Ch.149149. Crackdown

…I wonder if it’s over by now?

Ember Hyde, waiting in a separate location within the imperial palace, couldn’t sit still due to her growing anxiety.

Ember knew that killing wasn’t Erick’s first experience.

Deserters, adventurers who committed serious crimes, and ALL the ruling class of various nations.

She didn’t think Erick’s mind would break just because he killed another hundred or so people. If he were prone to depression from such acts, his mind would have shattered long ago.

To be honest, she was more worried that he might have become so numb that he couldn’t even feel depressed anymore.

‘No, now is not the time to worry about Erick’s feelings.’

Since they had already committed to this course of action, they should at least achieve the intended effect perfectly.

To instill in all nobles of the Empire the recognition that opposing Erick means death, and consequently, for Erick to seize all power and lead the state affairs as he wishes.

Before beginning the massacre, Erick had arranged everything, and even now, there were people moving according to his plan.

Ember was one of them. The only difference between her and others was that she wasn’t motivated by political interests.

Shortly after, a palace maid called for Ember.

“Lady Hyde. It’s… over, they say.”

“I see.”

So they’re all dead.

Ember unconsciously imagined the banquet hall stained with blood.

She couldn’t help it. She had been in that very banquet hall just a few hours ago.

Though all she did was sip wine and drop a few baits before leaving, she was still one of the attendees. Most of the people she had faced were probably dead now.

It would be a lie to say her mind was at peace. But she had a job to do, so she moved immediately.

“Let’s go.”

Following the maid’s guidance, she headed to the small chapel within the imperial palace grounds.

There, survivors who had narrowly escaped the massacre were gathered.

Some families, deemed controllable through the Hero’s party and who had previously confirmed their willingness to submit, hadn’t attended at all.

However, there were quite a few nobles who had attended the banquet and somehow managed to save their lives. They were the lucky ones who had stepped back from the threshold of death.

‘They don’t seem… relieved at all.’

Unsurprisingly, the survivors didn’t look good.

Most were pale and unable to discuss the catastrophe they had just witnessed. At most, they flinched and hunched their shoulders when Ember appeared.

How could one describe this silence?

She could tell what they were thinking about her now, without needing to hear it.

Ember approached them slowly, managing her expression.

Then she spoke.

“Everyone. You must be very shocked by what just happened. I understand.”

“……”

They all looked at Ember with expressions that seemed to say, “You call that a statement?”

Under their gaze, Ember deliberately put on a gaunt expression.

It wasn’t her intention to deny responsibility by saying “I didn’t know about this either.” But she also had no intention of threatening them. If that had been the purpose, it would have been a thousand times more effective for Erick to appear in person.

The reason Ember stepped forward was simple: for “amicable” persuasion.

“Shouldn’t we prevent any further sacrifices? This is a request from me, regardless of the Hero’s intentions.”

At these words, one person who still had his wits about him stepped forward.

A large elderly man with brown skin. He was the father of the female knight ‘Selin.’ His rank was viscount.

He was the lord of a small, impoverished domain, but also the head of one of the Empire’s few renowned warrior families. Perhaps because of this, he was much calmer than the others.

“Should I understand that if we don’t submit to the Hero, we’ll be killed too?”

“No. The Hero won’t point his blade at you. The problem is the families who lost their heads and heirs in this incident. Though the heads died, there are still family members left to govern their domains.”

“So you want us to appease their discontent…?”

“I’m sorry, but the situation isn’t that favorable. …It seems the Hero is actually trying to provoke their resistance. If angered forces rise up against the Hero, he’ll fly there directly and… well, I can hardly bring myself to describe the details.”

“……”

A declaration that, not content with killing over a hundred people, he might completely devastate a domain or two as an example.

If someone else had said such things, they would have been called delusional.

But for someone powerful enough to tear apart thousands of demons, it was all too simple. Exaggerating slightly, the Hero could annihilate an average domain with the same ease as destroying an anthill.

Normally, one would avoid such acts due to instinctive revulsion, but the Hero had already demonstrated that he was capable of carrying out such deeds.

“Now that he’s drawn his sword, he seems to think he can’t leave any room for discord.”

“Why go to such extremes?”

“Viscount Wellesley… yes, he’s still a viscount for now. He’s not interested in pursuing his own interests. He simply cannot tolerate forces that oppose or threaten him.”

“…Huh.”

Selin’s father sat down with a blank expression.

Naturally, he didn’t seem to doubt the Hero’s ferocity.

