Chapter 425: Full-Sweep Clean Up (pt. III)

"I-I'm innocent! You can do this, General! This is abuse of authority!"

"That's right! You can't just barge into our mansion and arrest us!"

"Is this how the Kingdom's General should act?! This is shameful!"

Loudbark and yaps rang throughout the air, several figures pinned to the ground and some kneeling with hostility, their hands tied behind their backs and their heads now lowered forcefully, held down by the knights.

Before them was another figure, silky hair and beautiful eyes red as her flames, a fierce temperament hidden behind a calm facade. The ones kneeling continued to bark yet all she did was look at them remain silent, eyes filled with contempt.

"Even if you're the General, do you think you can get away with this?! I will make sure His Majesty hears of this shamelessness!"

"Haah... Are you really this stupid? To think you still haven't figured out what's happening right now, and you call yourself a noble." ［Cynthia］

"What?! Are you mocking me right now?! His Majesty will neverー"

"You stupid fool. It was His Majesty who ordered this arrest. If only you aren't needed anymore. I would have decapitated your heads already." ［Cynthia］

The General finished her words, a cold and scary glint shimmering in her eyes. Her expression was dark and can be, her words weighing down heavier than boulders as she let the insolent fools before her understand their situation.

She was not the type to joke nor she was the type to forgive. If it weren't for the fact that they can be used as decisive evidence and witnesses against Duke Schemer, she wouldn't have wasted her time and incinerated them already.

However, despite her hotheadedness, she has always kept her calm in front of the enemies. She needed to keep her emotions in check and not be blinded by her rage. Else, she would have already burnt down the mansion to the ground.

"Kugh...! You will never get away with this! Do you know who you're dealing with?! I have connections in the Royal Capital! They will never let this go!"

"Who? Duke Schemer?" ［Cynthia］

"So you knew! Then unhand us already! If you do, I'll act as if this never happened! As long as you repay me the compensation, I'llー"

"Pfft... Haha... Hahaha... Hahahaha! Hahahaha!" ［Cynthia］

A loud laughter burst forth throughout the halls, the General laughing her heart out all the way to tears as she tried to process the words projected towards her. It was so stupid, she couldn't help but laugh, her stomach hurting all the while.

It wasn't just her. Even the knights behind her were chuckling to themselves, trying to hold back their laughter. It was an absurd sight, the man before the General, frozen and still oblivious about what's happening. He was flabbergasted.

"Haha... Haah... You really are stupid, aren't you?" ［Cynthia］

"What?! How dare...! Let's see if His Grace will let this slide!"

"You pathetic idiot. After you, it will be the Duke's turn. If you adore him so much, then don't worry. You will all meet in hell soon enough." ［Cynthia］

Her cold eyes glimmered again, her voice sending chills down everyone's spines as it rang inside their ears. It was only then that the man realized just what sort of situation he was in, his face white as snow as his heart was swallowed by fear.

"Knights, take them away and lock them in prison. Make sure won't be able to escape and make a ruckus. Beat them up if necessary." ［Cynthia］

"G-General! Please spare us! We did nothing wrong!"

"This is a misunderstanding, General! We are innocent!"

They were acting all arrogant and mighty, but after hearing the General's words, they quickly trembled in fear, their bodies frozen from shock. It wasn't just a threat. It was already a judgement passed down on them, their days already numbered.

It was loud and rambunctious, the arrested ones flailing around their arms as they all screamed to the top of their lungs, asking for mercy and spouting all kinds of bullsh*t just to garner the General's pity and attention.

However, it was all in vain. The General didn't even bat an eye on any of them and simply inspected the paintings hung in the wall, admiring them quietly. Their wailing was like music in her ears, feeling quite a bit of satisfaction as they begged for mercy.

Well, no matter how much they begged or cried, they would never be able to change the General's mind. They already did far too many crimes for forgiveness to even be considered. Only death awaits the fools who have stained the honor of Aldengard.

"General, what should we do about the servants?"

"For now, don't let any of them leave the mansion. Conduct an investigation to see which of them are involved in the matter and have them all make testimonies against the Baron and the Duke. Make sure to do it discreetly." ［Cynthia］

"Understood, General."

"Oh, and one more thing. I will be interrogating the Baron later. Make sure no one interferes with me. If their knights try to resist, you can execute them immediately. Report everything to me afterwards." ［Cynthia］

"Understood. Then, I'll be taking my leave now, General."

It has been a few days since Grey and Yuna offered their help in the Royal Castle for the Duke's arrest and everything has been smooth sailing, criminal organizations and corrupt households raided and eliminated one after another.

Now, the General is in one of the corrupted nobles' households, located a few hundred kilometers from the Royal Capital in order to clean up everything that's needed to be cleaned up. It didn't even take her an hour to do so.

