Chapter 52: If You Start, You Must See It Through to the End (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 52: If You Start, You Must See It Through to the End (2)
At that moment, Viscount Barco’s face contorted in sheer fury.
Roman Dmitry’s remarks had completely crossed the line—a line that should never be crossed, even between bitter enemies.
"You impudent brat! How dare you spout such nonsense in this place!"
Viscount Barco and Roman Dmitry. Their social standings were worlds apart.
Viscount Barco was the head of an established noble house, while Roman was merely a greenhorn from a baron's family who hadn't even inherited his title yet. Yet, this brat had the audacity to look him dead in the eye and make such an aggressive declaration. Even if Roman was just a toothless tiger, Viscount Barco couldn't simply stand by and tolerate such insolence in front of an audience.
"Fine. Let me tell you exactly what you did wrong. A vulgar wretch like you, who knows nothing of noble etiquette, might think you can just interfere in someone else's war without any justification. But such behavior is strictly forbidden in the Cairo Kingdom. Why do you think Barco only declared a territory war now? If we followed your barbaric logic, we could have simply attacked before Lawrence was prepared. Instead, we acted in accordance with noble law. We established a valid justification and obtained official approval from the Central Government before making our move."
The war with Lawrence.
It was a plan that had been in the works for a long time. They had publicized a dispute based on forged documents, heavily emphasizing their justification so that no third party could interfere.
It was perfect. Even if others despised Barco's actions, there was absolutely no room for outside intervention.
But why on earth...
...had Roman Dmitry appeared on the battlefield? Viscount Barco simply couldn't comprehend it.
"The nobles of Cairo are no fools. A war without justification is shunned by high society, and I will use your reckless actions to extract a fitting price from the Dmitry family. They cannot escape this responsibility. No matter how great a family's influence may be, there is an implicit agreement: neighboring families will unite to tear down any house that violates noble law. If you had even a shred of interest in our history, you would know there is plenty of precedent."
His voice grew heated.
Yet, seeing Roman's perfectly calm expression despite his sharp, biting threats only made the Viscount's stomach churn further.
"Ignorance of the law is no excuse. Do you finally understand? Do you see what a foolish thing you've done? Baron Dmitry will suffer greatly because of you. For the crime of raising such a wretched son, the Dmitry family, which could have lived in peace, will face the condemnation of every noble in the northeast!"
Slam!
He slammed his hand down on the table. The Viscount kicked back his chair and stood up, panting heavily. Roman merely looked up at him, his gaze utterly placid.
"Are you finished?"
"What?!"
Roman's voice was serene. Even in the face of such tempestuous rage, he maintained a relaxed expression, leisurely scanning the faces of the surrounding nobles.
"Then, from this moment on, I will explain my justification for intervening in this war."
The atmosphere instantly grew heavy. Cutting through the tension—which was so thick that even breathing felt like a risk—Roman's sharp voice pierced the ears of the gathered nobles.
"Lawrence and Dmitry were originally joined by an engagement. However, for reasons undisclosed to the public, we decided to call it off, and thus, I became the fool who was dumped. What do those gathered here think the reason was? My poor reputation? My womanizing? Or simply because Flora Lawrence did not like me? None of those are the truth."
Tap, tap.
He tapped his fingers on the table. At that rhythmic, grating sound that rubbed everyone's nerves raw, the onlookers swallowed hard.
"Barco's eldest son, Antony Barco, blackmailed me into breaking off the engagement."
"...?!"
"We must go back to the time of Barco's social party. Having been on friendly terms with Antony Barco, I attended the party at his invitation, even though I was already betrothed to Lawrence. And there, I fell into a trap. I woke up drunk in a room with Emily Barco, a branch member of the Barco family, and quickly realized that Antony Barco had orchestrated the entire thing to drive a wedge between Lawrence and Dmitry. Just as expected, Antony Barco used that fabricated incident as leverage to threaten me into calling off the marriage."
At Roman's words, the nobles began to stir.
If Roman had truly called off the engagement due to Antony Barco's blackmail, the justification for holding him accountable suddenly became murky.
'The moment a shameful secret is laid bare, it ceases to be a weakness.'
During the days when he walked on thin ice throughout the succession struggle of the Demonic Cult, Baek Joong-hyuk had suffered from all kinds of slander and conspiracies.
Roman Dmitry's reputation had degenerated into laughable trash. But back then, Baek Joong-hyuk had boldly confronted such rumors head-on to resolve his problems. What did it matter if people called him trash? His people trusted him. And as he slaughtered his enemies one by one, the whispers behind his back gradually faded away into terrified silence.
Therefore, Roman preemptively severed any leverage for blackmail.
After all, he had no reputation left to lose anyway.
Sensing the situation taking an ominous turn, Viscount Barco flared up and shouted, "Nonsense! Do you think anyone would believe such drivel? Fine, I will summon Emily Barco immediately to verify the truth. Everyone knows what a piece of trash the eldest son of Dmitry has always been. Your attempt to cover up your own sordid affairs by framing it as blackmail is truly disgusting!"
"I knew you would say that. If you were the type of person to admit the truth, we wouldn't be meeting like this in the first place. But I would like to take this opportunity to make one thing absolutely clear. My intervention in the war between Barco and Lawrence was not just revenge for the blackmail. There is another reason entirely."
