Chapter 167
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 167
Chapter Title: The Duke's Last Mercy
"...Your Highness."
Was it because he caught the fragment of emotion in Raychen's voice?
Duke Alvaret, who had turned away without answering the duchess's desperate cries, slowly raised his head to meet Raychen's gaze.
"I thought you were nothing but an ignorant child... but you've grown so splendidly, Your Highness. To the point where this old vassal feels ashamed of the choices he made."
Unlike Raychen's conflicted expression, the duke's face held a pride akin to a father beholding his fully matured son.
"A bold notion to rally and purge every noble in this land under the pretext of Viscount Sozen. And the sheer resolve to turn that idea into action. There's nothing lacking in you as a ruler. If His Majesty, bedridden as he is, could witness this scene... how overjoyed he would be."
"……."
"In stark contrast, this muddleheaded old servant failed to support Your Highness—instead, I was swept up in the duchess's skirts and made a truly foolish choice. Paying the price for that sin is only right. To kneel here and face Your Highness like this... Alvaret counts himself truly fortunate."
"……."
The unyielding resolve from moments ago, when he had decisively sentenced the duchess to execution, seemed faded now. Raychen's eyes churned with a storm of emotions as he looked upon Duke Alvaret.
Duke Alvaret.
The first in this land to tread the pro-Empire path... In truth, he was the man who had lived his entire life farthest from the label of traitor in the Pang Kingdom.
No—more than anyone, he was the man who had devoted his life to the kingdom.
If only he could mend his heart, he could become a sturdier ally than any other.
"Duke. Even now, will you not repent your sins and turn your heart around?"
"Haha, Your Highness. I am grateful for the words... but no. It cannot be."
The duke gave a wry smile and shook his head.
"No matter the reason, I am the first in this kingdom to walk the pro-Empire road. To lighten or lessen the punishment based on personal bonds... The one who will succeed His Majesty King Altanis must not render such emotional judgments."
It was sound logic.
Whatever the cause, House Alvaret had been the first—and the most proactive—in engaging with the Empire.
Failing to execute the head of such a house... would inevitably obstruct the punishment of outright traitors like the duchess, who had thrown their lot fully with the Empire.
Duke Alvaret had seen that truth clearly.
And... above all else.
The duke finally realized it about himself.
The garb sent from the arch-enemy Khan Empire no longer felt uncomfortable.
He had always denied it.
But unbeknownst to him, he had slowly become steeped in the Khan Empire, just like his wife.
With his thoughts now sorted, Duke Alvaret's face appeared utterly relieved.
Kuuuung!
In that state, he slammed his own forehead against the floor and bellowed in a resonant voice.
"However, if Your Highness would grant one final mercy... please, extend a measure of compassion to the children of my house alone. Grant us the chance to carry on the family line."
An earnest plea to spare House Alvaret from total extermination.
Considering the decades he had poured his body and soul into the kingdom, such a modest wish could easily be accommodated.
Yet there was a reason he phrased it so.
-Punish those who committed treason directly, but show mercy to the rest.
'That way, Your Highness claims both iron blood and compassion.'
How could Raychen fail to grasp the duke's intent, which stretched even to the era after his own ascension?
"…I grant it."
...A faint smile!
Satisfied with Raychen's reply, Duke Alvaret slowly rose to his feet.
He then offered Raychen a deep, respectful bow before walking toward the guillotine on his own two legs—unlike his wife, who had been dragged away.
'Please... achieve the great cause you desire.'
For years, he had agonized endlessly between his family's happiness and his loyalty to the kingdom.
But at the very least, in this final moment.
He felt utter satisfaction at being able to impart even a sliver of wisdom to Raychen, the kingdom's future.
And so.
The end of House Alvaret—the grandest and most pivotal house in the Pang Kingdom's purge—was sealed.
A week passed.
Beginning with House Alvaret, a tempest of purges swept through the Pang Kingdom.
Those who had fully succumbed to the Empire's appeasement policies—like Viscount Ramoel and Baron Barenka—were executed without a single exception.
They were little more than husks of Pang nobles, no different from the Empire's mouthpiece trash.
There was no reason whatsoever to spare the likes of bloodsucking leeches who drained the kingdom's lifeblood to offer up to the Empire.
In contrast, a fair number received comparatively lighter reprimands: demotion of their titles.
These were the ones who had accepted the Empire's overtures, but truly for the sake of their fiefdom's people.
During the purge in the banquet hall, they had floundered in confusion between the traitors and the loyalists.
Not yet fully tainted as traitors, they earned another chance from Raychen.
Though their titles were downgraded, not one voiced complaint.
It was far too lenient compared to the literal slaughter of entire families.
They had merely received a stern warning: never again engage with the Khan Empire.
It was only natural.
No matter how thoroughly they had erased the evidence, including Karawonas, neither the Khan Empire nor Kaidu Ballak would let the matter slide.
In the midst of ramping up their vigilance, allowing continued contact with the Empire would invite countless spies to infiltrate the kingdom.
While Raychen and Viscount Sozen tirelessly scoured the kingdom day and night.
Rustle, rustle!
