Detest everything….
Around two years ago, his name wasn’t Oliver Schtrom.
Oliver Von Schtradius.
That was his real name, also the name of the head of a duke family which hold a right to inherit the throne.
When he was indeed a noble, he had an objection toward the way commoners were seen as nothing than a target of nobles’ exploitation, with Earlshide’s nobles and commoners’ relation as his ideal, he desperately tried to improve his citizens’ livelihood.
Commoners’ child were also able to attending school.
For the commoners whose financial affairs weren’t improved, and for the children who were working rather than attending school, that ideal wasn’t realized yet but, to realizing that he was desperately trying his best to search for a way to assist them day and night.
With a cheap livelihood compared to their neighboring territory, Schtradius territory’s circumstance was become a subject at the outskirt area.
“Dear, how about you take a rest soon?”
“Ah, Aria huh. Well this area’s harvest is scarce compared to another area, so I just thought is there any way to cope with it.”
Looking at Oliver’s state who was still working at Feudal lord’s mansion in Schtradius territory, his wife, Aria, inquired that.
She was wearing a loose night dress, and her stomach was swelling a bit.
“It’s good to work for the citizens but… I’m worried with your health.”
“Haha, you also should pay full attention to your health.”
Oliver said that while gently caressing his wife’s stomach.
“Since we are finally receiving this treasure after all.”
“Fufu, I understand, dear.”
As a couple of Empire’s nobles, Oliver was a very devoted husband, without any concubine he was very loving his wife, Aria, and Aria loved Oliver too.
Their harmonious circumstance was famed even among citizens, as an Empire’s noble, their popularity among citizens were unusually high.
Easy to talk and popular, their popularity as feudal lord and also noble were high.
There were many peoples who admired that kind of Schtradius territory, peoples who were living at a territory with harsh livelihood, they were wishing to migrate toward Schtradius territory.
And then, of course there were people who didn’t amused by the citizens who wished to migrate, they were the nobles of their own respective territory.
Empire’s nobles were usually see commoners as nothing than an exploitation subject, so if the commoners were decreased then that means the tax revenue would be decreased accordingly.
And so those feudal lords were prohibiting migration, prohibit them went toward Schtradius territory.
But, whether they didn’t concerned by that prohibition, there were many people who disregard that prohibition and migrating toward Schtradius territory.
Since they were similarly inside Empire’s territory, they couldn’t suppress citizens’ flow of migration.
Then, not just feudal lords, the other dukes who also hold the same right to inherit the throne were also bore unpleasant sentiment toward Oliver.
With the increase of citizens the tax revenue would be increased too, and so their financial power which magnificently increased further, the increase of tax revenue would similarly mean the increase of his contribution toward empire, it seemed he was a step ahead at emperor election.
If that was left as it is, Oliver may become the emperor.
If that was the case, since he was harboring citizens’ precedence policy, they may lost the deserved favor which they always get thus far.
They thought that they had cover it properly but, their thought were dominated.
The one who took advantage of their thought, was a duke who at that time wasn’t had the right to inherit the throne yet, Herald Von Ritchimond.
“Everyone, thanks for coming here.”
“Wha! Duke Ritchimond-sama, you seem in good spirit….”
“Ah, you don’t need to be so formal, more importantly, I have something to ask to all of you but.”
“Yes, please order us anything.”
“Schtradius, I want you to summon him to Imperial capital.”
“Duke Schtradius… right?”
“Yes, you are peoples whose citizens were stolen by Schtradius right?”
“Th, that is….”
“Ah, I don’t have any intention to blame you.”
“Yes….”
“Schtradius… do you think Schtradius is an eyesore?”
“Of course! For him to stole our citizens and use them to fill his own pocket, I’m very detest him!”
“I thought so too, with that he could increase the tax revenue to the empire, increase his contribution toward empire, and he also would got a high evaluation from imperial noble.”
“Damn vestment who had their own territories! The hell with evaluation without aware of our hardship.”
Right, Imperial nobles were noble who had their own territory, vestment nobles.
When nobles who manage their own territory were busy to exploit and live extravagantly, Imperial nobles’ job were different, to ascertain their previous territory, Imperial nobles served as a vestment noble.
