Chapter 333 - A Great Purge
Early morning, in the side hall of the council chamber of the royal palace of the Kingdom of El, the atmosphere was more somber than usual.
Emperor Leggett, having just finished dealing with the aftermath of the northern war, returned to the capital late last night, still feeling exhausted.
After the Demon King was sealed away, the Northern Demon Army was leaderless and suffered a complete defeat under the allied forces' attack. The fall of the two Seven Sages of Collapse cut off any possibility of a demon counterattack.
At least for the foreseeable future, the North will enjoy a rare period of peace.
This should have been a triumphant return, but...
Before Leggett could even settle in, a series of headache-inducing news arrived.
The most troublesome issue was an urgent message from last night: an earl's residence had been attacked.
If it were just that, Leggett wouldn't be so troubled, but what made his eyelids twitch was that all the evidence and eyewitness testimonies pointed to the Magic Association, especially Serie's apprentice, Flamme.
She had always been in charge of the Magic Association's daily affairs. All the mages who entered the association had seen her to some extent, including the mages stationed in the Earl's Mansion.
Therefore, the moment they clashed, the other party recognized Flamme's identity immediately, and as soon as Flamme left with Evan and the others, the earl informed them of the news.
At this moment, in the side hall, Leggett looked at the calm-looking Kurtz and the aloof Serie standing before him, and felt his good mood after returning to the capital had wholly disappeared.
Leggett rubbed his temples, his tone tinged with helplessness. "Lord Kurtz, Lady Serie...I just returned from the front lines, Um...and before I could even have a proper cup of tea, I heard that your apprentices have caused quite a stir."
He tried to keep his tone calm, even dismissive, but the trouble in his eyes was real.
He naturally already knew Kurtz's true identity.
From the initial shock and disbelief to the awe that followed confirmation, it has now become caution when facing a living legend.
After all, the other party's reputation among humans was unmatched, and with the addition of the elven saint Serie, they were practically gods.
Leggett knew very well that in front of these two, his title of emperor carried little weight.
Before Kurtz could speak, Serie snorted. "Leggett, you need to understand, it was those cowards who targeted us first, the audacity to attack me on the streets of the capital!"
"We were just following the trail and inviting them to answer questions." Her tone was anything but polite.
In Serie's view, not razing the Earl's mansion to the ground was already a great concession.
Leggett was momentarily speechless, then forced a smile. "Lady Serie, that's not what I meant. It's just that your actions...aren't they a bit too high-profile?"
"Flamme and the others didn't even bother to conceal their faces, and now the entire capital knows the Magic Association has taken action. This puts me in a difficult position."
He tried to express his predicament tactfully: "If they were to wear a mask or use more covert means, I could manage to deal with those nobles and suppress the matter."
In fact, not long after Leggett returned to the palace last night, a large group of nobles came to him to accuse Serie's disciples of being lawless.
How dare they openly attack a count in the capital and even kidnap him! This is simply disrespectful to His Majesty!
Leggett could only try his best to appease them.
After all, their qualifications are too intimidating. If they really don't take him seriously, what can Leggett do?
We can't be like that fool in the Southern Unified Empire, who sent troops and assassins to attack the two, only to fail and end up disintegrating his own country.
He's not that stupid.
"No need," Serie replied crisply. "To deal with these sneaky guys, we have to go to their doorstep and let them know what happens when they mess with us."
Leggett was momentarily speechless again, knowing it was pointless to discuss political considerations with this strong-willed elf.
He had no choice but to turn to Kurtz, who had remained silent, hoping that the legendary hero would comprehend his predicament.
However, what Kurtz said next almost made Leggett stand up from his chair.
"Leggett, regarding this matter and the large number of unstable factors that have recently entered the capital, Serie, and I have made a preliminary assessment. We believe a major purge is needed within the El Empire, especially among the nobles."
Kurtz paused, then emphasized: "A very, very big cleanup. You need to be mentally prepared."
"Cle-...cleanse?!" Leggett's mouth dropped open, his shock impossible to conceal; he even wondered if he was hallucinating.
Cleansing the nobility?
This is not as simple as arresting one or two lawbreakers; this is a major move that will shake the very foundation of the empire's rule!
Leggett swallowed hard, his voice trembling. "Lord Kurtz—has things gotten this serious?"
He was certainly not wholly unaware of the situation in the capital.
He had received word of the influx of powerful outsiders and the attacks targeting Kurtz and Serie.
He also knew that the root of all this pointed to the immortality magic that could drive anyone mad.
Kurtz nodded, confirming Leggett's guess. "Yes, the situation is more complicated than it appears. According to the intelligence we currently have, a considerable number of imperial nobles are involved in the plan against Serie and me."
He looked at Leggett's shifting expression and added, "This is not just a personal grudge between us."
"My magic of immortality is something that no one else can learn or replicate, but even if I told them, no one would believe me."
"These nobles, in their pursuit of this magic, invited trouble, colluded with external forces, and lured them into the capital. Eliminating them will not only solve our problem but also remove an internal threat to you."
Leggett fell silent, leaned back in his chair, and let out a long sigh.
As an emperor, how could he not know about the corruption and greed of some nobles?
However, a large-scale purge would inevitably cause enormous turmoil, involving countless interest groups. If not handled properly, it could even shake the El family's rule.
Looking at the indifferent expressions of Kurtz and Serie, he felt a surge of powerlessness.
Faced with these two beings of absolute power, his considerations seemed utterly insignificant.
After all, they didn't care how the imperial nobility would retaliate, nor did they care how many nobles would be purged in the process.
All they need is a result, an environment where no one covets them.
After a long silence, Leggett sighed again, as if resigned to his fate. "I understand! Since Lord Kurtz and Lady Serie have made their decision, I will do my best to cooperate."
He knew he had no choice but to agree.
Rather than passively waiting for these two to act and create even more uncontrollable chaos, it's better to actively cooperate, at least keeping the scope and impact of the cleanup within a certain range.
However, the thought of the bloodshed that was about to erupt in the capital and the backlash from nobles from all sides gave Leggett a headache.
Being an emperor is truly...too difficult.
[End of Chapter]
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