Chapter 100

The Wolphall family’s initial reaction was denial of reality.

“Son of a bitch…!”

“Calm down. Your father will be able to handle this.”

Hayden Wolphall restrained his daughter, who was enraged and about to charge at me.

If Hayden’s daughter had drawn a Wheelock pistol, I would have responded immediately. Though I don’t shy away from violence, now wasn’t the time.

Let it happen, but just a little later.

In the midst of this, Hayden Wolphall was the only one who remained relatively calm.

“Alan Medoff.”

He called my name and then silence ensued again.

Even though they now look ridiculous, if Victoria had become emperor safely, these people would have infiltrated all the power of the empire.

‘But that’s all over now.’

However, it seemed Hayden Wolphall was thinking differently.

Did he still believe there was a way out? After pausing for a moment, he managed a somewhat bizarre smile.

“Do you think this is the end?”

“Yes.”

“Now, how dare you be insolent in front of—no. Your attitude doesn’t matter to me. You must’ve tricked Her Highness Victoria with some scheme.”

“…”

“But a minor incident like this won’t make the second imperial princess become the heiress apparent. I just have to contact a few acquaintances, and this will be buried in no time… an insignificant matter.”

Though his words sounded arrogant, Hayden’s voice was trembling.

He must know it’s already over. There’s no way out, yet he couldn’t accept it, so he denied it. It’s not unusual—thinking it’s just a temporary crisis and that things will settle soon after enduring for a bit.

In the dead end, the minds of big shots are mostly the same.

“Very well, General Hayden. Who do you plan to appeal to for help?”

“I’ve done favors for so many people…! There are many who are way above your reach. No need to waste time listing them all.”

“Still, list them.”

“The Minister of Agriculture and the Minister of Military Affairs owe me favors.”

“I apologize, but I’m directly instructed by the two princesses. In this empire, only two people outrank the princesses: His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress. …Surely, you’re not going to ask these two to save the Wolphall family from the mire?”

“Politics is…”

“What exactly are you talking about with ‘politics’?”

Instead of answering, Hayden Wolphall closed his eyes tightly and shook his head.

Has he gone mad, suddenly?

It didn’t seem that way. He’s just too stressed to care about anyone’s gaze anymore.

Of course, Hayden Wolphall isn’t the only one denying reality.

“Why did Victoria betray us? We’ve protected her; without us, Victoria would be in danger. Our family supports her, so she gets respect for everything she does. We’ve helped her… haven’t we?”

“Ah, everyone, just calm down already! It’s not a big deal, right? All we did was give morphine to sick people. Morphine is meant for the sick, right? We used it properly, so we’re fine, right…?”

“If our family falls, the imperial army will fall too. Relax.”

This scene truly demonstrated the unity of this family.

There was no need to listen further, so I made the announcement.

“You all have come to the end.”

“Alan Medoff, what authority do you have?”

“Yes. I don’t have the authority to decide your punishment. My job is to deliver evidence of your corruption to someone who does have the authority. You can make excuses then.”

“…”

“I’ll escort you quietly. For the sake of the First Princess, please cooperate. Surely, she wouldn’t have sent me in peace, would she?”

I deliberately mentioned Victoria while looking at Hayden Wolphall.

Hayden’s twisted face began to look a bit more cheerful.

He still seems to view Victoria as a lifeline. Of course, I mentioned her for exactly that reason. Even though the family is about to collapse, the fact that Victoria is his niece hasn’t changed. He must believe she wouldn’t push him too far.

“All will be well eventually. For now… just comply.”

Hayden Wolphall painfully moved his lips and instructed his family.

I escorted them to the carriage.

I didn’t confiscate their weapons—not because I lacked the power to do so, nor out of pity for their situation, but because I had something else prepared for the perfect purge.

Since I’ve decided to send them off, it wouldn’t be wise to leave any room for survival.

**

The carriage carrying the Wolphall family was heading toward The State.

No restraints, no handcuffs.

However, they seemed under no less stress than ordinary criminals. Perhaps because I was riding alongside the carriage.

Every glance through the window is stressful, but I’m adding to it by talking, specifically provoking topics.

“Fact is, Timothy Wolphall never betrayed your family.”

“…”

“Actually, he was a very loyal member. Even imprisoned, he believed that the elders of the family would rescue him soon. Of course, he never informed me of your crimes.”

