Thomas's pupils trembled violently as reality crashed into his consciousness.
The purple-haired youth who had been kidnapped by his subordinates, who had now destroyed his business and slaughtered his entire family tonight, was not some ordinary Rank E adventurer, but a true Imperial Prince.
However, amidst the shock and despair drowning him, there was one thing that made the noble's ego rebel. He could not accept the final accusation thrown at him.
"A traitor?!" Thomas said in a loud voice laden with denial, refusing to be branded with the most despicable title in the empire. "I'm not a traitor! I have never once intended to betray this empire!"
"Not a traitor, you say?" Calian repeated in an incredibly cold tone, looking at Thomas as if he were a pile of disgusting trash. "Do you think treason only takes the form of defection or a coup to overthrow the throne? No, Dirty Noble. Trafficking the people you are supposed to protect, committing corruption, and abusing the power entrusted to you to enrich yourself are also forms of treason!"
Hearing the absolute words spoken with the authority of a future emperor, Thomas instantly fell silent. His mouth was no longer able to string together a rebuttal. In his stiff silence caused by the stasis effect, an immense sense of regret began to gnaw at the recesses of his heart and mind.
There were no paths left to escape. There was no more wealth or connections that could save him from the abyss of death now gaping wide before him. This became even more apparent when he saw the Imperial Prince slowly draw his sword back, preparing to deliver a single fatal thrust.
"Regret all your dirty deeds and greed that have betrayed this empire and all its people down in hell!"
Right upon hearing the verdict the purple-haired youth had just dropped, a very cold and dense shadow of death suddenly haunted Thomas's mind.
His desire to stay alive instantly flared up.
"N-No! I don't want to die!" Thomas screamed, begging for mercy, his voice screeching pathetically in the middle of the golden room. Tears of fear began to well up in the corners of his eyes. "Please, spare me!"
However, it was already too late. Calian completely ignored the man's pathetic cries, as if the shouts laden with pleas for mercy had never reached his ears.
"Farewell."
Calian swung his hand without the slightest hesitation.
While continuously begging for his life, Thomas could only watch the sword blade shoot straight toward his chest without being able to do anything to dodge.
Zeb!
The sharp blade pierced the left side of the Gias City ruler's chest. Fresh blood instantly seeped out, staining his luxurious shirt right from the stab wound that had precisely impaled his heart.
Thomas died instantly without being able to move even the slightest bit. He met his end standing stiffly like a display statue, with tears of supplication flowing from eyes that now no longer radiated the light of life.
On the other side of the room, Wolvin let out a long breath, feeling incredibly relieved and proud of his husband.
Wolvin felt relieved because Calian truly could not bring the dead back to life. At the same time, he felt immense pride because his husband possessed such a strong resolve to destroy the slave trade that had long been a nightmare for the non-human races in the Erthland Empire.
After Thomas died, Calian pulled his sword out with a single jerk, then turned his head and looked at his spouse with a gaze that had softened once more.
"Wolvin, could I ask you for a favor to store all the money in this safe, and also this man's body, inside your dimensional storage necklace?"
The request his husband had just uttered instantly startled Wolvin. It felt as if something had just struck his sanity.
"Store all the money in these chests?" Wolvin replied with an undisguised expression of shock, shifting his gaze toward the eight wooden chests filled with gold coins. "Are you sure, Darling?"
"Yes, I'm sure, Wolvin." Calian answered calmly. "Because all this money, along with this man's body, will be used as physical evidence for Mother when we return later."
That reason was indeed very logical and irrefutable. However, Wolvin still felt doubtful. He doubted not without a clear reason.
The Night Wolf youth truly did not know how large the capacity of the necklace his mother-in-law gave him was. He also had no idea whether these eight massive chests filled with money could fit into it.
"Alright, I'll try it first." Wolvin finally decided, then stepped toward one of the eight large chests filled with gold coins.
Standing right in front of the first wooden chest, the Night Wolf youth was once again enveloped in doubt. Being this close made the chest look even more absurd to fit inside his necklace.
However, two seconds later, Wolvin shook his head slightly, immediately dismissing the doubts bothering his mind.
He raised his hand, touched the large chest, and channeled his mana, attempting to store it into his dimensional storage necklace.
And what happened next...
Zip!
The large chest filled with money vanished and entered his dimensional storage necklace.
Wolvin blinked his eyes. Feeling a bit amazed, he nevertheless tried to act normal. He then stepped over to the second large chest and proceeded to store it.
Zip!
The second chest disappeared once more and was safely stored inside.
Wolvin repeated it again, and again. He touched the third chest, the fourth, until without realizing it, all eight of the massive chests that had previously occupied the safe room were completely gone.
Seeing the safe room now entirely empty, Wolvin stood frozen, completely not expecting that the necklace given by his mother-in-law possessed such a massive capacity.
Who in the world created this terrifying dimensional storage necklace?! Wolvin exclaimed inwardly, amazed and shocked at the same time. If I had not done it myself, I would definitely never believe the insane capacity of this necklace.
Wolvin desperately wanted to ask Calian about the necklace around his neck. However, he realized that his husband most likely would not know the exact answer regarding it either.
Finally, the Night Wolf youth decided to abandon his intention and store the question in his heart until the time came for him to meet his mother-in-law again.
Despite still being slightly overwhelmed by a deep sense of awe, Wolvin quickly shifted his focus back to the task at hand. He stepped toward Thomas's corpse, which was still stuck in a stiff standing position thanks to the lingering effect of his husband's [Time Loop] stasis authority, and immediately stored the stiff body of the noble into his dimensional storage necklace.
Seeing that all the evidence had been properly secured inside his spouse's necklace, Calian smiled in satisfaction.
"Thank you, Wolvin."
"You're welcome, Darling." Wolvin replied in a tone that had returned to being casual. Even so, in his heart, he was still amazed by the dimensional storage necklace hanging around his neck. "But, we cannot linger here any longer. We must immediately find and take that alchemist before dawn breaks!"
"Yes, you're right. Let's go there right away!"
Calian and Wolvin immediately turned around. They walked back up the stairs, leaving the now-empty underground safe behind.
Their next plan was to meet the enslaved alchemist locked inside one of the rooms on the second floor of the Gias City ruler's mansion.