Just as the condensed dust and dirt started to tremble from the accumulated energy, ready to shoot out straight at the enemy, the mayor's shouts pierced through the tense atmosphere with a hint of desperation.

  Alfred shifted his eyes at him as he coldly stared at the man who rode a horse hurriedly.

  It was quite an interesting sight to see such a big man skillfully riding a horse, but nobody was in any mood to laugh.

  Mayor gulped nervously as his horse stopped close enough to see the situation properly but far enough to feel a certain sense of ‘safety’.

  Of course, he deep down knew that this sense of safety was false and that any of the three men could take him down from this distance within seconds.

  But that alone would not make him retreat. To retreat meant to be a sinner who left the town he managed to get drowned in blood.

  Mayor, in fact, wasn’t that bad of a person.

  Yes, he was greedy and embezzled some of the taxes once in a while here and there, but he felt that this was a fair reward for the amount of work he had done for this town.

  He wasn’t thinking about the mayor’s obligations. No, that was the least of his problems.

  ‘Those damn pests.’

  The reason why he chose to become Aziro’s lapdog was not just for a profit. It was for the survival of his and the entire town’s families.

  Outsiders that didn’t view the townsfolk as people were a menace that had to be addressed.

  The fact that there were two major gangs that hid their forces that were stronger than the city’s guards was also a big problem.

  Unfortunately, there was no one to help.

  Mayor was painfully aware of the kingdom of Vanaras’ condition.

  ‘Failed Breeding Facility.’

  That was what this accursed place was.

  The concept of kingdoms and empires was almost obsolete.

  It was a matter of old eras.

  Nowadays? The world was at the brink of utter chaos.

  He didn’t know much, but he had few acquaintances who saw the world beyond the kingdom.

  Even the Arkravav Empire was just a shell made by strong entities to amass more power. There was no real order or management beyond the superficial profit and authority.

  Maybe the Broken Countries of Orelios in the south could be considered a rare haven for the citizens seeking an order. But even they weren’t truly advanced as much as the ancient nations.

  Then what about Vanaras?

  It was just land conquered by the Arkravav Empire. The tribal natives whose ancestors survived the calamity that caused this land to be so barren were enslaved and were made to procreate to create more human resources for the empire.

  However, this land was barren not only in natural resources but even in human talent and whatnot. It was as if the place was under curse with no value whatsoever.

  But this was also a kind of blessing.

  The stronger families and organizations that had their own facilities to foster talented people were completely uninterested in this place.

  Only the ones that lacked the strength and wealth viewed this place as a viable human gathering spot.

  Thanks to that, this place was not completely ransacked.

  Unfortunately, they still abused these lands once in a while, but it was manageable in the eyes of the royal family.

  Of course it was, since it was just a puppet family that was controlled in turns by those cults. They weren’t here to rule this land but to keep it barely functional to make it easy to control.

  It was a mystery that a clan like Heart Bearer was able to thrive and make several talents in almost every generation. The fact that they managed to avoid being drafted was also irritating.

  Varel’s gang was also good, but it was mostly centered around him, an outsider, who was backed by Vanda.

  In the end, the kingdom was decaying.

  The rise of Alfred who worked hard and made several achievements was like a gust of fresh wind, but it would not do anything in the bigger scope of things.

  Mayor respected the man but thought he was too straightforward and naive.

  ‘You should have bided your time, Headmaster. You can’t blame me for this.’ He shook his head despondently as he wanted to continue speaking.

  However, Alfred turned towards him and spoke first with a cold glare.

  “Innocent people? Like the ones you thugs killed off in the mountains while pushing the blame on others? The gall!”

  The words were so chilling that the mayor was already sweating, but he held his ground with clenched teeth.

  “T-this is definitely a problem, but there is no way to solve that with an impulsive mind. We need to calm down first and organize a proper investigation…”

  Mayor stuttered at first but held on as he forced a firm gaze at Alfred.

