Chapter 78. Eliminating Hidden Dangers
William left the palace with the Palace Guard and, carrying the Exit Authorization, headed straight for the Slave Manor outside the city.
On the way, he instructed the Palace Knight at his side.
“Pass down my order. Gather all the slaves at the Training Grounds.”
The knight accepted the order and rode ahead at full speed.
Not long afterward, William arrived at the manor gate and walked straight inside.
Tos had already been waiting there. When he saw William arrive, he quickly stepped forward to greet him.
“Your Highness, as ordered, all the slaves have already been assembled.”
William nodded. “Bring everyone over except for the one who used the sacrificial ritual.”
Tos immediately signaled to the guards beside him to carry out the order, then followed William toward the Training Grounds.
On the Training Grounds, several thousand slaves stood in neat rows, but the fear and unease on their faces could not be concealed.
Expressionless, William walked to the front of the formation, his gaze sweeping across them like icy blades.
“It seems I have been too merciful to you. You secretly hid Forbidden Soul Magic Books and failed to report it. I gave you a chance to become human again, yet you trampled that chance underfoot like worthless paper.”
He paused, and his voice suddenly turned harsh.
“Since that is the case, there is no need to leave any room for mercy.”
“From today onward, there will be a monthly assessment. The bottom fifty in the rankings will all be executed.”
“This will continue until you break through to the Silver Rank.”
A commotion rippled through the formation. A slave from the Fourth Slave Manor could not help shouting, “Your Highness, their hiding forbidden books has nothing to do with us. Why should we also be punished by association?”
William looked toward the voice and gave Tos a look.
Tos immediately stepped forward and ordered the man to be dragged out of the line.
Before the slave could say anything more, a longsword had already cut through the air, and blood splattered across the stone slabs of the Training Grounds.
All the slaves instantly fell silent, even their breathing growing softer.
Looking at the deathly silent formation, William curled his lips into a hard, cold arc.
“Do you think you have the right to choose? In this manor, my words are the rules.”
He turned around and faced away from them.
“Tos, bring up those eight people who hid the forbidden books and execute them all in front of everyone.”
Cries of agony and the sound of bones breaking rang out one after another, yet not a single slave dared to raise his head.
Looking at the slaves with their heads lowered, William shouted, “All of you, raise your heads. Have the court mages use Projection Magic and play it on a loop so they can all get a good look.”
“Starting tomorrow, double the intensity of training. Drill them to the brink of death.”
After leaving those words behind, he turned and left the Training Grounds.
Tos led the way ahead, and they soon arrived at the interrogation room. The room was dimly lit, and the air was thick with the smell of blood and rust.
That boy with Domain Aptitude was chained to a torture rack. His body was covered in wounds, and his breathing was weak, yet he still held his head high in stubborn defiance.
William looked at him and curled his lips into an icy smile. “I gave you a chance to live as a human, and you refused it.”
Hearing his voice, the boy split his cracked lips apart, revealing bloodstained teeth. Unconcealed hatred surged in his eyes, and his voice was as hoarse as a broken gong.
“Hahaha… A prince of the kingdom? You are no different from a pig. You think tossing me a few scraps means I should wag my tail and sell my life for you?”
“Bah. You were only born lucky. If you had been born among slaves, you might not even have lived with half my backbone.”
Tos was furious and was about to step forward, but William raised a hand to stop him.
“Trying to provoke me into killing you?”
William slowly took out a gray-black Soul Contract crystal from his robe and rubbed the cold surface with his fingertips.
“How could it be that easy? I invested so many resources in you. You cannot die just like that.”
Before his words had even faded, a thought flashed through his mind, and the crystal turned into a streak of gray light that shot straight into the boy’s forehead.
“Ugh—ahhh…”
The boy let out a shrill scream as his body convulsed violently, making the chains rattle loudly.
It felt as though countless needles were tearing through his soul. His eyes bulged, and cold sweat instantly soaked through his tattered clothes. In only a few moments, the pain was so intense that he fainted.
