Roman Dmitry was a name they had heard for too long.
Count Fabius welcomed Roman earlier than the others.
“Welcome. The fame of Mr. Roman Dmitry is well known. It is truly an honor to meet the hero of Cairo who defeated the Hector Kingdom.”
He smiled.
The other two nobles who heard that immediately came forward and showed aggressive reactions like hugging Roman.
“You are much taller than the rumors.”
“That’s true. You are certainly too handsome, and for a moment, I thought I was lost in your beauty.
The atmosphere was friendly. It might seem like it was pretty enjoyable from afar, but the three nobles were making sure that they would not be pushed back by each other. Their goals were clear as crystal. The nobles of the Central Government of Cairo, who should have been resting in their mansions, had come down to the warzone.
“The Southern Front can be ignored. The most important thing is to bring Roman Dmitry on our side. Even if Cairo loses to the Hector Kingdom, it will be the responsibility of the Royal Family, but if Roman Dmitry is taken away by the other nobles, the balance of power will be destroyed. He is someone who wasn’t pushed back even against a 5-Star Aura Swordsman. We must recruit him through any means.”
A special order had been given.
Count Fabius glanced at Roman. It wasn’t to exchange simple words. He had no idea that Roman Dmitry would show such progress even though he was this young.
‘Roman Dmitry is only in his mid-twenties. Moreover, he is the eldest son of the Dmitry family, which is known to be the absolute powerhouse of the North-East region of Cairo. Although it is disturbing that he comes from a family that was originally commoners, he isn’t someone who is lacking when compared to the other nobles in the Central Government. And if I recruit him, Marquis Benedict will use me more in the future and know of my importance.’
This time, as well, it was Count Fabius who had got the lead.
“Please sit here.”
“Thank you.”
“You might not know, but I am serving Marquis Benedict. I heard that Marquis Benedict knows you quite well, so he directly contacted others to position you on the Southern Front. He had no idea that a war would happen back then, so he asked me to convey an apology for that.”
“It’s okay. I knew that it wasn’t intentional.”
“Haha. Is that so?”
When he heard that Roman didn’t think of it as a huge deal, he smiled.
“Nevertheless, Marquis Benedict feels bad about what happened. Please set aside some time in the future. He sent a special gift for you to use in case you are in danger. You are the star who will shine up the entire Cairo Kingdom, so he doesn’t want you to get hurt in such a place.”
This meeting didn’t have a clear subject. They should have been discussing how to defeat the Hector Kingdom, but Count Fabius didn’t seem interested in that.
The other nobles were no different. Seeing Count Fabius openly expressing his greed, they also added their words,
“I hope you contact Count Gregory once. I am sure it will be very useful for Mr. Roman Dmitry.”
“Count Denver has sent the knights of his family. They will obey Roman Dmitry’s orders and are ready to sacrifice their lives for you. Please put them to good use. He doesn’t want anything in return. This is just a small favor.”
They weren’t even hiding their purpose. They took out all the cards they had prepared in advance to win the favor of Roman. Nevertheless, contrary to their expectations of Roman being glad, his expression only turned stiff as he continued to listen to them.
“What are you all doing right now?”
Those people still hadn’t figured out what kind of person Roman was.
At the same time, Roman had never hidden himself. He showed his presence openly, and everyone always rushed to him with their pockets open and showing their greed.
Nevertheless, to Roman, the four forces were just four things to use. It wasn’t bad. He intended to use the interests of those in power to buy time and grow, but still, people had to choose a time and place for things.
Roman said, “I am not so naïve that I don’t know why you all came to me. Marquis Benedict, Count Gregory, and Count Denver—Everyone came to me asking to swear allegiance to them, and I made sure to convey that I won’t make that decision anytime soon. Loyalty can only be given to one person, and the one who swears loyalty must put their life on the line. Thus, for myself, I need to be careful. A favor is something to be grateful for and not at the same time. The enemies who attacked Cairo are right ahead. They are waiting to firmly put their flag on Cairo’s territory, and I do not think it is appropriate for me to discuss my future in such a place.”
Roman wasn’t going to go round and round. He intentionally showed them that he wasn’t like that. He knew that his words would rather ignite the desires of others.
‘They all brought the competition to the surface and made it clear that they are worried. The fact that I am a person who doesn’t make a choice immediately will make them sad. Nevertheless, even if I keep a distance from the four forces, they will not give up on me. And if I tell them that I will make a decision in the near future, they will have to wait, no matter how they feel.’
The stage was in his hands. To the confused novels, he said, “By fighting this war, I came to know that I am a frog in a well. Therefore, after defeating the Hector Kingdom, I plan to challenge the Rankings and become the best in Cairo. Wait until then. I will prove myself and then offer my sword to one person.”
The best swordsman in Cairo was an attractive card.
When the nobles heard those words, they all had gleaming eyes.
