Chapter 1084: Chapter 1071: Can I Be Considered a Tyrant? Chapter 1084: Chapter 1071: Can I Be Considered a Tyrant? The young child wrapped in blankets was shivering under the bed, his trembling body unsure whether it was due to the cold or fear.

Every breath he exhaled barely left his body before it condensed into a mist, the surrounding air so bitterly cold that even though it was midsummer, frost formed on the ground around him.

Of course, the sudden drop in temperature alone was not enough to instill fear in the child. What truly terrified him was the persistent aura of death in the air and the enveloping silence around him.

Just a quarter of an hour before, when he had been stuffed under this bed, the surroundings had been anything but silent. He remembered the irritating noise and clamor, but now all those sounds had vanished.

The origin of this nightmarish scene was the black mist that rolled in from all around. He could still recall the fear and panic on the faces of his uncles and brothers when they saw the mist.

“Spare me, please! Have mercy!” As the child’s mind began to wander, a somewhat familiar voice called out from outside his hiding place, tinged with an overwhelming fear.

“That’s my uncle’s voice.” Upon hearing the voice, the child reflexively sketched the image of a middle-aged man in luxurious clothing, full of dignity, in his mind.

But no matter how hard he tried, the child couldn’t reconcile the desperate tone outside with the majestic uncle he remembered.

“If you do something wrong, you have to pay the price. Even a child knows that.” A dry, hoarse voice sounded, as unsettling as fingernails scratching on a wooden door.

“Haha, I knew it. So it’s because I opposed the King’s reform that I brought this death upon myself, right? But it was just me opposing. Why involve my relatives? I refuse to accept this.” The child soon heard his uncle’s voice rise, almost delirious.

“My dear sir, have you been frightened out of your wits? It wasn’t only you in your clan opposing our master.”

“Master? So, you’re the dagger wielded by that ten-year-old King behind the scenes,” the uncle’s voice outside gradually steadied, perfectly aligning with the child’s image of his dignified uncle.

“Trying to trick me? Bold of you, but what good will it do? You will only die with a clear understanding.”

“Hehe…” Then a labored breathing came from outside the house, the sound slowly fading away until it disappeared altogether. Next was the sound of something heavy hitting the ground, followed by dragging noises moving away from his hiding place.

This turn of events left the child even more terrified. Hugging his scared, panicked emotions, he hid under the bed, quivering as time felt interminable.

But soon, unbeknownst to him, his eyelids began to fight against each other, and his eyes slowly closed. The world plunged into darkness. When he opened his eyes again, he found the suffocating aura that had filled the air was gone.

“Is it over?” He peered at the golden spots of sunlight streaming through the window, his face brightening with excitement and agitation. He quickly crawled out from under the bed, dashed through the door, and then stood frozen in place.

Although he was now bathed in warm sunlight, he still felt chilled to the bone, for the estate, usually bustling and filled with servants moving in groups through the courtyard, was eerily quiet as if he were the only living being left.

What struck fear deeper into the child’s heart was a pool of dark red blood under his feet, the bloodstains dragging off into the distance.

Thus, the child remembered the familiar voice that had echoed outside his hiding place the night before.

“Is anyone there?” As he beheld the desolate, empty courtyard, the child felt his body shake. He walked through building after building, calling out loudly, hoping for a response.

But what began to unhinge the child was how, no matter how much he shouted, no one within the estate replied to him.

It wasn’t until he left the estate and reached the busy streets that his emotions finally found a vent. He sat down on the ground and began to wail loudly.

…

“Our Gai Nation has a history of over a thousand years. Some nobles have carried on their legacies from the founding of the nation to the present day. A portion of the nobles luxuriate in the legacy of their ancestors, living idly without contributing, behaving recklessly. These people are parasites on the great tree of Gai Nation; it’s time to eradicate these parasites.”

Muria sat on the throne, his young voice setting the stage for another decree he was about to issue. Below him, the number of ministers and nobles, now fewer than at the time of his coronation, listened with bowed heads, trembling.

