The next day after Lukas Daily allied itself with the Marcus Faction, the newspaper company released an astonishing special article regarding the recent events in the kingdom.
Using the documents Big Mona had acquired from the bases of Black Midas and the Information Guild had provided, Lukas Daily revealed not only the heinous crimes the Kelvin family had been committing through the years, but also its association with the infamous largest underworld syndicate of the kingdom.
The newspaper company exhausted all possible means to not only spread the news in the capital, but to the nearby territories of the kingdom.
With the capital as its epicenter, news regarding the Kelvin family's atrocious acts soon spread to the masses.
It was still morning, but the taverns in the Outer District were already bustling. As expected, the topic was the recent scandal surrounding the ducal house.
The members of the slum did not let this opportunity pass. They infiltrated various popular and crowded places in the kingdom and planted seeds of doubt. The pubs and taverns, in particular, were the main targets of the actors.
"Hey, did you hear? It seems they plan on executing Duke Kelvin in a few days."
"That'll be right before the coronation ceremony then?"
"I guess so?"
"But if the Kelvins are the ones behind the human trafficking in Yan City, does that mean Lark Marcus is innocent?"
"Listen, I heard this from a friend of mine. According to him, Lark Marcus hardly left Gryphon City during the time the trafficking of children took place. And don't you find it odd that someone so young is involved in such heinous crimes? That pig, Duke Kelvin, probably pinned the blame on him."
The chatter inside the tavern died in an instant. They all looked at the man who openly insulted the head of the ducal house. Under normal circumstances, he would be reported to the patrol and whipped several times to make an example out of. Worse comes to worst, he would be executed for the crime of slandering a noble.
Seeing everyone's reactions, the man—an actor from the slums— shrugged and smirked.
"Hey, hey! What if someone hears you?"
The man from the slums tilted his head and said, "What can the Kelvins do? The head of their family is soon going to be executed. Frankly speaking, isn't their status worse than a slave's right now? Those damn criminals."
It was gradual, but the seeds of doubt and resentment planted by the slum people slowly sprouted within the hearts of the citizens of the kingdom.
A day after Lukas Daily released the articles, the protests at the Central Plaza completely stopped.
Although the capital had become comparatively quiet without the protests, everyone knew that a big incident would soon occur in the kingdom. They waited with bated breath for the verdict of the royal family and the other nobles of the kingdom.
*** "Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Duke Kelvin repeatedly muttered as he bit his nails.
It had been more than a day since he'd been transferred to his new cell in the royal family's dungeon. He'd been trying to activate the sigil connecting him to the leaders of Black Midas, but to no avail.
"It's probably those artifacts," he mumbled like a madman. "I have to destroy them, no matter what."
He'd heard before that the royal family's dungeon was filled with artifacts capable of interfering with magic and mana. As long as he was locked up here, it would be impossible for him to contact the division leaders of Black Midas.
"I can't die here." His eyes frantically moved left and right. "What is Calisto doing? He probably knows that they plan on executing me! That incompetent son of mine! He should be coming for me!"
For the first time in several years, Duke Kelvin felt what true fear was like. Even when he'd been locked up in prison almost a year ago, he knew he could easily escape if he wanted to. Everything was possible with the help of the underworld syndicate.
But now, things were different. Not only had they managed to gather strong evidence against their ducal house, he also could not contact the remaining division leaders of Black Midas.
The guards outside the duke's cell spoke to each other. The duke had been mumbling to himself for several hours now.
"Shouldn't we give him more food? Maybe once a day is too little—" said one of the guards.
"Hah?" said another, clearly annoyed. "Since when did you have sympathy for criminals? You heard it, right? That pig is the one supporting that damn Black Midas."
The faces of all the guards turned grim. They'd been hearing of all the atrocious acts the underworld syndicate had been committing for several decades. Unfortunately, they'd never been able to crack down on the organization until this week.
The third guard looked at the fat man biting his nails inside the cell. He said, "It's disgusting, isn't it? To think that one of the three ducal houses is the one behind that group of criminals. No wonder all attempts to take down that organization in the past failed."
The fourth guard sighed. "Honestly, I'm more disappointed rather than disgusted. I was an admirer of the hussars since I was little."
The second guard rubbed his chin. "I remember. Didn't you try to become a hussar before, back when Zaask Kelvin was still their vice commander?"
