A Treacherous Courtier Manages the Empire Well

93 – The Ending that Befits You

“By the balls of the world! Good grief! How many are all these!”

“I don’t know either. Randor. What should we do about this?”

I was looking at the orcs that filled the Casolea Plain with the Green Dragon. How much time had passed that swarms of flies were already gathering. If the maggots born from this swarm grew into a tremendous number and feasted on orc corpses, it would truly lead to a storm of flies.

If not dealt with promptly, an enormous aftermath was bound to occur.

And I had already thought of a way to handle these corpses.

“Weren’t these fellows originally in the wasteland at the southern end of Karamba?”

“That’s right.”

“Why not bury them all in the wasteland? And I’d like to cultivate the land using the large elixir source in the southern wasteland.”

“Cultivate?”

“Yes. Just like we did in the Golden Plain. The corpses will make excellent fertilizer in the ground. It will become fertile soil for crops to grow. If we build a desalination plant at the large elixir source in the southern wasteland to supply water endlessly to the vast wasteland?”

“My head is spinning in this direction! Great! Let’s give it a try.”

The orcs of the Casolea Plains were utilized as fertilizer for the development plan in the southern wasteland. The method of transportation was simple.

“[Rise.]”

Through the dragons’ spell magic, all the orcs who had fallen in the Casolea Plains rose from their zombie-like state and stood up.

“[Move to the southern wasteland.]”

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Hundreds of thousands of orcs returned to their homeland.

“[Dig into the ground and lie down inside.]”

They dug their own graves, lay inside, and the dragons covered the dug earth with their spell magic, preventing a massive parasitic storm from emerging, thus safeguarding the Karamba Empire.

“It seems suitable to assign land cultivation to the southern nomads. The temperature difference in the Karamba South is extremely severe. If fruits are grown, very sweet fruits can be cultivated.”

“We should ask Selenne for desalination. We should request research in this area.”

While I was dealing with the orcs’ bodies in that manner,

Rashid was conducting trials at the Crescent Triangle.

The trials involved interrogating rebel soldiers and senior, mid-level, and junior commanders.

“Azid. Testimonies were received stating that rebel troops, upon capturing the capital, roamed among civilians with drawn swords, plundering many valuables and committing rapes. After inspection with sorcery and magic, evidence supporting the testimonies’ truth was revealed, so execution is warranted.”

“Please spare me! Please!!”

“There is no mercy.”

Rashid was firm. He gathered the worst of the rebel soldiers under his command and publicly executed them in front of all the citizens at the Crescent Triangle to reassure the unsettled populace due to the rebellion.

While some villains met their end in such a manner, Rashid imposed lenient punishments on the majority of the rebel soldiers. The reason being as follows.

Amir’s military rebellion progressed so urgently that, except for the Imperial Palace guards and some units of the executioners, and excluding General Ali’s army, there were no direct forces that had seized the capital.

Most of the forces were stationed on the outskirts of the Crescent Triangle or in the vast western plains, only hearing belatedly that the generals commanding them had joined the rebellion.

“Bring the elephants to the capital.”

“Send word that I refuse.”

“Senior Commander… this is insubordination.”

“I’d rather be insubordinate. I cannot trample the great Sultan Saladin’s city with my elephants.”

To the extent that most units realized this was a military rebellion, they even carried out insubordination.

Although the generals were part of the rebel forces, their subordinate units were proper Sultan’s armies.

And most units, who upheld their loyalty in such a manner, willingly fought on the front lines during the final battle with the Skull Lord, so Rashid had no reason to punish them severely.

Ah. Of course.

“Please spare me! Prince Rashid! Please!! aaargh!!”

“Execute them!!”

The Imperial Palace guards who directly seized the capital and the units under General Ali were almost completely disbanded. Many were executed, and even those with minor offenses became prisoners, shackled and transported to the prisons.

Although Rashid was a merchant, he was not devoid of political sense. Under the pretext of suppressing the rebels, he gathered all his opponents and eliminated them. Considering that the majority of his opponents were from the Amir faction, there was absolutely no issue with justification.