"Another reason...?"
The more they spoke, the more Viscount Barco felt like he was sinking into a quagmire. The words he spoke, the attitude he displayed—he was moving exactly like a puppet dancing upon Roman's strings.
Roman continued.
"It is a well-known fact that Antony Barco pursued Flora Lawrence. But in the process, Antony Barco crossed the line. He attempted to assault Flora Lawrence and failed. Traumatized by the incident, Flora Lawrence ultimately chose to call off our engagement. Her reasoning was that she could not bring herself to show up at her own wedding with a smile after enduring such a vile ordeal."
"W-What on earth?!"
"Do you think this is a lie as well? Very well. Then summon both Emily Barco and Flora Lawrence to verify the truth."
He had completely flipped the script.
Antony Barco had used lies to trap him. In that case, Roman would simply pay him back in kind. If Emily Barco was willing to lie about Roman assaulting her, Flora Lawrence could make the exact same claim against Antony.
The actual truth of the matter?
That didn't matter. Just having a justification that could completely dismantle the opponent's accusations meant Roman's plan was already a resounding success.
And...
'In the first place, Antony Barco had indeed harassed Flora. Even if it wasn't to the extent of locking her in a room like they did to me and Emily Barco, he certainly crossed the line before the marriage. Since his obsessive behavior is already well-known to those around him, even his own father won't be entirely sure of the truth.'
He had flawlessly mixed lies with the truth.
With this, Roman completely crushed his opponent.
"Antony Barco laid his hands on my woman back when I was still betrothed to Lawrence. Viscount Barco, and everyone gathered here, let me ask you: Do you truly believe I have no justification for intervening in this war? I did not borrow the power of my family; I intervened solely with my own personal strength. That is the only recompense I—the man who accepted the broken engagement without knowing the painful truth about Flora—could offer her."
It was flawless.
He had derailed their arguments and seized the absolute moral high ground.
Viscount Barco had been checkmated. He was left completely speechless.
Cold sweat dripped from his forehead. A myriad of thoughts raced through his cluttered mind as he desperately searched for a way out.
'There is no way out. Roman Dmitry's justification is flawless.'
Antony Barco's blackmail. The harassment. The righteous revenge.
It was an airtight narrative.
Furthermore, Roman had been meticulous. Anticipating that the Dmitry family's involvement might be questioned, he had intervened solely with his personal strength. This left Barco with absolutely nothing to say. The moment Roman's justification of seeking revenge for Flora Lawrence was brought to light, the Barco family would inevitably face a massive social backlash.
He felt dizzy. His mouth went bone dry.
'What a monster. The nobles who were going to support me are already wavering at Roman's words.'
The nobles who had come to support Barco were already turning their backs on the Viscount. If Roman's words were true, Barco was a rotting rope. They quickly changed their expressions, determined not to be dragged down into the mud with him.
Now, arguing over the truth was meaningless. He realized that even if he clung to Emily Barco's testimony, his family had nothing to gain.
'There is only one way for Barco to survive: buy time. Rather than completely surrendering the justification to the opponent, I must escape this situation first and seek a new solution.'
He forced his expression to soften. As if nothing had happened, Viscount Barco spoke in a calm, measured tone.
"I do not believe your words to be true. Just as you, who once held the reputation of Dmitry's fool, deny your relationship with Emily Barco, I believe Antony Barco will deny these claims as well. Therefore, we will clearly verify the truth of this matter and contact you again. My apologies, everyone. I did not invite you here for such a sordid affair..."
His words were rambling. His flustered state was obvious, and he desperately tried to hold onto the nobles, struggling not to lose his political connections with them.
At that, Roman smiled.
*
Half a day ago.
Roman recalled his conversation with Chris.
"Are you truly planning to go to Barco?! That is suicide. Viscount Barco will never let you off the hook, my lord!"
Upon hearing that Roman intended to head straight into Barco territory, Chris had been horrified and tried to dissuade him. It was only natural. Roman had completely ruined Barco's grand plans, so expecting to survive after walking right into the lion's den was a foolish hope.
Roman had simply asked, "Chris. What do you think my relationship with Barco will be like from now on?"
"...Barco will surely view you as their sworn enemy, my lord. If you hadn't interfered, they would have crushed Lawrence and walked a path of smooth sailing. Even so, there is no reason to provoke an enemy when we have nothing to gain. If possible, it is always best to avoid a fight."
"No."
Until he reached the absolute summit of the Demonic Cult, slaughtering countless enemies along the way, Baek Joong-hyuk had established one ironclad rule.
"If you never start, that is one thing. But if you do start, you must see it through to the bitter end. We know Barco will harbor a grudge against me. If so, now—while they are vulnerable and off-balance—is the perfect opportunity to pluck out the roots of their vengeance."
*
And now, Roman looked at Viscount Barco.
"Viscount Barco."
All eyes fell on him. Viscount Barco, who had been desperately trying to placate the nobles with a flustered face, froze. The surrounding nobles all stared at Roman, holding their breath, wondering what he was about to say.
Meeting their gazes, Roman spoke.
"Choose one of two options. Will you settle this as a personal matter between Antony Barco and myself, ending with Antony Barco receiving his fitting punishment? Or will you escalate this into a full-blown war between our families?"
An ultimatum.
Roman had pressed a blade right against Viscount Barco's throat.