I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 484 The Cruel Judge
Change is taking place slowly but steadily throughout Bagnia, including in the new strategic zone, though the change is slow and the Minisians are filled with discomfort and distrust toward the new rulers and government and the new policies.

But none of this could stop the change from happening.

The Kingdom of Bagnia is getting better.

However, even when everything is thriving, there will always be some who go against the tide.

……

He hacked through the street, reined in his thin horse, and stopped it in the shade of the hills. He squinted and looked down at the Miniserian town known as "Kalan Town".

The town is small, built along a murky stream. Several sturdy-looking stone buildings are scattered among the crooked wooden houses. On the roof of the tallest building, a black and gold double-headed eagle flag hangs listlessly.

The flag is the symbol of the Kingdom of Bagnia, signifying that His Majesty Chris's rule has reached this land.

But the man who had been hacking down the entire street frowned more and more deeply.

As an inquisitor who has spent years navigating the gray areas of law and order, he has seen too many shady and unethical things and has developed a beast-like intuition for order and chaos.

The town below, on the surface, seemed to have accepted the new rule, but it was filled with a strange and discordant atmosphere. So, some players who were passing by doing quests felt something was wrong and reported the anomaly to Crazy Slash Street.

He slashed his way through the street and came to take a look. Sure enough, something was wrong. At least he didn't see the tax office or militia patrol team that the new regime usually set up at the entrance of the town.

Instead, a few roguish-looking men dressed in tattered leather armor, carrying swords, squatted there, lazily basking in the sun, their eyes scanning the occasional pedestrians and vendors entering and leaving the town like vultures.

That's definitely not the attitude an official soldier should have.

What caught his attention even more was a sizable but messy campsite on the riverbank at the edge of the town. Tents were askew, embers of a campfire were still burning, and figures were moving about inside, with horses tethered nearby.

That was definitely not a settlement for farmers; it was more like... a temporary hideout for bandits.

And this town just tacitly allows it to exist right under its nose?

Kuang Chuan cut through the street, licked his slightly chapped lips, and a hint of interest flashed in his eyes.

He pulled up his hood, covering most of his face, and urged his skinny horse to walk slowly toward the town entrance.

Sure enough, as soon as they arrived at the town entrance, those thugs stood up and blocked their way with ill intent. One of them, the leader, had a scar on his face and asked with a crooked mouth.

"Hey, unfamiliar face? Where are you from? What are you doing in town?"

He stopped his horse after hacking through the street, his voice coming calmly from under his hood.

"Just passing by, I'll buy some dry food to feed the horses."

"Buying dry food?"

Scarface chuckled and looked him and his mediocre horse up and down.

"You're a spy for the bandits, aren't you... Never mind, I don't care where you're from. You can't just enter Kalan Town now. If you want to go in, you'll have to pay a 'favor fee'."

"Convenient money?"

The tone remained unchanged as he hacked down an entire street.

"The laws of the new kingdom have abolished all illegal checkpoints and miscellaneous taxes. Are you tax officials?"

"Tax officer?"

The men exchanged glances and burst into laughter.

"We're from the Grey Wolf Gang. In this town of Kalan, our boss's word carries more weight than any damn king's decree. Enough talk, ten copper coins. If you don't have the money, get lost!"

He didn't get angry after hacking through the street; instead, he slowly took out a few copper coins from his pocket and tossed them over.

He noticed that several local residents walked by near the town entrance, but they seemed oblivious to the scene, even subconsciously quickening their pace and keeping their heads down, as if they hadn't seen anything.

Scarface weighed the money in his hand, grinned with satisfaction, and waved for them to pass.

Upon entering the town, the eerie sense of disconnect became even more pronounced.

Some shops on the street were open, but business was slow. The shop owners and customers seemed a bit distracted. When those who were obviously thugs passed by, they would subconsciously lower their heads and look away.

Only when a well-dressed man, who looked like a town official, walked by did the bandits' attitude reverse; the latter bowed and scraped, his humility bordering on obsequiousness.

After wandering around the town, I slashed my way down a street and found the most dilapidated-looking tavern. I led my horse to the stable next to it, tied it up, and went inside.

The tavern was dimly lit and smelled foul, with only a few customers. He reached out and ordered a glass of cheap ale, sat down in a corner, and silently observed.

