Everyone doubted their ears. In a situation where the war was over, the option of opening the gates and attacking the enemy was never considered.
And Baron Noel said,
“… that is impossible. Even though we used our geographical advantage to defeat the opponents, the difference in our powers is too much. The moment we leave the city gates, Cairo will be the one suffering. And even if we can take down the Kronos Empire, will that benefit Cairo? Even if it doesn’t, the atmosphere in the kingdom is still chaotic due to the civil war, so I think now is the time for us to strengthen our internal power.”
The captains of the west recognized Roman Dmitry’s abilities. Seeing how he had arrived in the West in just three days, which they thought was impossible, they seemed to understand why Roman was called the Hero of Cairo.
He was the type of person who couldn’t be judged by normal standards. They were happy to have him, but they couldn’t agree with his plan. Even Flora Lawrence, who previously didn’t support Baron Noel, sided with him.
“The soldiers on the Western Front have endured a hard time in the past few days. They are tired from watching the enemies all night, and opening the gate now is like suicide.”
She looked at Roman—the man who made a huge difference in her life.
He was never the type to speak of lies, so she clearly emphasized how dangerous this was.
“The Western Front is a strategic point. Our priority isn’t to kill as many forces of the Kronos Empire as possible but to protect Cairo’s safety. Roman Dmitry. Your proposal will not be accepted. If all the nobles of Marquis Benedict, who were siding with Kronos, had been handled, then the Kronos Empire would have had no reason to stay. It will be a huge risk for us to walk out and fight with someone as powerful as them.”
It was a valid argument. The war was over. As always, it was time to focus on cleaning up the aftermath of the war. But…
“Do you really think that is the best choice?”
Roman Dmitry. He wasn’t going to accept the general opinion.
The captains of the West—their words and their reactions were the same as the King’s. On the way to the Western Front, he had spoken to the King, who reacted with concern.
[… you want to attack the Kronos Empire as soon as you arrive on the Western Front?]
“Yes.”
[That is a reckless move. Even if the Kronos Empire attacked us, we do not have the power to do the same. Defeating enemies in a war is a different matter. If we attack the Kronos Empire first, which is aiming for our land, they will use this as a dispute between the nations and invade us again. And the truth will never work for us. Regardless of who made the first mistake, Cairo’s safety cannot be guaranteed.]
It was the reality of the weak. Even if their actions were the same, the results were different depending on the logic of power. The Kronos Empire has always invaded Cairo’s borders despite being criticized by international forces, and Cairo would never be able to respond to them.
It wasn’t that they didn’t have the desire to take revenge. Anger rose whenever their people died, but Cairo’s survival was more important, so they chose to stay silent.
Roman understood it. The reality of a small nation was hard to accept, but the situation is different now.
“Your Majesty. The Cairo Kingdom experienced the pain of having its flesh cut due to this civil war. The army of the kingdom had a cause and punished the rebels, but the killings that occurred in the process were cruel in the eyes of the people. We have a lot of work to do in the future to become united. Once the remnants of the nobles have been cleaned up, we will have to decide what to do with the empire’s spies. At that time, what justification will the King present to the people? Will you be able to pull out your sword to deal with the Kronos Empire, which directly attacked the borders? Or will you just stand by? A slaughter that has lost its justification cannot garner the support of the people.”
It was an obscure problem. The Kronos Empire openly joined the rebellion. They invaded the borders because of Marquis Benedict, but the Cairo Kingdom didn’t even touch them.
Then, what did the empire’s spies do? Marquis Benedict declared rebellion, so there was a justification for going against their faction, but would it make sense to subdue the rebels without touching the empire that sided with them?
If the civil war was prolonged, then people’s dissatisfaction would grow. And the royal family, which has remained silent to the empire, led a massacre.
“Cairo is at a crossroads. By clearing the nobles, we have unified the power system within the nation, and in the future, we will not repeat the same mistake on the Southern Front. Now is the chance to gain the trust of the people. Attack the Kronos Empire. Show them how wrong they were to use the civil war to invade our borders and that Cairo can wreak havoc too. Even if our action is a problem to the international community, there aren’t that many chances to secure such a situation.”
His voice was strong. Right after the rebellion was sorted out, there was a chance for change. Roman Dmitry knew that the kingdom wouldn’t change in just one step.
From a weak nation, they had to rise into a strong one. And he decided he wouldn’t show mercy to the nobles of the Kronos Empire, unlike before.
“The Cairo Kingdom cannot be swayed by the empire forever. Just one time. If Cairo shows that we have changed by even one percent, then from henceforth, Kronos will be wary about choosing to attack us. We must not fear what this war will bring. If a war will happen anyway, the right time is when the Kronos Empire forms an alliance with the nobles.”
