CHAPTER 69: CHAPTER69-HOUSE MUFASA

Eryndor City.

On Elysee Avenue, countless students had already gathered. Their faces were filled with indignation, their voices raised in chants.

"Killing people in the shadows—what kind of ability is that? Is this what an emperor should be doing?"

"So you can kill—can you kill us all? We, the students of Hyrule War Academy, are not afraid of death!"

These students did not feel fear because of their classmates’ deaths.

On the contrary, their faces brimmed with righteous anger.

They were convinced that everything that had happened was Aurek’s doing.

Just as the emotions of the crowd reached a fever pitch, a heavy clattering sound echoed in the distance—the sound of armor striking against stone.

The imperial guard cavalry appeared before the students.

The idlers and bystanders who had been watching the commotion quickly chose to withdraw.

But the students did not retreat.

Instead, they stood their ground, staring fearlessly at the armored riders.

They thought these soldiers amounted to nothing.

They believed the cavalry would never dare to actually touch them.

But reality proved otherwise.

The commander raised his hand sharply and gave a single order.

"Arrest them all."

At those words, some students immediately scattered in panic and fled.

But there were others, stubborn and defiant, who remained rooted in place, refusing to believe the cavalry would dare treat them so.

The cavalry, however, carried out their orders without hesitation.

Discipline among them was absolute.

In a matter of moments, they had surrounded the students and seized them.

For these soldiers, orders were everything.

And beyond that, their strength was real.

Though they were no match for true high-level warriors, against ordinary people they were overwhelming.

The students had no power to resist; they were subdued in an instant.

"What are you doing? We are students of Hyrule War Academy!"

One young man in academic robes glared furiously at the soldiers.

"I warn you, if you dare touch us, it means you are declaring war on the entire Hyrule War Academy!"

The soldier before him sneered, his face dripping with disdain.

"So that’s your excuse for this arrogance? That’s why you think you can attack the Emperor, curse the Empire—because you have Hyrule War Academy at your back?"

The commander of the cavalry looked coldly at the group of students.

It was true that Hyrule War Academy held immense influence.

Its reach extended across the eastern world, with branches spread through many powerful empires.

To strike at these students was to invite the wrath of a vast, untouchable institution.

That was precisely why the students dared to behave so brazenly.

They believed Aurek would not dare move against them.

They believed he would not risk angering the Academy.

And so they were fearless, shouting their accusations without restraint.

"Spare us your nonsense. Everyone saw what Aurek has done. Even if he dares to act, can he silence the voices of the people?"

The young man’s tone was sharp, his attitude venomous.

Even in chains, he showed no hint of weakness.

But his words had consequences.

The officer struck him across the face with a backhanded blow.

A crimson mark flared instantly across the student’s cheek.

The other students gasped.

They had never imagined that the soldiers would dare truly lay hands upon them.

The struck student’s eyes bulged with fury.

"You bastard! Do you even understand what you’re doing?"

"What am I doing? I am reminding you," the officer snapped.

"Do you know who you are? Do you know who provides for you, who gives you the right to even stand here and speak?"

The cavalry commander’s face was twisted with anger.

"The Empire is surrounded by crisis. Enemies press us on every side. His Majesty shoulders the Empire’s burden alone, seeking to change its fate, to restore its glory!"

"If you fail to understand, His Majesty might still forgive you."

"But while every official strives for this future, what do you do? You consume the Empire’s food, yet you defile the Empire and slander the Emperor."

"You have no face, no honor, to even stand here."

"Take them away."

The command rang out, and the students were hauled off.

The commoners who had watched could not help frowning.

At first, the students’ words had sounded persuasive.

But recalling the commander’s speech, the crowd fell into silence.

The arrested students continued to cry out.

"I am innocent! On what grounds do you seize me?"

"I have broken no imperial law! Has the law been devoured by you soldiers?"

"I am a student of Hyrule War Academy—do you know what that means? How dare you arrest me? Release me at once!"

Throughout Eryndor City, imperial soldiers could be seen everywhere.

Their mission was singular: capture the students of Hyrule War Academy who opposed the Emperor.

One after another, those who resisted Aurek or denounced the Empire were taken.

In an instant, the city boiled with chaos.

No one had expected Aurek to act with such decisiveness.

No one had imagined he would truly dare to move against Hyrule War Academy.

And that made it dangerous indeed.

"Aurek is still too young. He cannot keep his composure," a voice remarked in a tavern.

The speaker was a middle-aged man, well-dressed, his tone calm as he watched through the window the students being dragged away.

Seated beside him were several young men and women dressed in equally fine clothing.

Their attire marked them unmistakably as members of one of the Empire’s Five Great Houses—House Mufasa.

They were all of that lineage, noble blood flowing in their veins.

At that moment, one of the youths leaned forward.

"Uncle, why do you say such a thing?"

The middle-aged man regarded him with cool eyes before replying.

"These students of Hyrule War Academy are clearly being incited by hidden hands. They are pawns, nothing more."

"If His Majesty Aurek cannot even see that, then it proves he is nothing special. The legends of his cunning are just that—legends. The Empire is not so powerful."

"If he cannot even recognize pawns on a board, then Aurek is nothing extraordinary at all."