The gray light withdrew from his forehead, condensed once more into a crystal, and flew back into William’s hand.
Holding the crystal, William could clearly sense the soul fluctuations imprisoned inside it—the ones belonging to the boy. He could even vaguely glimpse the remnants of his thoughts: fear, rage, and a trace of deeply buried unwillingness.
He truly could control the boy’s every move now.
“Heal him.”
William looked at Tos, his tone calm.
“Double the resources we were previously giving him. Make sure he breaks through to Gold Rank as soon as possible. After he does, I want to keep him by my side.”
Though somewhat surprised, Tos did not dare ask further questions. He bowed and replied, “Yes, Your Highness.”
William turned and walked out of the interrogation room. The sunlight outside was somewhat dazzling.
He lowered his head and looked at the Soul Contract in his hand. That faint soul fluctuation seemed to be screaming soundlessly.
But he knew that from this moment on, this boy who had once tried to betray him would become the sharpest and most dangerous blade in his hand.
And the hilt of that blade would forever remain in his own grasp.
After returning to the palace, William went directly to the Western Side Hall. There were nine people there, six of whom were slaves.
The moment he stepped through the doors, the group sensed the unusually heavy aura around him. They all stopped what they were doing and bowed in unison.
“Greetings, Your Highness.”
Barton and Karin quickly stepped forward and bowed again. William’s gaze swept across the two of them, and he got straight to the point.
“Has anyone recently given you any suspicious items, especially anything related to forbidden arts?”
The two exchanged a glance and shook their heads together.
“Replying to Your Highness, no.”
William nodded, then turned to A’gu and the other nine.
“Hand over all your Spatial Rings.”
Though confused, no one dared disobey. They all removed their rings and handed them over.
When it came to the dwarf, his expression changed slightly, and his fingers instinctively tightened around the ring.
But seeing that everyone else had already handed theirs over, he finally took a deep breath, forced himself to remain calm, and passed over the ring as well.
William took the rings and inspected them one by one. The first few contained only weapons, potions, and daily clothes. Nothing seemed unusual.
But when he reached the dwarf’s ring, his finger moved slightly, and he took out five books with blank covers and no markings whatsoever.
He casually flipped open one page. Twisted runes and sinister incantations filled it—clear signs of forbidden soul magic.
Looking at those pages, William suddenly laughed. In the silent hall, the sound was especially piercing.
He tossed the books back into the ring, continued checking the remaining rings, and found nothing else.
Then he summoned the Palace Knights outside the hall.
“Search the entire Western Side Hall carefully. Do not leave a single corner unchecked.”
The knights accepted the order and entered, overturning chests and searching through everything. In the end, they reported back:
“Your Highness, nothing unusual was found.”
William dismissed the knights, then fixed his gaze on the dwarf again. He threw the five books down onto the ground in front of him. The pages fell open, revealing their horrifying contents.
“Now then, what do you have to say?”
The dwarf’s legs gave out, and he dropped to his knees with a thud. His face was as pale as paper, and his voice trembled so badly it barely sounded human.
“Y-Your Highness, spare my life. I… I was only confused for a moment. Someone else stuffed them into my hands. I did not dare read them.”
A’gu, Kyle, and the others were all stunned.
Karin picked up one of the books and flipped through it. Her expression changed instantly. She abruptly looked up at the dwarf, her eyes filled with disappointment and anger.
“These are Forbidden Soul Magic Books. How could you dare hide something like this? His Highness has treated you well. Is this how you repay him?”
The dwarf lay prostrate on the ground, trembling all over as he stammered out his excuse.
“I really did not read them… I-I just picked them up by accident. I had not even had time to look through them. I truly did not know what was inside… Please, Your Highness, give me one more chance.”
Looking at his tearful and snot-covered face, all trace of William’s smile had long vanished. Only icy coldness remained in his eyes.
“A chance?” he said slowly, his voice frighteningly calm. “The moment you accepted those books, your chance was already gone.”