Extermination Operation
[Ah, no!! No!! I can't die like this!......Aaaagh!!]
Along with the sound of gunfire, the body of the last remaining Abomination on the surface burst apart.
A Ketratus squad member silently swapped his magazine and then approached Iomene.
"There are no more demon worshippers remaining on the surface."
"I can no longer sense any either."
Even with her acutely sensitive detection abilities, nothing more was being picked up. A foul stench still rose from underground, but Grand Master Al Madai and his squad would handle that.
Iomene gazed at the Pillar of Light illuminating the entire city.
The fact that the bastards who should have stayed hidden were unable to conceal themselves had made the task far, far easier.
Even collapsed, the Saint was essentially still protecting the people of the city.
Her moment of reverently gazing at the Pillar of Light was brief.
Soon, sharp noises and shouts began to reach Iomene's ears.
"Filthy, disgusting Labor Theorist bastards!! Reactionary scum!! You vomit-inducing dirty worm-like wretches!! Look!! Look at what has become of the city thanks to you!!"
Police armed with pistols and submachine guns were screaming, aiming their weapons at the citizens and workers.
"Demon worshippers were hiding among you!! You sons of bitches! I knew this would happen!! You bastards are trying to bring the Scrap Yard to ruin!"
At those words, the workers began to murmur and step back, but the police looked as if they had no intention of letting them off.
"What are you doing! Shoot!! Shoot them all and throw these Labor Theorist bastards into detention camps!!"
A hair-trigger situation.
"Stop them."
At Iomene's order, the Ketratus squad members moved urgently.
The police, about to pull their triggers, froze at the sight of the massive men approaching with a tremendous thudding sound.
"The Pantheon! You've come at a perfect time! Help us arrest them!! Demon worshippers emerged from among them!!"
The Ketratus squad members looked toward the workers at those words.
The workers trembled in even greater fear under their cool gazes.
"According to the Codex Proelium, all of them are subject to arrest. They must be arrested and investigated for contamination by black magic."
The Ketratus squad members subtly gripped their pistols.
"Your Holiness. Please give the order. We will immediately arrest them and assist with the investigation."
Seeing this, Iomene felt a headache coming on.
Those blockheads.
Didn't they say a bastard who's read only one book is the most fearsome?
And those Holy Knights and Battle Priests were bastards who had read only one book their entire lives: the Codex Proelium.
In truth, she wanted to shout at them to go down underground and beat down the demon worshippers as well, but if she did, they would lack the troops to maintain order in the city.
"Holster your pistols. I will not permit you to open fire!"
At Iomene's shout, the Ketratus squad members looked at her with expressions of incomprehension.
"However, that action violates the Codex Proelium. It is written that all suspects must be eliminated."
"And that same Codex also states that you must obey my commands!! So listen to me!! I will not permit you to open fire!!"
"But, Your Holiness. The Codex Proelium......"
Iomene felt like crying.
These men were experts, surpassing anyone else at beating down evil things.
But they were utterly useless at maintaining urban order and mediating the conflicting interests of two hostile groups.
Right now, the Scrap Yard was essentially a bomb burning in real time.
The conflict between the workers and the capitalists, already festering to its limit, had been briefly delayed by the appearance of the demon worshippers, but it was now burning its fuse once again.
It wouldn't be strange if, at that moment, somewhere in the city, police killed workers or Labor Theorists killed police and capitalists.
And yet, the only external organization meant to prevent that, the Ketratus, were these utterly rigid blockheads, so what on earth was she supposed to do?
"Your Highness!! Those are Labor Theorists!! They are bastards who are blatantly violating Imperial Law!! Why are you trying to defend these disgusting seedlings who are attempting to shake the very foundations of society!!"
A man who appeared to have a fairly high rank among the police protested roughly.
"We must arrest them all! Please lend us your strength!!"
Unable to bear those words, one of the Labor Theorists stepped forward and shouted.
"If you put it that way, do you think you factory owners are innocent? Didn't demon worshippers emerge from among you as well?! I saw it!! I personally saw monsters fleeing frantically from your mansions!!"
Hearing this, the Ketratus squad members now looked toward the police.
"That is true. There were demon worshippers among the factory owners as well. The workers are subjects for investigation, and so are you."
"Your Holiness. Please give the order. We will seize these suspects and investigate them."
The moment the Ketratus squad members visibly displayed aggressive intent toward them, the police, their faces pale, half-raised their weapons.
"I-investigate us?"
"The religious bastards are finally showing their true colors!!"
The Ketratus squad members also slightly raised their pistols.
"You would do well to choose your next actions carefully. One of us can easily handle a hundred of you. Do you think your bullets can pierce our miracles and armor?"
"Stop!! I said stop!!"
Iomene gave the order, but the Ketratus squad members instead blocked her path.
"They have raised their weapons against us. Your Holiness. Please stay back. You could be struck by a stray bullet."
A hair-trigger standoff.
A powder keg ready to explode at any moment.
The police, fearing the consequences of harming an Imperial Princess and members of the Pantheon.
The workers, fearing they would be hit by bullets from the police and the Ketratus.
And the Ketratus, who could beat them all to death but were not moving because of the Princess's orders.
