The clerk clutched his numb, aching face, staring at Lord Cole in utter disbelief.

  He hadn't said anything wrong, had he?Why was Lord Cole so furious?

  No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't figure out what he had done to provoke such wrath.

  “I... Did I do something wrong?” he stammered, his face filled with shock and confusion.

  The other clerks and the personal guards were just as stunned, frozen in pce, too afraid to move.

  “Open your damn eyes and look properly! Those two over there are the former Captain Byn and Vice Captain Seryu of the Imperial Capital Security Force!”

  This group of fools had made Cole so furious he looked like he was about to explode. His rage alone was terrifying to witness.

  Although Byn and Seryu’s ranks—both past and present—weren't necessarily higher than his, the people backing Byn were an entirely different matter.

  Rumors had already spread through the royal pace that General Esdeath had personally recommended Byn to Prime Minister Honest. The likelihood of this being true was high, and while no one knew exactly how much Esdeath valued Byn, one thing was certain—Cole had no intention of testing his luck by making an enemy out of him.

  Byn and Seryu had a reputation for handling dirty work with ruthless efficiency. Whenever they were assigned to clean up a mess, they made sure it was dealt with—no matter the cost. Several officials of simir status to Cole had already been caught up in their actions. Those with strong enough connections barely managed to escape, while the rest either ended up arrested or outright executed.

  Byn had made countless enemies during that time, yet even now, no one dared to y a hand on him. That alone was proof that he was not someone to be trifled with.

  The real reason for this was simple—Prime Minister Honest didn’t care about the lives of his subordinates, whether they were civilians or low-ranking officials who had pledged loyalty to him. Even in the original tale, when his own son was killed, he remained indifferent. With Esdeath’s backing, there was no chance he would ever act against Byn.

  “Vice Captain Seryu... Captain Byn?!”

  The realization finally hit the clerk like a bolt of lightning.

  No wonder that man had seemed so familiar!

  His face turned deathly pale as panic set in. He was doomed!

  He didn't entirely understand why Lord Cole feared a former captain of the Imperial Capital Security Force so much, but at this point, understanding didn’t matter. Lord Cole’s wrath was already in full force.

  It was too te for regret now.

  All he could do was pray that Lord Cole wouldn’t have him executed on the spot.

  Cole, meanwhile, had no patience left to deal with this fool.

  Forcing a smile, he immediately bowed his head and spoke in an apologetic tone. “Captain Byn, Vice Captain Seryu, I sincerely apologize. These blind idiots have offended you. I’ll make sure they are properly punished ter!”

  The old man hiding behind Byn was utterly shocked.

  He knew Byn had once been the captain of the Imperial Capital Security Force, but he never imagined that even someone like Lord Cole would have to bow and scrape before him.

  As the commotion grew, more and more onlookers gathered, eager to see what was happening...

  "It's Captain Byn! No wonder Lord Cole is so afraid of him!"

  "So that's Captain Byn... Before, no one dared to report anything to the Imperial Capital Security Force because of Cole's influence. But today, these scumbags are finally getting what they deserve."

  "I wonder who brought Captain Byn here. Was it that old man? I remember he came to seek justice a few days ago and got beaten up. I never thought he'd actually know Captain Byn!"

  "By the way, I heard a rumor... Captain Byn is General Esdeath's kept man. I don't know if it's true or not."

  "Really? I heard people call him her 'lover' instead. But either way, it expins why Cole is so terrified of him."

  ...

  The crowd kept their distance, whispering among themselves without fear of being overheard.

  In the end, Cole's quick decision to apologize was the smartest move he could have made.

  Otherwise, with the members of the Assassination Unit present, any one of them could have wiped out the thugs surrounding them, let alone Cole and the shop assistants, who had no real strength to speak of.

  "There's no need for pointless chatter. I just want this matter resolved," Byn said coldly.

  Hearing this, Cole froze for a moment, unsure what Byn was referring to.

  But he had a pretty good guess. This pharmacy had been involved in shady dealings for a long time.

  The only reason he protected them was because they shared their profits with him.

  Cole shot a sharp gre at the clerk beside him, signaling him to expin the situation properly.

  The clerk quickly leaned in and whispered nervously, "We sold that old man over there some fake medicine. When he realized it and came to confront us, we beat him up. We figured he was just some helpless old geezer we could push around... We never imagined he'd be able to call in Captain Byn..."

  Cole's eyes darkened as he shot the clerk another furious gre.

  He didn’t care whether this mess had been intentional or not—all he knew was that these fools had just caused him a massive headache.

  Once this was over, he was going to make sure every single one of them paid for it.

  The clerk, now panicked, stammered, "A-anyway, they're here to demand compensation. If we return the money for the fake medicine in full and offer some extra compensation, that should be enough to settle things..."

  Cole's expression eased slightly. Turning to Byn, he quickly said, "Absolutely. We will return the full amount and ensure proper compensation for the harm done."

  Byn gave a small nod.

  Under Cole’s orders, the pharmacy manager returned every coin they had taken from the old man, along with a substantial compensation sum.

  Not only that, but they also provided him with the real medicine he needed, free of charge, and personally apologized to him.

  It was humiliating, but it was still far better than losing their lives.

  The old man chose to accept it. He neither wanted nor dared to push things further—if he completely fell out with the pharmacy, his family might suffer retaliation ter on.

  And with that, the matter seemed to be settled.

  Seryu, however, was visibly disappointed—she had been hoping for the chance to personally execute these "evil" people.

  "Koro, I bet you really wanted to eat them, huh? But no, you can’t act without Master’s permission," she said sweetly, as if she were comforting a child.

  Hearing such terrifying words spoken in such a gentle tone, the pharmacy staff and bystanders shuddered, feeling a deep sense of fear.

  Of course, Byn had no intention of letting these people off so easily. All he had to do was apply some pressure on the Imperial Capital Security Force, and they would take care of the rest.

  And it wasn’t just Byn—Kurome and the others weren’t about to let this go either.

  They hadn’t come here just to help the old man seek justice. They wanted to uncover the true root of this issue.

  Was it a result of the rebels’ uprising?

  Or was it yet another internal failure of the Empire itself?...

  PinkSnake