I Alone Regress in a Hero Party That Was Annihilated - Chapter 22

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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#22. Declaration of War (2)

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The crows that had been perched on the bell tower all flew up into the sky in a rush.

Dong― Dong― Dong― Dong―

The bell sound that guides the dead to depart for the afterlife.

At that sound, people gathered in the city central plaza.

And the death of one person was announced.

【Funeral Notice】

―Deceased: Yudi Administrator.

―Chief Mourner: Featherback Mörsolt.

Everyone had to be shocked.

Because Yudi Administrator was the one who controlled all authority in Mörsolt, an authority figure who could make even flying birds fall within Mörsolt Territory.

“Wait, isn’t Judas the administrator of the Mörsolt Family? That person died?”

“Come on, no way. He seemed perfectly healthy when I saw him not long ago?”

“He must have had some chronic illness. It’s not uncommon for people to suddenly pass away in the Northern Region, right?”

When news of Yudi Administrator’s death spread, the castle became busy in an instant.

He was someone who had worked as Mörsolt’s retainer for decades.

He was Soleil Mörsolt’s closest aide who had handled all matters big and small for the family.

Among the local notables in the region, a commotion suddenly arose.

“This isn’t the time to be sitting around! Move quickly!”

“Huh? Wait, why?”

“Can’t you see? Now that Judas is dead, his child will become the administrator, right? Then who will hold the power! It’ll be too late if we try to get in line later!”

“But why is the Mörsolt Family’s young master serving as chief mourner instead of Judas’s child?”

“I don’t know. They must have been very close while he was alive. It’s something that happens often in noble families, isn’t it?”

“Damn old man. He was so greedy for bribes, and in the end he died so meaninglessly.”

“That’s right. Every time with tributes and whatnot, he’d scrape away even the emergency funds hidden under the heated floors. Really…”

“Ugh, I’m worried about what kind of person the next administrator will be. Still, they’d be better than Judas, right?”

“Won’t it be Judas’s child anyway? Where would that blood go? Probably worse if anything, certainly not better.”

Not long after the funeral notice was posted, carriages loaded with gold and silver treasures in the name of condolence money came flooding into Mörsolt Castle without rest.

Along with greedy people trying to attach themselves to the new authority figure.

“The new administrator should be satisfied with the amount of my condolence money…”

“How much did you put in?”

“One hundred gold. In cash.”

“A hundred gold? Oh no, did I bring too little?”

“Go get more even now, man! I squeezed those subcontractor bastards really tight to gather this money.”

“Still, if you get in the new administrator’s good graces, it’s profitable business. You’ll be able to make back more than that.”

However.

“…!”

The mourners who entered the funeral hall instinctively sensed it.

“…! …!”

That something was going terribly wrong.

The funeral hall was the plaza located in front of the Mörsolt Family mansion.

In the center of it, Yudi Administrator’s corpse was visible.

And the mourners’ mouths gaped open so wide they couldn’t open any further upon seeing it.

“…! …! …!”

Judas’s corpse was tied to a stake in a gruesome state with his neck severed.

The severed head was displayed on a tall pole, with crows already swarming blackly around it, pecking away.

Below it, a public notice was posted.

— — —

【Public Judgment】

The criminal is punished for the following charges.

Name: Judas

Charges: Treason, tax evasion, embezzlement, breach of trust, incitement to murder, and 34 other legal violations

Verdict: Death penalty

Mitigating circumstances: None

— — —

And below that, another proclamation could be seen attached.

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【Comprehensive Crime Voluntary Reporting Special Law Enactment Proclamation】

1. For the next ten days, those who voluntarily report their own crimes will receive significant sentence reductions.

2. Crimes discovered after ten days have passed will receive punishments 10 times the original severity.

Special Law Proclaimer: Featherback Mörsolt

— — —

All the crowd finally realized upon seeing this.

This was not a funeral hall, but an execution ground.

“Uweeeeek!”

The scholars who saw corpses for the first time began retching.

Cold sweat beaded on the faces of the local notables who had prided themselves on their fortitude.

And for good reason, as Judas’s condition hanging on the cross was utterly horrific.