“What did you say?”

“I’m saying Timothy Wolphall never betrayed you. You simply judged him as a traitor wrongly. If you hadn’t questioned Timothy, you might not have ended up in this crisis.”

The expressions of the Wolphall family showed sudden confusion.

Assuming Timothy had told me everything, their realization of this being false would naturally provoke their faces.

That confusion swiftly turned to anger.

“I set a trap to uncover your crimes as quickly as possible.”

“Hey!”

“I didn’t expect such seasoned politicians to fall for it so easily. Guess no one’s tried such trickery on you so far. Maybe because everyone around you simply tried to please the Empress’s maternal relatives.”

“Shut up.”

Can’t shut up now. I needed to press further.

“Surrounded by flattery, it’s easy to overestimate yourself. They just comply with you out of fear.”

“…If Victoria becomes the crown princess…”

Hayden’s daughter muttered something. I shook my head.

“I don’t understand why you believe that Her Highness Victoria will save you. All my moves were done with the consent of Her Highness Victoria and with the support of Her Highness Siena.”

“…”

“No one will help the Wolphall family.”

This statement drained all the spirit from their eyes.

So this was the sensitive spot. After a pause, I said nonchalantly,

“Everyone close to the Wolphall family will betray you. To reduce their own sins, they’ll reveal all your corruption in detail. And they’ll deny their long-term friendship with the Wolphalls.”

“Perhaps you’re curious about my motives.”

“You tried to bribe my staff and even attempted to recruit my rural-farming younger sibling. Most of all, you distributed the morphine I supplied to the military to civilians. The cleanup would have eventually fallen to me, so I acted against you.”

After some point, no response came back.

A sign they’d reached their limits. Some people clenched their legs in distress, while others began arguing among themselves.

No point in pressing them further.

And now there wasn’t time to torment them anymore. Time spent tormenting the Wolphall family had brought us closer to our destination.

The Imperial Palace.

Where the two princesses live separately wasn’t the main palace where the Emperor and Empress reside.

“Imperial Palace…? Why?”

Hayden Wolphall hesitantly opened his mouth.

Instead of answering, I ordered them out and directed them to the Grand Hall, a place often used as an exhibition area and social space for the nobility.

Not an appropriate place for the arrest of those who violated military law and attempted to destroy evidence.

But today, it was being prepared for a special purpose.

“They’re already gathered.”

“Huh?”

Red carpet, marble statues, and some of the most precious crafts in the empire.

A quite lavish space, though not the time to appreciate art because of the crowd in the central Grand Hall.

Fifty, no, more than sixty people.

Members of the Wolphall family, from direct lineage to distant relatives, as well as anyone remotely tied to the military.

They hadn’t come voluntarily; they were summoned by Imperial command.

Naturally, this was arranged by the two princesses while I was capturing Hayden Wolphall and his immediate family. An orchestrated way to cement that the Wolphall family would be erased by the Emperor’s decision.

As soon as Hayden entered the Grand Hall, the crowd erupted into chaos.

Brothers, older brothers, uncles, and cousins.

Calling out to Hayden with various family titles, asking what was happening. Hayden’s face hardened, probably from the stress of the whole ordeal coupled with the shock of the scene.

He was at the brink of exploding.

“This was also something I requested from Her Highness Victoria.”

“You son of a bitch.”

Finally,

Hayden Wolphall pulled out the pistol on his waist.

The pistol I intentionally left unconfiscated. Though I didn’t expect him to draw it inside the palace, there was no reason to avoid it.

I instantly grabbed my mace and swung it.

I struck his clavicle.

“If only it hadn’t been you… kheugh!”

With a dull thud, I felt the collarbone break vividly. He didn’t drop the gun, so I proceeded to shatter the other clavicle.

Hayden Wolphall collapsed pitifully.

I didn’t have time to gawk. His daughter swore and charged at me.

I tripped her by striking her inner ankle, then swung my mace again—this time at her knees. The Grand Hall echoed with the couple’s screams.

Once the brief skirmish ended,

There were two Wolphall family members lying in a pitiful state in front of me. But no one criticized my actions. Instead,

“Arrest them all!”

On the commander of the palace guard’s command, the procedure for arresting the Wolphall family began.

This marked the complete downfall of the Empress’s maternal relatives.

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