The Founding Monarch Became the Mastermind

Chapter 26

“Uh? Uh…!?”

As the retainer stuttered, Stelman shot past him like the wind, and the knight who saw this hastily drew his sword.

“Hup!?”

However, in that instant, the knight’s body froze as if bound by an unprecedented, overwhelming aura.

The knight, unaware that this was Si-on’s brief killing intent, watched as Stelman’s mace came crashing down toward his head.

Thud!!!

The knight’s helmet shattered under the vicious strike of the mace, and with his eyes half-popping out, he fell stiffly backward without even a scream.

What followed was a violent spectacle filled with screams and curses.

Behind Si-on, the Janstrick mercenaries on horseback and the August Estate soldiers stationed in front of the castle gate were about ten meters apart.

This wasn’t a distance where a horse could reach top speed to deliver the impact of a typical cavalry charge.

However, over 30 masses, each weighing over 500 kilograms, charged simultaneously. With Si-on’s killing intent briefly paralyzing them, the August Estate forces were bound to collapse.

“Gah!”

“Aaah!”

“S-Save me!”

Ignoring the remaining soldiers who tried to flee inside the gate, Stelman, along with a few mercenaries, entered the gate faster than they could.

As they swiftly subdued the soldiers scrambling to close the gate, the nearby residents who had been watching this rare big event screamed and fled.

“Bandits have invaded!”

“Ahh! Run away!”

Stelman, surveying the chaotic scene near the castle gate, turned his head.

“Ugh! Ugh…!”

Si-on, leading his horse slowly through the gate, had a retainer writhing like a marionette, skewered by his spear’s tip.

The situation outside the gate was almost completely settled.

More than fifty soldiers of the August Estate had been annihilated without being able to do anything.

“Stelman, head to the lord’s castle. Capture the lord and make him kneel. The castle here always has its gates open, so just charge in. These guys here are probably their main force, so it shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“Yes!”

Stelman and about ten mercenaries quickly rode towards the direction of the lord’s castle.

“Cough! Hey! Let me go, you madmen! Do you even know what you’re doing!?”

The retainer, still flailing as he was skewered by his collar, screamed at the top of his lungs.

Si-on flicked the spear, releasing him.

The retainer, who had collapsed onto the ground with a thud, hurriedly scrambled to his feet.

“You… Hic!?”

The retainer, his face flushed red from not being able to breathe properly, was about to yell when he halted.

The sharp spear tip with the flag attached was aimed right between his brows.

“This flag.”

Si-on’s icy voice pierced into the retainer’s ears, who was trembling and drenched in sweat.

“This is the flag used by the First Duke Si-on when he fought on the battlefield alongside his five companions.”

“……!!!”

Si-on withdrew the spear from the retainer, whose eyes widened in disbelief, and spoke.

“Go tell your lord. The grandson of Maria Si-on has arrived.”

* * *

Clip-clop, clip-clop.

Leading the Janstrick mercenaries, Si-on slowly entered the lord’s castle.

The castle gates were wide open, and soldiers were sprawled everywhere.

The quilted armor they wore was shabby, torn in various places, and their weapons were in terrible condition, just as Si-on had expected.

Even a hundred of these soldiers would not be a match for ten veteran mercenaries like the Janstrick group.

Moreover, if ambushed while spread out like this, they would crumble like a sandcastle.

The dozens of soldiers, disarmed by the mercenaries who were outnumbered ten to one, knelt on the ground with frightened faces, proving this fact.

Si-on’s gaze shifted to the figures kneeling next to Stelman, bound and brimming with hostility.

Among them, Si-on spotted the bloated man trembling next to the retainer from earlier and recognized him as Anserman August.

As Si-on rode closer, Anserman’s flabby body quivered as he spat angrily.

“Y-You bastard! Release me at once! Do you even know where you are? Do you know who I am…?”

“Anserman August. Acting lord of this place, substituting for Baron Lyle August, who’s bedridden. Is that correct?”

“Y-Yes! I am the acting lord of August! If you release me now and beg for mercy, I will generously forgive you.”

“……”

Si-on looked down at Anserman in silence for a moment, then dismounted.

Thinking he was about to be released, Anserman tried to maintain a dignified expression, forcing himself to stay composed.

“Yes, good decision. Considering that you repented quickly, I will mercifully—”

Smack!

“Gah!”

With a sharp crack, Anserman’s large head snapped to the side.

His thick, red face quivering, Anserman turned his head back only for the back of Si-on’s hand to strike him again.

Whack!

“Ugh!”

Anserman staggered, spitting out several teeth mixed with blood from the force of the blow.

“Ugh! Ugh…”

Si-on grabbed Anserman’s hair, his eyes like buttonholes buried in fat, and stared directly at him as he wept, snot and bloody spit dribbling down.

“You dare speak of mercy and compassion before Si-on’s crest? Has this pig’s head lost its mind?”

“Eek!”

Crunch!

Si-on yanked Anserman’s head even harder, glaring at him as if he would devour him.

Even in the midst of shock and pain, Anserman’s ingrained nature, honed over decades, couldn’t help but assert itself.

“You, you… do you think you’ll get away with this? I… I am destined to be the lord of August. I am of the noble blood of August and Si— Gah!”

