3 bar menu

Vol 02 Chapter 70: The Seven-Day War VII

I want two things: to marry Julia and become king. If I can do that, it’s my win. Getting those two things is not particularly difficult. I can ignore the opposition and just marry Julia. Once I marry her, I become the next king; I can get everything I want right now.

The problem lies in what comes after. How many patricians will accept me as their king, a stranger whose abilities are unknown? And will Rigal Dibel accept his defeat silently?

The result is clear. If I ascend to the throne as I am right now, it would lead to a civil war.

If I don’t want to lose everything, I must win this civil war. The condition for winning it is to make all the patricians submit to me. I don’t even need to kill Rigal; it’s enough if he submits to me. Though, that’s unlikely.

Now, about the civil war… Winning is not that difficult.

With the territories directly controlled by King Rosais, the Rosais Family’s troops, and the Aris Family’s forces, it’s possible to defeat the Dibel faction if we combine the forces of the Aris-aligned patricians.

But the problem is how long this civil war will continue. That’s the main problem.

We don’t even know how many patricians will be against me, and not all of them will do it openly. There might be those among the Aris faction who wouldn’t be pleased with me taking the throne and might betray us.

There are also neutrals who keep their allegiance vague. It’s unclear which side they will choose… and when they might betray us.

We have about a week until the neighboring countries can intervene. Can we finish the civil war within a week?

If the neighboring countries intervene, the situation will become a quagmire. King Belvedire’s Country, King Domorgal’s Country, King Evile’s Country, and the Equus Tribe won’t pass on this opportunity.

Under the guise of acquiring food for their troops, they will steal our food and, amid the chaos, kidnap our residents to sell as slaves.

In fact, they might focus more on that than the war itself.

After all, the battlefield in a civil war is naturally one’s own country. In a civil war, you burn your own lands and make your own soldiers kill their compatriots.

That is what a civil war amounts to.

How many things will remain intact after everything ends?

What I need is not just victory. Victory is a given. I need to avoid damage to the country as much as I can, and if possible, to win without even starting a civil war or causing unnecessary deaths.

What I need for that is enough achievements so everyone accepts me as their king, a preemptive strike against the Dibel faction, a just cause for the preemptive strike, and to prepare forces without giving the Dibel faction a chance to ready themselves.

That significantly raises the difficulty.

What I wanted to get from this battle with King Domorgal was the achievements necessary for everyone to accept me as their king.

But surprisingly, I got a lot more. Well, I took the necessary steps for it, but I didn’t expect to succeed in securing everything that I need.

◇

Fifth day.

The Rosais army left a thousand soldiers behind and quickly withdrew from Blouse territory.

Soon after, they arrived in Aris territory. The Rosais army was welcomed with applause and cheers by the citizens of Aris territory.

「 Ron, I’ll give you five hundred. Wait here until new orders come.」

「Understood.」

I gave Ron five hundred and temporarily separated him from Rosais’s army.

Then I directed my gaze towards Mutzio.

「Are you guys going back now?」

「Hm? I planned to. The contract is over, after all. Do you need us for something?」

「No, you can go back, but… if you stay, you’ll see something interesting.」

I grinned, Mutzio looked puzzled but nodded in the end.

「Okay, we’ll stay a bit longer. We need to receive the rewards for our merits in battle, and I can’t go back without seeing my friend’s ascension.」

◇

Sixth day.

The Rosais army finally reached King Rosais’s palace. The citizens cheered to welcome the returning Rosais army.

「Amazing, Almus-dono!」

「Indeed, incredible!」

Those who rushed to Almus were patricians, formerly of the Dibel faction, who hadn’t participated in the war. They switched sides after hearing of Rosais’ army’s victory.

While politely dealing with them, Almus proceeded to have an audience with King Rosais. The surroundings were filled with patricians who had participated in the war and their families, former Dibel faction patricians, and Dibel faction patricians who had come to assess the situation, along with residents living around the palace.

