Chapter 183 : Purge (1)
Purge (1)
― Thud. Thud.
Ian stepped into the parlor, trampling the shattered door beneath his feet.
"...... I-Ian!?"
Rufus Greysel.
The man who had sold off everything belonging to the family, basking on a mountain of money with an endless sneer, now stared with eyes wide in disbelief.
"W-what are you doing here...! How dare an excommunicated bastard like you barge in here!?"
His panic lasted only an instant.
Soon, Rufus realized Ian was alone and twisted his lips into a sneer.
'There's no one behind him? He really came here by himself, without any guards? Is this lunatic out of his mind?'
To storm in, breaking down the door, with no companions.
This was still Rufus's own stronghold.
Even though, on paper, Ian had bought the deed to the estate and mansion, that was nothing more than documentation.
This land was Greysel's territory, and he was Greysel's lord—so mere paperwork meant nothing.
Until he willingly vacated the mansion, it would remain his possession.
Of course, Ian must have had some reason to be here alone.
'After the guy awakened his aura... I've heard rumors that he got insanely strong.'
That halfwit big brother with the aura disability—after awakening his aura, he ended up shoulder to shoulder with Yuria, the one hailed as the greatest genius of all time.
'Actually, didn't he even surpass Yuria at Sword Dragon Hall?'
Nobody knew his exact level, but the consensus was he'd already surpassed at least the low-rank Master level.
Still.
'Does he really think he can just waltz in here alone, thinking his own strength is enough? What does he plan to do, seriously? Hehehe.'
"Great genius swordsman? Broke through low-rank Master before even coming of age? So what."
'Did you come here for revenge for the things I did back in the day, just because you got a bit stronger?'
Like bullying him with the servants when they were kids.
Or selling his birth mother's mementos to fund a gambling spree.
'Hehehe. But you picked the wrong opponent.'
Rufus now had solid backing behind him.
He had scraped up the family slush fund to hire a major underworld figure from across the continent.
"Ha! You showed up just in time, you dumb bastard! I was bored anyway, and now a clown appears on his own two feet!"
Rufus snapped his fingers and looked over his shoulder.
"Galok! Teach that arrogant bastard some manners! Break his arms and legs! Gouge out an eye or something! Looks like he forgot what I'm like after getting used to life in Heavenly Sword Palace!"
Daring to interrupt his drinking party and look at him with defiance.
He would pay for it in cruel blood.
"Beat him half to death and drag him to me! I'll pay ten gold for every drop of blood!"
"Oho..."
At Rufus's command, a massive man stood up slowly.
He wore black iron armor, and in his thick hands was a serrated greatsword.
This was the infamous top-rank Master mercenary, known in the underworld as "Black Wolf."
"Hehehe... Looks like a goldmine rolled right in."
Galok grinned viciously, exposing yellowing teeth.
Peak-stage Master.
In a minor kingdom, someone of his power would easily be knight order commander.
But Galok took joy in killing itself, a sadist who especially loved crushing the talented and savoring their heartbreak at the moment of despair.
― Growwwwl!
Menacing, sticky killing intent oozed from Galok, pressing down on the whole room.
"Hey, kid. You're Ian Greysel, right? Looks like living in Heavenly Sword Palace turned you soft and naive."
Galok, holding that saw-edged greatsword, approached Ian.
His eyes slithered up and down Ian's body, just like a snake.
"I've heard about you. Genius, aren't you? I get the most excited when flowerhouse geniuses like you scream and bleed."
― Skrreeee!
The serrated greatsword scraped the floor, tossing up sparks.
"I won't kill you right away. First, I'll slice up those precious limbs of yours, one by one... Oh, and I heard you've got two real beauties at your place? Before I cut your throat, I'll drag them to my bed and let you watch as I taste them. KHAHAHAHA!"
It was Galok's trademark, provoking his target to lose themselves in rage and then exploiting their openings.
And that wicked taunt hit Ian's reverse scale dead-on.
"......"
Ian's eyes narrowed.
His gaze sank icy-cold, like the depths of the North Sea.
"I'll let you live."
"What?"
"But you're coming somewhere with me."
The magic power extraction facility.
"Wh-what the hell are you saying—?!"
― Fwsh!
It happened even before Galok could fully lift his serrated greatsword.
Ian's body blurred, and in the blink of an eye, he was right in front of Galok's nose.
"Wha...?"
Galok's pupils contracted to pinpoints.
He couldn't so much as react, or even process what was happening.
Ian didn't even draw his sword. He didn't even lay a hand on him.
He simply projected a dense aura right in front of Galok's face, blowing his head back.
― CRACK!!
"Gah—gkkhk!?"
Galok's neck stretched, almost tearing, then dislocated and slumped loosely.
― Thud!
Galok's huge frame collapsed to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.
"Wh-Whhaaaaa...!?"
Rufus gaped at the unconscious Galok, eyes rolled back in terror.
"G-Galok!? Hey, get up! Don't—don't joke around!"
The man he'd believed to be utterly invincible was reduced to a slab of meat on the floor in just a second.
Ian stepped calmly forward, trampling the collapsed Galok like a carpet as he approached Rufus.
― Thud. Thud.
To Rufus, those footsteps sounded like the scraping of a blade being sharpened.
"W-wait! Don't—don't come near! Stay back!!"
Rufus scrambled backwards on his bottom, retreating with terror.
"I-I am the lord of Greysel! Y-You're an outcast! If you harm the lord, not even the Heavenly Sword Lord could shield you from treason!!"
"Ha. Lord?"
Ian let out a cold chuckle.