They were the Norkettle Baronial Family. A family which has over 50 years of history in the Kingdom, starting off as a family of knights before the civil war and receiving the title of "Baron" for all the contributions they have given.

However, much like the Hameln Viscomital Family before, the Norkettle House has also started to fall into corruption as soon as the Head of the House was changed. The current Lord was a corrupt madman just like any other piece of trash.

"Haah... What a shame. They could have been useful allies, had they aligned themselves in the right path." ［Cynthia］

However, there was no use regretting it now. With the personality of the Head even inherited by the Heir, they will be heading to ruin sooner or later. The Kingdom will once again have to eliminate them for the better.

It wasn't just the Baron's family, but the other nobles were hopeless as well. It has only been a few days since they started and yet, they already took down several houses, to the point it already reached more than a dozen.

If it wasn't for the fact that the investigations and cleaning up takes a lot of time, they could have cleaned up more of them. It was quite disappointing knowing just how many houses have fallen from grace, quite a little bit shocking.

"Have you finished here, General?" ［Rigel］

But perhaps what's even more shocking was the unfamiliar figure before the General. He had platinum hair and clear blue eyes like that of the ocean, his strides graceful as the sea and his words calming like the trickling stream in the forest.

The dashing man before her was a beauty to behold, looking seemingly ordinary. Yet despite just looking like any prettyboy, the General couldn't help but feel oppressed by his presence alone, her body stiffening a little bit.

"Are you alright, General? You seem a little stiff." ［Rigel］

"No, I'm fine... I'm just unused to Lord Rigel's appearance." ［Cynthia］

"I see... Well, it is the first time I have taken such a form, after all. Even I feel quite unfamiliar with these sensations. It feels novel and... strange..." ［Rigel］

"Do Their Majesties know about this?" ［Cynthia］

"Not at all. They have never asked us to take such forms so we never had the chance to show them to the Master and the Mistress. In fact, I doubt they even know we are capable of doing this... Taking Salferine forms, that is..." ［Rigel］

The figure before her was none other than Rigel, Grey and Yuna's 10th familiar who had now assumed a human form. He had long hair glimmering the color of platinum and eyes like that of the sea, a well-built body like that of a knight's.

And it may be because Grey's blood had been used in their summoning, but Rigel now looks like a more adult version of Grey, with only slight differences like that of pointy ears resembling Yuna's elven ears.

"Does this look strange after all, General?" ［Rigel］

"No. I think such an appearance suits you quite well, Lord Rigel." ［Cynthia］

"I see... That's a relief then. It would have been meaningless, otherwise." ［Rigel］

As for the reason why Rigel was in such a form, it was because of the raid they were performing. He was to help out the General and knights to travel across the Kingdom and finish off all the enemies which needed to be dealt with.

Originally, Rigel was to take his true form when flying and change to his panther form when attacking. However, such a form was far too conspicuous and troublesome to deal with. And so, he decided to shapeshift to a Salferine to avoid all sorts of trouble.

Even then, just because he changed his form, it doesn't mean he has gotten any bit weaker. Rather, he was still extremely powerful in terms of both physical strength and magical firepower. He was a walking machine of destruction,

For the past few days, he has been destroying hideouts and secret bases one after another as if there was no tomorrow, flooding their bases and drowning all enemies until none of them are left, only leaving the victims and evidence safe.

"It might take some time before we can ascertain where the hideouts are. For the meantime, can you look after the mansion, Lord Rigel?" ［Cynthia］

"Yes. That much is not a big deal." ［Rigel］

"Greatー And oh! Before I forget, can you pass a message towards their Majesties? Please tell them about out completion in the Vienna region," ［Cynthia］

"Understood. I shall do so." ［Rigel］

Leaving everything in Rigel's care, Cynthia then didn't waste any more time and soon followed after the knights to interrogate the Baron. It might take some time, but it was far better with Rigel around to oversee the mansion.

Meanwhile, Rigel also contacted Grey and Yuna and reported to them about their progress. It didn't take him too long to say his piece, getting straight to the point and making sure to mention the little piece of evidence they have procured.

In exchange, Grey and Yuna had also relayed the King's orders and also mentioned how things are going for them in the capital. Of course, they also made sure to clearly convey that their safety still comes first, reminding him once again.

『Understood, Master, Mistress. I will make sure to bear your words in mind, so please be careful as well. Don't hesitate to call us when necessary.』 ［Rigel］

『Yeah. We'll surely do so. Then, goodbye for now, Rigel.』 ［Grey］

『Un! Make sure to assist the General, okay?』 ［Yuna］

Just like that, the report ended and silence reigned inside the mansion once again. It was a little boring that he had to wait and simply watch the mansion, but there was nothing he could do about it if he wished to be of help to Grey and Yuna.

