Chapter 169 Finlay’s Web of Lies
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Claire… his Claire. The little female he thought about every night until he could barely sleep. Almost the whole winter had passed, yet he still hadn’t spoken to her even once. He still hadn’t gotten the chance to ask about their second child.
Zane never mentioned the child either. It was almost like he was avoiding the topic on purpose.
What really happened? Only Claire could answer that.
Rufus took a deep breath and made up his mind. Once they escaped Grimstone, he would go to the Sacred Grounds of the Eagle Clan no matter what.
Everyone in the crowd had their own thoughts. Up on the altar, Finlay’s huge bear body quickly shrank back down into human form. A smile returned to his face, but no matter how people. looked at it, the smile seemed fake.
“I understand everyone’s anger,” Finlay said calmly. “Truthfully, I’m angry too. But there’s something all of you need to understand. The real person responsible for this disaster was the former city lord, Hector Holland.”
As he spoke, his eyes shifted toward Marcus.
Marcus sat perfectly straight. The moment he heard his father’s name, his body stiffened slightly. His hand shook, and a few drops of hot water spilled from his cup.
Still, he quickly returned to normal and listened in silence, his face blank.
Finlay secretly glanced at Marcus out of the corner of his eye. His lips curled with smugness and mockery.
Just as he thought. The blind kid was still too inexperienced. One mention of that name, and he already lost control.
Finlay had noticed Marcus’s reaction clearly. Honestly, he almost felt disappointed. Why wasn’t the boy coughing up blood instead?
If Marcus could just die from anger right here, that would be even better.
Finlay sneered inwardly, but his face filled with grief as he continued speaking.
“You all know that during the war against Valorhenge, Hector led the army himself. But he failed against Valorhenge and died in battle. At the time, I only served as an assistant commander. My position was of little significance. Even though Mr. Holland was my half- brother, he never listened to my advice. That is why we lost the war.”
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Chapter 169 Finlay’s Web of Lies
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As he spoke, he lowered his head and covered his face, forcing a few tears from his eyes. Many beastfolk below were immediately moved.
Finlay choked back a sob and continued.
“Losing to Valorhenge was the greatest mistake we ever made. Back then, Grimstone sent out nearly thirty thousand warriors. Most of them were Level 2 fighters, and there were many Level 3 fighters as well. But even then, they still lost to a single warrior from Valorhenge! I wasn’t there myself, but even hearing about that defeat fills me with shame!”
His sorrowful voice rose and fell as he spoke. Every few moments, he wiped at tears that weren’t even there. To the beastfolk watching below, he looked exactly like a tragic victim suffering for his people.
Zane’s eyebrows suddenly twitched. Questions flooded his mind like a storm.
Valorhenge had only sent one fighter?
And that one person defeated Grimstone’s army of thirty thousand beastfolk? How was that even possible?
Was Finlay just making things up?
One person against 30,000?
That sounded completely impossible.
Even the Beast God himself probably couldn’t do something like that.
With that thought in mind, Zane let out a mocking laugh in his head. Finlay was really going all out. Just to make himself look like the victim, he was willing to make up anything.
Beside him, Rufus glared at Finlay with open disgust and snorted.
“Yeah, right. Looks like this big dumb bear is about to dump all the blame on someone else. Does he seriously think these beastfolk are idiots?”
Unlike Zane, Rufus did not pay attention to hidden meanings or careful wordplay. He simply hated Finlay and made no effort to hide it.
Not many beastfolk in the crowd caught the problem in Finlay’s story either. Everyone looked up at him eagerly, waiting for him to continue.
Under the crowd’s watchful eyes, Finlay finally spoke again.
“Hector lost the war. That’s why Grimstone ended up carrying this terrible debt. That’s why we were forced to hand over ten Level 2 females to Valorhenge! It was all because of him! If Hector had not been so useless, how could Grimstone have ever lost?
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Chapter 169 Finlay’s Web of Lies
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“You are the people of Grimstone. You deserve to know the truth! And this… this is the truth!”
He finished with a look of deep sorrow. Then, as if he could no longer hold himself together, he dropped to his knees on the altar. His hands pressed weakly against the ground as quiet sobs escaped his throat.
“I’ve failed all of you! And I’ve especially failed those Level 2 females! If Valorhenge wanted my life, I would hand it over without a second thought! But they demanded females instead. It feels like they’re carving flesh from my body and tearing apart my bones! No one is more
heartbroken than I am!”
As his cries echoed across the altar, whispers slowly spread through the silent crowd.
“So that’s what happened! The former city lord really was terrible!”
“Exactly! He was too arrogant. He ignored his brother’s advice and lost to Valorhenge. Now we’re the ones suffering for it!”
“Seriously. Lord Finlay stepped up during a crisis and carried Grimstone on his shoulders. Otherwise, we wouldn’t still be living peacefully here. We really judged him wrong earlier.”
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14:29 Mon, Jul 20
The Ultimate Litter: A Beast World System Tale
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.

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