Mark watched them in silence from the throne for a few seconds, and a faint smile finally formed on his face.

"That’s what I like to hear," he said, settling into the seat. "Because as it turns out, I already have work for you..."

The ten elves were still on their knees on the blood-stained floor with their heads bowed.

"W-whatever you command, Your Majesty..." one of them repeated, their voice still trembling. "Just tell us what we must do and we’ll do it immediately."

Mark watched them from the throne for a moment.

"Good," he said, looking at them one by one. "Then listen carefully because I’ll only say this once."

The ten elves lifted their heads slightly.

"I want you to collect the remains of your companions and take them to their families," he said, nodding toward the corpses scattered across the floor. "Then you will divide their possessions and influence among yourselves in whatever way you consider most fair."

The elves stayed silent as they absorbed what they had just heard.

Because that wasn’t just an order.

It was their opportunity to claim the wealth, territories, and influence of twenty noble houses all at once.

The first to react was a brown-haired elf who was closest to the throne.

"Y-you are very wise, Your Majesty..." he said, lowering his head until his forehead nearly touched the floor.

"Incredibly generous..." another added, imitating the gesture.

"Your wisdom is unmatche—"

"But," Mark interrupted, raising his voice. "If any of you tries anything, however small... you know what awaits you."

The elves lowered their eyes to the corpses scattered across the floor, then looked at Yuki, who was still standing among them with daggers in hand, and finally turned their gaze back to Mark.

"W-we wouldn’t dream of it!" the brown-haired elf said, waving his hands in front of him. "Never! Not ever!"

"You have our absolute loyalty, Your Majesty!" another added.

"To the death!" said a third.

After that they began slowly getting to their feet, looking around with uncomfortable expressions as they thought about how they were going to carry the remains out of the throne room.

When they had finally finished collecting the remains and were about to leave the hall carrying the bodies between several of them, the brown-haired elf turned toward Emilia.

"We take our leave, Your Majesty," he said, making a somewhat clumsy bow with a leg still under his arm. "And, if I may say so... we are very glad you found a good husband."

Emilia blinked.

But before Emilia could say anything, the ten elves were already practically fleeing through the door, with a haste that made clear they had no intention of staying a second longer in that hall.

The door closed behind them.

"Yuki, I want you to keep an eye on them," Mark ordered. "Make sure they don’t try anything stupid."

"As you command, Master."

Yuki nodded and vanished instantly, without making the slightest sound.

Mark let out a sigh and turned his head toward Rose, who was still standing in front of the platform.

"Who’s next?"

Rose unrolled the scroll and ran her eyes over it.

"The top military commanders," she replied, running her finger down the list. "Along with the most powerful elves in the kingdom who are allied with the armed forces." 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

"How many?"

"The commanders are three veteran generals," Rose explained. "But they’re coming with a contingent of soldiers as an escort that according to Yuki’s information should be around forty or fifty."

Mark frowned slightly.

"Are they armed?"

"To the teeth."

"Great..."

Mark was about to say something more when a loud crash echoed through the entire hall, followed by the throne room doors bursting open as a group of elves forced their way in.

There were knights in combat armor, mages with staves glowing with energy, and archers with bows drawn and aimed at the throne platform.

And at the front of all of them, walking with authority, were three elderly elves.

The three stopped in the middle of the hall, with the soldiers fanning out behind them and completely blocking the exit.

"We have come to restore order," one of the elders declared in a deep voice that resonated through the entire hall.

His gaze moved from Mark, seated on the throne, to Ely, Alice, Aria, and Rose, before finally landing on the blood puddles still covering the floor.

"Do not resist," he added, gripping the hilt of his sword. "And your deaths will be quick."

Mark looked at the elder in silence and then looked at Rose, who shrugged as if none of it had anything to do with her.

’...Why are there so many idiots with a completely distorted sense of reality in this kingdom?’ Mark thought, rubbing his eyes with one hand.

"Ely," Mark said tiredly. "Handle it."

"My pleasure, Master."

Ely quickly drew her sword and began descending the platform steps without any hurry, with the blade resting on her shoulder.

The three generals watched her approach.

"A human?" one of them said in disbelief. "Are you mocking us?"

"Don’t underestimate us!" another roared. "We are the most decorated generals in the elven kingdom!"

"Combat formation!" the third ordered. "Prepare—"

"Holy Crescent!"

Ely swung her sword once.

The wave of sacred energy crossed the throne room from side to side, cutting through the three generals and the rows of soldiers behind them.

It continued forward until it impacted the far wall, where it opened a crack that extended from the floor to the ceiling.

For a second the elves remained motionless, as if none of them had understood what had just happened. But then they all collapsed at the same time, cut in half.

The sound of bodies and armor hitting the marble filled the throne room for several seconds, until it finally faded and only silence remained.

Ely sheathed her sword in a clean motion and turned toward Mark.

"Done, Master," she said with a satisfied smile.

Mark looked at her for a second and then turned back to Rose.

"How many more are on the list?"

"Let’s see..." Rose replied, running her eyes over the scroll. "There’s still the kingdom’s minister of finance."

"Mhm."

"The minister of public order."

"..."

"The minister of foreign affairs."

"..."

"The four supreme judges of the elven tribunal."

"..."

"The administrators of the southern trade routes."

"..."

"And the treasurers of the eight main castes."

"..."

Mark looked at her for a few seconds and then turned his gaze to the floor, which by that point had so much blood on it that barely any marble was still visible.

’This is going to be a long day...’ Mark thought, closing his eyes as he sank a little deeper into the throne.