The Culprit
A week passed since Ezra's punishment was decided.
The Emperor's proclamation kicked up a fuss in noble circles, but no one made a move.
In the meantime, Ezra got news of the outside world from Fredrick through the communication scrolls.
For one, Black Jaws academy was now complete.
The first round of admission had begun.
Rather nobles, Black Jaws focused on taking talents from the masses of commoners.
As always, they made it clear that they were for the less privileged, the nobles should go and eat sh*t if that made them feel better.
Alongside this, Black Jaws was facing serious pressure from other top guilds and top organizations.
The Emperor's original intent was to eat up Black Jaws once it sufficiently developed.
The other Noble houses did nothing as well, awaiting Black Jaw's inevitable destruction with greedy eyes.
Alas, with Fredrick's timely advancement, their plan fell into disarray.
Then, the support Black Jaws culminated among ordinary folk was unmatched.
It should be obvious considering ninety percent of all their members were commoners.
Their product was also geared in the direction of helping commoners.
Then, during the recent Beast Tide, Black Jaws dispatched members to villages and towns without worrying about losses, saving thousands that would've rather died, garnering massive support in the process.
Of course, in exchange for doing so, they didn't send reinforcements to a set of places-where their enemies resided.
After all, Nobles were rich enough to defend themselves.
But now that a semblance of peace was in place, Black Jaws abnormal growth had many guilds group up to avoid destruction.
The former top guilds banded to resist Black Jaws, becoming an Anti-Black Jaws guild.
They couldn't let Black Jaws eat up all business opportunities.
Then, the royal family put more laws in place to restrict their ability to grow.
Not surprising, the royal family was probably the entity most weary of them.
With Black Jaws unlikely to be usurped for the foreseeable future, the calm guilds were now panicking.
Their plan backfired.
So, right now, Black Jaws was fighting multiple organizations at once.
The Buffer Zone was outrightly ignored at this point.
The royal family didn't say anything about the other forces going against it, tacitly agreeing with their methods and Black Jaws didn't complain.
At the end of the day, you just had to kill every enemy, words wouldn't do much at this point.
The royal family offered to send trusted nobles to 'help' Black Jaws improve their situation.
For one thing, Fredrick didn't like nobles, they were hard to deal with in every way, being very prideful yet stupid at the time.
Second, they would most certainly be spies.
After that, Black Jaws would be betraying its beliefs if it gave away high positions to nobles rather than the workers already there.
So, he offered that they come in as low rank workers and then work their way up.
Of course, Fredrick wasn't planning to increase them in rank anytime soon, but why say no to free labour.
The more, the merrier, was it not?
Like expected, the royal family sought to think about it.
Besides that, the Grandmasters had meetings to discuss how the remaining demon worshippers were to be taken care of.
As it was a matter with demons, support was being solicited from other powers in Hellison and Puton.
However long that would take, Fredrick didn't know.
In short…
'It seems my prediction was spot on with this matter'
But Ezra put that thought aside.
He'd issued for Fredrick to head to Gattiste to check if Marcus was alive.
Additionally…
'I need to know if Emerson, Umeron, Westin and Valencia survived'
So, he told Fredrick to sniff them out as well.
Valentine had left the night before. So, he wasn't worried.
The Emperor lay in his quarters, looking through paperwork when the door was knocked.
"Come in"
The door opens to see a one-eyed Bolton step in, behind him came a man cloaked in Black.
"Your Majesty, he says he's found the culprit behind the assassination"
The Emperor stopped, and then reclined into his chair.
"You have my attention"
The cloaked man knelt. "Your highness, after combing through multiple suspects, the name Calvin Kalwin seems the most recurring"
He raised his gaze to face the Emperor, but froze on the spot.
A haze of red formed over the Emperor's figure; murderous intent at its best.
The Emperor tapped his armrest with his index finger. "Calvin Kalwin you say…"
'Kalwin…is Gwendolyn's family name'
Realization hit.
'She did this'
The culprit was found.
The Emperor stood ever slowly, nodding, "Your work is appreciated"
The cloaked figure nodded in haste.
The Emperor walked out.
