Become their wicked yet gentle lord.

With a flash of magic, all the words on the contract were sealed away, making them impossible to change. Adela breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at Esther again.

“Very good, now you can know 'our' plans…”

Chapter 29 The Game Begins

Sochi has been unusually 'lively' lately.

Since Hayden, a member of the Chamber of Commerce, was arrested, a sense of unease arose, and many voices suddenly emerged saying that their governor was preparing to become a 'dictator'. More and more people were convinced that Ryukyu would sweep away all those who had opposed him and turn the Sochi province into his own independent kingdom.

Before the people at the grassroots level could figure out where these rumors came from, a massive protest movement was launched in Sochi.

First, merchants from all walks of life united to disrupt the flow of goods and raw materials within and outside Sochi through bribery and intimidation. This was, of course, supported by noble thugs; in areas far from the city's garrison, key transportation routes were blocked. Meanwhile, those aligned with the Ryukyu-Xia policy suffered varying degrees of intimidation and physical harm…

Secondly, there were the local churches. They began refusing to recognize the church Lindsay had founded, demanding a meeting with the bishop and vice-bishop of Sochi Cathedral, or they would incite the people of local villages and towns to confront the governor's office. Some radical clergy even claimed that the governor was backed by unfathomable heretical and evil forces, and they seized on the fact that Sochi Cathedral was under siege. Although such rumors had existed before, these scattered lower-level papal forces dared not speak out because Ryūsha had bribed the archbishop of Ottus. But now they seemed to have been mobilized as a unified force, forming a massive papal group demanding that Ryūsha provide an explanation.

Moreover, the adventurers' guilds that had long been replaced, local bullies from all walks of life, and forces related to the gray market all resurfaced after months of silence, creating chaos and panic everywhere...

Meanwhile, inside Sochi Castle, several people, sensing the dire situation, sought out Ryūka and convened an emergency meeting. Everyone in the room, except for Ryūka, wore a grave expression.

“Master…” Megan broke the silence first, saying to Ryūsha with difficulty, “The city defense forces are already short-handed. Now, not only Sochi City, but also the towns below are filled with demonstrations and other activities. Shops dare not open, workshops dare not operate, and incidents of vandalism and looting are frequent. I beg your permission to use stronger measures to suppress them!”

Haiflian scoffed, "Megan is right. A thousand city guards are simply not enough to maintain order in Sochi. It's time for our regular legions to be deployed. I'd like to see just how tough these people who are instigating this are!"

"If we send troops to suppress it, it will probably deal a devastating blow to the reputation of Liuxia... You know, these are not things that merchants and minor nobles would dare to incite."

Hetia's words were much calmer. After several months of experience, she was becoming more and more like a mature leader, rather than the radical person she had been before. Melanie, unlike before, no longer tried to provoke Hetia whenever she spoke, but instead silently looked at Ryūka.

“I think our young governor knows what to do, right? After all, you see, he doesn’t seem to be in a hurry.”

Melanie was right. Ryusha stood comfortably by the window, looking down at the city below, as if waiting for something.

"Regardless of what you think, Ryūsha, all I can say is that our finances have been on the verge of collapse over the past three months due to economic policies. Now, due to these protests and crimes, the banks and shops controlled by the Governor's Office are almost shut down. Many out-of-town merchants are not receiving their goods and are refusing to pay their outstanding balances. If this continues, we won't be able to hold on for much longer..."

The last to speak was Kira, who was pinching her brow and looking at a huge pile of bills with worry.

After several people spoke, Ryusha finally turned around, grinning mischievously, and said, "It seems everyone's had enough. Alright, I agree with Megan and Hafley's opinion. The Second and Third Legions, in coordination with the city defense forces, will suppress the illegal demonstrations and crimes throughout Sochi. This matter will be under Hetia's unified command."

Hetia stood up and nodded, accepting the order, but then asked, "What if we encounter the power of other nobles during the process?"

“That’s right.” Megan also looked annoyed. “Some agitators hiding in the crowd will run into the private clubs of certain nobles as soon as they see the city guards appear. Towns outside Sochi are even more troublesome; large-scale rioters can even run into the private estates of nearby nobles before the city guards arrive!”

Melanie raised an eyebrow at Megan with schadenfreude: "You mean Miss Miller? Her territory is closest to Sochi. Many small-time instigators are hiding in her territory, issuing orders to Sochi."

"I... I didn't say that!"

Megan felt somewhat uneasy. She knew that Ryūka had been getting quite close to Esther Miller lately, and she dared not say such things in front of Ryūka. It would be as if she were accusing her master of poor judgment…

Melanie laughed easily; besides Ryusha, she was the least nervous one: "Megan, don't be nervous. If you ask me, Esther is probably still on our side."

"What does this mean? She received so many favors from her master, and not only does she not help, she's secretly protecting those troublemakers..."

