The Demon Cant Live - Chapter 191
Chapter 191 – New Map (1)
At the time of the battle, Cairo’s Royal Palace fell into a deep silence.
‘The fate of Cairo depended on my choice.’’
It was Daniel Cairo. Even after giving Roman Dmitry the command to attack, he kept asking himself whether his decision was the right one.
Considering the value of the kingdom, it felt like the right thing to do. However, depending on its success or failure, the price Cairo would have to pay in the future would be either heaven or hell. If successful….
‘A single victory will take Cairo down a completely different path than before. The people will have the pride of not bowing to Kronos and at the same time, the rebels will be organized. Aside from the conflict with Kronos, it is surely our chance to escape from the reality of being a small nation.’
The problem was that if it failed, it wouldn’t just end with the loss of their troops.
‘We mobilized all the troops to the Western Front for this war. The moment they are defeated outside the walls, the Kronos Empire will not miss the opportunity to destroy the West. If the strategically important areas are surrendered to the enemy, Kronos may change its course and directly target Cairo no matter how at odds they will be with the Kingdoms’ Alliance. The battles that have already happened before are enough justifications for war, and even if they intervened in the rebellion, there is no way we can resist them with their power.’
It was the worst possibility. With the kingdom’s power weakened by the civil war, defeat was obvious.
Ah, it was really so difficult. If he knew the answer, or if at least the cost of responsibility would be his own life, he wouldn’t be this worried if it would only end with that.
‘Due to my choice, Cairo has entered an irreversible path. Even if it was the right choice for the sake of the kingdom, history will hold me accountable for the reason for its defeat, and many people will die. We made the perfect reason for the empire to try to take over us and attack us again.’
Everyone’s evaluation was right. He was someone who didn’t fit in this turbulent world. His anxious appearance—trembling alone in an empty palace—was not the type of King the people would want.
He didn’t want to make excuses by saying he was young. Wasn’t Roman Dmitry fighting at the forefront even though he was just in his mid-20s?
He was just lacking. Cairo had a King worthy of a small nation, and even if it was the right decision, he wasn’t convinced that it was the right answer. He was anxious and nervous.
Having the position of King, he had to pay a huge price for each word he uttered. That’s why he tried to believe in people who could compensate for the things he lacked. It was at that moment…
Tap. Tap. Tap.
From afar, the sound of running footsteps could be heard. Someone was running through the hallway and into the place where Daniel Cairo was.
Gulp.
Clack.
The door opened. The moment he looked at Simon’s face as he entered,
‘Ahh, God.’
With a bright expression as if he had the whole world, Daniel Cairo tightly clenched his fists.
It was a huge victory. From the other side of the screen, Count Vandenberg said with a face that couldn’t hold back his joy,
[Your Majesty the King! Cairo is victorious! There was a battle in the West and as a result, Count Fabio and the Kronos Empire were killed and the rest of their troops have been captured!]
In the Cairo kingdom, the hastily assembled important people cheered. They were all equally anxious, and the news from the West was like an oasis in a desert.
And Daniel Cairo asked,
“And the damage?”
They’ve passed the dangerous hurdle, however, the problem was not completely solved yet. The process of organizing their internal system remained, and troops were needed to prepare for the Kronos Empire’s response. In addition, the safety of Roman Dmitry was especially important.
[The allies’ damage is not much. It is all thanks to Roman Dmitry’s performance. The surprise attack on the enemies threw them into confusion, and because Roman Dmitry was able to handle Count Fabio, we were able to make them surrender. And in the process, we even dealt with the leader of the Knights of Kronos, Gustavo.]
It was truly an amazing achievement. When Daniel Cairo gave the order to attack, he had his own doubts about the situation. That was how scared he was about Cairo being defeated. Victory was not a result that Cairo was familiar with, and he thought it was fortunate to win against the strong forces of the empire.
However, they were able to become victorious with only minor damage. Daniel Cairo couldn’t hide his joy. He wanted to cheer like everyone else, but he couldn’t let go of his manners.
‘The war isn’t over yet. Diplomacy outside the battlefield is also a war. If I don’t finish the talks with the Kronos empire well, even if we had won the battle, it can lead to bad results..’
“I don’t know how the Kronos Empire will respond to this problem. First of all, the safety of the prisoners will be guaranteed as much as possible, and from now on, we will prepare for negotiations with Kronos. The primary goal is clear. Rather than driving the situation to the extreme and resulting in unnecessary turmoil, we must end this matter as peacefully as possible. The civil war hasn’t been cleared yet. Although the nobles faction led by Marquis Benedict has fallen, we need to bear in mind that their influence is still around, and the nobles of the empires also remain.”
[We will obey your orders.]
The screen was dyed in darkness. Daniel Cairo took a deep breath. He didn’t want to allow any carelessness, but a feeling of relief spread across his face.
In the western plains, a warm fire rose in a desolate place.
Wheik!
Wheeik!
In the war, as Count Vandenberg said, there was only minor damage. But that was the norm for warfare, and that didn’t mean that only a few people died. Hundreds of people gave up their lives for the operation.