“I have decided to abolish the hereditary system of the nobility. Does anyone have any objections? Or rather, who agrees? Who opposes?”

When Muria’s voice echoed down, not a soul in the hall made a sound. None of them felt they had lived long enough, they had witnessed everything that had been happening these days.

Any who opposed the king in this hall, were either convicted by the king using their past deeds and then had the army sent to strangle them, or they mysteriously disappeared without a trace.

Whoever opposed the reforms would die. Or, to be more specific, whoever defied the will of the king would die. This was a king who was exceedingly tyrannical and cruelly bloodthirsty.

“No one? Then you all agree with my abolishment of the hereditary system of the nobles. Good, it seems all of you are far-sighted,” Muria nodded, satisfied.

He then began to expound leisurely to the ministers and royals below about the drawbacks of the hereditary system, while the royals and nobles below, already intimidated by Muria’s brutality, listened with their heads bowed, expressionless.

“So to prevent the next generation of nobles from becoming degenerate, thinking they can do anything and inherit their titles from their fathers to act wantonly, those who want to inherit titles must acquire sufficient military merit on the battlefield.”

Muria began to explain the policies he’d put in place after the abolishment of the nobles’ hereditary system. In Muria’s eyes, this policy was a kind of compensation for the nobles, but to the royals and nobles below, it was quite another matter.

In the eyes of almost all the ministers and royals, the hereditary system of the nobility was something that was supposed to exist naturally. Now, Muria intended to erase this natural system, which was tantamount to digging their roots.

This caused many ministers and royals to become disgruntled, but under the threat of death, they didn’t dare to vent their dissatisfaction and could only hold it in.

“My clan has followed the Gai Royal Family and served the Gai Nation for nearly a thousand years. Now, the time has come when we must leave. This nation can no longer accommodate our clan.”

After many ministers and royals had filed out of the Royal Court one after another, a Great Noble looked back at the golden, resplendent Royal Court behind him and sighed softly.

“Your Excellency, be careful with your words, lest they reach the ears of that tyrant, and you might also attract the tyrant’s displeasure,” warned a minister immediately upon hearing the Great Noble’s complaint.

“Displeasure? What can he be displeased about? Isn’t he issuing these decrees just to drive us old nobility out? If I leave with my entire clan now, wouldn’t that just suit his wishes?” The cautioned noble snorted coldly, his face full of indifference. He no longer planned on staying in the Gai Nation.

It is a time of chaos now, with nations warring against each other, each country desperately seeking the addition of high-end military strength. A familial force like his would be eagerly sought after in any country they chose to join.

Since his clan can no longer stay in this country, relocating the clan and heading to another nation was an excellent choice. There are other places where a man is welcome if he is not welcome here.

“That’s right, the Gai Nation can no longer accommodate us nobles. Shall we discuss this together?” another noble of similar standing nearby also showed a look of interest upon hearing the Great Noble’s words.

“Let’s go.”

…

“Arnold, do you see? Now that your edicts are officially published, the nobles, realizing they cannot stop your reforms, will have to make new adjustments. Some are already prepared to leave our nation collectively. What do you plan to do?”

In the palace shrouded in darkness, filled with Death Qi, Ferdinand, with a face pale and purplish, looked at his young son sitting on the throne and asked.

“I don’t plan to do anything, let them go as they please. If they want to leave, let them. Once gone, they can make room for the new forces within the country,” Muria answered softly, his eyes shimmering with a sinister red glow in the darkness.

“Hm? That response doesn’t suit your reputation as a tyrannical king,”
“Those are just the words of fools. They may pass them around, but why, Father, do you also have to say it? Are my actions truly those of a tyrant?”

“To exterminate the entire clan of a subject who opposes you— if someone like you is not a tyrant, then what counts as one?” Ferdinand asked with a chuckle.

“I don’t kill indiscriminately. If I were really killing anyone who opposed me, then all those nobles in the country would be dead by now,” Muria sighed with some exasperation,
“I only strike those who not only oppose me verbally but also take physical actions to obstruct my reforms. I let go of those who only oppose me verbally.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read