Chapter 196: Dmitry Duchy (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 196: Dmitry Duchy (1)
The four factions of Cairo.
Three of them had now walked the path of ruin.
Those who had directly participated in the rebellion, such as Marquis Benedict, faced a blood purge without exception. As for the followers of Count Gregory and Count Denver, their fates were decided by the severity of their past transgressions. Those who had actively served as lackeys naturally shared the same fate as the traitors, but those who had merely observed the situation while maintaining some semblance of decency managed to keep their lives.
This civil war was an affair that had completely upended the nation.
Punishing people solely for belonging to a hostile faction was impractical, as they made up more than half of the population. Thus, the crown had no choice but to distinguish between pardonable and unpardonable offenses. It was a decision everyone agreed upon. Though they wished to make every single traitor pay in blood, doing so would weaken Cairo's national power beyond recovery.
Instead, after stabilizing the situation by releasing the Kronos prisoners, Daniel Cairo prepared a grand ceremony of Rewards and Punishments to honor those who had stood by him until the very end. A massive crowd gathered in front of the Cairo Royal Palace. Before their eyes, the King called out the names of the heroes who had saved the kingdom one by one, bestowing rewards upon them.
"Count Vandenberg, commander of the Western Front, proudly repelled the Kronos Empire's assault and elevated the prestige of Cairo. Therefore, I, Daniel Cairo, hereby bestow the title of Marquis upon Count Vandenberg, along with the land and manpower befitting his new rank."
It was an unprecedented promotion.
There were only two such positions in the entire kingdom.
With the death of Marquis Benedict, who had held one of those seats, Daniel Cairo elevated Count Vandenberg to fill the vacant rank of Marquis.
And then:
"Beyond Count Vandenberg, there are other heroes of the Western Front who risked their lives against the Kronos Empire. Baron Noel, Flora Lawrence... and Rodwell Dmitry have achieved distinguished merits in battle. They shall be promoted and awarded a bounty of 1,000 gold coins each."
"Ohhh!"
"Whoa!"
The crowd erupted into cheers.
The lavish rewards bestowed upon the heroes of the Western Front proved that Daniel Cairo was not a stingy monarch. The distribution of honors continued. Naturally, the rewards were not limited to those who had defeated Kronos; those who had helped suppress Marquis Benedict's rebellion were also included.
The Royalists.
Roman Dmitry's people, including Count Fabius.
The atmosphere was thoroughly festive.
Yet, even as the people cheered, anticipation for one particular individual began to build.
Roman Dmitry.
What kind of reward would be bestowed upon him?
By all accounts, it was only right to grant him the highest possible honors, but ominous rumors had been circulating ever since the executions.
"Daniel Cairo may have seized control of Cairo by dismantling the three factions, but does that even matter as long as Roman Dmitry exists? Roman Dmitry's influence is stronger than all three factions combined. He could build a force capable of swallowing the royal family in a single bite. It wouldn't be wise to grant him even more power. If the Cairo royal family wants to maintain its authority... it might be cruel, but they need to cut Roman Dmitry off before he grows too large."
The shift of power.
Roman Dmitry stood at the very center of it all.
The incredible abilities he had demonstrated had, paradoxically, become a threat to the crown. Just as the Cairo royal family had failed to control the other three factions, Roman Dmitry was bound to grow into an existence they could never touch.
Discarding the hound once the hunt is over.
Public speculation fueled the rumors.
They whispered that although Daniel Cairo had secured his throne thanks to Roman Dmitry, he might turn his back on his greatest benefactor.
All eyes were fixed on the King.
Addressing the crowd's uncertain gazes, Daniel Cairo spoke in a resolute voice.
"This war could never have been won without the help of Roman Dmitry, and by extension, the Dmitry family. I, Daniel Cairo, in recognition of their monumental achievements, hereby bestow the title of Duke upon the Dmitry family and recognize the northeastern region, including Dmitry, as the sovereign territory of a Duchy. Furthermore, I promise to provide the necessary knowledge and manpower to help them establish themselves as an independent nation."
