Chapter 9


    “Your Majesty.” Sigurd saluted as King Lucian approached him and the white hairs he led.


    “It’s good to see you’re as eager as ever, Sigurd.”


    “I’m always ready to hunt criminals, especially those targeting you.”


    “There are a lot of them, though not all are criminals that can be dealt with using force. Sometimes, that makes them even more dangerous.”


    “Politics.” Archmage Vera understood his point immediately.


    “Essentially. But the nobles have been rather quiet lately, as I’m still politically untouchable because of my victory against the Esgares Empire. Eventually, the protection from winning a single battle will wane, but it’s nice while it lasts.”


    “So you’re using this grace period to stomp out other forms of resistance, like the criminal gangs that are targeting you?”


    “It’s a convenient opportunity for sure, but I have bigger worries than a shattered cartel. That is, until they made the first move.”


    Lucian looked down the line of soldiers gathered in the castle courtyard for the extermination mission. Both the normal Royal Guard and his special white hair division had been summoned to deal with the criminals.


    They were already in their tactical formations, ready to march to their various destinations. All they were waiting for was the order from their king.


    “Liliana.” Lucian called over the Special Administrative Officer overseeing the mission.


    “Yes, Your Majesty?” She carried her usual pen and parchment.


    “While we’re gone, send a message to the Council of Elders. Inform them that I’d like to speak about a few matters.”


    “Oh, okay.” Lily was a bit surprised by the order.


    “We’ll be returning soon.” Lucian unsheathed the larger of the two swords on his waist, holding it skyward. “March.”


    The blade flew from his fingers and began orbiting him, as if searching for a threat to attack. His shield did the same, making for a surreal sight as two inanimate objects defied gravity and seemingly had a mind of their own.


    Lucian had kept his unique ability, [Command Magic], hidden as much as possible. But during the war with the Esgares Empire, he had no choice but to use it without reserve.


    Because of that, he had become known for his special magic, which made hiding it a useless endeavor. Instead, he leaned into it, using the mysterious ability to further cement his growing reputation as an unusually powerful ruler.


    Combined with his rare companions, including Fairy Princess Minerva herself, he finally had a stable foundation to secure his rule. Nobles and wealthy merchants were having an increasingly difficult time undermining his authority.


    The fact that his citizens were even beginning to grow fond of him only further cemented his reign. Unless he were to lose a decisive battle or make a huge political blunder, Lucian felt he was mostly past the unstable phase that often came with the transition of power from one king to the next.


    However, that didn’t mean that those who wanted to see him deposed would simply give up. Some people weren’t so easily quelled. And since their political avenues to usurp him were all getting cut off due to Lucian’s growing reputation and power, that only left them with one choice.


    Assassination.


    “Good luck in the battle.” Lucian nodded to Aelia.


    “It’ll be a cinch.” The dark elf girl waved her hand dismissively. “I’ve already seen through their operation.”


    As the Minister of War, Aelia knew her way around a battlefield. In fact, there were very few in the entire world who could challenge her in a strategic or tactical confrontation.


    Although Lily had been the one to organize the administrative aspects of the operation, Aelia was the one who created the battle plan. With the information Lily sourced from various personnel and records, the dark elf girl was easily able to formulate a plan that was virtually guaranteed to succeed.


    As long as nothing too extraordinary appeared. And considering the gods and acolytes who were toying with the world, Lucian couldn’t rule that possibility out.


    He can’t attack. Lucian thought back to Lutz’s words about how the God’s Acolyte had been restrained from attacking. But that doesn’t mean he can’t work against me behind the scenes.


    And if he has even more unique abilities and magics than I do right now, there’s no telling what he’s capable of doing.


    We can’t let our guard down.


    Aelia, Minerva, and Teflyn broke off from Lucian’s group, taking half the soldiers with them.


    The dark elf had concluded that there were two main operational bases that the criminals were using, each holding remnants from certain gangs that Lucian had destroyed.


    Although the two groups of criminals were enemies in the streets, Aelia determined that they were working together in order to assassinate Lucian. Whether that was because they had a shared interest in taking him out, or if there were another reason, Lucian couldn’t be sure.