Thus, the forces opposing Prince Rashid were eradicated, and with the synergy of the Sultan’s absence and nationwide support of Karamba, he easily ascended to the next Sultan.

“Long live the great Rashid Sultan!! Long live!!”

“May the blessings of Mother Plains be eternal!”

No one harbored any discontent.

There was no one more fitting than Rashid to be the next Sultan of Unified Karamba.

He led the trade with Aylam, strengthened the country, and at the moment when Karamba was believed to be on the brink of ruin under the Skull Lord’s rule, he stood at the forefront, risking his life and appealing to the people with tears.

Everyone in Karamba remembered that spectacle.

Emperor Adran personally brought several nobles and members of the imperial family to the coronation ceremony, congratulated Rashid, and later promised a strong partnership between Aylam and Karamba.

It was a joyful moment.

In this way, Karamba and Aylam found happiness once again.

The various wounds left by the Günsan Rebellion did not heal immediately, but with the emergence of a wise and exceptional new ruler, there was an expectation that the country would be led in the right direction, which was only natural.

Ah, correction.

While the vast majority became happy, there were a few individuals who had to be excluded.

“aaargh!!!!!!!!!! Stop!!!!!!!!! Please, stop!!!!!!!!!!”

Today, it was Amir, the generals of the rebel factions, and the shamans who were still screeching like demons.

Immortality.

For some, it might be the ultimate goal to achieve.

But for Amir, immortality was a terrible curse.

No matter what, life would not leave his body.

And all of Karamba and Aylam’s people never left Amir alone for a single moment.

“P-please!! Stop!! I beg you! I beg!!………..aaargh!!!!”

An elephant trampled Amir. Reduced to a lump of flesh, he squirmed stickily on the ground. Then, thanks to the dragon’s permanent healing magic, he returned to human form.

The situation of others from the factions was no different.

“What concept should we try today?”

“How about the boiling method?”

“hahahaha! That sounds good!”

Ropes tied around limbs. When five elephants exerted their strength, limbs were pulled out of torsos. A desperate scream.

But no one offered sympathy.

There were only mocking laughs at Amir, the prince, recovering once again.

Prince Amir suffered in various ways, traveling to different places.

Today was the day he would be tortured by another tribe in the Western Great Plains.

“Ugh. I’m tired. Let’s throw him into the cauldron and leave.”

“Please!! Please!! I beg you!! If you want, I’ll even lick a dung hole!! Come on, let me at least sleep properly!!!”

“No way. You bastard.”

Sleep came within the boiling cauldron.

Of course, there was no sleep.

In the horrible sensation of being boiled alive, everyone screamed in agony until the time was up.

And so, the next day.

“Our tribe’s revenge ends here. Who’s next for revenge?”

“We will do it!”

“No, we’re next!!”

People lined up to lead Prince Amir and the generals for revenge, drawing lots. The chosen ones would take Amir, the generals, and the shamans to torture them cruelly.

“P-please!! Please!!!!!”

Recently, these were the words Amir said the most.

Today, the torture involved being eaten alive by insects in the mountains.

In the excruciating pain of insects crawling into every hole in the body, gnawing on internal organs, fainting, waking up, fainting, waking up, dying, coming back to life repeatedly, they were handed over to another tribe.

Then that tribe tortured them with a new, unique method.

“Hail the great Amir Prince!!!! I shall present him with gold befitting a sultan! hahahahaha!!”

It was like pouring boiling gold into one’s mouth.

“Beat!”

They simply tortured the commoners, making them beat each other with clubs until they died, only to beat them again when they revived.

“Hey, eat dung! hahahahaha!!!!”

It was like forcing all kinds of excrement and filth into one’s mouth until their stomach burst, using a funnel.

And so on.

The Amir and his generals were truly tortured to the point where death seemed preferable, only to be tortured again.

And no matter what torture they endured, they would be perfectly fine the next day.

Their bodies healed through the immortal magic of the ten circles and the draconic spells, always returning unscathed.

“hehehehe! hehehe!!!”

Their sanity was beyond reach.

In just six months, the Amir Prince and his generals had gone completely insane.

“Save me. Please don’t hurt me.”