Well, the boredom didn't last too long either. Before he could even go around the mansion and take a look around, a series of footsteps echoed from the upper floors, the sound of panting ringing ever so subtly as the knights rushed towards him.

"L-L-Lord Rigel! We have found the records! We've located the hideouts!"

Lo and behold, the knights had already done their works magnificently and located the enemies' hideout and also how many of them were there. They have found all the Baron's documents, his records of crimes and corruption safely stored in his safe.

Unfortunately for him, the knights were experts when it comes to cracking safes open as they were just opening tuna cans. Rigel's eyes glowed as he peered at the papers, a sharp blue glint shimmering ever so brightly, the atmosphere drastically changing.

It was time for work, once again.

...

"Gaaah! Die, you bastardー Kuuaaaakkk!!"

A cream of rage and hostility rang, but followed after was a fountain of scream of pain and agony, blood splashing towards the walls and flooding the floors, the acrid stench of death wafted all throughout the place as lives were taken one after another.

Daggers were brandished and fists were launched. Holes were drilled through with every hook and jab, heads flying and rolling as platinum glimmers filled the air. An orchestra of death, doom, and perdition played out in the dark and barren corridors.

Two figures danced and damnation followed their every step. Screams and crashes rang out in the air like music playing during a play, sounds of shattering ice and the deadening howls of the winds, raging like a violent storm.

KUAAAKKK THUD THUD CRASH

Before long, the performance was over. But rather than a boisterous pandemonium of cheers and applause, what greeted the two was a deathly silence, not even a single ring echoing all throughout the place.

Only dead bodies lay on the floor, pools of blood running throughout the dirty floors as silence and darkness swallowed the place whole. Only two figures remained as they are, standing proudly as blood painted their hands and faces.

"Phew～! There sure were a lot of them. As expected of the final hideout." ［Yuna］

"Well, it's the biggest one of them all, after all. There were even a few C-rankers in the place. It seems like this is their main base." ［Grey］

"Mmn... No wonder... Not that it makes any difference though..." ［Yuna］

Those two figures were none other than Grey and Yuna, dancing in the field of death and agony as Rigel reported to them, all the while decapitating and exterminating the enemies like simple pests, hearts squashed and pierced one after another.

During the past few days, they have been wiping out bases left and right, their hands drenched in blood as they finished off a couple thousand evildoers, both thugs and researchers, making sure to send them off without remorse.

Now, they are in the last and final base located outside of the Royal Capital. It was the biggest hideout of them all, filled with over a thousand enemies and packed with several rooms, arranged into a layout which resembled a labyrinth.

Well, not that it mattered much to Grey and Yuna anyways. Rather, they were the best ones for such operations, their strength and abilities allowing them to wipe out the enemies when not even a single hour has passed.

"By the way, Grey. Didn't Rigel just say they have finished with the Vienna Region? How many regions do we have left?" ［Yuna］

"Hmm... There's still Lakoa, Pineheim, Baldoa, and Sodelly. There's four. It might take some days before days but I'm sure everything will be fine." ［Grey］

"I see... Then how about the number of wild demonic beasts present? From what I know, we still have over 20 of them to catch, right? Shouldn't we also go looking for them? There may be some extremely powerful ones out there." ［Yuna］

"Don't worry. His Majesty has been keeping an eye on quests about demonic beasts. As soon as we receive a report, the familiars will immediately take care of them. Just trust them, alright?" ［Grey］

"But wouldn't it be faster if we join in with them?" ［Yuna］

"Yuna, you're too impatient. Nothing will come up even if you stress about it. Calm down and take a breather, aright? Just take a deep breath." ［Grey］

"... Mmn... Okay... I'll do that..." ［Yuna］

Time does not wait for anyone, and with every passing second, Yuna's impatience only started to grow. Lives could be lost at any moment, and she just can't seem to stay still at the thought, wanting to take matters into her own hands.

Thankfully enough, Grey was present to calm her down. She has been too stressed about the situations as of late, and it has been taking a toll on her mind. She may be strong, but that doesn't mean she was perfect. She was still prone to worry.

"Here, eat some candy. Don't think too much of the problem." ［Grey］

"Grey... It's hard to eat candy in this kind of place, you know? There's blood everywhere, and it smells bad too." ［Yuna］

"So, do you not want it?" ［Grey］

"Uuu... I'll have some please, and thank you." ［Yuna］

She was a little reluctant at first, but she soon gave up after a few words from Grey. It wasn't just normal candy, but candy made from alchemy. Not only are they sweet, they also have therapeutic effects to ease one's heart.

As soon as Yuna took the candy and ate it, she slowly started to calm down, and soon after, she then cheered up, some light returning to her eyes. She was still quite distressed, but she felt much better than before.

"Then, we should also start cleaning up as well." ［Grey］

Said Grey as he extended his arms out towards the distance. A gate opened at his behest and a few dozen knights came pouring in, and some officials brought along with them. They were all stern and steady, only awaiting the two's orders.

