“By order of the Knight Commander, Viscount Edward is requested to temporarily reside in the Northern Forest for a few days.”
Edward, who had been terrified by the sudden appearance of these blood-colored knights, was stunned when he heard this, and the fear in his heart diminished greatly.
He let out a cold laugh and asked, “What if I refuse?”
The Northern Forest sounded pleasant, but in reality, it was nothing more than a royal prison.
These hounds at the Empress’s side made no effort to hide the fact that they intended to take him into the royal prison.
They really were used to acting with such impunity!
“That is Viscount Edward’s freedom. We have no authority to interfere.”
The leading blood-colored knight seemed utterly indifferent.
Edward glanced at the sword that was drawn an inch from its sheath, then looked at his wife and child beside him, and said angrily, “Yes, you’ve given me a choice—either I die alone, or my whole family accompanies me in death… What a damned bunch of executioner bastards!”
Now, it seemed that aside from cooperating obediently and leaving with them, he had no other choice.
“The Knight Commander has said that as long as Viscount Edward cooperates obediently, not only your family, but even you yourself will be kept safe.”
A blood-colored knight said from the side.
Edward took a few steps forward, then suddenly remembered something, turning sharply to question the blood-colored knight.
“Wait! The one ordering my arrest is the Knight Commander, not the Empress? Why?!”
According to his understanding of the Empress, someone as insignificant as himself should have been executed at home, not sent to the royal prison.
Those who entered that place were either dangerous criminals, once-powerful ministers, or at the very least, those who had angered the Empress, like the author of the “Ten Offenses of the Empress’s Edicts.”
But why was he sent there? He fit none of these three categories.
Moreover, from the moment the blood-colored knights entered, they made it clear they were acting under the Knight Commander’s orders, not the Empress’s.
The blood-colored knight did not reply, merely tying up Edward in silence and indicating he could leave with them.
For those who cooperated, the Blood-colored Knights would escort them to the royal prison; for those who resisted, they would kill them on the spot without mercy.
Though the true intentions of Knight Commander Simon were unclear, since he was the Knight Commander, they could only follow orders.
—
Simon stood atop the Capital City Wall, gazing into the distance as the palace lights gradually flickered on, pondering which faction had stirred such turmoil in the imperial capital.
Clearly, this was not the work of cultists, but someone acting under their name.
Archbishop Gerard would never make such a rookie mistake as to allow cultists to directly challenge Alexia’s authority.
Otherwise, as today, Alexia would confront them directly.
Gerard was well aware of all the cultist’s hiding places within the capital and would naturally send people to prevent such incidents.
The unpredictability of cultists was well known; without supervision, Simon did not believe Gerard would ever let those people act freely.
When Alexia appeared at the cathedral, Gerard had clearly been stunned, never connecting the matter to cultists.
However, who was manipulating things behind the scenes was something Simon could not yet discern.
But first, the Pandas faction could be ruled out.
Though they opposed Alexia’s rule, colluding with cultists was a completely different matter.
The same applied to others; opposing the Empire or being dissatisfied with Alexia was one thing, but once connected to evil gods, it meant becoming an enemy of the entire world.
As Simon fell into thought, Gerard’s voice sounded at his ear.
“Why did you target those people, Knight Commander? They have nothing to do with you, and you barely even speak to them. Was it necessary?”
Gerard knew everyone on Simon’s list.
Among them were powerful ministers as well as idle officials serving only to fill seats, most with little to no contact with Simon.
“It’s nothing. I just found them displeasing.”
Simon replied perfunctorily.
Gerard chuckled softly.
“Serving that Empress must be hard for you, having to calm her dragon-like temper and bear all the burdens alone, shouldering all the bad reputation yourself.”
In his eyes, all Simon’s actions were at Alexia’s command.
Everyone knew that without Alexia’s orders, Simon would not act.
Now, nearly everyone in the Empire saw Simon as Alexia’s incarnation.
Simon glanced sideways at him.
“You speak so boldly of the Empress. Aren’t you afraid I’ll draw my sword and kill you on the spot?”
Gerard elbowed Simon’s arm, unconcerned.
“Come on. If you truly cared about her reputation, you should advise her not to slaughter the innocent at will, instead of aiding and abetting, following orders blindly.”
Simon sighed.
“I’ve been doing everything I can to stop it.”
Alexia’s personality was far too domineering; once she decided on something, nothing anyone said would change her mind.
He, too, tried his best to save as many as possible from her blade.
“Mhm, I can hear your helplessness.”
Gerard gazed up at the dark sky, then turned his eyes toward the palace.
“Have you ever considered that?”
Simon glanced at him sidelong.
“Archbishop Gerard, your thoughts are too dangerous. That could cause the Church of Light to lose trust within the Empire.”
Simon understood that “that” referred to replacing her.
“I have no intention of inciting anything, but you should consider the Empire as a whole. The Empress’s ways can only maintain the Empire’s glory for a short time. Long-term peace and stability are another matter.”
Gerard said solemnly.
Simon retorted.
“Then is she a tyrant?”
This question left Gerard momentarily speechless.
A few seconds later, a trace of amazement flashed in his eyes.
“Wait, Knight Commander, are you a genius?!”
Recalling the past, though people complained about Alexia’s tyranny, they had little dissatisfaction with her policies.
During her reign, there had been no large-scale uprisings or protests.
The number of unemployed he provided relief to was far fewer than those aided by the Cathedral of the Eastern United Kingdoms.
According to surveys of the populace around cathedrals near the capital, it seemed the people of the Empire lived in peace.
At the very least, they had homes and could manage to fill their bellies.
This was already rare compared to other cathedrals he had served in.
Not to mention, though the Empire and the Eastern United Kingdoms had been at war for four years, there had been no anti-war movements domestically.
This meant Alexia had never allowed the war to touch the Empire itself, maintaining its normal operation even as she waged war.
There was no mass conscription, no endless requisitioning of food, nor any calls for all-out military production.
The only notable point was that many Dukes and Lords had been stripped of their titles under her rule.
At this moment, Gerard finally realized the true terror of Alexia.
Seeing this, Simon knew he had come to the same understanding.
“It seems you understand now. Though our Empress is called a tyrant, she does not rule by tyranny.”
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