Chapter 173: Purge (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 173: Purge (4)
Thud, thud, thud.
The heavy footsteps of soldiers echoed as they surrounded Count Denver.
Watching the Royal Guards move at Roman's command, Count Denver couldn't stop his face from hardening.
"…A royal decree? What on earth are you talking about?!"
His eyes darted frantically.
Before the count could even grasp the situation, Roman Dmitry spoke in a chilling voice.
"Count Denver. We have uncovered evidence that you have been colluding with the Valhalla Empire and leaking Cairo's state secrets. To uncover the full truth, His Majesty the King of Cairo has ordered your arrest. Submit to the royal decree quietly. If you try any tricks, it will be deemed an act of treason, and you will be executed on the spot."
"T-Treason?!"
Count Denver gasped in panic.
Treason. The word choked the breath right out of his lungs.
He knew something was amiss the moment Roman Dmitry appeared, but he hadn't expected him to throw around the word 'treason' right off the bat.
This is extremely dangerous. Everyone knows I align with Valhalla. Even though there has always been more than enough evidence of it, the Cairo royal family never dared to touch me. Yet, right after clashing with the Noble Faction, they're arresting me? The moment I comply with this royal decree, my hands and feet will be completely bound.
His instincts screamed at him. He absolutely could not go with them.
Outside the palace, he could respond to any situation, but if he—the leader of the Valhalla Faction—were dragged away like this, he would be stripped of everything without being able to lift a finger. His mind raced, calculating his options. Though his dry mouth betrayed his intense anxiety, Count Denver tried his best to feign outrage.
"You insolent fools! Do you have any idea what you are doing right now?!" he roared.
Deliberately fanning his fury, he glared at the Royal Guards, his fiery eyes daring them to approach.
"It is an open secret that I associate with the Valhalla Empire! What does it matter now that you cite a royal decree to arrest me? Go back and ask His Majesty the King of Cairo if he can truly handle the consequences of this! If you lay a hand on me, Valhalla will never stand idly by!"
It was a brazen display of shamelessness.
Excuses wouldn't work anyway, so he needed to actively leverage his greatest weapon. After all, the sole reason Count Denver had been able to establish himself as an influential figure in Cairo was the backing of Valhalla.
The soldiers faltered, exchanging uneasy glances. Roman, however, remained completely unfazed.
"Count Denver. From this moment on, you had better watch every single word you say."
"You impudent—!"
"Lower your voice," Roman cut him off. "You don't seem to grasp the situation yet. The Cairo royal family has declared war on the Noble Faction. Civil war is already inevitable. While we risk our lives to fight the Noble Faction, you would undoubtedly watch from the sidelines and try to profit from it. This fight is not just about suppressing the Noble Faction. The traitors who follow Valhalla and Kronos—we will root you all out together."
"…You crazy bastard."
Threats wouldn't work. Count Denver's reaction was entirely predictable. Roman had known all along that if the count were cornered, he would use Valhalla as a shield.
"The fate of Cairo hangs on this battle. Valhalla? What can they do for you? Unlike Kronos, Valhalla does not share a border with us. Even if they march their troops toward Cairo, we cannot stop what we have already started. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. If this is a fight where failure means losing everything, then we might as well ensure we reap the full reward. Rather than leaving half-hearted seeds of discord, cleaning them all up at once is the right decision for Cairo's future."
With a brief glance, Roman gave the signal. The Royal Guards immediately closed in on Count Denver.
"Count Denver. From now on, you are going to have a very interesting time."
Hearing Roman's words, Count Denver could only collapse back into his chair in despair.
* * *
The operations were carried out simultaneously.
At the exact moment Count Denver's residence was raided, Simon, the Vice Commander of the Royal Knights, led his troops in a surprise raid on Count Gregory's estate.
"You sons of bitches! Do you think you'll get away with this? Do you really think you'll survive?!"
