Chapter 14
But come to think of it, it wasn’t completely incomprehensible.
To put it bluntly, the Protagonist of Jupeobae was Mirne, and the main setting was the Maselin Kingdom.
How important could the Empire on the sidelines really be?
I hadn’t read the novel to the end, but as Jupeobae progressed,
They would eventually have to become stronger than the Empire, so it would be ridiculous to weave the Empire’s setting too densely.
When the Protagonist actively worked to become stronger than the Empire,
It was convenient for the plot development if the Empire collapsed at just the right time.
“If the Empire”s setting is densely woven and it’s strong… then it has to be brought down later, but how would it be brought down?'
Even if they suddenly dropped a meteor or ninjas, the Empire, which had the strongest military power, would certainly withstand it.
So, after completely ruining the Empire from within and making it rot to the core like this.
If they just slipped traitors into the strong Empire like a swarm of maggots.
I could picture the Empire’s future, perfectly served up for ruin right just as the Protagonist, Mirne, tried to defeat the Empire.
“Thanks to that, there’s so much to clean up; I don’t know how I’ll ever repay this debt.”
“I have returned, Your Royal Highness.”
Arveda was the dragon who had brought down the Marquisate with just a single use of Dragon Fear.
She stood next to me with bright, clear eyes, just like when we first met.
“Does her dragon appearance only reveal itself when she uses her power?”
When looked at like this, she just looked like a Dark Elf.
But why on earth did she Polymorph into that form?
“Good work.”
“I give my thanks.”
Since she herself didn’t seem to care much, I decided to just let it go.
It was already a fascinating thing to receive awkward honorifics from a dragon.
“I sent a carrier pigeon to the Chancellor, so the cleanup should proceed quickly.”
Two days at the latest.
But the problem was that I couldn’t guess how the Territory, which had lost its head, would run during those two days.
Normally, there should rightly be a successor to take over.
“Did you kill them all?”
“Yes, as His Royal Highness the Crown Prince commanded, I made everyone except the innocent face their sins.”
There was no one left in the Verda Marquisate to take over.
And yet, to leave it to the servants who knew the Marquisate’s situation to some extent…
“Those bastards must be dead too.”
There was no way they hadn’t colluded with Marquis Verda, so it was right to assume they were certainly dead.
Then that meant there was no one but the starving Territory residents left in the Verda Marquisate right now.
It was obvious that if I just left, nothing but chaos would ensue.
I felt the need to do some traffic control.
“I will be back in a moment.”
“Then, may This Humble Woman sit here and attend to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince’s duties?”
She’s using proper honorifics again this time.
Thinking that, I nodded.
The place where the Territory residents were murmuring.
I planned to talk about how the Empire would change from now on there.
+++++
“…No, what is this?”
The residents of the Verda Marquisate were still unable to adapt to the situation that had flipped so easily.
It was true that they had prayed to the heavens, begging to be freed from this hellish life.
“This easily…?”
But they had never imagined it would happen so instantly.
They didn’t really know what had happened at the Marquis Verda’s mansion.
However, it was certain that some massive incident had occurred.
They had witnessed the soldiers and the knights who had been playing nearby rushing into the mansion.
What was going on all of a sudden? By the time the Territory residents gathered in the square one by one with that thought,
People with hazy eyes came out, repeating the phrase “I have no sins”.
And then, headless people came out holding their own heads, only to instantly turn to ash and disappear on the spot.
All the people of the Marquis Verda’s Family who usually tormented them were there.
Including all involved associates.
“T-Then what happens now? Everyone is d-dead, aren’t they?”
Someone quick to grasp the situation threw a question into the air.
But there was no one who could receive that question and answer it.
“S-Should we rob the mansion, since everyone is dead?”
“But what if we go and d-die too…? We could die too.”
“Shouldn’t we leave the village? A plague might have spread! A Black Mage might have appeared! Just! Right?!”
“The people who came out alive haven’t even regained their senses yet, and you’re saying we should leave them behind? How could we!”
Robbing the mansion wasn’t a proper solution either.
How could they fearlessly enter when they didn’t know what was inside?
