CH 48

༺ The Prosecutor’s Office at that Time (2) ༻

The nobility should rule with dignity. They guide the foolish and incompetent commoners, receiving the respect of all and leading the world towards righteousness. That is the essence of nobility. Only nobles could lead the world. 

Those who should humbly bow their heads and receive the guidance of noble blue bloods dare to raise their heads and seek equal standing. Even beasts know gratitude, so how can these ignorant beings not recognize the grace bestowed by the nobles? How dare they strive for equality with nobles? 

Furthermore, the transformation of lowly red blood into blue blood is an unacceptable act. Blue blood is a chosen existence from the heavens, so how can red blood ever become blue? 

“What will become of the Empire in the future?” 

I have always lamented. If I were in a secluded place, I would sigh alone. As a noble burning with loyalty to the Imperial family and the Empire, I cannot help but worry. 

Nobility ruling nobly and commoners obediently submitting to their roles—it is the natural order of things. The preservation of this beautiful order is for the well-being of the Empire. Apels was a nation filled with corruption, greed, and arrogance, but it was able to rule as an Empire because of this very order. 

Not to mention, the great Kefellofen is incomparable to the likes of Apels. If such an Empire can establish order, how much more powerful will it become? 

“The order engraved in blood must always remain strong.” 

That’s why I liked to talk with a merchant called Rier. They knew their place and understood the truth. Though they are commoners, they are quite remarkable. Even if they are foolish and incompetent, as long as they understand their limits, it was enough to gain interest.

That’s why I kept meeting with that commoner. Thanks to that commoner, I was able to negotiate some favorable deals. 

“Recently, a mine has been discovered, but it faces obstacles in development.” 

That’s why I gave him an explosive scroll. I have gained many benefits through the merchant so far, and by giving them this scroll, I will gain even more. Though it weighs on my conscience to share it with others, if it is used merely for mine development, it should not be a problem. Yes, there wasn’t going to be any problem.

There shouldn’t have been any problems, but…

“Baron!”

When I turned around at the voice of the head butler from behind, I saw a pale, horrified face kneeling on the floor. 

How can the head butler of the Vendel Barony display such an undignified appearance? How dare they raise their voice to their master? Even the nearby servants, not only the butler, are the same as me. 

But I couldn’t blame them. After all, I was also in the same state.

As if mocking such a sight, a group dressed in black uniforms emerged and surrounded the servants.  

As the door of the house opened, a man of towering stature 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 about Viscount Gorpu and Baron Dosil. Although they hired mercenaries to resist against the Prosecutor’s Office, in the end, they were wiped out in an instant, and their entire family was exterminated in front of their burning mansion. 

It is a futile rebellion. It would be better, much better, to prostrate myself flat. Then, there might be mercy. I cannot escape my death, but my children might avoid suffering. They might evade annihilation. 

“Tie him up.”

As the man in the front said that, two members of the Prosecutor’s Office tied me up and put a gag inside my mouth. Then, they forcefully pressed my head to the ground.  Now, I couldn’t even see the face of the man that had come to take my life.

“Sinner Yohan Vendel of Camora, who tried to overthrow the Imperial Family and the Empire, listen.”

I felt a sense of discomfort from the words spoken by the man. Annihilating the Imperial family and the Empire? Sinner? It’s strange. The level of that statement is unsettling. It’s not just a matter of discovering corruption. 

“The sinner, while serving the noble Imperial family above and protecting the common people below, also had the duty to respect the imperial protectors and the right to serve the only Empire on this continent. However, the sinner dared to abandon the glorious duty and right by unleashing a wicked desire. How can one not be amazed?” 

This wasn’t a simple case of corruption. It wasn’t something that could be solved by his death. 

‘Treason!’

The Prosecutor’s Office had come here to punish treason. I found it weird that Viscount Gorpu and Baron Dosil had offered pointless resistance. 

I tried to speak up in defense, but my words were muffled by the gag. I tried to lift my head, but I couldn’t escape the grip of the Prosecutors. Despite my struggles, the man’s words continued. 

“Therefore, His Majesty, the rightful and sole ruler of the Kefellofen Empire, has decided to strip the sinner of all rights and no longer expect any obligations.” 

No, I never did that. There’s no way I’d try to overthrow the Imperial Family. There’s no way I’d rebel against the Empire!

“The barony of Camora will be taken by His Majesty the Emperor, and the Vendel family will perish with their filthy desires. The sinner Yohan has no right to defend himself, so do not defile the Imperial family and the Empire with futile words and obey His Majesty’s decision. This is the Emperor’s final mercy.” 

It’s wrong, this is a misunderstanding! My loyalty toward the Emperor hasn’t changed at— 

* * *

The 3rd Manager shook off the blood in the axe and handed it to the team Leader next to him.

Yohan Vendel, the former Baron of Vendel and Camora. Now he’s just a condemned criminal and a decapitated corpse. 

“Clean everything up.”

At those words, the 3rd Division began cleaning the residence. The servants were captured and handed over to the 1st and 2nd Managers, and the members of the Vendel family were executed by cutting their throats, just like what happened to the Gorpu viscounty and the barony of Dosil. 