“Nonsense.”

Si-on roughly pulled Anserman’s head back.

“Gah… Ugh…”

Looking at Anserman, whose dirty mouth was agape and stained with blood, Si-on struggled to suppress the killing intent that threatened to escape.

“You’re not even one of Roana’s offspring. How dare you sully the name of Si-on with that filthy mouth?”

Crack.

“Argh! Aaaah!”

Anserman tried to writhe from the agony of his hair being torn from his scalp, but it was impossible to escape Si-on’s vice-like grip.

The more he struggled, the more the pain intensified, and realizing this, Anserman could only tremble and stare at Si-on with terrified eyes.

“It’s truly fascinating. Scum like you never seem to go extinct. Then again, it’s not surprising when you think of all those who live like kings while holed up somewhere. It would be stranger if people like you disappeared. Most of you only learn after you experience it… No, there are more who never learn even after they’ve experienced it.”

Si-on finally released Anserman, speaking quietly. He dusted his gloved hands as if he were brushing off something filthy, then looked around at the nobles of the August Estate who were bound.

“I am Jang Oblas Salen.”

“Gasp!?”

The nobles who had been staring at Si-on in terror immediately widened their eyes.

Anyone with a brain knew what the middle name ‘Oblas’ signified.

“But some of you might want to call it a lie, might be thinking, ‘Who would believe that?’”

“……”

Anserman flinched, visibly struck by the truth of Si-on’s words. Si-on gestured towards Piotr.

As Piotr swiftly took his place beside him, Si-on nodded at him and continued.

“This friend here is Piotr, son of Baron Kilburn. And Baron Kilburn is the son of Lady Maria Si-on Kilburn, daughter of the First Duke Si-on.”

“……!!!”

Si-on received the spear bearing the flag from Miska and lifted it high, proclaiming as if declaring a decree.

“The honor of the royal family and the crest of the First Duke Si-on in my possession are proof. Anyone who still doubts is welcome to step forward. The royal family does not speak falsehoods, and I will show you that.”

“……”

There was no one willing to step forward, not after seeing the next-in-line lord so mercilessly beaten.

In the silence, only the crest of the three-headed eagle fluttered proudly.

* * *

Si-on and the Janstrick mercenaries had completely taken over the August lord’s castle.

Afterward, Si-on sent the first retainer he had seen out with the mercenaries to explain the situation roughly and reassure the residents.

Of course, not all the residents said, “Oh, is that so? What a relief!” and felt reassured, but with the Janstrick mercenaries, who exuded a menacing aura, refraining from looting or causing trouble, unrest was averted.

“Lord Salen, some of the residents are trying to flee outside the gates. Should we stop them?”

Piotr, unable to hide his concerns, asked because several dozen had already escaped through the loosened gaps.

“It’s fine. There’s no need.”

“But…”

Piotr was worried.

Even though they held the justification, occupying an estate, beating the acting lord, and even killing the estate’s knights and soldiers was a grave matter.

If news of this spread, the situation would undoubtedly spiral out of control.

“Lord Salen, couldn’t we have resolved this more peacefully today? Why did you command an immediate attack?”

The August baron’s family was related to the Si-on ducal family.

Now that he was part of Si-on as well, Piotr felt uneasy and troubled about what had happened today.

“And more than anything, I’m worried about how the Si-on ducal family will react…”

“That’s exactly why I did this.”

“Pardon?”

“The maternal side of your father’s family is not in a normal state.”

“W-What!?”

Stunned by the unexpected statement, Piotr looked at Si-on, who spoke calmly.

“You know that the former duke, your father’s cousin, died recently, don’t you?”

“Yes… but.”

“It wasn’t from illness; there’s a very high possibility it was poison.”

“……!!!”

What was this now?

This shocking revelation, something Piotr had never heard of during his journey to this place, left him speechless.

“I apologize for not telling you sooner. But I only found out recently myself after asking Olrot to gather information on the Si-on ducal family and the neighboring estates.”

“T-This…”

“The important thing is that the former Duke Si-on might have been poisoned, and there are several suspects and potential accomplices. August is a very strong candidate for involvement. Today’s actions were to uncover the truth.”

“H-How can that be? And what if it’s not true? How will the Si-on ducal family accept this?”

No crime can be judged solely on suspicion.

Evidence is needed.

Moreover, the Si-on ducal family, potentially both victim and perpetrator, was not just any family; it was a prestigious lineage that even the royal family couldn’t easily confront.

The idea that they would simply comply, especially based on the words of a collateral branch, was laughable.

“That’s why you’re important.”

“I’m…? Ah…!”

Realizing something, Piotr let out a brief exclamation with widened eyes, and Si-on nodded.

“This is a serious crime, but it’s ultimately an internal matter of the Si-on ducal family. It should be resolved internally.”

“And I am… Si-on, too.”

“Exactly. The grandson who returned to his grandmother’s house after decades, bearing the First Duke’s flag and traveling with a member of the royal family. You have more than enough right to be involved. And uncovering the truth might be easier than you think.”

“How do you mean?”

Si-on, gazing at the sky, now tinged with gray, spoke in a chilling voice.

“The first person to come here will be the most likely suspect.”