Inside Qlipoth Fort.
Three people dressed like commoners carried stacks of files and moved them to the side of Cocolia's desk.
"Phew." Pela set the files down with effort and asked strangely:
"What are these even for? Why not let the Silvermane Guards carry them?"
Cocolia stood to the side and glanced at the files:
"No—this has to be personally transported by you three to ensure security. Since the Executor doesn't plan to reveal his identity, he can't enter Qlipoth Fort to avoid causing panic."
Gepard scratched his head:
"Then now..."
"How dare these insolent peasants trespass in Qlipoth Fort!"
"..."
The voice came before the person.
Soon, five-star general Sampo Koski led a large troop in triumphant return, appearing in everyone's view.
He looked majestic at the moment—decked out in gold and silver—from head to toe. Compared to the three poor saps ahead, it was like heaven and earth.
"Yo yo yo, isn't this the corgi? Why are you dressed like that?" Pela flipped Sampo off unhappily.
"It's Sampo Koski! Not corgi! You lowly peasants dare mock my name? Guards—drag them away for execution!"
Cocolia speechlessly kicked Sampo flat with a "thud" and said gravely:
"Stop acting crazy. Did you finish what I told you to do?"
"Huh?"
Sampo, sprawled on the ground, looked back at Cocolia in shock and disbelief:
"You actually kicked me... you insolent peasant!"
"?"
Pela looked at Sampo in astonishment:
"This guy's so full of himself he's gone crazy—doesn't even pick his targets anymore."
"What full of myself? How are you talking to Lord Sampo? You..."
"Cut the act—say something useful," Cocolia said coldly.
In an instant, the temperature in the entire Qlipoth Fort dropped sharply.
A thin layer of frost formed on Sampo's body.
"...!"
After exhaling a puff of cold air, Sampo hopped up, shattering the thin ice that had suddenly grown on his surface. He fawned with a smile:
"Ahem... esteemed Supreme Guardian, I've already cleared Belobog. Now that whole gang of grandsons is locked in the big jail—just give the order and we can execute them directly!"
He drew a hand across his throat with a sinister grin:
"That way, everything they own becomes mine—hahahaha...!"
"..."
"All the industries under them have shut down. Are you aware?" Cocolia asked.
"Heh, of course I know!"
Sampo rubbed his hands, walked up to Cocolia, struck a passionate pose, clenched his fist, and said heartbrokenly:
"Those bastards—after we grabbed their bosses, they all just slacked off and went on strike. Meat processing plants, textile factories... car makers, weapon makers—almost half of Belobog's industries are paralyzed."
The nobility's control over Belobog ran deep. Many production units had been infiltrated and turned into their private enterprises.
The price of Sampo's unrestrained actions was these enterprises massively shutting down, expressing the dissatisfaction of those families.
"Of course, I also arrested the people in charge of those shut-down enterprises—hahahaha... now the line stretches all the way to the snow plains, all waiting to rot in jail!" Sampo said smugly, fishing for praise.
"Holy crap." Pela's eyes widened. "So basically, whoever you don't like gets thrown straight into jail!"
"What else? You think I can swallow that kind of crap? That'd be too humiliating for me!"
"..."
Under Sampo's unrestrained rampage, not only did the nobles' private enterprises' protests fail—even the people in charge inside got arrested.
Before they were grabbed, they even had other employees actively destroy production materials, techniques, and blueprints.
"Mother, what do we do now?" Bronya asked worriedly, clutching her chest:
"If all these enterprises shut down, the daily resource supply Belobog's people need will shrink massively."
No one making food, no one weaving clothes—what would everyone else eat, drink, wear, or use?
In the past, they always gave those nobles some face and let things slide—partly because of this factor.
"If they can't do it, then replace them," Cocolia said calmly. She silently walked to the highest seat and gently sat down.
Crossing her legs, she said gravely:
"Back then the Eternal Freeze had the whole of Belobog gasping for air, so we let them bounce around a bit more freely. But things are different now."
"This is the Belobog guarded by the builders—it should no longer tolerate these selfish parasites, much less let them climb all over us."
Sampo said indignantly:
"Exactly—we gave them too much face! I, five-star general Sampo Koski, will lead the charge and strangle all evil in the cradle!"
Sampo representing the builders in battle undoubtedly meant a massive bloodbath across Belobog's various sectors.
Within days, almost all the well-known big enterprises and brands people were familiar with got thoroughly investigated.
Those that let Sampo in smoothly, that looked fine and had no issues—nothing happened to them.
Those that didn't let Sampo in... or those that made a fuss and tried to obstruct him... well, tough luck for them.
Daring to give attitude to Lady Sampo, personally appointed by Cocolia? Unacceptable.
"Have you heard? That blue-hair has basically raided every well-known noble family lately!"
"Yeah... no real evidence at all, and he just locked them all up in the big jail. Way too unreasonable!"
"Hmph, those people blocking the Silvermane Guards and that blue-hair—what else could it mean but guilty conscience? Serves them right!"
"I don't know what you all think, but those families got so arrogant they even gave attitude to the blue-hair personally appointed by the Supreme Guardian. Still need evidence? Doesn't disrespecting an official count?"
"But they basically control every industry in Belobog. If we just arrest them like this, what happens next? Won't we have to let them out eventually to keep production going?"
A few days later.
Not only was there no news of releasing anyone—Sampo's antics got even more outrageous.
A recruitment notice appeared on the Administrative District's bulletin board.
The gist was: overnight, all those noble industries had been taken over by the builders, and all management had been cleared out.
"Huh? Recruitment notice?"
"No way—they're really not letting them go?"
"I heard a lot of the manufacturing data and blueprints were destroyed ahead of time by the nobles. How's the Guardian supposed to make anything? Develop new processes?"
"Buddy, how about we head to Goethe Hotel for some fries first?"
"It's come to this and you're still thinking about fries? Don't you have any ambition? Remember your dreams!"
"I do—go to Goethe Hotel for some fries."
"..."
A chubby clerk carrying a briefcase walked silently across the Administrative District plaza, looking left and right, scratching his head.
"Where's Brother Zeig? Didn't he say he'd treat me to fries?"