Paimon was so scared she let out a strange "wa-ya-ya-ya" cry.
She buried her entire face in Lumine's chest, her small body shaking uncontrollably.
Lumine also looked away. Although she had experienced many battles, this kind of purely execution-style scene still made her feel a bit uneasy.
Arataki Itto whispered to Kuki Shinobu, "A-Nin, the way the Lord reasons is so direct, I really like it."
Kuki Shinobu rolled her eyes at him and whispered back, "I like it too, but now is not the time to talk about this."
Zhongli's movement of sipping tea paused for a moment, and he shook his head slightly, but said nothing.
During the era of the Archon War, he had seen many scenes far more cruel than this.
He just felt it was a bit smelly; the scent of the tea had been contaminated, and these tea leaves were very expensive.
The second, the third, the fourth... people on the list were brought in one after another.
Some tried to argue, some wept and begged for mercy, some fainted from fright, and some, knowing they were doomed, were ashen-faced and remained silent.
King's method of handling them was outrageously simple: verify the identity, confirm they were on the list, and nod.
Then Hiiragi Sarutobi or his personal attendants would carry out the execution.
No trial, no debate, no gathering of more evidence.
The evil deeds committed by these beasts weren't hidden at all; he didn't know why that lazy fox Yae Miko had kept these parasites around.
But it didn't matter. As a top student who had attended university, King's efficiency in "reasoning" was terrifyingly high.
The smell of blood in the study grew heavier and heavier.
Even though the windows were wide open, that thick scent still lingered.
Hiiragi Sarutobi had already had several incense burners brought in, lighting the best incense in Inazuma, but it had little effect.
Paimon went from her initial panic to being somewhat indifferent, even starting to feel bored.
After all, she wasn't truly a naive little girl.
Having traveled through five nations, Paimon had seen countless corpses.
Moreover, these people deserved to die.
Paimon floated over to King, tugged at his trench coat sleeve, and whispered, "King, how much longer? Paimon's hungry."
King looked down at her, fished a small Fontaine specialty cake wrapped in oil paper from his coat, and stuffed it into Paimon's hand.
"Soon. If you're hungry, go eat outside."
"Yay!"
Paimon happily flew out to the hallway clutching the cake, even thoughtfully closing the door behind her.
Lumine: "..."
Big Fool Paimon, the smell of blood in here is so foul, why are you closing the door?!
The cleanup work continued.
When about one-third of the people on the list had been "processed," a change began to appear in the people being brought in.
A man wearing Ronin attire, with a scar on his face and fierce eyes, was escorted in.
He seemed to try to resist, but the Hiiragi Clan attendants escorting him were clearly prepared, using some kind of restraint method that left him unable to move.
He glared deathly at King, a beast-like low growl coming from his throat.
King glanced at the list, which was marked: Hiiragi San-shaku, Ronin leader, responsible for the armed escort of crystallized bone marrow, cruel methods, repeatedly murdered miners who tried to escape or report to the authorities.
King nodded.
The scarred Ronin's roar turned into a desperate shriek.
A fine head flew into the air.
The next was a middle-aged woman wearing a gorgeous kimono, still retaining her charm, from a merchant guild that was deeply colluding with the Kanjou Commission.
She didn't cry out; she was just pale, biting her lip hard, looking at King with eyes full of resentment.
"Retribution will come for you! You Fontaine demon! The Gods of Inazuma will not let you go!"
She cursed shrilly.
King didn't even twitch an eyebrow.
Retribution?
He was currently delivering retribution to them on behalf of the people of Inazuma.
From beginning to end, Hiiragi Sarutobi was like a heartless machine, only knowing how to execute orders, his face showing no extra expression besides fatigue.
King remained expressionless, constantly nodding to signal the start of the execution.
Within the Kanjou Commission, blood flowed like a river.
King's goal was simple: to eliminate the vermin who dared to harm Fontaine.
Zhongli slowly finished his cup of tea and placed the teacup gently on the windowsill.
Looking at King's nearly cold face, he could probably guess what King intended to do next.
It wasn't simple punishment.
He wanted to use the most violent method to cut out the abscess for this terminally ill nation of Inazuma.
The pain was intense, perhaps even fatal.
But if left alone, all of Inazuma would sooner or later die in corruption.
Only... after cutting out the "abscess"?
Who would fill the void?
Could new flesh and blood grow healthily?
Would new "abscesses" breed elsewhere?
Zhongli's gaze turned toward the direction of Inazuma City outside the window.
There were more deep-seated ailments there, more complex networks of interests, and thousands upon thousands of living beings struggling in hardship.
"Destruction before creation..." He whispered to himself, "Easier said than done."
Time passed bit by bit.
The names on the list grew fewer and fewer.
The study had become completely uninhabitable; King had long since moved to the guest courtyard outside, which was relatively spacious and had much better air circulation.
Hiiragi Sarutobi had people quickly clean the scene, but that smell seemed to have soaked through the entire Kanjou Commission.
Finally, as the setting sun began to dye the horizon orange-red, the last name on the list was crossed out.
It was a branch family member of the Hiiragi Clan who had been hiding in a luxurious villa somewhere in Ritou, attempting to escape dressed as a woman; he was also one of Hiiragi Danzo's confidants, specifically responsible for falsifying accounts to cover up the flow of crystallized bone marrow smuggling.
When he was caught, his face was still smeared with powder and he wore a wig, looking neither like a man nor a woman.
When he saw King standing with his hands behind his back, bathed in the afterglow of the setting sun, and Hiiragi Sarutobi beside him with a wooden face and cuffs stained with dark red, he completely collapsed, unable even to speak words of plea.
Hiiragi Sarutobi looked at this rebellious youth before him, his heart twisting with pain.
But he still shed tears of blood and signaled his attendants to act.
"Hiiragi Sima, in your next life, be a good person."
"..."
"Still as hypocritical as ever... Father."
There was similarly no mercy in the handling of Hiiragi Sima.
After the final muffled sound of a blade cutting through flesh, the courtyard fell into absolute silence.
Hiiragi Sarutobi took out a clean handkerchief, wiped his blood-tears, then walked to King and bowed deeply.
"Lord King, all one thousand and forty-seven people on the list have been dealt with."
"Relevant case files and accounts have been sealed and are available for inspection at any time."
"The wealth illegally accumulated by Hiiragi Danzo and his cronies is being tallied. Preliminary estimates..."
"Are worth at least fifty billion Mora."
When he finished, a hint of bitterness inevitably crept into his voice.
This unimaginable wealth was the blood and sweat of how many Inazuman citizens, the destruction of how many Inazuman families.
King gave an "un," acknowledging the information.
He didn't care about how much money there was; he wasn't interested in money.
He only cared about one thing... "Lead the way," King said, "To the Tenryou Commission."
Hiiragi Sarutobi's body shook slightly, but he immediately lowered his head: "Yes."
He understood.
The Kanjou Commission was only the beginning.
This guardian of fontaine intended to follow this line and dig out the rotting roots of all Inazuma, piece by piece.
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