The King's declaration.
With those few words, he instantly put an end to the people's doubts.
* * *
This choice.
He was not ignorant of its risks.
However, during the private meeting held at the Cairo Royal Palace, the members of the Royalist faction had spoken with one voice.
"This is a victory won thanks to Roman Dmitry. He deserves a reward befitting his deeds."
"Indeed. Ominous rumors are circulating in Cairo, but we cannot let ourselves be swayed by such talk and betray the grace the royal family has received. We have lived in a world where absurdity prevailed for far too long. It was a world where four different voices spoke despite the existence of His Majesty, and those who dedicated themselves to the kingdom were not treated as they deserved. If we make the same mistake again, history will only repeat itself. We must show the people the common sense and justice they long for."
They knew.
They knew that this single decision would allow Dmitry to grow beyond their control.
Even so, those who had lived in a world devoid of common sense wished for Cairo to finally make the right choice.
Daniel Cairo had said, "My thoughts align with yours. Whether the Dmitry family possesses enough power to surpass the three factions is not the core issue."
Through this series of events, Daniel Cairo had seen and felt things he would never have otherwise experienced in his entire life.
As these experiences piled up in the young King's heart, he developed his own clear standards.
"From now on, Cairo's future begins with accepting reality. Dmitry is an existence that Cairo cannot contain. Even if we tried to control them, they have already proven to the world during the subjugation of Marquis Benedict that they possess a military force surpassing Cairo's own. Therefore, it is only right to view Dmitry not as a typical duchy under our rule, but as an allied nation on equal footing with us."
It was no longer a relationship of lord and vassal.
Even if Dmitry still regarded Cairo as their sovereign, Cairo could no longer take their loyalty for granted.
"Cairo has faced enemies both inside and out. Beyond our borders, foreign powers loomed, while inside, traitors willing to sell out the kingdom threatened our safety. If we do not let greed drive us to try and subjugate Dmitry—if we do not overreach into domains we cannot handle—then Cairo can secure Dmitry, a nation sharing our roots, as a reliable ally."
He was no longer shaken.
His mind was clear, and the path forward was visible.
He would keep his promise.
And through their relationship with Dmitry, he intended to paint a new future for Cairo.
"I want to make the most of this hard-won opportunity for Cairo. A nation of common sense. A nation that prioritizes its national interest. Recognizing Dmitry as an ally is just the beginning. People might think a massive chunk is being carved out of Cairo, but by acknowledging their existence, we gain the opportunity to build a nation truly our own. Therefore, on the day Dmitry officially declares its founding..."
He looked around at his people.
For the first time, the members of the Cairo royal court shared a unified gaze.
"I, Daniel Cairo, will gladly be there to witness it."
* * *
The declaration ceremony for the Dmitry Duchy was scheduled for a week later.
Along with the ceremony, a grand party was planned in Dmitry. Meanwhile, rumors about Roman Dmitry began to spread like wildfire.
"He really is something else."
"I told you so. Ever since he defeated the Hector Kingdom on the Southern Front, it was obvious Roman Dmitry wasn't someone who would remain just the eldest son of a mere baron. King Daniel Cairo read the room perfectly. Roman wrapped up the factional strife that had plagued Cairo for years in just a few days and even repelled the Kronos Empire. How could anyone possibly make an enemy of him?"
"But just how far will Roman Dmitry grow? I heard he even defeated Knight Commander Gustavo of Kronos."
At first, it was simple admiration.
The people of Cairo praised Roman Dmitry's achievements, but as those rumors spread across the continent, they began to snowball. Highlighting just how incredible Roman Dmitry was, the rumors shed new light on his past deeds, emphasizing that this hero of Cairo was by no means a mere big fish in a small pond.
"Has there ever been anyone in the world who grew at such a terrifying pace?"
"I can say with absolute certainty that no such monster has ever existed. Even the one currently called the First Sword of the Continent hadn't reached the 5-Star Realm at Roman Dmitry's age. His path is truly peerless."
