The rumor began among the servants.
“We haven’t seen the Young Lord Roman lately. What is happening?”
“You. Since the moment the Young Lord Roman arrived in Dmitry, he hasn’t even stepped out of the treatment room and has taken care of the wounded. That is why the other activities were suspended for the time being. Didn’t you hear from Mr. Hans? He is waiting outside the treatment room every day, afraid that the Young Lord Roman will hurt his body?”
“Oh my. You are saying he is caring for the wounded himself?”
“Yes.”
The servant’s eyes went wide.
The war ended, and the place where the wounded got treated was no different from hell. People who had their bodies dismembered in the war screamed in despair, and those who treated them had such a hard time dealing with it that they plunged into negative emotions.
Which was the reason the commanders rarely visited the place of the wounded. Even if one could check their condition from one look at them, they wouldn’t take care of them so willingly.
At first, they thought it would end in a day or two. But in a situation where he still hadn’t come out after a week, everyone exclaimed how sincere he was.
“The Young Lord Roman has treated his people with respect since before. One can tell by looking at how Hans works. Thinking of the time he held a party for Hans’s granddaughter to repay the old man for taking care of him, one can see how the Young Lord Roman is different from the other nobles. And even more so now. We questioned why a noble would do such things, but he is just doing what he has to.”
The rumors spread like the wind. At first, the rumors spread like wildfire, and at some point, everyone in Dmitry was excited.
This day might not be special. However, seeing the appearance of Roman Dmitry during this time, the people of Dmitry felt a sense of unity.
Roman Dmitry was the symbol of Dmitry. The wind of change began as a result of many things being changed, and Dmitry turned into a world that was truly good for people.
Recently, a change occurred in the northeast area. Even when Roman Dmitry received Lawrence’s request to break the marriage off, there was a negative perception towards Dmitry, but now they considered Dmitry the best.
It wasn’t just because of the financial freedom. The fact that Dmitry was a humane place to live made everyone want to go there. And the center of that change was Roman Dmitry. Because people loved the land, they came to respect the leaders.
On the day the Kronos Empire launched an attack, the commoners were the ones who set off the flares as a signal. The moment the shadows opened the door, death followed.
Even if they made a plan that required the help of the commoners, it was difficult for the people to follow through because they weren’t used to all this. But the people in Dmitry still risked their lives. Thinking that this was the way they could repay Roman Dmitry, they pulled the flares while being attacked by the shadows.
Roman Dmitry was a special existence in this land. People looked at each other with a worried look.
“…I hope he doesn’t overdo it. He just came back to Dmitry.”
It was the public sentiment expressed by people everywhere in Dmitry.
In front of the treatment room, Hans was tapping his feet. It wasn’t the first time Roman had spent time alone like this, but he was worried after the physician spoke to him this morning.
“…Master Roman’s condition isn’t great. As he devoted himself to taking care of them all week, his face was pale, and it wouldn’t be odd if he collapsed at any moment. Besides, as you know, the chances of the two recovering aren’t that great. At this rate, those who have to die will die, along with the person who should be alive.”
His heart fell at those words, and ever since then, Hans continued to walk in front of the treatment room.
Roman Dmitry didn’t allow anyone else to enter, so Hans couldn’t open the door. But two thoughts ran through his mind. For the sake of Roman, it would be right to stop this, even if it meant going against his orders.
And as Kevin was a person Roman had managed from the start, he hoped for Kevin and Henderson to recover safely.
It was then that, from afar, a familiar figure came.
“I need to meet with the Lord.”
“Not possible. He is concentrating on the treatment right now, so we will not be welcome.”
It was Chris. He looked at the treatment room and spoke in a firm voice.
“I know. Kevin and Henderson’s lives depend on this. But we cannot delay this any longer. The Salamander Continent has convened a Continental Conference on matters that happened in Dmitry. It is happening today, and we cannot put off the report to the Lord any longer.”
It was an important matter. This conference was a meeting of the majority of leaders. And it would be possible to punish Kronos by borrowing the power of the Kings.
Hans hesitated, but if it was something this important, then he had to do it.
Sneak.
He got out of the way and spoke in a cautious voice.
“…since you are going, tell the Young Lord to take care of himself.”
“I understand.”
Roman Dmitry was inside the treatment room. At Chris’s arrival, Roman paused the treatment and looked at him.
“What is it?”
“A Continental Conference has been called. Since it is an important matter, I had no choice but to come despite knowing it would be a hindrance.”
“I understand.”
He looked away and began to do the treatment again.
Chris was flustered.