Moreover, even with citizens precedence policy, Oliver himself was got living annuity from the empire, so he didn’t know any pain nor harsh.
And with a high assessment from those vestment nobles, that means….
“If we left it as it is, Schtradius may become the next emperor you know.”
“Th, that! If that person becomes the emperor, isn’t that mean he would apply that citizens precedence policy!”
“If that happened, that would be troublesome right?”
“We are a chosen person! We shouldn’t permit that injustice!”
“Therefore, I want you to make a fake summon for Schtradius to Imperial capital. Then at that time I’ll launch a plan to overthrow him.”
“Is that true!?”
“Yes, that’s why you should try to hold Schtradius at Imperial capital as long as possible. You could use any reason to do it.”
To that order from Herald, those nobles whose heads were clouded by greed were starting to thought about some way to hold Schtradius at Imperial capital as long as possible.
“Kukuku, Schtradius… this is your end….”
Herald was laughing without minding that those nobles there might saw it.
Then, several days after those nobles assembly, there was a contact from those nobles to Oliver’s territory.
His success to manage his territory and also increase the tax revenue, there was a request for him to teach his ability.
“Then, see you later.”
“Yes, please be careful.”
“Hahaha, you know about my magic skill right? I could even easily beat any demon which armies couldn’t defeat you know.”
“Nevertheless, as a wife I will still be worried.”
“Fufu, thank you. I’ll be adequately careful. You too, okay?”
“Yes, I understand.”
Being sent off by Aria, Oliver went toward Imperial capital.
Neighboring nobles were also approving his ideality.
If he spread his ideal at imperial capital, citizens’ livelihood also might become better, and the empire might advancing further.
He went to imperial capital with that kind of thought.
Schtradius’ mansion at imperial city was visited by many nobles every day.
Then while listening to Oliver about the way to increase the tax revenue, they were looking at him with admiration.
Oliver felt their response, he thought that the empire might change, he even spent his break to prolong his stay at imperial capital.
The nobles who came to listen to his speech, when they left Duke Schtradius’ mansion they were abusing him by said “You damn shameless man who don’t have nobles’ pride!” without he noticed it….
Then, at the time Oliver was staying at imperial capital, there was a certain incident which frequently happened at Schtradius territory.
The incident about the disappearance of the citizen one after another.
With young woman and kid as the victims, they disappeared weren’t just at night, but also at daytime.
With that, the citizens, whether it kids, wife and girl, they were terrorized by anxiety, and grew distrust toward Oliver who didn’t take any action regarding that incident.
Then at a certain day, there was a certain man came to Schtradius city.
“You, may I have a second?”
“Y, yes… what is it?”
Suddenly called by a man who wore a fine cloth, the citizen was nervous.
The citizen thought that perhaps that man was at least a high government officer or a noble.
He never thought that he would be called by such person.
“You don’t need to be that nervous, there’s something I want to ask but.”
“Yes… what is it possibly?”
“Actually… I’m a military police from imperial capital, since there were many human abduction happened here, I got an information that there were many peoples who were captured and turned into a slave. You, do you know anything about it?”
“Hu, human abduction!?”
“Do you have any idea about it?”
Being inquire that, the citizen was telling him about the incident which happened recently.
“Y, yes… actually, recently there were many incident about the disappearance of girls and kids… it make everyone anxious.”
“Disappearance incident… that’s it.”
“Nevertheless, why does the military police from imperial capital….”
“It is actually a secret but… actually, it seems this incident is related to this town’s feudal lord.”
“Fe, feudal lord-sama!?”
“Ssst! You’re too loud!”
The citizen man couldn’t believe that. The feudal lord-sama who tried his best to support the commoner, there’s no way he would assist such kind of thing, so he thought.
“Duke Schtradius at this territory was take a policy which treat the commoner kindly right?”
“Yes, thanks to him, we could live sufficiently.”
“That was a bait.”
“Bait?”
“Yes, he assemble the citizens from neighboring territory by using a good treatment toward commoner as bait… in fact, it seems he was capturing the assembled commoner and then selling them.”
“No, no way… that….”
“Just try think about it, do you really think that an empire’s noble would treat commoner kindly?”