No one spoke hastily. Roman told them to not talk about it, so they all were thinking about how to report back to their lords.
“So.”
Swish!
Roman unfolded the map. He pointed at it, looked at their faces, and asked, “Why don’t we focus on the situation in front of us?”
Things were sorted out. The fierce competition was put on hold for a while. When they heard Roman’s suggestion, they devised a way to attack the Hector Kingdom earnestly.
“According to what Mr. Roman Dmitry warned us of, we must capture the rear within three days. So, why is there a need to think of complicated stuff? There is a simple method. We will destroy the war with a Flare, put a ladder to climb, and move forward. The number of troops the Hector Kingdom has is around 10,000. As we have brought in these many forces, we have a good chance of winning against them in a head-on battle,” said Count Fabius. It was quite a simple strategy and had no problems.
Then, Baron Brahim said, “I do not deny that pushing in head first is a bad method. However, the damage to our allies will be huge if we do that. The Hector Kingdom must have prepared Flares, as well, and the war is against quite a number of enemies while we have a small number of allies on our side. If they start a siege, instead of ending it in three days, we will be handing them victory on a silver platter.”
“I have the same thoughts. We need a better strategy and not a simple, well-known method.”
The opinions were divided, and there was no clear solution in sight.
Finally, everyone began to think of a method to win the battle of capturing the forts back. Nevertheless, no matter how much they thought, they could not come up with a way of breaking down the walls and defeating 10,000 enemies without taking damage.
It was a battle where damage was inevitable. Nevertheless, they hoped to find an ingenious solution by making use of the strategy meeting, but as the meeting progressed, the opinions, in the end, started to support the first one.
Count Fabius asked, “What does Mr. Roman Dmitry think?”
At that moment, even looked at him with anticipation. He was a warrior who had defeated 10,000 troops with a mere 200 troops. They thought that if it was Roman Dmitry, he might have a different solution from theirs.
“My opinion isn’t much different. The rear fort was originally the last wall of the Southern Front, and from the moment it got taken away, a long battle was unavoidable. And after three days, the enemy will create a variety of variables through the Warp Gate.”
“…Are you saying there is no other way?”
They all looked disappointed. As the expectations for Roman had risen to the highest, they were not met through a simple answer. Nevertheless, as he said, this wasn’t a great situation.
However,
“It isn’t like there is no way. There are two ways to end this war quickly. The important point in this strategy is people. I cannot be sure that the strategy will work, but I think it is worth a try if an all-out war is unavoidable.”
Roman soon began his explanation.
The nobles, who looked suspicious at first, were soon completely absorbed in his plan.
Bong! Bong!
That was the sound of war.
As the soldiers of the Hector Kingdom heard that the Cairo Kingdom had moved its troops, they all went up the wall.
“Stay in your positions!”
“Enemies are coming!”
They could see the flag of Cairo far away.
The appearance of enemies rushing in like a wave was odd, but the soldiers of the Hector Kingdom didn’t show signs of fear. They had a duty to get food and return to their families. That weight suppressed their fear, and they also believed that in a siege battle, it was advantageous for them to defend.
Chak!
They all arranged themselves on the wall. The archers pulled the arrows back and were ready to attack with their hands on the bow strings.
“Wait.”
Edwin Hector raised his hand.
The enemies were not yet in range. Firing arrows from this far was pointless, and he waited for the time when their faces could be seen.
Just then, he saw something strange happening in front of his eyes.
The soldiers of the Cairo Kingdom split into two sides. And then, instead of a magical weapon like a Flare, a certain person stepped forward.
’…What is this?’
At first, he thought the situation was weird. A single person? The moment he thought that Cairo might be trying to convey a message, he saw the person’s face.
‘Roman Dmitry!’
At that moment, his expression became as cold as ice. Roman Dimitry had left a great impression on Edwin Hector. He was a being who had slaughtered 700 of his soldiers overnight, and even had aimed for his own life, but wasn’t able to take it thanks to Butler.
His senses were tingling. He didn’t know why Roman had come forward, but as soon as he came within range, he was planning to attack him with a sea of arrows.
Step!
Step!
Roman’s face brightened.
When he saw the enemies raising their mana and preparing to attack, Roman exclaimed loudly, “I am Roman Dmitry of the Cairo Kingdom! I, Roman Dmitry, as a warrior representing the Cairo Kingdom, request a duel with Butler of the Hector Kingdom!”
Clench!
Everyone went stiff. His words were a shock even for the Hector Kingdom.
Editor’s Thoughts: This chapter was awesome. Roman continues to keep his bone-chilling attitude and is planning to defeat the Hector Kingdom soon. Maybe Hector will accept it because of Butler, but Roman should already be strong enough to defeat him. It will still be interesting, though, because Roman only defeated him in the imaginary world thanks to taking advantage of his loyalty to Edwin.
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