Chapter 585 - 584: The Starving City

Watching the disciples smile as they watched them leave made Keith question himself. And when he had asked Kiro about it, Kiro had said it was only a temporary solution. So what? Now, because of Leon, had that temporary solution somehow become permanent? Had he stolen food and sneaked into the city for nothing? "Keith." Kiro placed a hand on Keith’s shoulder. "Look, you and Prince Leon are fundamentally different. Even I failed to see the nobles’ hoarded food." "So we’re all different." Kiro smiled. "I mean, we should all be glad that everything is at least working in our favor." Keith’s expression changed. Then he chuckled. "Right." "Should we still follow Princess Rasel or not?" Keith asked. Kiro sensed that something was wrong. But whatever it was, he couldn’t understand it, much less change it. So he simply smiled. "Sure. Let’s go." Keith nodded, and the two of them followed the others. " I want to see how you’re going to convince those greedy nobles to release their food" --- Soon, Keith and Kiro rejoined the main group. Princess Rasel gave them a brief nod, while Leon smiled at them before they continued toward the city. It didn’t take long before they arrived. "This is...?" Everyone froze. The moment they saw the state of the city, their skin crawled. It looked like an abandoned town. The city gates had been broken down, and there wasn’t a single guard in sight. As they entered... They saw them. Hollow-eyed, emaciated people wandered through the streets. Their bodies were so thin and fragile that they looked like walking corpses. They were starving. They looked like mindless zombies. "What...?" The elders were the most shocked. They knew there was a food shortage. But... Was it really this bad? Forget surviving until the end of the war. Would these people even still be alive by the end of the week? "Let’s go." A cold female voice suddenly sounded. Everyone turned. Princess Rasel’s expression was calm. But anyone could see that she was desperately suppressing her anger. Everyone followed her gaze. And once again... They were shocked. At the very heart of the city was a completely different world. The nobles were celebrating. Laughter filled the air. Music played. Delicious food was being served. They wore exquisite clothing and drank expensive wine as though nothing was happening outside. The contrast between their happiness and the dreadful atmosphere surrounding the rest of the city was like the difference between heaven and hell. The group continued forward. The starving citizens barely even noticed them. They were too busy searching for food. Some were lying on the ground, conserving what little energy they had left. Others were simply waiting. Waiting for someone like Keith to appear again... Someone who might throw them a piece of food. The closer they got to the center of the city, the worse the situation became. Dead bodies lay scattered throughout the streets. Some had already begun to rot. Others had died so recently that their bodies were still being ignored. And this was where the population was greatest. A massive wall had been built around the city’s inner district. Guards stood along it. But they weren’t protecting the starving citizens. They were protecting the nobles from them. "Who are you?" "Why are you here?" One of the guards stepped forward. His voice was cold. He had no hesitation in pushing away the starving people who tried to approach. Even children weren’t spared. Some had already been injured by the guards. Princess Rasel simply raised her hand. Keith and Kiro immediately moved. Keith’s gaze fell upon the injured children. His expression darkened. He had already lost his patience. And with Princess Rasel’s silent command... He moved. Keith kicked the guard directly in the knee. CRACK! The guard’s body collapsed forward. Keith immediately grabbed the spear from his hands while Kiro caught the falling body. BOOM! Kiro kicked the guard into the air. His body flew more than five meters upward. Keith slammed the butt of the spear into the ground. The weapon stood upright. Its sharp tip pointed toward the sky. Then— SHNK-KRRRCH! The spear pierced straight through the guard’s helmet and into his skull. Blood flowed down the weapon as the man’s lifeless body dangled from the spear. The entire sequence happened in a single, fluid motion. Keith released the spear. He and Kiro returned to their original positions. Less than a second had passed. The remaining guards gulped. Then they all dropped to their knees. "We were blind..." "Please forgive us." Princess Rasel simply looked at them. Then— THUD. One after another... More than a dozen guards suddenly lost their heads. Their bodies collapsed to the ground. Princess Rasel continued forward. She approached the wall and looked over it. The others did the same. They had to rub their eyes. Was this really the same city? Inside the walls, guards patrolled the streets. Bright lights illuminated every corner. The sweet aroma of food filled the air. Nobles dressed in exquisite clothing walked around freely, laughing and drinking as though the outside world didn’t exist. It was a completely different world. A paradise built in the middle of hell. And the moment Princess Rasel and the others entered... Guards immediately surrounded them. Music continued playing. Performers continued their shows. The nobles were still immersed in their luxurious lives. The guards hesitated. They weren’t sure what to make of this group. They clearly weren’t commoners. Their clothes were clean. They didn’t stink. They weren’t hollow-eyed or emaciated. The commoners outside wore tattered clothes and smelled of sweat and death. The guards had killed and disposed of countless people who had tried to enter this place. But these people were different. They wore luxurious clothing. Yet that didn’t explain how they had entered the inner city. "Bring me your leader." Princess Rasel spoke calmly. The guards froze. Huh? Before they could even process her words— BOOOOM! The ground trembled violently. An elder had simply stomped his foot. The music abruptly stopped. The nobles’ expressions changed. Some screamed. Others immediately ran for their lives, terrified that the buildings would collapse. The guards surrounding the inner city were equally frightened. The tremors finally subsided. Princess Rasel’s voice echoed throughout the entire inner district. "Who is your leader?" Silence. Finally... A short, chubby man slowly stepped forward. The other nobles appeared behind him. His forehead was covered in sweat. "Hello.. who are.. " The man swallowed nervously. Princess Rasel looked at him. "We need to talk." Her voice was cold. "About the way you treat your people." The city lord forced a smile and bowed. "Yes, yes..." "But please..." "May I ask who you are?" His heart was pounding. He could already sense the dissatisfaction in Princess Rasel’s eyes. But there was nothing he could do. The woman standing before him was clearly far above him. And the elder who had just stomped his foot possessed enough strength to nearly destroy the entire inner district. They simply didn’t have the power to resist. So the city lord could only bow. He needed to know which powerful organization these people belonged to. Princess Rasel finally spoke. "Princess Rasel." "Saint of the Molak Family." "Royalty of the Ynvashi Kingdom."