Chapter: 48
Nobles must rule with dignity. They are the ones who guide the foolish and incompetent commoners, earn the respect of all, and lead the world toward righteousness. That is what nobility is. Only nobles can steer the world.
But what about the Empire today? Those who ought to bow their heads and accept the guidance of the noble blue bloods dare to raise their heads and seek equal status. Even beasts know gratitude; how can these ignorant beings be so blind to the graces bestowed upon them by the nobles? How dare they aspire for equality with the nobility?
Moreover, the transformation of lowly red blood into blue blood is an utterly intolerable thing. Blue bloods are chosen beings from the heavens—how is it even possible for red blood to become blue?
“What will become of the Empire in the future?”
It’s always lamentable. If I’m alone in a deserted place, I often sigh to myself. As a noble, ignited with loyalty to the Imperial family and the Empire, how can I not worry?
Nobles ruling nobly and commoners obediently submitting to their roles—this is the natural order. Maintaining this beautiful order is critical for the Empire’s well-being. Apels may be a nation rife with corruption, greed, and arrogance, but at least this order allowed it to continue as an Empire.
Not to mention, Kefellofen is a grand establishment that dwarfs the likes of Apels. If this great Kefellofen establishes order, just how powerful could it become?
“The order engraved in blood must always remain strong.”
That’s why I thoroughly enjoyed conversing with a merchant called Rier. They knew their place and understood the truth. Even though they are commoners, they are rather commendable. No matter how foolish and incompetent commoners might be, as long as they recognize their limits, they are worthy of interest.
Since then, my meetings with that merchant increased. Thanks to them, I found myself closing some pretty decent deals.
“Recently, a mine has been discovered, but they’re encountering difficulties with its development.”
Thus, I handed them an explosive scroll. I have gained quite a few benefits through this merchant, and passing on this scroll would yield considerable gain as well. While sharing with others weighs on my conscience, if it’s merely for mine development, there shouldn’t be any issues. Yes, there should be no problem at all.
“─Scrape, scrape─”
Well, there shouldn’t be any problems, but…
“Baron!”
When I turned around at the head butler’s shout from behind, I found them kneeling on the floor with a pale, horrified face.
How can the head butler of the Vendel Barony exhibit such undignified behavior? How dare they raise their voice to their master? Not just the butler, but all the nearby servants shared the same disgrace with me!
Yet, I couldn’t blame them. I was in the same predicament after all.
As if mocking this sight, a group donned in black uniforms emerged, surrounding the servants.
Then, as the door of the mansion opened, a giant man entered.
“This is unexpected. I thought there would be some resistance.”
I lowered my head at those words. The Prosecutor’s Office had already informed me of the circumstances surrounding Viscount Gorpu and Baron Dosil. They had employed mercenaries to oppose the arrival of the Prosecutor’s Office, but they were wiped out in an instant, and their entire household executed in front of their burning estate.
Such futile resistance. Rather, it would be much wiser to lay flat in submission. Perhaps there may be a chance for mercy. I may not escape death, but at least my children could avoid this calamity. They might avert total annihilation.
“Tie him up.”
At the command uttered by the leading man, two Prosecutor’s Office members bound my hands behind my back and gagged me. Then they forcefully pressed my head to the ground. Now, I could no longer see the face of the person who had come to take my life.
“Sinner Yohan Vendel of Camora, who dared to defy the Imperial Family and the Empire, listen.”
I felt a strange discomfort from the man’s words. Defy the Imperial Family and the Empire? Sinner? Something about the gravity of this statement felt unnerving. This isn’t merely a case of uncovering corruption.
“While serving the noble Imperial Family and caring for the common people, the sinner bore the duty to honor the imperial protectors, holding the right to serve the one true Empire of this continent. However, the sinner had the audacity to abandon their glorious duty and right, driven by wicked desires. How can one not be appalled?”
This was no simple corruption issue. It wasn’t resolved by simply killing the sinner.
‘Treason!’
The Prosecutor’s Office had come here to root out treachery, and it had puzzled me that Viscount Gorpu and Baron Dosil had offered their pointless resistance.
I tried to speak up in my defense, but words were muffled by the gag. I attempted to raise my head, but the Prosecutor’s grip restrained me. Despite my struggles, the man’s speech continued.
“Thus, His Majesty, the rightful and only ruler of the Kefellofen Empire, has decided to strip the sinner of all rights and no longer expect any obligations.”
No, this is incorrect. There’s no way I would dare to defy the Imperial Family! There’s no way I would rebel against the Empire!
“Camora Barony will be reclaimed by His Majesty the Emperor, and the Vendel family will vanish with their sordid ambitions. Sinner Yohan has no right to oppose, so do not taint the Imperial Family and the Empire with futile words; comply with His Majesty’s decree. This may be the Emperor’s final mercy.”
This is wrong; this is a misunderstanding! My loyalty remains unwavering! My allegiance to the Emperor will never change─
*
The 3rd Manager wiped the blood from the axe and passed it to the team leader beside him.
Yohan Vendel, the former Baron of Vendel and Camora. Now, he was merely a traitor turned decapitated corpse.
“Clean everything up.”
