Chapter 245: Blood on the Food Stall
"What's going on with the enforcement guards today?"
"Usually, they would have apprehended the troublemaker already."
"Look, the victim is still bleeding out."
A few minutes had gone by, and the leader of the enforcement guard had yet to physically make a move against Leonard.
This inaction caused the crowd to be even more confused.
After all, the victim, Jasper, was still lying on the ground. His condition was unknown, but most reckoned it was life-threatening. In theory, the enforcement guards should have assisted Jasper and gotten him treated.
Yet not a single guard today had batted an eyelid at Jasper.
Wasn't Jasper the son of an instructor in the Aldros Imperial Academy?
"How boring…" Eleanor suddenly yawned. "I'm tired, Leon. Let's return to your palace."
"Okay," Leonard complied. He knew she was taking advantage of the situation to get into his palace.
However, there was no other choice. The situation now either bound them together or separated them.
He had to really thank his second brother's generals for pulling them together.
'I don't know whose general is behind, but they're bound to receive a harsh punishment.'
There was a reason why generals were meant for physical battles, and not politics.
If a general was proficient in war and politics, then they were either going to ascend to the throne or be eliminated as a rebel.
"Wait, who said the two of you can go?" The leader was disgruntled by their behavior. "A crime has been committed, and I'll need the two of you to head to the judicial office for interrogation."
So what if you were the Crown Prince?
This was the capital!
"A crime has been committed, eh?" Amused, Leonard stood up and turned to him. "Should I have your head decapitated and hang it by the gate's entrance?"
At this moment, his tone was icy cold.
It was one thing for the buffoon Jasper, who was naive and easily manipulated to become cannon fodder, but another thing for this so-called enforcement guard leader.
Toward this leader, who clearly knew what he was doing, Leonard had no mercy for him.
"You dare threaten the capital enforcement guards!" Feeling gleeful, the leader didn't anticipate Leonard to be this rash and impulsive.
"Too noisy." Leonard picked his ears and ordered, "End him, Curtis."
"You really are foolish—"
Before the leader of the enforcement guards could continue, a shadow silhouette breezed past him. By the time he understood the situation, his neck had already been slit.
They hurriedly tried to cover their slit neck with their hand to stop the bleeding, but it was far too late.
PLOP!
As soon as the enforcement guard leader dropped to the ground with no sign of life, the crowd gasped in horror and disbelief. They couldn't believe what they had just witnessed.
A blatant killing in public, and that too of an enforcement guard!
This was something unheard of!
Moreover, this was a challenge to the imperial royal family's authority!
Right at this moment, a collective yet rhythmic set of footsteps could be heard from afar.
When the crowd spotted the commotion, their eyes widened in shock.
"T-The Imperial Guards!"
"This matter has gotten too big!"
The crowd recognized the uniform of these people, and even the enforcement guards were shocked speechless by their presence.
Although the enforcement guards patrolled the capital, they still needed to be wary of the Imperial Guards.
After all, the Imperial Guards directly protect the Emperor, which essentially places them above every other department in terms of security.
Their presence usually meant the emperor was nearby or they were acting under the emperor's orders.
Either way, they all knew to pay their due respects. Otherwise, it wouldn't be surprising if their entire family were captured in an instant.
"Sir Russel," one of the enforcement guards recognized the leader of the Imperial Guard and promptly greeted him.
"These two people are criminals. They heavily injured a student named Jasper and completely disregarded the Capital's laws. They held zero respect for the Aldros Empire."
Despite the enforcement guard's explanation, Russel ignored the person and only glanced at the deceased enforcement guard leader.
"You did this?" Russel shifted his attention to Curtis and asked.
"Yes, I did," Curtis responded flatly. His tone and attitude, which practically gave no respect to Russel astonished the crowd.
The crowd anticipated an all-out brawl or even a catastrophe. Yet to their astonishment, Russel simply nodded and said something beyond their imagination.
"Since you've done the killing, I suppose the person deserved it."
"S-Sir???" The enforcement guards staggered slightly. They were baffled by Russel's response. Their leader had been killed publicly.
They were enforcing the laws!!
Needless to say, these enforcement guards were naturally kept in the dark by their leader about Leonard's true identity. Otherwise, they would have never dared to try to detain the Crown Prince of Aldros.
"Clear the area!" Russel coolly commanded and gestured with his finger.
"Yes, Commander!" In the blink of an eye, the Imperial Guards removed the crowd from spectating further.
As for the food stall owner and employees, they were also temporarily escorted away and given a sum to compensate for their lost business.
Once that was done, Russel finally paid some attention to the enforcement guards.
"Kneel." He said softly.
Although the enforcement guards felt wronged, they didn't dare disobey Russel's command. They collectively knelt on one knee, with their heads lowered.
While they felt resentful, those feelings and emotions completely vanished the moment Russel turned around and knelt on one knee.
"Greetings, Crown Prince." Russel lowered his head and apologized. "Do pardon the situation for today. The leader here seemed to have been dealt with by Cobra already."
'C-Crown Prince?' It was at this moment that the majority of the enforcement guards' faces turned pale.
While they all feared for their life now, Leonard simply heaved a soft sigh.
"I don't really care about this kind of mess. I also don't have the right to pardon because the farce happened to be insulting the Xundraeth's Princess Eleanor." He calmly said and patted Russel's shoulder.
"They called her blind, crippled, and all sorts of derogatory terms used for whores. Do you think just a puny enforcement guard leader is enough?"