How To Live As A Third Son Of A Failure [EN]: Chapter 254

How to Live as a Gangster Third Son 255

The faces of those gathered in the banquet hall were stiff. Marquis Halin, observing them, offered a faint smile.

“So, I ask for your cooperation.”

In the banquet hall, which had descended into near chaos, nobles with expressions of bewilderment and anger began to murmur.

“Are you giving us an order?”

“Since when did the Royal Court have the authority to control the nobility?”

It was a last-ditch effort to resist. But Marquis Halin easily crushed their defiance.

“We have received intelligence that rebels are residing within the Capital, and we are investigating the truth. Until the situation is completely under control, martial law will be declared in the Capital.”

“Rebels!”

The listeners gasped.

They were nobles, after all, and well-informed. They had already directly witnessed the growing friction between the Royal Family and Rodkius. What would happen if martial law was added to that volatile mix?

On the surface, Marquis Halin might seem like someone who preferred to operate behind the scenes, but it was an open secret that he was actually one of the most influential figures in the kingdom.

As he had spoken of treason, no one dared to raise further objections. No one wanted to wake up in a cold underground prison cell the next day.

“Hmm, the situation is unfolding interestingly,” Ruth remarked, watching the scene. I chuckled and swirled my wine glass.

“Isn’t it?”

“Are you cleaning house from within, starting with the anti-royal faction?”

“Yes. I’m going to detain them all, under the pretext of investigation.”

“Will they accept it willingly? Still, inviting them to a banquet and then doing this…”

“It’s treason. With that kind of charge, even a noble’s grandfather can’t do anything about it.”

“But there hasn’t actually been any act of treason, has there? Falsely accusing them could have repercussions…”

“Come on, Ruth. Have you already forgotten about the ghoul incident that happened last year?”

“Ah!”

Ruth smacked his forehead.

“This is an extension of that incident. The ghoul incident was clearly a case involving black magic. Moreover, it happened in the Capital, where His Majesty resides, so it’s undeniably an act of treason. I’ve only added the Unholy Knight captured from the Southern Islands and the collected magic stones to the mix.”

“The Southern Islands are Rodkius’ territory, and magic stones are made from the essence of black magic, and they usually have close ties with the Rodkius family?”

“Yes. The mages of the Magic Tower testified about the magic stones. Sir Jescal and Sir Taylor, the Royal Knights, testified about the Southern Islands. Of course, the nobles we’re arresting now are only acting as witnesses. Our real goal is Marquis Rodkius.”

“The investigation of those witnesses will end after the subjugation of Marquis Rodkius?”

“That’s too obvious, so let’s just say the investigation is incomplete.”

Ruth chuckled at my blatant excuse.

“So, the reason you just let Marquis Rodkius leave was…?”

“It’s simple. This isn’t where that bastard should die.”

“Like Redran during the Eastern War?”

“Yes.”

“Then it’s a real war now.”

“That’s right, a war. Where countless blood will flow.”

Ruth’s gaze turned to the red wine in my glass. I downed it in one gulp and stood up.

“Let’s go.”

“Where to?”

“We have to round up all the stray dogs who have lost their master.”

The nobles of the anti-royal faction, who had reigned as feudal lords in various regions, attended the banquet held in the Capital. Of course, they wouldn’t have set out on such a long journey alone.

The knights and soldiers they brought along for escort were currently inside the Capital. What would their reaction be if they found out that their lord had been detained by the Royal Family?

As if smelling blood, Ruth smiled faintly.

“How would those outside know what’s happening right now?”

“Even Marquis Halin can’t block all the eyes and ears of the Royal Family. Rodkius’s spies aren’t just nobles.”

“I see. Well, anyway, so we just kill them all?”

Ruth spoke in a calm voice, but his words were dry and eerie. I felt like I was being infected by that calmness.

“Yes. If they’re close enough to be brought here, there’s no chance they’ll defect. They’re proud knights who live and die for honor. So, there’s no persuasion. We’re going to overturn everything from the bottom up.”

That’s what knights are like. That’s why Ruth asked if we should just kill them all without any emotion.

After speaking, I silently moved my feet, and Ruth and Ilia silently followed behind me.

* * *

Was this really the Capital? The streets of the city, which should have been the furthest from strife on the continent, were noisy with the sound of weapons clashing.

It was a natural conflict for the knights who had pledged allegiance to the anti-royal faction nobles. With their lord detained on dubious charges, they had to draw their swords.

There was also a basis for their actions. Even with the Capital Knights and the Royal Guard Knights, they couldn’t protect the entire Capital.

There were quite a few nobles and their families residing in the Capital, so they were clearly planning to occupy the noble families’ residences and stage a sit-in.

After that, they would slowly negotiate.

But that plan failed. Because a series of knights, who had been hiding and waiting in the wealthy district of the Capital, appeared.

“Damn Royal Family bastards!”

