Novel Bin Chapter 174: Purge (5)
No matter how much he thought about it, the balance just didn’t seem right. Roman Dmitry, the hero of Cairo defeated the rankers from the 99th to the top ranker, Nicholas, without even being hit once.
Marquis Benedict said that if Roman Dmitry rejected the proposal to side with him, then he would be forced to make a choice right there, but in reality, it didn’t make any sense.
‘I experienced what Roman Dmitry was truly like on the Southern Front. Even if the nobles summoned an army-sized force, would they really be able to subdue Roman Dmitry by force? Impossible, that would never happen. Marquis Benedict thinks that right after the Ranking Matches ends, it will be his chance, but in fact, defeating Count Nicholas means that Roman Dmitry is a lot stronger than he was one year ago. The monster who defeated Butler and opened the gates of the Southern Front must have reached a level that one wouldn’t dare touch now.’
A year ago, Count Fabius was on the Southern Front. When the other nobles were deliberating, he himself went there and experienced what a battlefield was like.
Roman’s power was electrifying for him. It was great that he walked alone and defeated Butler, but the sight of him slaughtering numerous people and opening up the gates made him always think that the devil had descended into the world of humans.
The memories of that time were etched in his mind. Count Fabius actively insisted on recruiting Roman Dmitry, and his thoughts weren’t different now.
And they planned to subject Roman Dmitry to pressure? Just the thought of antagonizing him was unthinkable for Count Fabius.
‘The question is, if the word rebellion comes up, will Roman Dmitry just surrender? The guy never kneels to anyone. People are so sure that he will not make the decision to draw his sword in Cairos, but if he was a man running on common sense, he would have chosen to flee the Southern Front when it was captured.’
So it was now a matter of choice and free will. On the day of the confrontation, if the troops weren’t mobilized, he would be pushed out of the faction. And if Roman Dmitry surrendered or was defeated, then Count Fabius would have to face the consequences.
And it wasn’t just about the collapse of his fame and name. Marquis Benedict was the type of man who drew the line, so he would surely go after Count Fabius for what he did.
So he had to think about what was right. It wouldn’t end with just one fight, but there’s a chance it would turn into a war between Dmitry and the nobles’ faction. Finally…
‘Logic cannot determine which side is correct. What is certain is that, since I served Marquis Benedict, I know the strength of the nobles, but I can’t guess Roman Dmitry’s limit or full power. And I saw firsthand on the Southern Front how terrifying Roman Dmitry is as an enemy. Fabius. Fabius. The future of my family depends on my decision.’
And so he decided not to send his troops. When all the nobles sent their troops to the capital, he stayed silent on the pretext of being sick.
And on the day of the final battle, Count Fabius, who didn’t move at all, received a call from the nobles.
[Count Fabius do you really think you can survive making that choice?]
[There isn’t a single person in the world who will believe your excuse of being sick. After the sun goes down today, Marquis Benedict will celebrate the death of a man named Count Fabius without care. It is not too late. Send your troops now.]
[You idiot. You normally behave well but at such an important time, you make such a stupid decision!]
Anxiety began to sink in, and he covered his eyes and ears.
And then Roman Dmitry and the nobles collided.
Count Fabius entrusted his fate to the heavens in his comfortable mansion.
Marquis Benedict immediately contacted Count Fabius. He couldn’t leave the existence that caused trouble within the nobles’ faction alone.
Pat.
The communication device was connected, and seeing Count Fabius’s face that appeared on the screen, Marquis Benedict let out his anger.
“Fabius, you are really insane. It isn’t enough that you disobeyed the nobles’ faction’s order and didn’t send your troops to Cairos, now what? Are you going to refuse the summons? Look me straight in the face and tell me. Is this your choice, Fabius?”
His voice trembled with anger.
The raccoon of Cairos. Even though he knew that the man was a turncoat, he liked how quick-witted he was, so he kept the man at his side, but now… he was betrayed.
And the fact that the raccoon made this decision and not some other noble was what offended Marquis Benedict—that quick-witted man turned away from him. Doesn’t that mean the nobles would be defeated?
And Count Fabius said,
[Marquis Benedict. Let us be honest with each other about what happened. Didn’t your troops get slaughtered by Roman Dmitry in the battle at Cairos? That is the basis of my decision. Roman Dmitry killed all the powerful nobles during the Ranking Matches, and knowing that you would make such a decision, he drew his sword without hesitation. So how will you fight such a monster?]
“You dare do this, you bastard!”
[Ah fuck. Do you still not realize the situation?]
Count Fabius was serious. Just like Viscount Conrad, when he turned around, he clearly showed his attitude.
[I bet everything on Roman Dmitry. So do not look at me like I am a bastard who will still follow you and send my troops to Cairos because I won’t. And you need to accept the fact that I turned my back on you, clear? You probably think of me as a bastard, but what the hell, man? You even contacted me just to say nasty things.]
“… this choice. Are you sure you’re not going to regret it?”
[Regret my ass. If my choice is wrong, will there be anything worse than death?]
“Fabius. You are a traitor to the nobles. No matter what choice you make, do you think Roman Dmitry will use a traitor like you? Traitors remain traitors. If you still decide to stay on the path you have chosen until now but still help the nobles win, I will certainly reward you despite what you did.”