At the order to bind him, Count Gregory resisted violently. Shaking off the soldiers' hands and screaming at the top of his lungs, he glared murderously at Simon.
"Simon. You know exactly what it means to lay a hand on me. The Kronos Empire shares a border with Cairo. If they find out Cairo has attacked me, the Empire will surely send troops as a warning! So make a wise decision. The Kronos Empire is already itching to conquer the continent, and there's no telling what they might do using this incident as a pretext."
For a moment, the soldiers froze.
It was a warning they could not simply ignore. While Valhalla was far away, the Kronos Empire was an immediate, looming threat.
Count Gregory is right. The Kronos Empire doesn't make empty threats; they are the type to actually take action.
It was dangerous. If they provoked Kronos, Cairo would undoubtedly be swept into a vortex of war. That was why Simon had agonized over this countless times on his way here with the troops. He had no certainty that this was the right path, but the words Roman Dmitry had spoken to the King in the royal palace refused to leave his mind.
"Your Majesty. Do not walk on eggshells around the Empire. The Kronos Empire has crossed Cairo's borders every year without any particular reason. What on earth are you afraid of? Whenever Kronos declares its conquest of the continent, Cairo will not be able to escape the vortex of war. Make a decision. Even if Cairo is attacked by Kronos because of this choice, is that not a trial we face every year anyway? If so, we might as well take this opportunity to thoroughly root out this evil and establish complete control over Cairo. That is the only way Cairo can survive in the future."
It was true.
Even when they walked on eggshells around the Kronos Empire, the Empire showed Cairo no consideration. They crossed the border whenever they pleased, and Cairo's soldiers were slaughtered in the wars waged on the Western Front.
And what had Count Gregory done back then?
He hadn't cared in the slightest. Even as Kronos slaughtered the people of Cairo, he lived a life of luxury under his title as a Cairo noble. It made Simon's blood boil. Since some of his own comrades were among those who had died, Simon had often lamented the bleak reality of Cairo whenever he spent time with Count Nicholas.
But now, the opportunity had come.
Roman Dmitry had offered to get his own hands dirty and asked for their support.
The Cairo Kingdom has crossed the point of no return. If we cannot completely eliminate those who threaten the royal family, we will self-destruct from within before the Kronos Empire even attacks. In that case, we must be thorough. Just as Roman Dmitry warned, we cannot leave a single unforeseen variable.
Simon gritted his teeth. Glaring at Count Gregory's smug expression, Simon marched over and grabbed him by the hair.
And then—
Crack!
"Argh!"
He slammed the count's face into the floor. Count Gregory screamed in agony.
He tried to look up at Simon with a bewildered, bloodied face, but Simon pinned his head down, finally unleashing his pent-up rage.
"Shut up, you bastard. It's do-or-die anyway. If Kronos crosses the border claiming they're here to save you, I will cut off your head and display it on the castle walls myself, even if it exceeds my authority. So stop flapping your gums. If you utter one more word, I'll deem it treason and kill you right here."
Simon had finally exploded, releasing the emotions he had suppressed for so long.
* * *
The situation was resolved in an instant.
Count Gregory and Count Denver were bound and transferred to the dungeon. A state of combat readiness was declared, tightening security from the borders all the way to the areas surrounding the capital.
Furthermore, messages were sent to the nobles who followed the Imperial Faction.
"The arrest of Count Gregory and Count Denver is a temporary measure. Once the facts are verified and the situation is resolved, they will be released."
It was a message meant to preempt any potential uprisings. Of course, the nobles wouldn't believe that it was merely a temporary measure, but whether they believed it or not didn't matter. The nobles who aligned with the empires could not rashly take action unless the empires themselves moved first. No matter how loudly they had clamored about their pro-empire stances, they still lived in Cairo.
A civil war.
Faced with a brewing bloodbath, they shut their eyes and plugged their ears. The message sent by the Cairo royal family merely provided them with a convenient excuse to stay out of it.