They wandered through the entire Karamba nation like children, subjected to all kinds of torture by various tribes and seeking revenge.

There was no method of torture they hadn’t experienced.

And after enduring torture from all the tribes of Karamba in the Western Great Plains, the barren lands, and the southern tribes until no tribe desired further vengeance,

At last, Rashid the Sultan summoned them.

Due to magic, they maintained a healthy appearance, but their minds and souls were shattered to the point that Amir Prince and the other generals trembled before Rashid, clad in the attire symbolizing the Sultan with a sword at his waist, looking down at them with a blank expression.

For the first time in a long while, Amir’s lost sanity returned.

“Ra…Rashid. My, my brother!!!”

Amir began to weep.

It was unclear if he cried out of sorrow or joy.

Amir started banging his head on the ground.

He banged relentlessly.

The generals and shamans followed suit.

“Br…brother. I, I, I’m…I…”

He tried to beg for mercy.

But besides cries and pleas, his tongue, which had never uttered any other words, was so hardened from fear that he couldn’t speak properly.

Amir crawled like a worm to his brother’s feet. Of course, before he could reach him, the guards stopped him, but he was desperate.

“Br…brother, brother!!!! I, I have suffered enough. I, I regret! I, I was wrong! I was wrong! Please, enough…enough…”

“Amir.”

Rashid’s gentle and calm voice resonated.

At his words, smiles appeared on the faces of Amir, the generals, and the shamans.

It was hope they hadn’t felt in a long time.

Yes.

It was Rashid.

The kind, intelligent man who cared for his people more than anyone else.

They had suffered and suffered greatly.

Perhaps now, it was time for forgiveness.

“My foolish little brother. I forgive you,” Rashid’s words made Amir burst into tears.

Other rebel generals and sorcerers began to offer crude and insincere worship, shouting, “Hail Sultan Rashid!! Hail!!!!”

“Long live the Sultan!!”

Amir also bowed in worship, looking up at his brother.

“Th-thank you! Brother! Thank you!!! It doesn’t matter if I was treated as a slave. Even if you threw moldy bread at me, it wouldn’t matter! Just please… make it not hurt… make it not unbearable anymore. Please… as siblings, we can ask for this much, can’t we? Please! Hail the great Sultan!! Me, me!!…”

Amidst Amir’s rambling and the joyous faces of the rebel outlaws, Rashid chuckled quietly.

“But, Amir. Aylam does not forgive you.”

The same smiling expression on his face.

Everyone froze.

“His Imperial Majesty Adran has issued a few commands.”

“B-brother?”

“He doesn’t just want meaningless torture. He mentioned magical experiments on the human body. Experiments with various potions, different attack spells, experimental procedures for enhancing the human body, and so on. He said there is much to be done. Princess Selene seems to oppose it, but… His Imperial Majesty Adran seems determined. He has sent a royal unit of mages.”

The sound of approaching reapers could be heard from behind.

As they turned, several mages dressed in court mage attire were glaring down at Amir with stern faces.

“Are these the specimens?”

“Take him. Experiment as you wish.”

“Thank you. We were planning to experiment on the limits of mana overloading the nervous system, and now we have a perfect specimen. Thank you for assisting in Aylam’s medical advancement.”

The mages chuckled.

Amir, seeing their expressions more like viewing objects than people, began to convulse like a child.

“Brother!!! Brother!!!!!!! Love!! Love!!!!!! Love!!!!!!!!”

The words of how could one do this to a beloved sibling were desperate, almost choking, but came out twisted.

Rashid found his brother’s words amusing and burst into laughter.

“Yes. My brother. Thank you for making me a Sultan. But I cannot love you. Instead, the mages of Aylam will bestow upon you the love that suits you. And do not worry too much.”

The Sultan, looking at the clock, kindly conveyed one fact to Amir.

“Just endure another 9 years, 5 months, and 12 hours of torment. Amir.”

“aaahhh!! Aahhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

The mages began to lead Amir away.

Until the last moment, Amir gestured for help towards his brother, hands reaching out.

But the Sultan did nothing.

Just got up from his seat with a look that said he had taken care of one more task.

It was the final meeting of the brothers.