“You all heard it, right? Sharial seems to have been dragged here, but this is a good opportunity for me. A chance to knock some sense into you while no one is around, and make sure you forget—physically—what you heard about me.”
“Ol-Olivia. J-just now, that was—”
SMACK!
First, I struck all three of them on the head.
Especially Aslan—I hit him with all my strength.
“Y-Your Highness! Olivia, what is the meaning of this outrageous behavior?!”
‘Oh, look at this guy. From a knightly family, huh? He’s still standing after getting hit by me? Impressive. But… is he seriously yelling at me? At me? This fool has lost his mind.’
I kicked Raileur several times.
CRACK! THUD!
“You’ve got to be kidding me! Who do you think is responsible for this mess?!”
“Uh, well, that’s—”
“Shut it!”
SMACK!
I delivered a punch to his solar plexus, making him collapse unconscious.
“If you have anything to say to me, the answer is simple: you don’t. A person with even a shred of conscience wouldn’t behave this way. You’re all just a bunch of fools. And maybe it’s time you turned into something better, like caramelized sweet potatoes.”
Sure, the whole Pector situation technically served my ultimate purpose.
I encountered one of the Four Generals and defeated him.
With his vow not to step foot in the Empire for now, things should be peaceful for a while.
But that’s that.
This is this.
‘What if it had been another of the Four Generals? So yes, this was overdue. You all need to learn some discipline.’
***
Next up is Sharial.
A noble elf by blood. Ella’s younger sister, no less. For reference, she’s lived for over half a century.
Sharial’s face turned pale as she saw Raileur getting beaten to a pulp.
But I had my own issues with this woman too.
“Eek! W-wait! Olivia, please! I swear I didn’t know anything! I just followed them for the first time this time around!”
She flailed her hands in a desperate attempt to defend herself.
‘Pitiful, isn’t she? If you look only at that… she does seem pitiful.’
“Hmm. I see.”
“They insisted on going, so what could I do? Please consider my position—I’m a woman like you!”
‘Oh, “a woman like you,” is it? My, my. What a clever thing to say.’
I nodded slowly.
“Fair enough. You make a good point. After all, this body is female, too.”
“So, then—”
“But if you were so opposed to it, you shouldn’t have tagged along with those idiots in the first place!”
WHACK!
I gave her a solid slap.
‘Using that as a defense, huh? That’s what ticks me off the most. And also, as Ella’s younger sister, you make me furious for no reason at all.’
Besides, it’s better if she doesn’t remember anything about me.
I don’t care where she starts or ends—she just needs to forget everything.
“Wahh! Hic… Alright, alright! Whatever it is, I was wrong!”
“Good. But you’ll need a little help forgetting.”
SMACK!
With one hit to her head, she was knocked unconscious.
‘You get off lightly, Sharial.’
***
Finally, it’s Aslan.
By the time Raileur and Sharial had fallen, Aslan was trembling with fear.
‘Yeah, he didn’t think I’d resort to this level of violence, did he?’
“It’s important to deal with dangerous things early—by, you know, eliminating them.”
“O-Olivia. I-I’m grateful you saved me. I know I deserve punishment.”
“Hmm.”
‘How should I handle this one? Break his arm first? Or make sure he can never leave the Imperial Capital again by crushing his ankle? Neither option feels quite right.’
“O-Olivia—no, whoever you are, please calm down! Calm down, ma’am!”
‘The fact he’s using formal speech means he’s heard something. In that case, I can’t let this go. Right?’
“What did you hear?”
“Even if you are upset, you should consider—You’re dealing with a prince here, you know.”
‘This idiot really doesn’t get it, huh?’
I drove my foot between his legs.
THUD!
Aslan’s eyes widened in agony.
“Now, tell me everything you heard. Spill it!”
“N-Noah. Something about Noah.”
‘Ah, so he’s heard everything. How honest of him. Honest… but that just means I need to hit him harder until he forgets.’
With that, I pulled out the Hourglass of Havel.
“Well, Aslan, looks like we’ve got 24 hours to play.”
“No, Olivia, wait! I was wrong! Violence isn’t the answer. The Empire is a great nation, but it has never oppressed its neighbors!”
“That’s the Empire. What does that have to do with me?”
‘This guy… wasn’t he preaching loyalty to the Emperor’s subjects just a while ago?’
I grabbed Aslan’s forehead and squeezed.
Crrrk.
“I am not Noah. I am Olivia.”
“Y-yeah, violence is bad. Got it, Olivia.”
‘Right, violence is bad. But you know what’s worse? Behavior that invites violence.’
“If you hadn’t messed around and caused all this, I wouldn’t have to go through this hell.”
SMACK!
I kicked him, hard.
‘It’s time to brand fear into his body. To make sure he understands that stepping outside the Capital means nothing but suffering. Stay put like a good boy, Aslan.’
“You got that, huh? You’re nothing but a disgraced prince! Meanwhile, I’m a grand official, personally acknowledged by the Emperor. And yet you still refuse to listen?!”
WHACK! CRACK!
This level of beating… it’s the first since Ella. But it doesn’t matter. I won’t forgive this fool.
“Have I not been patient enough? This is fine, isn’t it? Don’t you think so? I can’t stand feeling frustrated anymore. The Emperor can’t say much about this incident anyway. If anything, this situation just makes it harder for Ashtar’s influence to stabilize within the Imperial Court.”
