—–

A month had passed since Louis and Mirai saved the kingdom from ruin, and things had stabilized to a degree. The mourning ceremony for those who did not survive had just concluded. Louis walked through the graveyard with slightly sorrowful eyes. The graves now held not only soldiers but also children, the elderly, mothers, and many other civilians who should never have died in such an incident. This reality filled Louis with deep guilt and frustration.

Yet instead of crushing him, these emotions fueled his resolve to press forward and never give up. He paused before the tall pillar inscribed with the names of the fallen, gently caressing its black stone for a moment before walking away. Outside the graveyard, Mirai waited for him alongside Zorba, his father, Catrise, and the children.

“Master Louis, please don’t let these losses weigh you down,” Zorba said. “There is still much to be done. You must remain strong, just as you once told me to be.”

“I know,” Louis replied with a bitter smile. “Let’s go. We have a lot ahead of us.”

Afterward, Louis met with many of the victims who had lost family members. Just as he had done in one of his previous regressions, he took full responsibility. He spoke openly with every person who wished to share their grief, explaining what had happened and showing himself to be a benevolent and transparent ruler.

Later that day came the execution of the traitorous nobles, scheduled and carried out without public spectacle. They were granted the chance to fight for their lives in one-on-one combat against Prince Louis himself. He faced each one, endured their hatred, and swiftly ended them, either by piercing their hearts or beheading them.

He did this deliberately. His plan was to enslave their souls upon death, infuse them back into their bodies, and turn them into Undead capable of revealing every secret they had refused to confess while alive. Some nobles were stronger than others, descendants of ancient bloodlines from Yggdrasil, but none could match Louis’s strength.

The families that had betrayed the crown made up nearly half of Frostbane’s nobility, though thankfully not all.

From Louis’s compiled list, the traitorous families included:

The Vex Family, renowned as Moonlight Sorcerers and Druids, descendants of Moonlight Elves. Louis pardoned the last surviving member, Thalor Vex’s younger brother, who had been studying abroad and returned to devastating news. By Louis’s request, he was adopted into another family.

The Red Fang Family, celebrated Warriors and Knights, descendants of Fire Giants. Only the family head was executed, dying in a blaze of defiant glory. His five sons and three daughters were spared and swore renewed loyalty to the crown.

The Emerald Stone Family, descendants of Yggdrasian Humans, capable magicians and warriors, though never exceptional. The family head accepted his punishment and was executed to spare his descendants.

The Hollow Veil Family, infamous illusionists who aided in the castle raid. The family head attempted to escape three times with his two sons and daughter. All were executed by Louis. With no younger children in the family, the line was completely terminated.

The Ironthorn Family, a long line of knights. The family head, a brave knight who had betrayed the crown believing Louis was dead, apologized sincerely and tried to swear loyalty again. Louis sensed his honesty, so he executed the man honorably in single combat and spared the rest of the family.

The Silverbrand Family, known for producing exceptional swordsmen, met a similar fate, most were spared except for the courageous family head.

The Ashen Coil Family, dark magicians caught practicing forbidden arts that involved sacrificing kidnapped civilians. The entire family was executed.

The Duskspire Family, co-managers of the Magician Tower alongside the Ashen Coil Family. The family head took full blame, and the rest were spared.

The Blackmarrow Family, the only known line of necromancers. All were executed for crimes similar to the Ashen Coil Family—both had collaborated in the kidnappings. “Legal” necromancers were permitted only to use the corpses of beasts and criminals, but these had crossed that line. Their guilt was confirmed through investigations by the VPI and Louis himself.

The Stormrend Family, to which Belladine belonged—an affiliated family of the Vex, serving as their designated elven spirit knights and masters of spirit and magic. They had been coerced by the Vex but still bore responsibility. Belladine’s father took full blame and was executed, sparing his daughter—who had also participated in the rebellion and killed several knights.

Throughout these executions, Louis remained deeply conflicted. While he felt no pity for some families, many others contained good people at heart—people who had grown weary of a kingdom without true rulers, who felt unprotected, and who had desperately sought news of Benladra’s condition only to be denied answers.

But this life was no fairy tale. Louis could not simply forgive those who had rebelled, killed his knights, and then expected to walk away with smiles and handshakes. Civilians had died—innocents with no power to defend themselves—and they deserved justice.

Above all, he needed to set an example for the remaining nobles: never overstep your bounds, and never dare attempt such treason again.

He showed mercy by sparing most families—except the most irredeemable ones, which lacked young descendants. Louis refused to execute children.

Those who died did not meet a true end. Their souls were enslaved, their bodies reanimated, and they became the first members of the newly established “Order of Thanatos.” These highly intelligent Undead, bound to either Louis or Zorba, served as additional workforce, warriors, and soldiers to offset the kingdom’s heavy losses.

Of course, the innocent dead were not raised as zombies or skeletons. But the enemies received no such mercy. Roughly eighty percent of the Vultarn High Dominion soldiers were transformed into zombies and soldiers of the Order of Thanatos. Now eternally loyal, they retained their memories. Some were even permitted to rejoin their families if they wished. Thanks to the advanced necromancy of Zorba and Louis, most were nearly indistinguishable from their living selves—aside from a few exceptions.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep