Chapter 42: Lawrence's Flower (3)

The communication was made through magical means.

Seeing Roman's figure floating in the air, Flora sat opposite him with a stern expression and asked, "The way to help Lawrence in this crisis. What exactly is it?"

She didn't beat around the bush.

With Lawrence's soldiers dying outside, she needed a way to solve the problem.

[If you ask directly, I will be honest. I intend to take revenge on the Barco family for personal reasons. I have already made my decision, and now it's just a matter of timing. That's why I contacted you. If the Lawrence family agrees to my plan, I will advance the timing and help you bring down the Barco family together.]

Roman's proposal.

It was unexpected.

For Lawrence, it was a proposal like an oasis in the desert, but Flora knew there was a trap in Roman's words.

"…What do we have to do for this plan?"

[It's simple. Sacrifice for the plan. If the Lawrence family is willing to shed blood and set the stage, I, Roman Demetri, will do my utmost to help you, and I will make a promise in my name. To ensure our conversation goes smoothly, you must make this promise first.]

Sacrifice.

It was a sensitive word.

For a moment, Flora's eyebrows twitched.

Roman Demetri was a man with clear principles.

He readily accepted the annulment of their engagement, and now he was saying that he would never sacrifice himself for others.

She didn't want to accept the hand Roman offered.

Roman's existence was like a sore spot for Flora, and just the thought of continuing to deal with him made her heart boil with unknown emotions.

But.

There was no choice.

In a situation where they were backed into a corner, making a sacrifice was inevitable.

'He must have proposed this knowing our situation. Even if he bluntly asks for a sacrifice, Roman Demetri is the only one who has made such a proposal to Lawrence. We cannot refuse Roman's offer.'

She clenched her fist.

Her pride had long been abandoned.

The most important value for Flora was the safety of her family, so she looked Roman straight in the eye and said, "I promise. I will help you in any way I can if it means protecting my family."

[One more thing. There is something else you must promise.]

"Speak."

[There will be a lot of controversy due to my participation. Since we are no longer engaged, I have no reason to interfere in the war, and this is a point that the central government, which supports the Barco family, can raise issues about. Therefore, there is something you must do in the future. If you truly want the Lawrence family to be safe, give me a reason to intervene in the war.]

Reason.

Until then, she didn't understand what it meant.

But with Roman's immediate explanation, Flora couldn't control her expression.

The conversation was over.

She hadn't accepted the proposal yet.

Roman said he would wait exactly 30 minutes, and Flora walked toward the city wall with weak steps.

'Is accepting Roman's proposal really the right thing to do?'

Roman.

His explanation was shocking.

"The Barco family has been working on a plan to separate the Demetris and the Lawrences. They made me spend a night with Emily Barco, a distant relative of the Barco family, while I was drunk, and used that as a pretext to pressure us into an annulment. This is my personal reason for seeking revenge, and it is also a way for you to give me a reason. Anthony Barco. Claim that he assaulted you. Even though nothing happened, the fact that you were assaulted means that the marriage with the Demetris could not proceed, and the annulment was inevitable. This will likely cause your value to plummet. The beautiful reputation of Lawrence's flower will be tarnished, and the series of events following the annulment will be very damaging in the world of nobility. But if you, as a noblewoman, are willing to give up a lot, you will gain something important to resolve Lawrence's crisis."

At those words.

Her hands trembled.

For Flora, it was a reality she couldn't easily accept, but she didn't want to avoid it like a coward.

She was not a delicate flower in a greenhouse.

Facing the harsh reality, Flora was prepared to give up everything.

"That is the reason I need to intervene in the war. I will never forgive those who touch my people. It was the same with the Blood Fang, and it is no different now. If the assault happened before the annulment, you, Flora Lawrence, are also my person. If you promise to add just that one more thing, I will ensure that Anthony Barco will never look at you with desire again."

My person.

Her heart sank.

Even though it was a transaction for mutual benefit, Roman said that if they hadn't annulled the engagement, Flora would have been his person.

Truly.

He was a man who was hard to understand.

Roman was willing to take the risk of opposing the Barcos just for that reason.

Bang!

Rumble!

"The city wall is collapsing!"

"Quickly bring the iron fence!"

While she was away, chaos had erupted on the city wall.

Continuous attacks from the Flare had caused part of the wall to collapse, and from a distance, Barco's soldiers could be seen advancing.

They wouldn't last much longer. Without the advantage of the city wall, they were no match for the Barcos in terms of both quality and quantity, and the fall of Lawrence was only a matter of time.

It was bleak.

Amidst the flames burning everywhere, Flora rushed to the city wall and shot arrows alongside the soldiers.

Thud!

"Ugh."

At the base of the city wall, a soldier who had charged forward fell.

Flora quickly loaded another arrow, and the pain in her fingers from the past few days of practice was evident.

But that wasn't important now.

