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Vol 02 Chapter 71-2: The Seven-Day War VIII

Two hundred soldiers were barricaded inside the Dibel family’s mansion, all their commanders were Dibel blood-related vassals. The non-blood-related vassals had all betrayed the family.

Initially, Rigal, who had refused to dispatch troops under the pretext of needing them to guard his section of the border, retreated with five hundred soldiers to his territory.

That was because he had expected Almus Aris to fail and be defeated.

Rigal’s strategy involved rallying the Dibel faction’s patricians to confront the Domorgal army after Almus Aris’s expected failure, aiming to halt them and demonstrate his superiority.

For the first two days, Almus Aris was pushed back into the fortress and was at a disadvantage. However, unexpectedly, Almus Aris achieved a grand victory, and by the time Rigal Dibel decided to join the battle, a peace treaty had already been established.

Fortunately for him, when news arrived of Almus Aris’ ascent to the throne and the subsequent traitor subjugation, he still had at his disposal the five hundred troops he had prepared.

Rigal planned to hold off the subjugation army with those troops and use the opportunity to seek asylum in another country. However, just as he was making his plans, three hundred of his soldiers defected.

Thus, Rigal found himself trapped in his residence without a chance to escape. Soon, five hundred troops from the Aris territory advanced, joining the defectors to form an army of eight hundred, besieging his residence.

The loyalty of the remaining two hundred was uncertain. Rigal felt as if he were sleeping on a bed of nails.

Yet, there was a stroke of luck for Rigal: Almus’s decision to execute all the traitors’ relatives. This, ironically, solidified the unity among the Dibel Family members.

None wanted to face the death penalty.

◇

「What a rapid development… it’s hard to keep up, but do we not need to storm in, Tribune?」

「For now, just surrounding them is enough. We want to avoid unnecessary casualties. When Leader… when the new king arrives, he will decide what to do. The real battle will be after that.」

Ron explained, his gaze fixed on the Dibel residence.

Inside the residence, there were important documents, such as a registry containing the names of village heads.

It would be unfortunate to lose such crucial information to fire. Besides, the final enemy should be reserved for Almus. This was Ron’s belief.

「Well, our victory is certain. Let’s take it easy, shall we?」

「I want to gain more accolades to be promoted, though…」

「Whether you gain more accolades or not, I believe your promotion to tribune is likely to happen within a few years anyway.」

At Ron’s words, Josef’s eyes sparkled.

「Really?!」

「Really, really. Once I become a general, I intend to make you my aide. Well, that is only if someone more capable than you doesn’t appear before that.」

「I did it!!」

Josef was overjoyed; however, he seemed to have overlooked that his promotion hinged on Ron’s advancement to general…

◇

On the sixth night, Gilbert was deep in thought, pondering how he could save his life.

It might be too late, but humans invariably desire to save themselves, their own lives are the most precious to them.

Gilbert wondered whether that man, Almus, could really kill all the traitors’ relatives without batting an eye. Even after winning the conflict of the salt mine, Almus had quickly opted for an apology to protect his subordinates. Perhaps it wasn’t too late to seek mercy…

With that thought, Gilbert quickly summoned the soldier responsible for protecting him.

◇

Seventh day.

As the sun began its descent, I finally arrived in Dibel territory. I made sure to appeal to the plebeians along the way.

My aim was to ensure that everyone, not just the patricians but also the plebeians and the slaves, are aware of my ascension to the throne.

I paid particular attention to the people of Dibel territory.

Numerous residents of Dibel territory began to follow me. I didn’t attempt to shoo them away.

They likely want to settle their own scores with Rigal Dibel. I understand their feelings well.

「Ron!」

「Leader! …no, my King! We have cornered Rigal Dibel!」

I approached Ron.

It seems he has saved the best moment for me.

「You could have dealt with him yourself, but this is fine too.」

I said, turning my attention back to the Dibel Family residence.

Beside me were Ron, Gram and Roswald carrying the flags, and behind me, Soyon, Lulu, Tetra, and Julia, accompanied by several magicians.

Bartolo and Raymond had not arrived yet. But it was time to begin.

「Soldiers serving the Dibel Family! You are not at fault. If you surrender the Dibel Family members immediately, I am willing to pardon you!」

Following my declaration, a commotion broke out within the Dibel residence.

It seems an internal conflict has started.

