30 Years Have Passed Since the Prologue

“Counterintelligence, Counterintelligence Command…?! I definitely saw them leaving from Frechenkaya, but how…?!”

The darkness is not silent. The tension-filled whispers of the nobles filling the salon, along with the pounding of hearts racing like mad, overwhelm the senses.

Even just from the heartbeat, it’s possible to distinguish between friends and foes. Ivan thus prefers nocturnal raids. Trained operatives can discern enemies without indicators.

In the deep night, with all sources of light removed, the interior is so dark that even outlines are barely visible. While it may not be enough to disorient a superhuman’s senses, without prior training in night vision adaptation, combat efficiency is inevitably reduced.

And, all operatives present here were ‘aided’ by Ivan in night vision adaptation training.

“We shall see the results of the training.”

At Ivan’s words, the operatives flinched for a moment.

“Do not limit yourselves to the strike zone. In the name of the sacred Krasilov royal family, I shall execute those guilty of treason and conspiracy within the state. At this moment, the guns and knives of the nobles have no eyes.”

-Snrk.

Ivan spoke emotionlessly in the darkness.

“No eyes for guns and knives. Meaning, do not consider the gap in status.”

As Ivan finished speaking, the operatives drew their weapons. Startled nobles stumbled toward the center of the hall.

“Stop! This can’t be happening! I am the noble of this country!! Without a trial, such barbaric actions!”

“A trial?”

“Yes! Hasn’t it been just a few days since even the royal family declared equality under the constitution! If there is guilt, it should be brought to light in broad daylight, under the law! I demand a trial!”

“Permission granted.”

Ivan moved towards the shouting duke.

“Under the auspices of the sacred Krasilov royal family, the headquarters shall pronounce judgment on the convict’s punishment from now on, exercising its emergency judicial authority. Do you wish to present a defense?”

“What is this…! Are you kidding me…!”

“The convict’s defense is concluded. Prosecutor, do you have any remarks?”

In response to Ivan’s words, Dmitri, who was standing by, chuckled softly and replied.

“The prosecutor enters! The headquarters’ verdict is death by execution!”

“Stop! What nonsense is this! What in the world…!”

“Under the auspices of a commanding officer of the headquarters possessing judicial authority, this trial will officially be submitted to the royal court. The headquarters’ verdict is the convict’s execution.”

Ivan raised the axe toward the duke. Just as it was about to strike down, a sword suddenly jutted out from the side.

The sound of the sword tearing through the air alone was enough to gauge the direction of the attack. Ivan quickly jerked his head back and retreated.

“The nobles still have their turn.”

“Ivan Petrovich, the third son of Yermov Household.”

Count Yelychynopf bit his lip without removing the sword.

“No way. Your voice, I remember it now. Ivan Petrovich… ‘Executioner’ Ivan. Were you alive?”

“Executioner…?! So it was alive!”

The duke screamed in fear. Count Yelychynopf stepped back with a hiss.

“I’m sure we confirmed the corpse. You must have been dead.”

“…”

“Something’s amiss. Yes, that’s it, there’s no need to converse with a corpse. You must be impostors.”

Count Yelychynopf chuckled and dodged the axe.

“I can’t survive facing you. Yes, now that I see the axe, I understand. Let’s negotiate.”

“Negotiate?”

“Let me live. I don’t want to die.”

“That’s called begging.”

At Ivan’s words, the Count’s face turned pale. He bit his lip and spoke.

“If we were all to be killed, what do you think would become of this country? Hm? There isn’t a single noble here who isn’t a landowning noble. Do you think the nobles would stay silent if news of our execution were to spread? Have the kings who have ruled this country until now been foolish enough to spare the nobles?”

His words were true. It is not an easy task to execute nobles without any consideration.

It’s not because of the law, but rather because of the power they hold, which originates from their estates. Even when the crown prince attempted a rebellion, there were other reasons why the nobles of the crown prince faction were not killed.

