Restart:Untalented Man-Chapter 528: Playtime is Over

While the rest of Napuna surrendered in stages, district by district and street by street, the royal palace was the last to hold out. However, they too ultimately fall.

Ryntum surrounded the palace where the Naharog Royal family resided.

A perimeter was quickly established. There was no battle.

The palace guards, in ceremonial armour and half-polished helmets, looked like children playing at war. Most laid down their weapons the moment they saw the Ryntum crest.

No glory for them to earn that day.

General Bain Lawrence walked through the front entrance unchallenged. Around him, soldiers are disarming and binding the last of the guards.

They reached the throne hall. Its doors were already wide open. And there, at the far end of the room beneath a golden chandelier, stood King Nelson.

The man was trembling. His royal garb is slightly askew. His crown crooked atop his greying hair. Behind him, a few ministers and family members huddled together.

"King Nelson, your playtime is over," Bain said.

Nelson's lip trembled. He said nothing.

Bain stopped just a few steps away. He studied the man in front of him carefully.

He remembered.

If he was not mistaken, this king was once the Count of the Bagyarosia Kingdom. But through various political manoeuvres, uprising and luck, he ascended to the throne.

The previous dynasty had faltered at just the right time, and Nelson had slithered into the vacuum.

His success is partly due to Riz not paying too much attention to this guy. Ryntum, at that time, was still busy consolidating his power. After all, there were larger problems that needed to be solved.

Now, Riz was paying attention.

And because of that, this throne, this kingdom, this king—none of it needed to exist anymore.

"You… you! What do you mean by 'my playtime is over'?!" asked King Nelson.

His voice cracked mid-sentence, torn between rage and desperation. The royal guards who remained loyal stood frozen, unsure whether to reach for their weapons or follow the inevitable flow of defeat.

Bain looked at the king confusedly, as if he didn't understand why Nelson was asking such an obvious question. "It is just like I said. My king decided to take this place."

Nelson's lips trembled in anger, "Bastard! Do you think my kingdom is a toy you can take whenever you want?"

"Exactly."

Bain didn't wait for further protest. He raised his hand and signalled the soldiers to take the king and his family away. As for their fate, let's leave it in the hands of his king.

In an instant, soldiers surged forward. The king's household was overwhelmed.

This palace no longer belonged to them. It belonged to Ryntum.

Bain turned around and left. He still needs to clean up this place, as it will be incorporated into the kingdom.

What followed was not a peaceful transition of power.

It was a purge.

Behind the palace walls and beneath its gold-gilded ceilings, blood was spilt quietly but thoroughly.

Every known supporter of Nelson's regime was marked for removal.

Those who were foolish enough to resist were executed on the spot. Others were taken for interrogation and subjected to long hours of questioning by agents.

Bain had no interest in leaving seeds behind.

Although King Nelson's time sitting on the throne was short, it was long enough to cultivate a group of loyalists.

The proof is that Riz, who also ascended around the time of Nelson, has many supporters of his own.

From the high windows of the throne room, Bain stood watching the smoke rise from various parts of the city as key government buildings were taken under control.

Everything was proceeding according to plan.

Of course, he ignored the scream that came nearby.

....

The news of Naharog's swift and decisive fall arrived in the heart of Ryntum like a blazing torch at night.

From the east, dispatch riders raced toward Bideford, the kingdom's capital. By the time the sun reached its zenith, Riz already had the complete picture: the war was over.

The conquest was complete.

Not a week had passed since the first soldier crossed the border.

At once, Riz authorised the release of the news. There's no point in secrecy. Everybody knew they were invading.

In Bideford, the mood was electrified. The people cheered joyfully.

But elsewhere, the reaction was different.

A short but total conquest immediately aroused the vigilance of the neighbouring countries.

In every era, war demands blood and coin. It bleeds the treasury and stalls economies.

Prolonged conflicts often hollow out even the most powerful empires. Yet here was Ryntum, devouring a kingdom in less than seven days, with almost no visible strain on its military or economy.

Ryntum's high combat effectiveness indicates that they suffered minimal losses in this war.

Cities, land, population, Ryntum get it all.

Many were jealous of this fact. At this point, calling it a war was very unsuitable. It was a clean transfer of assets!

For a while, diplomatic backchannels buzzed with activity.

However, Ryntum doesn't care what these people were thinking.

While the rest of the continent spiralled into anxious conferences, Ryntum proceeded with its plan.

With the last city secured and resistance extinguished, the formal procedures of annexation were completed within days.

New provincial boundaries were drawn.

The symbols of the old monarchy were removed from buildings, banners, and coins.

Government offices in former Naharog cities raised Ryntum's royal crest above their doors.

And with his task fulfilled, General Bain Lawrence received his final instructions: Return to the capital with the army and the royal family of Naharog.

Within the conquered palace in Napuna, Bain watches the royal family of Naharog.

They had spent the last few days under watch, not in chains, but not free either.

Their commands carried no weight. Their servants were gone.

Bain approached. He looked at the fallen king and said, "You will accompany me to the capital. The formal audience awaits."

"What will happen to us?" Former King Nelson asked.

"I don't know."