Chapter 280: Memory Dive (1)
After that, everything proceeded smoothly.
“This is evidence that Baron Gordan distributed illegal drugs.”
“I have brought documents proving he violated prostitution laws and operated an adult entertainment district.”
“This bastard, despite being a noble, even ran an illegal loan business. Look at this ledger.”
“I have never seen such irredeemable trash before.”
One hundred members of the Holy Blood Order scattered throughout the city gathered Baron Gordan’s dirty linen and presented them to Kai.
Dirty linen were called as such because they were dark secrets one did not wish to reveal to others. However, Baron Gordan’s scandals were so immense that they could define his entire existence.
“This is so absurd that I’m at a loss for words.” Kai, wearing a disgusted expression, gave orders to the members watching him. “First, shut down all his businesses.”
“Yes, sir!”
Under the hands of the members, numerous establishments in the city of Haran were forced to cease operations. Tourists visiting Haran, as well as its residents, were bewildered by the quick action.
Bound tightly and kneeling, Baron Gordan suddenly provoked Kai, “Hehehe... What a pointless effort.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“Do you know how much tax Haran City pays to the imperial palace every month? Enough to build a mountain of gold. Do you really think His Majesty the Emperor would cast me aside?”
An unfounded confidence surfaced on Baron Gordan’s face.
In response, Kai showed a soft smile and lightly waved his hand.
At that moment, Baron Gordan’s face turned pale. “Y-you... What have you done...?”
Sweat poured from his entire body like rain.
It was inevitable as the gravity weighing down on his body had tripled its usual intensity.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
As Kai shrugged, one of the members approached and reported, “They will arrive soon.”
“That was fast.” Kai turned his head toward the teleport gate.
He had reported Baron Gordan’s crimes to the imperial palace in the name of the Solarian Church. In response, the Emperor had replied that he would send someone to make a judgment.
As a blue light burst from the teleport gate, high-ranking nobles of the Caldaren Empire appeared.
“Gasp... Captain.” One of the members, who was from the Caldaren Empire, hurriedly approached Kai and whispered, “The man at the front is Prince Orpheus, the thirteenth prince of Caldaren.”
“Him?” Kai examined the thirteenth prince without revealing his surprise.
The prince had wavy red hair flowing down to his shoulders, exuding a refreshing charm. His physique was so well-balanced that it was nearly perfect.
As expected of a prince from Caldaren, the Empire of Knights.
Any further observation might cause discomfort to the other party, so Kai withdrew his gaze and asked the member, “But isn’t the thirteenth prince someone far removed from the center of power?”
“That is a misunderstanding, sir. He is considered the closest contender for the next emperor. At the same time, he is also one of the Seven Knights, Caldaren’s pride.”
“Is that so...” Kai slightly squinted.
Something feels off. No matter how massive the tax revenue Haran pays to the imperial palace is, would such an esteemed prince personally intervene in this matter?
As Prince Orpheus led the nobles closer, the surrounding citizens all fell to their knees. However, Kai and the members of the Holy Blood Order only bowed deeply as a form of greeting. After all, the only ones who could make the members kneel were the Holy Blood Order Commander, Kai, and high priest Albert.
“We greet Your Highness, Prince Orpheus.”
Prince Orpheus nodded in greeting, “Nice to meet you. Are you the Holy Blood Order Commander, Kai?”
No matter how high his imperial status, he could not treat a key figure of the Solarian Church with disrespect. Moreover, Kai was currently the leader of the Holy Blood Order, whose influence in the Solarian Church was growing by the day.
“Yes, I am Kai.”
Their conversation was carried out with mutual respect.
“I have received the documents you sent and reviewed them. First, allow me to apologize.”
The prince, regarded as the closest contender to the imperial throne, bowed at a ninety-degree angle.
“Y-your Highness!”
“Please, raise your head!”
Both the nobles following him and the members of the Holy Blood Order were shocked, staring at him in disbelief.
“No, it is only natural. A noble of our empire dared to commit the absurd act of kidnapping the Holy Blood Order Commander’s summon. Even if I had ten mouths, I would have no excuse. So, I offer my sincerest apologies.”
His voice was filled with sincerity.
Kai, carefully considering his words, slowly shook his head. “It’s fine. How could that be the empire’s fault? It was merely the result of one man’s greed.”
Prince Orpheus’ eyes, still bowing his head, shone. He had no intention of acknowledging Baron Gordan’s crimes as the empire’s responsibility. Thus, he had deliberately framed his words to refer to Gordan as a noble of the empire. Kai understood his meaning and responded accordingly, referring to it as one man’s greed.
With their understanding aligned, the matter proceeded swiftly.
“Our empire will provide appropriate compensation. Additionally... if you permit it, we would like to take custody of Baron Gordan.”
“Hmm...” Kai hesitated to speak.
Of course, Baron Gordan was a noble of the Caldaren Empire. It was only natural that they would take custody of him. Yet, a lingering sense of reluctance made it difficult for him to agree.
Baron Gordan had not only kidnapped and imprisoned Blizzard, someone dear to Kai, but had also humiliated and treated the warrior as a clown.
I’d like nothing more than to kill him...
However, there were too many obstacles. He was not just the Holy Blood Order Commander of the Solarian Church but also a noble of Rashion.
Noticing the conflict on Kai’s face, Prince Orpheus smiled. “You seem to be a man of deep thought, Commander.”
Prince Orpheus suddenly extended his right hand. Then, the attendant standing nearby respectfully handed over an ornate scabbard. In one swift motion, Orpheus drew his sword and sliced through the ropes binding Baron Gordan.
