My Students Regret It After I Retired

31 – People Dying, Rationalization

After the public was stirred up by the Interrunner, riots started breaking out across the Empire.

“Those trapped in the Redgate Whirlpool are also people!”

“The Emperor must stop his tyranny!”

“Don’t kill our families! Humans are not monsters!”

As soon as the people started going wild, the Empire immediately released counter-data and tried to explain, but it was like pouring gasoline on an already burning fire. The initial response had been botched, and the situation became increasingly serious.

In an Empire where the Emperor held the highest authority, massive demonstrations, something unimaginable, began to occur, and the Emperor, sensing the severity, deployed the executioners.

“Alik. Find those who are leading these protests and kill them. Try to handle them discreetly, out of sight, but if there are insurgents who use force or resist too much, kill them openly, right in front of everyone.”

Aric, the execution commander who punishes those who violate the empire’s laws, spoke with his head bowed.

“As His Imperial Majesty wills, all those who disrupt the empire’s order and sow chaos in society shall be killed.”

Having said this, Aric slowly backed out of the door, his head still lowered. He then spoke to the execution squad waiting outside.

“His Imperial Majesty appears noticeably gaunt. It must be due to the recent series of events. Tairo, report on the current situation.”

“There are riots erupting across the empire. However, those leading them are a small number. I believe we can quell the unrest if we deal with the instigators discreetly.”

“His Imperial Majesty ordered the instigators of the riots be dealt with secretly, and that those of the worst character be publicly beheaded to instill fear. Tairo, what are your thoughts?”

“Both are dangerous. Even if we kill them secretly, no one will be unaware that the imperial court is behind it. And killing them publicly will spark massive backlash. We might briefly silence the citizens with extreme fear, but that’s only if the Interlanner is not in play…”

Tairo replied with a serious expression.

“No matter what methods we employ, once the information that we’re moving again spreads through the Interlanner, the scale of the riots will only grow. And the citizens will unite on a level never seen before.”

“Haa…”

Aric sighed, his brow furrowed, and murmured to himself.

“The Interlanner…that goddamn communication channel is the problem.”

“Indeed. Without the Interlanner, we could sequentially behead the instigators of riots in each region and control the situation before information spreads. But as long as the Interlanner exists, no matter which method we choose, the information will spread along with it. Anyone with a Distance can connect, and the Empire cannot monitor the Interlanner.”

Aric opened his Distance and looked at the Interlanner screen. It was overflowing with excessive insults and criticisms of the Empire. People were spewing over-the-line remarks, like that the Emperor should be killed immediately, that the citizens are not treated as humans but as monsters. Aric wanted to find and punish these people for treason right away, but there was no way to catch them.

“So this is how terrifying public opinion can be. It unites people, blunts their fear of death, and allows them to act collectively.”

“Isn’t it because they’re moving as a group? If they were all alone, not one of them would dare open their mouths, but now that they’re so many, they’re ridiculously rebelling against us.”

Aric nodded as if agreeing, drew his sword, and slowly stepped outside.

“First, we deal with those we can discreetly. And then we must solve the root of the problem.”

Having said this, Aric went around executing, himself, those who had spearheaded the riots.

-Thud

The sound of steel sliding in, and Alik, expressionless, looked at the one he’d pierced.

“Cough… the Empire… were you sent by the Empire…?”

The man who had been leading the riot, the one who had spoken out front. Even with the sword lodged in his body, he didn’t back down, continued to talk.

“If… if it was the Empire… please, tell them to stop the mana bomb… inside Red Gate… my family… my family is in there…”

Alik, hearing the man’s words, squatted for a moment, looked into his eyes.

“Look, the Empire already announced it. That plan was fabricated. They said the Empire wouldn’t do such a thing.”

“But… wasn’t the Imperial Seal, the one only His Majesty possesses, stamped on the documents?”

“That’s the point, that was fabricated too.”

