Chapter 85. The Fireworks
Flames roared all around.
"Please, spare me—"
Slash.
Without hesitation, Caron severed the neck of the slave trader who had been writhing in desperation amid the inferno.
They were in an underground slave camp, the last one Caron had been tasked with clearing. The camp was engulfed in chaos, lit only by the fire spreading through its dark halls.
A low growl like that of a tiger echoed throughout the dungeon, followed by a sharp human scream. "Gahhh!"
Moments later, Adina emerged from the shadows, blood dripping from her fangs. She casually tossed the corpse she'd been dragging by the neck and approached Caron.
"It's done," she growled, wiping her mouth. "There were thirty-seven slaves in this camp. All of them have escaped safely."
"You've done well," Caron said, his tone calm.
Adina sneered, glancing around at the charred remains of the underground prison. "Those pathetic insects weren't worth my time. After biting into such filthy throats, I think I need to rinse my mouth."
She looked around, her eyes gleaming like those of a predator. The underground was damp and foul-smelling. Fires were burning in various parts of the room. And yet with her sharp senses, she was still able to detect the presence of people hiding in different corners of the basement.
"Want me to finish them off?" she asked.
But Caron chuckled and shook his head, replying, "Is there a need for that?"
"They're still hiding, at least a dozen or so," Adina pointed out, her instincts sharp.
"I've got a better idea," Caron replied with a sly grin. "Follow me."
With that, Caron led Adina to the staircase that would take them out of the burning dungeon. They climbed slowly, savoring the moment.
Then, boom!
Caron swung Guillotine, slicing through the wall behind them. The stone collapsed, sealing the entrance with rubble and trapping those still inside.
Adina watched, impressed; she then said, "...That's one way to do it."
"Now that's a true hellfire," Caron said with a satisfied smile. "The ones trapped down there will die thrashing around, gasping for air until the very end."
"A fitting end for trash like them," Adina mused. "Caron Leston, you might be human, but you've got a surprisingly good head on your shoulders."
As she spoke, she released her partial beast form, her feral features returning to normal.
Four hours had passed since Caron freed the first slave camp. By now, every camp in Reben had been liberated.
"We enact justice!" a voice cried in the distance.
"Destroy the traitor, Marquis Leandro!" another voice called out.
What was initially a small band of fifty had swelled to over two hundred. Though many of these new recruits were freshly freed slaves with little combat experience, their determination burned brightly. Even some of the city guards had joined them, desperate to survive the rising rebellion.
"There's a patient in need of urgent care here!" a voice shouted.
"Bring them over!" another responded.
Freed slaves from the last camp were being cared for by those who had been liberated earlier. Fortunately, several among them had medical knowledge, allowing swift treatment of the wounded.
As Caron observed the scene in silence, he heard a booming voice from the distance.
"Caron Leston!" a massive figure shouted as they approached, leading a sizable force. It was Utula, the giant Caron had rescued. After four hours, he had finally returned, his clothes stained with blood and tattered from battle. There was something peculiar about his approach, however.
"...Why is he walking like that?" Caron wondered, puzzled.
Utula was carrying Cobler on his shoulders. When they reached Caron, Cobler grinned and said, "Our side is all clear! We finished earlier than expected, so we decided to meet up here instead of at the Reben Knight Order's headquarters."
Cobler's force wasn't small either. Over one hundred had joined them. Together, the rebellion, or rather the liberation army, had grown to a total of four hundred strong.
"We only pulled in those capable of fighting," Cobler explained. "Many of the others were too weak to contribute effectively..."
"You did well. What about the slave traders?" Caron asked.
Utula answered with a satisfied growl, "We will not be slaves! I personally smashed the heads of the ones who stole the freedom of others."
"As you heard, Lord Utula took care of them all," Cobler added. "Though we did manage to capture a few alive—well, sort of. Utula crushed their spines, so they won't be walking again."
Caron couldn't help but wince as he imagined Utula folding a man in half like a ragdoll. He nodded in approval, though. "Impressive. You've both done well."
"They were no warriors," Utula said, pounding his chest with pride. "Crushing them was easier than smashing an orc's skull."
Cobler then asked cautiously, "Now that we've liberated all the camps... What's the next step?"
The first objective, freeing the slaves, was complete. Now it was time for the second phase of the plan.
Caron sheathed Guillotine and exhaled lightly before saying, "We head to the city square."
Cobler hesitated, frowning before he said, "But Marquis Leandro's soldiers are stationed there..."
"Don't worry about that," Caron reassured him.
He'd already received word from Revelio that everything had been handled. The table had been set, and all Caron had to do now was place the final spoon. Speed was crucial for a rebellion to succeed. He knew that better than anyone.
I've crushed enough rebellions in my previous life to know, he thought. The longer they dragged this out, the less likely they were to succeed. So far, things had gone almost perfectly. All that remained was to deal with Marquis Leandro when he returned to the city.
"Let's meet up with Prince Revelio at the square—" Caron began, but just then, a low buzzing sound interrupted him.
He pulled out the communication orb from his pocket and answered it. It was a call from Prince Revelio.
"What is it?" Caron asked.
There was a brief pause before Revelio's voice came through the device. "We have a complication, Caron."
Only two hours had passed since Caron last heard that the city was fully under control. Could something have gone wrong?
Caron's brows furrowed as Revelio continued, "Marquis Leandro got word of the situation. He's turning his forces around and heading back at full speed. Estimated time of arrival—two hours."
"...Is he really abandoning the border?" Caron muttered.
"He must've decided this was more urgent," Revelio replied. "So, what's the plan now, oh fearless leader of the rebellion?"
