Dragon Monarch System Chapter 4

Knock! Knock!

“Who dares disturb us so early in the morning?” Hearing the irate voice of an old man, Watson and Aditya shared a silent look.

Cough!

Aditya cleared his throat, making a conscious effort to keep his irritation out of his voice. “Sir, we have arrived from the neighboring city with your shipment.”

“You made good time. Stay there, I’ll be out in a moment.” Watson was stunned. He hadn't expected such a blatant, simple lie to actually work.

Click!

The iron door swung open to reveal an old man. Although he was younger than Watson, he looked far more aged. Leaning on a wooden cane, he was dressed in an opulent Kimono, adorned with a heavy gold chain and a thick golden bracelet on his left wrist.

“Who are you? I don’t recognize either of you,” the old man stated, looking Aditya and Watson up and down. He was Sam, the patriarch of the Norlor family.

Both remained silent for a moment. Aditya was already fuming at the Norlor family's history, while Watson was growing increasingly agitated by the old man's arrogance. Regardless of Julia’s true feelings for Aditya, he was her husband by contract, and Watson served him with the same loyalty he gave his true mistress. Seeing his master treated with such disrespect brought Watson to his breaking point.

“Our Lord has dispatched us to collect your unpaid taxes for the past 25 months.”

Instead of the reaction they expected, Sam burst into a fit of mocking laughter.

“Hahaha! You mean that alcoholic trash who spends every day in a bottle?” Watson’s brow furrowed at the insult. Aditya, however, saw the reality clearly. If a mere merchant family like the Norlors held him in such contempt, it was no wonder the high nobles ignored his authority.

“To be honest, I’ve been planning to seize his castle. With the mercenaries I’ve put on retainer, taking that trash’s home will be effortless.”

“Tell you what—you two should work for me instead. I’ll pay you double whatever he offers.”

“Why you…” Watson started to lunge at Sam, but Aditya restrained him, a smile playing on his lips.

“Sir, your offer is quite intriguing. Why don’t we discuss the details in that alleyway?” With a facade of innocence, Aditya led Sam into the secluded alley.

Ahhh!

“Please, stop!”

“I beg of you!”

“Not my hair… Ahh!”

“Not my pants… Ah!”

“Stoppppp!”

“Ahhhhh!”

Violent screams soon shattered the morning peace of the neighborhood. For five straight minutes, the shrieks continued unabated. Annoyed neighbors threw open their windows, shouting in protest.

“Hey, what’s all that racket this early?”

“Who’s making that noise?”

“Make them shut up!”

“Great, there goes my sleep. My luck is terrible.”

Watson felt a flicker of concern as he watched the crowd's growing anger. The commotion eventually drew out the two sons of the Norlor family.

“Who the hell is howling like a wounded dog?”

“Which bastard is ruining my rest?”

The Norlor brothers stepped outside, looking furious. Like their father, they were draped in expensive kimonos and weighed down by gold jewelry.

A minute later, the screaming finally ceased.

“Hey, who are you?” Spencer, the eldest, demanded as he spotted Watson standing before their gates.

“Before I answer that, you might want to look at the person you just called a bitch.” As Watson spoke, Sam was tossed out of the alley like a piece of rotting fruit, landing hard in front of his sons.

Bang!

Cough! Cough!

As the dust cleared, Spencer and Robert were horrified to see an old man lying in the dirt, wearing nothing but filthy white underwear. His scalp was bloodied, his face was a swollen mess, and his eyes were bruised so badly they resembled a Panda’s. Dark welts covered his shoulders and arms. His expensive clothes had been shredded; it was only by Aditya's whim that he was left with even his underwear. Aditya had beaten Sam beyond recognition.

“What is this disgusting creature? Stay back, Robert, we might catch something from it.” The youngest son recoiled in revulsion.

“He looks like a hairless monkey.”

“Hahahaha!” Aditya nearly doubled over. Hearing Sam’s own children call their father a monkey and a weird animal was too much. Even Watson struggled to maintain his stoic composure, his frame trembling as he fought back a laugh.

“You idiots, look closer. That ‘bitch’ is your own father.”

Spencer and Robert exchanged confused looks before squinting at the mangled face of the man on the ground. Despite the swelling, they finally recognized him.

“Father! What happened?”

“Father, wake up!”

The brothers dropped to their knees to check on him.

“Guards!” At Robert’s roar, the hired mercenaries poured out of the mansion. Within ten seconds, twenty fighters had surrounded Watson and Aditya.

Spencer glared at Aditya with icy hatred. “Don’t kill him yet. I want to torture this man myself in front of everyone. I’ll wash away this humiliation with his blood.”

The mercenaries were clad in black, their faces hidden by masks. Despite being outnumbered, neither Watson nor Aditya looked the least bit concerned.

“Isaac, shall I finish them?”

“No, Grandpa, just relax. I’ll handle these insects.” Judging by their Aura, Aditya knew none of these men had surpassed the First-order.

