Chapter 318: Prisoners of War (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 318: Prisoners of War (3)
This incident was not something a mere noble could resolve.
With the situation threatening to spark an all-out war with Dmitry, Count Munez immediately established a magic communication link with Marquis Memphis.
[...This is the current situation. I tried to deny the existence of the prisoners of war as much as possible, but judging by his claim that he has already secured evidence, that seems impossible. The situation is dire. Given Roman Dmitry's past actions, he might actually tear up the ceasefire agreement and launch an attack.]
It was an absurd report.
The Kronos Empire was a great power recognized by all. Just a few years ago, no one would have dared to defy Kronos, no matter what atrocities the empire committed. Yet Roman Dmitry was threatening them, even going so far as to initiate the collapse of the ceasefire negotiations. The world had changed. A series of defeats had dragged Kronos's prestige through the mud, reducing them to a state where they had to swallow such humiliation.
Marquis Memphis scowled in displeasure.
How dare he cross the border without warning. The empire's rightful response should be to punish him ruthlessly.
But he couldn't do that.
The Emperor of Kronos had entered his rest.
Although the Emperor had delegated full authority over the chain of command to Marquis Memphis in his absence, the Marquis could not simply do as he pleased. In their last meeting, the Emperor of Kronos had ordered him to maintain a strictly defensive diplomatic posture for the next year. Knowing the weight behind those words, a war with Dmitry was the absolute last thing Kronos wanted right now.
Kronos is currently preparing for a future one year from now. We cannot ruin our grand plans just because we lost our tempers for a moment. The problem is, if we back down on this matter as well, that arrogant Roman Dmitry's pride will pierce the heavens.
It was highly displeasing.
Ever since the ceasefire was signed, there had been endless gossip. Listening to people chatter about how the might of Kronos had waned made Marquis Memphis's blood boil.
But he endured.
Because a brilliant future awaited them, he could suppress his anger for now.
"Count Munez. His Majesty the Emperor of Kronos is currently in his rest. Tell me, what do you think would happen if we disturbed His Majesty's rest with a trivial dispute with Dmitry?"
[...My apologies.]
"There is no need for you to apologize. However, I want this matter wrapped up quietly. Since Dmitry's prisoners are all being used for labor by the nobles of the Eastern Region, framing this as their individual misconduct should be enough to appease Dmitry's anger."
Beyond the screen, Count Munez's eyes trembled.
When he first reported to his superior, he had assumed the Kronos Empire would choose war over handing over the prisoners.
The nobles of the East had only been following orders from above. Baron Maekhiton and the other nobles had mobilized the prisoners for labor as instructed, firmly believing that the Kronos Empire would shoulder the responsibility. They were completely wrong. Seeing the state force individuals to bear the burden of its own commands made Count Munez realize a chilling truth: depending on the circumstances, he too could be discarded just as easily.
He could not bring himself to answer readily.
Seeing his hesitation, Marquis Memphis spoke.
"Count Munez. Do not overthink it. Isn't that just how the world works?"
The Count swallowed his disgust.
Dmitry was willing to go to war to save hundreds of prisoners, yet the Kronos Empire was telling him to discard its loyal subjects without a second thought. A crisis of loyalty washed over him. He wanted to scream, to ask why their nation couldn't take responsibility like Dmitry did, but completely different words slipped from his mouth.
[I will follow your command.]
The history of Kronos was built on blood and corpses. And within that cruel history, Count Munez wanted to survive as a victor.
* * *
It was a completely one-sided command.
After ending the communication with Count Munez, Baron Maekhiton hurled the magic communicator to the floor in a fit of rage.
Smash!
"Those sons of bitches! What?! To avoid disturbing His Majesty's rest, we have to handle this prisoner of war issue as the individual misconduct of the Eastern nobles? This is basically telling me to go die at the hands of Roman Dmitry!"
The magic communicator was utterly destroyed. Even though an incredibly expensive artifact had just been shattered to pieces, that was the least of Baron Maekhiton's concerns right now.
Roman Dmitry.
His actions on the battlefield were chilling. He never spared anyone classified as an enemy, and even the great swordsmen representing Kronos had all been slaughtered upon crossing blades with him. Yet the Baron was expected to bear the wrath of such a monster? Furthermore, he had just heard the shocking news that when Count Munez sent a messenger to negotiate, Roman had immediately blown the messenger's head off.
The situation was bleak. His mouth went bone dry.
Desperate to resolve the issue, he hastily summoned Jason.
"Jason. Is there any way out of this?"
"...It seems difficult this time. Now that the Kronos Empire has decided to frame this as the individual misconduct of the Eastern nobles, our only way to survive is to hope Roman Dmitry shows mercy. If we disobey the empire's orders, our heads will roll as traitors. If we obey them, Roman Dmitry will try to kill us. Given the circumstances, we must meekly hand over the prisoners as demanded and appease his anger as much as possible."
"Damn it!"
His face contorted. Why on earth? Why did he have to shoulder all the responsibility?
Conveniently forgetting how delighted he had been to use the prisoners as free labor, he hurriedly issued orders just as Jason suggested.
"Bring all the prisoners here right now. Don't leave a single one behind."
"Understood."
Ten minutes later, the prisoners were dragged in.
Thrown onto the floor, they looked up at Baron Maekhiton with terrified expressions. They had no idea what was happening. Usually, anyone dragged outside was headed straight for the torture chamber, so the fear of impending pain was written all over their faces.
They gritted their teeth. Though their bodies—emaciated from starvation and weakened by abuse—could not offer any real resistance, they refused to be looked down upon in their final moments. Because of what happened to Carol, they were all burning with a bitter resolve.