***
“That… that’s enough. Haven’t you done enough already? I was wrong. I’ll never go against you again. Please—ugh!”
I kicked him a few more times.
Once. Twice. Three times. Four.
Without stopping, I struck him over and over again.
“Please, for god’s sake, just stay quiet. Alright?”
“Y-yes… got it—ugh!”
I hit him hard enough to make his face a bloody mess.
Later, I’d just claim it was Pector who did this to him.
It’s not like anyone would blame me.
Honestly, I’d love to train someone like this, but there’s no hope for him.
‘Mental reformation? No chance.’ Attempting to fix a guy like this would only spell doom for the Empire.
“Well, I guess I’ve done enough damage now.”
“Hah… Yeah. L-let’s end this here.”
‘End this? You think you get to decide when it ends?’
“[Heal]”
“Huh?”
“Do you think my resentment ends here? I’ve held back so much already. You should at least be reduced to a half-dead state.”
“I-I’ve already taken so much!”
“Then go ahead and become a Grand Advisor yourself if you don’t like it.”
Every time he was on the verge of becoming completely bloodied, I healed him and continued beating him again.
WHACK!
I struck his head hard enough to knock him down.
Afterward, I lined up the three unconscious fools in a row.
“This is the first time I’ve done something like this since dealing with my sister. You guys are incredible—you’ve managed to push me to this level of rage.”
I idly massaged my temples.
‘Should I completely destroy Aslan’s frontal lobe? No, if I did that, he’d be utterly ruined. Just leaving him as a simple fool might be more reasonable. This level of violence should be enough for them to lose their memories, though.’
The real concern wasn’t what I did—it was the fact that Sharial might have noticed who I really am.
The fact that I’m Noah, not Olivia. That was a risk I couldn’t ignore.
“Pector’s sword… What should I do with it?”
I glanced at the broken blade of Pector’s sword while wringing out the last remnants of their feeble minds.
The very presence of the shattered sword sent shivers down my spine.
Even in its damaged state, it still radiated an aura of despair.
If anyone other than me tried to wield it, they’d probably shatter on contact.
‘Well, I suppose it’s safest in my possession, but still… something about this feels unsettling.’
“Maybe I could repurpose it with sword magic.”
Sword magic allowed for the creation of a pure mana blade that could hold any attribute.
It was essentially enchanting a weapon with human mana as though it were ordinary equipment.
“Let’s store it away for now.”
It was better to keep it in my inventory for safekeeping.
Now, the next task was freeing the citizens of Karchem.
‘Honestly, I don’t feel like doing it alone. Maybe I should just call in the Ashtar soldiers. They can handle the cleanup while I make my excuses later.’
I tossed the three unconscious fools into a corner and prepared to release the trapped citizens of Karchem when—
***
WHOOSH!
A blinding flash of light erupted before me, and a dark-haired woman appeared.
‘I know her.’
“Blazing Sword Natalia.”
She was as fast as ever.
And not teleportation, either—it was pure physical speed. Unlike teleportation, hers was a form of extreme rapid movement.
“Well, well. Fancy meeting Ashtar’s finest here.”
She gave me a once-over, clearly recognizing me.
‘Of course, she’d know me. She was Aslan’s fiancée, after all.’
The real question was—where did she come from?
In the worst-case scenario, I might have to deal with Natalia too.
“When did you get here, Blazing Sword Natalia?”
‘How much did she see? And how much does she know?’
Right now, that wasn’t important.
What mattered was freeing the citizens of Karchem.
***
“Yes, of course.”
I began making my way through Karchem, freeing the people who had been locked inside various buildings.
“Are you not calling the Ashtar soldiers to assist you?”
“Oh, well… it just happened this way.”
‘If I’d brought them, they would’ve been annihilated. If the Four Generals launched a full-scale invasion of the Empire, our army wouldn’t stand a chance.’
The moment a General decided to act seriously, it would’ve been game over for the Imperial forces.
Sending Ashtar’s troops would’ve just hastened the inevitable.
“So, you’ve been moving alone from the start?”
“Yes.”
Dragging others into this would’ve only complicated things.
Natalia was here anyway, so there was no point in increasing casualties among the soldiers.
After all, Pector’s target was me, not them.
‘I hadn’t expected to reveal so much of myself in the process, though. And to think Pector was around my age…’
“Was that magic yours?”
“Yes, Blazing Sword Natalia.”
She scanned me from head to toe again, her gaze piercing.
I didn’t like the way she was looking at me.
“It was always said you had an extraordinary mana capacity since childhood, but this…”
She gestured toward the massive crater in the center of Karchem.
‘That fool actually managed to escape, huh?’
“Well, it’s not exactly like that.”
“Fascinating.”
“Pardon?”
“You’re a close friend of my disciple, Amelia.”
‘Huh? Amelia’s friend?’
‘Guess I’ll have to visit the Ashtar estate later and figure out the details about her connection to the princess.’
For now, playing along seemed like the smartest move.
“Ah, yes. That’s right.”
“Amelia has mentioned wanting to meet you someday. She’s a princess, so be sure to show the proper courtesy.”
“Understood.”
‘Obviously. Everyone says Princess Amelia takes after the Emperor in many ways. In other words, she’s an eccentric. While she might be better suited for centralizing power than Aslan, who’s all bark and no bite, as a friend? We’ll see.’
‘After all, I’m friends with the Emperor himself. Adding Amelia to the mix? What kind of disaster would that make?’
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