Chapter 85
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 85
Chapter Title: 26. Fireworks
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1.
Flames blazed.
"Save... me..."
Slice.
Amidst the roaring flames, Karron mercilessly sliced off the head of the struggling slave trader.
A holding cell, deep underground.
Of the sectors assigned to Karron, this was the last holding cell.
ROOOOAR!
A sound like a tiger's roar echoed through the cell, followed by a human scream.
"Gyaaaah!"
A moment later, Adina emerged from the distance, having torn out a man's throat.
She casually tossed the corpse she'd been holding in her mouth to the ground, then approached Karron and spoke.
"Grrr. It's done. Thirty-seven slaves were imprisoned here. All have escaped safely."
"Good work."
"They were vermin, not even worth the effort. I'll need to brush my teeth after biting into such a disgusting neck."
Her beast-like eyes glinted as she scanned the area.
The basement reeked of stale air.
Fires blazed in every corner.
Her keen senses detected the presence of humans still hiding throughout the basement.
"Should I finish them off?"
But Karron just grinned and shook his head.
"Is that really necessary?"
"There are at least a dozen hiding."
"I have a better idea. Follow me."
Having dealt with the situation, Karron led Adina slowly up the stairs out of the basement.
And a moment later.
CRASH!
He slashed the wall with Guillotine. It collapsed, burying the entrance they had just exited under a pile of rubble.
Watching this, Adina let out an impressed sound and nodded.
"...So that's how you do it."
"Now that's a real inferno. The bastards trapped down there will struggle until their last breath before they die."
"A fitting end for scum. Karron Leston, for a human, you're quite capable of coming up with decent ideas."
As she spoke, she slowly released her beast transformation.
Four hours had passed since Karron had liberated the first holding cell.
All the slaves imprisoned in the city had been freed.
"We bring justice!"
"Execute the traitor, Margrave Leandro!"
Karron's force, which had started with just fifty people, had now swelled to well over two hundred.
Of course, many of them were newly freed slaves with little combat prowess, but they all shared a fierce determination.
Even the soldiers who had been patrolling the city willingly joined to survive.
"We have an urgent patient!"
"Bring them here!"
The slaves rescued from the last cell were immediately tended to by those who had been freed earlier.
Fortunately, several of the slaves had extensive medical knowledge, so treatment was administered quickly.
As Karron quietly watched the scene.
"Karron Leston!"
A massive figure leading a considerable force approached from the distance.
It was Utulla, the giant Karron had rescued.
Meeting again after four hours, Utulla's clothes were stained with blood and badly tattered.
One peculiar thing was...
"...Why is he walking like that?"
Utulla was walking with Cobbler riding on his shoulders.
Finally reaching Karron, Cobbler spoke, still perched on Utulla's shoulders.
"Our side is finished as well! We were going to meet at the knight order's headquarters, but we finished a little early and came straight here."
Cobbler's force was not small either.
It looked to be over a hundred men.
And so, a total of four hundred rebelsno, liberatorshad gathered.
"We've only selected those who are fit for combat. Many are still too weak..."
"Well done. How did you deal with the slave traders?"
Utulla answered for him.
"We will not be slaves! I smashed the heads of those who would take another's freedom with my own hands!"
"...As you heard, Lord Utulla took care of all of them. We did manage to capture a few, paralyzed from the waist down. Lord Utulla folded their spines in half..."
Karron imagined Utulla folding a human body in half and clicked his tongue, nodding.
"Impressive. You both worked hard."
"They were not warriors. It was an easy task. Easier than smashing an orc's head to a pulp."
Utulla said, thumping his chest.
Then, Cobbler cautiously asked Karron.
"Now that all the holding cells have been liberated... what is the next step?"
The first objective, liberating the slaves, was complete.
It was time to move on to the second.
Sheathing Guillotine, Karron let out a light breath.
"We're going to the city square."
Cobbler's expression soured.
"But Margrave Leandro's soldiers are currently stationed there..."
"Don't worry about that."
He had already heard from Rebellio that things were being handled.
Rebellio had already set the table.
All Karron had to do was show up and enjoy the meal.
Everything came down to a swift, decisive battle.
Rebellions like this had a higher chance of success the faster they moved.
'I know from crushing so many of them.'
Having suppressed numerous rebellions in his past life, Karron knew well that the longer he delayed, the more disadvantageous his position would become.
Still, at this point, the plan was as good as successful.
All that remained was to deal with Margrave Leandro when he heard the news and returned to the city.
"Then, we'll head to the square and join Prince Rebellio..."
Just as Karron was about to make his next move.
Vmmmm.
The communication device in his pocket buzzed, and Karron skillfully took it out.
It was a call from Prince Rebellio.
"What is it?"
A moment later, Rebellio's voice came through the device.
A complication has arisen, Karron.
It had only been two hours since he'd heard that the city was completely under their control.
Could there be a problem with their hold on the city?
But Rebellio's next words made Karron frown.
It seems Margrave Leandro heard the news. He's marching back at full speed. Estimated time of arrival is two hours.
"...Is he just abandoning the border?"
He must have decided this is more urgent. Alright, so what's the plan, Your Excellency, the Rebel Leader?
Karron replied as if it were obvious.