Watching them glare at him with wide, defiant eyes, Baron Maekhiton shook his head.
"In this state, they will only provoke Roman Dmitry's anger. Take these bastards and wash them all right now!"
The prisoners' appearance was simply too wretched. At the Baron's command, the soldiers dragged them away again.
But that wasn't the only problem. Washing away the dirt was easy enough, but it was a completely different story for those who had undergone 'torture' like Carol. They looked as if they were on the verge of death. Their necrotic skin and gruesome wounds were bound to elicit a violent reaction from Roman Dmitry the moment he laid eyes on them.
He bit his fingernails anxiously. Seeing him agonize over the dilemma, Jason spoke in a low, suggestive voice.
"...How about we secretly hide the ones who were tortured? I will find a way to silence the other prisoners. As long as we get past this immediate hurdle, even Roman Dmitry won't be able to do anything about it later."
"But Count Munez said they have evidence."
"Do you really believe that? We hid the prisoners' existence thoroughly. Although they caught our tail because of the magic communication, there's no way they grasped the complete list of prisoners. Please trust me."
"Hmph."
He swallowed a groan. It was the only way. Just as Jason said, surviving the immediate threat was all that mattered right now.
"Very well. Exclude this fellow and the others in poor condition from the prisoner list."
* * *
Two hours later.
As promised, the Eastern nobles brought out the prisoners in front of the defense position.
Seeing the enemy forces lined up with Roman Dmitry at the helm, Baron Maekhiton swallowed his fear and stepped forward as the representative.
"...I have brought all of Dmitry's prisoners. First of all, I would like to sincerely apologize for hiding their existence. It was never our intention. We originally planned to release Dmitry's prisoners when the ceasefire negotiations concluded, but as things became complicated, we missed the opportunity to mention them."
Right in front of his eyes stood Roman Dmitry.
The Baron's voice kept trembling. The gaze Roman Dmitry directed at him was so chilling that it made him doubt whether they were even the same species.
"This matter is entirely an individual mistake. If we had revealed the prisoners' existence even belatedly, we could have resolved the issue, but we were terrified upon hearing that the ceasefire negotiations had already concluded. We mistakenly feared that our blunder might overturn the hard-won ceasefire. It was short-sighted of us. Therefore, please punish us, but reconsider your relationship with the Kronos Empire. Kronos desires peace."
It was laughable. A noble of the Kronos Empire, speaking of peace with another nation.
The nobles of Kronos were notorious for running rampant in any country they pleased, yet the moment their lives were threatened, they would spit out whatever words necessary to survive. It was a truly agonizing moment. Since he held the largest number of prisoners, Baron Maekhiton had been forced to step forward as the representative, but in his heart, he wanted nothing more than to turn around and flee.
However, the die was cast. He knew that to secure his future and survive as a man of power, he had to handle this matter perfectly.
"I am truly sorry," he apologized repeatedly.
A slight sense of relief began to wash over him. Seeing the other party's calm reaction, he thought his apology might actually be accepted.
It was then.
"What did I say?"
"...Pardon?"
"I believe I clearly warned you not to leave out a single person."
Instantly, his heart sank. The moment he raised his head in panic to make an excuse—
Slap!
A massive impact exploded across his face.
* * *
There was no time to stop him.
Roman Dmitry grabbed the Baron by the collar to keep him from falling, dragged him forward, and slapped him across the face repeatedly.
Slap!
Slap! Slap!
Blood splattered. Teeth flew out.
At first, the Baron flailed his hands, trying to make an excuse, but after a few blows, his pupils dilated. Yet he couldn't even collapse to the floor. Hanging limply from the hand gripping his collar, he was forced to offer up his face.
Slap!
His head whipped back. Every time the palm pulled away, a thick trail of blood followed it.
The atmosphere turned ice-cold. Right now, this place was Kronos territory.
The frontline defense position was right in front of them, and atop the walls, Kronos soldiers stood ready to attack at any moment. Furthermore, escort troops, including Jason, had accompanied the Baron. Even though they could attack Roman Dmitry whenever they wished, they only stared blankly at the scene with bewildered faces.
Jason's terror was especially profound. Even though his master was dying right before his eyes, he did not dare to draw his sword.
...If I draw my sword, I will die on this very spot.
Just beyond Roman Dmitry, there were others watching him. The men known as the Flash of Dmitry and the Evil Ghost of Dmitry kept watch over the surroundings with cold, predatory gazes.
And above all, Jason had zero confidence in subduing Roman Dmitry. Although Roman was openly committing violence while seemingly unguarded, he did not show even the slightest opening. Perhaps it was just a thought born of fear. But what was absolutely certain was that a mere knight like himself could not oppose a monster who had barged into Kronos territory and committed such brutal violence without a care in the world.
He averted his eyes. He could not bear to watch the miserable sight.
Slap!
The Baron's strength finally gave out. Looking at the limp body, Roman Dmitry, still gripping the man's collar, looked up at Count Munez on the wall.
"The reason I gave you two hours was not to receive such a pathetic apology. It was for the safety of the prisoners. Because I wanted my people to return safely, I gave you a chance to rectify the situation. But if you refuse to obey my command... why should I let you live?"
The moment he finished speaking, he snapped Baron Maekhiton's neck.
Crack.
The Baron's head twisted around at a grotesque angle. Without even a scream, Baron Maekhiton's body collapsed to the ground.
People's eyes widened in shock. Goosebumps broke out across their skin.
To kill a noble of Kronos so openly... Even as they were handing over the prisoners, the people of Kronos truly believed they could resolve this issue peacefully.
And that—
"What are you doing? Bring my people."
—was a massive delusion.