    But no matter the case, he couldn’t allow two organized gangs to grow from the remnants of the ones he shattered. Plus…


    They made a huge mistake by attacking Mia.


    It’s time to put the nail in their coffin today.


    Lucian often traveled in one of his royal carriages, though it was still rather common for him to walk the streets. He did it to maintain a public persona, allowing his citizens to meet him directly.


    Although he always had a large retinue protecting him, it was rare for him to take an entire company of soldiers with him. In the past, he had only done so when performing an operation just like the current one.


    He made no effort to hide his intentions. The sword and shield still orbited around him, catching the eyes of any citizens who happened to be using the same street as him.


    His [Command Magic] had become well-known, but most had only heard of it through word of mouth. Other than soldiers, guards, and close companions, it was rare for anyone else to see his unique ability with their own eyes.


    Walking through the busy roads between the castle and his destination, many of his citizens would catch their first real glimpse of the sword that could attack without a wielder.


    As the march continued, the extravagant buildings from the wealthier areas slowly morphed into more traditional designs. Both homes and shops were built with an emphasis on practicality, rather than flourish, their colors selected from a cheaper and more muted palette.


    Soon, even those middle-class homes began to vanish, replaced by the barely habitable buildings of the city slums. At least, by Lucian’s standards, the homes should all be condemned and torn down to make way for better construction.


    Unfortunately, that was an unrealistic wish. His kingdom was still burdened with a heavy debt, their exports still hadn’t recovered from the years of economic misallocation of resources, and education rates were exceptionally poor amongst the lower class.


    Considering all the conditions inflicting his kingdom, Lucian was surprised that crime wasn’t completely out of control. Though he understood that his own expectations weren’t quite aligned with those of his new world.


    That was to say, he knew that the people in the Almekian Kingdom were simply more conditioned to accept terrible living conditions because in a world without advanced science, life was harsh. The same was true for Earth, before the modern era.


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    The fascinated citizens who watched with marvel had long since disappeared. Few people openly watched him and his men marching through the dirty streets, and those that did carried an expression between hatred and fear.


    Most only peered on from beyond the darkness, hiding in their shanties or in the shadowed crevices between them. Lucian was clearly on the hunt, and none of them wanted to become his prey.


    Finally, his target appeared. Although it looked like just another run-down neighborhood, one of the newly resurrected criminal gangs had taken residence inside, terrorizing the rest of the residents and those living on the nearby streets.


    “Halt.” Lucian ordered his men to stop. “Battle formation. We’re not wasting any time.”


    The soldiers reorganize from their marching formation to one more suitable for battle.


    Seeing his men were ready, Lucian waved them forward.


    “By my royal command,” Lucian began his chant, “I call upon the power of the white hairs! Grant your berserked strength to Emilia! [Enhance]!”


    His ever-present Guardian walked beside him, leading the column of soldiers toward their battlefield. Emilia’s focused glare didn’t change, even after Lucian’s magic enveloped her.


    But the bloodthirsty smile on her lips was enough of a clue that she had gone berserk.


    “What a great day.” Emilia tugged on the katana at her waist. “Let’s enjoy it to the fullest.”


    More voices could be heard as dedicated mages enhanced the rest of the white hairs Lucian had brought with him.


    As they walked through the neighborhood filled with homes as broken as the people’s lives who inhabited them, soldiers fanned out, filling not only the street they walked on but also the alleys connected to it.


    Like an umbrella being unfurled, the column of troops expanded out, preparing to catch their targets like a fishing net cast into a river.


    The encirclement was met with zero resistance from the neighborhood''s residents. Those who merely lived in the area wanted nothing to do with a king on a mission, while the ones being targeted fled the moment they heard that the troops were heading their way.


    Lucian’s men continued to spread out until the column had fully transformed into a half-circle. And at the center of their formation were three houses, each as dilapidated as the rest in the neighborhood.


    But what made those three homes different was the fact that the criminal gang had chosen them as the central base for their operations.