At that order, the entire 3rd Division began to ransack the estate. The servants were captured and handed over to the 1st and 2nd Managers, while every member of the Vendel family met a quick end, just like the Gorpu viscounty and Baron Dosil had.
‘Looks like he wasn’t innocent after all.’
Initially, he left relatively quietly, but the moment he realized a charge of treason was involved, he struggled with all his might. Perhaps he was unaware that he was dealing with the Apels Revival Army.
But it didn’t concern me. The Emperor and the Senior Manager wished for the complete extermination of the three families. Even if it seemed unjust, what could be done when the fact remained that he engaged with the traitorous Apels and facilitated their plans?
Seeing servants dragged out, I noted that all that remained was to hang them and burn the mansion down. Luckily, we managed to avert the Senior Manager’s wrath towards us.
‘We survived.’
We successfully prevented the Senior Manager’s interference.
I exited the mansion, witnessing the former members of the Vendel family being hung.
‘The Lord, the wife, the heir.’
In cases like this, it’s best to keep their faces intact. I needed to ensure the sinners were dealt with appropriately.
As I examined the heads, my gaze halted at the last one. The damage was so severe that I couldn’t confirm their identity.
“Who brought this one?”
When I inquired of the Team Leader, he soon returned with a subordinate. The glimmer of shame in his lowered head suggested he was aware of his error.
“What happened?”
“The sinner tried to escape and ended up falling face-first, resulting in significant damage. I apologize for not handling this swiftly.”
“Is that so?”
After flipping my gaze between the last head and the subordinate, I nodded.
“Now that I think about it, I don’t recognize you.”
“Yes. I just got assigned to the 3rd Division.”
“So, this must be your first operation.”
“Yes.”
“Well done. You’re free to go.”
As the new recruit hastily bowed and retreated, the Team Leader spoke up.
“What shall we do?”
“Eliminate him.”
“Understood.”
I watched the Team Leader move in the direction of the departing recruit, then took out a communication crystal.
‘They should be contacting me soon.’
Sure enough, shortly after, the crystal glowed to life.
“Hey, 5th Manager. Did they head that way?”
— Yes. Surprisingly, they made it all the way here.
“My apologies. Their size likely contributed to us losing track of them.”
— Be careful; we could have lost our heads thanks to that slip-up!
Once I ended the call with the 5th Manager, not long afterward, the grievously damaged head was removed, and a new one was attached.
Later, in the report from the 3rd Manager regarding the crushing of the Vendel Barony and the other two families, it was noted that a member of the 3rd Division had died during the operation. Such a regrettable incident.
*
The successful suppression of the three families implicated in treason resulted in conclusive evidence now needing to be passed onto the higher-ups, finalizing the operation.
“What should I do about your terrible memory?”
In the underground chambers of the Prosecutor’s Office, the 1st Manager tilted her head in exasperation.
The captured servants from the executed families were sent directly to the 1st Division for interrogation to gather testimony regarding the collaboration of the executed families with the Apels Revival Army. Regrettably, the servant in front of the 1st Manager could not recall recent events. It seemed the unfamiliar environment had them on edge.
“You served the sinner up close. You’ve seen them interacting with the traitors, right?”
“I—I don’t know… I haven’t seen anything…”
The trembling servant stammered out, a truly unfortunate circumstance. It was lamentable that the head butler possessed such a poor memory.
Finally, the 1st Manager let out a sigh and slumped back into her chair. There was no point in grilling someone whose memory was compromised.
“Your son was an apprentice butler, yes? I heard he also served the sinner on multiple occasions.”
“Y-Yes?”
“Thinking it through, it stands to reason that, even as the head butler’s child, he would have been entrusted with close duties. So, he must have witnessed quite a lot. Right?”
At those words, the head butler’s eyes began to flicker.
“If you truly can’t recall, it can’t be helped. I’ll ask your son instead, so take a break.”
“I— I remember! I just recalled everything!”
Ah, as expected, this method works wonders for digging up memories.
“The sinner… often expressed his disdain for the Emperor… stating that Apels had to rise again…”
“What truly horrific thoughts.”
After gathering various testimonies, the 1st Manager exited the interrogation room.
“Are you done?”
Upon leaving, the 2nd Manager, chewing on jerky, greeted her. With the 1st Manager taking all the servants away, the 2nd Manager had no duties, hence his presence.
“Yes. We’ve secured all the testimonies. Those traitors were truly despicable.”
“Despicable, indeed.”
With the 1st Manager’s report, the Prosecutor’s Office’s suppression operation was officially concluded.
*
The reports submitted by each division were compiled and summarized by the Senior Manager. Subsequently, the Senior Manager’s report—being a direct order from the Emperor to the Prosecutor’s Office—bypassed the Minister of Finance and was forwarded directly to the Emperor.
The Emperor expressed his satisfaction with the Prosecutor’s Office’s report completed in a matter of hours.
“We extinguished all the traitors without exception. His Majesty the Emperor was greatly pleased.”
— Well done. It seems I was not let down after all!
Someone within the Academy was also satisfied with the Senior Manager’s report.
There were no objections raised against the procedures, and the results were flawless.
Indeed, it was a perfectly executed mission.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.