Beyond the screen, the King fell silent. Roman Dmitry was a difficult subject. He constantly put himself at the crossroads of a choice and took on responsibilities that were difficult for him to handle.
A united nation was Daniel Cairo’s dream. Was he drunk on Roman Dmitry? After thinking for a while, he made a decision for Cairo.
[Your words are right. If Cairo moves forward in the right direction, I will have to prove to the people that my decision is right. The Kronos Empire invaded our borders. If we leave them alone, as they openly came to us in the middle of a civil war, the people will think that the civil war is simply a meaningless massacre for the power of the Cairo royal family. Roman Dmitry. I will take full responsibility for this. Go to the West and make them pay the price for invading our borders.]
The weak King showed his will.
Roman Dmitry looked at him and did his best as the commander.
“I will execute your orders.”
And at the present, the captains of the West looked at Roman Dmitry. When asked if it was the best choice, they weren’t sure.
Roman said,
“Those of you who have been on the Western Front know the truth. Saying that there is no benefit in pursuing the Kronos Empire, saying that going out is dangerous, saying that the soldiers are tired—they all mean nothing. Don’t you all know? Due to the conflict with the Kingdoms’ Alliance, the Kronos Empire’s eyes were on the South, and the enemies were unable to exert their full strength. Furthermore, the recent siege has resulted in the loss of many soldiers on their side, so the Kronos we will face now is weaker.”
Roman picked up on the truth that they chose not to see. For those who didn’t have the courage to open the gates, he showed them the truth.
“The benefit of this decision is that one truth is all we need. And to show that Cairo will not just watch the Kronos Empire commit wrong deeds. If they openly conspire with Marquis Benedict and we are able to take our revenge on them, the people of Cairo will look at us in a different light. They will believe that the Cairo royal family protects them. We must attack our enemies for that.”
Roman’s words agitated everyone. Only then did they discover that Roman Dmitry was different from them. If they were hoping to find stability before their eyes, the Hero of Cairo was fighting for a new future for the kingdom.
Choosing to courageously open the gates wasn’t normal. Since it has never been allowed in history, no one could speak out. Even so, their eyes were burning with desire.
The words spoken by Roman Dmitry set fire to their hearts. How long had they wished for a different future? They had previously been unable to unite due to the power system, but now that it has been demolished, things will be different in the future.
As Roman said, this was a chance. The eyes of the captains focused on one place—Count Vandenberg.
He smiled. The rumors were true. Roman Dmitry was the man who would bring storms and great change to Cairo.
He said,
“So what do I need to do?”
The meeting was over. It went as Roman wanted. Hearing that a scouting team would be sent as soon as the sun rose tomorrow, Flora went out and looked at the dark sky.
‘… Roman Dmitry.’
He was a really consistent man. Even in the war with Barco, he chose a method they hadn’t thought of, and this time he showed the same attitude. In the meantime, even though she studied enough books for war, Flora didn’t dare fight back.
Thump.
Her heart pounded. This wasn’t a rational thrill. As a fellow human being and as someone who studied tactics, she acknowledged how great Roman Dmitry was.
‘I have made a lot of progress all this time. I thought I was a little different from when I was innocent, but Roman Dmitry is at a point where I cannot even look at him. How can I be like this? Whenever I hear anything about Roman Dmitry, I am so shocked by his choices and his ability to execute them.’
She admired Roman Dmitry. If she hadn’t met him, she would have been stuck to the estate like a flower in a greenhouse, but now she was living her own life and creating a life for a person named Flora Lawrence.
Everyone had stopped calling her the Flower of Lawrence. When Flora Lawrence remembered her old self, she was satisfied with this new reality.
She still regretted her past mistakes. But because of that choice, she was now confident, and she had no intention of denying what had happened.
But there was a bit of sadness. She wanted Roman Dmitry, whom she hadn’t seen for a long time, to know that she had changed.
‘Tomorrow, we will face the empire for the first time on the plains. No matter how weakened they are, Kronos is an opponent we can’t take lightly. Things might not work out as we hope, and in the worst case, the third line of defense will fall. I need to calculate the variables that will happen on the battlefield tonight. Just because we will follow Roman Dmitry’s words, it doesn’t mean we should be blinded by them.’
Tonight, she had a lot of things to do. Flora Lawrence was going to war, and she had to be prepared.
Just one mistake. In the past, she might have acted on her emotions, but now she was close to being a perfectionist.
It was then…
“… Uh?”
Far away, she saw two men talking under the night sky. One was Roman Dmitry, and the other was Rodwell Dmitry.