    “Movement.” Emilia smiled as she watched a shadow pass by a window. “Good. Not all of them scurried away like rats.”


    “That’s a little surprising, but I won’t complain.” Lucian raised his hand. “Attack.”


    The half-circle of troops began to close in on the three houses. As they did so, several men appeared from their doors, armed with weapons. However, rather than running toward the approaching soldiers, the men simply fled through the gap in their formation before it could fully encircle them.


    The intelligent ones had long since fled, the cowardly ones did so after seeing Lucian’s forces with their own eyes, and the brave ones stayed to make a stand. Though the line between brave and foolish could be quite blurry.


    The troops didn’t give chase to the fleeing men, keeping to their formation and fully surrounding the targeted homes.


    Lucian, Emilia, and Vera all ended up at the central house’s front door, as planned. Even though movement could be seen and heard within, no criminals came bursting out to attack.


    “Guess we’ll invite ourselves in, then.” Lucian motioned to the door, and his floating sword sliced through the rotting wood in an instant. “Ah, so they did come to greet us.”


    “You damn king…!” A man rushed out, carrying an axe.


    “Don’t ignore me!” Emilia’s katana flashed, and the axe hit the ground just outside the carved door.


    The man’s body joined his weapon, clearing the way for the next criminal to try his hand. Or, that’s what they thought.


    “[Stone Shard].” Vera finished her simple chant, and a rocky spear sunk into the chest of the next man brave enough to rush out.


    Lucian watched on as his sword began rampaging within the house. “Didn’t expect you to join the fight.”


    “Offensive spells may not be my specialty, but I am an Archmage. And I’m no stranger to the battlefield.”


    Emilia led the charge through the main entrance, joining Lucian’s sword and rampaging through the large room that made up the house’s main living area.


    Lucian’s shield zipped by his vision, putting itself between him and a nearby window. The sharp sound of metal followed after, the shield deflecting a dagger thrown from a criminal who thought himself stealthy.


    “[Ice Blade].” Vera sends a spell toward the window, right where the dagger had appeared.


    “If you’re this calm, then I can only assume you fought many battles during your recent adventures.”


    “Traveling can be dangerous, especially my destination.” Vera spared a glance for Lucian. “But I didn’t take you for a seasoned warrior. Your older brother was the one who had trained for battle while you sat in the castle.”


    Lucian remembered the scarred face of the former crown prince, who died from the sickness along with the rest of the royal family, other than Mia.


    “You’re right that I was never really on the battlefield, but I did train in personal combat.” Lucian recalled the history of the prince whose body he inhabited. “You should know all about my skill with both the blade and magic, even before the unfortunate illness that took my brothers and father.”


    “I’ve heard the stories.” Vera watched the open doorway as Lucian’s sword flew by in search of its next victim. “But no amount of simple combat training would lead you to discovering magic that has never been seen before.”


    The house ahead of them had gotten crowded. It wasn’t because a large group of criminals had appeared to battle his soldiers, though. Rather, it was the opposite. Lucian’s men were the ones rushing inside, filling the home and overwhelming the few criminals that had remained.


    As the two watched from just outside, their target’s resistance crumbled, bringing a very abrupt end to what should have been a much longer and tougher battle.


    “And what about you?” Lucian held up a hand, and his autonomous sword returned. “Do you have any hidden magics that you would like to share with me? If so, perhaps we could exchange a few secrets.”


    “Maybe I do.”


    “Then maybe we should set up another private meeting soon.”


    The soldiers pulled a man out from the house, dragging him in front of Lucian. Although he had never seen the criminal before, Lucian knew who the man was. Or at least, he knew what general position the man held within the gang.


    As the raid was planned by Aelia herself, Lucian was confident in the information she had gathered while drafting the operation. The identities of the gang leaders were obvious from the beginning, but getting information on their many underlings was far more difficult.


    Still, Lucian had prioritized cleaning up the streets for a while now, which made it possible to create a fairly accurate list of powerful members of the gang he was eradicating.


    And without a doubt, the man held before him was one of those powerful members.


