Prime Originator

The damages and crimes committed by the rest of them still had to be accounted for, even if most of them were only following Duke Flugerd and hadn’t committed any crimes on the Crawford Empire’s soil personally.

In this case, it might have just been better to abandon Duke Flugerd – some of the nobles thought.

”Brother…” Duke Flugerd uttered to King Lutheran, not expecting the person to sacrifice the entire kingdom for him.

Nevertheless, King Lutheran shot Duke Flugerd a stern glare and said, “You be quiet. We will talk about this later when we return to the kingdom.”

Duke Flugerd nodded obediently.

The slight movements aggravated Duke Flugerd’s injuries and caused him to cough out more blood.

King Lutheran quickly popped by Duke Flugerd’s side and popped a pill into his mouth. Duke Flugerd quickly felt better a few breaths later.

”I understand, Your Highness,” King Lutheran continued his talk with Leon.

”The damages inflicted and the crimes committed by the others will be accounted for separately. However, what did you mean when you said my brother and them tried to steal your empire’s arrays?”

”Of course, I was talking about this,” Leon showed the Demon Gathering Array.

”This Demon Gathering Array is distributed to every city in Durham and Valaran to protect people against the Wrathful Demon Energy. Two Transcendents should have been guarding it. But since they are gone, I can only assume your people are responsible for it.”

”Do you plan to remedy this?” Leon asked.

King Lutheran immediately went silent after recognizing the familiar black plate.

”Your Majesty, this array can gather the foul energy in the surroundings and compress it. It’s no different from purifying the air quality. If we brought this back and mass-produced it, the entire kingdom would have benefited,” Marquis Raygor tried to justify their actions.

King Lutheran’s gaze turned cold and gloomy.

Pah!

Marquis Raygor was slapped across the cheeks, knocking out one of his teeth. He glanced back at King Lutheran with disbelief for raising a hand against him.

However, that’s when Marquis Raygor also knew King Lutheran was greatly infuriated.

King Lutheran swept his cold gaze across Duke Flugerd and everyone involved before spitting, “You fools!”

”Just because the Demon Gathering Array benefits the kingdom, what gives you all the rights to attack another country and forcefully seize it?! Are you all bandits?! Couldn’t you have negotiated for it instead?!”

”Not to mention, the empire has already sold a Demon Gathering Array to the kingdom! Venerable Runemaster and the Grand Rune Tower are reproducing and improving the Demon Gathering Array as we speak!”

King Lutheran thundered furiously.

King Lutheran couldn’t believe the ridiculousness of the situation. It was something that could have been completely avoided before it got to escalate to the present situation.

Nevertheless, Marquis Raygor and the other nobles were stunned by the revelation.

After realizing the empire’s great strength, they already felt so much regret for coming to the empire.

If they knew the empire wasn’t the same declining country they thought it was like a few months ago, no one in their right mind would have come to cause trouble.

”How do you want to deal with these people, Your Highness?” King Lutheran inquired. He gave Leon the power to decide their lives to pay for their crimes.

”Although Duke Flugerd was the ringleader of this mess, they are the reason for emboldening his movements. And since Duke Flugerd’s life will be spared, these people shall shoulder his crimes,” Leon mentioned.

”However, killing them all will be too easy on them. It will not bring back the dead, compensate the damages, or appease my people. As such, I have decided what to do with them.”

”They shall be reduced to slaves and work like dogs for the empire for fifty years,” Leon declared with a sharp look.

This ought to teach them how to behave.

”Alright, I’m fine with that, Your Highness,” King Lutheran readily agreed with a nod.

It would have been a waste to kill so many Transcendents.

Furthermore, they can return to the kingdom after serving their sentence as slaves to the empire, which isn’t much different from the kingdom providing military service to the empire.

Shortly after, King Lutheran declared, “From henceforth, all their noble status will be stripped, and they shall work as slaves for the empire for fifty years. If they resist, feel free to execute them on the spot, Your Highness.”

Boom…

It was like an explosion went off in everyone’s head.

There was no way that Marquis Raygor and the others would agree to such humiliation.

However, King Lutheran’s agreement and declaration were like splashes of cold water on their heads.

King Lutheran had abandoned them.

Marquis Raygor and the others felt aggrieved by the decision, but there was nothing they could do to change it.

They either comply, or they die.

Nevertheless, King Lutheran also knew that what he did was wrong. But it was what he had to do to protect his one and only brother.

Even so, King Lutheran had been a just king for most of his life. Thus, King Lutheran’s choice today had put a crack in his character.

…

”Since it’s decided, let us all head to New Capital. You can meet with my father to finalize the deal between our two countries, King Lutheran, while I settle these people into their new life as slaves of the empire.”

As Leon spoke, he opened up the Dark Passage to New Capital.

At the same time, he quickly pocketed the Priest Merkkon’s corpse into the Worldspace for research purposes.

Marquis Raygor, the three earls, and the Transcendent-level troops were first to step into the Dark Passage. Or rather, they were forced to.

King Lutheran and Duke Flugerd followed after, but Leon stopped them.

”You can continue, King Lutheran. However, Duke Flugerd cannot,” Leon stated.

”I want this person out of my face and off the empire’s soil. It would be best if you had people send him back to your kingdom.”

King Lutheran nodded and directed his glance at the law-punishing forces that came after him and signaled them to take Duke Flugerd away with his gaze.