182fury
182For a clear ending (8)
Tuk.
“walk quickly.”
A hard object pushed against my back..
Marquis Benedict, with matted hair and a miserable appearance, trudged along with one of his shoes missing..
The soles of my feet were torn from running through the bushes..
Pain started from my feet, but as soon as I arrived at Castle Benedict, I couldn't raise my head because of the attention focused on me from all directions..
“This is Marquis Benedict.!”
“pup!”
“I ran away alone and it looks good!”
soldiers of the noble faction.
The people who fought hard to protect Benedict Castle until the end were reduced to prisoners when the castle was taken over..
Actually, it wasn't a fight that would end in vain like this..
They fought until the end even after Roman Dmitry attacked, and at some point they realized that things were going strangely..
There was no one giving orders..
Cameron, who had apparently been shouting loudly from the castle walls, disappeared, and the nobles, including the Marquis Benedict, were not seen from the beginning..
The moment trust collapsed, the war had no choice but to end..
One by one, they abandoned their weapons and expressed their intention to surrender, and such feelings spread like an epidemic..
this war.
It's a civil war taking place in the same country..
It was a war fought for the cause put forth by the leaders leading the soldiers, but since the leaders fled, there was no reason to fight..
The tense balance collapsed..
The kingdom's army captured all soldiers who had lost their hostility, and watched the interior of the castle until nightfall, blocking out any possible variables..
finished.
It was a victory for the kingdom’s army..
And at the sight of Marquis Benedict being brought in with his miserable appearance, the prisoners spat as they passed by..
“Wow, hehe!”
“Go to hell!”
got spit in the face.
Marquis Benedict's stomach boiled as the thick saliva dripped down onto the floor..
The saliva didn't feel that disgusting because of the smell of feces applied to my body..
However, he could not accept this situation where the soldiers' atrocities against him, the most powerful person in Cairo, were conveyed to his five senses..
puck.
“Ugh.”
knelt down.
center of the square.
It was a place where everyone's attention was focused..
Marquis Benedict raised his head and saw Roman Dmitry coming towards him..
‘……This is how you die.’
That moment.
Marquis Benedict's mind fell into temporarily forgotten memories of the past..
* * *
decades ago.
A grand party was held in Cairo..
Upon the union of the Cairo royal family and Cairo's most prestigious noble family, Benedict, other countries sent envoys to sincerely congratulate the marriage..
Marquis Benedict was also there..
He inherited his father's place at a young age and could not hide his joy at the marriage of his younger sister, whom he regarded as his daughter..
From that day.
I had a really happy day.
Daniel Cairo's father.
Until the previous king revealed his incompetence..
“The atrocities of the Kronos Empire are getting worse day by day. They invade the border whenever they get the chance, and even within the country, they are interfering with national affairs by using the empire's henchmen. His Majesty the King. Cairo has no power. I know very well that I have no choice but to watch the empire's atrocities, but I cannot allow it to continue like this. Put power right. We must prove Cairo's will by cutting off the heads of the henchmen..”
western front.
Many people died there.
Marquis Benedict visited the royal palace with his blood boiling, and spoke about the future with a vein on his neck..
Benedict may have been patriotic at that time..
Thinking that the Benedict family and the Cairo royal family were on the same page, I could not help but watch the atrocities of the Kronos Empire belittling the kingdom..
however.
the king did nothing.
The reason was simple.
You can't put your people in danger..
The king's judgment was that he could not bear the retaliation for killing the empire's subordinates..
It is said that love for the people is a king's virtue, but in Marquis Benedict's opinion, it was not so..
One incident of neglect. Looking long into the future, it was clear that the lives of countless people would be taken..
However, he was a king who pursued peace rather than national power, and ideals that were only good on the surface gave him meaningless peace..
It was from then on..
Cairo's power collapsed.
While the king was indecisive and unable to make a decision, the imperial faction that followed Kronos and Valhalla swelled its power tremendously..
To oppose him, Marquis Benedict gathered forces..
Even if the Cairo royal family was foolish, they had no intention of giving the entire city of Cairo to the empire..
Around that time.
an incident occurred.
The queen, who had been weak to begin with, became very ill and died despite the king's utmost sincerity..
It was the same chronic illness as Marquis Benedict’s father..
The moment the bond that had barely connected him to the Cairo royal family collapsed, while watching his sister's funeral with a cold expression, Marquis Benedict questioned whether it was right for the Cairo kingdom to continue like this..
A place to commemorate the queen.
The imperial faction chuckled..
Their expressions, devoid of sadness, set fire to Marquis Benedict's heart..
“I can no longer trust the Cairo royal family. We will form an independent force that will represent Cairo and truly lead Cairo down the right path. Tell this to the nobles who follow me. If you intend to follow me, Benedict, and not the Cairo royal family from now on, come out and swear allegiance to me on the appointed date..”
aristocratic faction.
they have been corrupted.
King Cairo, who only talked about ideals, could not be trusted, and the only heir, Daniel Cairo, was too young and looked just like the king..
There was no future for the kingdom.
Even though Cairo's later history would judge him as someone crazy about power, he firmly believed that he was right at the moment of making a decision..
and.
The previous king died.
In the outcome everyone had hoped for, Marquis Benedict ascended to the invisible throne..
* * *
execution).
faced with death.
I wanted to face the end as calmly as possible, but the memories that cluttered my mind made me feel overwhelmed..
It was unfair.
What did you do wrong??
Even though he could have offered the kingdom as is like Gregory or Denver from the beginning, Marquis Benedict did his best to maintain the Kingdom of Cairo..
Although he did not follow the Cairo royal family, he also served the kingdom in his own way..
widely.