After a while, the gate slowly opened. Several Dibel Family members, bound with ropes, were brought out.

And the last man to emerge… Gilbert, was not bound.

What does this mean… I see. He betrayed them. He must have figured that, with the decree to kill all Dibel Family members, his only chance of survival was to negotiate directly with me after my arrival.

He’s persistent, trying to ingratiate himself with me despite knowing the fate of other patricians who tried and failed.

Gilbert rushed towards me.

「My king! I was serving Rigal unwillingly because he is a relative, and I had no choice. But when I heard he had turned traitor, I couldn’t follow him anymore. That’s why I’ve tied up these members of the Dibel Family and presented them to you. So please, spare my life—ugh?」

Gilbert, a sword now protruding from his chest, gazed down at it with a bewildered expression.

Roswald, who apparently caused the incident, casually remarked,

「Sorry, my hand slipped.」

「Do you have sweaty palms or something? Your weapon seems to slip quite often, just like that time with the refugees. Well, it’s an unfortunate accident. My apologies, Gilbert.」

I said that mockingly, as Gilbert collapsed to the ground.

Now, onto the next matter…

I walked toward Rigal Dibel, who appeared dejected, his head bowed.

While I feel a little sympathy for him being betrayed by his own kin, I can’t forget that he was an obstacle to me.

If only you had listened to Belmet, you might have had a slightly better end. But then again, I’m the one who got rid of Belmet.

「I don’t particularly hate you, but you are in my way. I’m angry because your actions led to my vassals getting injured, but they didn’t die, so it’s not to the point of killing you for that alone. However, I desired Julia, and you desired her too. Neither of us couldn’t back down, and this is the result. Now die.」

As I raised my sword, Rigal then, made his move.

He kowtowed, pressing his forehead to the ground, as the stench of filth wafted to my nostrils.

「Please… don’t kill me… spare my life…」

Tears streaming down his face, Rigal begged for his life.

You should be pleading for your relatives’ lives, not your own…

「Sigh, I’m done with this…」

I sighed with disappointment and lowered my sword.

There is no need for me to kill this coward with my own hands.

Moreover, upon further thought, killing him now would be wasteful. A public execution would serve a better purpose in the long run.

「For now, lock him up in the dungeon.」

I commanded the soldiers to take Rigal away and turned my back on him. He lifted his head, apparently mistaking my action for mercy, and exclaimed with gratitude.

「Thank you!!」

You’re still going to be executed, you know?

「Let’s go back, Julia.」

I smiled at Julia, who took my hand in return.

At that moment, Tetra interjected.

「Aren’t you forgetting someone?」

「Ah, sorry about that.」

I placed my arms around their shoulders and was about to depart with them when a sound halted us.

―Kusu, kusu, kusu1―

Childlike laughter echoed around us.

This isn’t the first time I’ve heard this.

Yes, it’s the same laughter I heard just before dying in my previous life.

Am I the only one who can hear it?

Looking around, I noticed the others were observing me with puzzled expressions. No, I wasn’t the only one; Julia was also scanning the surroundings.

Could it be that only Julia and I can hear this voice?

―How boring―

―You have betrayed my expectations―

The clear voice rang out, speaking in Japanese.

Why did I hear it in Japanese?

「Almus, did you hear that? It just said ‘how boring’…」

「To you, it’s in Adernian, huh…」

It feels similar to the experience one has when using the [Blessing of Language] or the [Blessing of Divine Speech].

―But you made a worthy opponent. That’s good enough I guess. My goal has been achieved―

―You pass―

The voice, childlike and high-pitched, made it difficult to discern whether it belonged to a girl or a boy

―Now, let’s recover it―

A chill ran down my spine. As I hurriedly looked back, blood splattered on my face—Rigal’s blood.

Blood was spurting from every pore on Rigal’s body.

What on earth…

「Reversal… I didn’t know this. I’ve never seen it before… What, huh? What is this?」

Julia’s face was stricken with fear. I embraced the trembling Julia, glaring at the lifeless body of Rigal Dibel.

◇

―Rigal Dibel died from a disease where blood erupted from all the pores in his body. With his death, the Seven-Day War came to an end― Excerpt from 「The Chronicles of the Romalia Empire」 by Seimei Akira.

1TN This is the Japanese sound for giggling, I thought it worked better keeping it like this here.