525

Episode 525: I Came to Save You (3)

Marquis Perrin responded with a bright expression to Claude's words.

"Oh, you are from this kingdom? So, what family are you from?"

"I am not a nobleman."

"Ahem, hm. Is that so?"

The Marquis of Perrin and the nobles frowned slightly. They were already uncomfortable with having themselves investigated, and now they were entrusting it to someone who wasn't even a noble!

However, he was leading an army of 100,000 men. Furthermore, as the commander-in-chief of the Dukedom of Fenris, he had authority that most nobles could ignore.

So I couldn't dare to question him or act recklessly.

This was a reaction from not knowing that Claude was actually a slave.

"Hey, let's move for now. I'll explain in detail."

Marquis Perrin smiled a little more at ease. He thought that if they were from this kingdom, they would listen to him.

But Claude shook his head.

"We will begin the investigation immediately."

"Oh, what's the rush?"

"I'm really busy. Hey! Move quickly!"

At Claude's beckoning, the Fenris magistrates led their soldiers into the castle and began searching through the papers.

Claude returned to the kingdom of Ceylon with the intention of turning things upside down. Knowing Claude's situation, Giselle handed over all authority to him and left. It meant that he was to do as he pleased.

The Marquis of Perrin and the nobles cried out in bewilderment.

"What kind of rudeness is this!"

"No matter how much help I gave you, this is not right!"

"Are you ignoring us because we are a small country?"

Despite the nobles' protests, Claude ignored them. The administrators, knights, and soldiers ransacked the royal castle of Ceylon like it was their own home. They were no different from an invading force.

The nobles, who could not even imagine such a situation, were dumbfounded. It was a situation where they could not stop it even if they wanted to.

The momentum of the Northern Army of Rutania was extremely fierce. The kingdom could have been blown away with just one gesture from Claude.

While the magistrates overthrew the palace, Claude met the King of Ceylon at a leisurely pace.

The king, who had been happily waiting for the banquet, was struck by lightning and his face turned pale.

"What, what is going on right now? How can you do this!"

King Cordeno of Seiron asked with a trembling voice, holding back his anger.

Claude answered with a grin.

"I was just trying to do some research."

"Go back! I can't stand this humiliation! Why don't you just return the supplies?"

Now that the cracks are gone, the production facility can be restored. It will take some time, but it's not impossible.

It was something that could have been returned in the first place. The other party had no right to be so rude.

But Claude shook his head.

"Because there's more to investigate."

"What more can a foreign general investigate! The Kingdom of Seiron is an independent nation with sovereignty! Didn't you say you were from this kingdom? How can you look down on the place where you were born and raised!"

Cordeno shouted in great anger.

However, the knights of the castle could not act rashly. If they were to fight Fenris, this kingdom without even a single superhuman would be finished.

Claude said to Cordeno, who was furious.

"Don't you know me?"

"How could I know everything about the governor of another country?"

Claude looked at the Marquis de Perrein and asked again.

"Don't you know me?"

"I, I don't know. This is my first time seeing you."

Claude chuckled at those words. He had clearly been brought along with his Master for the same crime when he was executed.

The Marquis of Perrin, the enemy faction of the Master, watched the scene. So did the King.

'Yeah, that's right.'

To them, he was like an insect whose face they didn't even need to remember.

It didn't matter. Just make sure you remember it from now on.

Claude said, looking at Cordeno.

"Now you will never forget my face or my name for the rest of your life."

"What are you talking about! Listen! Get rid of Iza right now! I'll return the supplies, so leave now!"

Claude opened his mouth softly.

"My teacher's name is Benedito."

"What, what?"

The eyes of Cordeno and Marquis Ferrin widened. Benedito was the name of the man they had long ago framed and executed for treason.

But… … his disciple is one of the Duke of Fenris's confidants?

"You, you… … No way… … ."

Cordeno pulled out a vague memory. It had been some time, but he could now recognize the face.

The nobles of Seiron also looked at Claude with cold sweat dripping down their faces. Now they knew what was going on.

Claude continued with a smirk.

"You broke your promise and embezzled the aid supplies, so you must return it all from the treasury of the Kingdom of Seiron. Right now."

Marquis Perrin, who had played the greatest role in harming his master, answered with a pale expression.

"No, I can't afford to give it to you right now."

They were stingy with the rations that went to the soldiers and the people, but they could not refuse them altogether. Moreover, they themselves, the knights, and the private soldiers ate to their heart's content.

A considerable amount of time has passed since receiving the support. Now that production has stopped, it is impossible to immediately replenish the amount spent so far.

"Then it's bankruptcy. I'll take that much land from the kingdom, including interest."

"Wow, that's nonsense… … ."

"Why do you say it doesn't make sense? Isn't it due process?"

If nobles borrow money and cannot repay it, they are given territory instead. That is natural.

The reason was right, but I thought it was a bit far-fetched. That's because I knew Claude's true identity.

"Hey, what are you trying to do now?"

"Don't you know?"

"Mom, I don't know."

"The master passed away with an unjust accusation. What should the disciple do?"

"Hey, hey, there seems to be a misunderstanding… … ."

"Misunderstanding? Actually, everyone knew that the Master was innocent. But he died after being accused of treason. How can we avoid making his death seem unjust?"

"What, what how… … ."

Sparks flew from Claude's eyes. He said through gritting his teeth.

"You just have to commit real treason. Then you won't have any grievances, right?"

"Wh, what are you talking about! What are you… … ."

"I am now a citizen of the Kingdom of Seiron, and I will continue the Master's legacy and rebel. I will bring in foreign powers."

"This, this crazy guy right now… … ."