"You'd have to ask your good owner about that~ This little rascal probably knows what's going on~"

Ryuuya remained noncommittal about Melanie's words. Among these women, Melanie and Kania were the most clever, always able to guess what she was thinking without her having to say anything.

So Ryusha shrugged: "It seems you need Melanie's help. If any noble forces get involved, Melanie, I'll leave you in charge. But remember, the excuses for searching and arresting people must be clever. You need to suppress them, give them an excuse to provoke further conflict, but don't leave any evidence or frighten them. I'm waiting to see what their mastermind will do next."

"You really know how to make things difficult for us, both on and off the bed~ Alright, sisters~ let's go, we have a lot of work to do to serve our little governor~" Melanie's joke made the others, who were on high alert, burst into laughter. The female knights followed the great mage out of the room and returned to their respective armies to begin deploying their troops.

Qila packed her things and left. She still needed to squeeze the province's operating funds to the limit to ensure that the flow wouldn't run out.

Kania was left alone in the room. She asked Ryuka, "Are you sure there's nothing I should do?"

Her witch powers are exceptionally effective at controlling people's hearts; she can send the marching crowds home with just a few words. But Ryuka has no intention of letting her do that.

“Kanya, this time our opponents are Elias and the Holy See. You must know that they are very sensitive to heresy, especially since we have already attracted the attention of the Inquisition. We cannot allow you to be exposed at this time. Therefore, you must use your abilities and the half-dark elf shadow guards with caution.”

Ryūka appeared extremely patient. Everything that was happening in Sochi was largely in line with the intelligence Hayden had provided. However, he only knew the current situation, as Adela and Elias were behind the scenes, and any unexpected changes could occur. Nevertheless, Ryūka remained remarkably calm.

"So you're betting everything on Esther?" Kania was still a little worried. "But she hasn't contacted you for several days. Are you so sure she won't betray you?"

The last time Ryusha contacted Esther was on the day Hayden was captured. She has been out of contact with this place for three days since then.

"She won't."

Kania couldn't help but roll her eyes at Ryuka's words: "My Ryuka, although you are very charming to young girls, you are sometimes too confident."

Hearing Kania say that, Ryuka couldn't help but chuckle. He slapped Kania's bottom, the crisp sound accompanied by the undulating flesh, causing the still-abstinent little witch to hiss softly, her thighs trembling, as if she had just had a mini-orgasm...

"I'm confident in our strength. Even if Esther betrays us, we can still win this time. That girl knows this too, which is why she won't betray us..."

"We need the governor to come out! We want to talk to him!"

"Release the arrested businessman Hayden! Stop persecuting businessmen by falsely accusing them!"

"We demand that the Governor's Office halt construction around Sochi Cathedral! We demand a meeting with Bishop Sinatil of the Cathedral!"

Outside the moat of Sochi Castle, clergy, merchants, and a motley crew blocked the main road, creating a standoff with the city's garrison. Although they were unarmed, this was precisely why the garrison soldiers dared not attack. Especially without Ryūsha's orders, no one dared to make a move, emboldening the opposing side.

Meanwhile, in the inner city not far away, Joe Harvey was admiring the scene from his own mansion.

"I'd almost forgotten that just a few months ago we were on the same side as that kid. What a pity, I actually quite liked him..."

Behind him, sitting silently, was Adela. She accepted the tea offered by a handsome male servant and glanced around Joe Harvey's room. All the guards and servants were handsome, effeminate men, while outside the room, the other guards were all imposing, muscular men with beards.

No matter how many times she visited, Adela was always amazed by the 'taste' of this young master of the Harvey family. Even now, she wasn't sure whether Joe Harvey was above or below, or what his relationship was with the prince Elias to whom he served.

More than these anecdotes, she was surprised that this gossipy and unreliable young nobleman was quite reliable when it came to getting things done. Even now that Ryukyu had almost completely taken control of Sochi and had established a city defense force, Joe Harvey still managed to bribe the guards, allowing Adela to easily enter and leave Sochi.

No, perhaps it's the power of his master, the fourth prince Elias...

“I’m not here for tea, Master Harvey. I want to know if the paladins of the Inquisition are almost here. Also, I hope to have another meeting with Prince Elias…”

Joe lowered the curtains, turned around, and gave a cold smile: "Your Highness isn't someone you can just see whenever you want, Miss Adela. Entering Sochi at this point is foolish enough, or perhaps your merchant guild lacks confidence in this matter?"

“How could that be?” Adela pursed her lips. “I just wanted to know His Highness Elias’s opinion on the new situation. After all, I brought Esther Miller into this. To be honest, we need this girl, but we can’t trust her too much. I’m worried that this could be a variable.”

"His Highness already knows."

Joe's words made Adela frown slightly. She had only told Joe about this today, but his tone didn't seem to convey the same meaning.