“How dare they mock us! Attack!” Aditya had hoped for a challenge, but he was stuck dealing with low-tier fodder.

“Whatever. At least it’s free experience points.”

Swoosh!

To the eyes of Watson, Spencer, Robert, and the barely conscious Sam, Aditya simply vanished. His movement was so rapid that even the air seemed to distort. The onlookers were paralyzed by his sheer speed.

In less than two seconds, the slaughter began. With a sword in hand, Aditya blurred through the ranks of the mercenaries. Before a single blade could be raised in defense, heads began to roll.

[Ding! The host has leveled up. Stats increased by 1 point. 2 free points received.]

[Ding! The host has leveled up. Stats increased by 1 point. 2 free points received.]

[Ding! The host has leveled up. Stats increased by 1 point. 2 free points received.]

[Ding! The host has leveled up. Stats increased by 1 point. 2 free points received.]

[Ding! The host has leveled up…]

“What is going on?” One after another, nineteen mercenaries were decapitated. Only the leader remained standing, his soul trembling as he stared at the corpses of his men.

“I gave them a mercy—a quick death.” Aditya materialized behind the leader like a phantom. As the man spun around, paralyzed by terror, Aditya seized him by the head and hoisted him into the air.

“Ple… Please… spare me…” The leader thrashed, trying to break Aditya's grip.

Ignoring the man's pleas, Aditya turned his gaze to the Norlor trio. “You haven't paid taxes for over two years. Did your family truly believe the Lord had forgotten? Since we were ordered here today, I will collect the debt—with interest.”

Fiery Blaze!

Sam, Spencer, and Robert watched in horror as a violent red flame erupted, engulfing the mercenary leader and incinerating him alive.

Ahhhhhhh!

The leader’s agonizing screams sent shivers down the spines of everyone watching. He fought desperately against the flames, but it was futile. Even Watson, a veteran of centuries, was stunned by the display.

Terror gripped the neighborhood. No one expected the King’s representative to be so ruthless. News of the event began to spread through the city like a wildfire.

After a minute of burning, Aditya tossed the charred remains aside like trash. He walked toward the Norlor family and knelt before them.

“Twenty-five months of tax evasion. Did you think the King would overlook such a crime? When I asked for payment, you insulted me and my Sovereign. You even attempted to assassinate the King’s right-hand man with mercenaries. What fate do you think awaits you now?” Staring into Aditya’s demonic eyes, which seemed to glow with the same fire that had just consumed a man, the Norlors shook uncontrollably.

“Pleas… Please, sir, take everything. Just spare our lives. Please, my lord!” Sam was just a commoner at heart. This level of brutality was more than he could handle. Faced with certain death, his will broke completely.

Aditya smiled internally; his plan was working perfectly. “For your tax evasion, your insults to the Crown, and your armed rebellion against the King’s official, the Norlor family is sentenced to public execution as a warning to this city. Furthermore, all assets, businesses, and properties of the Norlor family are hereby confiscated.”

Sam turned deathly pale. It was over. His greed had been his undoing. Had he simply paid the taxes, his family would still be intact.

Following Aditya’s proclamation, fear took root in every merchant and shopkeeper in the city. The news traveled fast. Fearing a similar fate, merchants who had avoided taxes for years scrambled to pay their debts in full, including interest. The downfall of the Norlors had terrified everyone.

Some tried to flee, but Aditya had anticipated this, having already stationed 100 soldiers at the gates with orders to let no merchant leave.

Two hours later, Sam and his sons were executed before the public. The event left a permanent scar on the city's psyche. Even the previous ruler of Azure City had never been so merciless.

From that day forward, fear would ensure the taxes were paid on time. The people, the merchants, and the shopkeepers would all remember the price of defiance.

“Did you hear?”

“The biggest merchant house in the city was wiped out by the new King?”

“No way, that drunkard did that?”

“It’s the truth. I saw the execution myself. Take my advice: pay your taxes now, or the King’s right-hand man will be knocking on your door next.”

“I agree. I heard the gate security is airtight now, too.”

From a nearby rooftop, Watson and Aditya watched the city's reaction.

“Young Master, may I ask a question?” This time, Watson’s voice held genuine admiration and newfound respect.

“Go ahead.”

“You chose a particularly gruesome death for those mercenaries and insisted on a public execution for the Norlors. You had a specific goal in mind, didn't you?”

“If you’re asking, you already know the answer.” Aditya gave Watson a knowing smile.

“You wanted to plant fear in them. You knew the people no longer respected you as King. By being so ruthless, you replaced that lack of respect with terror. Using the Norlors, you sent a message to every tax-evader in the city. It was a brilliant move.”

Aditya’s smile widened, but he remained silent for a moment. “Sometimes, a King must wield a dark blade to purge the rot from his realm. I used cruelty to send a message—not just to the law-abiding citizens, but to every criminal and thug hiding in the shadows of this city.”