Chapter 170: Purge (1)
Marquis Benedict smiled.
Roman Dmitry, the new number one ranker, was strong. But even though he was qualified to lead Cairo’s new future, he made a fatal mistake by being intoxicated with his victory. The land he was in now was Cairos. And if he had hidden in the Dmitry estate, then they might not have had the chance to attack him, but he opened up Pandora’s box.
Clack! Clack!
The nobles’ troops surrounded the area and the sound of iron moving could be heard.
Breaking the silence, Marquis Benedict said,
“From now on, I speak in the name of the head of the Central Government, Marquis Benedict. In the past few years, the Dmitry family has shown a pattern of indiscriminately attacking the troops in the surrounding areas, including the Barco and the Douglas family. Cairo is in a warring state and a civil war is forbidden in a situation where foreign troops might invade it anytime, yet for the sake of their own power, the Dmitry family committed such an unforgivable act. Therefore, in order to ensure a post-war investigation into this matter, I will arrest Roman Dmitry.”
His voice boomed.
Barco and Douglas were trampled on by Roman. There were no problems with the process.
Barco had a fight with Lawrence, and Roman, who was somehow involved because of his betrothal, had a reason to help them, and Douglas was no different.
As Douglas brought the families from the north, the strife escalated, and the Dmitry family, a powerful family in the northeast, couldn’t stand still.
As the saying goes, if you wear it on your nose, it is a nose ring, and if you wear it on your ears, it is an earring. 1 It was just a play on words.
In reality, there was no problem, but Marquis Benedict used trivial excuses to arrest Roman.
“The Central Government is an organization that obeys the orders of His Majesty, the King. The rule on rebellion was violated according to His Majesty’s will, and so the Dmitry family will be punished for it. So go ahead and take him. If you cooperate with the investigation, you can prove that the Dmitry family is not guilty.”
Marquis Benedict laughed. As the strongest living power, the Central Government could suppress Roman with just words. No matter how strong Roman Dmitry was, this wasn’t something he could get away with, and responding meekly was all he could do.
The Marquis would make sure to cut Roman down so he couldn’t go on a rampage later. But if he didn’t respond nicely to this arrest, it would no longer be a fight between him and the Dmitry family but a fight against the power structure of Cairo and Dmitry.
This was a clever attempt. Marquis Benedict used his power to show a reality that Roman Dmitry couldn’t handle.
‘You should have just listened to me. If you had held my hand, you would have been able to live your life with a powerful person in Cairo and hold power, but from the moment you chose the middle ground, you were not allowed to live. Roman Dmitry, you surely are an existence with too many needs. Before you even return to Dmitry and establish a force of your own, the power you hold will be destroyed so you can never oppose me.’
It was a straightforward decision. They went after Roman Dmitry when he was weak after defeating Count Nicholas. But if he had sworn allegiance, maybe Marquis Benedict would have just tried to capture him.
Being the leader of the nobles was Marquis Benedict’s true face. And without his brutal and daring executions, the nobles would have never gotten such a hold in Cairo.
Glance.
He focused on the noble troops that approached Roman. Now that they have tied the hands and feet of Roman Dmitry, they are sure he is going to bow down. But…
Puak!
“Ack!”
“This bastard!”
Blood splattered. A knight staggered and collapsed. Roman Dmitry proudly cut down Marquis Benedict’s knight.
Marquis Benedict’s expression stiffened. No, he didn’t even think he would choose to protest. Rebellion was a road of ruin for Dmitry. And above all, the nobles mobilized their best troops, so Roman Dmitry chose the worst option.
“… are you going to rebel?”
“No, I’ll make myself clear. Marquis Benedict, it’s not a rebellion against the King, but one against you.”
Roman smiled. Shaking the blood off his sword, he looked around.
“Cairos is the land of the King. Unless the nation is in danger of ruin, the soldiers from the nobles’ families cannot send troops that exceed a certain number to Cairos for any cause. But to me, it seems like you have exceeded the number. Marquis Benedict, could it be that you are the one intending to rebel?”
“You cheeky bastard!”
Marquis Benedict’s face turned red. How dare he? He didn’t think that his plan of rebellion would be used against him. Not only did he use words indicating he was the enemy, but he also cut his own men down, yet Marquis Benedict cannot show his anger now. His name was trampled on and whoever wins, one of them should see the end.
Marquis Benedict said,
“The Central Government is the center of Cairo. That is why it is called the Central Government and all our decisions reflect those of the King. And what? We are planning a rebellion? Hahaha! You are mad enough to deny yours. You cut down the servant who obeys the orders of the King. This is a rebellion, and Dmitry will perish due to your actions.”
“Yes.”
“Punish the traitor!”
The nobles raised their voices, and the situation changed as they were sure of their win. A battle within Cairos would ensue, and Roman would be outnumbered.
But he had already expected it. Roman knew from the moment Marquis Benedict blocked his path that a fight would happen.