The tavern owner was a gaunt old man. When he delivered the drinks, he casually asked a question while slashing the street.

"Boss, those Grey Wolf Gang heroes at the town entrance are pretty cocky, aren't they? Don't the town government officials care?"

The boss paused, looked up at the street being hacked to pieces, and then sneered.

“Outsider, don’t ask too many questions about what’s going on here. Finish your drink and get out of here… Oh, by the way, you have to give me a silver dollar for this drink.”

"why?"

"Because this cup of wine is worth a silver dollar!"

He slashed his way down the street without saying a word, remaining silent. During this time, the few customers stood up and gathered around him.

He saw all this out of the corner of his eye while slashing through the street, and slowly took out his money bag from his pocket and placed it on the table.

The shopkeeper unceremoniously picked up the money bag, tore it open, and took a look.

"You poor wretch, you only have this little bit of money... Your horse is mine!"

After saying that, the boss walked away smugly.

"In the same group?"

Watching the boss's retreating figure, he sipped his sour ale slowly, chopping down the street, a cold smile playing on his lips.

Sure enough.

The old local forces did not truly submit to the new order. Instead, they chose to collude with the original disruptors of the order, forming a distorted symbiotic relationship. Together, they exploited the local areas and resisted or undermined the decrees of the central kingdom.

After finishing his drink, he put down his cup, walked out of the tavern, and left his skinny horse in the tavern's stable, without taking it away for the time being.

To cut through the entire street, you need to go around to the back of town and observe from afar the best stone building... the town hall.

Sure enough, after staying in a dark corner of a small alley until evening, he saw the scarred man from the afternoon swagger into the town hall. The guards at the door not only did not stop him, but respectfully made way for him.

That's enough; there's no need to see Scarface colluding with the so-called mayor when hacking down a whole street.

He turned around and walked back, hacking away down the street, now he needed to find a place to stay overnight before logging off.

The following morning, a somber silence still lingered over Kalan Town, broken only by a few scattered barks of dogs and the yawns of the Gray Wolf Gang members at the town entrance. Suddenly, a deep, rapid thud of hooves, like muffled thunder, rolled in from afar, growing ever closer, causing the ground to tremble slightly.

"The army, it's the army!"

A lookout at the town entrance scrambled into the town, his voice trembling with fear.

Almost simultaneously, a well-equipped and well-organized army, like a blue tide, surged out from the roads and fields surrounding the town, swiftly and silently completing the encirclement of Caran.

They waved banners with blue backgrounds and curved swords, their armor gleaming, their weapons drawn, and their cold eyes swept over the town, instantly dispelling the morning chill with their chilling aura.

The town hall doors were suddenly pushed open, and the obese Mayor Hans rushed out, frantically buttoning his silk pajamas, surrounded by several equally panicked attendants.

He tried to appear calm, but his constant wiping of cold sweat from his forehead betrayed him.

When he saw the dark mass of troops outside the town, especially the centurion riding a tall horse with an expressionless face, his heart almost jumped out of his throat.

He jogged to the front of the army, forced a fawning smile, and asked in a trembling voice:

"This... this general, I don't know... I don't know if the sudden arrival of your army in our Kalan Town is... is there any instruction?"
"Our town of Kalan has always been law-abiding and supportive of His Majesty Chris..."

He tried to absolve himself of any responsibility first.

The centurion glanced at him coldly, not answering immediately, as if waiting for something.

Just then, a figure in a dark travel cloak walked unhurriedly from the town, through the panicked crowd, and straight to the centurion's horse.

He went on a rampage down the street, and he didn't go far last night.

When Mayor Hans saw this unfamiliar "outsider," his heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition welled up in his heart.

Kuang Kan slowly pulled a badge from his pocket. A small skull was in the center of the badge, with the letter "I" of the Court of Judgments running across its forehead and crossed torches below.

The badge was exquisitely crafted, with fine inscriptions engraved on the outer laurel-shaped metal ring. When the inquisitor flashed the badge at the centurion after hacking through the street, the centurion only stared at it for two seconds before confirming the inquisitor's identity.

“I am the judge, and I have now determined that Hans, the former mayor of Caran, has openly rebelled…”

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Mayor Hans, whose face had turned deathly pale, and the Gray Wolf gang members around him who were beginning to stir and trying to quietly retreat. Finally, he looked at the centurion and gave his final order.

