### Chapter 157: Current Situation
“Clang——”
“What are you doing…”
“Ahhh——! The Sword of Kanli…”
“Pfft.”
The noise outside the mansion settled down quickly.
Those Iron Guards were mostly just ordinary folks who had gone through some basic training, generally lacking any remarkable skills. They were on a completely different level from the Sword of Kanli, who was well-versed in the Power of Order and had rich battle experience. I didn’t need to look to know that what was happening in the courtyard right now was a n*ked slaughter—definitely not a battle.
But things like this… made my heart feel a bit clogged.
Those Iron Guards didn’t really do anything wrong. Killing them off so casually… I’ve always hated what the so-called “nobility” represents; one flippant word from them could turn the lives of “lower beings” into nothing.
Back in the Valen Empire, those City Guards who besieged me and now these Iron Guards were just like that. Perhaps from the “high-ranking people’s” perspective, their deaths had value, like Victoria suggested—“attitude.” But the truth is, the deceased had families, wives, children, and friends. What must they think?
But that’s just how it is, without a clear right or wrong.
From Victoria’s angle, if she spared those people, her enemies would subtly absorb the message: “Harming Victoria comes at no cost.” Then they would escalate, becoming more and more outrageous, and one day it could spiral out of control, perhaps leading to ten or even a hundred times more deaths than today.
How bad would things get if a country’s ruler is weak?
Impossible to imagine.
Of course, maybe things would stir up even more after today. But one can never confirm whether a “choice” is right or wrong until after it’s made. Victoria is a woman so smart it makes my head spin; I’m certain she won’t let herself end up in a corner with nowhere to retreat.
So, when she said she was going to wipe out those Iron Guards, I kept my mouth shut, not saying or doing anything.
I knew she wasn’t wrong.
I was about to get used to things like this.
This is the game rule of this world, and I have no room to interfere.
However, I would quietly set my own bottom line in my heart.
Downstairs, the Empress had already left. I saw her walking out, looking dazed and pale, glaring fiercely at Victoria until she stepped out. Yet, Victoria never looked back at her even once.
I trotted up the stairs to the second floor, silently coming to Victoria’s side.
The rain was drizzling, tapping against the windows and roof tiles with a “bang bang” sound that was crisp and clear on the second floor.
The lawn outside was stained red, mixing with the rainwater and gradually spreading outwards.
Victoria’s face was as cold as ice. She tapped her fingers lightly on the railing, her gaze seemingly fixed on the exquisite chandeliers overhead, or perhaps somewhere farther away, lost in thought about something.
I stood quietly beside her, tilted my head, and asked, “Is this… okay?”
After a long silence.
“It’s okay.” She replied.
I nodded and fell silent.
After a while, Rect walked in through the front door.
He wasn’t covered in bl**d, but since he’d been out for a while, he was soaked by the heavy rain, droplets dripping from the hem of his clothes. Rect stood at the door, nonchalantly patted himself down, wiped his face, and quickly headed upstairs.
“Let’s go over there and talk,” Victoria spoke up beside me.
I followed her into a study on the second floor. Inside was a round, ornate wooden table for meetings, with an old-fashioned oil lamp in the center. The table was surrounded by rows of dark, warm-toned wooden shelves, which, judging by their quality, were probably the most valuable things in the room. There were books and boxes piled up, mostly books, but they were a bit haphazardly arranged and, upon closer inspection, quite dusty—evidently, the owner didn’t care much for them.
Could it be that Victoria doesn’t like reading?
Not into books, drinks like a fish, always sporting a cold face, and doesn’t eat sweets… People who don’t enjoy sweets hardly enjoy life; she’s going to have a tough time getting married in the future.
With such boring thoughts, I pulled out a chair and sat down, watching Victoria take a seat across from me. As for Rect… he didn’t sit; he stood by the side.
“Tell me the outcome from this morning.” Before my bottom was even settled, Victoria spoke coldly.
She didn’t ask how things were outside because she already knew the outcome, and she wouldn’t ask Rect to tidy things up since she knew he knew what to do; she was the kind of woman who wouldn’t waste a single breath on useless words.
I thought she’d be drowning in the intense emotions from earlier, but she wasn’t. She was so calm it made me question if everything I just saw and heard was just a dream, that Victoria’s mother hadn’t come at all, that nothing had happened here.
“The infernal fire on Alek Street has been completely extinguished, and the damage isn’t extensive. Unfortunately, many residents are now homeless, so the repair work must commence as soon as possible… Three civilians died, which is fortunate,” Rect reported.
Soon after, he looked at me: “And luckily for Miss Silvya, if it were me… I saw the scene of the battle. Facing such powerful flames, I could hardly concern myself with anyone else; I’d just be trying to save my own skin.”
I tilted my head and thought for a couple of seconds, finally realizing he was complimenting me.
So I smiled faintly at him.
Yet I felt a bit ashamed, because I hadn’t been thinking of anyone else at that moment either; my head was just too painful… The fact that there weren’t many casualties was just sheer luck. And as for the three who died… they were those three scoundrels, right?
“Those residents must have been scared. Several people said they saw a demon…”
My heart tightened, and I suddenly found it hard to breathe.
“No wonder, those heretics… can even self-destruct and have that kind of power… Truly insane fellows; calling them demons isn’t too far off. Besides, they worship—”
“Rect, get to the point.” Victoria interrupted, tapping the table with irritation.
I quietly sighed in relief.
My hand clutching the hem of my dress was sweaty.
Thank goodness. No one noticed… There’s no way anyone would believe… Don’t be scared… No one would think of that place.
Rect’s expression tightened: “…Right, next is Cataloma. Everything there is the same, except a boy has gone missing, named Abe. Both the orphanage and our people are searching, but so far, no sign of him.”
The tense atmosphere gradually eased, and I perked up my ears, listening seriously to his report.
Abe still hasn’t been found… He told me that earlier when he was outside, and Deputy Captain Tanis is still out looking with her team. There’s no use panicking now, though.
“I’ve received word that the last person to see Abe was the gatekeeper of Cataloma. The time was yesterday evening; Abe went out alone, claiming he wanted to get some deer meat for his sick sister. His sister is frail and ill, so Abe often sneaks out to get food that they can’t have at the orphanage, and the gatekeeper didn’t suspect anything and let him go. After that, he never came back.”
I frowned.
Abe’s sister… must be one of the three little girls I saw back in the Emerald City’s abandoned street, right? I remember he mentioned her.
