Chapter 613: 613: Disappearance Of Noble House
"What the hell did you say?"
"House Veritas had been flattened?"
"Not only house Vertais but several others too."
What happened during the next few days completely shocked the entire Arcadia Empire to the core, and even the nobles who had survived countless political struggles, assassinations, betrayals, and bloody wars throughout their lives felt chills running down their backs after hearing the horrifying news spreading rapidly from one territory to another across the Empire.
It was insane.
Completely fucking insane.
And the worst part was that absolutely no one had expected the situation to escalate to such a terrifying extent in such a short amount of time, because although everyone already knew that Emperor Alaster had been pushed to the edge by the current crisis facing the Empire, they still never imagined he would resort to something this ruthless and merciless against his own people.
The reason behind the chaos was the sudden destruction of multiple noble houses throughout the Empire after several powerful noble families openly ignored, delayed, or tried to quietly avoid the Emperor’s conscription orders, believing that the Imperial Family was now too weakened and desperate to truly punish all of them at once.
But reality proved otherwise.
During the middle of the night, heavily armed forces suddenly descended upon those noble territories without warning while powerful experts led brutal assaults against the mansions and castles of the targeted families, and by the time the morning sun finally rose over the Empire, only shattered ruins, burning estates, broken corpses, and blood-soaked grounds remained behind.
Entire mansions had been erased overnight.
The nobles were officially labelled as traitors to the Empire.And in a single night alone...Eighteen noble families had been wiped out mercilessly without leaving behind any dignity whatsoever.
Some noble houses attempted to resist desperately while activating defensive formations and gathering their private troops in panic, and others tried to flee secretly under the cover of darkness while escaping with their treasures and family members, but none of it mattered because the attacks had clearly been prepared long beforehand while the forces sent against them were overwhelmingly powerful to the point that resistance became meaningless.
The surviving nobles were crippled brutally, chained like criminals, and dragged away toward the Imperial Capital under heavy guard while countless civilians silently watched from afar with pale expressions filled with fear.
After that night...
The entire Empire fell silent.Fear spread among the nobles rapidly.No one dared speak carelessly anymore.Moreover,no one dared openly question the Imperial Family anymore.
And even Ethan himself felt deeply unsettled after hearing the full reports of what had happened.
Inside the study room of the Blanks Manor, Ethan tightly held the latest report in his hands while his expression remained dark and grim, and after reading through the details one final time, he suddenly threw the papers heavily onto the table while cursing aloud.
"Damned... It’s insane. It’s fucking insane."
Beside him, Rathlos also wore a grim expression while quietly staring at the reports spread across the table, and although his face remained relatively calm, the seriousness hidden within his eyes could not be concealed.
"The Emperor has completely gone mad," Rathlos muttered slowly while crossing his arms.
"Since things have reached this point, that ferocious beast has started biting anything that poses even the slightest danger."
His tone sounded calm, but deep inside Rathlos already understood something clearly.
These were the signs of an Empire slowly approaching its end.
When rulers began massacring their own nobles openly in order to maintain control and suppress fear, it usually meant that the situation inside the Empire had already become extremely unstable beneath the surface, because although such brutal killings might temporarily force people into obedience through fear, the resentment and terror building inside everyone’s hearts would eventually explode sooner or later.
Still...
Neither Ethan nor Rathlos could truly change anything now.
After silently thinking for a long moment while rubbing his tired forehead, Ethan finally let out a deep sigh.
"I need to head there quickly and understand the situation personally," he muttered quietly.
The atmosphere inside the manor remained heavy afterward while preparations for departure immediately began without delay.
This time, Ethan would not be leaving alone.
Accompanying him was the Order of Eternal Blade.
In truth, Ethan had not wanted to bring them along at all because he already understood better than anyone how dangerous the current battlefield had become, but the imperial order specifically demanded that nobles mobilize proper military support alongside themselves, and after witnessing what happened to the noble families who refused the Emperor’s orders, openly rejecting the command was no longer an option.
Outside the manor, armored knights of the Order of Eternal Blade steadily gathered one after another while warhorses were prepared carefully and supply wagons lined up neatly across the massive courtyard, and although the soldiers tried maintaining discipline and calm expressions, the heavy atmosphere surrounding everyone made it obvious that many of them already understood this journey might very well become their last..
Because everyone knew that many of the people departing today might never return home alive again.
Ethan quietly observed the gathered troops while a faint heaviness settled inside his chest, because he truly did not know how many of them would survive the coming battles, but despite that helplessness, all he could do now was try his best to protect them once the fighting began.
Meanwhile, near the entrance of the manor, Sophia and the others had already gathered together in order to see Ethan off before departure.
Sophia walked toward him first while trying hard to maintain a firm expression, but the worry hidden inside her eyes could not be concealed at all while she gently adjusted his collar.
"Just return safely this time," she muttered softly.
"And don’t do anything reckless again."
Julia crossed her arms tightly while staring at Ethan seriously.
Amber looked at him.
"If you end up half dead again, I swear I’ll beat you myself after you recover," she said coldly, although the concern hidden beneath her tone was obvious to everyone present.
Diana gently held Ethan’s hand while lowering her gaze slightly.
"Please be careful," she whispered quietly.
Claire also stepped forward afterward while looking directly into Ethan’s eyes seriously.
"No matter what happens out there," she said softly.
"Come back alive first."
The other wives nearby also began speaking one after another while reminding Ethan repeatedly to stay safe, and although everyone tried maintaining calm expressions, the worry and fear lingering around them could still be felt clearly.
Ethan quietly listened to all of them before finally revealing a faint smile.
"I’ll return," he said calmly.
Then after pausing briefly, he added in a softer voice.
"I still have all of you waiting for me here."
Hearing those words, several of the women immediately lowered their heads slightly while trying to hide their emotions, and for a brief moment the atmosphere turned deeply emotional before anyone could say anything further.
Soon afterward, Ethan slowly mounted his horse while the knights of the Order of Eternal Blade lined up neatly behind him, and as the large gates of the manor slowly opened while heavy winds swept across the courtyard, Ethan turned around one final time to look toward his family standing there silently.
Then without saying anything else...
The procession slowly departed from the Blanks Manor while the heavy atmosphere of war continued looming over the entire Arcadia Empire like an approaching storm.