“If, if you say so….”
At first he didn’t to believe that. But, he indeed never thought that an empire’s nobles would treat a commoner kindly. The more he got the explanation, he started to think that the military police’s word was true.
“We’re going to stay at this city for a while, so if there’s something happen just tell me.”
“I, I understand.”
After said that, the military police man left.
“He also fell for it….”
So he thought, while his mouth was inclined.
Like that, herald who named himself as a military police was spread that false information inside the city, those rumor even spread till outskirt villages, raising citizens suspicion, nevertheless the peoples abduction were still happened.
Because of Herald’s work, since the information about that incident wasn’t reached feudal lord’s mansion, of course there was no way they would do any search.
To the feudal lord who didn’t take any action even at this kind of time, the citizens’ irritation was reaching its peak.
Oliver was spending his time at Imperial capital without slightest aware that such a thing was happened at his territory.
But, since his wife’s parturition was come near, of course Oliver decided to temporarily returning to his territory.
The nobles who tried to restrain him at Imperial capital were thought that two months should be enough, so they let him return.
Then, they informed herald about that, and his plan was preceding to the final stage.
When Oliver departed from Imperial capital, the military police man was called out to the citizens’ men.
“Everyone, please listen to me, we finally able to grasp a trace of this human abduction. It seems there would be a carriage which come to this city soon, I want to seize that carriage but, would you cooperate with us?”
The citizens whose irritation was at its peak was attracted by that words.
Those men were walking while snickering when being guided by the man who called himself as a military police to the location where they would seize the carriage, without long a carriage with Schtradius crest was approaching them.
When the man who called himself a military police asked them to stop, the carriage was readily stopped.
“I’m going to inspect your luggage.”
“This is duke’s carriage you know? Do you think such a thing would be permitted?”
“This is an investigation order from his majesty emperor, I won’t allow any objection.”
All that he said was just a lie. His majesty emperor’s investigation order was also nonexistence.
But the citizens who were intoxicated by fury couldn’t realize that at all.
Then, when they checked the luggage….
“Oi! What’s it!?”
“That are goods which should be delivered to Duke-sama.”
Inside the luggage tray of the carriage… the women and kids who they thought had disappeared, those citizens were there while being tied by a rope.
The citizens who saw that was convicted.
The military police man’s words was true.
We were a prey which were lured by a delicious bait.
With that, the citizens couldn’t control their rage.
Avenge Oliver.
They could only thought such a thing.
Why did this kind of illegal transaction was using a carriage with duke family’s crest and brazenly carried the slaves, why did the military police asked the citizens to accompany them to seizing this carriage, and also the fact that he was actually telling them a false information, no one realized that.
Watching the citizens who were trembled in anger and returned to attack the feudal lord’s mansion, the military police men were… laughing.
“Commoner sure stupid right?”
“It can’t be helped, they never received any proper lesson thus far after all.”
“Well, that’s why they are so easy to be manipulated by nobles like us.”
The peoples there were nobles’ first son or lower young men, peoples who were called and promised a brilliant future by Herald.
When they were chatting between themselves while seeing of the citizen, there was someone who suddenly asked.
“By the way… what should we do with them?”
“Ah… how about get rid of them after we fully enjoy them.”
“You’re right.”
For them who saw commoner as nothing than an exploitation subject, they didn’t have any intention to give any mercy to the captured citizens.
Then… the men who were returning to the town were calling out to another citizens, and raiding toward feudal lord’s mansion….
At that time, to give the souvenir which he just bought for his wife who has been quite a while since the last time they met, and a toy for his soon to born child, Oliver get his way back to his territory.
Then, when he saw Schtradius town, he noticed an unusual event.
“Wh, what… what is that!?”
The feudal lords’ mansion… there was a smoke flowed out from the house where his wife should be in.
“…wha! Oi! The horse, lend me the horse! Something bad is happened! If I don’t return quickly!”
Oliver who couldn’t understood what happened, without he realized it he rushed come out from the carriage, switched to a horse which was rode by one of the guard, and quickly went to feudal lord’s mansion.
Oliver who make the horse ran at its full speed eventually arrived at the town and vigorously entered the town like that.
