Chapter 191: A New Phase (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 191: A New Phase (1)
At the very moment the battle was in full swing, the Cairo Royal Palace had fallen into a deep silence.
The fate of Cairo hangs on my choice.
Daniel Cairo.
Even after ordering Roman Dmitry to attack, he had constantly questioned whether he made the right choice. If he considered the kingdom's dignity as a sovereign nation, it was undoubtedly the correct path. However, depending on the outcome, the price Cairo would have to pay was so extreme it could only be described as the difference between heaven and hell.
If they succeeded...
A single victory will lead Cairo down a completely different path than before. The people will take pride in not bowing to Kronos, and we will purge the traitors while fully establishing our authority as a kingdom. Regardless of any friction with the Kronos Empire, it will surely serve as an opportunity to escape our reality as a weak nation.
The problem was...
Failure.
It wouldn't just end with losing troops in battle; they might have to pay an even greater price.
This battle mobilizes all our forces on the Western Front. The moment we are defeated outside the castle walls, the Kronos Empire will not miss the opportunity to crush the west. If we yield this strategic stronghold to the enemy, Kronos might shift its course to target Cairo directly, regardless of any conflict they have with the Kingdom Alliance. The previous clash already gave them a pretext for war. Even if they were the ones who interfered in our rebellion first, we have no way to stand against them under the law of might makes right.
It was the worst-case scenario.
With the kingdom's power already weakened by civil war, defeat would bring irreversible consequences.
Indeed, it was a difficult matter.
If only he knew the right answer.
Or, at least, if the price of responsibility was only his own life, he wouldn't have been this anxious and restless.
Because of my choice, Cairo has entered a path of no return. Even if it was a choice made for the kingdom, history will hold me responsible for the defeat. Countless citizens will die. We have handed a perfect pretext to an empire that has constantly been looking for an opportunity to use Cairo as a stepping stone for continental conquest.
People's assessments of him were correct.
He was...
...not a man suited for times of chaos.
Trembling with anxiety alone in the empty palace, he was far from the steadfast, unshakeable king his people desired. He didn't want to make excuses about his young age. Roman Dmitry was only in his mid-twenties, yet wasn't he fighting the Kronos Empire on the front lines?
He was simply lacking.
Cairo had a king befitting a weak nation. Even if he had made the right decision, he could not find the conviction to believe it was the correct answer.
He was anxious and nervous.
The throne.
The weight of a single word spoken from it was immense.
Therefore, since his own abilities were lacking, he tried to trust the people who could complement them.
It was then.
Thud, thud, thud.
From afar, the sound of urgent footsteps echoed.
Someone was sprinting down the hallway toward Daniel Cairo's chambers.
Soon, the door swung open.
The moment he saw Simon's face as he stepped inside...
Ah, thank God.
Seeing a bright expression that looked as if he had just gained the entire world, Daniel Cairo clenched his fists tightly.
* * *
It was a monumental victory.
On the communication screen, Marquis Vandenberg spoke, unable to contain his joy.
[Your Majesty! Cairo has won! There was a clash in the west, and as a result, Count Fabio, the commander of the Kronos Empire, was slain, and all remaining enemy forces have been captured alive!]
In the Cairo Kingdom's palace, the hastily gathered leadership let out roaring cheers.
They had been just as anxious, and the news flying in from the west was like an oasis in the desert.
Daniel Cairo asked, "What are our casualties?"
They had passed the most dangerous crisis.
However, the problem was not yet completely resolved.
The process of cleaning up their internal affairs remained, and troops were needed to prepare for Kronos's subsequent response.
In particular, Roman Dmitry's safety was a crucial matter.
[Our casualties are negligible. This is all thanks to Roman Dmitry's performance. He threw the enemy into confusion with a surprise attack, and in the meantime, dealt with Count Fabio himself, allowing us to quickly induce their surrender. In the process, Knight Commander Gustavo of the Kronos Empire's knights was also eliminated.]
It was truly an impeccable achievement.
Even as he ordered the attack, Daniel Cairo had doubted whether they could defeat the Kronos Empire outside the castle walls. That was how deeply the gene of defeat was embedded in Cairo's bones. Victory was not a familiar outcome for Cairo, and he had thought they would be lucky just to eke out a win against the Empire's formidable army.
And yet, a victory with negligible casualties?
Daniel Cairo could not hide his joy either.
He wanted to throw away his dignity and cheer like the others, but there was a fact he could not afford to forget right now.
The war is not over yet. Diplomacy outside the battlefield is also a branch of war. If we do not conclude our talks with the Kronos Empire well, it could lead to a disastrous outcome even if we won the battle.
"We do not know how the Kronos Empire will react to this matter. First, guarantee the safety of the prisoners as much as possible. From now on, we will prepare for negotiations with Kronos. Our primary goal is clear. We must conclude this matter as peacefully as possible, rather than driving the situation to extremes with unnecessary friction. Our civil war is not yet over. Although Marquis Benedict's Noble Faction has fallen, keep in mind that we need time to deal with their remaining influence and the nobles of the Imperial Faction."
[We shall obey your command.]
The screen faded to black.
Daniel Cairo took a deep breath.
He did not allow himself to let his guard down, but a sense of relief spread across his face nonetheless.
* * *
The plains of the west.
In a secluded spot, a warm fire flared up.
Whoosh.
Crackle, crackle.
As Marquis Vandenberg had said, the casualties in this battle were negligible.
