor! What right do you have to judge my kingdom?"
Fengel angrily berated him with whatever strength remained.
Thengel gritted his teeth, walked over, and grabbed Fengel firmly by the collar, staring intently at that aged, selfish face.
Looking at his own father, Thengel's gaze was complex and filled with conflicting emotions. The little remaining warmth in his heart dissipated completely under Fengel's gaze, which regarded him like a complete stranger.
The king hadn't recognized him at all, even though Thengel had only covered half his face, hadn't even disguised his distinctive voice, and they shared the same hair color.
Even the Grand Marshal and captain had recognized him immediately, but his biological father hadn't shown the slightest glimmer of recognition. He simply didn't care about his own son. Had never cared from beginning to end!
Thud!
A full-force punch struck Fengel's face, knocking him speechless. This greedy old man finally couldn't withstand multiple devastating blows, rolling his eyes back and fainting directly.
"Father. This is the last time I'll ever call you that."
Rustle.
Thengel released his grip and turned to leave without another word.
"Wait, Your Highness! Didn't you come back to claim the throne?"
The Grand Marshal lying on the ground couldn't restrain himself any longer. He quickly propped himself up to ask this crucial question.
"You've mistaken me for someone else!"
Thengel shouted in response, continuing to walk toward the exit without looking back.
"But if you don't take the throne, what's the meaning of everything we just did?"
The captain also couldn't remain still anymore, quickly standing up to voice this pressing concern.
Thengel turned back to look at the soldiers on the ground staring at him with obvious expectation and the various Rohirrim high officials who had quietly entered through side doors after the storm ended.
He fell into momentary, heavy silence.
He didn't answer their desperate question; he simply left like that.
"My lord..."
As Levi shrugged and also prepared to leave, the Grand Marshal blocked his path with determined resolve.
He looked toward the direction Thengel had departed, then back at Levi, as if he had ten thousand urgent things to say but couldn't find the right words to express them.
"Don't worry about the future. He'll return when the time is right."
Everyone remaining in the hall exchanged speechless glances.
The sun rose over the eastern horizon. The night's farce should finally end.
It was said that after the violent incident at Rohan's Golden Hall, King Fengel fell seriously ill and never fully recovered. His appetite worsened dramatically, and his body grew weaker day by day.
His appearances in the palace also decreased significantly. Most of the time he remained confined to his chambers, supposedly recuperating from his injuries.
"I want to put out an official warrant for that accursed fellow!"
Finally one day, Fengel began talking like a madman, forcibly issuing orders to put out a bounty warrant for Levi's capture.
This order's execution proved remarkably poor. The warrant news only spread within a very small range. Rather than an official decree, it became more like some kind of unsubstantiated rumor. When people mentioned it casually, they'd only say, "Supposedly King Fengel put out a warrant for that northern legend," but whether this was actually true, few could even confirm.
One unremarkable day, a humble figure in gray robes passed through a typical Rohirrim town.
Hearing this not-widely-spread rumor from local gossips, Gandalf frowned with obvious concern.
What's this troubling news about? Levi broke into the Golden Hall and physically assaulted the King of Rohan?
How could these two possibly have conflicts? That shouldn't happen under normal circumstances.
After some careful inquiring from a certain well-informed resident's mouth, Gandalf finally got his answer.
"Simply foolish beyond belief!"
"How dare that greedy king attempt to hijack Roadside Keep's legitimate caravan! No, not just Roadside Keep; he shouldn't commit such theft against any honest merchants. He's truly lost his remaining sanity!"
Shaking his head in dismay, Gandalf couldn't help but light his pipe and begin thinking seriously about the implications.
Speaking of Rohan's current monarch, he was indeed somewhat selfish, gluttonous, and greedy; distant from his subordinates; unconcerned with proper governance; and not particularly good to his own family, but ultimately... his crimes didn't warrant death... did they?
Well, whether he lived or died didn't really matter in the grand scheme. What was truly important was the foolish order he'd issued, actually targeting Levi directly. This wasn't good for Rohan's future. Very bad indeed.
"I need to go advise him against this madness."
Before long, the Golden Hall welcomed yet another unexpected visitor.
"Gandalf the Grey offers greetings."
"Ah... wizard, what news do you bring to my court?"
Fengel, looking somewhat pale and diminished, sat unsteadily on his throne and inquired of Gandalf with obvious suspicion.
Gandalf glanced meaningfully at the conspicuous scratch marks scarring the great hall's floor and spoke carefully:
"I heard you issued a warrant for the northern legend, Levi. Forgive my bluntness, but this decision is extremely unwise. This order benefits Rohan not at all and may even bring terrible disaster upon your kingdom."
"Shut your crow's mouth! You meddling wizard!"
His sincere counsel earned only the king's harsh rebuke.
Gandalf lowered his head and sighed softly, looking somewhat helpless at this predictable response.
Wonderful. Yet another king who absolutely refuses to listen to reason.
Old Gandalf had encountered many such stubborn rulers during his long wanderings across Middle-earth. Let him curse if he wants. It doesn't make me lose any flesh.
"Oh, there's one matter our wizard friend surely has a solution for."
After delivering his rebuke, Fengel turned and continued with a different tone:
"Ever since that detestable fellow left my hall, I've contracted a mysterious illness. This disease makes me constantly listless and unable to eat properly, and I often suffer terrible nightmares at night. I'm absolutely certain he cursed me with dark magic. Come and examine me immediately..."
A curse?
Hearing this particular word, Gandalf's expression immediately became deadly serious.
If genuine dark magic were involved in this matter, the nature of everything would be completely different. All other considerations would have to step aside, including the harsh scolding he'd just received.
At Fengel's imperious gesture, the guards retreated to a respectful distance, making way for Gandalf's examination.
After approaching Fengel and carefully investigating with his magical senses, Gandalf quickly understood the true situation.
This illness was purely the result of being severely frightened.
Simply put, it was a rather severe case of nervous breakdown caused by trauma.
"Is there any way to cure this condition?"
Fengel asked with desperate hope in his voice.
"Cannot be cured. Farewell."
Gandalf turned and walked away without another word.