  Alfred already stopped talking to him as he focused on Brynjar who fled away. His hand holding onto the spell was trembling as his breath became ragged.

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  “Hah! Proper investigation now? Didn’t you execute the academics of my institute without such a thing? Didn’t the council plead with you all? It is just now when I have come personally you try to reason with me. Who do you think you are?”

  Alfred clenched his fist as the big rock levitating in the air scattered in a menacing way as he made a stance with his halberd.

  “Why should I be tolerating such humiliation?”

  Just as the atmosphere was getting tenser, Illyan felt something as he turned his attention elsewhere.

  “Because it is my order.”

  Right behind the mayor, several men on horses slowly showed up.

  Nobody was paying attention to them before, and they quietly snuck just behind.

  However, now that their presence was revealed, it made not only the ordinary people but even Alfred completely flabbergasted.

  One man on the horse was being flanked by four others who were one step behind him as they carried themselves with professionalism laced with confidence.

  Their garments were made out of light leather armor with golden chainmail, chestplate, and shoulder steel plates adorning over it and covering the weak spots of the body. Soft gambeson was hiding underneath it all to protect the body, the reinforced breeches to cover their legs, and a golden helmet settled on their heads to protect them from any harm.

  They dutifully scanned the surroundings as they stared at Alfred as a potential threat. Their hands in heavy gauntlets seemed calm but prepared for any danger as they lay on the pommel of their swords which were sheathed at their hip with spears being strapped on the horses’ saddles.

  Even Illyan could see that the quality of the armor they wore was much higher than anything he saw before. Even the quality of the four men in armor seemed high.

  ‘The skill is real.’

  He could see the subtle movements of their bodies as they balanced on the horse. It was obvious that while looking quite relaxed, they were prepared to strike at any time.

  ‘They are just guards?’ Illyan could see how they flanked the man in the center and felt immediately wary.

  He could not feel the same pressure from the man, but there was a certain atmosphere to him that unsettled him.

  The man was adorned in simple light leather armor, but its design was more aesthetic than practical. All kinds of embroidered flower patterns could be observed on his clothes that seemed to be of very high quality.

  His hair was brown and face was just average, but the expression of dignified indifference made him stand out.

  ‘The air around him is different.’ Illyan’s eyes sharpened when he saw the young man. The way he sat on his horse, his eyes gazing down at Headmaster Alfred with uncanny calmness made Illyan wary.

  But the biggest surprise was when Alfred turned his head back at the voice, he also showed a shock.

  “Y-your Highness?”

  Varel and Brynjar, whose muscles were trembling from the short yet intense fight, finally sighed in relief as their lips curled up a little and they immediately bowed.

  “Welcome, Your Highness.”

  Mayor also jumped down the horse and made a small bow as he shouted.

  “You are in the presence of the Second Prince, Chymias Cas Vanaras. Show your respect!”

  The people around felt the shift of the atmosphere, and when they heard the mayor's words they were shocked.

  However, shock didn’t stop them from bowing as they valued their lives.

  Illyan, hearing this, was also surprised as he copied what others did.

  But still, while bowing with head down, he kept his eyes up to oversee the situation.

  He noticed the grins on the side of Brynjar with his men bowing the deepest while Alfred’s expression turned neutral. However, the fire in his eyes grew even stronger when no one was looking.

  “At ease, citizens of Vanaras. I, Chymias Cas Vanaras, came here at the behest of Mayor Faurel to personally investigate the incident that happened in the mountains and prosecute the culprits behind such atrocities. Before that, any acts of unauthorized vigilantism will be heavily punished.” Saying that, he cast his eyes at Alfred for a second before turning his head away in indifference.

  When he rode his horse ahead of the four men, who were supposedly his guards, and gave his speech, the entire plaza turned silent.

  However, soon enough Brynjar, who was bowing down, showed his acts of gratitude.

