Chapter 45: Participation (3)

The destruction of Flare.

It was the signal to retreat.

Roman and his soldiers withdrew as quickly as they had appeared, leaving Barco to chase after them in vain.

“Huff, huff.”

A series of events.

With his breath coming in short gasps, Chris exhaled heavily.

His condition was a mess.

He had swung his sword wildly, determined to follow Roman, and his blade, blazing with aura, left Barco's soldiers helpless.

As a result, his once princely golden hair was now drenched in blood.

Chris wiped away the droplets, unsure if they were sweat or blood, and then suddenly smiled.

‘It’s certain. My lord’s way was right.’

This battle.

Chris used his aura in a different way than before.

While the norm was to maximize the power of aura through explosive release, he realized that this wasn’t the answer when facing Roman.

After much deliberation, he reduced the size of his aura.

Instead, he tried to condense it as much as possible, and as a result, his mana consumption during the intense battle was not significant.

A smile appeared.

Despite the disdain from those around him for following Roman, Chris was gradually finding the potential for growth.

He calmed his breathing.

When he finally assessed his surroundings, Chris realized his condition was quite bad.

“Pant, pant.”

“I really feel like I’m going to die.”

“Ugh.”

Roman’s soldiers.

They lay on the ground like corpses.

Only someone of Chris’s caliber could keep up with Roman’s pace, but the other soldiers clenched their teeth and tried to follow to avoid being isolated.

The battle was short, but the intense time had completely drained their stamina, and some of those on the ground were vomiting.

Fortunately.

There were no fatalities.

None of the 30 soldiers had fallen behind, and it seemed that no one had suffered major injuries.

They knew the truth.

Why they had survived.

The soldiers, though exhausted, could not take their eyes off Roman, who was alone, surveying the surroundings.

‘Does he not get tired?’

‘He was really a monster!’

Roman.

His breathing was not even slightly disordered.

Despite being at the forefront and taking on the most dangerous role, Roman showed no signs of fatigue.

It was an unbelievable sight, even to those who had seen it firsthand.

Roman had personally slain over a dozen soldiers, and even when the leader of the Bergue Mercenary Group charged at him, Roman handled it as easily as if he were facing a single soldier.

Monster.

No other word could describe him.

While he had experienced Roman’s strength during the soldier examination, today’s battle was beyond comprehension.

Awe.

The soldiers looked up at Roman, drenched in blood.

Rather than appearing cruel, the fact that their lord was so powerful warmed their hearts.

When everyone had somewhat stabilized, Roman spoke.

“Our role is over. Let’s return to Lawrence.”

Return.

As the hero who had sounded the victory, it was time to return in glory.

* * *

Thud.

The city gates opened.

The people of Lawrence, lined up on both sides, cheered loudly as Roman and his soldiers marched in proudly.

“Squeal!”

“Roman! Roman!”

“Roman! Roman!”

“Dmitri’s hero!”

The reputation had changed.

People who once called Roman Dmitri an idiot now cheered as if welcoming a great figure.

It couldn’t be helped.

Their perception was not formed by this event alone.

After the incident of suppressing the Blood Gang, Roman’s image in Lawrence had gradually changed, and this time, by saving Lawrence from a crisis, he had sealed his reputation.

Dmitri’s hero.

A fitting description.

His appearance on a white horse, destroying Flare, left a strong impression on the citizens of Lawrence.

“Thanks to you, we survived! Thank you so much!”

“Lawrence will never forget the kindness of Roman Dmitri!”

“I love you!”

The women were in a frenzy.

They surged into the streets, reaching out to touch Roman, and the Viscount of Lawrence smiled bitterly.

‘What a waste.’

Roman.

He was an outstanding talent.

From the first meeting, the Viscount had recognized that Roman was no ordinary person, but the scene of destroying Flare today proved that his talent was even greater than he had imagined.

He couldn’t see clearly from a distance.

But he distinctly saw Roman leading the charge, slaying Barco’s soldiers, and using a powerful aura to destroy Flare.