“Marquis Benedict. It is up to His Majesty to decide who is right. Therefore, from now on, I intend to dispose of the trash in Cairo that plotted the rebellion. After everything is sorted out, I will be judged by the King of Cairo directly and not by the ones who mocked the will of the royal family.”
He moved the same way as his opponent.
Staring at Marquis Benedict who looked shocked, Roman said,
“Chris. Kevin, open up the path.”
At those words, the two swordsmen, who were waiting for his order, rushed forward.
At a glance, there were more than a few hundred troops. And even though they had filled up the streets, Chris and Kevin rushed ahead at the same time as if they were waiting.
“Attack!”
“Stop them… Kuak!”
Puak!
It all started with Kevin. Kevin threw himself onto the opponents and decapitated the knight who was taking the lead. The knight kneeled down with blood spurting, and Kevin moved to slaughter the others.
Rumble.
Rumble.
The knights began to raise their auras and collectively attacked Kevin, but he was now an animal moving on instinct. And….
Puak!
Puak!
The enemies continued to die. The screams continued, and Kevin brutally slaughtered the men moving towards him as if he were just doing regular training. It was overwhelming to look at.
If Kevin handled the enemies like a demon soaked in blood, then Chris, who moved later, was like a solid wall.
Crush!
“Kuak!”
The enemy was split in two with his sword. Chris was not in a hurry. There were plenty of enemies to deal with. The nobles’ forces were still under the illusion that they had the advantage, and now their bodies were piling up against Chris.
Even normal soldiers without aura died, and the enemies who faced Chris collapsed with blood splashing. He didn’t make any special moves, but just after exchanging a couple of clashes, all his opponents would look stained with shock.
Puak!
A knight of the noble family fell down. Although he had some reputation as an aura swordsman, he couldn’t withstand three hits against Chris. And…
“Cover Chris and Kevin.”
“Attack!”
His other men also started to attack. When Roman went to the capital, he didn’t bring many troops. He just brought twenty, including Chris and Kevin, but as the two moved first, the others rushed in to attack the opponents.
As Pooky and Volcan attacked the enemies by tearing off their limbs, Henderson and McBurney were calmly taking them down. They had no strategy for dealing with their opponents. They just ran ahead and made a path by making sure no one under Roman was hurt.
Last year, Roman took his time. He did not only focus on strengthening himself. He also prepared his people for future chaos. And this was the result. Roman’s men were slaughtering hundreds of enemies.
And the path was now open. The troops of the nobles rushed to block them, but with the corpses piling up, there was now a gap.
And between them….
Step.
Roman walked forward.
Marquis Benedict was in the front.
Roman Dmitry stepped on the corpses and the puddles of blood and moved to his target.
“… t-these fucking insane bastards.”
Marquis Benedict’s expression turned pale. His eyes were spinning. He couldn’t comprehend the scene unfolding before his eyes.
‘How dare he attack the nobles of Cairo.’
Roman Dmitry was a madman. Attacking the nobles was no different from a rebellion, but he still did it even though he was aware of it.
“What should we do now?!”
“Marquis Benedict!”
The nobles were all fear-struck. The atmosphere was strange. Hundreds of troops that were supposed to overwhelm one man and had the numerical advantage were being slaughtered one-sidedly by Roman.
Time was on the nobles’ side. If they could hold out, the guards of Cairo would arrive and attack the traitors, but the fight, which should have been slow, was moving at breakneck speed.
The path was open, and now Roman was walking towards them. Fear began to grip the heart of Marquis Benedict.
‘I was wrong. If I cannot suppress Roman Dmitry with rebellion, then it would be best to avoid him.’
His opponent was Roman Dmitry, who defeated Count Nicholas. There was no way they could defeat him in such small fights. And the power of the nobles was all about their mighty troops.
But once they would step back and make a new plan, they could trample on Roman Dmitry. No matter how much power they had, how could a single noble family withstand such an attack?
They had to take one step back for now and two steps forward later. So Marquis Benedict stepped back.
But even so, he shouted,
“Roman Dmitry, you heinous traitor! Risk your lives and bring me the rebels! Regardless of status, anyone who brings his head will be promised a great future!”
“Everyone! Attack!”
The nobles shouted, and then they ran away, pushing their soldiers forward, while the nobles ran in the opposite direction.
The soldiers were left on their own, and they knew how dangerous it was. However, they had to follow the orders they were given and act, even though they knew they would die.
“S-Stop!”
“This is Cairos! Do you think you can do this?”
The nobles’ troops blocked the path even as they were trembling in fear. They didn’t want to collapse now. They still seemed to believe that following the nobles was the right decision, and they tried to block Roman’s footsteps somehow while screaming threats.
In any case, disobeying their orders meant death. And if they were going to die either way, then it would be better to die fighting than be labeled as traitors.
Roman didn’t stop walking.
Right. He wasn’t in a hurry either. He ignored the nobles who began to flee and turned his attention to the soldiers in front of him.
“You have to do what you have to do. I, too, will do what I have to do.”
He raised his sword. It was now time to purge everything.