A knight spat out curses with an angry face. The emblem engraved on his breastplate was the symbol of a noble family belonging to the anti-royal faction.

“Shut your mouth and protect your honor like a knight should.”

On the other hand, the emblem of the knight who countered the curse was familiar.

A soaring, gloomy, gray raptor. The symbol of the Lindayer family’s Wind Knights.

“Honor? You stab us in the back and talk about honor? You’re just a lowly Northern mongrel.”

“I’m just following the orders of the Royal Family, to whom all people have sworn allegiance. You’re a rat trying to bite the flesh of its master.”

Before the words were finished, the Wind Knight’s massive two-handed sword was swung.

The knight’s eyes were filled with despair as he saw the bluish aura of destruction emanating from the greatsword. He felt the difference in skill.

But he was also a knight. He couldn’t show his back or kneel. Even if he extended his life in such a miserable way, not only his life as a knight but also his remaining family would be disgraced.

That’s why the knight raised his sword.

Clang!

Broken mana became blue shards and decorated the night sky. Following that, the greatsword broke through the blade and, with remaining force, passed through, beheading him.

Whoosh!

The knight, who lightly shook the greatsword to scatter the blood, turned his body.

Vice-Captain of the Wind Knights, Balein Barangka. The scar across his cheek was still there.

“Ah! Have you arrived, Count Cain?”

“It’s been a while, Sir Balein. You must have suffered a lot coming from such a long way.”

“Not at all, it’s for the Royal Family.”

“Has the Captain also arrived?”

“No. I led half of the Knights down here. The Captain is guarding Wind Nest [the Lindayer family’s stronghold].”

New knights were needed for today’s work. Also, people whose faces were not known in the Capital so as not to cause unnecessary rumors.

The Lindayer family’s Wind Knights, located in the distant North, were very suitable for that task. They were excellent in skill and relatively unknown.

When they requested support, Count Lindayer readily sent the Knights.

And their goal was clear: to be lurking in preparation for the current state of disturbance.

Thanks to that, the opponent’s plan to seize the area and enter negotiations was going wrong from the start.

Bang! Bang!

“Aaaaaah!”

“Avoid! Avoid―!”

As screams were heard in the meantime, Sir Balein lowered the greatsword he had been carrying on his shoulder.

“Let’s do the remaining greetings slowly. There are still many rats to deal with.”

As I nodded, Balein flew off to find another victim.

Ruth whistled as he watched him.

“He’s still the same, Vice-Captain.”

“We can’t just stand by and watch. We have to minimize the damage to the citizens as much as possible. That also becomes a justification for our actions.”

“Understood.”

Like one body, I, Ruth, and Ilia quickly swept through the streets.

There was nothing particularly difficult. I encountered a few knights during the search, but the three of us, who already understood each other with just a look, were able to easily dispose of them.

After dealing with the knights, all that was left were the soldiers, most of whom declared their surrender without saying anything when they met us.

Several hours later, feeling that the situation was roughly under control, I headed to the city square. And as I got closer to the square, the roadside was flowing with a stream made of blood.

Blood and blood, and more blood.

The square, where the heads of the opposing knights who had been executed by the Royal Family were piled up, came into view. The blood that had soaked the roadside seemed to have originated from it.

In the square, secret investigators were identifying the faces of the heads and comparing them with the list of those who had entered the Capital.

“How many are left?”

“There are eleven left now. It seems it will take some time to find them because they are hiding in private houses and waging guerrilla warfare.”

“How many were there in total?”

“53 people.”

The secret investigator’s business-like tone created an irony in contrast to the tower of heads piled up behind him.

More than fifty knights.

A formidable force that could even form a knight order was being reduced to dust in just one night.

It was a huge loss. As someone who knew that there would be a war with monsters in the future, my stomach was churning terribly.

But there was no choice. If that force had gone to Marquis Rodkius as it was, it would have caused even greater damage.

“But they’re all small fry.”

As Ruth said, the number of knights was not small, but most of them were at the beginner or intermediate level of mana users.

Well, the reason was clear.

“The important figures would have already heard the situation from Marquis Rodkius. So, they didn’t even come to the Capital in the first place.”

“Then what about those who were detained at the banquet?”

“Anti-royal factions close to the middle, who, if embraced awkwardly, could rather stick to the Royal Family and cause problems internally.”

“It’s better to just let the enemy die cleanly than to fatten their bellies. We’re worried about internal spies as well.”

“That’s right. That’s why we’re dealing with it so boldly.”

“Still, the Marquis must be quite upset. I wonder how many knights died today.”

“Who knows.”

Would he really be upset? The Marquis must be firmly believing in the trump card he has now.

Damn Unholy Knight.

It was then, as I was clicking my tongue at the bitter taste, that someone was seen running urgently from afar.

When I got closer, I saw that he was wearing the uniform of a Royal Court official. After catching his breath for a moment, he bowed deeply to me and whispered.

“The Imperial Palace is looking for the Count. Please enter the palace quickly.”