「Now, Almus Aris. You’ve done well in this war. What reward do you desire?」

「Then…」

In front of all the patricians, Almus firmly stated.

「I want Princess Julia, the throne, and this country.」

The patricians fell silent. King Rosais immediately handed his crown, scepter, and mantle to Julia, who was beside him.

Then, gently pushing on Julia’s back, he said.

「Go on, take as much as you want.」

Almus quickly approached Julia and, without concern for the public eye, kissed her on the lips.

「With this, you are mine. I’ll never let you go, okay?」

「Yes, I understand.」

Julia responded with a happy smile.

Almus then took the crown and scepter, and Julia put the mantle on his back.

Standing before the patricians, Almus raised the scepter, and cheers erupted.

「Long live the new king! Long live the new king!」

The patricians who were aware of Almus’ succession to the throne raised a loud cheer. This was a planned move. The Aris faction patricians who were unaware of Almus’ succession along with the soldiers in the hall, joined in the cheering, swept up by the atmosphere. The patricians who had remained neutral until now showed confused expressions, and the former Dibel faction patricians felt relieved that their choice was the right one.

Meanwhile, the Dibel faction patricians displayed anger on their faces.

Almus forcefully struck the ground with his scepter, silencing the crowd.

「Gentlemen, the war is not over yet. We have not yet completely expelled the Domorgal forces from our country. Carlo-dono!」

「Yes, I understand, King Rosais.」

Reluctantly, Carlo stepped forward, calling out names one by one. These were the names of the Dibel faction patricians, led by Rigal Dibel.

The names of former Dibel faction patricians who switched sides after the Domorgal battle were not called.

Most of those named were not present, but those who were called showed expressions of anxiety, wondering what was about to unfold.

Tetra stepped forward and spoke without emotion.

「The individuals named have conspired with King Domorgal and attempted to betray our country. They are, in other words, traitors. Now, what shall we do with them, King Rosais?」

Almus responded with a smile.

「Traitors will be executed, naturally.」

At that moment, several patricians, recently part of the Dibel faction, rushed to Almus, seeking mercy. Realizing they were likely to be executed, they hurriedly changed sides.

「I-it’s a misunderstanding. We support the new king’s ascension. Long live the new king! Long live the―」

Their heads were severed.

Bartolo was the one who beheaded them.

Unfortunately, there’s no place for you on this ship,」

Bartolo declared, as the severed heads of the patricians rolled on the ground.

Witnessing this, the Dibel faction members—now traitors—began to flee. However, they were intercepted by members of the King’s Guard, disguised as civilians, who then executed the traitors one by one.

Almus surveyed the patricians, whose faces were twisted in fear.

「Now, is there anyone among you who harbors discontent with my ascension?」

No one answered.

「Is there any traitor among you?」

No one answered.

「Does anyone believe we should aid the traitors?」

No one answered.

「Then, is there anyone opposed to us going to execute the traitors?」

No one answered.

Almus nodded in satisfaction.

「Bartolo! Raymond!」

He summoned the two. The two knelt before him showing their allegiance.

「What is it, our king?」

Looking down at them, Almus said.

「There are about six thousand soldiers here. Bartolo, Raymond, I’ll give each of you a thousand. Go and kill the traitors. I’ll use the remaining four thousand to kill Rigal Dibel.」

「Understood!」

The two bowed deeply.

Then Bartolo asked Almus.

「By the way, our king, shall we extend the execution to the ninth generation of the traitors’ families?」

「Yes, that’s no problem.」

「Even the young children and women?」

「If they fall under the ninth generation, then yes.」

Bartolo nodded, satisfied with the response.

Almus then walked over to Mutzio, who appeared quite shocked by the unfolding events.

「My friend, our alliance was agreed to continue even with the new king, right? Then, would you accept to be employed by our nation once again?」

Mutzio answered with a smile.

「Of course, my friend. Let’s crush our enemies together!」

Thus, the last part of the Seven-Day War began.