CHAPTER 71: CHAPTER71-SO-CALLED SCHOLARS, JUST STUBBORN MOUTHS

No one could have imagined it.

Those students from the Hyrule War Academy, who had always carried themselves with pride and lofty ideals, were truly hanged to death on the execution platform!

The most shocking part was not just that they were condemned, but that the imperial soldiers actually carried out the order with their own hands.

These were not common criminals—they were young scholars, supposedly upholding justice and speaking for righteousness.

Yet even so, the soldiers had no hesitation in tightening the nooses.

At first, the students struggled fiercely, their legs kicking in vain.

Then their bodies weakened, their movements slowed, until at last they dangled lifelessly, strangled by the rope.

For a brief moment, the entire execution ground fell into a heavy silence.

The corpses swayed faintly in the breeze, their lifeless eyes wide open.

A gust of wind passed through the gallows, and the ropes creaked.

"Damn it! You monsters!"

No one knew who shouted it.

The voice trembled with both fear and rage, but it was quickly swallowed by silence again.

The hush did not last.

Before long, the soldiers—who had just finished one round of executions—efficiently pushed forward another ten captured students and dragged them onto the gallows.

"Let me go! Don’t kill me!"

"You can’t do this! Aren’t you afraid the Hyrule War Academy will take revenge?"

"Please! I beg you, I’ll admit my mistake—just don’t kill me!"

But no matter how desperately they pleaded, there was only one outcome.

The ropes were placed around their necks, the wooden planks kicked away, and their cries were cut short as they dangled, twitching until death claimed them.

Fear spread among those still awaiting their fate.

Many of the captured students who had once worn arrogant sneers now trembled uncontrollably.

Their earlier pride and disdain had completely collapsed, leaving only naked terror.

None of them had truly believed Emperor Aurek would dare execute them.

He was, after all, supposed to be an emperor—wouldn’t he fear the wrath of the prestigious Hyrule War Academy?

Wouldn’t he fear public outcry?

But reality proved the opposite. Aurek truly dared to kill them.

He had swung the blade without hesitation, treating their noble status as nothing more than parchment to be burned.

And once such a slaughter began, it carried a terrifying momentum of its own.

At first, even the soldiers had hesitated.

They had worried that by killing the academy’s students, they would invite retribution.

They wondered whether the common people would condemn them.

Yet reality revealed a different truth.

The crowd of onlookers did not resist.

They did not rush forward in outrage.

Instead, they stared like spectators at a gruesome play, eyes wide, but without lifting a finger to intervene.

The masses were far more numb than expected.

This strange indifference gave the soldiers new courage.

The fear in their hearts dissolved, replaced by grim boldness.

And when they saw some of the students—who had once spoken with such arrogance—now so terrified that they wet their trousers and collapsed weakly to the ground, the soldiers’ disdain grew.

"So this is what the so-called noble students are like?" one soldier sneered inwardly. "In the end, they’re no different from ordinary men—cowering, trembling, even pissing themselves at the sight of death."

The truth stung the students themselves.

They had never considered that Emperor Aurek might be such a ruthless and heartless man.

Now, shivering with terror, they realized the reality far too late.

They were not unafraid of death.

Rather, they had been absolutely convinced Aurek would not dare to truly execute them.

That certainty was their shield.

But when that shield shattered, when they saw Aurek indeed dared to bloody his hands, the certainty collapsed into horror.

"He’s insane!" one thought. "This man... he’s truly a lunatic!"

Desperate cries echoed through the execution ground.

"I admit it! We were wrong!"

"It was the academy that ordered us to act—we were only following orders, this wasn’t our choice!"

"Great Emperor Aurek, merciful majesty, please spare me!"

But no matter how they begged, the answer was the same: the ropes tightened, the bodies convulsed, and silence followed.

Among the common people watching, something shifted.

Many had once looked up to the academy students, imagining them as paragons of noble will and unbending character.

Yet when they witnessed these supposed elites weeping, begging, and collapsing like frightened peasants, the illusion shattered.

"Bah!" a man spat on the ground. "So this is what the so-called nobility amounts to? Nothing but cowards after all."

"They always preached about noble virtues and lofty ideals," another sneered. "But when death stares them in the eye, they’re no different from us—pissing themselves in terror."

In an instant, the people’s admiration for the students collapsed into contempt. The bright halo of "academics of justice" broke apart, leaving only the image of trembling youths, just as weak as anyone else.

Meanwhile, the executions continued relentlessly.

By imperial law, the charges against these students were already damning.

To the court, they were traitors, and traitors had only one fate—death by the noose.

While students choked one by one upon the gallows, Commander Gaia was far from idle.

Beyond the execution grounds, the Hyrule War Academy itself had already been encircled.

A vast host of imperial troops surrounded the academy on every side, sealing it like an iron fortress.

With Emperor Aurek’s decree in hand, Commander Gaia stepped boldly through the academy’s gates.

His mission was to deliver the emperor’s will and enforce imperial law.

But the moment he set foot inside, a thunderous roar greeted him.

"What do you think you’re doing? Do you have any idea where you stand?"

The air vibrated with fury.

"This is Hyrule War Academy! You are not welcome here. Leave at once!"

From the hall ahead strode Professor Ethan, his eyes blazing with indignation.

In his hands he carried a glowing scroll, arcane runes spiraling across its surface.

The instant Ethan’s voice rang out, a storm burst forth.

Gale winds surged, knocking back the soldiers who had followed Gaia inside.

The professors of the academy were not mere teachers of words—they were formidable experts in their own right.

Each one possessed strength at least on the level of an accomplished expert warrior or mage. Against such figures, ordinary soldiers had no chance of resistance.

Yet Gaia’s expression remained calm, his voice measured and cold.

He fixed his eyes on Ethan and said evenly,

"By the decree of His Majesty Aurek, the Hyrule War Academy has defied imperial law, cursed the empire, insulted the royal family, and even colluded with foreign enemies to sow chaos within Eryndor City."

"According to imperial justice, the entire academy stands guilty of treason, and must be sentenced to death by hanging."

The words fell like thunder.

Ethan’s face darkened instantly, and the other professors at his side wore expressions of outrage and disbelief.

"You dare move against us?" Ethan demanded, his voice rising with fury. "Gaia, do you understand what you are doing? Does your Aurek truly know what this means?"

"Does he understand what consequences he is inviting by raising his hand against Hyrule War Academy? Does he know what powers we conceal?"

Their voices rose in succession, outrage swelling like a storm.

But Gaia did not flinch. His tone remained as calm and steady as stone.

"His Majesty Aurek has considered everything. Every consequence, every danger—none of it matters compared to the empire’s survival."

"In the face of life and death for the empire, you professors, your academy, your so-called prestige—none of it is worth anything."

"If you insist on defying imperial command, you will only meet one end: death. I advise you to submit quietly and be taken into custody."

Then Gaia raised his hand and spoke with iron authority.

"All soldiers, hear my command. Arrest them all! If they resist, you are authorized to kill them on the spot."

The words were sharp as steel, echoing through the academy halls.

At that, Ethan’s eyes turned bloodshot with rage.

He glared at Gaia as though about to tear him apart, and shouted with all the fury in his lungs:

"Stop! None of you will take a single step further into the Hyrule War Academy!"

"If you dare to cross this threshold, then come—and die!"

His roar echoed like thunder across the campus. The tremor of his voice shook the ground itself.

At that moment, countless strong individuals in the surrounding city lifted their heads, sensing the shift.

The confrontation at the Hyrule War Academy was no longer a secret—it had already become the focus of the entire city’s attention.