"That was almost a decade ago." The fourth guard scratched his head in embarrassment. "Looking at the situation now, maybe it was a good thing that I failed back then."
All of the guards fell silent at those words.
According to the reports, all of the hussars of the Kelvin family, save for the ones they'd sent to the capital to make a report, had been massacred by the demons.
"Damn commoners," spat Duke Kelvin. To everyone's surprise, he was listening in on their conversation.
The duke snarled, "Stupid soldiers. Good thing that you failed? You failed because you were incompetent in the first place! You disgusting little shits!"
The guards looked in the duke's direction. His eyes were wide from anger, almost popping out. Dark marks encircled his eyes and his lips were chapped.
"What is he saying now?" said the second guard.
"Doesn't he get tired of insulting us?" The third guard picked his ears.
They were used to the duke's antics by now. When he was first sent here, he repeatedly spouted threats and curses on the guards, one after another. At first, it was terrifying, but after a full day had passed and after hearing the same words dozens of times, the guards had become used to it.
Now, it was nothing but useless ramblings of a prisoner on death row.
It was amazing how the fear of the unknown could change a person.
The duke, who'd always remained calculative and composed no matter the situation, became a madman the moment he lost contact with the underworld syndicate.
Duke Kelvin grabbed the iron bars of his cell. He tried pushing his head through the gaps and shouted, "Listen! I'll definitely make it out alive! You!
I've memorized the faces of all of you!" The duke's voice echoed through the dungeon.
"What's going on here?" said a deep voice.
The guards immediately saluted the moment they saw the man approaching the cell. Behind the man was the retired General Carlos, Viscount Lakian, and Elias Farsight.
"Warden!" the guards said in unison.
The warden ignored the saluting soldiers. He said to the people behind him, "We're here. This is the duke's cell."
General Carlos frowned upon seeing Duke Kelvin. He looked so dirty.
His hair was a mess. His wide reddish eyes, coupled with his chapped lips, made him look like a slave working in the mines.
"It's been a while, Carlos, Lakian," the duke chuckled eerily. He smiled menacingly. "Even Farsight is here."
"Kelvin." General Carlos no longer bothered with honorifics. He said in a cold voice, "With the authority bestowed upon me by His Majesty, I shall now escort you to the gallows."
Hearing this, Duke Kelvin's smile slid down his face. He trembled.
There was a long pause.
Without warning, the duke shouted, "You damn lapdog of the royal family! Who do you think you are! Execute me, a duke?! Hah! Try it, Carlos! My sons will hunt you down! Mark my words!"
General Carlos nodded at the warden. "Open it."
"Open it," the warden said to the guards.
"Yes, sir!"
The guards opened the cell and bound the duke's hands and neck with an artifact capable of suppressing magic. It was a precautionary measure, since they didn't know the exact method the duke used to contact the underworld syndicate.
"Unhand me! These damn commoners dare to lay their hands on a high noble?!"
Duke Kelvin resisted with all his might, but all forms of resistance proved futile before the guards. Although some of them looked naïve at first glance, they were still elite soldiers tasked to guard the royal family's dungeon.
"He's too noisy," said General Carlos. "Make him shut his mouth."
One of the guards hesitantly said, "H-How do—" "Just put a gag inside his mouth then tape his lips," said General Carlos.
The guards immediately did as they were ordered.
The duke glared at General Carlos. He tried spouting curses, but only muffled sounds came out.
"Did you know? The former minister of agriculture was a good friend of mine. And your group of criminals flayed him alive," General Carlos said with disdain. "For what? Information?"
General Carlos' face contorted in anger. He added, "Disgusting."
General Carlos crouched and looked at Duke Kelvin, who'd been kneeling on the ground, straight in the eyes. He said, "Kelvin, you deserve everything that will occur a few hours from now. Look forward to it."
General Carlos stood up. "Take him away. To the gallows."
"Yes!"
With General Carlos, Viscount Lakian, and Elias Farsight at the lead, they left the royal family's dungeon. To Duke Kelvin's surprise, dozens of royal guards were already waiting for them outside. He realized the royal family had sent these elite soldiers as a precautionary measure, in case the remaining members of Black Midas suddenly appeared to rescue him.
The presence of Elias Farsight alone would prove a rescue difficult, and now, dozens of royal guards had been added to the equation. Moreover, with the artifacts shackling him, Duke Kelvin had no way of contacting the remaining divisions of the underworld organization.
