Onochie was not sure he wanted to face his men. He was still sorely ashamed at his actions despite it being two long days since his panicked escape from the angry boar. It was completely embarrassing to recollect what he had done, and it did not matter that only two guards had been stationed close by and near enough to catch sight of him fleeing like a scared lower beast with its tail between its legs.

For good measures, the king craned his neck backwards to confirm that he did not have a tail. He did not. Well, he thought, maybe he did not look the most stupid while he bolted for his safety, leaving Kamalu to shoot down the dirty beast. Imagine if he had a tail... How much worse would that have been? The gods had to be praised for that great providence, or was it non-providence?

The thought made him chuckle lightly, easing his tension for a split second, but he was back to fretting soon enough. He somehow could not bring his brain to keep from inventing uncountable scenarios, all of which stemmed from the fear he nursed of his reputation being wholly destroyed, also obliterated, maybe.

Indeed, word must have spread among his string of guards. He wondered what they were speaking of him. Were they calling him incompetent? Did they deem him weak and feeble? Were their views of him now distorted? Did they conclude him to be a worthless, spineless king? He hoped not. He deeply, sincerely hoped not.

If there was one thing that was vital and had to remain steady throughout a king's ruling, it was the amount of trust his subjects had in him and whether that led them to hold steadfast, unwavering faith in who he was. Onochie mused that if his men no longer believed in him all due to that incident, then he had a bigger problem on his hands than he'd previously assumed.

No sane person followed a leader who neither met their expectations nor had the modicum to do the literal minimum of boosting their morals with his actions. The king imagined letting a male pig hotly pursue after him while running as if his life depended on the very act was not exactly a morale-boosting event. In his defence, however, he did, at the moment, think his life could have been cut short by the stocky hog that, honestly, was exactly too big for its species and had the sharpest tusks he'd ever seen on pork.

If not for Kamalu, where would he be now? Probably with a good portion of his body parts chewed up, and maybe, he shuddered to think this far, residing and steadily being digested in the stomach of a wild beast.

He clenched his eyes to rid himself of visions, that to his dismay, intensified as they now had empty space to manifest themselves. Fortunately, after a while, he noticed how paranoid he was being. At most, he might have sustained a few injuries, some deep bite-wounds that probably would have hurt to the point of making a man shed tears, but likely not life-threatening. Moreover, there was no way he could die so soon when the gods did not have such a premature end awaiting him. If only he'd reasoned this way at the time. It certainly would have saved him two days of endless worrying and overthinking.

There was no need to bother himself any further over what he could not mould to his fitting with his own hands. After all, he would be meeting his men before dusk. Then he would know what their opinions of him were. It was not like he should be spending so much time troubling himself over that anyway.

Until then, he would bottle up his fears and bury them where no one else could reach. Nevertheless, when it was right for him to address them, he would do so regardless of his past mistakes. No matter what happened, he had no choice but to forge forward. His errors did not strip the crown off his head, and he would never let them do so.

Feeling more at ease, Onochie drew in the deepest breath his lungs could hold without bursting. He had to focus on the present and take everything in its stride, or he would pitch himself into a darkness where there would be no one to save him.

Keep your head where it should be. He admonished himself, satisfied as his confidence shot upwards like a beans plant that had been diligently watered with adequate care. There was a grand matter of great importance to attend to. And it was an occasion during which he could not afford to be nonchalant. He had to be alert, vigilant, prepared for it was no mere event. Indeed, it was not frequently one got to be present at the trial of the prime suspect of the attempted murder of the king.

Without waiting for a guard to open the heavy wooden door, Onochie did so himself, waving off the eager men who rushed forward to retrieve their duties and marched into his palace. The entire hall was bright and filled with light the way he preferred it. Compared to the fashion it bore in his father's time, there was no doubt that it was a far cry from its former state.

Its previous nature was one most would have concluded more suited to a king. But Onochie did not share the same sentiments. He'd hated the darkness that was ever omnipresent in the palace-room. It was almost as if the goal was to hold all proceedings in the dark, which was not at all ironic as many secrets seemed to have piled up during his predecessor's reign. Secrets he was only recently discovering.

If he wanted to be a liar, he could surmise that the many deaths Kamalu had discovered merely begun during the period where his mother had subtly held the throne since he was too young to yet ascend. But it was not so. He knew, as though he'd not been able to raise the courage to visit the mass grave, the chief guard had done the needed inspections and brought back information to him.

Many of the bodies were already poor bones and nothing else. Others were a little fresher in the grave, but the majority were ancient, nearing their fate as dust. The hairs on Onochie's neck stood on an end as he mulled over the distressing situation. How would he find the killer? Would he ever? Was it possible to lay hold of a man who had brought so many lives to an abrupt halt?