Flora roughly tore off her cumbersome skirt, stood in a position to shoot arrows more easily, and shouted strongly to the soldiers.

"Attack! We will never fall!"

At that moment.

Flora thought.

The moment she stepped onto the battlefield, her life as a naive noblewoman was over.

"Hendel!"

It was the name of a maid.

Seeing her run over with a frightened look, Flora, with her eyes fixed on the target, said, "Contact Roman Demetri immediately. Whatever conditions you want, I will give them to you, but ask him to deal with those damn Barco bastards right away. At least, I don't want to become Anthony Barco's concubine."

She made her decision.

From now on.

Flora would live a new life.

* * *

Click.

He cut off the magical communication.

When Flora accepted the proposal, Chris, who had been watching the situation, asked, "Will you attack now?"

Roman and his soldiers.

They were not far from Lawrence.

If he gave the order now, they could help immediately, but Roman had no intention of rushing.

"No. We will wait a bit longer."

"If we keep waiting, Lawrence might fall. The Barcos have deployed the Flare in the siege. Its firepower is beyond what Lawrence can withstand. If you really want to help Lawrence and thwart the Barcos' plan, you need to attack the enemy's rear now and give them a chance to breathe."

It was sound advice.

Chris had studied military tactics and knew that Lawrence was in a dire situation.

But.

Roman thought differently.

"Why should I think that far?"

"…Pardon?"

"Whether Lawrence falls or not is not the main issue. Even if the city wall collapses and the Barco forces overwhelm Lawrence, the determined resistance of the Lawrences will last at least an hour. What I want is to gain the maximum benefit with the minimum loss in the conflict between Lawrence and Barco."

It was a cruel statement.

He completely excluded human conscience and thought only of practical benefits.

"Chris."

"Yes."

"There is something you need to remember as you follow me. The life of one person who has sworn loyalty to me is more important than the lives of hundreds of strangers. Many will die in this incident, but it is a problem that arose because they followed an incompetent leader. I will not force meaningless sacrifices on those who have sworn loyalty to me. So, get plenty of rest. When the time comes for us to act, we will have to shed blood."

"…Understood."

Chris nodded.

Now he understood.

Roman Demetri.

He might be cruel to others, but he was at least a man worth pledging loyalty to.

* * *

On the city wall.

The situation was rapidly deteriorating.

With the Barco army at the gates, Flora approached Lord Lawrence and said, "Father! We must open the city gates and face the Barco army head-on right now!"

"What are you talking about!"

Opening the city gates.

It was an unacceptable suggestion for Lord Lawrence.

But with no time to explain in detail, Flora tried to persuade her father with a strong tone.

"Roman Demetri just promised to help us through magical communication. The reason we can't withstand the Barco attack is because of the Flare. If we open the city gates and divert the enemy's attention, Roman Demetri will lead his troops to destroy the Flare."

"Why would Roman Demetri do that?"

"There's no time to explain. What's certain is that Roman Demetri is a man of his word."

For a moment.

Lord Lawrence's mind was a tangled mess.

Roman Demetri.

He had seen him briefly during the Blood Fang incident, and he was definitely not an ordinary person. His straightforward attitude showed confidence, and he didn't seem like someone who would go back on his word, as Flora said.

The problem was.

He had no reason to help Lawrence.

If he harbored ill will due to the annulment, it would make sense, but there was no apparent reason for Roman Demetri to help Lawrence.

'Is it the right choice to trust Roman Demetri and open the city gates? According to Flora, Roman Demetri intends to help us with his own strength, not relying on the family's power. The enemy is the Barco family. Even if we divert their attention, it will be difficult to defeat their trained soldiers and the elite mercenaries of the Bergue Mercenary Corps and approach the Flare. And if he can't use aura, he won't be able to destroy the Flare in the first place.'

He couldn't make a decision.

At a crossroads of life and death.

Lord Lawrence was weak.

He was a typical coward, and the more dangerous the situation, the less capable he was of making the right judgment.

Then.

"Father, no, Dad. We are already at a disadvantage. The moment we chose to fight to the death, we put everything on the line. If we can't bring down the Barcos, the Lawrence family will be erased from the history of the Cairo Kingdom. So, trust me. Receiving Roman Demetri's help and destroying the Flare is the only way for us to survive now."

Flora pleaded earnestly.

Finally.

Lord Lawrence saw Flora's appearance.

Her armor, worn over her top, was blackened by the flames, and her skirt was already torn and fluttering.

And the bow in her hand.

While the head of the family was weakly unable to make a decision, Flora had found a way to solve the problem.

He trusted her.

His only daughter.

Lord Lawrence overcame his fear and shouted to the soldiers, "Open the city gates now! Roman Demetri has agreed to help us. Go out and punish the wicked Barco scoundrels!"

The city gates opened wide.

Following Roman's plan, Lawrence chose to make a sacrifice to set the stage.