Chapter 208: Where is Justice? Where is Law? (Part 3)
“Are kings, dukes, generals, and ministers born or made?”
The words echoed in Barnal’s mind.
He wasn’t educated, but he wasn’t stupid. He understood the meaning behind those words: kings, dukes, generals.
A wave of resentment, fueled by Qin Chu’s casual remark, surged through him.
Why was he just a commoner, while those incompetent bastards were born nobles? Why was fate so unfair? They were all human, why was there such a difference?
Legion Commander Malta, the eldest son of a duke, had abandoned his post when the Demon Beasts attacked, returning to the Imperial City with all the other nobles, leaving the commoners to fight and die.
Marquis Bunyan had embezzled the army’s supplies, pocketing the money meant for weapons, armor, and food, leaving his soldiers to fight with rusty swords and empty stomachs. Ninety-three thousand of his brothers had died because of that bastard!
Why? Why? Why?
Although Barnal didn’t feel the urge to rebel yet, anger and resentment festered within him, the seeds of rebellion sown.
They might wither… or perhaps, one day, they would sprout.
Carol, too, was furious, her chest heaving.
She saw the expressions on the soldiers’ faces, the resentment brewing in their hearts.
The Empire, because of these damned parasites, was rotting from within.
If this matter wasn’t dealt with swiftly and decisively, if these soldiers weren’t given justice, their discontent would grow, potentially erupting into a full-blown rebellion. This was something Carol absolutely didn’t want to see.
Taking a deep breath, she suppressed her anger and looked at Qin Chu and Barnal, “I’ll contact my father. Marquis Bunyan’s matter will be dealt with immediately. He will pay the price for his actions.”
Carol activated her Information Magic and informed Wadsworth of the situation.
Meanwhile, in the Imperial City.
Wadsworth, having just received his daughter’s message, hadn’t even had time to celebrate the Hero Squad’s victory when the news that followed darkened his face.
One hundred thousand soldiers, and less than seven thousand remained, including the wounded.
Malta Blaise, the son of a duke, had abandoned his post before the Demon Beast attack, returning to the Imperial City with all the nobles and a large amount of supplies, severely impacting the army’s morale.
Marquis Bunyan had sold military supplies, leaving the soldiers on the front lines without food, weapons, or armor…
Good… good… very good!
Wadsworth’s face was like that of a furious lion.
He hadn’t been this angry in a long time.
He had long known about the corruption and decadence of the nobles.
Usually, as long as it wasn’t too excessive, he would turn a blind eye.
After all, although there was conflict and competition between the nobles and the imperial power, they were also interdependent. But now, Wadsworth was truly enraged.
His face was twisted with fury.
It seemed that those foolish nobles had forgotten what he was called.
He was known as the Lionheart.
“Someone…”
A commander of the Imperial Guard immediately appeared before him.
“Arrest Marquis Bunyan and Malta Blaise.”
“And arrest all the nobles of the Empire’s 107th Legion.”
“Kill anyone who resists!”
Today, he would unleash his wrath.
With his order, the Imperial Guard, directly under his command, was mobilized, arresting all the nobles involved.
Such a large-scale mobilization of the Imperial Guard was rare, and everyone sensed that something major was happening in the Imperial City.
The nobles involved were arrested in panic and dragged screaming to the execution grounds. According to the Emperor’s orders, there would be no trial.
At this moment, Marquis Bunyan and Malta, the eldest son of Duke Blaise, were enjoying the company of beautiful women at the Fairy House.
Surrounded by the sweet songs of orioles and swallows, their soft bodies and seductive voices, they closed their eyes in pleasure.
They were waiting for the news of the complete annihilation of the soldiers on the front lines, so that the wealth they had embezzled would be safe.
The military supplies for a hundred thousand soldiers were a huge fortune, enough to tempt even nobles of their level.
But at this moment, the door was kicked open, and a group of soldiers burst into the room.
The women screamed in alarm.
“Who are you?! Who let you in?! Do you know who we are?!” Marquis Bunyan’s face changed drastically, and he roared, “Get out!”
“You can’t afford to offend us!”
But the Imperial Guard wouldn’t listen to his orders. The commander at the front just sneered, waved his hand, and the Imperial Guards rushed forward, arresting the two nobles and dragging them towards the execution grounds.
Such a commotion naturally attracted the attention of many nobles.