Considering that the weapon the Hero used during the ‘Blood Banquet’ was a hammer, he couldn’t help but feel that way. After all, the hammer’s original owner was his daughter.

Even someone who had once reached the highest Expert rank was horrified by the situation.

Ordinary nobles were beyond words.

Ember observed the silence for a moment.

This wasn’t something the Hero, Erick, had instructed. Ember simply thought it would be good to give them time to reflect. Relentlessly pressing someone who was already cornered wasn’t particularly effective.

After some silence had passed.

One of the nobles who had been watching each other cautiously raised his hand and asked a question with a helpless expression. He looked like a child in elementary school.

“What do you want us to do?”

“Contact the thirty-five families who just lost their heads. Tell them that their heads were executed for participating in a conspiracy to insult the imperial family and frame the Hero after being incited by Duke Arknight, and advise them to find ways to survive on their own.”

“Ways to survive…?”

“If they don’t want to become examples, they need to know how to behave, don’t they? …I’d like you to act as messengers.”

After uttering words that even she found chilling, Ember pressed her lips together.

Using survivors who had witnessed horrific scenes as messengers to encourage submission to the Hero.

On the surface, there could hardly be a more tyrannical act.

Yet no noble refused this request. They seemed to know they had saved their lives by the narrowest of margins.

…

Shortly after, the survivors contacted the thirty-five families with the support of court magicians.

They notified them that their heads had been executed on serious charges, and if the remaining members didn’t want to be treated as accomplices, they should prostrate themselves and tread carefully. Some survivors broke down sobbing while delivering these warnings.

***

At the same time, at the Imperial Diocese Cathedral.

The ‘Saintess’ Gang Hannah was meeting with the Pope along with other clerics from the Hero’s party.

Naturally, this was on the Hero’s orders.

The Hero hadn’t communicated with the Pope before beginning the massacre. Instead, he had persuaded and obtained consent from the Saintess and the old priest, who had authority comparable to the Pope.

All that remained was the Pope.

“Your Holiness. Regrettably, what’s done is done.”

“…This is excessively cruel, Saintess. I understand the intention was to restore order by making examples of a select few, but even so.”

“Yes. The label of ‘massacrer’ will follow the Hero for a long time. Would someone as calculating as the Hero have done this without knowing that?”

“Hmm.”

The Saintess looked at the sighing Pope with complicated feelings.

The current Pope, who had once been a member of the Hero’s pursuit team, was a very cynical person. But even he was aghast at this sudden massacre.

It couldn’t be helped. The Hero who had successfully vanquished the Demon Lord, instead of being buried in cheers during the victory celebration, had turned his violence against humans.

‘Yes. It must be difficult for His Holiness to approve this immediately.’

The Hero wouldn’t face difficulties even without the Pope’s support.

However, it was true that things would become much easier with the help of the Papal State. The Hero, as the Goddess’s agent, and the Papal State had an inseparable relationship.

That was also why the clerics of the Hero’s party had sought out the Pope immediately after the massacre.

The Saintess opened her mouth again to persuade the Pope, who was holding his head.

“Your Holiness. Actually, I heard many things from the Hero on our way back to the imperial capital. The Hero said he would need the church’s cooperation going forward.”

“I’m sure. To appease the public…”

“No. It’s not limited to this incident. He explained how he intends to use the power he gained by bloodying his hands. Some of his plans require the church’s cooperation.”

“…?”

“Among them is a project to establish schools affiliated with churches in rural villages.”

At these words, the Pope trailed off with “Originally…?”

In reality, in villages and even small towns, the church was often the only educational institution. Even then, it varied greatly depending on the priest’s enthusiasm or the church’s financial situation.

However, the Hero hadn’t brought up education just to have peasants in villages read the scripture.

“He seems to have judged that more systematic education is necessary. Not just teaching letters and history, but also sending retired knights and soldiers to teach weapon skills. However, he lacks administrative power and wants to borrow the church’s strength.”

“All those costs and personnel, ah.”

“There’s no need to worry now. All power has fallen into the Hero’s hands.”

At these words, the Pope’s eyes gleamed. It meant he had vaguely grasped what the Hero intended to do.

‘He probably also guessed it’s not limited to education.’

Had he decided that what was done couldn’t be undone? Or did he judge it would help rebuild the Papal State?

The Pope eventually nodded.

After a moment of blankness, he began drafting a statement to be distributed to all dioceses across the continent. It was content supporting and defending the Hero.

Only then did the Saintess breathe a sigh of relief.

Fatigue washed over her immediately after, but it wasn’t unbearable. It was a moment when she realized she had somehow adapted to this crazy world.