"As for the Inquisition, rest assured, they've already arrived at Ravenhill, right on our Harvey family's territory. Contacting the Cathedral is a matter for them to handle, isn't it?"

Chapter 30 The Show Begins

"That's true."

Adela smiled slightly. Her previous defeat to Ryukyu was due to the fact that, no matter how powerful the Merchant Guild was, it was still just a group of merchants. Their relationship with nobles, built on mutual benefit, was limited to utilizing their military forces—this was their greatest weakness. And now that the nobles of old Sochi and the Third Prince Clovis had both fallen to Ryukyu, no matter how hard she tried to stab Ryukyu in the back, it would be futile.

But this time was different. Unlike Clovis, who relied on his maternal lineage of the Payne family and the Northern nobles to establish his authority, the fourth prince, Elias, was someone who could mobilize various forces. The Papacy, local nobles, and even the central government of the Imperial Palace in the capital—Ilias could use various methods to get them to act on his behalf.

"In this world, the first people you absolutely cannot mess with are the Three Saints and Ten Heavens of Otus and the Central Guard Legion, and the second people you absolutely cannot mess with are... the Holy See's Judgment Knights!"

When the hooves of those white-robed knights of judgment crossed the Raven Ridge mountains, there was nothing Ryusha could do to stop them from entering the Sochi Cathedral, not even Archbishop Randall, whom he had bribed!

"But before they arrive, we need to keep Xiao Liuxia's attention occupied~ Ahh~ I really want to see the handsome boy with a furrowed brow~ Hmm?"

Just as Joe Harvey was laughing, a guard outside the door suddenly came in and whispered something in his ear, causing him to raise his eyebrows.

"Understood. Gather the men and prepare to depart."

Seeing this, Adela couldn't help but ask, "What's wrong?"

Joe simply rolled his eyes at her, picked up his cloak, and prepared to leave: "Just draw back the curtains and take a look for yourself. It seems we overestimated that boy's character..."

Outside the window? Adela walked to the window and drew back the curtains. In the glaring sunlight, the drawbridge of Sochi Castle in the distance had been lowered, the heavy gates opened, and armored knights, gleaming with golden sunlight, filed out like a city wall. Although they did not charge, they still marched out of the city with unparalleled momentum.

Adela frowned: "He wants to violently suppress the merchants and clergy? That's incredibly stupid! He's just the governor of Sochi province, not the king! These merchants and clergy have inseparable ties with other local nobles! He's only been governor for three months! If he gives other nobles an excuse to impeach him, even the emperor might not be able to protect him!"

It's important to understand that, excluding Sochi, which is nominally under the direct control of the empire, and nobles like Weston who support Ryukyu, Ryukyu and his harem's directly controlled territories only account for one-third of the Sochi province. While the remaining two-thirds aren't entirely aligned with the alliance between Elias and the Merchant Guild, if Ryukyu were to easily resort to dictatorial violence, it could very well cause even the still-neutral nobles to oppose him.

"It's a bit foolish, but equally tricky..."

Joe, already donning his armor, muttered to Adela, "You know, he has four or five thousand men. Although most are ordinary soldiers, they're not to be underestimated because they're equipped with magical weapons. My men told me it's not just the garrison from Sochi Castle that's been mobilized..."

That's right, just now, a thousand-strong regiment stationed outside Sochi, along with another thousand-strong regiment scattered elsewhere, and the city defense forces and militia of the towns below, were all ready to depart at the same time. One group, under the guise of maintaining order, was clearing the streets in a procession, while the other group was dividing up the entire city of Sochi in the wilderness and clearing the intersections blocked by thugs and down-on-their-luck adventurers hired by the merchant guild!

"The city is alright, even the countryside... What is he planning to do?"

Adela was puzzled, but her attention was still focused on the view outside the window. After leaving the city, the knights of Sochi Castle were slowly but forcefully pushing back the demonstrators outside. It was clear neither side wanted to draw their swords or unleash magic first, but at this moment, the armored knights' sturdy physiques and tall warhorses exuded a powerful sense of oppression at close range.

"What...what do you want! We just asked the governor to come out and talk! We haven't done anything excessive!"

Under the trembling questioning of an elderly priest, two beautiful women emerged from behind the wall of knights.

It was Hetia, riding a majestic warhorse, and Melanie, who was floating slowly on her staff.

Hetia snorted: "Blocking streets, gathering crowds, and staging illegal marches—isn't that enough?"

"Who, who teamed up!"

One businessman, forcing a smile, said, "Can't we go to the streets together? We want to know if there's any solid evidence against Mr. Hayden of the Chamber of Commerce for his arrest! And these respectable clergy... they just want to get into the cathedral! We don't even have the same goal! Why should we be considered as a group?"

