Chapter 525
I Came to Save You. (3)
At Claude’s words, Marquis Perrain’s face lit up as he asked again.
“Oh, so you are from this kingdom? Tell me, which noble house do you hail from?”
“I am not a noble.”
“Ahem, hmm. Is that so?”
Marquis Perrain and the gathered nobles frowned slightly. It was bad enough to be investigated, but to have the matter handled by someone who wasn’t even a noble? Outrageous!
However, the man before them had led an army of a hundred thousand. Moreover, as the Chief Overseer of the Duchy of Fenris, his authority was significant enough to disregard most nobles.
Thus, they dared not question him too harshly.
This reaction came from their ignorance of Claude’s origins—none of them knew he had once been a slave.
“I-Indeed, let us move somewhere more private. I will explain everything in detail.”
Marquis Perrain, feeling somewhat reassured, offered a friendly smile. Since Claude was from the same kingdom, he assumed the man would be more inclined to listen to their pleas.
However, Claude shook his head.
“I will begin the investigation immediately.”
“Ah, what’s the rush?”
“I am always busy. Hey! Move quickly!”
At Claude’s command, the administrators of Fenris led soldiers into the royal palace and began rifling through documents.
Claude had returned to the Kingdom of Seiron fully prepared to upend everything. Knowing his situation, Ghislain had given him full authority and stepped back—essentially granting him free rein.
Marquis Perrain and the nobles shouted in alarm.
“H-How dare you act so rudely?!”
“No matter how much aid you’ve provided, this is unacceptable!”
“Are you looking down on us because we are a small kingdom?!”
Claude ignored their protests. The administrators, knights, and soldiers rampaged through Seiron's royal palace as if they owned the place. It was no different from an invading force.
The nobles were too stunned to react. Even if they wanted to stop the intrusion, they couldn’t.
The Northern Army of Ritania exuded an overwhelming presence. With just a gesture from Claude, the entire kingdom could be razed to the ground.
As the administrators turned the palace inside out, Claude leisurely made his way to meet the King of Seiron.
The king, who had been eagerly anticipating the banquet, was instead met with this disaster, leaving him pale with shock.
“W-What is the meaning of this?! How dare you act this way?!”
King Cordenno tried to suppress his anger, his voice trembling.
Claude smiled faintly and replied.
“I am conducting an investigation.”
“Leave at once! I will not tolerate this humiliation! If you want the relief supplies back, I will return them to you!”
Now that the Rift had disappeared, production facilities could be restored. It would take some time, but it was not impossible.
After all, returning the supplies should have settled the matter. There was no justification for such rudeness.
However, Claude shook his head.
“There is still more to investigate.”
“What more could a foreign Chief Overseer possibly need to investigate?! Seiron is a sovereign, independent kingdom! Did you not claim to be from this kingdom? How can you treat your homeland with such contempt?!”
Cordenno’s rage boiled over, his voice echoing through the hall.
Yet, the royal knights did not act. If a battle broke out with Fenris, a kingdom with not a single transcendent warrior would be doomed.
Claude spoke to the furious king.
“Do you not recognize me?”
“How could I possibly know every foreign official?!”
Claude then turned to Marquis Perrain and asked again.
“Do you not recognize me?”
“I-I do not. This is my first time seeing you.”
At those words, Claude let out a small laugh. He clearly remembered standing trial alongside his master, condemned under the same fabricated charges.
Marquis Perrain, a member of the faction that opposed his master, had witnessed the entire ordeal. The king had as well.
‘Ah, yes. That’s how it was.’
To them, he had been nothing more than an insect, unworthy of remembrance.
That was fine. From now on, he would make sure they never forgot him.
Claude stared at Cordenno and declared.
“You will never forget my face and name for the rest of your life.”
“What nonsense are you spouting?! Guards! Remove this man at once! We will return the supplies, so leave immediately!”
Claude spoke in a low voice.
“My master’s name was Benedito.”
“W-What?!”
Cordenno and Perrain’s eyes widened in shock.
Benedito was the man they had falsely accused of treason and executed long ago.