However, that was by the standards of a typical war. It did not mean that only a very small number of people had died. Hundreds of men had sacrificed their lives for the operation. While cold-blooded commanders sometimes postponed funerals under the pretext that the situation was still chaotic, Roman Dmitry remained in his place until the bodies were completely cremated.
Death was familiar to him.
He had witnessed countless deaths throughout his past life, but regardless of that, he tried not to let his attitude toward accepting death become calloused. These were people who had risked their lives for him. Even if it was their own choice, he knew all too well that the moment a commander took the sacrifice of his people for granted, he would lose their trust.
For Roman, too, was once a person who had been forced to make sacrifices.
Staring into the rising flames, he paid his respects to them.
"Clean up the surrounding area well."
"Understood."
The funeral was over.
Leaving Chris to handle the aftermath, Roman Dmitry immediately returned to the castle to assess the condition of the wounded.
The spacious hall was teeming with the wounded.
Men groaned in pain, calling out for healers, and countless healers—who seemed to have appeared out of nowhere—were tending to the patients. Before setting out for battle, Roman Dmitry had contacted Count Fabius and ordered him to send healers from the capital to the west. He promised that Dmitry would cover all the expenses, and Count Fabius, proving his efficiency in handling tasks, had sent an immense number of healers.
All of them were fully dedicated to the treatment.
It wasn't just basic first aid. Depending on the severity of the wounds, expensive potions were poured generously.
The other soldiers watched this scene.
Knowing that the sight before them was made possible by Roman Dmitry, a deep sense of admiration welled up in their hearts.
"Incredible."
"To use potions to treat mere foot soldiers..."
"Even if Dmitry is wealthy, this is entirely due to Lord Roman Dmitry's benevolence."
Through this war, the way people looked at Roman Dmitry had completely changed.
His overwhelming martial prowess inspired awe, and his care for the soldiers after the battle left them with no choice but to respect him from the bottom of their hearts. Honestly, at first, they hadn't quite understood the blind loyalty of the Dmitry soldiers. Seeing them ready to jump into a pit of fire at Roman Dmitry's command, they had thought them foolish. But now, witnessing how they were treated, they realized the source of that trust.
Roman Dmitry never neglected his people.
To ensure they were satisfied, he provided them with treatment they had never experienced anywhere else.
They had heard rumors that if anyone died or was crippled in battle, appropriate compensation would be sent to their families.
Following Roman Dmitry was no easy task.
As great as his reputation across the continent was, they would always be destined to venture into dangerous places. Yet, even so, he was a figure worthy of their absolute loyalty.
Just as the treatments were nearing completion, someone approached Roman Dmitry.
"Could you spare a moment?"
It was the head of the Western Front's staff, Baron Noel.
* * *
A strategist is the brain.
Rather than fighting directly on the battlefield, they formulated plans and steered the situation so that the chess pieces in their hands moved in the most ideal direction. This time was no different. Though somewhat stubborn, Baron Noel had proposed a stable course of action. Having spent years on the Western Front and experienced countless battles, the pain he had endured in the past prevented his mind from accepting Roman Dmitry's reckless plan.
Until the very end, Baron Noel had harbored doubts about the operation.
Considering the military strength of Kronos and Cairo, a battle outside the castle walls could not guarantee victory.
And yet, it was a resounding victory.
Watching them open the castle gates and return in triumphant glory, Baron Noel finally faced his own reality.
I have regressed.
Flora Lawrence.
She had insisted on trusting Roman Dmitry until the end.
Aside from the fact that they had already formed a connection in the Northeast Association, she was someone who could grasp the flow of the situation and accept it. The decision to open the gates, and the proposal to trust Roman Dmitry while preserving their forces in the rear as much as possible—such open-minded thinking had ultimately produced the most positive outcome.
His perspective had widened.
Now was not the time to cling to advancing to the capital; he needed to grow into someone truly fit to command the Western Front.
To solidify his resolve, Baron Noel sought out Roman Dmitry.
Moving to a secluded spot, he spoke from the bottom of his heart.
"...I apologize for looking upon your decisions with skepticism all this time, Lord Roman Dmitry. To be honest, I found it hard to believe. Born in a country like Cairo, the reality I faced as a strategist of a weak nation did not allow for decisions like the one made today. I thought I had accumulated a decent amount of experience on the Western Front, but it seems that was merely narrow-mindedness. That is why I wanted to offer both my apologies and my gratitude. Thanks to you, the Western Front—and the Cairo Kingdom—are safe."
Baron Noel was a decent man.
It was just that the world he had experienced forced negative choices upon him; he was indeed a figure suited for the Western Front.
Cairo.
The nation called a weak country was sustained by individuals like Baron Noel. For whatever reason, there were those who shed blood and sweat on the absolute front lines. Because they existed, Cairo maintained its existence despite foreign invasions.
Roman spoke.
"No. Blind trust on the battlefield is a deadly poison. Rather than blindly following my choices, opposing opinions are absolutely necessary. Only then can we reach a more ideal conclusion. You merely played the role you had to play, Baron Noel, and in the end, we won the war."
"Thank you for saying so. By the way, what do you plan to do next? Now that we have secured Kronos's prisoners, we hold the upper hand at the negotiating table."
He changed the subject.
There was still an unresolved issue.
Only by successfully concluding negotiations with Kronos would the war truly end, and the entire leadership was optimistic about this.
However, Roman's thoughts were different.
"The situation is not as hopeful as you think."
"...What do you mean by that?"
Based on past precedents, Roman Dmitry confidently predicted Kronos's choice.
"Even if we have secured countless prisoners, the Kronos Empire will never agree to negotiate."