"Hmm hmm hmm hmm"
Gwendolyn hummed, taking in her heavenly visage projected by the mirror while pulling on her jewellery.
She was beaming with happiness ever since Ezra got in trouble.
With the boy being put away for life, her worries reduced dramatically.
Now, she just had to get her son thinking straight.
Jordan grew infamous in his lecherous acts, she had to find a way to stop that.
At this point, someone knocked.
"Who is it?"
The door lock was broken, forcing her to turn.
"Who-
The Emperor's visage put her brain on halt.
'Why is he here?'
Unease began squeezing her heart, nevertheless, she maintained her calm demeanour.
"Andrew? What is it?"
With every step he took towards her, she took one in retreat.
"I'll ask once"
"Huh?"
"Did you or did you not send assassins after my son?"
"Haa…" her expression froze. "W-What are you talking about?"
Break!
The Emperor broke the mirror, cutting out a large shard.
"W-W-Wait! It's not what you think!"
"Is it now?"
"Y-Y-Yes" she nodded vigorously. Stabilising her voice. "I don't know how, but he was demon since then"
"I knew if I told you, you wouldn't believe me, so I took it in my arms to execute him" she spoke in one breath. "Haah…you have to understand…Haah…I swear I was only thinking of the Empire"
The Emperor just stared, and once he determined she was done, he spoke.
"I see" he nodded ever so slowly. "Sadly" he continued. "I don't believe you"
He raised the glass shard.
"No, no, no, no" her face paled. "Wait-!
The Emperor slashed downwards.
"AHH!"
The castle was engulfed in a howling shriek, and Gwendolyn's room was dyed red.
Gwendolyn herself wriggled like a worm, a bloody one, holding the stump that had once been her right arm.
Once done, the Emperor walked out like the chad he was, the shrieks fading into the background.
That made another round of waves.
Gwendolyn's family came to the royal castle two days later, but as they sought to enter, the Emperor's voice boomed.
"If you step in, you will not be leaving," he said. "She tried to kill my child, and was duly punished for it. Now, leave"
After arranging their choices, the family members left.
As anyone could deduct, the Emperor was in a bad mood.
They'd test his patience another time.
With everyone seemingly boiling for action, another week passed.
'Hmm?'
Ezra raised his head to find where the metallic sound was coming from.
The cell door was opened, and in came three figures.
All masters.
"Get up" one spat.
"To where?" Ezra asked.
Another rubs his knuckles. "Seems you don't understand how this works yet"
"Oh?"
"When I say get up" he raised his fist. "You get up" and sent it to Ezra.
Pam!
Ezra held it in place effortlessly, yawning heavily, before raising his gaze to face them.
Squeezing the man's hands. Ezra spoke "The next time you attack me"
"ah, ah, ah-
The master's hand was gradually fracturing.
'What is this?! Didn't they say he was weakened?!'
The man felt like crying.
The guards outside spoke so heartily about how weakened he was.
With that, the master's came in thinking, 'No matter how powerful a grandmaster might be, since he's weakened, let's push him around a bit'
The dude felt he was dying, his fist bulged so much you'd think it was going to pop.
Yet, Ezra was pressing it down without a hitch.
"I won't let you off so easily" Ezra's eyes glinted, and he squeezed harder.
Crack!
"Are we clear?"
The master, who was holding back a scream, nodded vigorously.
"Good" he swiped the man's hand away. "Now, where am I going?"
"Don't get ahead of yourself" another raised his tone.
Ezra scratched his head. 'Why am I surrounded by idiots?'
Slowly, Ezra rose to his feet.
And then, Bam!
The dude took a punch to the gut. Breaking the cell gate and smashed into the wall, imprinting his figure.
Ezra looked to the third.
"And you?"
Sweating like crazy, the third dude raised both arms in surrender.
The other still gripping his fist had his eyes pop seeing what a single had turned his comrade into.
Not wanting to follow such footsteps, he straightened his back. The previously lacking demeanour immediately changed.
Ezra smiled. "Now, where am I going?"
From their view, his smile was too scary.
They were cursing inwardly.
'Sh*t! Which b*stard said this job was easy?!'