"Your Excellency, in accordance with the Kingdom's Emergency Law and the authorization of the Court, I order your unit to immediately quell the rebellion, suppress all resistance, and apprehend the ringleader and all his armed bandits. Anyone who resists will be killed without exception!"

"No, wait, this is a frame-up! I am the town mayor appointed by His Majesty, you cannot..."

Mayor Hans cried out in alarm, trying to explain himself.

But the centurion did not hesitate at all. He drew his sword and swung it at the mayor's neck. The mayor's head flew into the air, and the centurion was overjoyed.

"Blue Flag Army, execute the order! Slaughter all the traitors!!!"

"kill!!!"

The centurion's order was like igniting the fuse of a powder keg.

The Blue Flag Army soldiers behind him instantly gleamed with a fanatical, almost bloodthirsty light in their eyes.

For them, this was not a suppression of a rebellion, but a formally authorized massacre and plunder! The judge's orders and the mayor's head gave them the perfect excuse.

The soldiers, like wild beasts unleashed, roared and charged into the town. They didn't distinguish right from wrong, hacking at anyone they saw and kicking down every door they encountered.

"Traitors! They're all traitors!"

"Leave no one alive, for His Majesty's sake!"

Amidst frantic screams, tragedy unfolded.

A woman holding a child had just peeked out of the house to see what was happening when a soldier slashed her to the ground, and the baby's cries stopped abruptly.

Several elderly people who tried to hide in their homes were dragged out by soldiers and hacked to death in the street.

Those townspeople who tried to reason or beg for mercy were killed before they could even utter a word.

The Grey Wolf Gang's bandits were a prime target.

Some of them tried to put up a fierce resistance, but their resistance was as fragile as paper and was quickly overwhelmed by the well-organized army.

Scarface, the leader of the group, had just drawn his sword when he was pierced by three or four spears at the same time, lifted up, and flung against the wall like a tattered flag.

However, the killings soon went beyond the scope of "suppressing the rebellion".

The soldiers stormed into the shops, smashed open the counters, and looted anything of value—silver dollars, goods, and even slightly decent furniture were all plundered. Shop owners who tried to resist were immediately killed.

Cries, pleas for mercy, dying screams, soldiers' maniacal laughter, and the sounds of looting and smashing... instantly turned Kalan Town into a living hell.

The stench of blood was so strong it was nauseating; the streets were soon filled with rivers of blood, and corpses lay scattered everywhere.

Some soldiers kicked down a house, killed the men inside, and then grinned as they pounced on the screaming women...

Flames began to rise, some set by soldiers to seize hidden valuables, others simply to vent their destructive desires.

This was not a suppression of a rebellion at all; it was a complete and indiscriminate massacre and atrocity against the entire town.

The Blue Flag Army soldiers habitually carried out the judge's order to "suppress the resistance" thoroughly, immersing themselves completely in the pleasure of killing and plundering.

The centurion himself, wielding a blood-dripping sword, personally led the charge, a cruel yet satisfied smile on his face, as if this was the feast he had long awaited.

He stood still, watching everything unfold with indifference.

The flames reflected in his unwavering pupils. He saw the excessive killing and the atrocities against civilians, but he did not speak out to stop it.

The town of Kalan was not innocent. Although some of its residents were also victims of the mayor's actions, he did not sympathize with them for the massacre of an entire street. This was because he did not see any other civil servant besides the mayor appear during this purge.

This meant that the dozen or so officials sent by the kingdom had all disappeared, and during this time, the nearest city court and the Ministry of Justice had not received any reports.

I don't know why the people here don't report their mayor's betrayal, but since they've remained silent, they have to pay the price for their silence.

Although the Blue Flag Army's iron-fisted purges were brutal, they were most effective in deterring other regions with ulterior motives. The destruction of a small town served as a warning to all those who attempted to challenge the new order, and in his view, this "deal" was worthwhile.

He'd seen so many things like this while hacking down a whole street that he'd become numb to it.

The tragedy of Kalan Town slowly came to a close amidst the maniacal laughter of the Blue Flag Army and the wailing of the townspeople.

Only the black and gold double-headed eagle flag still hung limply on the roof of the town hall, coldly watching the land below ravaged by blood and fire.

The town of Kalan will be razed to the ground today; no one will survive, and no building will remain intact.

(End of this chapter)