[No. Even if I am faithful to you until the end, you will abandon me without hesitation if you no longer need me, but not Roman Dmitry. Looking at how he accepted Viscount Conrad, he has the tolerance to accept even someone like me, depending on the situation. And haven’t you heard the rumors about him? How much he cares about his people? Even if I start out as a traitor, from now on, I will do anything to please him.]
From the past incidents, Count Fabius knew that the start was important. It was hard to survive against Roman Dmitry if you’d already shown hostility toward him. But if one hadn’t crossed that line, then it wasn’t impossible to change things like Viscount Conrad. So he didn’t send any of his troops, and he didn’t respond to Marquis Benedict and ignored his words.
Finally, Count Fabius smiled and said,
[Marquis Benedict. The war starts right now. You don’t seem to know how things are going yet, but I am probably not going to be the only one who has refused your summons. Even then, to try and contact me angrily like this. It will only be a matter of time before the nobility falls.]
At those words, Marquis Benedict’s eyes widened. What did that mean?
Tuk.
The communication was cut off.
And it didn’t take long for Marquis Benedict to confirm Fabius’s words.
The nobles were summoned, and Count Fabius was the only exception, but most of them expressed their intention to comply. However, suddenly, something unique happened.
[I, Marquis Valentino, will declare that I will support the Dmitry family.]
Valentino from the neutral forces moved. Since a tycoon in Cairo supported Dmitry, the surrounding families were unable to move their troops.
Recently, Valentino spent a fortune sweeping Cairo’s mercenaries. At that time, he made the excuse that he needed manpower in the process of running a company targeting the continent, but never once did he speak about an alliance with the Dmitry family.
And Count Fabius also exerted his strength. He thought that betrayal should be done at its best. Rather than simply relying on a new force with a change of heart, he ran hard so that Roman Dmitry could positively accept his existence. Thanks to this, the families that had a relationship with Count Fabius also changed their minds. And they decided to betray the nobles and follow Dmitry.
And in just a few days, the situation instantly turned around. Shortly after cutting off contact with Fabius, Marquis Benedict received a barrage of calls.
[… I am really sorry. Since we don’t know when Marquis Valentino will attack us, we cannot just send our troops. But still, l hope you know that this is for our best.]
[Marquis Benedict. How should we go about this? If we move hastily, there is a chance that our estates will be robbed, and no matter how important the war against the royal faction is, we cannot let our families be in danger.]
[Sorry, but I decided to share the same thought as Count Fabius.]
He felt dizzy even before he tried to do anything. Marquis Benedict had no choice but to watch the power of the nobles diminish.
In the Royal Palace Conference Room, the last meeting before their departure was held. Roman Dmitry took the lead and spoke,
“A few days ago, Count Fabius, a nobles’ faction member, announced his intention to follow us. He and several families have changed their minds, and even Marquis Valentino is supporting us, making it impossible for the nobles’ faction to come into full force against us. Now is the chance to wipe out the traitors once and for all.”
At the series of events, the people of the royal faction were shocked.
Count Fabius and Marquis Valentino—it wasn’t their abilities that shocked them, but the plan that was exclusively made by Roman Dmitry.
‘If the King hadn’t accepted Roman Dmitry’s proposal, he might have succeeded in the plot only with Dmitry’s power. And if that happened, the flag of Cairo would have been burned down by the Dmitry family.’
Goosebumps rose. Dmitry’s potential was shocking.
And in the situation where the nobles were driven into a corner, Daniel Cairo asked,
“Do you mean to say you want to confront the nobles head-on?”
“You are right. To be precise, it is likely going to be a siege war. If the nobles had responded normally to the call, they would have come straight to the capital, but due to a series of circumstances, they chose to reorganize their troops. We have no reason to give them any slack. We need to mobilize our troops and wipe out the rebels. We have to crush them down with overwhelming force so that no one makes the same mistake in the future.”
Everyone gulped at this—an all-out war. Everyone waited for Daniel Cairo to decide whether they would fight or not.
‘The force leading this war is Dmitry and not the royal faction.’
Daniel Cairo knew the truth. If they won the war, there was a high chance that the people would call Dmitry a kingmaker instead of acknowledging the royal faction’s growth. And as much as how concerning that was, Roman made the plan from start to end. Instead of clearing up the forces that had divided Cairo over the years, Dmitry might form a force huge enough to swallow the Cairo royal family at once. But he had no intention of rejecting them.
‘Dmitry made this decision for Cairo. Even if Dmitry grows beyond our control, we need to acknowledge their existence. It would have been impossible without Dmitry’s help in the first place. A coexistence with Dmitry, who at least treats me as a King, is better for Cairo than the rebellious forces that would sell their King. Cairo’s system has changed. And in order to not lose a possible meaningful existence in the future, we need to actively step out in times when sacrifices are needed. Just in case Roman Dmitry won’t feel it’s unfair, we will do our best to help him.’
And so he made the decision. With a dignified voice, Daniel Cairo said,
“War is inevitable now. Keep in mind that the royal forces will do their best to assist Roman Dmitry and that his orders will be my will. Roman Dmitry, I entrust with you the control over this war.”
All eyes were on him, and Roman responded like a soldier,
“I will follow your order.”
The fuse for the war had been lit. From now on, it was time to slaughter the traitors.