‘It seems like he wasn’t.’

The man who was initially quiet began struggling desperately as soon as he realized he was being accused of treason. It seemed like he didn’t know that the person he was dealing with was a part of Apel’s Revival Soldiers.

But it doesn’t matter. The Emperor and the Executive Manager wanted the three families to be completely executed. Even if they thought it was unfair, there was nothing I could do. The fact that he dealt with the Apels Revival Soldiers and helped them didn’t change. That’s why he shouldn’t have done something stupid like leaking something so important to someone he didn’t know that well.

The servants were being dragged out. Now the only thing left was to hang them and burn the house down. Fortunately, we managed to avoid the Executive Manager’s wrath from being directed at us. 

‘We survived.’

We were able to prevent the Executive Manager from moving.

I walked out of the residence and checked out the ex-members of the Vendel family being hung.

‘The Lord, the wife, the heir.’

For situations like this, it was better to leave their faces intact. I had to check if the sinners had been dealt with properly, after all.

I was checking out the heads, but my eyes stopped at the last person. Because of the damage received, I couldn’t check who it was.

“Who brought him?”

When I asked the Team Leader, he brought a member shortly after. By the way he was lowering his head, it seemed like he knew he’d made a mistake.

“What happened?”

“The sinner was trying to escape and ended up falling. I’m sorry for not dealing with him faster.”

“Is that so?”

After looking alternately at the last head and the member, I nodded. 

“Now that I think about it, I don’t remember seeing you before.”

“Yes. I was just assigned to the 3rd Division.”

“This must be your first assignment.” 

“Yes.”

“Okay, good job. You can go now.” 

As the new recruit quickly bowed and retreated, the Team Leader opened his mouth. 

“What should we do?”

“Eliminate him.”

“Understood.”

I watched the Team Leader walking toward the place where the newbie had gone, then took out the communication crystal.

‘They should be contacting me soon.’ 

Sure enough, not long after, the communication crystal started to glow. 

“Hey, 5th Manager. Did he go that way?”

– Yes. Surprisingly, he managed to make it all the way here.

“I’m sorry. It seems like we lost him because he’s so small.” 

– Be careful. Thanks to that, our necks almost flew off too. 

As the 5th Manager cut the call, some time passed, and the severely damaged head was removed and a new head was attached. 

Later, in the report on the suppression of the Vendel barony and the two other families submitted by the 3rd Manager to the Senior Manager, it was written that one member from the 3rd Division had died during the operation. It was a regrettable incident. 

* * *

They successfully suppressed the three families who dared to participate in the rebellion. Now, they just had to submit the evidence they obtained during the operation to the higher-ups, and the suppression mission would be completely over. 

“You have such a bad memory. What should I do with you?”

In the underground basement of the Prosecutor’s Office, the 1st Manager tilted her head as if troubled. 

The servants of the executed families were sent directly to the 1st Division for interrogation. It was to obtain testimony that the executed families had collaborated with the Apels Revival Soldiers. Unfortunately, the servant in front of the 1st Manager couldn’t remember the recent events. They seemed tense in the unfamiliar environment. 

“You served the sinner from a close distance. You must have seen them associating with the rebels, right?” 

“I-I don’t know… I haven’t seen a-anything…”

The trembling servant stuttered and spoke. It was truly regrettable. The head butler had such a poor memory. 

The 1st Manager sighed and sat on the chair. Nothing would come from interrogating someone who didn’t have a good memory.

“Your son was practicing to become a butler, right? I’ve heard he also served the sinner a few times.”

“Y-Yes?”

“Now that I think about it, I’m sure the head butler’s son was someone trusted. Then that means that he probably saw a lot of things. Right?”

As she said that, the head butler’s eyes began trembling.

“It’s unavoidable if you can’t remember. I’ll ask your son instead, so take a rest.” 

“I-I remember! I remember everything now!” 

As expected, this was the best way to make people recover their lost memories.

“T-The sinner… o-often expressed his disgust with the E-Emperor… And he said that Apels h-had to rise again…”

“What a horrible line of thought.”

After receiving many testimonies and interrogations, the 1st Manager left the interrogation room. 

“Are you done?”

As she left the room, the 2nd Manager, who was chewing on jerky, greeted her. Since the 1st Manager had taken all the servants, the 2nd Manager had nothing to do, allowing him to be there. 

“Yes. We’ve obtained all the testimonies. They were truly heinous traitors.” 

“Yes, of course.”

With the report of the 1st Manager, the Prosecutor’s Office’s subjugation plan was officially finished.

* * * 

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 went straight to the Emperor. 

The Emperor expressed his satisfaction with the report that had been given by the Prosecutor’s Office, which was completed in just a few hours. 

“We have eradicated all the rebels without exception. Even His Majesty the Emperor was greatly pleased.” 

– Well done. As expected, you guys don’t disappoint me. 

Someone in the Academy was also satisfied with the Senior Manager’s report. 

There were no objections raised regarding the process, and the results were a flawless operation. 

Indeed, it was a perfectly concluded mission.