With these two leading the way, the crowd behind them grew even more boisterous, shouting loudly and attempting to demonstrate against the knights.

Especially for those in the back, since the horses' hooves aren't in their faces, if any conflict arises, those in the back can immediately abandon their companions and run away.

Faced with the bustling scene of mountains and seas, Hetia snorted coldly, her fighting spirit causing the air around her to tremble slightly, but Melanie stopped her.

"Well said, you two. Going for a stroll isn't illegal, is that what you mean?"

Melanie looked at the leading merchant and priest with a wicked smile. Although the latter couldn't figure out what she wanted to do, they nodded nervously.

"That's good." Melanie nodded, her voice carrying a touch of magic, making sure everyone could hear her. "What a coincidence, we're also out shopping! Please make way for us, we promise we won't interfere with your freedom!"

"Or are you all deliberately creating a blockage and disrupting the normal operation of Sochi?"

Hearing Melanie's words, Hetia seemed to understand and said with a cold smile, "That's right, I just want to go back to Linhu Town. Or are you trying to prevent nobles from traveling?"

Faced with Melanie's wicked smile and Hetia's sharp gaze, even though the shouts behind them were still urging those in front not to retreat, they involuntarily stepped aside to make way for them and the knights behind them.

Just kidding! This is a Grand Knight and a Grand Mage! Even knowing they wouldn't commit such a crazy act as murder in the street, the oppressive aura they exude is still extraordinary! No one would dare gamble with their own life!

What are those two trying to do?

Up in the attic, Adela couldn't hear the distant conversation, only watching as Hetia and Melanie led the knights into the crowd. Like a heated knife cutting through butter, the knights and the demonstrators blended together, keeping to themselves.

Just as Hetia and Melanie had passed through the demonstrators and reached the back, they suddenly stopped and shouted orders to the knights behind them:

"Soldiers! Split and penetrate to the left and right flanks!"

In an instant, the knights split into two streams in perfect unison, like a bare tree trunk suddenly sprouting many branches. Their movements were so swift that the demonstrators had no time to react before being pushed back.

As the knights pressed forward and advanced in a dispersed manner, the merchants, clergy, and the troublemakers they hired had to slowly retreat, and were then pushed aside by the knights, gradually dividing them into small squares with only a few dozen or even a dozen people.

The sound suddenly became quieter.

When these troublemakers gathered together, someone could always hide behind and shout loudly. But once they were separated, all they could see were the tall warhorses and knights. The sharp eyes peeking out from beneath the knights' visors instantly locked onto anyone who dared to incite further shouting, leaving them nowhere to hide…

After the knights appeared, Megan led the city's infantry phalanx along the routes they had divided to quickly take control of the scene and then circled around to surround the demonstrators.

"You, you all! What are you trying to do! Are you going to attack us civilians?!"

In response to a question from the crowd, Melanie simply smiled brightly:

"The young men were just tired and taking a break. What? Do you own this road? Are you saying people aren't allowed to stop?"

The man who spoke was instantly locked onto by the knights around him. Under several intimidating gazes, the nervous man reached into his sleeve...

"Brothers! Move..."

At his shout, Adela's expression instantly changed, and she blurted out, "Idiot! Not now!"

She had anticipated that the Ryukyu Association would send troops to suppress the demonstrators.

So she recruited many desperados to hide among the crowd, ready to launch an attack during the chaos once a stalemate ensued. Her plan was that the situation would descend into complete chaos, and if it turned into a large-scale, brutal crackdown, Governor Ryūka would certainly be held responsible.

But she overestimated the intelligence of these people and underestimated the girls around Ryusha. Melanie used her and Hetia's intimidation to make the less rebellious crowd part ways. Once the crowd was divided, those who were hiding among them and wanted to cause trouble had nowhere to hide.

Moreover, the crowd was divided into countless zones, and people in each zone could not see those outside. Even with orders, their courage to act was greatly diminished.

As soon as the man drew his short sword from his sleeve, a knight beside him immediately pressed a spear to his throat. Not only that, the other knights also drew their longswords, pointing them at the crowd while maintaining restraint, merely serving as a deterrent.

The man's voice stopped abruptly after he shouted "Attack!" and after a brief commotion, no one else dared to make a move.

They merely gasped and shoved, pressing inward against the knights' spears and swords gleaming with battle aura. When they realized the knights weren't going to make any further moves, they slowly fell into a deathly silence.

Because... the air got cold...

Melanie's icy blue hair danced in the surging magic as she slowly floated into the air. Despite it being the sweltering midday heat of summer, the air on the street, crowded with thousands, instantly turned cool and dry. Some people even began to frost over their coats!

She glanced at the anxious and fearful merchants and clergy, and slightly raised the corners of her mouth: "Now, does anyone want to go home?"

In this situation, even the most foolish merchants and clergy would understand what was going on!