A clean, precise strike—textbook perfect.
After making a quick judgment, Kai looked at the prince with an expression that seemed to ask what this meant.
Now freed from his restraints, Baron Gordan rushed toward the prince with tearful, moved eyes. “Y-Your Highness...!”
Kai had already dispelled the Gravity Field, allowing him to move freely.
However, Orpheus’s gaze as he looked at Gordan was chillingly cold. What made it even more terrifying was that he was still smiling.
“Baron Gordan,” The prince whispered sweetly as he swung his sword.
The blade smoothly pierced Gordan’s heart.
“K-kugh...?” Baron Gordan looked down at his chest in disbelief.
“A baron of the grand Caldaren Empire, dying disgracefully while bound? That would be shameful. Consider this my final act of mercy to you.”
With that, Prince Orpheus withdrew his sword and handed it back to the attendant along with the scabbard.
Baron Gordan collapsed onto the city square he had built, never to rise again.
“When it comes to dealing with pests, a single decisive action is worth more than a thousand thoughts.”
Despite having just taken a life, Prince Orpheus smiled brightly and looked at Kai.
“It seemed that His Majesty the Emperor had been so focused on territorial expansion that he had not been aware of how things were running within the household. However, now that he had discovered the vermin eating away at it, this prince would take it upon himself to manage the household from now on.”
“If Your Highness takes action, there will be good results in the near future.” Kai’s tone, after witnessing the prince’s bold actions, had become colder than before.
At the same time, he had a thought.
He is a dangerous one... But what’s even more frightening is that he is intelligent.
If he had been merely dangerous, he would have simply been an object of caution. However, when a dangerous figure was also intelligent, mere vigilance would no longer be enough.
Now, I finally understand why he came here. It was to obtain justification.
The Caldaren Empire was currently controlled from top to bottom by the hands of a tyrant-like emperor. Even if Prince Orpheus was a prince close to the throne, his authority could not have been great.
Prince Orpheus has gained the justification to manage the household. That is why he came here.
He had repeatedly emphasized how terribly mismanaged the household had been, and there was only one reason why an imperial prince would go so far as to disgrace his own family. He had grown tired of receiving power thrown to him by the emperor, and now sought to build his own strength.
The moment one is deceived by that smiling face, they will be torn apart.
Just as a tiger never raised a dog beneath it, the lion that shook the continent was now raising an even more dangerous cub.
The fortunate thing was that their first meeting had not been all that bad. Through this meeting, Prince Orpheus would be able to expand his influence within the empire, so it wouldn’t be strange if he saw Kai as a benefactor.
In fact, the gaze he directed toward Kai was exceptionally gentle.
After a brief silence, Kai finally said, “May the Solarian God Helik bless Your Highness’s righteous decision.”
“I certainly hope so.”
Ding!
[Helik, who had been drawing a house made of candy on a blank sheet, listens carefully.]
[She grumbled that her only interests were Kai and snacks, then picked up her crayon again.]
“... She surely will.”
Kai’s voice slightly trembled, but Orpheus only tilted his head and didn’t seem to hold any particular doubts.
“The compensation for this incident will be sent to you in the near future. Once again, I apologize for the unfortunate events that have occurred.”
“Your words alone are more than enough. I appreciate your continued concern.”
Orpheus extended his hand. Kai, feeling as if he had just received an unexpected gift, hurriedly grasped his hand. At that moment, a brief piece of information appeared above Orpheus’s head.
[Orpheus Von Caldaren LV.750]
As expected, he is no ordinary figure.
Then, a passing remark from a subordinate came to mind.
He’s one of the Seven Knights that the empire takes pride in.
The levels of Bach and Paval of the Kingdom of Rashion were in the mid-600s. Since Orpheus’s level was 100 higher than theirs, it was difficult to even gauge his true capabilities.
“Well then, we shall take our leave.”
After giving a short nod, Prince Orpheus, having obtained what he wanted, disappeared with a satisfied smile.
Once they were gone, Minerva approached, finally loosening the tension that had been gripping her. “Phew. He’s a terrifying person.”
“He certainly seems dangerous.”
“To me, you look just as dangerous.”
“What? What did I even do?” Kai blinked and asked.
Minerva’s eyes widened and responded, “You’re not asking because you don’t know, are you? It was only fortunate that Prince Orpheus was more interested in the scraps—if not, this could have been taken as nothing less than a declaration of war, and no one would have been able to argue otherwise. Not just anyone can pull off something like that without even batting an eye.”
“Hm.”
Minerva had now fallen to the position of Kai’s subordinate, but she had once been the boss leading Pray, one of the nine greatest guilds in the world. She, too, had seen through Orpheus’s intentions and understood the deal he had made with Kai.
“Indeed, that seems to be the case.” Kai had been too preoccupied with the fact that Blizzard had been captured to pay attention to the smaller details.
“However...” Minerva trailed off. “... The way you throw yourself into the fire without hesitation for your people—I think that’s rather admirable.”
“What’s this? A compliment?”
“I don’t say things I don’t mean.” Minerva shrugged.
Kai watched her for a moment before flashing a bright smile and looked up at the sky. “They say even whales dance when praised. It does feel nice. The weather’s clear, too.”
Ding!
[The baron, who had done nothing but feast and indulge in corruption, was defeated.]
[You had a significant influence on this outcome.]
[The title of the lord defeated is Baron.]
[+40 Benevolence.]
[Due to the effect of Witness of the Sun, your Benevolence stat has additionally increased by 20.]
Following this, a pleasant notification marking the conclusion of the incident, rang.