A sigh spoke of his weariness as he sank into his chair. Even the softness of the fur could not offer him comfort. He was utterly miserable. There were no answers to his inquiries, and it tired him to swallow the scalding words that strung themselves to form painful questions that seemed like they would never be answered. This was just another unknown he had to add to his heavily, lengthy list of unexplainable phenomenons.

What a shame it was that his people had been dying without him knowing. While he'd chased after women and spent his time wooing them, atrocities had been committed continuously without stop and without mind. The shame burned through the length of his body, spreading like a cruel flame inflicting burns that threw its victim into agonising woes as it reached every corner of his being.

I deserve this. He thought, his eyes collecting water as he walked through the many situations that called out his inability to lead as a capable king. Why was he so...useless? Would he be this way for all of his life? No. He shook his head vigorously. He would not let himself remain the same until his end? He would become better for his people.

His mind slipped back to the question if previously held. Who could the killer be? There was no one in mind. No one he could crook a finger at. And even though he hated Chief Iwegbuna to the very core of his essence, he could not see the man in such a wicked light where he would do things so revolting.

At his worse, Iwegbuna still frowned at murders and unneeded killings. His actions portrayed him to be a pacifist, though a needlessly annoying and infuriating one. No man or woman Onochie had met could be capable of causing such destruction regardless of their influence or strength.

Firstly, it must have taken many men to dig open such a yawning pit. Enough manpower would have also been needed to discreetly dispose of the bodies in the hole and cover it back up. For the supposed amount of strength required, quite an extensive hiring must have taken place. Much too large for a single person to easily fund. Who could be rich enough to afford that expensive of a commission?

Since the abolition of slave-ownership under his mother's rule, an action that led to riotous opposition from the chiefs and well-to-do men in Zoro, most servants' demands nearly skyrocketed. Many took the opportunity presented to them as a means through which they could demand better treatment as servers.

Of course, there was not much of a change as the rich men remained adamant and refused to give in. In the end, there had to be a compromise, and both parties were forced to settle on a middle ground. The good news for most was that the new agreement favoured the labourers more than it did their employers as the conditions under which they worked were improved.

For this reason and many others that evolved with time, such as the reality that the people of Zoro had become increasingly self-sufficient in the past few years and come up with better ways to cultivate the land, it was expensive to have even one servant under one's rule. Only the king and his chiefs could afford more than one servant working in their household.

Except... Onochie's eyes lit up as a new idea darted into his head. What if he was searching in the wrong place? What if he should not be looking for one man but two or more collaborating to form a group? He found this explanation the most plausible. If one pooled resources with another who was as like-minded as themselves, then there would be a greater chance of succeeding at what one initially planned to do.

A headache without a source clubbed Onochie upside down the head as he conjured up infinite possibilities. He knew he needed to stop. Thinking so severely would not help solve anything if he did not have a set direction in which he would be steering the wheels of his thoughts. He would save the matter for later as he did the one involving his men. There would be plenty enough time to grieve himself to an almost point of suffering after this meeting.

Knowing that the guard at the door was keenly listening and awaiting his command, he yelled, "let the chiefs in!" He was ready for them.

༄༄༄

The chiefs were quiet. Way too quiet. Onochie found this development, which he ordinarily craved, to be strange in this situation. Why weren't they saying anything? Was this some sort of a knee-slapper that he was not aware of?

Onochie had expected them to level their accusations at the suspect, Chief Okorie, now that he had not yet arrived with the native priest. Vocalizing their straightest opinions would not be as possible in his presence as the chiefs Onochie had come to know relished in pretending to be civilised when the subject of their criticism was seated in their midst. So, why were they not revealing whatever dross it was they had lodged in their greed-saturated minds?

"How come you are not speaking, esteemed chiefs?" He could not help the snide tone that leaked into his words, and he genuinely could not care less. In all honesty, he hoped that they knew he did not mean his words, for the men were everything but 'esteemed' in his eyes.

An instant dragged on into crawling minutes, but there was no answer to his question. Instead, there was an awkward silence that descended like a bird over a nest on the gathering. Onochie was irritated. Were they ignoring him on purpose? Trying to make him seem like a fool? "How dare you all be silent when I have asked a simple question, my dear chiefs?" He bared his teeth in what could not be regarded as a smile; the expression was far too menacing for so friendly a word.

