Man With Super Medical Skill (Matthew)

Even as the officials were dragged out, those with clean records walked out with smiles on their faces-some even strolled out on their own. But the ones with dirty hands were pale, needing to be dragged out like dead weight. Matthew approached Fiorenna, who stood there helplessly, and spoke gently, "Princess Fiorenna, don't worry. Gadel will be okay."

Fiorenna tried to hold back her tears, though a few slipped out. She quickly regained her composure. "Thank you, Matthew."

Matthew gave her a reassuring smile and shook his head. "Your Highness, you don't need to thank me. I'll take care of things here in Montiria until Gadel returns."

Gratitude filled Fiorenna's eyes. Despite her noble status, she was still just a woman unprepared to face such political turmoil. She had been completely overwhelmed by the officials and their schemes.

As Fiorenna left with her child, Matthew casually sat down on the palace steps. Outside, the sound of screams from the officials receiving their punishment filled the air. Matthew, seemingly unfazed, pulled out some nuts from his pocket and started cracking them open. Amid the chaos, the calm was only interrupted by the screams and the soft sound of Matthew munching. Soon, the captain of the guard approached him and reported, "Prime Regent, all the officials have been punished."

The captain read from his list, "Fifty-four received twenty strokes. Twenty-four fainted, and the remaining thirty can no longer move."

Matthew raised an eyebrow, recalling that there had been eighty-seven ministers in total. "And the others?"

"The remaining thirty-three died before reaching forty strokes," the captain replied.

Matthew chuckled, shaking his head slightly. "I gave them a chance. Too bad they couldn't make use of it."

He turned his gaze toward the chief guard. "Send the estates of those ministers back to their families, everything intact."

The chief guard hesitated for a moment, confused. What estates? But then, he caught the cold glint in Matthew's eyes and understood. The families would be receiving their own punishment-one hundred lashes, just like the officials. OnlyCcontent © exclusive by Nô/vel(D)ra/ma.Org.

those who survived would live.

The chief guard's expression shifted as he realized how cruel Matthew could be. "Understood. I'll see to it right away."

Just as the guard was about to leave, Matthew called out, "Oh, and send someone to invite Mr. Mortimer Zedler from the Montiria Grand Hotel."

"Yes, sir." The guard hurried out, now more than a little intimidated by Matthew's authority. This man, the country's pillar, was not to be trifled with.

Matthew continued to sit there,

cracking sunflower seeds in

boredom. He knew he was stuck in the middle of this situation-without someone keeping order in Montiria, internal conflict would only fester again. And right now, he was the only one fit to keep things in line. Fiorenna, though well-meaning, had been too sheltered by Gadel to deal with the cunning and manipulative old foxes in court.

Not long after, Mortimer emerged from the hall, his hands wrapped in bandages.

"Mortimer, you're still wearing those bandages?" Matthew smiled when he saw his old friend. The bandages were part of a clever ruse. When Mortimer went to Mortimer to root out the Gloam Wing Secret Service, Matthew had instructed him to pretend to be injured. By playing the part of a weakened man Mortimer had forced their enemies out of hiding.

In fact, it was thanks to this tactic that the villages secretly growing Night Vines in the Thousand Strongholds had been exposed-all because Mortimer faked being wounded by Aelion.