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CA : 81 Black Mark
🕑 Added 2024-12-29 16:00:02 +0000 UTC"Is everyone here?"
"Sir, everyone from the manor is here, including all the samurai and servants."
"Is this all?"
Standing in the square of the lord's manor, Altair looked at the hundred people before him and was speechless. That's too few people, especially considering the size of the manor is almost as large as a modern residential complex. How could there be so few people?
"Sir, few people are in the manor, and very few qualify to become samurai. The samurai under my control are already the most in the city. Of course, this is only part of them; most are on the city walls."
Indeed, for a country that still appeared to be in the feudal era, having one hundred sword-wielding samurai in the manor was quite a strong force.
"Well, you're not doing too well yourself."
But that didn't stop Altair from mocking Kenshou.
"You're right, sir."
Kenshou, who was being mocked, didn't argue, as the black circle around his right eye reminded him of what happens if you argue.
None of the other samurai dared to speak either, all of them sporting similar black eyes. Like Kenshou, they had drawn their samurai swords or raised guns against Altair earlier.
After Altair made a bold declaration unrelated to his earlier hints, Kenshou was the first to object.
"I object!"
Then he was beaten.
Kenshou immediately summoned his samurai to surround and attack Altair, but the result was that all the samurai in the manor were beaten. Considering they were Kenshou's men and would be useful later, Altair didn't use his beam saber to kill them. Instead, he used his fists, leaving each of them with a mark... a black eye on the right side.
"Alright, since everyone's here, I'll say it again. From now on, I'm the new Lord of the Aragane Station. Is anyone in favor? Anyone against?"
Altair purposely spread his arms, trying to replicate a certain gesture as a tribute to a pioneer.
This time, no one dared to object, not even the young samurai Kurusu, who was gritting his teeth. He was Ayame's bodyguard, and when Kenshou summoned him in, he drew his sword to attack Altair. After being beaten, Altair warned him that if he moved again, he'd strip Ayame of her clothes. That stopped him in his tracks.
Yep, just another servant who's infatuated with his lady.
Fighting Altair was useless. Even a line of samurai shooting steam guns couldn't touch him, and Altair hadn't even used the giant sword strapped to his back. He had taken them all down with his fists. If Kurusu acted rashly and caused Altair to strip Ayame, he'd lose his mind.
As for why Altair didn't kill anyone, these people would be his tools later. There was no need to kill them, and there was no fear of rebellion. As long as Kenshou and Ayame didn't rebel, neither would the samurai. Besides, the six captains who might have led a rebellion had already been dealt with by Altair.
Kenshou seemed to realize this and made a quiet request to Altair.
"Sir, I'm willing to follow your orders. But some people under my command control certain samurai forces. If you give me time, I'll calm them down and prevent unnecessary bloodshed."
There was no way to fight. Altair was too strong, without any apparent weakness. So hoping the six captains would lead a rebellion was futile; the best Kenshou could do was minimize casualties.
"No need. They were working with Amatori Biba. I already took care of them before I came to you. Just send people to take over their assets. If any samurai under them resist, don't bother telling me... just kill them. As for how to manage their assets, you're the lord. I don't need to teach you that, right?"
"Ah... understood."
Kenshou was shocked. He didn't expect Altair to have already wiped out his men before even arriving, leaving none alive. That was direct. As for the six captains working with Amatori Biba, Kenshou didn't believe it, because those cowards were too afraid of death.
"Good. Since no one opposes me, from now on, I'm in charge here."
Altair lowered his hands.
"Bring them forward."
The samurai parted, and four of them, all with black eyes, escorted two people to the front... Shimon and Mumei.
Altair had clashed with Kenshou's samurai. As followers of Amatori Biba, Shimon and Mumei naturally tried to kill Altair to further Amatori Biba's plans. But unfortunately, Altair defeated them both, giving them matching black eyes.
Yes, Mumei got beaten too. Even though she was a Kabaneri, her strength was far from that of a Level 3 Adventurer, and Altair had no intention of going easy on her.
'Huh? You say she's the heroine? So what? She's not my ex-waifu. I'm from another world; I couldn't care less if she's the heroine.'
Both Shimon and Mumei were tightly bound with ropes used for cattle, and even Mumei couldn't break free.
"Who the hell are you?!"
Shimon's severed limb had bled heavily, but he was still clinging to life because he wanted to know who Altair was and how he knew so much about their plan.
"None of your damn business."
Altair ignored him and turned to look at everyone present... the samurai and the servants of the lord's manor.
"Considering you idiots still don't seem to realize that Aragane Station is on the brink of disaster, I'll be merciful and tell you why my friend Kenshou here let me become the lord."
Kenshou's lips twitched. He was old enough to be Altair's father, yet now he was being called friend.
He didn't know that when Altair first arrived, he had called him a friend in front of others.
In front of everyone, Altair retold the spoiler-filled story he had told Kenshou earlier. This time, it shocked the entire audience.
"Impossible! Biba-sama is the son of a shogun. He would never do such a thing."
Of course, some people couldn't accept it.
Altair didn't waste words. He grabbed Mumei, turned her around to face the crowd, and pulled back her clothes to reveal the golden glow of her heart... the steel membrane covering her heart, just like a Kabane's, proving she was a Kabaneri.
With such direct evidence, everyone present believed Altair's words.
"A Kabane! She's a Kabane!"
A timid samurai screamed, and Altair shot him an annoyed look. Kenshou quickly spoke up.
"Silence! Take him away!"
Two men stepped forward and dragged the panicked samurai out.
"How did this coward even become a samurai? Send him back to the fields."
"Yes, sir!"
Altair needed useful tools, but they needed to have some guts. This one was clearly just dead weight.
After giving orders, Kenshou looked back at Altair.
"Sir, if what you say is true, Fusoujou is already on its way to Aragane Station. How can we stop it? Our walls are high, but if Fusoujou charges at full speed, our drawbridge might not hold."
Everyone looked at Altair, hoping he had a solution.
Altair smiled and patted Kenshou on the shoulder.
"Don't worry. When Fusoujou arrives, I'll stop it. Then you'll understand why I'm the Lord."
"Understood."
With Altair's assurance, Kenshou had no choice but to trust him.