Normally, riding a horse with full speed inside a town with a dense citizen was unthinkable but, with the current circumstance he had to time to care about such a thing.
When noticing Oliver, the citizens were shouting something. There were even some who threw something.
Among those citizen, there were even some peoples who tried to block his way.
While avoiding those citizen, Oliver kept ride the horse. Even while bewildered by the state of the city which was completely different from at the time he went toward imperial capital, Oliver didn’t have any intention to stop the horse.
Then, when he finally arrived and looked at the state of the feudal lord’s mansion, Oliver grew pale.
There were flames blazed here and there.
When Oliver noticed the deceased gatekeeper near the gate, he quickly rushed toward the mansion.
There… the situation was as if it was just raided by robbers.
The previously beautiful interior was destroyed, burned, he also could saw the figure of the collapsed servant here and there.
Oliver was confused by the situation which was completely different from the time he went to the imperial capital but, he quickly recover his mind and quickly rushed toward his wife’s room.
Then, when he finally arrived at his wife’s room… several men were there.
And below them….
“Aria! Ariaaaa!!”
While shouting that… he blew away the men at his wife’s room with magic.
He didn’t have any consideration toward those citizens.
Oliver was running toward Aria, his wife who was collapsed at pool of blood, and hugged her body.
As long as the person was alive they would emit magical energy from inside of their body but… he couldn’t feel magical energy from Aria’s body.
The magical energy from the child inside her body also….
“No way… Aria… aria… Please open your eyes. Didn’t I’ve told you to be careful with your health… to protect our treasure… Aria… Aria… Please….”
Oliver couldn’t believe that. He didn’t want to accept the reality before him.
Why something like this is happened?
The peoples here, aren’t they citizens who I’ve protected thus far?
Why… why did they do such a ruthless thing?
I can’t understand it at all.
“Why!? Why did you do this king of thing!!?”
Thereupon, the blown away men were unsteadily stood up, and abused Oliver in jeers.
“The hell with why!? Isn’t it happened because of your cruel atrocity!!”
He couldn’t understood what that man just said.
“Cruel atrocity? What… what are you talking about!?”
“Don’t play dumb! Everyone already know about it!! About your intention to lure us with your kind words! About you capturing and sold the gathered citizen one by one! Everything, we already know everything!!”
Oliver couldn’t understand what than man mean. He also didn’t has that kind of intention.
“What is that… why did it turn like that?”
“Don’t screw with us! I’ve saw it! The carriage with your family crest which carried those captured women and kids! Since I was there as a part of the military police’s group when they seized it!!”
“…part of the military police’s group? A commoner like you?”
“That’s right!”
“…Don’t you think that was strange? There’s no way military police would ask citizens to accompany them to an arrest task you know….”
“Th, that’s!”
“Moreover… a carriage with my family crest was carrying a salve? … Do you really think something like that is possible?”
“…..”
Indeed, would he brazenly abduct and carried the captured slave?
Does a military police really would ask a commoner like us to accompany them?
He finally realized that after being told so.
Oliver wasn’t in the feudal lord mansion.
Just now, is he just returned from somewhere?
Wasn’t it impossible to be done by someone who wasn’t inside the town?
Perhaps we have been deceived.
About that… they finally realized it.
When they realized that, the gathered citizens there, were aware that they had been deceived.
We have done something severe.
It was already late to regret it.
They already killed Aria.
Now… there’s no way return….
“Fufufu, ahahahahaha!!”
Oliver suddenly burst into laughter like a mad man, then… an unusual amount of magical energy was starting to gathered.
At that time, Oliver was quickly convicted.
It was nobles’ deed.
Preparing peoples to disguise as military police, preparing a carriage with a duke family’s crest, and deceiving the citizens thus far, the one who was able to done such a thing was none other than a noble.
About the reason that he was invited to the imperial city was also actually to stalling time to launch this scheme.
About the nobles who came to listen to his speech that actually didn’t approving his ideal at all.
Also, about the citizen who was easily being manipulated by those nobles’ scheme.
Everything… he finally understand every of it.