On their way to the Central Plaza, where the execution was going to take place, the duke's procession was met with an unbelievably large crowd. The streets of the Inner District, Middle District, all the way to the Central Plaza, were filled with people.
Shouts of anger and curses flew as Duke Kelvin passed by. Some even started hurling rocks, fruit, and dirt toward him. Fortunately, the royal guards blocked each of them, preventing the projectiles from hitting him.
"Damn criminal!"
"Pig!"
"Serves you right!"
"You even dared to frame Lark Marcus, the man who saved the kingdom from the demons!"
"This swine! I will surely spit on your corpse once the execution is over!"
"The royal family should have killed this bastard sooner!"
Duke Kelvin did not know how things managed to turn this way in a matter of days. Not only had they managed to annihilate the members of Black Midas residing in the capital, they'd also managed to reverse the negative image of Lark Marcus.
With heavy steps, Duke Kelvin kept walking through the crowded streets.
And when he arrived at the Central Plaza, for the first time in his life, all form of hope finally left him.
No, not like this, thought Duke Kelvin.
Tens of thousands of people had come to see him executed. The Central Plaza, all the way to the streets leading to the taverns and temples, was filled with people. Seeing this, his tears flowed incessantly.
Duke Kelvin's eyes quickly scanned the crowd.
Inside the tent near the scaffold were the king, Lark Marcus, Duke Drakus, Duke Youchester, and Big Mona. Judging by the way they were seated, they were probably the ones who orchestrated everything. Duke Kelvin repeatedly cursed them in his mind.
"Kneel here," said one of the guards.
Duke Kelvin resisted, but the guards made him kneel in front of the chopping block regardless. With his mouth still gagged, they locked his neck with wood and tied his arms on the platform using chains.
The Grand Chamberlain cleared his throat, his voice heard through a voice-amplifying artifact. Slowly, the chatter and murmurs died down.
"Twenty-nine nobles, five ministers," said the Grand Chamberlain.
"Together with the royal family's verdict, the decision was unanimous. We have judged that Rannulfus Kelvin, head of House Kelvin, has committed crimes worthy of the death penalty."
The crowd went into an uproar. The majority cheered, while a few questioned the judgment of the royal family.
The Grand Chamberlain added, "Furthermore, the House Kelvin shall be stripped of its ducal status. All of their assets shall be seized—from their estates, treasuries, and gold mines—and will hence become the property of the Kingdom of Lukas."
Duke Kelvin, his mouth still gagged, looked in the direction of the tent where the king was located. He trembled with rage seeing the smirk on Big Mona's face. The fat merchant was really enjoying the spectacle.
'That damn merchant. I should have killed him sooner!' Duke Kelvin tried spouting curses, but only muffled sounds came out.
'These bastards!' cursed Duke Kelvin. 'At least let me speak! If the people hear my pleas… then, surely!' As Duke Kelvin was scanning the crowd, he saw some familiar faces.
The first was Lily, the owner of Lukas Daily. She wore the same thick makeup as before. When their eyes met, she averted her gaze. Although she'd allied herself with the Marcus Faction, her fear of the Kelvins remained. The second was Reginald Vont, the leader of the Merchants Guild of the capital and head of the powerful Vont Family.
Unlike Lily, Reginald did not avert his gaze meeting the duke's eyes.
Instead, he looked at him with eyes filled with pity. Or was it disappointment? The duke was not sure. It seemed Reginald Vont had been expecting more from him. But now that things had escalated to this, he decided to abandon the ducal family.
Duke Kelvin realized that the Vont Family, who could probably halt the execution at the very least, was washing their hands off him.
'Reginald, you damn liar! We had an agreement! I gave you the location of the mana stone mine in exchange for allying with our family!' The Grand Chamberlain raised his voice. "With the authority granted unto us by the royal family, and with the blessing given to us by the temple."
The guards pushed Duke Kelvin's kneeling body further into the ground. The guard next to the Grand Chamberlain raised a giant axe right above the duke's neck.
"Wait, wait!" Duke Kelvin tried shouting through his gagged mouth.
"Not like this! I can't die like this!"
"We shall now execute the criminal."
With those words as a cue, the guard swung his axe downward, neatly cutting Duke Kelvin's head from his body. With his eyes still wide open, the duke's head rolled on the ground.
The crowd cheered.
Big Mona guffawed.
Lily covered her eyes.
Reginald turned and disappeared through the crowd.