Viscount Arkal had definitely been confident.
Even if he was extremely generous, he could accept that the Third Prince defeating the rebels in the central-southern region might have been possible.
But nowhere had he heard that the Third Prince was skilled with a sword.
The prince might have lived while pretending to be a scoundrel, but there were limits to how much one could train in secret.
That was why Arkal had believed steering things into a one-on-one duel had been the prince's mistake.
But that had been a delusion.
BOOM—!
“Ghk!”
He could not even see where the sword was coming from.
He was only defending instinctively through years of experience.
The Third Prince's swordsmanship was extraordinarily natural, like water surging and twisting in every direction.
It clearly contained some profound principle, yet Arkal could not grasp what it was.
‘Is it the Filtein Family's swordsmanship!?’
House Filtein might have fallen now, leaving Chester a mere knight, but before becoming entangled in rebellion, it too had been a viscount family.
Chester was a monster who had risen with nothing but his sword and reached the level of Master.
There had even been widespread rumors that, had things gone normally, he would have become a count by now.
That was how strange and formidable the Filtein Family's swordsmanship was.
It had given Arkal endless trouble back at the academy, and now it was threatening his life.
CLANG CLANG CLANG—!
The Third Prince's sword clashed with Arkal's, scattering sparks.
“Why? Did this swordsmanship give you a hard time before? Though I suppose it was Sir Chester who kidnapped your eldest son.”
“How dare you!”
The moment his eldest son was mentioned, Arkal lost his composure.
Mana erupted wildly in every direction.
He had failed to control his strength.
The Third Prince lightly avoided the attack, then, just as Arkal's strength began to fade, disabled his sword arm with a single strike.
“Gaaah!”
The playful look on the Third Prince's face vanished.
“For daring to defy an imperial command, your house deserves to be destroyed.”
Another swift strike robbed Arkal's leg of strength and sent him collapsing.
Only then did Arkal realize his mistake.
One could live extravagantly and recklessly, but when holding a sword, one had to remain serious.
The Third Prince had struck directly at his sorest point, causing him to lose his head for an instant.
Arkal stared up at the Third Prince in despair.
The prince sneered.
“The heir of a traitor dies with him. That is the law.”
“Please, at least spare him……!”
WHOOSH—!
The Third Prince's sword moved lightly.
Arkal's consciousness faded.
***
“…….”
Kaon breathed heavily and looked around.
Both sides were stunned.
His own side was at least somewhat better.
They had watched him train throughout the march.
But the Northern Army and the rest of the enemy had no idea how to react.
“The knights who directly participated in the rebellion will be left to His Majesty's judgment. The local gentry will also be put to use, except for the ringleaders. The soldiers are innocent, so I will not punish them. But if you do not put down your weapons immediately, I will charge you with treason. Choose!”
Murmur murmur!
The eyes of those watching from atop the wall trembled.
Once the knights lowered their swords first, the soldiers followed by putting down their bows, spears, and swords.
The local gentry also realized there was no longer any chance of victory and dropped to their knees.
In the stiff silence, Kaon shouted,
“What are you doing? Open the gate. Do you all want to die?”
CREEEAK—!
Only then did the massive gate open.
Kaon looked back at his own forces.
None of them could hide how overwhelmed they felt.
They had entered without bloodshed.
Once a rebellion had begun, they should have expected at least some losses.
The fact that they had suffered none at all was astonishing.
As Kaon moved forward, he looked up at the sky.
He could almost feel the author's rage in the clouds that had suddenly gathered across the clear sky.
The rumbling sounded as though it might burst into a scream at any moment.
Kaon raised one hand toward the heavens and extended his middle finger.
“I will make good use of the gift.”
RUMBLE—!
FLASH!
A powerful bolt of lightning struck down.
Lampas Territory.
Kaon slowly marched through the streets, taking in the state of the territory.
The residents looked shabby.
The Northern Army's supplies were in far worse condition than they had appeared from afar, and the environment itself was backward.
It was a land steeped in poverty, with terrible sanitation.
The walls seemed to be maintained, but on closer inspection, pieces were crumbling away and cracks ran through them.
Kaon could not help sighing.
‘A cliché among clichés.’
This world was believed to have been created from the original novel.
Like so many fictional settings, this was a region where monsters swarmed, foreign tribes invaded, and the internal administration was a complete mess.
Whenever a story introduced a territory, nine times out of ten it seemed to be a place like this.
Reading about it was one thing.
Seeing it in person made him sigh.
It looked as though every possible disadvantage had been crammed into one place.
Still, because this had not originally been the protagonist's territory, there were paths to survival.
The north had abundant underground resources.
The wild tribes could potentially be civilized and put to use.
And if they rescued the people those tribes kept as slaves, it could become a foundation for future growth.
On top of that, fully taking control of Lampas Territory itself seemed likely to bring considerable profit.
‘If the land is rich in resources while the people are poor, that means someone has been skimming off a great deal behind the scenes.’
Where had that money gone?
Obviously, to the local gentry.
The commanders assigned north had never expected to live there permanently, so they likely accepted bribes and turned a blind eye, creating an endless cycle.
Barring some unexpected development, this land would now become Kaon's foundation.
Which meant there was a need to strip the local gentry of their power.