With the immediate situation wrapped up, Roman Dmitry went to meet with Daniel Cairo.
"The probability of the empires moving immediately is slim," Roman reported. "Valhalla is too far away, which imposes many logistical constraints on sending troops. As for the Kronos Empire, their internal atmosphere is currently unsettled due to recent conflicts with the Kingdom Alliance in the south. Cairo is not their priority. Judging by how they are concentrating their forces there, resolving the southern issue takes precedence over us."
This plan was not a gamble left to luck. Roman had meticulously analyzed the continental situation and proceeded only after concluding that it was safe to strike the Imperial Faction.
Incredible.
Daniel Cairo was genuinely filled with admiration. Roman Dmitry was an extraordinary man. In such a short time, he had demonstrated both bold execution and flawless planning.
However, it was still too early to relax.
"We are facing too many enemies in too short a time," the King noted. "Marquis Benedict's Noble Faction, Count Denver's Valhalla Faction, and Count Gregory's Kronos Faction. Once they are all eliminated, a massive power vacuum will inevitably open up in the Cairo Kingdom. The Central Government was everything to Cairo. While removing them is necessary for Cairo's sake, the void they will leave behind is no small matter."
Cairo had been run by the Central Government for a very long time. The vacuum they would leave could not be ignored; it might even cause the entire country to lose its ability to function.
Roman replied, "I am aware of the risks posed by this civil war. However, we are simply choosing the best possible path. If the worst-case scenario is allowing the factions dividing the Cairo Kingdom to run rampant, then we must accept the risks that come with eliminating them. It is the lesser evil. If we eliminate the leaders of each faction as quickly as possible to end the civil war, we can minimize the chaos Your Majesty worries about."
The lesser evil, not the worst.
Daniel Cairo accepted this reality. Roman was right. From the moment they drew their swords, there was no perfect option left for Cairo.
* * *
While the Cairo royal family moved swiftly, Marquis Benedict did not sit idly by.
"So he finally did it."
He had just received a report that immediately after attacking him, Roman Dmitry had gone to the royal palace, allied with the King, and struck the Imperial Faction.
It was clear. They had crossed the point of no return.
Roman Dmitry had shown clear hostility by rejecting his proposal, and the King's choice proved his resolve to support Roman's actions. That left only one option: war with the Royalist Faction. Although Marquis Benedict had always known he would have to usurp the throne eventually, he hadn't expected things to unfold so suddenly.
"Arrogant bastard."
Roman Dmitry. He could never forgive him. Whenever he recalled Roman attacking him and acting so high and mighty, Marquis Benedict ground his teeth. He had looked so pathetic back then, desperately struggling just to survive, and the memory left a deep, festering scar on his pride.
Now, it had become a fight that would only end when one of them was dead.
As soon as Marquis Benedict arrived at his territory, he issued an order to mobilize the entire Noble Faction.
The Noble Faction makes up the absolute majority of Cairo. If I mobilize our entire force, sweeping through the capital won't be difficult, even with Roman Dmitry standing in our way. Roman Dmitry... you should have finished me off when you had the chance. You might feel like the strongest man in the world after defeating Count Nicholas, but things in this world won't go exactly as you wish.
Within a week at the earliest, he would lead his troops to the capital. He was confident that their overwhelming numbers would guarantee victory. Everything was progressing smoothly.
But just as the forces of the Noble Faction were responding to the mobilization orders one after another, he received a completely unexpected report from a subordinate.
"Say that again. What?"
His voice boiled with rage. He couldn't believe his ears, wondering if he had misheard the report.
The subordinate shrank back in fear. Terrified by Marquis Benedict's shouting, he spoke in a trembling, barely audible voice.
"…Count Fabius. He has sent a reply stating that he will not comply with the mobilization order."
Non-compliance.
It was a word that thoroughly grated on Marquis Benedict's nerves.