Iwegbuna cleared his throat before he spoke and Onochie noted heatedly that he was not in any hurry to give an account for himself and his fellow officials who were, in addition to himself, adorned in corruption and depravities. With the way Iwegbuna seemed so distinguished, one would not suspect that he was one of the few in Zoro who still owned slaves. The fact that he believed the king was not aware of his foul deeds was laughable. Onochie inwardly simpered at the ludicrous assumption.

Kamalu had reported the information about the chief's crimes to him two weeks ago, but he still had not figured out what he wanted to do with the juicy knowledge. They could not incriminate the head chief with what would seem to be mere speculations and little evidence. Therefore, though it would be difficult, as it was clear that Iwegbuna had much he was holding over the heads of the slaves in his household, Onochie would have to get the men and women who were being owned against their own wills to testify against their master.

When would that be? Onochie tilted his head to the side, a disinterested move on his part, as he watched Iwegbuna's lips shift from one position to another and quiver in the middle of some of his sentences. The man was diligently spitting a diverse array of nonsense, and Onochie was not inclined to listen to them, whatever they were. Nevermind that he was the one who asked the question the chief was supposedly answering.

It was the conclusion of Iwegbuna's speech that Onochie managed to catch, and it was a good thing as it was apparently was the most important part of his incessant rambling. "We have decided not to share our opinions unnecessarily in your presence, Your Majesty."

"And why is that?"

"Our decision was... I mean, we came to this decision after realising that you, my king, do not listen to our advice when we offer them to you."

"Oh-oh!" Onochie exclaimed mockingly. "I do not take your advice, Chief Iwegbuna?"

The chief exchanged a look between the head chief and his colleagues before drawing back his attention to the king and nodded in the positive. "Yes, my lord."

"I see." Onochie smiled genuinely for the first time since the meeting began. "Then you should carry on, my chiefs. Do not trouble yourselves anymore, for I, Onochie, the king of Zoro, will make the needed decisions for my kingdom. As you have clearly made a point, I will join you all in accepting its finality. Onwards, I do not need your counselling."

"But my king—"

"Do you, by any chance, have something else you need to say, Chief Iwegbuna, as I am certain you made your decision and that of the other chiefs clear already, or did you not already do so?"

"Why yes, my lord. But—"

"Then there is no more problem." Onochie sharply cut him off again, an act that secretly joyed him. He could have sworn that the elation roused surpassed virtually all he'd ever experienced. Except for his moments with Ozioma, Of course. That went without say. "There should be no more concerns, am I not right, great chiefs of Zoro?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. You are right." Iwegbuna sluggishly bowed, and Onochie was able to unnecessarily count a total of five long, deep lines that formed deep ridges on his head before he finally stepped back and headed for his position among his chiefs.

Onochie's gaze darted from the face of each chief to the other. Today, they were all present, the thirteen of them. They hunched together in the corner designated to them as chicks huddled under the strong feather of their mother. Without a second thought, even a layperson could tell that Iwegbuna was the mother hen who, for long, had taken his sweet time to assemble children who were not his under his mighty shelter.

From the displeased expressions sampled on by virtually every chief in his palace, Onochie had to wonder whether there was an honest man left in the head chief's gaggle of brainless fellows. Was there one that remained, which he could trust?

As the king pondered on the feasibility of his imagination, murmurs arose among the chiefs at the return of Iwegbuna to their coven, and he could suddenly feel the weight of their dissent targeted at him. It was a surprise it was not pressing on his neck. He'd hoped for too much.There is no one worthy of my trust here. No one.

The only one who'd begun to inch closer to him was being tried for attempted murder. Onochie smiled bitterly, his heart as heavy as mud bricks. Must his life always be this way? Was this his punishment for his past deeds? Would he never experience the peace he hoped for every day that came by? Would he ever be well suited to doing this assignment that was required of a king? Why, just why, were there so many unknowns in his life?

Weirdly, the one thing he should not second-guess was what he was most unsure of. For a reason he was yet to decipher, Onochie could not bring himself to believe that Chief Okorie was the one who poisoned him. He thought it stupid that his heart would not heed the evidence that all pointed to Okorie, but he could not push himself to do better.

It was of solace to him that the truth would be revealed today, once and for all. The great one would be arriving with the chief soon enough, and light would be shined upon what was hidden in the dark. It was so required of him to endure these dismal moments he was obliged to spend with his officials until then. Oh, how he longed for the taste of freedom afterwards. But not yet. He had to keep his sights on the prize and at least pretend that he was the capable king needed for Zoro.
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A/N: Hey loves, please do vote on the chapters you haven't. It makes me happy to see that you all enjoyed a chapter, and it's saddening when we skip past them. That aside, I will be editing this chapter soon. Thank you all for reading💛