And… Now Benedito’s disciple stood before them as a key figure of the Duchy of Fenris?
“Y-You… surely not…”
Cordenno rummaged through his fading memories. Though years had passed, he could now recognize the face before him.
The nobles of Seiron began sweating profusely as they looked at Claude.
Now, they finally understood the situation.
Claude grinned and continued speaking.
“You broke the agreement and embezzled the aid supplies. That means the Kingdom of Seiron must reimburse everything from its treasury. Immediately.”
The one who had played the biggest role in harming his master, Marquis Perrain, responded with a pale face.
“I-I don’t have the means to pay right now.”
They had been stingy with rations for the soldiers and citizens, but they couldn’t withhold them completely. Meanwhile, the nobles, knights, and their private troops had been feasting.
A significant amount of time had passed since they had received support. Now that production had stopped, there was no way to replenish what had already been consumed.
“Then you’re bankrupt. I’ll take an equivalent amount of royal land, including interest.”
“T-That’s absurd…!”
“Why is it absurd? This is the proper procedure.”
When nobles borrowed money and couldn’t repay it, they ceded their land instead. That was the natural course of events.
The justification was sound, but it was clear that this was a coercive move. It was because he knew who Claude truly was.
“W-What are you trying to do?”
“You really don’t know?”
“I-I don’t…”
“My master was falsely accused and killed. What do you think his disciple should do?”
“L-Look here, t-this must be a misunderstanding…”
“Misunderstanding? Everyone knew the truth. My master was innocent. And yet, he was executed as a traitor. Do you know what must be done to ensure that his death was not in vain?”
“W-What… what do you mean…?”
Sparks flickered in Claude’s eyes as he clenched his teeth and spoke.
“It means I simply need to start a real rebellion. That way, there’s nothing unfair about it.”
“W-What nonsense! What are you saying…?”
“I, as a citizen of the Kingdom of Seiron, am continuing my master’s will by leading a rebellion. By bringing in foreign forces.”
“Y-You madman…”
“You lot, embezzled the aid that the Kingdom of Ritania has provided, that’s all the justification that I need. This land alone won’t be enough to balance the scales… Seize them immediately.”
Boom!
As soon as Claude’s command was given, the doors to the grand hall shattered, and the soldiers of the Grand Duke swarmed in.
“S-Stop them!”
Marquis Perrain shouted desperately, but it was futile. A few knights of the Northern Army stepped forward, and the knights of Seiron were swiftly subdued.
The king and nobles were bound and forced to their knees.
They gnashed their teeth in frustration. They had practically welcomed the invaders and led them right into the heart of the castle!
Claude looked down at them and smiled.
“I even made sure to send Seiron more supplies than necessary. How was it?”
“Y-You…!”
“I knew you’d breach the contract. Because that’s the kind of people you are.”
“Y-You bastard…!”
Cordenno’s face turned red with fury as he trembled.
At first, they had indulged in the abundance, squandering it. Since they hadn’t distributed much to the people, they had plenty for themselves.
But now, all of that has been turned into a debt! Now they understood why he had made them sign that contract in the first place.
This man had planned from the very beginning to use the contract as a pretext to seize the kingdom.
Claude sat upon the throne and declared,
“As the traitor that I am, I shall assume the position of interim governor of this land on behalf of the kingdom of Ritania. This authority has been granted to me by our great king and the Grand Duke of the North. Once the war with the Salvation Church is over, this land will be annexed into the Ritania Kingdom.”
“You bastard! Do you think the other kingdoms will just stand by and watch? This is a blatant invasion! You’re just using reinforcements as an excuse to invade!”
The unified Ritania Kingdom was vastly superior to other kingdoms in strength. Surely, the other nations would be alarmed.
However, Claude only chuckled, unconcerned.
“No, this is a rebellion within the Kingdom of Seiron. The justification is more than sufficient.”
“You…! You damned…!”
Who could argue against the man who had risen to power to avenge his slain master? Especially when he led a formidable army.
Claude smirked as he gave his next order.
“Take them away. We’ll conduct an investigation and impose a fitting punishment.”