Of course, whatever was inside had only killed the trash who usually treated the Territory residents like toys.
But they only had one life, so how could they boldly go in there?
Fleeing the Territory? That wasn’t easy either.
How could they easily leave the home where they were born and raised?
As the Territory residents gathered in the square, they were experiencing such confusion.
Swoooosh.
A gentle breeze blew in, naturally drawing everyone’s heads to one place.
, at the end of their gazes
“Do not be afraid.”
The Crown Prince was slowly walking toward the square.
The Territory residents had never seen a member of the Imperial Family before.
But they instinctively realized that he possessed a status far higher than theirs.
As a result of long-standing oppression, they naturally lowered their bodies as much as possible and pressed their foreheads firmly to the Ground.
“I have not come to harm you. Raise your heads.”
The Territory residents didn’t budge at the Crown Prince’s words, keeping their heads glued to the floor and trembling.
Because there had been those who believed such words, raised their heads, and were whipped for it.
The Crown Prince didn’t go out of his way to change the current sight.
The oppression they had suffered until now would be greater than a few words spoken right now.
And he judged that such oppression wouldn’t disappear just because a member of the Imperial Family they were seeing for the first time said a few words.
“I have to show them things changing before those heads finally lift.”
The Empire will change from now on.
The pus was so large that removing it would be accompanied by immense pain every time.
But despite that, I would definitely cut it all out.
“People from The Center will arrive in two days at the latest.”
So please suppress your anxiety until then.
There was no physical evidence to guarantee these words.
Because I was worried that giving them something unnecessarily might cause another disturbance.
Peace does not come to a mountain where the tiger has disappeared.
Another tiger or a wolf that has been holding its breath will simply take its place.
Therefore,
“I, Bellon Bellos, promise that I will definitely compensate for the suffering you have endured.”
Right now, I can only offer my name.
+++++
A peaceful morning.
“His Grace the Grand Duke! The Eastern Alliance Nobles are being exterminated for unknown reasons.”
“Ehh?”
Kailen furrowed his brow at the words of his competent Official, who had suddenly burst open the bedroom door and entered.
He had been sleeping well, and today was a day to nap until 4 o’clock.
While maintaining a displeased expression at having his sweet sleep interrupted.
“…Exterminated? So you mean they all died? Even the successors? For unknown reasons?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
“Why?”
He threw out a question to grasp the situation slowly.
“The reason is… unknown.”
“Is it a curse? Or has a plague spread?”
“There is no possibility of a plague, and we are guessing it is a curse. Because only the nobles are dying.”
A curse that only kills nobles exists?
And is it targeting only the Eastern Alliance Nobles at that?
“Hah… What sin did the Eastern Alliance commit…?”
“I do not know. In fact, we barely obtained this news. One of our personnel who happened to be passing by heard the rumor and delivered the news, even tearing a Disposable Scroll to do so.”
“Hmm… The reason only the Eastern Alliance Nobles are dying.”
What on earth could the cause be?
Kailen Marin, the Grand Duke of the East, pretended to ponder this before…
“As expected, I think it’s right to ask Mirne at times like this.”
Thinking a perfectly good excuse had arisen, he immediately pulled out the Artifact he had placed under his pillow.
Since the Second Prince had recently been punished by the Crown Prince, he said he hadn’t been able to contact Mirne properly.
Now was the perfect opportunity to rapidly narrow the distance between them.
Besides, Mirne was smart.
So she would probably know about the curse that was killing off only the Eastern Alliance Nobles.
“But how long has it been since this news?”
But rather than contacting Mirne right away,
He wanted to get some information first and then contact her, so he could be praised for being smart.
“The report just came in, and it seems about a day has passed since it actually started. The reason we judged it to be a curse is also because of the time. If it doesn’t even take a day for 10 Noble families to disappear… wouldn’t it be a curse?”
“Haven’t you heard any rumors? From the Territory residents in that area?”
Kailen interrogated the Vassal who had rushed over about this and that.
“Ah, well, I came right after receiving the report, so I couldn’t obtain any other information.”
“…?”