Occasionally, ruthless commanders would refuse to carry out funerals in such situations, but Roman Dmitry held his post and waited until the bodies burned.
He was familiar with death. He had witnessed so many deaths in his previous life, but he tried not to become accustomed to accepting death so easily.
The people risked their lives for him. Even though it was their choice, they knew very well that the moment they accepted their orders, sacrifices would happen, and he knew that if he took them for granted, their trust in him would falter. So Roman was also willing to sacrifice himself for them because he was the one who made them make sacrifices.
Looking at the burning flames, he showed courtesy and bowed.
“Clean up this place.”
“Yes.”
The funeral was over. Roman Dmitry, who left Chris to clean up, immediately returned to the fort to assess the condition of those who were injured.
The spacious place was full of wounded. People were groaning in pain, some were looking for a physician to heal them, and countless physicians were looking after the conditions of the other patients.
Before leaving for battle, Roman contacted Count Fabius and ordered the physicians to be sent to the West. Dmitry promised to take care of the expenses, and Count Fabius sent a large number of them. And they all devoted themselves to treating the wounded.
They didn’t just do a simple treatment. They also used expensive potions for those who needed them. And the other soldiers saw it. Knowing that the scene in front of them was because of Roman Dmitry, they were truly amazed.
“Amazing.”
“Using potions to treat normal soldiers.”
“Even though Dmitry has a lot of money, this is all thanks to Mr. Roman.”
Because of the war, the way everyone looked at Roman Dmitry changed. His overwhelming force aroused shock, and they all felt sincerely grateful that he took care of the soldiers.
Actually, even at first, they didn’t understand the blind loyalty his men had toward Dmitry. They thought they were foolish to jump into the fire for Roman Dmitry, but when they witnessed the treatment he gave the soldiers, they came to understand that there was a reason.
Roman Dmitry didn’t neglect his people. They had never been treated like this before, so they felt a bit satisfied with this.
In addition, they were told that if they died or became disabled in the war, reasonable compensation would be given to their families.
Following Roman Dmitry wasn’t easy. As much as he had a reputation on the continent, they would always be destined to visit a dangerous place, but even so, he was an existence worth pledging loyalty to.
By the time the treatments were over, someone spoke to Roman.
“Can you give me a moment?”
It was one of the Western Front’s leaders, Baron Noel.
He was the brain on the Western Front. Rather than fighting directly on the battlefield, he would make plans or analyze the situation and lead them to an optimal solution. And it was not different this time. He suggested a stable option, although a bit naïve.
While living on the Western Front, he had been through numerous battles, and the pain he had suffered during all those times made him not want to choose Roman Dmitry’s method.
Baron Noel had doubts about the operation until the very end. Considering the difference in power between Kronos and Cairo, a battle outside the castle could not guarantee victory.
But it was a huge victory. Seeing the fort gates open and returning home in gold, Baron Noel finally faced reality.
‘I must have regressed.’
Flora Lawrence. She insisted on trusting Roman Dmitry until the very end.
Aside from the fact that she had already established a relationship in the Northeast with him, she knew how to grasp the flow and accept it. The decision to open the gates, trust Roman Dmitry, and protect the entire force from the rear as much as possible—such an open mind eventually produced the most positive results.
His eyes were open now. It wasn’t the time for him to dwell on getting a position in the capital, but it was necessary for him to develop as someone suitable for the Western Front.
And to make sure of the commitment, Baron Noel approached Roman Dmitry. They went to a place where there were not many people, and he spoke sincere words.
“… I apologize for having a negative view of Roman Dmitry’s judgment. I couldn’t believe it. Born in a nation called Cairo, I wasn’t able to make the decisions that you did, and I felt like a member of a small nation. I thought that I had some experience on the Western Front, but it seems like I was narrow-minded. So I wanted to thank you and also apologize. Thanks to you, the Western Front and the Cairo Kingdom will be safe.”
Baron Noel was a good person. The world he experienced only forced him to make negative choices, but he was fit for the Western Front.
Cairo, a nation known as weak, was supported by figures such as Baron Noel. For whatever reason, they were all at the forefront, shedding blood, and because of their existence, Cairo remained alive despite foreign invasions.
Roman said,
“No. Blind trust on the battlefield is a deadly poison. Instead of blindly following my choices, opposing opinions are also necessary. Only then can we reach a more ideal conclusion. Baron Noel, you did your part well, and we managed to win the war in the end.”
“Thank you for saying that. Anyway, what do you plan on doing next? With Kronos’s prisoners secured, we have the upper hand at the negotiations.”
He changed the topic since there was more work to do. The war would only end once the negotiations with Kronos are concluded successfully, and all the leaders were hopeful about it.
But Roman thought differently.
“The situation isn’t as hopeful as you think.”
“… what do you mean by that?”
Given the past events, Roman Dmitry affirmed Kronos’s choice.
“Even though we have secured numerous prisoners, the empire will not negotiate.”