"We'll meet him at the city walls. This won't be over until we deal with Margrave Leandro anyway."
The time has just come sooner than expected.
Ending the call, Karron spoke to the waiting crowd.
"To the southern wall."
It was time to welcome the city's master, who had now become a traitor.
2.
Karron stood atop the city's high walls.
In the distance, he could see an army approaching the city.
The forces commanded by Margrave Leandro numbered two thousand in total.
As befitting a border city, they were a highly elite force, and his army even included some mages.
"The sky is beautiful."
Rebellio stood beside Karron, admiring the scenery beyond.
The sky was aglow with the light of the setting sun.
The dark clouds that had filled the sky all day had retreated, and the white clouds that remained were stained by the sunset.
Beneath that sunset glow, an army of two thousand marched relentlessly forward.
"What choice do you think Margrave Leandro will make, Karron?"
"He'll claim he's been wronged. And he has a point, when it comes to the treason charge."
"There's no hard evidence, after all."
"Of course there isn't. How's the morale of the soldiers?"
"...Not exactly enthusiastic."
They had successfully seized the city, but that didn't mean they had won the soldiers' loyalty.
Their master had become a traitor in the blink of an eye.
Not many people could easily adapt to such a situation.
Though they had bolstered their numbers by freeing the slaves, they couldn't face Margrave Leandro's forces head-on.
His men were elite soldiers.
Theirs was a hastily assembled force, closer to a militia.
Of course, even so, Margrave Leandro wouldn't likely charge them directly.
"He'll try to resolve this with words first."
Karron said, watching the approaching army.
"He'll want to stand trial in the capital and prove his innocence, right? If that happens... well, there's a good chance he'll be found not guilty."
Witnesses alone might not be enough.
Physical evidence.
Without concrete proof that he had plotted treason, testimony alone couldn't secure a conviction.
Therefore, they needed undeniable proof.
Undeniable proof that Margrave Leandro was a traitor.
"But Karron. Are you really going to go through with 'the plan'?"
"Of course, brother. It'll be the most effective way. I even got permission from Sir Mason beforehand."
"This is insane, seriously. I'm still not ready for this!"
Rebellio shuddered, thinking of the 'plan' Karron had devised.
Even he had to admit it was a fatal plan.
If everything went according to Karron's will, Margrave Leandro would become a traitor in an instant.
The problem was that the key to this 'plan' was Rebellio himself.
"Inciting citizens, illegally occupying a city, perjury... Wow, I'm probably the only royal in the history of the Imperial family to have committed so many crimes."
Karron firmly shook his head.
"When it comes to that, isn't your grandfather the best? His Majesty, the Evil Emperor. He was so great he'd even sell his subordinates' souls to a demon."
"Hey! No more talk about that bastard grandfather of mine!"
"Calling your own grandfather a bastard? Such a degenerate."
The two exchanged lighthearted jokes, easing the tension.
Rebellio watched Margrave Leandro's forces, which had drawn much closer, and spoke.
"Since I'm an accomplice now, let me ask you one thing honestly."
"Go ahead, brother."
"Your reason for wanting to bring down Margrave Leandro. Is it for the glory of the Leston Ducal Family?"
Rebellio still couldn't understand why Karron had orchestrated such a massive incident.
To that question, Karron smiled faintly and shook his head.
"You think taking that bastard's head will brighten my family's future?"
"It would be a good pretext to attack Duke Salmon's faction, which Margrave Leandro belongs to."
"Brother, I'm not that much of a political animal."
Karron had never once considered the enormous ripple effects this incident would cause.
This had all started for personal reasons.
Exploiting this incident for political gain was a job for the elders of his family, not for him.
"I just acted on my feelings. I can't stand to see slaves being traded so openly. What else was I supposed to do?"
Rebellio snorted at his answer.
"My dear little brother is quite the philanthropist. Starting this whole crazy mess just to free some slaves... Ha, who's going to believe that?"
From Margrave Leandro's side, a knight carrying a white flag began to ride toward them.
Watching him, Rebellio smiled faintly.
"...Well, I'll believe you. Does a madman really need a reason to do something mad? I hate those bastards who trade slaves just as much as you do."
Karron remembered that Kalligo was an organization made up of former slaves.
Perhaps that was why Rebellio was cooperating so readily.
Just as Rebellio couldn't fully grasp Karron's thoughts, Karron couldn't see into Rebellio's mind either.
He could only guess that their ways of thinking were similar.
"A Margrave capturing and selling slaves... frankly, it's a disgrace to the Empire. That bastard is tarnishing our Empire's honor. He deserves to die."
This time, it was Karron who snorted at Rebellio's words.
"I thought you hated the Empire, brother?"
"What are you talking about? I only hate the Imperial family. I'm a patriot. I love this Orias Empire more than anything."
"You're a good liar."
As the two bantered, the messenger sent by Margrave Leandro arrived before the city.
He shouted up at Karron and Rebellio, who were standing on the wall.
"Prince Rebellio! Lord Karron Leston! Margrave Leandro wishes to meet with you in person to clear up this misunderstanding!"
The grand deception had reached its final act, and Karron shouted back at the messenger.
"We will speak with him."
The moment to bring this insane scheme to a successful conclusion had finally arrived.