He made a dumbfounded expression at the last answer.
No, if you’re going to do a job, you should do it properly.
Why are you only doing half of it?
As Kailen stared at the Vassal with that expression.
The Vassal gave an answer as if he had been waiting for it.
“Well, last time, the Disposable Scrolls… for communication… didn’t His Grace the Grand Duke use 200 of them on the spot, saying you needed them urgently for a romantic entanglement? Because of that, the quality of the Disposable Scrolls issued to the members currently outside is extremely low, so we only received a short delivery of exactly what needed to be conveyed.”
“Ah, ahh… Hmm, right.”
At the Vassal’s words, Grand Duke Kailen shut his mouth.
Come to think of it, he remembered.
Was it exactly three days ago?
That was the day he had gone sailing without managing to pack his Artifact.
He remembered chatting using disposable communication scrolls just because it was too bothersome to go back to the mansion.
He had piled up so many of them anyway, and he figured he could just request more from the Empire if they ran out.
“Come to think of it, I forgot to request Supplies from the Empire.”
If I ask my brother, the Crown Prince for this and that, he’ll probably smile and take care of it again.
We were reaching that conclusion.
“For now, it is a big deal.”
He finished summarizing the situation as best he could under the current circumstances.
“…The report is one thing, but we also need to discuss what to do about the empty seats. And we need to know what the cause of this is…”
The Vassal continued to convey the seriousness of the situation.
He felt so frustrated by the Grand Duke, who was still sitting leisurely on the bed.
Shouldn’t he at least pretend to get up and go to the office?
“Or is he calmly thinking that the dead are already dead?”
Still, shouldn’t he at least state the direction the Eastern Alliance should take?
With that thought, the Vassal quickly added his words.
“The direction in which the Eastern Alliance Nobles are dying is exactly toward where we are in the Empire, this way. Marinapolis!”
“The direction is from The Center to Marinapolis? Exactly this way?”
As soon as he heard those words, Grand Duke Kailen remembered the letter the Crown Prince had sent a while ago.
“He said he wanted to see me soon… No, but isn”t that different from this?'
Seeing him soon and the Eastern Alliance Nobles dying didn’t seem to have much of a connection.
For what reason would the Crown Prince come while the Eastern Alliance Nobles were dying?
He swore there wasn’t a single reason he could guess.
“It’s not coming in a straight line, but… it’s estimated to arrive in Marinapolis as early as today.”
“If it’s not touching the Territory residents and only touching the nobles… I really can’t even guess what kind of curse it is. For now, if there are any curse prevention Artifacts in the vault, activate them, and contact the Priests to ask them to bestow blessings or perform other sacred rites.”
“Yes, sir!”
Since he didn’t know what kind of curse it was, he had no choice but to mobilize all means for now.
“Since I”ve done this much, it should be fine to contact Mirne now.'
Since he had done everything he could, he would contact the smart, bright, wise, and beautiful Mirne.
He would ask for a solution to what was currently happening in the Imperial East.
'We’ll get closer while sharing the same problem, I’ll resolve the Eastern Region’s affairs better, and Mirne will get to know me better…'
He would be able to enjoy the effect of killing three birds with one stone.
A perfect conclusion.
Just as Grand Duke Kailen confirmed the Vassal going out the door and was about to use the Artifact to contact Mirne.
Swooooooosh.
“Hmm?”
Hearing the sound of something flying in from outside the window, he turned his head that way.
The sound of something incredibly fast rushing in.
The first thing that entered Kailen’s eyes as he turned his head was a red flash.
“What is that?”
As soon as he blinked once, the next thing he saw was.
“Huh?”
A knee.
SMACK!
“Keugh!”
Someone’s knee, flying in like a comet, planted itself exactly into Kailen’s jaw.
Because the situation happened before he could even protect his body through his Cultivation Method, Kailen was smashed straight into the wall.
Brush, brush.
Someone who had planted a knee strike as soon as they met, no.
“I am truly glad to see you like this.”
The Crown Prince looked down at Kailen while brushing dust from his clothes.
It was the moment Kailen and the Crown Prince finally met.