  “Your Highness, we, the smallfolk of the Winterfrost, are very grateful for your aid of our insignificant problems. Without Your Highness’ interference, I don’t know if I lived another day…” Brynjar started talking with eloquence while the prince nodded.

  “You can be assured, Brynjar. I will get to the core of this and give you all a proper answer.”

  Saying this, the man turned around, took out a parchment under his garment, and called out to the people.

  “Heed the royal decree!”

  His loud voice resounded as the surprised crowd immediately kneeled on their knees.

  If Illyan’s perception was not quick enough, he would probably stand there like a sore thumb and be noticed by everyone.

  There was some resemblance of stories about royalty in his young age, but all of that awe already faded away.

  Now, only some of the knowledge about them he drew from books in the library.

  But that was only superficial since he never really sought out such knowledge.

  He already looked over the horizon towards the Arkravav Empire.

  This place was just him accumulating the power and knowledge while being low key.

  Thus, when he realized this man was royalty, he quickly tried to find the memory about them.

  It was said that in the past era, kings and princes were untainted by the mortal dust and were sons of gods. They were pastors who herded their sheep and nobody could say anything even if they slayed one for their meat and skin.

  Only the noblest families with enough strength accumulated for centuries did not need to be fully submissive in front of the royalty.

  But nowadays it was very different in many kingdoms. Only the lowliest of the folks would kneel while those with even a bit of strength stood firmly on their feet with just a slight bow in show of respect.

  That was because the various powerhouses were running rampant everywhere and the royalty was not absolute.

  Culture of the land was dead and the safety of citizens was forfeited.

  No standard etiquette could be taught or learned.

  Illyan felt that this perspective was quite scary to think about. People lived their lives normally like always, but it seemed that a lot of things changed to worse over time.

  Because of all of this, Illyan just decided to do the same thing people around him did.

  Meanwhile, the prince loudly declared:

  “From the time the representative of the Vanaras Crown, Prince Chymias Cas Vanaras, arrives in the Winterfrost. Henceforth, he will be appointed as new Lord of Winterfrost and oversee the land of over fifty acres around it and become the wall and shelter to its people. The filth of the town shall be disposed of and the justice will be served! Until the wrongdoers face the right punishment, the royal representative shall stay and serve the people of the northern land.”

  “We accept the decree!” Brynjar and others bowed deeper as they called out.

  Mayor, who was already on his feet, scurried towards the prince and took out a small token which he offered to the prince.

  “I, mayor of the Winterfrost town, received the decree and will hand over my authority as I will retire.”

  With a nod, one of the four guards took the token and gave it personally to the prince.

  All of this happened in just a moment and not a few people were stupefied, Illyan being one of them.

  ‘What the fuck?’

  He tried to rein his emotions until now, but this was the last nail in the coffin as he cursed in his mind.

  For he knew this was some kind of ploy that would throw everything into chaos.

  ‘Damn you, you bastards.’

  While he gritted his teeth, Aurelia’s eyes also turned cold.

  ‘This will complicate everything.’

  “As for you, Sir Alfred, I believe you know your crimes, right? I understand your frustration, but attacking innocent people before proving anything is just wrong. For attacking the citizens and disrupting the order of this land, you shall be punished by solitary confinement in your residence here.”

  Illyan could almost see the glimpse of slyness in the man’s eyes as he sighed.

  ‘The man arrived with such momentum but now his ember was as easily extinguished.’

  He could not say that he was not disappointed, but at the same time he could agree that the best thing that the headmaster could do now was to lower his head even further.

  It was a bad move to barge here like this without a plan in the first place.

  As Illyan believed this to be the end of this, Alfred's cold voice shook his heart.

  “I do not agree with this arrangement.” The already silent crowd now bated their breaths as the situation became dangerous and absurd.

  This, however, didn’t stop the man as he stood there straight, making even the prince on his own horse to look somewhat smaller…