Dark blue skin, bright red blood congestion, the completely frozen and swollen beheaded corpse.

Who could have known that Yudi Administrator, who was said to make even flying birds fall with his reputation, would meet such an end?

The faces of the mourners who had come to the funeral hall grew increasingly distorted.

“Wh-what happened here?”

“Why was Yudi Administrator executed? Why?”

“Wh-what is this all about…”

Just then, as if responding to the crowd’s questions, the public notice fluttered.

— — —

【Comprehensive Crime Voluntary Reporting Special Law Enactment Proclamation】

1. For the next ten days, those who voluntarily report their own crimes will receive significant sentence reductions.

2. Crimes discovered after ten days have passed will receive punishments 10 times the original severity.

Special Law Proclaimer: Featherback Mörsolt

— — —

The Mörsolt Family had drawn their sword.

The giant who had been unable to exert its full strength due to the parasite named Judas was finally beginning to move.

To root out the trash that had taken hold throughout the territory.

* * *

The people who finished the funeral slowly left the plaza.

Complex and subtle emotions showed on their faces.

Was this what the end of an authority figure looked like?

Some felt satisfaction, while others felt chills.

Black flags announcing mourning fluttered on the walls of the plaza.

News of Yudi Administrator’s execution spread rapidly throughout the entire village.

Many people were astonished.

“Finally, Mörsolt has cut off Judas’s head.”

“Really unexpected.”

“Actually, it’s a natural result if you think about it. Judas had been going too far for too long.”

“But still, to cut off his head without any warning. I never thought they’d go that far…”

All the territory residents were in an uproar.

A massive discourse writhed like a living creature, centered around the Mörsolt Family.

Various interpretations and differing opinions poured out regarding Mörsolt’s recent actions.

…However, most of them were not very positive.

“For Mörsolt to make such an extreme choice, I don’t know what will happen to the Mörsolt Family from now on.”

“Reform might have been necessary, but to use such cruel methods without even a trial? This seems a bit excessive.”

“Will such radical methods really succeed?”

“Sigh, hardly likely.”

It was clear that the Mörsolt Family was facing a new phase.

However, there weren’t many who believed such radical reform methods would succeed.

Especially among those who held some influence in the region, concerns and cynicism toward Mörsolt grew thicker.

While ending Yudi Administrator’s overreach and rampage might be good for Mörsolt, almost no one thought that violence calling for blood would lead to reform.

The prevailing opinion was that Mörsolt’s recklessness would only bring about catastrophe.

Because the trash that had been feeding off Judas all this time was still rooted throughout the territory.

* * *

In the secret salon of an upscale tavern within the territory, the faces of those gathered together were full of mockery.

“If they think they can uproot us just by catching one Yudi Administrator, they’re gravely mistaken.”

A man spoke while tilting his wine cup.

His eyes were cold and cynical.

“That guy was just a figurehead at best.”

The man sitting next to him also nodded in agreement.

He gritted his teeth while caressing his sword handle.

“If they were going to draw their swords, they should have done it long ago. What’s this nonsense now?”

“We just need to lay low for a while. Hehehe—”

“Did those idiots who only know how to swing swords even think deeply about this? They probably thought they could just smash everything brutishly.”

They laughed heartily and clinked their cups together.

One member of the group lowered his voice and whispered.

“Still, let’s be careful for a while. Right now Mörsolt is sharpening their blade, so if we just avoid that, things will quiet down again. No matter what, they can’t just go around killing people without justification, right?”

“Of course. Probably just a few unlucky bastards will get caught.”

“Damn old Judas, he should have kept his greed in moderation. Why did he cross the line and cause this trouble?”

Second generation of influential families, local notables, local power brokers, and various others entangled in interests.

They were cancerous masses who called themselves the ‘social leadership class’ and were the true nucleus that made the Mörsolt Territory rot.

* * *

Even while those with guilty consciences conspired together, time flowed equally for all.

Today too, the morning sun revealed itself beyond the horizon, and the territory was covered with a trace of peacefulness.

But that was only momentary, as some people were gradually feeling the approaching storm on their skin.

“….”

“….”

“….”

Because today was the morning of the tenth day that the Mörsolt Family had declared.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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