“His Highness the Third Prince approaches! Kneel!”
The knights shouted harshly at the residents.
For now, they needed to establish the atmosphere and make everyone understand that Kaon was not someone to take lightly.
People were often more moved by mercy shown by a tiger-like lord than by kindness from someone who had seemed soft from the beginning.
The knights' behavior was groundwork for stabilizing public sentiment.
At last, they reached the lord's castle.
The knights of the Northern Army and the retainers of House Arkal had been forced to kneel in the training yard.
They were trembling.
They had no idea what judgment Kaon would deliver.
“First, House Arkal is finished. Execute the principal members.”
At Kaon's order, Young Lord Blow and the senior retainers of House Arkal were immediately taken away for execution.
The cold late-autumn air made the grim atmosphere even heavier.
The local gentry and knights were shocked by Kaon's merciless decision.
“As I said earlier, the knights of the Northern Army will be left to His Majesty's judgment. However, I will personally petition for leniency.”
THUD!
The Northern Army's knights bowed their heads to the ground.
While they were all overwhelmed with gratitude, Kaon added,
“Of course, I cannot treat you the same as the knights currently imprisoned for resisting the rebellion. You will be treated differently for at least several years. If anyone has a complaint, speak now.”
“Your Highness's grace has already reached the heavens. How could we complain? We failed to refuse our commander's order. That alone makes us unworthy as knights. Even if we are ordered to serve as ordinary soldiers, we will obey.”
Kaon looked down at the broad, bear-like man.
“What is your name?”
“I am Perow Gline, commander of the Northern Knight Order.”
“Sir Perow…… You are the man they call the Northern Slayer?”
“That title is far beyond what I deserve.”
Commander Perow, the Northern Slayer.
There were many capable military officers in the north.
They were destined to fight almost every day.
It would have been stranger if their skills had not improved.
The soldiers and knights serving here technically belonged to the Central Army, but since postings lasted at least three years, they accumulated countless real battles during their time in the north.
‘This is their second year, is it not?’
They would return in another year.
Around five thousand of the twenty thousand Northern Army soldiers were native to the region and would remain.
Kaon needed to find a way to persuade the others to settle here permanently as well.
‘That can wait.’
“Among House Arkal's knights, execute the commander and vice commander.”
The order was carried out immediately.
Kaon did not hesitate, and his knights handled the punishment cleanly.
At least that much preserved a degree of dignity.
“The remaining people of House Arkal will receive leniency if they swear loyalty.”
“We swear our loyalty!”
‘Not that they really have a choice.’
Kaon rapidly brought the situation under control.
Now it was the local gentry's turn.
Among them, he had the senior ringleaders executed.
Kaon understood perfectly well that if he failed to purge them now, they would become a serious problem later.
So he acted quickly and decisively.
“Listen, local gentry.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
“I have been deeply hurt. This land was granted to me permanently. Unless something extraordinary happens, that means I will continue ruling it. Yet in the very land His Majesty bestowed upon me, you people defied an imperial command. My hands are trembling terribly.”
“……!”
The local gentry shook with fear.
Kaon had a memorial brought over.
The hand holding the pen truly trembled.
Every time his gaze swept across the local gentry, they flinched violently.
They understood what that trembling hand meant.
He was deciding whether or not to write their names on the memorial.
“Should I write them down, or not?”
THUD! THUD!
The local gentry slammed their heads down frantically and cried out.
“Please, at least spare our houses!”
“We beg you!”
Even in the north, their obsession with preserving the family line was the same.
They were saying that even if they themselves died, their houses had to survive somehow.
Kaon gestured, and the knights handed each local gentry member a sheet of parchment.
“If you want to live, write.”
“…….”
At that moment, everyone could guess what was coming.
Kaon intended to create powerful shackles.
“First, every private soldier belonging to your houses will be incorporated into the territorial army.”
“Th-That is—!”
“Execute the traitor who spoke.”
The knights moved immediately, silencing the protest before it could spread.
The remaining local gentry understood at once that Kaon would not bend.
Without another word, they began writing down his terms.
“You will surrender all but five percent of your property. The portion you keep may only be held in gold. Every piece of land you own will also be returned.”
“Mmph!”
The local gentry's eyes widened.
Kaon's demand effectively meant stepping down from the ruling class entirely.
But no one could refuse.
This was the commander's unilateral decision, but they had undeniably participated in a rebellion.
If they refused, treason charges would immediately apply, and at minimum the punishment could extend across three generations of their families.
Most local gentry families were connected through marriage anyway.
In practical terms, it would mean the collapse of the entire local elite.
“If you do not like it, die.”
The local gentry moved their pens with miserable expressions.
Finally, Kaon added a clause requiring them to serve as administrators for life, effectively binding them into permanent service.
While everyone sat there looking dazed, Sir Mitchell asked with genuine curiosity,
“My lord, why are you sparing the rebels?”
“The ringleaders have already been dealt with. What I have done now is close enough to a purge. Is there any need to spill more blood?”
“Even so, you are far too merciful.”
“In a distant kingdom of the East, there is a great king. That ruler governed by working flawed men to the bone.”
“Oooh! What a wise ruler!”
Kaon openly declared that he intended to work them into the ground.