“Do you think me a fool? I heard the Imperial Seal has numerous safeguards, making it impossible to copy or duplicate. Yet, you say that’s…gu…gh….”

Alik pushed the sword further into the man’s heart, then shook the blade, whispering.

“I tried to let you go in peace, but you don’t appreciate my consideration. If you want to know the truth so badly, you’re going to die anyway, so I’ll tell you. The annihilation plan is real. But it was just a final option, not something we planned to do first. Of course, the problem is the situation now, that final option could be implemented soon.”

“…May… the gods… punish you…”

With a thud, the man’s body tilted, going cold in an instant. Tyro, a member of the execution squad standing nearby, slung the corpse over his shoulder, heading towards the Red Gate vortex nearby.

He tossed the body to the monsters, then turned to Alik.

“Still, with Red Gate mutants and monsters, disposing of the bodies is much easier, right? They’ll eat everything, not even the bones will remain.”

Alik didn’t answer Tyro, instead, he spoke.

“Tyro, how many more people do we have to kill?”

“…Maybe killing a few hundred more will fix things? Just with the ones we killed now it’s at least over 100, it seems like quite a lot for killing in just a day.”

“Is there anything going around on the InterRunner?”

“Yes. Some posts about the riot leaders disappearing are coming up, but it hasn’t even been a day yet so people are just suspicious, they’re not certain. The Imperial Palace is deploying personnel to try and spin the narrative on the InterRunner, trying to make it look like the riot leaders were scared and ran away. But since quite a few people disappeared in an instant, they’ll realize what we’re up to soon.”

“…”

Alik stared blankly into the Red Gate, then spoke to Tyro.

“According to posts on the Inter-Runner, there’s supposedly a safe zone inside the Red Gate vortex.”

“I heard too. The story first spread on the Inter-Runner, and after the Empire investigated, they suspect Leos is the one who created the safe zone. It’s not certain, but since Leos is the only one who can close the high-level Red Gate in the center, they’re making an educated guess. It’s not like the gate closed itself.”

“Leos… that man is truly selfish.”

Alik ground his teeth as he gazed at the dead bodies and continued,

“If that b*stard hadn’t run off like a coward, if he’d responded to the Empire’s call right away, if he’d closed all the Red Gates, there’d be no need for a plan like the eradication, and no innocent citizens would have to die.”

“They say the Empire manipulated public opinion, pinning a crime on him that he didn’t commit. The Empire’s Shadow Agents were supposedly involved in that too…”

“Tyro, I loathe selfish trash who only think of themselves. A few sacrifices for the greater good are inevitable. How can a piece of trash, who just hides in a corner, solely thinking about his own survival after a minor injustice, be our only hope? Even if he suffered a small injustice, if the citizens are in danger, if the Empire is in danger, if the Emperor is in danger, he should throw his life away and come running, that is the duty of an Imperial citizen.”

“I agree.”

“You said Leos might be in the central zone…”

Alik tossed the remaining corpses to the monsters, then snapped his fingers. Immediately, the Executioners began to converge towards the center.

They lowered their heads, each holding a sword emblazoned with the Imperial crest, not uttering a word. Alik spoke to them.

“We’ve killed most of the instigators of the riot. So, from now on, we’re acting for a fundamental solution. We will capture the traitor, the coward hiding inside the Red Gate. Leos. We will capture that b*stard and force him to close the Red Gates.”

Tyro asked, hearing Alik’s words,

“Do you think he’ll cooperate now?”

“If he doesn’t cooperate, we’ll kill him. Trash like that doesn’t deserve to live. We work for justice. We are people who execute and live for the Empire. We are simply fulfilling our duty.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the Imperial Executioner Captain and his men began to enter the Red Gate vortex one by one, and after several days, they managed to move quite deep inside.

And as they were setting up camp…

An unsettling, rhythmic mechanical sound began to pulse.

Alik smiled, summoning his execution squad.

“I’ve detected movement nearby. It’s time to enforce justice, let’s move.”