Sir, Bro has been eliminated," Jesse reported respectfully to the elder.
"Good. Ensure the aftermath is handled efficiently—leave no loose ends. Remember, the Kingdom must not descend into chaos, and our involvement must never be exposed."
"Understood, sir. I've already made the arrangements."
"And what about those outsiders—have they been dealt with?"
"I've increased patrols to track them down," Jesse said cautiously. "But there's no sign of them anywhere inside the capital."
The elder didn't erupt in anger. Instead, he paused in thought, then said:
"Increase the patrols inside the city. Tighten control at the city gates. Tell our allies in the shadows to monitor the sea closely—I suspect those men may have already escaped to the ocean."
Although the intruders hadn't been located within the city, the elder correctly guessed that Buggy's crew had already retreated to sea. Still, he couldn't afford to let down his guard. If they stirred trouble in the capital, it could ignite mass panic. Even at sea, he would not spare them—this was a job for the hidden forces they controlled behind the scenes.
"Yes, sir," Jesse said, bowing as he left.
"What a pity," the elder sighed, shaking his head.
At around 3 or 4 AM the next morning, when darkness began to recede and the city's guard was at its most relaxed, several figures silently slipped into the capital.
Each carried a pack on their back, heading separately toward the city's major streets.
Roughly an hour later, they regrouped and exited the city unnoticed—but in their wake, they left the streets littered with flyers.
These figures were Buggy and his crew—their plan was now in motion.
As dawn broke, more and more citizens began filling the streets. They quickly noticed the paper scattered everywhere, curiosity prompting them to pick one up.
But the moment they read the contents, shock spread like wildfire—many cried out in terror and dropped the paper in horror.
The commotion drew more people. Others picked up the fallen flyers, and soon the expressions of horror and disbelief spread across the growing crowd.
Some refused to believe it, thinking it must be fake.
Some broke down in tears, remembering loved ones who had vanished.
Others were furious, ripping the flyers apart and glaring toward the royal palace.
"Who is the bastard in the royal court that did this?! My poor cousin vanished without a trace—was he sold into slavery because of those scum in power?!"
"This isn't nonsense—I once caught a trafficker, but nothing ever happened to him. I saw him walking the streets free later!"
"This has to be linked to General Jesse. So what if a few traffickers got killed? He still mobilized the entire city guard to hunt those people down. He's probably involved—or even the one behind all this!"
"Keep your voice down! Do you want to die?!"
"What's there to fear? We're the people! If we unite and confront them—or demand the king step in—do you think they'll ignore us?"
"Yeah!"
"That's right!"
"We should go to the king and demand Jesse be held accountable!"
"Let's go! We won't let these parasites in power get away with it!"
The citizens were furious, their grief and outrage boiling over. Many had lost loved ones to mysterious disappearances, and now, with the truth exposed, they surged forward with one goal: to seek justice from the king.
Meanwhile, the massive commotion reached the ears of the city guard, who rushed over and immediately read the flyers.
But they did not act.
Even they—warriors in uniform—felt the public's rage. Some guards even clenched their fists in anger; their own families had suffered losses too.
How could they quell the crowd when they had been affected? A few guards even wanted to join the protest.
But not all reactions were the same—some quietly broke off from the gathering and ran to the guard headquarters.
"General! Bad news! Damaging rumors are spreading rapidly through the city. If we don't act now, things could spiral out of control!"
Jesse felt a chill run down his spine.
"What happened? Speak clearly!"
"General, read this…" the aide handed Jesse a crumpled flyer, still trembling.
As Jesse read the contents, his face turned dark and grim. The information was damning—it could destroy him.
"How many people have seen this? Can we still recover the flyers?"
Jesse's heart pounded. Though terrified, his instincts as a high-ranking officer kicked in—he needed answers. If few had seen the flyers, maybe there was still hope.
"General, it's already too late. Nearly the entire city has seen it. We need a plan—fast."
Jesse stared at the flyer in his hands, then ripped it to shreds.
This wasn't just about him anymore—his life was now on the line.
And that powerful figure above him? He wouldn't show mercy either.
"Go back and calm the city guard. Tell them this is all part of a pirate conspiracy.
Say I'm their target—that they're trying to eliminate me as an obstacle.
And that once this matter is settled, I will personally lead the purge against these human traffickers to prove my innocence.
I will do everything in my power to find the missing citizens."
"After the guard is stabilized, take them to contain the civilians—try to stop any riots from breaking out.
I'll go to the king and take care of the rest.