Without hesitation, Caron responded, "We'll meet him at the walls. This will only end when we capture Marquis Leandro, and that time has just come sooner than expected."
After ending the call, Caron turned to his gathered forces and ordered, "We'll head to the southern wall."
It was time to greet the true ruler of this city, who was now branded a traitor.
***
Caron stood atop the towering city walls, his gaze fixed on the approaching army in the distance. The forces of Marquis Leandro were closing in, a well-trained army of two thousand soldiers that befitted a border city. Among them were a few mages as well.
"The sky is beautiful," Revelio commented, standing beside Caron and admiring the scene beyond.
The sun was setting, casting the sky in shades of orange and red. The storm clouds that had loomed all day had finally cleared, leaving behind white clouds tinged with the colors of the sunset. But beneath that fiery sky, the two-thousand-strong army was advancing steadily.
"What do you think Leandro will do, Caron?" Revelio asked.
"He'll probably claim he's innocent. To be fair, he has a point. The charges of treason aren't entirely justified," Caron answered.
"There's no solid evidence," Revelio admitted.
"Exactly. And isn't that the way it should be? What's the morale of the troops like?" Caron inquired, watching the soldiers below.
"...They're not that motivated," Revelio admitted.
They had taken control of the city successfully, but that didn't mean they had won over the loyalty of the soldiers. Their former lord, Marquis Leandro, had suddenly been branded a traitor, and not many could easily adapt to such a drastic change. Although they had increased their numbers by liberating slaves, those troops weren't fit to face Leandro's elite soldiers head-on. Leandro's army was composed of seasoned soldiers, while Caron's forces were hastily organized and more akin to a militia.
Still, Caron knew Leandro wouldn't rush into a direct confrontation.
"He'll try to talk his way out of it first," Caron said, his eyes narrowing as the army drew closer. "He'll want a trial in the capital, where he can prove his innocence. And... There is a high possibility that he would be found innocent."
Witnesses alone wouldn't be enough to convict Leandro. What they needed was solid, undeniable proof. Something that would definitively show he had plotted treason.
"But Caron, are you really going to go through with 'that plan?'" Revelio asked.
"Of course," Caron replied without hesitation. "It's the most effective way. I've already gotten Sir Mason's approval."
"This is crazy, seriously. I'm not ready for this yet!" Revelio trembled as he thought about the "plan" Caron had come up with. As far as he could tell, it was indeed the most fatal strategy. If everything went as Caron intended, Marquis Leandro would be branded a traitor in no time.
The problem was, the key part of the plan was Revelio himself.
"Inciting imperial citizens, illegally occupying the city, perjury... Wow, I'll probably go down in history as the most criminally charged royal in the entire imperial family," Revelio said.
Caron shook his head firmly and said, "I think your grandfather still holds that title. The Malevolent Emperor, who even sold his subordinates' souls to demons."
"Hey, we don't talk about that 'Grandfather' guy anymore!" Revelio snapped, though his tone was playful.
"Did you just call him 'that guy'? Such disrespect!" Caron teased.
The two exchanged light-hearted banter, easing the tension between them.
As Revelio watched Marquis Leandro's forces drawing closer, he spoke up. "Since I'm in this with you now, let me ask you something honestly."
"Ask away," Caron replied casually.
"Why are you trying to bring down Marquis Leandro? Is it for the glory of the House of Leston?" Revelio asked. He still couldn't quite understand why Caron had gone to such extreme lengths.
Caron smiled faintly and shook his head, then replied, "Do you really think cutting off that guy's head would secure our family's future?"
"It'd certainly give you a solid excuse to attack the faction of Duke Salmon, the one Leandro's aligned with," Revelio pointed out.
"I'm not that political," Caron replied, dismissing the notion. He had never given much thought to the massive political ramifications of this event. This whole affair had begun for deeply personal reasons. The elders of the family could make use of the political fallout, but that wasn't his concern.
"I'm just following my gut. I can't stand to watch them openly trading slaves like that. What else could I do?" he continued.
Revelio chuckled and said, "Such a noble philanthropist! All this madness, just to free some slaves... Come on, who's going to believe that?"
At that moment, a knight from Leandro's forces began riding toward them, bearing a white flag.
Revelio watched with a smirk, saying, "Well, I'll believe you. I mean, does a madman really need a reason for his madness? And I hate those slave-trading bastards too, so I get it."
Caron thought about how Revelio's group, Caligo, was composed mostly of former slaves. Perhaps that explained why Revelio had been so willing to help. Just as Revelio couldn't fully read Caron's thoughts, Caron couldn't completely understand Revelio's motives either. They could only guess that their sentiments aligned.
"The fact that a marquis is out there capturing and selling slaves—honestly, it's an embarrassment to the empire. That guy's tarnishing the honor of the Orias Empire. He deserves to die," Revelio said firmly.
Caron couldn't help but laugh. He asked, "I thought you hated the empire?"
"What? No! I only hate the imperial family. I'm a patriot! I love the Orias Empire," Revelio responded, feigning innocence.
"Such a good liar," Caron said, shaking his head.
As they talked, the envoy from Marquis Leandro's army arrived at the city's gates. He shouted up at Caron and Revelio, who stood on the wall above.
"Prince Revelio! Lord Caron of Leston! Marquis Leandro wishes to meet with you personally to clear up this misunderstanding!"
The grand deception had reached its climax.
Caron shouted back to the envoy, "Tell him we'll hear him out."
The moment to bring this chaotic plan to a successful conclusion had finally arrived.