My Glitched World Throne System Came Ten Years Too Early!
Chapter 22: Central Square

Chapter 22: 22: Central Square

Time passed slowly as Roderic walked towards the central square.

He intentionally took his time, allowing as many people to gather as possible.

Every now and then, another group of townspeople hurried past him, curiosity written all over their faces.

They didn’t even notice him in their hurry!

Roderic only smiled faintly.

By the time the central square came into view, hundreds of people had already gathered.

Merchants had abandoned their stalls, blacksmiths still wore their soot-covered aprons, and countless others had abandoned their tasks just to gather here.

Even children had climbed onto fences and barrels to see over the crowd!

At the center of it all stood a large wooden platform, normally used for important announcements.

Only this time, Rick and Darrel were bound to separate wooden posts, thick ropes wrapping tightly around their bodies.

Surrounded by guards, the two looked completely different from the arrogant young men they’d been only an hour earlier.

’’D-dad,’’ Darrel muttered, his face pale.

Rick remained completely silent, staring ahead absentmindedly.

’Well then,’ Roderic thought with a smile. ’The stage has been set. Now it’s time to perform on it.’

He cleared his throat loudly, attracting the attention of those around him.

’’The young master?’’

’’He did this to them!’’

’’Quick, let him through!’’

The civilians quickly stepped aside, opening a path straight toward the wooden platform.

Their eyes never left him. Not even for a second.

’’How did he do it?’’

’’Darrel and Rick were One-Seal Knights, right?’’

’’Who cares? I want to see those assholes hung!’’

Roderic ignored the countless whispers around him.

He steadily made his way through the crowd, straight toward the platform.

The guards standing around the platform immediately straightened.

’’Young Master!’’ they shouted in unison.

One after another, they lowered their heads.

Captain Harris, who had been standing at the foot of the platform, stepped forward.

’’Young Master,’’ he greeted respectfully. ’’Everything has been prepared as you requested.’’

His eyes briefly drifted toward the two wooden buckets resting beside the platform.

Even now, he still couldn’t understand their purpose.

Roderic nodded with satisfaction.

’’Good,’’ he said, smiling. ’’Now stand to the right of the platform and keep their families from approaching.’’

The knight captain’s eyes widened slightly.

’’Pardon?’’

’’Just tell them I’m doing them a favor,’’ Roderic waved him off without looking back. ’’You’ll understand why from my speech.’’

Without another word, he stepped onto the podium, leaving the confused guard captain behind.

After a moment, Captain Harris simply nodded and moved to the right.

Meanwhile, Roderic couldn’t help but glance at the hundreds of people who had gathered.

He felt their stares burning into him from every direction.

The square, bustling only moments ago, gradually fell silent.

Everyone waited as Roderic reached the center of the podium.

’This is it,’ Roderic thought, letting out a deep breath.

He clasped his hands behind his back and turned toward them.

’’For those who haven’t seen me before...

I am Roderic Whitemane, third son of Baron Arthur Whitemane.’’

A brief pause followed.

’’Today, however, I stand before you not as the baron’s son... but as a victim.’’

He gestured somberly toward Rick and Darrel.

’’Less than an hour ago, Darrel and Rick drew their swords against me in broad daylight.

They attempted to murder me, a crime punishable by death under the Royal Family’s laws.’’

The crowd immediately burst into whispers.

’’He’s right, I watched it happen!’’

’’I knew those idiots would do something eventually.’’

Some who hadn’t heard the news looked shocked.

Others clenched their fists, as if they had predicted this day.

Roderic slowly raised his hand, causing all of them to fall silent once more.

’’However...’’ he started. ’’I know this isn’t the only crime these two have committed.’’

His voice remained calm as his gaze swept over the civilians.

’’For years, they’ve abused the authority of their families.

They terrorized this territory like wild animals.

They vandalized houses and businesses.

They harassed the innocent.

And far too many people have suffered because of it.’’

As he spoke, movement appeared on the right, near the edge of the square.

Two furious middle-aged knights forced their way through the crowd.

Only a moment later, Captain Harris stepped in front of them.

The three immediately broke out into a heated conversation.

But Roderic never stopped speaking.

’’Today, this nonsense will end,’’ he said. ’’We will punish these criminals!’’

The moment he uttered those words, the crowd exploded.

’’They smashed my bar for not serving us fast enough!’’

’’They stole from us!’’

’’My daughter still avoids the main streets because of their harassment!’’

’’Hang those scumbags!’’

’’Cut their heads off!’’

The entire square exploded in noise.

Nothing mattered to the civilians anymore.

Years of resentment poured out all at once.

It even surprised Roderic, as they were far more aggressive about this than he’d expected.

’How the hell did these bastards find so much time to do this?’ he thought, raising an eyebrow. ’I can’t believe even I underestimated them...’

He couldn’t help but glance at them for a moment.

’Will my plan still work like this, though?’

...

Meanwhile, near the edge of the square, complete silence had fallen between three individuals.

The two middle-aged knights stood frozen in place.

The fury they’d arrived with had completely vanished. Instead, disbelief slowly grew on their faces.

Their eyes wandered through the crowd, one accusation after another entering their ears.

Even Captain Harris, who had been in charge of training, couldn’t believe his ears.

He had always known the two were troublemakers.

But this...

’Their behavior had grown this bad?’ he thought, frowning.

Neither of the two fathers had known either.

They’d come believing their sons had simply gone too far this time.

Instead, they found themselves listening to dozens of victims.

Slowly, their expressions began to change to ones of pure horror.

...

Meanwhile, Roderic quietly observed everything from atop the platform.

His mind raced, calculating his best possible moves.

Only after nearly a minute had passed did he slowly raise his hand.

’’Silence,’’ he shouted firmly.

One by one, the accusations began to cease.

Within moments, the square had fallen completely silent once more.