Those directly involved in his master’s death would face only one sentence—death.
“Let go of me! You bastards! Release me this instant! You damned invaders!”
Cordenno struggled and screamed, but it was useless. The Northern Army had already taken full control of the castle.
And so, the Kingdom of Seiron came to an end. From the very start, they had never stood a chance against Claude, who had come fully prepared to overturn the nation.
Having swiftly eliminated the king and high-ranking nobles, Claude immediately set about stabilizing the region.
He reorganized the Seiron forces and ensured they were well-fed. He distributed resources to the refugees as well. Thanks to the confiscated aid supplies, there was more than enough to go around.
The soldiers and the people naturally cheered. The fate of the king and the nobles was none of their concern.
It was because they were filled with a sense of betrayal after learning that those very nobles had been embezzling the relief supplies.
“They’re giving us this much food?”
“As expected of the Ritania Kingdom!”
“I heard a rumor that we’re going to be incorporated into the Ritania Kingdom?”
“Wouldn’t that be great? They say their army is strong and they have an abundance of food!”
Those who heard the rumors were so excited that they couldn’t sleep.
They had already witnessed just how powerful the Ritania Kingdom’s army was. In just a few days, they had eradicated all the rifts that this kingdom had failed to eliminate even once.
Now, they were distributing food without any shortage. If it were possible, they would have willingly handed over their nation with their own hands.
And when the news finally came that they would truly be incorporated into the Ritania Kingdom—
“Hurraaah!!!”
“Long live Ritania Kingdom!”
“Long live the Grand Duke of the North!”
The bizarre spectacle of conquered people cheering unfolded before them.
After all, they had been living no better than slaves. They had long grown weary of the king and nobles who only indulged in their own greed while failing to resolve the kingdom’s problems.
With the exception of a few nobles, everyone rejoiced, and thus, Claude’s "rebellion" proceeded without a hitch.
The remaining Northern Army in the Kingdom of Seiron numbered around ten thousand—just enough to stabilize the nation. The majority of the Northern Army had already followed Ghislain into another kingdom.
Although Claude had assumed the position of a provisional governor, he was actually planning to leave the administration of the Kingdom of Seiron to bureaucrats once he had completed one final task.
That task was finding Anna.
—
“You still haven’t found her?”
Most of the people of the Kingdom of Seiron had evacuated near the capital. Even the headmaster and students of Seiron Academy had been found there.
However, none of them knew Anna’s whereabouts. She had been at another academy when the rift crisis broke out.
The Baron of Austern, who had once captured Anna and continuously raised her ransom, was already dead. Anyone involved in his master's affairs had been dealt with as well.
All that was left was to find Anna, but there was no trace of her.
“Phew…”
Claude let out a heavy sigh, frustrated.
He wasn’t looking for Anna in hopes of rekindling something between them. It was simply guilt—he wanted to ensure the safety of his former lover, who was also his master’s daughter.
Seeing his troubled expression, Wendy cautiously asked,
“…Are you alright?”
“I’m fine.”
Claude let out a bitter smile.
That expression only made Wendy even more worried. She had never seen Claude, who always had a teasing demeanor, look so serious before.
And for some reason, that expression wouldn’t leave her mind.
“Sigh… I suppose it’s time to move.”
In the end, Claude had no choice but to entrust the search for Anna to the administrators. He had to follow the Northern Army and could no longer afford to delay.
Right now, Ghislain had allocated troops and time specifically for Claude’s revenge.
As a final measure, Claude surveyed the refugee camp once more. Though he had already confirmed that she wasn’t there, he couldn’t suppress the faint hope lingering in his heart.
“…Huh?”
While scanning the camp, Claude spotted a familiar face. As soon as the man saw Claude, he quickly turned his head and attempted to slip away.
“Hey, hey! Catch that bastard!”
The soldiers rushed forward and seized the fleeing man. The man, now caught, awkwardly smiled and spoke,
“G-Governor. Have you been well? It’s been a while.”
A man with a servile grin.
He was none other than Crank, the gang leader who had once tried to cut off Claude’s wrist.