“Are you sure you will not attend the conference? The power of major nations is necessary to punish the Kronos Empire. If the Lord doesn’t show up there, they might try to cover up the issue that the Kingdoms’ Alliance isn’t happening. Everyone knows that the Lord is working for Kevin and Henderson’s sake, but this is enough. Sacrificing your body to save the dying would not be their wish. Even if I were in their position, I wouldn’t hope for it.”
It was an honest appeal. Kevin and Henderson. Chris wanted them to be safe, but Dmitry came first for him.
Furthermore, Roman’s safety was his priority. The fact that he said all this would put him in a tough spot, but Chris was fine with being the wrong one if needed.
Roman said,
“The meeting is not an important issue for us. Even if Dmitry attends the conference and persuades them, real revenge will be impossible anyway. If the sincerity of the Kingdoms’ Alliance cannot be demonstrated, it will be useless. That is why I will leave the conference to their own conscience and plan to deal with the things that I think are more important to me.”
“But…”
“Chris.”
A firm voice. Roman looked at Chris, saying he wasn’t going to compromise on this.
“I understand what you are worried about. In that regard, everyone has already decided how to handle things. So trust me and wait. Just as they did their best for me, I will do my best for them.”
In those words, Chris couldn’t hold him back any longer, and Roman resumed the treatment with a pale face.
And he saw it. Roman Dmitry’s face was much worse than before. Dry lips, flaky skin, and the look of fatigue all over his face showed how hard the time Roman spent here was.
His heart broke at this. Chris and his other subordinates had been having a comfortable time since they came back to Dmitry, but Roman was here alone in these hardships.
He gulped down the need to cry. Perhaps this could have been him lying down on the bed.
Chris stopped walking.
As Chris had expected, with Dmitry absent from the Continental Conference, the King of Odelia expressed his opinion.
“This is a very complicated issue. The actions of the Kronos Empire in attacking Dmitry without any reason should be punished, but the problem is when it spreads out into an all-out war. The Kingdoms’ Alliance alone can’t handle the power of Kronos. Then, we need to bring in Valhalla to put pressure on the Kronos Empire, but even then, Valhalla is not such a giving state.”
“Right. Currently, Valhalla is in an uproar over the affairs of Roman Dmitry. When the Kronos Empire mobilized the shadows to attack Roman Dmitry, the respect Valhalla showed was impossible to accept. Really, if Valhalla and Kronos are conspiring together, holding Kronos accountable will give them an excuse to start a war.”
The King of Frank said. This was truly a tricky situation. According to common sense, it was right to punish Kronos, but they were too confident regarding this matter. It was as if the two empires wanted an all-out war.
“The Kronos Empire revealed that they could move without using the Warp Gates and head to war against Dmitry. The meaning of that isn’t so simple. It must be a message that if we moved, then the nations in the alliance would not be safe. A war with Kronos will lead to the destruction of the continent.”
The imperial troops attacked Dmitry. Then how much of Kronos’s power could they take?
10%? 5%? No. The fact that it would take less than 1% of Kronos’s troops to take down their nation was clear.
Just as the Kronos Empire planted spies in each kingdom, the people of the Kingdom Alliance also had their spies in the empire.
Kronos was truly an existence they couldn’t imagine. In some cases, one Lord had enough power to bring down a single kingdom, and the Emperor controlled all of them.
Think. If they became one and attacked the Kingdoms’ Alliance, then the entire land would be in chaos, with battles happening all over the place.
In addition, the shocking history that the Kingdoms’ Alliance understood of Kronos was just a small part of it.
The imperial troops accompanied by Mystic weren’t even known by their spies, and the beings that showed strength, like Sven and Mystic, were unknown. Like the Demons of the Abyss. There was no end.
And the thought of going to war with them brought more fear.
King Odelia said,
“This is a problem. I admit that it needs to be pointed out clearly. But what I hope is that we need to take a little softer approach to solving this. If we rush ahead with what we see, we will have no choice but to push Kronos’s ambitions further. Isn’t that what they want? So, in the name of the alliance, let us get an assurance that something like this will not happen and leave room for compromise.”
It was a realistic approach.
Umberto, Redford, Frank, Odelia, Hector, Dmitry, and Cairo. Even if these seven nations joined, they couldn’t handle the Kronos Empire.
Cairo and Roman Dmitry might get angry at this, but not now. If they had attended this meeting, things would have been complicated, but the Kingdoms’ Alliance was fortunate now.
The history of losers could repeat itself again. Rather than upset the situation with their own hands, the alliance thought that a conflict between Valhalla and Kronos was their only way out.
It was then,
“I apologize, but I cannot agree with you.”
At that moment, everyone’s eyes turned.
It was the representative of Redford.
The man who was called Count London until a while ago raised his voice in front of the people with his voice as a King.
