Night was deepening. The Greyfeld Margraviate, located in the border region between the Neuricht Empire and the Ferona Kingdom. This land, which had once prospered, was now filled with the scars of war: burned farmhouses, abandoned villages, and corpses scattered everywhere. Just a few months ago, this had been a place of fierce resistance.
Margrave Reinhold von Greyfeld. He was a man who had refused to surrender to the very end. He had fought against the empire's invasion, and even after defeat became certain, he did not yield. After losing his troops, losing his castle, losing everything, he still did not flee. He had been hiding with his family, waiting for an opportunity, an opportunity to escape to the Ferona Kingdom.
But fate betrayed him.
---
Torches were lit in front of a dilapidated farmhouse. Imperial soldiers surrounded the building, wearing black armor with red insignia, the elite troops under General Klaus. Before them stood a carriage, one intended for their escape. But now it was useless.
"Drag them out," the commander ordered.
Soldiers rushed into the farmhouse. Moments later, people were dragged out amid screams.
Margrave Reinhold, a man in his mid-fifties. Once a dignified noble, he now looked shabby. His beard had grown wild, his clothes were ragged. But his eyes had not yet been broken.
Behind him, his family was dragged out. His wife, a noblewoman in her late forties, clutched her husband's arm with a pale face. Two sons, young men in their early twenties, had tried to resist and been subdued by the soldiers. And then, a young daughter, a girl who looked less than ten years old, crying in terror.
"Please...! Please, at least spare the child...!" the wife pleaded.
But the soldiers showed no mercy.
The commander stepped forward, a man in his mid-thirties with sharp eyes and a cold expression. He was one of the knight commanders under General Klaus.
"Reinhold von Greyfeld," he said, looking down at the margrave. "Traitor. Fugitive. And..." He smiled mockingly. "Pathetic loser."
"...I am no traitor," Reinhold said through gritted teeth. "I only defended my homeland. I fought against your empire's invasion."
"Homeland? That homeland has already fallen," the knight commander sneered. "The Astral Kingdom no longer exists. This land is now territory of the Neuricht Empire. Land ruled by His Majesty."
"That 'His Majesty' of yours..." Fury burned in Reinhold's eyes. "Isn't she the 'Witch of Destruction'? The demon who brought down the kingdom with magic!"
In that instant, the knight commander's expression froze with cold fury. His hand moved like lightning.
Thwack!
A fist slammed into Reinhold's face. The margrave fell to the ground.
"Father!"
"Darling!"
His family screamed. The knight commander looked down at the fallen Reinhold and spoke in a low voice.
"Insult His Majesty one more time. I dare you."
"...Kugh..."
Reinhold tried to rise while spitting blood. "Is speaking... the truth... an insult...?"
"Truth?" The knight commander scoffed. "What truth do you know? A loser's resentment? An incompetent man's excuses?"
He grabbed Reinhold by the hair and lifted him up. "His Majesty is purifying this rotten kingdom. Removing parasites like you and building a new world. And yet you dare..."
"A new world?" Reinhold laughed with his bloodied face, a self-mocking laugh. "Is a world stained with blood a new world? An empire built on massacre?"
"..."
"Your 'His Majesty' is nothing but a murderer! The Witch of Destruction! A demon thirsting for blood!"
The knight commander's eyes gleamed coldly. "...Fine."
He released Reinhold. The margrave fell to the ground again. "If you don't understand His Majesty's worth, I'll teach you."
He raised his hand. The soldiers moved.
"Wait! What are you doing?!" Reinhold screamed.
Soldiers dragged his family forward, his wife, two sons, and young daughter. All with their hands bound.
"Please...! Please, spare them...!" Reinhold begged. "Kill me! Isn't killing me enough?!"
"Only you?" The knight commander shook his head. "That would be too easy. The principle is not to leave a traitor's seed behind."
"You're insane...! Even the child?! The child is innocent!"
"Innocent?" The knight commander looked at the young girl clutching her mother's skirt while crying. "What do you think will happen when this child grows up? She'll dream of avenging her father. She'll hate His Majesty. Eventually, she'll become another seed of rebellion."
"That's speculation!"
"Speculation?" The knight commander laughed coldly. "I prefer 'certainty.'"
He drew his sword. The sharp metallic sound split the night air.
"No...! No!" Reinhold struggled, but soldiers held him fast.
"The sons first," the knight commander said, approaching the two young men.
"You coward...! At least give us weapons and fight us...!" the eldest son shouted.
Instead of answering, the knight commander swung his sword.
Swoosh...
Blood sprayed. The young man's body fell.
"No! William!" the wife shrieked, her eyes widening in horror as she thrashed against the soldiers. "Not my son!"
"Brother!!!" the younger brother screamed.
But he didn't last long either. Another sword strike. Another corpse.
"Stop! Please, God, stop it!" The mother let out a guttural, tearing scream. "My babies! You monsters! Why?!"
"Aaaah...!" Reinhold wailed.
"Next, the wife."
The knight commander approached the wife. She was trembling, but held back her tears as she looked at her husband.
"Darling... I love you..." Those were her last words.
The sword came down.
"And then..."
The knight commander turned to the young girl. The child was crying, not even understanding what was happening. Just crying because she was scared.
"Please...!" Reinhold cried out. "Please, at least spare the child...! I'll kneel...! I'll do anything...! Please...!"
The knight commander paused. He looked at Reinhold for a moment. And then...
"Too late."
The sword moved. A small scream. Then silence.
"Aaaaaaah...!" Reinhold wailed like a madman. "Demons...! Deeemons...!"
He tried to shake off the soldiers, but he had no strength.
"Witch of Destruction...! You will be cursed...! Alicia Eleonora von Valencia...! That woman will fall into hell...!"
The knight commander slowly approached Reinhold. "...His Majesty Alicia," he corrected coldly. "That's not a name for a worm like you to speak."
"She will fall into hell! You too! That witch too! All of you!"
"You still don't understand," the knight commander said, raising his sword. "Why you're dying."
"What...?"
"Because you don't understand His Majesty's worth."
The knight commander's eyes gleamed coldly. "His Majesty seeks to change this rotten world. A world where nobles exploit commoners. A world where the strong trample the weak. She seeks to end such a world."
"...Insane talk..."
"Parasites like you must disappear for the new world to come. That's why you die."
The sword came down. Reinhold's head fell to the ground.
Silence fell. The soldiers began clearing away the bodies.
The knight commander wiped the blood from his sword with a cloth and sighed. Then he muttered to himself alone.
"Vermin..."
He looked up at the night sky. "These people don't know His Majesty's greatness. They don't know how much His Majesty sacrifices for this world."
Fanatical loyalty gleamed in his eyes. "But that's alright. I'll handle it in her stead."
He sheathed his sword. "The mission His Majesty entrusted to me, the mission to purge these rotten nobles. I will carry it out more faithfully than anyone."
He watched as the bodies were burned. Flames lit up the night sky. Smoke rose.
"For His Majesty," he vowed quietly. "Until the day this life ends."