"You embezzled the aid, so that's enough of an excuse. It's not going to work out well for this narrow piece of land. Catch the interest now."

Boom!

As Claude gave the order, the gates of the Great Hall were shattered and Northern soldiers poured in.

"Hey, stop it!"

Marquis Perrin shouted loudly, but it was no use. A few knights of the Northern Army stepped forward, and the knights of Ceylon were quickly subdued.

The king and the nobles were bound and forced to their knees.

They gnashed their teeth. They had welcomed the invaders and brought them into the castle!

Claude looked at them and smiled.

"I sent more supplies than needed to this kingdom, what do you think?"

"This, this is profit… … ."

"I expected you to break the contract. That's the kind of people you are."

"This, this guy… … ."

Cordeno trembled, his face red with anger.

In the beginning, they wrote it like crazy, saying it was good. They didn't share it with people, so they had a lot to use for themselves.

But I thought I'd turn it all into debt! Now I know why I signed the contract while giving out support items.

From the beginning, he had planned to use that contract as an excuse to take over the kingdom.

Claude sat on the throne and spoke.

"I, a traitor, will take over as the temporary governor of this place on behalf of the Royal Family of Lutania. This is the authority granted to me by our great King and the Grand Duke of the North, and once the war with the Salvation Church is over, this place will be incorporated into the Kingdom of Lutania."

"You! Shut up! Do you think the other kingdoms will just watch? This is a clear invasion! An invasion under the pretense of reinforcements!"

A united Rutania would be incomparably stronger than the other kingdoms. The other kingdoms would surely fear it.

But Claude laughed as if it was no big deal.

"No, this is a rebellion within the Kingdom of Seiron. And the justification is sufficient."

"Eeeeek!"

Who could argue that he returned to the world to avenge his master? And that too with a very strong army?

Claude said with a bitter smile.

"Take him and go. We will investigate him separately to see if he is guilty, and then give him an appropriate punishment."

Anyone directly involved in killing the Master will be punished by death.

"Let go! You bastards! Let go! You invaders!"

Cordeno screamed and twisted his body. But it was no use. This place had already been occupied by the Northern Army.

That was how the Kingdom of Ceylon ended. There was no way to stop Claude, who had come with the intention of overthrowing the country from the beginning.

Claude, who had immediately struck down the king and the high-ranking nobles, immediately began the task of stabilization.

He reorganized and fed the soldiers of Seiron. He also distributed resources to the refugees. Thanks to the confiscated supplies, resources were abundant.

Naturally, the soldiers and the people cheered. They had no idea what had happened to the king and the nobles.

Because they were filled with a sense of betrayal when they found out that they had embezzled the aid supplies.

"They gave us this much food!"

"As expected, it is the Kingdom of Rutania!"

"There was a rumor that we were entering the Kingdom of Rutania?"

"Wouldn't that be better? They say the military there is strong and there is plenty of food!"

People who heard the rumor were so excited that they couldn't sleep.

We have already seen how strong the army of the Kingdom of Rutania is. Didn't they remove all the cracks that could not be removed in this kingdom in just a few days?

They were also distributing food without any shortage. If it were possible, they would want to sacrifice their country with their own hands.

And when the news really spread that it was being incorporated into the Kingdom of Rutania.

"Wow!"

"Long live the Kingdom of Rutania!"

"Long live the Northern Grand Duke!"

There was even a strange phenomenon where people who had lost their country cheered.

In any case, they were living like slaves. They were fed up with the king and nobles who were only concerned with their own selfish desires and could not even deal with the problems within the kingdom.

Claude's 'rebellion' progressed rapidly as everyone was happy except for some nobles.

The Northern Army remaining in the Kingdom of Ceylon was about 10,000 men. It was the minimum number of men needed to stabilize the kingdom. Most of the Northern Army immediately followed Giselle to other kingdoms.

Although Claude was appointed as interim governor, he actually intended to leave the kingdom of Ceylon to the administrators after completing one task.

The task was to find Anna.

"You haven't found it yet?"

Most of the people of the Kingdom of Seiron had fled to the vicinity of the capital. The headmaster and students of Seiron Academy also met in the capital.

But they didn't know Anna's whereabouts either, because the rift had broken out while Anna was at another academy.

It is said that Baron Auston, who once held Anna captive and kept raising the ransom, is already dead. Everyone involved in the Master's work has also been brought to a close.

All I had to do was find Anna, but I had no idea where she was.

"Phuhu… … ."

Claude just sighed in frustration.

Actually, I had no intention of doing anything with Anna again. I just felt guilty and wanted to keep her, my old lover and my teacher's daughter, safe.

Wendy asked cautiously, seeing him looking distraught.

"… …Are you okay?"

"are you okay."

Claude smiled bitterly.

Wendy became even more worried at that expression. It was the first time she had seen Claude, who was always nagging, with such a serious expression.

And for some reason, that expression kept bothering me.

"Whew, I guess it's time to get moving."

Claude had no choice but to leave the search for Anna to the administrators. He too had to follow the Northern Army, so he could not waste any more time.

This is because Giselle has set aside time and troops to avenge Claude.

He took one last look around the refugee camp. He was sure it was gone, but he couldn't help but feel hopeful.

"uh?"

As Claude was looking around the camp, he spotted a familiar face. As soon as he saw Claude, he turned his head and tried to get away.

"Hey, hey! Get that kid!"

The soldiers ran and caught the man who was trying to run away. The man who was caught smiled awkwardly and said.

"Your Majesty, Governor. How have you been? It's been a while."

A man with a mean smile.

He was Crank, the leader of the gang that had tried to cut off Claude's wrist.