Assassinating a single noble in the capital is easy. However, their deaths cannot be hidden.

Each noble residing in the capital is a high-ranking bureaucrat of the administration. Killing such individuals and having that fact leaked would immediately incite rebellion among the landowning nobles.

This country can no longer bear any further turmoil. In a situation where even the military is divided among the factions of each noble, a country without a true ‘central army’ cannot withstand civil war.

Therefore, the nobles present here dared not even anticipate that the princess would commit such an act.

However, this was a double-edged strategy from the beginning.

“The Counterintelligence Command are currently outside Frechenkaya.”

“What…?”

“You surely don’t think the operatives present here constitute the full strength of the headquarters.”

There’s no need to explain this fact. It wasn’t an efficient way of conducting business that trained operatives would demonstrate.

However, for some reason, Ivan wished for the nobles present here to taste a bit more discomfort… a bit more despair as they faced their demise.

These traitors.

He didn’t want to see them smiling, secretly thinking, “You’re finished!” as they left behind their last words. Their downfall had to be more severe.

“Count Yelychynopf. You have two sons and one daughter, correct?”

“W-Why is that relevant…?”

“Except for one son in Frechenkaya, there should be one son and one daughter in the Count’s estate. Congratulations. The Count’s daughter has inherited the Count’s city… Nizhgorod.”

“What?”

“Now the County of Nizhgorod, Yelychynopf, shall be governed by the Count’s daughter. The unfortunate occurrence of administrative vacancies will be supported by the specialized personnel of the headquarters without reservation. Gratitude to the king.”

Ivan turned his head to look at Duke Sheretif.

“All of the Duke’s children have grown up, but one son from an extramarital affair is still a baby. The Dukedom of Chelyabinsk, Sheretif, now has the Duke’s son as his successor. Don’t worry, just close your eyes. The Duke’s other two sons will soon follow the Duke.”

“This… this murderer! This despicable assassin dares, dares!!”

“Dares.”

In the darkness, Ivan’s eyes blazed with a bright blue.

“Dare to violate the authority of the royal family. Dare to devour the legacy of the late king, built upon sacrifices made in the past war. Dare to covet rights without obligations, you vultures.”

“I was on that battlefield too! Do you think you fought the war alone? Huh? Everyone here is a war hero! We all poured everything into the war and rightfully earned our privileges!”

“The only duty you showed was when you were pouring wine over the corpses of soldiers!”

Ivan growled, baring his teeth.

He remembers. He remembers the actions of the rear nobles.

Blaming it on this year’s bad harvests.

Blaming it on the laziness of tenant farmers.

Blaming it on the simmering unrest in the darkened streets due to the prolonged war.

He remembers the rear nobles who made excuses and threw rotting food to the soldiers who had to raise their spears even while starving for days.

He remembers the ‘victory banquets’.

He remembers those magnificent feasts thrown in celebration of a local victory even as one frontline was engulfed in flames by enemy dragons.

He remembers the oily lips of the nobles. Amidst a situation where even the royal guard had to subsist on watery gruel, the ‘supply lieutenant’ who showed up with a clinking jaw was dripping with grease.

He remembers the greatest king in history.

He remembers the king who, despite knowing all the facts, not only lacked the means to punish the rear nobles but even gathered the strength to bring them to the front.

He remembers the king who, eating the same food as the lower-ranking soldiers, even gave away the modest treats prepared as a small luxury.

So, dare.

So dare the nobles of the nations that have come to exist under his sacrifice. How dare they gather to covet his granddaughter.

Trained operatives do not act according to emotional fluctuations.

So, for this moment, Ivan acted not as a trained operative but as a surviving soldier of the royal guard.

“I will ask one last time. Where does your loyalty lie, noble?”

“To this country, to the royal family…!”

-Swish.

Ivan’s hand blurred. In an instant, the axe blade that lunged forward struck the duke’s neck stand and flew past.