He pulled an old, worn bundle of parchment from his clothes—the one he had purchased at today's auction.
― Flap.
"You sold everything yourself at the auction today. The lands, and even this mansion."
Ian displayed the documents before slipping them away again.
"I am now the rightful owner of this land and this mansion. Outcast? On the very property I bought, in my own house, what right do you have to mention excommunication to me?"
"Ah, aaah...!"
Rufus's face turned ashen.
He had foolishly realized, too late, that the documents he'd sold for cash were actually his own lifeline.
"Without the lands or mansion, you're not a lord of anything now. You're just..."
Ian's eyes held not a trace of emotion.
"...an intruder on my private property, sullying it with your drunken brawls—a mere criminal. And as lord, what should I do with you?"
"H-Hrk! W-Wait! I-Ian! Or—Big brother! Elder brother! I'm sorry! I-I was just desperate for cash for a bit... A-and, uh...! Aaah!"
In that instant, Rufus, realizing he might actually die, dropped to his knees and desperately begged for his life.
"P-Please, spare me! We're family! We share the same father! I'll never show my face again! P-please!"
"Family...?"
A flicker of contempt crossed Ian's eyes.
He who had thrown Greysel's people into suffering and sold everything for his own greed—he dared now to speak of blood ties.
― Shiiing.
With the Authority of Projection, Ian manifested an ordinary iron sword.
"You forfeited that right yourself long ago."
"W-What...! H-Hrk! W-wait—!"
Rufus's mouth dropped open in pure terror.
― Slice!
A gray arc cut through the air.
― Thud!
Rufus's head tumbled to the floor.
His torso crumpled, spurting blood as it dropped like a rag doll.
Ian scattered the bloodstained iron sword into the air and looked over at the mountains of gold coins and promissory notes piled up like a mountain in the lobby.
All the money earned at today's auction, the 100 million gold spent by Goldmani, and the astronomical sums Ian himself paid—all of it was here.
'Time to collect.'
Ian opened his subspace and stuffed all the wads of money inside.
The Greysel territory had been devastated to the extreme by the long tyranny of Hugo and Rufus.
To restore infrastructure, relieve the starving people, and root out all the corrupt officials and criminal syndicates, an enormous amount of funds would be required.
'This money will be used to normalize the territory.'
Ian swept his gaze around the lobby.
Mercenaries and servants who had flattered Rufus now trembled in fear.
'And the cleanup needs to be thorough.'
They too had been parasites, rotting Greysel from within.
None would be spared from the purge.
― Shiiing!
― Slash!
― Aaaagh!
― S-Spare me! Ack!
It was the end of Greysel's long, dark age.
* * *
After the bloody wind swept through the Greysel mansion...
Ian commuted daily to the Greysel main estate via warp gate, while staying at Sunshine Castle.
By day, he managed the Greysel territory; by night, he spent time with Yuria and Sophia.
Of course, Yuria and Sophia said they wanted to come with him to help at the main estate, but Ian strictly and firmly refused.
Currently, Greysel was a dangerous den, crawling with criminal groups, corrupt nobles, and even Demon Cult cells—all after being left neglected by Hugo and Rufus for so long.
Assassins could strike at any time, and every alley teemed with criminals—it was no place to bring the two people dearest to him.
Until the cleanup was complete and true safety established, the two of them had to stay at Sunshine Castle, which boasted impenetrable security.
― Slash!
"Kyahhh!!"
― Stab!
"Gyaaah!"
Deep, dark alleys of Greysel territory.
The headquarters of the sprawling crime syndicates that had grown like poisonous mushrooms under the years of Hugo and Rufus's incompetence were being swept clean in a storm of blood.
"Don't let a single one escape! This is a direct order from Lord Greysel!"
"Drag out every last one hiding! Don't let even a rat get away!"
The ones sweeping through the back alleys were all knights.
Those clad in crimson armor were members of the Red Herald Knight Order, dispatched by Marceline, the Heavenly Sword Lord's second wife.
Beside them, Elite troops clad in shadowy violet magitech suits, moved silently. These were the Violet Corps, provided by Lady Katrina of the Bellator family.
'Progressing well.'
Ian coolly surveyed the line of criminals being escorted.
Each one would be properly tried and pay for their crimes.
The great territory purge, launched the moment Ian ascended as lord.
Marceline and Katrina had lent their very best forces to help with Greysel's cleansing, almost as if they'd been waiting for the moment.
At first, the crime syndicates had fought back hard, hiring even more mercenaries, but they were nothing compared to these monsters dispatched from the continent's strongest sword families.
No matter how fiercely they resisted, they were just a pack of pigs before slaughter against the true monsters of the knight orders.
"Lord, we have completely eliminated the smuggling syndicate's base in the western district."
The vice-captain of the Red Herald Knight Order approached and bowed respectfully.
The company commander of the Violet Corps reported their situation as well.
"We've finished transporting all captured criminals as you commanded. No casualties on our side. Twelve criminals were seriously wounded, but all of them have been stabilized so their lives aren't at risk."
"Good work, everyone. That concludes today's scheduled operations. Please ensure the final sweep and security patrols during the night."
"Yes, Lord!"
"We will ensure this district is spotless before you arrive tomorrow!"
Once each day's purge was finished, Ian would leave cleanup to them and return to Sunshine Castle.
Prompt arrival, prompt departure.
Every day, the normalization of the territory repeated.
As Ian mobilized both knight orders and Nightingale's intelligence network to wipe out the vermin of the land, the survivors from the syndicates who barely escaped the Great Purge cowered like rats in the deep underground waterways outside the territory.
Their plan: to kill Ian Greysel.