Chapter 57
Chapter 57
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: Chapter 11: Cleanup Time (2)
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Two days passed in the blink of an eye.
Sara Minehart steadied her breathing.
Her entire body trembled with tension, but separate from that, her resolve was firm.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say she had lived for this day alone ever since harboring the aspiration for freedom.
She would definitely put an end to this hellish life.
“It’s time.”
“Yes. Please take good care of our comrades and the citizens, Sien.”
“Don’t worry about that. It’s not just me— the White Dragon Knights are there too.”
“I’ll trust you.”
With her response finished, Sara stepped forward confidently, and Sien accompanied her.
Twenty-two members of the Freedom’s Roar organization followed behind them.
They emerged onto the main street with heads held high and headed straight for the gates of Pratel City.
“Who are you lot?!”
“Stop right there.”
As the large group approached, the guards naturally went on alert.
It didn’t mean much, though.
“Take a nap for a bit.”
Thwack!
Sien, who had used spatial teleportation, struck the guards’ napes with the edge of her hand.
She applied exactly the right amount of force to knock them out, and sure enough, they collapsed to the ground.
Killing them would have been easy, but this time she refrained.
‘Freedom’s Roar wants a peaceful protest.’
Sien respected their wishes.
Thanks to her, Sara and the Freedom’s Roar members entered the city and reached the lower-class residential district.
Then Sara shouted loudly.
Infusing it with a desperate cry.
“To those who wish to right this unjust reality! Please come out of your homes right now! Join us!”
No matter what happened from here, there was no turning back.
The weight of that pressed down on Sara, but she continued without hesitation.
“Do you all know? The constitution of the Alteria Empire states that commoners are the same as nobles—equal people! And that’s not all. It says nobles have a duty to obey their superiors and protect their inferiors!”
“The founding head of House Adalbert emphasized it: the domain’s people are the core of governance, and citizens in industrialized areas must be especially looked after! Because industry can harm their health!”
“But what about House Brightner? They treat us like beasts, exploit us, and commit tyranny! They’ve arbitrarily violated the Alteria Empire’s constitution and the founding head of House Adalbert’s teachings! That’s why we must let them know—we are not beasts, not slaves!”
Her voice, infused with mana, spread far and wide.
It was more than enough to shake those around her and draw everyone’s attention.
“The rebels are over there!”
“The head gave orders! Death to the rebels!”
Guards shouted as they charged in.
Leading them was Jeff Richter, squad leader of the Pratel Guard’s Second Squad.
But they couldn’t reach Sara and the organization members.
Boom!
A slash from a blue aurablade had landed right in front of Jeff Richter.
A man then landed on the ground behind it and pointed his sword.
“That’s far enough.”
The man wore a white uniform.
His navy-blue hair and bright silver eyes were striking.
He was so famous that Jeff immediately recognized him.
His face paled at the same time.
“F-Fritz Kahn?! Why is the vice-captain of the White Dragon Knights here?!”
Vice-captain of the White Dragon Knights.
Everyone, not just Jeff, knew exactly what that meant.
And for good reason—the White Dragon Knights’ reputation in the empire’s north was immense.
It wasn’t just because of their deep history alongside House Adalbert.
The White Dragon Knights claimed to be the head’s sword, leading countless enemies to ruin.
The corpses of those they’d felled could pile into a mountain, and their spilled blood could fill a river—it wasn’t an exaggeration.
Their fearsome exploits had turned the White Dragon Knights into a symbol of destruction.
“It’s the White Dragon Knights! The White Dragon Knights are here!”
“The young head of House Adalbert is with us!”
The Freedom’s Roar members shouted in unison.
No sooner had the words left their mouths than ten knights in pristine white uniforms landed one after another.
Even if it was just the vice-captain and one squad, the White Dragon Knights had truly mobilized.
“We can’t live like this anymore!”
“Bring out my husband, my son!”
“We’re not beasts! We’re people!”
Hearing that House Adalbert was with them, people began streaming out.
Mostly women and the elderly, none armed.
But their eyes burned more fiercely than ever.
Enough to make Jeff and the guards flinch.
Riding the momentum, Sara pressed forward, continuing to shout.
“House Brightner secretly runs a drug plantation and distributes drugs, addicting our families! Jürgen von Brightner has no right to be lord!”
“Don’t be afraid anymore! House Adalbert’s will is with us! If you want to live as people, if you want to change this situation, join us!”
The mention of drug addiction was more than enough to ignite the citizens’ fury.
Indeed, with every step the protesters advanced, more people joined.
They surged toward city hall like waves.
To see their will through.
Now, no one could stop this tide.
* * *
The protesters were oblivious.
The problem was the identity of their supporter.