“Ah… I was really stupid right? For the peoples who return kindness with evil, to seriously trying my best thus far to improving this empire which let those nobles schemed such a worthless thing as they pleased….”
While saying that, the amount of the gathered magical energy by Oliver was not lessening even a bit.
Oliver was indeed originally an excellence magician but, that was obviously not an amount of magical energy which normally could be controlled by someone.
The citizens who saw that spectacle were begging for forgiveness to Oliver.
“Hii! Fe, feudal lord-sama! Please forgive us!!”
“Forgive? Forgiving the fool who committed this foolish act? Just what kind of joke you just said?”
The citizens were despaired when they heard those words.
And then, Oliver also said to those citizen….
“There’s no way I’ll forgive it right!!! You folk too! The nobles who manipulated you too! The empire who let those guys do as they pleased too! Everything! Everything!! There’s no way I would forgive every of it!!!!”
While shouting that, the gathered magical energy was increased further.
The citizen who were near that magical energy were blown away, and groveling at the floor.
Glancing at the magical energy which was gathered by Oliver, being imbued with his hatred toward the incompetent empire, the vicious nobles, and the fool commoner, the magical energy was… turn into black.
“A… aa… aaa.”
Watching and felt that despair spectacle, those citizen couldn’t say a word.
Finally, after covering the feudal lord’s mansion, the gathered magical energy was overflowing to the city.
Then….
“Everything should just perished!!!”
…the magical energy exploded.
The explosion which occurred at the feudal lord’s mansion which was located at the very center of the town, create an unusual powerful blast.
That blast was blowing away everything inside the town, it even swallowed the outskirt area.
There… it was unbelievable that a town was previously there.
That spectacle, it was unthinkable that previously buildings were existed and peoples were living there.
Then, there was only Oliver stood at the center of it by himself.
His eyes were glowing red….
“Kuhahaa….. kuhahahahahaha!!! Please wait for me Blue Saphire Empire…. Everything… Emperor, nobles and also the commoner, since I’m going to destroy every of you after all….”
Then…. Oliver was erasing himself, and appeared at Earlshide Kingdom as Oliver Schtrom.
The devils who had heard Schtrom’s story, were lost at his gruesome past story. Then, they finally understood why Schtrom destroyed everything, not just the nobles but he also didn’t spare the commoner.
Betrayed by his cherished citizen, disposed by his cherished nobles.
That was why not just the nobles who instigated that, he also wouldn’t tolerate the foolish citizen who were easily deceived and snatching his dearest person.
“The peoples who left just now also act as they pleased after all, even though I’ve spared not to kill them but, how troublesome.”
They thought that they were easily permitted to left but, they were still the same foolish commoner who Schtrom detested after all.
Even though they got that power from Schtrom, they misunderstood that that those power were their true power, moreover they thought that they might be able to unify the world by using that power.
He just didn’t want to be together with such foolish people.
“Did they even understand it? What would happen after they unify the world?”
Schtrom had several reasons why he didn’t took the world unification route.
The biggest reason was because he didn’t interested but, there was still something that he hadn’t confirmed it yet.
That was about, whether devil could make a child or not?.
It had been two years since he become a devil.
As the second devil at humankind history, to get rid of the sense of the previously appeared devil, he couldn’t prove that clinically.
What if they could make a child?
The world would end up being ruled by devils at just one generation.
Even if they could make a child, would that child become a devil? Or perhaps a human?
If they become a devil then how about the next child?
Devils weren’t something that naturally appeared by itself. He couldn’t imagine that it might be possible to continue it by blood heritage.
He didn’t want to do such troublesome thing when he hadn’t grasped everything yet.
“They didn’t understand anything right? … Since they were originally a foolish commoner after all.”
The devil who just left, were peoples who luckily didn’t killed by Schtrom, the remained devils there were drenched in cold sweat.
“Oh right! How about we observe them for a while? What kind of foolish act they do, and how they were being subjugated, don’t you think that would become an interesting show?”
Those devils were scared when they saw Schtrom said that while looked so contented… and they looking with a sympathy eye.
Among them, Aria was determining something.
And decided to propose a certain experiment….
Then, several days after parting with Schtrom, the left devils were raiding the nearest neighboring country, Suido Kingdom.