Right in front.
Roman stopped walking..
As he looked down at me coldly while holding his sword, Marquis Benedict raised his face and shouted as if struggling..
“I didn't do anything wrong. How much I have dedicated myself to this country, yet you are trying to kill me! The previous king of Cairo clearly had the opportunity to deal with the imperial faction's subordinates before they grew in power, but he postponed his decision because he was afraid of his people dying. He is a really good king. If this world were a paradise where blood and death were not allowed, he would be the kind of king to whom the people would give their love. But the reality is not like that. While the weak king ruined the country, I held Cairo in check to keep it from collapsing.!”
I got a blood clot in my neck..
It was terrible.
No matter how people viewed him, he let out his emotions that had been building up inside him..
“The previous king died. Daniel Cairo ascended to the throne making foolish promises about creating a country where the people would be happy. Roman Dmitry. Would you be able to truly serve such a king? If you are cool-headed and always make practical decisions, you know how I feel. The Kronos Empire has crossed the border several times, and traitors are seething inside, and recently even the Kingdom of Hector looked down on us and declared war. That's Cairo. So wouldn't it be right for the person ascending the throne to be strong enough to protect the kingdom in this chaotic situation? Answer me. Look me in the eye and tell me I'm wrong!”
I was overcome by evil.
A blood vessel burst in my eye, and blood flowed out like tears of blood..
Roman looked at him calmly..
As I looked at Marquis Benedict, who insisted that he was right, I thought of the Daniel Cairo I remembered..
“I won't criticize your choice. There may have been an opportunity in Cairo to correct the monarchy as you said..”
but.
“It cannot be said that the choice of the previous king was also wrong. If you led the 'noble faction' and really turned Cairo into a strong kingdom, the previous king's choice to not draw his sword at a better time would be criticized as truly foolish. But look at the results. What have you achieved? Even after you formed the noble faction, the system of power remained the same, and when Hector's kingdom crossed the border, you did not give the slightest thought to the safety of the country. You were power-mad trash, and the cause you spoke of lost its meaning. And when you're really on the verge of falling apart. You chose to join hands with Kronos.”
chuck.
I aimed my sword.
Marquis Benedict did not avert his gaze..
Even at the moment of facing death, he expressed his will until the end, as if he felt unfair..
“It is not shameful for a weak person to bow his head. If he cannot be held responsible for that decision, especially if he is a king who has put the lives of countless people on his shoulders. You can't blame him for choosing silence. I can tell just by looking at you right now, right? When you took the position of the decision maker, you became even more trash than the being you criticized. The Cairo royal family has never once chosen to sell out the country, despite being criticized for being incompetent and completely denying the existence of the royal family..”
Moment.
Marquis Benedict's eyes shook..
felt wrong.
I knew what Roman meant..
crawled on my knees.
I grabbed Roman’s pant legs..
“……Please, please save me. I just said this because I wanted people to recognize my efforts. From now on, I will do my best for the Cairo royal family, and indeed for Dmitry. So please spare my life..”
I prayed.
It was lame..
Just as he smeared his body with excrement, Marquis Benedict was not resolute in the face of death..
Roman said.
“no. From the moment I drew my sword on Kairos, I was prepared for the consequences of my decision. If I lost the war. After burning Dmitri, the family members must have been toyed with. From the beginning, we started an irreversible fight. A fight that only ends when one side dies. It doesn't matter whose choice is right. The loser bears all responsibility for the war. I will stand against you, Benedict, and show people what a wrong choice they are..”
“please, just this once……!”
“Cairo will remember this day.”
flash.
I brought down my sword..
people screamed.
Some people looked straight ahead with their eyes wide open, some averted their gaze, and some were astonished..
price of rebellion.
Roman's sword cut off the head of Marquis Benedict..
Tuk.
Degururu.
My head is rolling on the floor.
The body that lost its head fell down helplessly..
giant of cairo.
It was the end of Marquis Benedict, once called a living power..
* * *
cairo royal family.
time passed slowly.
Daniel Cairo could not accept the fact that the fate of the country depended on Roman Dmitry..
‘3One day of work is passing by. If it takes even a long time to suppress the noble faction, there is a possibility that the Kronos Empire will break through the Western Front and invade Cairo's territory. Did I really make the right choice? If there had been a reasonable compromise, the people of Cairo would have been able to avoid danger, even if it was only a temporary peace..’
I was constantly worried.
At times like this.
I really envied people like Roman Dmitry..
An ordinary person like myself constantly agonizes over a decision, but cannot shake the thought of whether it was the right decision from his mind..
I opened my eyes straight.
I sat down on the throne with my back straight and strengthened my will so as not to doubt my choice as much as possible..
own father.
is a good person.
But I didn't want to be reduced to just being a good person like him..
It was then.
“Your Majesty the King! It's a victory! It is said that Roman Dmitry captured Benedict Castle.!”
“what?!”
Jump up.
I got up from my seat.
only one day.
To destroy Benedict's Castle in one day?.
While the immense joy made me shiver from my toes, I also got goosebumps at the actions of Roman Dmitry, who turned his words into reality..
It was certain. Roman Dmitry was a monster that Cairo could not handle..
I realized that in order to move forward with such a monster, I had to give up the normal relationship between a military and a god..
still.
It was okay.
I will accept the life of a scarecrow and lead Cairo in the right direction as much as possible..
Happiness is short-lived.
“We will make sure to praise you for your achievements later. First, order them to go straight to the Western Front. The movements of the Kronos Empire are unusual. If we respond even a little late, we may face irreversible consequences..”
suppressed the joy of victory.
The civil war was resolved, but.
Yet, the reality of Cairo could not guarantee peace..
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