025 Winning Hearts and Minds

The entire square erupted into a frenzy when the guard who had killed Bailey rose again, transformed into an undead.

The most terrified among them were the henchmen behind Cado, whose legs nearly gave way at the sight. Surprisingly, however, Cado’s face showed no sign of shock; instead, a smile played upon his lips.

As Kaelen finished turning the guard into an undead, Cado stepped forward. "Great Necromancer, I mean no offense, but I have a question I hope you can answer."

"What is it?" Kaelen glanced at him coldly.

Cado chuckled. "I would like to know, does he still possess his previous memories now that he has been transformed into an undead? As far as I know, ordinary undead do not retain the memories of their past lives. Your creation should be no exception, right?"

As soon as Cado spoke, everyone present understood his intent. If this undead creature lacked its former memories, it would be useless as a witness to point to Cado as the mastermind behind Bailey’s murder. All eyes turned to Kaelen, waiting for his response. If Kaelen could not overcome this hurdle, his public trial would surely become a laughingstock.

Yet, faced with this question, Kaelen nodded without hesitation. "That is correct. This undead has no memory of its past life."

"Heh, excellent!" Cado laughed brazenly.

As Cado’s laughter echoed, Kaelen strode up to him. In a voice as sharp and cold as ice, he said, "I did not turn him into an undead because I needed his memories. I merely wanted to show you that no one who commits murder under my jurisdiction escapes punishment, not even in death. I will not only keep him as an undead; I will force him to personally slaughter his own friends, his wife, and his children—everyone he holds most dear! I want everyone to know that the merchants who settle in my market are not to be trifled with. Do you understand?"

At that moment, the icy tone and aura radiating from Kaelen sent a shiver through Cado’s entire body. "I... I understand..."

"Understand? No, you do not. If you truly understood, you would already be on your knees."

"W-what are you saying..." Cado’s heart trembled, but he continued to put on a brave front. Kaelen, however, ignored him entirely and snapped his fingers. "Extract the memories of the assassination of Bailey from his mind and display them."

A hooded undead in black robes stepped out from behind Kaelen and walked up to the guard-undead, placing a pale, bony hand upon its head. An incantation followed, and moments later, a phantom image shimmered in the air above the square. The image showed one of Cado’s own henchmen.

"Kill Bailey, and I guarantee your wife and children will be safe!"

As the scene and voice played out, the henchmen behind Cado collapsed to their knees, knocking their heads against the ground in desperate pleas for mercy. "My lord, spare us! Spare us! It was our master who ordered us to do this!"

Kaelen didn't even glance at them, his eyes fixed on Cado. "Now, what do you have to say for yourself?"

With things having reached this point, Cado saw no reason to struggle. Though dejected, he was blunt. "I have nothing to say. I did it. I admit defeat. I can hand over his assets to you, and I can even pay five hundred gold coins in compensation."

"Only five hundred gold coins?" Kaelen sneered.

"That is all I have on hand. I hope you won't be too unreasonable," Cado said, stepping closer to whisper in Kaelen’s ear, "My uncle is the City Lord of Audo."

Before he could finish, Kaelen grabbed him by the throat and lifted him into the air.

"The City Lord of Audo? Am I to understand that as a threat? It seems my past leniency toward Dorn has given you the wrong impression. If that is the case, I find it necessary to clarify things for you. The incident where Dorn moved against me was, in my eyes, a farce—it caused no real harm. That is why I could let them go for two thousand gold coins each. But you are different; you actually murdered a merchant in my market. That crime is far graver than acting against me, and so, you must pay for it with your life."

Kaelen spoke with such righteous indignation that one might truly believe he cared deeply for the merchants in his market. Yet, his words resonated with the merchants present. Regardless of his true motives, Kaelen taking such a stance as the master of the market was far better than a ruler who ignored their rights. While the merchants felt reassured, Cado fell into despair. He realized, however late, that Kaelen was using him to establish authority and win over the hearts of the people.

"Don't kill me! I can give you my entire fortune, please, just don't kill me!" Cado was finally terrified, begging for his life, but it was too late.

"I’m afraid you have committed a crime I cannot forgive."

Kaelen had no intention of letting him live. After using Cado to make a grand display, Kaelen executed him on the spot, and his undead minions immediately followed suit. Within minutes, every member of Cado’s merchant guild had been slaughtered. Once they were dead, Kaelen gestured, and right before the eyes of the market merchants, he transformed them all into undead.

"This is the fate of those who infringe upon my merchants. I do not care what the cause or reason may be; as long as they are in my market, they are under my protection. No one shall violate their private property or personal safety. This incident with Bailey was my oversight. While I have killed the mastermind, that alone is not enough to rectify the failure. I will send men to find Bailey’s closest kin, transfer all of his assets to them, and guarantee their safety for the next fifteen years!"

Kaelen’s words sent the entire market into an uproar. Everyone had thought that once Kaelen had dealt with Cado, the matter would end. No one expected him to go to such lengths. Because of these final words, many merchants in the market changed their attitude toward Kaelen and the market itself. They would continue to watch his future actions closely, and if he truly lived up to his promises, many of them might increase their investments in the market even further.