The look of terror on Hiiragi Danzo's face was frozen forever in that moment.
No screams, no flesh and blood flying everywhere.
There was only a mist of blood where he stood; other than that, no trace remained.
One punch.
Reduced to ashes.
Not even a bone left.
"..."
Arataki Itto, who had rushed in behind King, had his mouth hanging open wide enough to fit his own fist, and his crimson oni horns had even lost their color from fright.
Kuki Shinobu's pupils constricted, and she subconsciously took half a step back.
Even the well-traveled Zhongli had a faint trace of surprise flicker through his golden eyes.
Paimon "whooshed" behind Lumine's back, only poking out half of his small head: "S-solved? So fast? Didn't he want to say something just now?"
Lumine was also a bit stunned; she knew King was strong and direct, but she didn't expect him to be so, so decisive.
What happened to "reasoning with them"?
Isn't this reasoning a bit too physical?
King lowered his hand, as if he had only done something insignificant.
He didn't even have the interest to spare another glance at "Danshō-chan."
His gaze turned to the Hiiragi Clan servant in the study who was trembling so hard he was about to faint.
"Who else in the Hiiragi Clan is in charge?"
King's voice was calm, showing no emotion.
The servant's teeth chattered, his face as pale as paper, as he scrambled to the floor, his forehead touching the ground, his voice shaking uncontrollably: "R-replying to the Lord, although the Acting Clan Head is gone now, there is still an old Steward in the estate who can take over..."
"Call him here," King said succinctly. "Also, bring all of Hiiragi Senri's files, all records of crystallized bone marrow smuggling, accounts, and the list of people involved."
"Y-yes, yes, yes! This humble one will go right away! Right away!"
The servant ran out as if granted a grand amnesty, scrambling away for fear that if he ran any slower, he too would turn into a mist of blood.
Three minutes later.
The Chief Steward—Hiiragi Sarutobi—arrived.
He was a man who looked much more mature and experienced than Hiiragi Danzo, with a weathered face, deep nasolabial folds, and a look of exhaustion in his eyes from having seen too many storms.
He wore a faded old uniform and walked at a steady pace; when he entered the messy study that still smelled of blood, he didn't even raise his eyelids much.
He first performed a salute to King, then his gaze turned to "Danshō-chan"—
Where only a pool of blood remained.
He fell silent for a few seconds and slowly let out a sigh.
"Sigh..."
This sigh was long and complex.
It contained many unspeakable emotions, such as "I knew this would happen," "Why didn't you listen to my advice," "It's good that you're dead so you can't keep harming the Hiiragi Clan," and "But you were my useless younger brother after all."
"Danshō, oh Danshō,"
Hiiragi Sarutobi shook his head, his voice low, with the characteristic nagging tone of an elderly person: "I told you long ago that seeking quick success and taking extreme risks would eventually lead to a backlash."
"The seat of the Kanjou Commission head is not meant to be sat on like that."
"But you just wouldn't listen, always thinking I was too conservative and blocking your 'path'..."
"Now, the path has come to an end."
He seemed to be speaking to the air, or perhaps completing a final farewell.
After finishing this, he turned back to King, bowing even deeper, his tone respectful but not fawning:
"Lord King of Fontaine, this old man is Hiiragi Sarutobi, currently a Steward of the Kanjou Commission."
"Since Hiiragi Danzo has been brought to justice, all matters in the estate can temporarily be handled by this old man."
"What are your orders, Lord?"
King ignored his complex inner monologue and the family drama, pushing the thick stack of files that the servant had fearfully brought up in front of him.
"Bring everyone on this list here within an hour."
King's action was like ordering from a menu, only the items were a bit special.
Hiiragi Sarutobi picked up the list, and with just one glance, his eyelids twitched violently.
The list was long and densely packed.
Hiiragi Sarutobi recognized many of the names; most were the "capable lieutenants" that Hiiragi Danzo had vigorously promoted over the past few days.
He knew what this list meant.
This was going to be a Great Purge.
Hiiragi Sarutobi took a deep breath, didn't ask "why," and didn't even show a hint of hesitation.
He simply nodded, carefully folded the list, and placed it in his robe.
"Please wait a moment, Lord."
He turned around, beckoned to several ashen-faced attendants outside the door, and gave a few quick, low-voiced instructions.
Those people were terrified at first, but then, under Hiiragi Sarutobi's calm yet unquestionable gaze, they gritted their teeth, accepted the orders, and hurried out.
For a time, inside and outside the Kanjou Commission Estate, everything was in chaos.
The once grand and imposing mansion was now like a disturbed hornet's nest.
Hurried footsteps, terrified shouts, the sound of objects being overturned, suppressed crying... various sounds mixed together, spreading along with an increasingly thick atmosphere of panic.
Paimon hid behind Lumine, only showing his big eyes, watching the messy scene outside, and whispered to Lumine: "Is King going to start 'reasoning' again?"
Lumine patted his small head helplessly: "Silly Paimon, you talk too much."
Zhongli stood by the window, Looking at the chaotic scene outside,A cup of hot tea appeared in my hand without me even noticing.,I don't know where he got it from..
He blew gently on it, his golden eyes deep in thought.
Clorinde stood behind King with a sword, ignoring the surrounding chaos, his gaze as sharp as a blade.
Lynette remained quiet, but had somehow found a clean soft cloth and began wiping a still-intact chair in the study, preparing it for King to sit on.
Arataki Itto was a bit excited, peeking around the study door, muttering: "Ooh, not bad!"
"Look at that guy who's as fat as a ball!,His men had bullied the old hag many times before.."
"Heh, you bastard, you really deserve it. Karma's a bitch, isn't it!"
Kuki Shinobu couldn't help but facepalm, feeling her future was bleak.
Even though this is a good thing, do you have to be so obviously happy?
We are executing justice, not settling personal scores!
The first to be "invited" was a pot-bellied middle-aged official named Momonosuke, who was responsible for the tax collection of Ritou goods.
He was dragged in by two soldiers, his silk robes covered in dust, his face pale, his crotch wet, and his fat body trembling all over.
As soon as he entered, he fell to his knees with a "thud" and kowtowed like a woodpecker: "Lord, spare my life! Lord, spare my life! This humble one was only following orders! It was all Lord Danshō... no, it was that traitor Hiiragi Danzo who forced me! This humble one has an eighty-year-old mother and a three-year-old child..."
King didn't even look at him; he just cross-referenced the name and portrait on the list, and after confirming, he nodded to Hiiragi Sarutobi.
Hiiragi Sarutobi was expressionless and gave a look to the attendant beside him.
The attendant gritted his teeth, stepped forward, and drew his saber.
"No—!!!" Momonosuke let out a scream like a slaughtered pig.
A flash of a blade.
The scream stopped abruptly.
There was one more pool of blood in the study.
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