But if things went even slightly astray, this place would quickly become a living hell.
"Please. Almene. Hurry!........"
The White Order was not an organization suited for maintaining public order.
This was a moment when another external organization capable of calming the situation, investigating to reveal the truth, and maintaining order was desperately needed.
And then, Iomene's face, which had been anxiously praying inwardly, suddenly brightened.
"They're here."
She looked up at the sky.
Everyone else also looked up.
With a tremendous vibration, the very space above the Scrap Yard split apart, and through the rift, a massive airship revealed itself.
A skull biting a sword was clearly emblazoned on the surface of the airship.
It was the emblem of the Black Fortress, the Empire's intelligence agency and a special forces unit directly under the Imperial Household.
And the moment the airship arrived, it began rapidly descending in altitude.
As the city's citizens were startled by the rare sight of a gigantic metal vessel slowly descending from the sky,
"Stop! What is the meaning of this?!"
The airship's doors opened, and a group of people urgently began jumping down into the city.
Holy Knights and priests of the Sun Order, who serve the God of Justice, Lopers.
Holy Knights and priests of the Order of Grace, who serve the Goddess of Grace, Lilia.
Priests of the Silence Order, who serve the God of Darkness and Secrets, Le-Neri.
The forces of the Pantheon poured out and began spreading throughout the entire city in an instant.
And it wasn't just them.
"In the name of His Imperial Majesty, lay down your weapons. Failure to comply will result in an investigation on charges of treason for all of you!"
"You dare point a gun at Her Highness?! Put it down! Disarm immediately!"
"Disarm immediately if you do not wish to be shelled by the airship!!"
The inquisitors of the Black Fortress also descended into the city and hurried toward potential flashpoints to begin mediation.
Unlike the Ketratus, who had read only one book, these people had read many books and were skilled at suppressing these kinds of conflicts.
Only then could Iomene heave a sigh of relief.
"What took you so long."
After complaining playfully toward Almene, Iomene gave an order to the Ketratus squad members.
"Excluding the minimum troops required for my guard, all members of the 1st and 4th companies are to go and assist Grand Master Al Madai in suppressing the demon worshippers underground. Keep this in mind! Do not engage in combat on the surface any longer! Leave it to the Pantheon and the inquisitors of the Black Fortress to handle!"
"We will comply with your order."
All Ketratus squad members except for five veterans from the 1st and 4th companies vanished with heavy footfalls, and immediately afterward, the inquisitors of the Black Fortress approached her vicinity.
"We will escort you to the airship. Your Highness."
Escorted by the Ketratus and the inquisitors, Iomene was guided to the airship.
Seeing Iomene board the airship with a tired face, Almene approached her.
".......You know?"
"I know."
After a brief exchange where all the intermediate process typical of the Soul-linked Twins was omitted, Iomene headed toward the rear of the airship, and Almene headed for the command room.
"Disarm both the police and the workers! We do not want the situation to deteriorate any further! Members of the Silence Order, investigate the factory owners! Other inquisitors, begin investigating the workers! Let the Holy Knights of the Order of Grace take charge of guarding the Saint!"
While Almene struggled to get the city's security under control, issuing real-time orders via magic communication devices distributed to the Pantheon's Holy Knights and the various inquisitors, Iomene headed for a corner of the airship.
Upon arriving there, she saw the familiar figure of a witch.
"Erpa."
Erpa was not her usual easygoing self.
From her expressionless face as she held her wand at the ready, she seemed to radiate sheer hatred.
"Princess Iomene."
"The remaining demon worshippers have all fled to the underground mine. You'll be going in with us, won't you?"
"Yes."
"Let's go together. I also have to go down to command the Ketratus."
At Iomene's words, Erpa simply nodded her head slightly without a word.
And it wasn't just Erpa.
Nine combat mages, carefully selected from the Magic Tower Temple, were hurriedly preparing for battle.
But that wasn't all.
Iomene was watching another group preparing for battle with a curious expression.
The most vital combat assets of the Black Fortress.
People she had only known about but was seeing in person for the first time.
The Soulless Ones.
Wrapped in peculiar black restraints and hurrying to complete their deployment preparations, they were entities that seemed to fade from sight even as she looked directly at them.
Now, the moment those restraints were undone and they were fully released,
ordinary bastards would not recognize them even if they stood right before their eyes, and even well-trained individuals like mages and Holy Knights would fail to notice them before dying unless they possessed extremely high detection capabilities.
Bastards who were themselves faint presences.
And thus, bastards who operated as assassins more formidable than anyone else.
"Adjustments are complete."
"They can be deployed immediately."
The mages who had been checking the restraints of the Soulless Ones nearby slowly stepped back.
The Black Fortress inquisitor commanding the Soulless Ones looked at Iomene.
"Please give the order."
The combat mages of the Magic Tower.
The Thousand-Man Unit of the White Order.
And even the assassins of the Black Fortress.
It was no exaggeration to say that this much force was sufficient.
"Is there any need for a specific order? These are the bastards who tried to harm the Saint and blow up the Scrap Yard. There is only one fitting end for them."
Iomene ground her teeth as she gave the order.
"Extermination. Kill all of the demon worshippers in the underground mine tunnels. Do not leave a single one alive."