Due to Hercule's siege tactics, most of the nobles who were in charge of the front line were killed.
　Those who left the command to mercenaries and nobles who only provided funds survived, but were soon captured by Hercule.

　Hadrian attempted to defect to the Bulgarian kingdom, but was captured by the Bulgarians and returned to Hercule with a gift.

　And ......
　The trial will take place.





　...... Now, let me ask you straight out. Why are you planning to rebel?
　Well, that's ......

　Calling the nobles in the senate one by one, Hercule asks: "Why did you plan to rebel?
　The nobles answer, while being exposed to the senators.

　"Or, to save you from a wicked vassal. ......　
　"I see. So, when did Hadrian call himself emperor?

　The nobleman is at a loss for words.
　The nobleman tries desperately to turn his head and somehow evade the question.

　Hercule sees this, smirks and says.

　"You were fooled, weren't you?
　"Fooled?
　"By a nobleman who has more land and more power than you.

　Then the nobleman realizes.
　What does Hercule want?

　"Yes, yes!　I've been deceived!
　Who? Give me a name.
　The traitor who deceived me is .......

　The nobleman flippantly blames his crimes on the nobleman who had more power than him.
　The senators look at him with disdain.

　"Treason would normally be punishable by death, and your house would be torn down. But your family has served House Julianos for generations. It would be a pity to ignore your achievements and condemn you to death, destroy your house, confiscate your property, and leave your family and vassals in the lurch.

　Hercule said deliberately: ......

　"You, my lord, shall be imprisoned for thirty years. Women and vassals shall not be questioned. You will also be fined .......

　Hercule tells us the punishment in a simple manner.
　It was a ...... lenient punishment for plotting a rebellion.

　That is all.
　"Yes ......, thank you for your lenient treatment. Your Majesty. I'll never forget this.
　"Yes, yes, there will be another trial.

　Well, in three years, you won't owe me anything.
　Hercule thought to himself as he led the nobleman away.

　"Now, next. You can go to .......

　After that, Hercule asked the small and medium nobles, "You were tricked, weren't you? Then he asks the small and medium nobles, "Were you deceived?" and after eliciting their testimony that they were deceived by the large nobles, he sentences them to light sentences.

　Why are they doing this?
　There are several reasons for this.

　First of all.
　We can't kill too many nobles.

　Crushing all the noble families that rebelled this time will not diminish the power of the nobles.
　Another noble family will simply fill the power vacuum.

　In fact, there is a possibility that a new great noble family will be born to fill the power vacuum.

　Besides, it is mainly the non-Elven nobles who have revolted this time.
　Of course, only a small percentage of them revolted. ......

　But if we impose severe punishment on them, the power of the non-Elven nobles will decline and the power of the Elven nobles will grow.
　Hercule is not a supremacist of the Elves.

　If we clamp down on the non-Elves too much, we may create a new fire.
　That is why it was necessary to reassure the non-Elves to some extent.

　The second reason.
　Small nobles are no threat to us.

　The small and medium nobles who spent a lot of their own money in this war will fall even if they are left alone.
　A fine alone would be more than enough to reduce their power.

　That's why Hercule only allowed a certain amount of fines and imprisonment.

　And the third reason.
　It is at ......


　And now, .......

　The man who was called was one or two of the greatest nobles of Hadrian's school.
　He was a great aristocrat with a great deal of power, financial strength, and influence in central politics, even among the non-chieftain (elf) nobility.

　Even Hercule was a powerful nobleman that could not be ignored.

　For some reason, the great nobleman was imposing.
　And rightly so.
　He thought the worst that could happen was that he would not be executed.

　His house would not be destroyed.

　At best, he'd be fined a lot of money and imprisoned for ten years.

　Why does he think that way?
　It's simple.

　Because he knows that Hercule has received pleas for his life from many nobles.

　Even if the nobles of Hercule's faction are related, in debt, or in some other way indebted to this great noble, there are many of them.

　If Hercule takes care of the nobles of his own faction, ......


　I have no choice but to take the most lenient measures.

　That's why I'm so confident.

　The Grand Lords slowly try to defend themselves.

　"I am ......
　"You are hereby disenfranchised. That is all.

　Hercule interrupted him and said simply.

　What?
　The great nobleman's face flushed with astonishment, ...... and his face turned pale.

　Disenfranchisement.
　It was a heavier punishment than the death penalty in the Lemurian Empire.

　The death penalty for noblemen was beheading, and in principle the honor of the nobleman was protected.
　As a nobleman, you are executed.

　However, disenfranchisement is different.

　A person sentenced to disenfranchisement will be stripped of all legal rights and property in the Empire.
　And of course, their status and honor.

　What good is it if no life is taken?
　It's naive to think that.

　If it is a normal death penalty, even if you are on death row, your legal rights, honor, and status are guaranteed, and you can be beheaded with little pain.

　But for the living dead whose rights have been revoked, ......
　Needless to say.

　 What is more horrible is ......
　What is even more frightening is that the bodies of those killed by disenfranchisement are burned.

　This is difficult to understand for Japanese people, who are generally cremated. ......
　In Messianic religions, those whose bodies are burned will not go to heaven, but will go to purgatory.

　Dying is horrible.
　But to have your body burned is more horrible than dying.


　"Oh, wait!　I'm .......
　"Hey, get this trash out of here. The next one awaits.

　On Hercule's orders, the guards pick off the grand nobleman.
　It was a far cry from the way they treated the nobility, ...... like throwing a dirty vermin carcass out the window.


　Yes, Hercule's target was the great nobility from the beginning.
　If he had simply tried them, he would not have been able to bring them to justice.

　However, by covering the crimes of the small and medium nobles, he made it so that no one could complain about the severe punishment.

　In addition, the nobles who had betrayed their friends would not be able to ......
　In addition, the nobles who had betrayed their friends would not be able to form a clique again.

　One of the purposes is to make the nobles suspicious.


　Hercule judged the great nobles without hesitation.
　The lesser ones are confiscated and thrown in jail.
　The heaviest will be beheaded.
　The heaviest were beheaded, and the most serious were stripped of their rights.

　Thus, a total of 20 great nobles disappeared from the Lemurian Empire.





　And the last one left is ......

　"So, my brother. No, Hadrian the Traitor. Is there anything you can tell me?

　Hercule questioned Hadrian, the last of the suspects.

　"Excuse me?

　Hadrian asks Hercule with a blue face.

　"Yeah, like ...... someone cheated on you.

　In fact, Hercule did not really intend to kill Hadrian.
　In fact, Hercule did not intend to kill Hadrian, because he did not feel the need to do so.

　Hadrian himself had no great power.

　He purged all the large nobles.
　The small and medium nobles were too suspicious to form a party, and even if they did, how powerful would they be?

　We can spare their lives and imprison them somewhere and let them go.
　Erkül thought to himself.

　They were blood brothers, after all.
　Killing him would be too unseemly.

　But he couldn't just let him go for free.
　Hercule had a reputation to uphold.

　The minimum requirement is ......

　Vassalage and absolute obedience to Hercule.
　And you must admit your mistake.
　And to pin the blame on the high lords.

　These are the three.

　"I'm ....... I'm .......
　Hadrian mumbled and then said to Hercule.

　"Your Majesty. It was all my fault,...... but please spare my life,......

　"A wise decision.

　Hercule smiled and sentenced him to life in prison.
　And in his mind he thought.

　"Your Highness, as promised, I have made every concession and effort possible.

　And.