"You already know what to do. Be careful and good luck." ［Grey］

"""Yes!!"""

The knights didn't waste any more time and quickly spread out all throughout the labyrinth-like headquarters. They searched all the rooms with caution and gathered every little thing which could be used as evidence against the enemy.

Meanwhile, Grey and Yuna also proceeded their own ways to heal and rescue the victims, pay their respects to the dead, and finish off the beasts which had been turned demonic, dismantling them soon after and taking away their beast crystals.

Grey has been to a few laboratories and experimental facilities throughout the raid, 5 of them, to be exact. And each of them have some things in common, making it easier for them to destroy the bases and bury it in the darkness.

As for all the loot they got during the raids, other than illegal items and substances, the King has asked the two to keep them and do whatever they want with them. These included the beast crystals which now numbered over a hundred.

While most of the beast crystals are only E-rank or D-rank, some, especially the ones they fought in the wild, are much stronger, some even managing to reach S-rank. It was already decided how many and which they'll be summoning.

"Your Highnesses, we have found more research papers and pills. What should we do with them?"

"Burn them. Make sure not even a speck of them remains." ［Grey］

As for the research papers and pills like the ones they found before, Grey and Yuna didn't hesitate to have them destroyed. They made sure to thoroughly clean up the place and make sure no one else would get their hands on them.

It wasn't long before the raid came to a close, all worthless junk burned to the ground, all evidence gathered, and all the victims rescued. It all elapsed in the blink of an eye, only the grand finale and the final conclusion awaiting them.

"Then, shall we get started as well, Milady?" ［Grey］

"Un!" ［Yuna］

...

"Dammit! Dammit! God f*cking dammit!" ［Arslan］

A vicious scream rang in the air, papers thrown into the air and furniture broken one after another. A bald man was rampaging inside his office, irked veins popping out of his head, eyes red with bloodshot as he raged.

There was only anger in his heart, clenching his fist and gritting his teeth as he turned feral, his pens and stamps broken and his chair slammed towards the ground, a loud crash echoing in the air. It was as if a storm just passed, his whole office in a mess.

'My, how unsightly...' ［Gael］

And observing him was a polished gentleman, simply watching the scene unfold with only calmness in his eyes. He already knew the Duke was an uncultured swine but what he saw in front of him was even worse than he imagined, undignified at all.

As for the reason why the Duke was suddenly rampaging, it was because a sudden letter came from the Royal Castle. At first he expected it to be the response to his previous proposal, so he was quite delighted when he opened it. However, his smile quickly turned into a frown soon after.

It was not a letter of approval, but a letter ordering the Duke to go under trial in the court in a week's time. The King had already amassed enough evidence against him, and so it was time to strike. The day of damnation was drawing close.

'No wonder I couldn't contact my subordinates...' ［Gael］

Gael already had some suspicions since a couple days ago, but now, he was certain. The two mysterious youths the Duke and Viscount had mentioned were the ones who brought ruin to their plans and trampled on them.

The Duke never noticed because the letters and reports are still coming in, but the same couldn't be said for Gael. His very few contacts have gone missing, not a single one of them reporting to him. It was far too suspicious.

The King had accounted for the Duke, but not for Gael. Even Grey only has a couple suspicions as he never saw Gael in the memories of the enemies he slew. He was far too cautious, using the Duke for every little thing, not appearing even once.

'Haah... I wanted to do some experiments as well... Such a shame, indeed.' ［Gael］

Yet despite that, Gael was not furious at them. Rather, he was thankful. He was just about to dispose of them, and yet, before he could even lift a finger, everything was already over. He couldn't be any more thankful.

He had already achieved his goal and he has no use for the Duke anymore. He could just dispose of him right now, but he didn't. Not because it was risky, but because he just didn't want to. After all...

BAAANNNNGGGGGGGGGG

"Goddammit! If war is what they want! We'll give it to them! I'll make sure they'll regret ever making an enemy out of someone as great as myself!" ［Arslan］

The Duke slammed his table with his fists, a loud bang thundering throughout the room. He had lost all reason, eyes blinded by rage and heart swallowed by pride. Now, only a river of blood can resolve the conflict.

"Sir Gael! Contact all our allies and the dark guilds! We'll strike the castle a week from now and we'll dye it in the Royal Family's blood! We'll make sure that not a single one of those pests survives! A new era shall flourish!" ［Arslan］

"As you wish, Your Grace." ［Gael］

... There was still much more to see and a bloodbath to experience. The curtain for the final act is about to rise, and Gael's heart raced for conclusion before him. Be it the Kingdom's defeat, or the Duke's. His heart pumped with exhilaration.

An ominous smile bloomed under the shadows.

CHAPTER 425 END