“To think yesterday’s intruder was Martin Adalbert…”
Jürgen von Brightner was genuinely dumbfounded.
And for good reason—the intruder yesterday had wielded wind-element innate abilities with expert skill.
Spatial dominion was praised as omnipotent and capable of interfering with other elements, but not to the point of fooling a 7th Circle powerhouse.
He could only conclude it was a wind-element user.
And that wasn’t all.
Even to him, a mage, yesterday’s opponent had displayed superb hand-to-hand combat skills.
In contrast, Martin was known to lag behind ordinary knights in physical prowess even after reaching 7th Circle.
He hadn’t had the conditions to train in it, so Martin hadn’t even been on his radar.
The White Dragon Knights’ involvement had revealed that mistake.
“We have to assume he knows about the drug plantation.”
“It might already be under his control.”
Jürgen nodded grimly at the Dark King’s response.
After losing the map, he’d sent most of the house’s forces to the mines.
He’d constantly checked in with his cousin, the facility manager.
Every time, the response had been that all was fine.
He hadn’t suspected much from a 5th Circle practitioner, but that had been a fatal error.
“What’s your plan? Fight Martin Adalbert?”
“…”
Jürgen couldn’t answer easily.
The White Dragon Knights themselves didn’t scare him.
Even with the vice-captain, it was just eleven men.
The emergency alert had dispersed House Brightner’s forces too, but with him joining, blocking them would be easy.
Martin was the concern.
Waldemar von Rustal was the weakest among the branch heads, but on the empire scale, he was a recognized powerhouse.
And Martin had taken him down single-handedly.
“Can you beat Martin Adalbert?”
“I promise I’ll fight my hardest. I have to defend the drug plantation for my goals. But I can’t guarantee victory. I’m an assassin. Head-on fights aren’t my specialty.”
“Your subordinates still can’t move?”
“If they do, it’ll draw the Poison King’s attention. That won’t end well for you either. Why not request reinforcements from House Gustin? Considering the money they’ve received, they won’t turn away.”
“That would’ve been possible if we hadn’t started the drug plantation.”
The reason Houses Brightner and Gustin maintained close ties was simple.
Jürgen’s younger sister had married Mateo’s younger brother.
Blood ties were the core of their alliance, but this time, they meant nothing.
Mateo knew nothing of the drug plantation.
“If Mateo finds out, he’ll abandon us immediately. That’s the kind of man he is.”
“Then we fight alone. I’ll hold Martin Adalbert as long as I can, so take down Fritz Kahn and come help.”
“Hoo. Got it.”
Jürgen let out a quiet sigh.
Mateo wanted to supplant House Adalbert, true, but Jürgen had never imagined clashing with Martin alone like this.
But it had happened.
With what they’d done, retreat was impossible.
‘Just kill him. Then Mateo von Gustin will handle the fallout somehow.’
Having decided, Jürgen extended his right hand.
The staff hanging on the wall flew into his grasp.
He thrust it forward, and a blue flash erupted.
An ice path stretched straight to city hall, and Jürgen advanced along it.
The Dark King beside him slipped into the shadows.
“…”
The protesters who reached city hall fell silent.
Jürgen’s menacing aura was too intimidating to speak through.
If Fritz Kahn hadn’t blocked it, people would have collapsed in droves.
“Isn’t it long-standing custom to notify before visiting a noble’s domain? Even as main house affiliates, barging in like this crosses the line, Fritz Kahn.”
“No need for courtesy with criminals. Jürgen von Brightner, you’re under arrest for cultivating and distributing drugs.”
Fritz Kahn declared calmly.
Exploiting and oppressing the domain’s people was a crime, but hard to execute summarily.
So he cited the most ironclad one.
It was enough for a death sentence on its own.
“Evidence of my crimes? You need at least that to arrest someone, no?”
“No need to worry. We’ve got it.”
The moment Fritz Kahn finished speaking,
Humm.
Space warped.
From the rift emerged a black-haired youth—Martin.
“Young head!”
“Young head!”
As if they’d been waiting, Fritz Kahn led the salute, dropping to his right knee.
The other knights followed, shouting and kneeling.
Martin smiled faintly at them.
Then he pulled a single Claudel flower and a silk pouch from his breast pocket.
Rustle.
He turned the pouch upside down, and white powder poured out.
“This enough evidence? If not, shall I bring your cousin? I spared him just in case.”
Grit.
Jürgen ground his teeth in rage at Martin’s words.
“It doesn’t change anything, Jürgen von Brightner. You’re done. You and the Dark King both.”
Martin’s gaze turned to Jürgen’s shadow.
The Dark King burst out from it.
All the trash was out.
Now it was time to clean.