"...If this keeps up, we might actually see the first swordsman from a kingdom break past the formidable top 50 on the continent."
The formidable top 50.
It was what people called the absolute limit for those born in the kingdoms.
Whether it was Count Nicholas or anyone else, no swordsman hailing from a kingdom had ever managed to place their name above that threshold.
Naturally, Roman Dmitry's name became an even hotter topic.
With the martial prowess to defeat Gustavo while only in his mid-twenties, his potential for growth seemed limitless. Some even predicted he might cross the barrier of the top 50 before he turned thirty. Perhaps because his path was so unprecedented, people all over the continent, regardless of their nationality, spoke of Roman Dmitry. One could witness people discussing him everywhere.
Even in run-down pubs, workers who had finished their day's labor would tilt their beer mugs and mimic swinging a sword as if they themselves were Roman Dmitry.
Out on the streets, bards sang songs of Roman Dmitry's exploits.
Even outside of Cairo, Roman Dmitry had become such a famous figure that not knowing him was considered strange.
With every passing day, Dmitry's prestige soared to the heavens.
Although they were technically still just a barony within Cairo, the sheer power Dmitry had displayed during the suppression of the civil war was awe-inspiring. Furthermore, Cairo had already declared its intention to recognize them as an independent nation. Naturally, the intense interest in Roman Dmitry shifted directly to the Dmitry family itself. With the family of a man destined to shake the continent taking its first steps as a duchy, the eyes and ears of the entire world were drawn to Dmitry.
However, this series of rumors was not entirely organic.
While it was true that the rumors had grown as they spread naturally, their origin could be traced back to a certain mansion in Cairo.
* * *
Inside a mansion in Cairo, a man was receiving a report from his subordinate.
"We are starting to see reactions from all over the continent. Hiring merchants to spread rumors and commissioning bards to write poems about Roman Dmitry worked perfectly. Now, even outside of Cairo, there is no one who doesn't know his name. As expected, your plan was flawless, my Lord."
The subordinate's words were true; everything was going according to plan.
Although Roman Dmitry's name could be heard everywhere, the man did not look entirely satisfied.
"No, this is not enough. Roman Dmitry has achieved things that ordinary people wouldn't dare dream of in a lifetime. He defeated the Hector Kingdom on the Southern Front, brought the chaotic northeastern region under his control in one fell swoop, and this time, he suppressed Marquis Benedict's rebel army and even repelled the Kronos Empire. It took a mere two years. That is all the time a simple barony needed to become known as the Dmitry Duchy."
Roman's achievements.
Not a single one of them had been easy.
While only the major events were widely spoken of, a closer look revealed that the individuals he had defeated along the way were extraordinary figures in their own right.
Edwin Hector, the Star of Hector.
Butler, Nicholas, and Gustavo, who were all top-ranked warriors on the continent.
Compared to them, Homeros, whom Roman had defeated at the very beginning, now seemed like a mere minnow. Roman Dmitry's path was truly unprecedented.
"Those who know of Roman Dmitry's deeds are well aware of how incredible he is. However, some tend to look down on what happened in a small pond like Cairo. Those are the people we are targeting. From one end of the continent to the other, every single person must look up to Roman Dmitry. For him to become a hero recognized by the entire continent, it is not enough for him to simply perform one great deed after another; we must spread his achievements far and wide so that everyone knows of them."
He felt a deep thirst.
He could not be satisfied with just this.
The man ordered, "Request more funds from the family and deploy as many people as possible. Rumors are ultimately a battle of messengers. The more people talk about Roman Dmitry, the more frequently his name will pass from mouth to mouth."
"Understood."
The subordinate bowed and left the room.
Left alone, the man smirked as he thought of Roman Dmitry.
"Roman Dmitry. Meeting you was a stroke of heavenly luck that I will never experience again in my life."
The man's identity was none other than Henry Albert, whom Roman had crossed paths with on the Southern Front.