    “You ain’t shit.” The man spat at Lucian, but the shield protected him. “And you ain’t very smart, neither! Walking down here lookin’ all smug, ‘course the boss is gonna get the hell outta here!”


    “So.” Lucian paused to allow his shield time to intercept another glob of spittle. “You’re saying that we were far too obvious in our approach, giving your leader a chance to get away.”


    “That’s what I said!” The man grew a little angry that he wasn’t even able to spit on the king.


    “Seems to me you shouldn’t be judging other people’s intelligence when you stayed behind, despite knowing we were coming.” Lucian paused again, except it was to let the man get out a few curses before he continued. “But you’re right. We were very obvious. Your gang would have to be extremely incompetent to be caught off-guard by this attack.”


    “That’s why I said you ain’t very smart!”


    Lucian shook his head. “At least try to pick up on the clues I’m giving you.”


    “The hell’re you talking about!?”


    “I’m talking about…” Lucian pointed down the street. “That.”


    Another small column of troops was marching down the road, coming from the opposite direction of the main force. In their possession were various captured men, each bound with ropes. Among them was…


    “B-boss!?” The arrogant criminal watched with shock as his leader was being dragged right back to him.


    “If it were just me,” Lucian said, “then perhaps your gang could have scurried away like rats, looking to regroup again after the destruction of your base of operations here. But the mistake you made was thinking that you could outsmart a genius dark elf who even outclasses the feared generals of the empire.”


    “Huh!? That doesn’t make any sense!”


    “I’m saying that of course the rats would run to safety if they think I’m coming to destroy them. And if I were to station troops to watch, then we could see exactly where the rats scurry off. The places that they think will keep them safe, the districts that harbor them, the people that support them. We wanted to know it all. That way, we could thoroughly destroy your entire operation at once.”


    “All of it…?”


    Lucian looked at the man, one of the people who had orchestrated the attack on Mia’s carriage. “Every. Last. Scrap.”


    The gang leader finally arrived, bound in ropes and surrounded by his men, ones who were sent out in secret to act as the real net that would catch the fish he wanted.


    At the head of the troops who captured the gang leader walked a white hair that wasn’t officially part of his royal guard. Lucian had picked her up in the far north, near the dark elves.


    Even though Sophia had white hair and fox ears like Emilia, there was one defining feature about her that caught everyone’s eye. Her hair had streaks of red, as if she weren’t fully cursed by whatever magic causes them to go berserk when enhanced.


    Before sending Sophia on her first mission, Lucian had tested her berserked state. Each white hair had varying control over their bloodthirst when enhanced, with some losing almost all self-control.


    Among the spectrum, Emilia maintained a relatively clear head, for which Lucian was grateful. Though there were others who had even better control over their berserked states.


    Sophia was one such girl. In fact, she had a better grip over her emotions than any other berserked white hair Lucian had ever seen, and it was precisely because of the red streaks in her hair.


    Sophia truly was less cursed than other white hairs, which was why the berserk effect was lessened for her. But that also meant she obtained less strength when enhanced, compared to other white hairs.


    It was a trade-off, but one Lucian was particularly grateful to have. She was still leagues stronger than the average enhanced soldier, and there was little risk of her going out of control.


    He could even have her lead a small operation while enhanced and she would remain focused far better than other white hairs, as she just proved by capturing the gang leader and bringing him straight to Lucian.


    “Good job, Sophia.”


    “It was easy.” Her voice contained a hint more of an edge than normal. “He had this.”


    Sophia handed over a pouch, along with a few personal belongings the gang leader had on him.


    “Lots of gold.” Lucian re-tied the pouch after looking inside. “Crime pays well. Until it doesn’t.”


    The gang leader spat at him, but like before, his autonomous shield considered it an attack and blocked it.


    When the criminal began to get loud, Lucian just motioned for him to be dragged away. He had plenty of time to talk to him later.


    Emilia finally emerged, having completely cleared out the house of all resistance. The other two homes were quiet too, all the criminals having either been slain or captured.


    With their base cleaned and the boss captured, the operation’s main objectives had been completed. Though there were still many things to do before Lucian could call an official end to the mission.