Chapter 189: Ursus Workers' Union! (Patreon)

"Outrageous!"

"We will never allow this to happen!"

Snow and wind still raged outside the window, but even the bitter gales of Deity Grypherburg couldn't smother the heat in this temporary conference hall.

A fat noble in lavish robes slammed his fist on the table, as if volume alone could prove his fury. A few of his colleagues at the table chimed in loudly behind him.

"A damned organization made up of lowborn rabble, and they want a seat in the Imperial Council? Let them keep dreaming."

"Exactly. I hear a good number of them are Infected, too." Another nobleman, a bearded one, snorted coldly. "That cattle belongs in the mines, working, instead of wasting resources here."

But where there was a meeting, there was never only one radical faction.

"You gentlemen have a point, but there's a far bigger problem sitting in front of us. Who's going to smooth things over with Duke Koschei? You? Or you?"

The speaker was Baron Grigory Raskolov. His title might not seem high, but the Baron had something none of the other nobles present could claim.

His father-in-law was an Ursus archduke. With Archduke Vanya assassinated in his sanatorium and Archduke Baikal dealt with by the Black Snake, the Baron now had one of the sturdiest backers in all of Ursus standing behind him.

For that very reason, this little gathering of nobles had always been quietly led by him.

So when the Baron spoke, the room fell silent again. Only the soft tapping of his cane remained.

"Are we really going to stand by and watch them stick their hands into the Imperial Council?"

For all the contempt they showed the Ursus Workers' Syndicate on the surface, every one of them knew perfectly well what would happen once those workers truly entered Ursus's highest circle of decision-making.

New nobles and old nobles alike would find their own affairs laid out on the table for everyone to see.

The so-called Imperial Council would no longer be the nobles' private club.

Because at the root of it, it was the nobles who needed the people to maintain their own standing.

And once the filthy things they had done were dragged into the light, no one in all of Ursus could bear the consequences.

"Of course we can't just stand by."

They had gathered here precisely to reach a conclusion.

Baron Grigory looked over the people around the table. He paused for ten-odd seconds, then spoke in a low voice.

"We should give the newly appointed Duke Talulah a small welcome gift. Does anyone have a good idea? Speak up, let everyone hear it."

The nobles exchanged glances, and soon people were scrambling to offer suggestions.

Wasn't it laughable? Ask them to smooth things over with Koschei and every one of them went mute.

Put it another way, ask them to cause trouble for Talulah, and suddenly their voices were loud again.

'Grigory' sneered inwardly. Once upon a time, he too had been one of these people.

Since that one has set his eyes on you, you're on your own.

'Grigory' quietly committed every face before him to memory.

The meeting dragged on late into the night. As the darkness outside deepened, 'Grigory' gazed at the moon hanging high, slowly left his seat, and stood by the window as though staring at something far away.

"Baron Grigory, are you tired?"

A noble who was usually on good terms with him came over. 'Grigory' turned to look at him and wore a smile the man had never seen before, an eerie one.

"Baron Grigory, you..."

Before the noble could finish, the Baron raised a finger to his lips in a gesture for silence.

"Shh. Don't speak."

"Our guests are here."

The moment the Baron's words fell, the doors of the hidden conference hall were slowly pushed open.

A few pitch-black figures stood at the entrance, having appeared at some point no one could say, motionless as statues.

The nobles' eyes were drawn toward the sound, and the instant they laid eyes on those figures, a fear that crawled up from the depths of their souls rooted them where they stood.

Most of those present were new nobles, but surely no one among them had never heard the terrifying legend that circulated throughout Ursus.

"The Purgers have arrived at the target area."

The voice beneath the mask was extremely hoarse. The tall black figure silently surveyed the people before him, saying nothing, as if confirming something.

And when he had verified the face of everyone present, the figure drew the blade at his waist without a flicker of hesitation and spoke to the two companions at his side.

"Leave no one alive."

…

…

In the winter of 1088 on the Terran Calendar, after joint deliberation by the Imperial Council in Deity Grypherburg, representatives of the Ursus Workers' Syndicate were formally permitted to join the Imperial Council, with the right to cast votes like any other member.

The noble factions, with the old nobles at their core, voiced fierce dissatisfaction and condemned certain new nobles for disregarding the Empire's interests and compromising on their own authority.

To this day, the noble faction led by Baron Grigory has yet to respond.

With a crisp stop of the brakes, a high-end black sedan came to rest smoothly before the guesthouse.

At the entrance, an Elafia girl had been waiting since early on. The moment the car door opened, she hurried forward to greet its passenger.

"Little Ta, welcome back."

"Mm. I'm back."

The two simply looked at each other in silence, then exchanged a smile.

After so much trouble, they had finally achieved the aim of this trip: the Ursus Workers' Syndicate had been brought to that card table.

Their voices still carried little weight, but at least they would no longer be kept in the dark, ignorant of everything.

It was one small step for the Ursus Workers' Syndicate, but one giant leap for the people of Ursus.

And from here, the two of them would walk further and further down this road.

"By the way, have we chosen the Syndicate's first representative yet?"

"Um..."

At Talulah's sudden question, Alina fell silent for some reason.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing..." Alina shook her head, hesitation in her tone. "It's just..."

"Just?"

Seeing Talulah's puzzled expression, Alina took a deep breath and said slowly:

"After a vote among the workers, the first representative of the Ursus Workers' Syndicate is Kashena."

"Who?!"

Talulah's eyes went wide in disbelief. She wanted to make sure she hadn't misheard, so Alina had no choice but to repeat herself.

"It's Teacher Kashena."

Hearing that name again, Talulah felt her heart race and her breath catch. She nearly blacked out and dropped to the floor right there.

Who knew how much time had passed before Talulah came back to herself and answered in a shaky voice.

"Fine."