Ian and the Latent Dragon Squad pushed through thick foliage along a mountain path in the Baekra Mountains.
In the recent purge, Ye had aided Ian's group and the Pang Kingdom in dealing with Karawonas... but that had merely been to verify whether Ian truly qualified as Lucas's successor—and whether he merited a conversation as an equal with Lien, Ye's chieftain.
To secure Ye's full cooperation for certain, the true test began now.
Kaidu Ballak was hot-blooded with a hair-trigger temper.
Not content with his painstaking efforts to sway Pang nobles going up in smoke, the annihilation of an elite Empire force like Karawonas had no doubt enraged him.
That grand duke wouldn't just sit idly by.
He might even send the northeastern border guards, Turmur Shurga, marching in as early as tomorrow.
'No time to slack off, then. I need to win over Ye fast and get them to hold Turmur Shurga at bay.'
Only then could Ian buy the time to prepare his decisive 'one move'.
"Hek, hek! Boss, you're sure this is the right way?"
Oblivious to Ian's urgency, Dane—the weakest in stamina—hiked up his trailing robe and asked.
As the least physically inclined of the group, it was only natural he'd tire first.
"Almost there, just hold on a bit longer. If Kasar's paper from Talor is accurate, we'll hit the Ye contact point after a little more walking."
While the royal purge unfolded, Ian's crew hadn't been idle.
They healed their wounds and set straight out for the location marked on the paper Kasar had gotten from Talor.
It had simply been an absurdly long distance, that's all.
"Huff, huff... No matter how I look at it, this is pure madness. Teaming up with Ye is one thing, but marching right into their lair? We'd need ten lives at least..."
Dane mopped sweat with his robe hem, grumbling.
The other squad members said little, but they couldn't fully hide the tension etched on their faces.
It was hardly surprising.
Ye was a massive bandit syndicate that rampaged without fear even of the mighty Khan Empire on the Eastern Continent.
Much like the Lichtenauer Martial Clan had transcended mere family status to become a kingdom's shield, Ye had long outgrown the bounds of ordinary brigands.
Yet at their core, they were bandits—brutal and savage.
Not even a martial clan detachment would dare venture alone to their stronghold, let alone the heart where the great chieftain held court.
If Ye's great leader so much as showed displeasure toward them... they'd be slit throat-to-belly on the spot and dumped in the nearby wilds without anyone batting an eye.
"Well, that won't happen. Don't sweat it."
Ian, who knew Lien's temperament well, immediately saw through this as yet another of Lien's tests.
The Lien that Ian—no, Lucas—knew was no man to bow his head to just anyone.
Even if he acknowledged Ian as Lucas's successor, he'd hardly yield an inch to a coward lacking the guts to show up in person.
'That unyielding nature of yours hasn't changed, Lien.'
How far had Ian and the Latent Dragon Squad trekked like that?
Shhhh!
"Ian Lichtenauer?"
Strange figures suddenly emerged midway up the slope, encircling the Latent Dragon Squad.
Their garb was too crude for proper warriors, yet their auras ran too deep for mere highway robbers.
Without a doubt, these were Ye's bandits—embodying that bizarre duality.
"That's me. Balteran sent me. Mind showing the way?"
Assuming they'd come to escort him, Ian confirmed it readily.
"Talk of escorts, huh."
Sring!
But the response wasn't a courteous guide—instead, the chilling rasp of swords being drawn.
"…What is the meaning of this?"
"No need for chit-chat, right? Turn tail quietly while you can, outsider. Out of respect for Lord Balteran and Lord Talor, we'll at least spare your necks."
Ian recalled Balteran's words amid the bandit's sharp retort.
-Things are different now than before. If your goals don't suit everyone's tastes... Ye might fracture.
'So that's what he meant.'
Ian eyed the bandits threatening(?) them, a bitter aftertaste lingering as he recalled Balteran's warning.
'Well... twenty years is a long time.'
Ye's leadership might be eccentric, but two decades was more than enough to warp an organization's character and essence.
"Sorry to disappoint the boss or Lord Balteran... but we're doing just fine as is. Loving this free life we've got. You think we toughed out all those years just to crawl under some wet-behind-the-ears nobody we don't even know?"
They—the North Continent's final daggers—had gradually morphed into true outlaws before anyone noticed.
"…Ha!"
A laugh tugged at Ian's lips.
Not one born of amusement.
Ian would have gladly cheered them on if Lien, Balteran, Talor, and the rest truly wished to embrace the bandit life.
But.
'...Raised by their own hands, and now you dare spit on that grace like this?'
Ian fixed the bandit with a cruel gaze laced with contempt, as if appraising ungrateful beasts.
Step!
Taking a single step forward, he slowly drew the Twin-Headed Blood Serpent and addressed the threatening bandits in a chilling tone.
"And what if we don't?"
"If you reject the cup of welcome and choose the cup of venom, what choice do we have? We'll settle you all right here. Your underlings too, nice and cozy-like."
The Latent Dragon Squad broke into cold sweats as the bandit sneered icily.
"Th-this... might actually get life-threatening."
Of course, it was the bandits' lives on the line—not theirs.