Upon learning that his son had been sent to the execution grounds, Duke Blaise, over seventy years old, mobilized his allies and put pressure on Wadsworth.
“Your Majesty, what crime has my son committed?”
“He guarded the Empire’s borders, fighting against the Demon Beasts, enduring hardships in the wind and sand. He only returned to the Imperial City for treatment because he was seriously ill, suffering from a cough.”
“And you want to execute him for this? Where is justice? Where is law?”
“I, Duke Blaise, have fought for the Empire for many years. I’ve shed blood for the Empire, I’ve been injured for the Empire. You can’t execute my son like this!”
At the execution grounds.
Duke Blaise, his hair and beard white with age, his voice still strong, confronted Wadsworth, surrounded by his supporters.
He was a duke, second only to a Grand Duke among the nobility, a powerful figure in the Empire, unafraid even of the Emperor.
Moreover, the Emperor was about to execute his only son.
Looking at the indignant duke, Wadsworth’s face darkened.
“Where is justice? Where is law?”
“Blaise, let me tell you, in the Auville Empire, I am justice, I am law!” Wadsworth roared.
“Do you think your son is being executed just for deserting his post?”
“If that were the case, I might have spared him.”
“But your son colluded with Bunyan, embezzling military supplies meant for the front lines. The weapons, armor, and food for a hundred thousand soldiers, all pocketed by them.”
“Because of this, the soldiers on the front lines had to fight against the Demon Beasts without proper equipment or food, desperately resisting for months, ninety-three thousand out of a hundred thousand dead. This is what your son did.”
“Tell me, doesn’t he deserve to die?”
His cold, hawk-like gaze swept over the seventy-six nobles on the execution platform. His voice was as cold as ice. “If I don’t kill them…”
“Then where is justice? Where is law?!”
Wadsworth’s words left Duke Blaise speechless.
He knew what his son had done, but he hadn’t expected Wadsworth to make such a big deal out of it.
“Ahem, Your Majesty…” Another noble, Duke Wyatt, stepped forward, “What these nobles did was indeed inappropriate…”
“But it was just the deaths of some commoners. There’s no need to execute a marquis and a duke’s son for this. It’s too much.”
“We can punish them severely, but there’s no need for execution.”
“How about a three-month salary deduction? That should be enough to appease those commoners.”
Duke Wyatt’s words were met with the approval of many nobles.
That’s right, it was just the deaths of a few commoners, what was the big deal? It wasn’t like it hadn’t happened before.
To execute them for this was too much. They couldn’t accept it.
Most importantly, they themselves weren’t clean either, and they were worried that the same punishment would befall them. They desperately pleaded for mercy for these nobles.
Seeing the support around him, Wadsworth’s anger intensified. “The soldiers on the front lines are fighting against the Demon Beasts.”
“Without those soldiers, could you enjoy your comfortable lives in the city?”
“Do you know how far the Demon Beasts would advance if that line of defense were breached? How many soldiers does the Empire have left? How long can they resist? Do you know?”
“You know nothing, you bunch of ignorant fools!”
“From today onwards, every noble family must send at least one person to the front lines to fight against the Demon Beasts. If you have no descendants, then hand over half of your family’s assets to support the war effort. Perhaps this will make you understand the cruelty of war on the front lines.”
The nobles fell silent, intimidated.
This was the first time they had seen the Emperor so furious. This time, he was serious.
The nobles awaiting execution also seemed to understand their fate. They struggled, howled, and begged for mercy.
But the Imperial Guard didn’t care. They dragged the nobles onto the platform.
This platform had a rather interesting name, given by the First Hero: The Happy Guillotine of Louis XVI. Few people understood the meaning.
After all, what was there to be happy about when you were about to be beheaded?
“Execute!”
With Wadsworth’s roar, the guillotine blade fell.
Thud, thud, thud…
Heads rolled.
Seventy-six nobles were executed, their headless bodies twitching.
Even with all their wealth, they no longer had the chance to enjoy it.
…
Meanwhile, at the front lines.
The surviving soldiers spent three days cleaning up the battlefield, the ground littered with corpses, many of them incomplete. Just finding and collecting them took a long time.
They burned the bodies of their comrades.
There were too many corpses to send back to their hometowns for burial.
Although many had died, and many more were injured, the survivors held a bonfire party. This was the custom after every victory.
Alcohol numbed their souls, making them forget the pain.
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