Even the Count standing right in front of him couldn’t react in time. As the axe blade passed like flowing water, not a single drop of blood adorned it.

Ivan twirled the axe around and said,

“Even if you die as a false loyalist, it’s a noble end without shame in that noble blood. Thanks to the king.”

“Ivan Petrovich!!”

The blade fell towards his head. Ivan tilted his head and dodged the sword.

The wounds from his duel with Edel had not yet fully healed. Muscles screamed, joints creaked, nerves buzzed sharply from overload.

But it didn’t matter. A trained operative doesn’t stop the operation as long as they’re alive, and luckily, he was still alive.

At least he was scheduled to live longer than them.

-Clang!!

He entwined the axe to deflect the blade.

Count Yelychynopf narrowed his eyes. How? How could someone so broken in strength, magical power, and condition that they could collapse right now, possibly…?

Was there such a big difference? It couldn’t be. He had been a knight trained with a sword all his life, a high noble with a body reinforced with elixirs and magical artifacts.

Nobles are not weak. Their lineage, built up over generations, could never be weak.

But he was pushed back by this man in a state of emptiness. The sword was pushed back. Barely managing to keep up with the swinging axe.

Why.

-Clang!!

Once again, sparks flew. In the moment when the blade twisted, the flames flashed in the darkness. Count Yelychynopf faced Ivan, realizing it straight on.

It wasn’t the difference in magical power or strength. There was only one thing driving that man now.

Duty.

Forcing a handful of magic back, relentlessly accelerating the overloaded nerves as if they might snap at any moment, pulling torn muscles and crushed joints.

Even though it was clear that excruciating pain would engulf his entire body, still.

He swung the axe faster than before, struck down with even more force, relentlessly advancing his assault.

In skill, in willpower. He was defeated by this man.

-Clang!!

Finally, the blade deflected. Count Yelychynopf chuckled in disappointment.

The axe blade pierced towards his neck and then withdrew.

Ivan pushed the crumbling Count aside with his shoulder and looked around, axe in hand.

“…”

The resigned sobs of the nobles and the tense gazes of the operatives were clearly felt even in the darkness.

Ivan cleared his throat and spoke.

“Are you waiting for the commander to finish? Or perhaps, was the night vision training insufficient?”

The operatives were startled by his words and rushed towards the nobles, gripping their weapons tightly.

There was no unexpected resistance. They had anticipated any such resistance.

Ivan occasionally targeted those who tried to use suspicious artifacts, legacies, or magic.

The training status wasn’t as bad as he had thought.

Just about that level of assessment.

“Thinking about the past while in this situation won’t do.”

“Dmitri.”

“The Commander requests the presence of the two senior officers as soon as the task is completed.”

“To the royal palace?”

“No, to the capital. He has authorized an early return. Shall we go now?”

“Let’s go.”

Ivan turned around, and Dmitri draped his coat over Ivan’s shoulders as they walked away.

***

“It’s a clear day, senior.”

“It’s summer.”

“That’s right. Please relax your expression, it’s nice weather.”

Outside the mansion, the sky was clear, without a single cloud. The moon loomed large in the sky.

The faint smell of grilling meat wafted from across the street.

As the clashing of weapons and the screams of nobles gradually faded, and silence settled in.

Ivan nodded as he walked the familiar streets of the city at night.

The Prince faction in Frechenkaya could no longer rally.

The nobles who doubted the authority of the princess had all disappeared, and their lands would now be ‘efficiently’ managed under the royal control.

The peace that this country had longed for had finally arrived. The threat of civil war was no more. It would have been nice to find the missing prince, but even if he were to return, he had already lost his support base.

So, now. This city is finally at peace. Frechenkaya, the Krasilov royal family, has successfully resolved its internal issues.

“Well, it’s a beautiful day.”

Ivan finally nodded. Dmitri chuckled and whistled.

Soon, a carriage came trotting down the street and stopped in front of them.

—

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