Dmitri had given birth to a tiger.

And if things hadn’t gone wrong, that tiger would have been his son-in-law.

He swallowed hard.

Seeing Roman’s proud stride made him thirsty, but the Viscount forced himself to face reality.

‘I promised to respect Flora’s life. No matter how tempting Roman Dmitri is, and no matter how charming he is, the decision to marry him is Flora’s. I have no reason to interfere.’

He suppressed his desire.

And then.

As Roman approached, he greeted him with a wide smile.

“Dmitri’s hero! It’s good to see you again!”

The welcome ceremony was brief.

The war was not yet over, and Roman, amidst the enthusiastic cheers, moved into the building.

At that moment.

A familiar voice came from behind.

“...Thank you.”

It was Flora.

Her appearance was a mess from the intense battle.

Her skirt was torn, and her face was blackened, but Flora spoke without hesitation.

“We didn’t fulfill our role as bait as planned. If you had abandoned Lawrence, we wouldn’t have had the right to criticize, but I genuinely want to thank you for not abandoning Lawrence and for not turning a blind eye to its crisis.”

Her face turned red.

Their first meeting hadn’t been good, so expressing gratitude in front of him was a bit embarrassing.

Still.

She had to say it.

If not for Roman’s help, Lawrence might have fallen by now.

Roman said.

“I merely fulfilled my role as promised. And Lawrence performed as I expected.”

“...!”

Roman’s words.

Flora felt a surge of emotion.

He was a person who was hard to understand.

Instead of simply accepting her gratitude, Roman drew a cold line by emphasizing the fulfillment of a promise.

She didn’t get angry.

No matter how Roman spoke.

The fact that he had helped her didn’t change.

Roman was Lawrence’s savior, and Flora was grateful for his decision to help, regardless of the reason.

“It’s fortunate that Lawrence performed as expected. Even if you don’t think you need my gratitude, as a representative of Lawrence, I want to repay your kindness. If you have any requests, you can say them at the meeting. Even if my father shows any hesitation, I will stand by you to ensure you receive the compensation you deserve.”

She was sincere.

On the city wall, firing arrows, Flora had realized how difficult it was to fight in a battlefield.

Therefore.

She was grateful to Roman.

For saving Lawrence from a crisis.

For keeping his promise despite the difficult choice.

Roman looked down at Flora.

There was a significant height difference, and he smiled at her earnest gaze.

“Let’s go to the meeting room first. If you still want to repay my kindness regardless of what I say, I won’t refuse when the time comes.”

In the Lawrence meeting room.

The leaders had gathered.

With the Viscount of Lawrence at the head of the table, the vassals on both sides spoke with determination.

“We must send a messenger to Barco immediately. They will be demoralized after their defeat in the siege, and with Flare destroyed, they won’t be able to continue the siege. This is the perfect opportunity. We should offer Barco a suitable carrot and stick to end this territorial war.”

“Agreed. Barco still has a large number of troops. It’s better to avoid unnecessary conflict and seek peace. This is the only way for Lawrence to survive.”

The vassals were united.

Peace.

They wanted the war to end.

Recalling the moment when the city walls nearly fell, their legs still trembled and their mouths were dry.

Pride was unimportant.

Having confirmed Barco’s strength, they needed to find a way to avoid the next battle.

The Viscount of Lawrence said.

“You are right. Although we won the first battle with Roman Dmitri’s help, Lawrence’s strength alone cannot withstand Barco’s attacks. We should prepare a messenger immediately...”

“May I speak?”

Roman.

He interrupted.

Normally, the vassals would have been angry, but they were only amazed by Roman’s achievements.

The meeting in Lawrence.

Roman had only attended out of courtesy and was not in a position to dictate Lawrence’s affairs.

“Speak.”

“Thank you.”

Roman stood up.

With everyone’s attention on him, he slowly walked around the table and spoke.

“From the choice to engage in a siege against Barco, I believe the Viscount of Lawrence understands the advantages of a prolonged war. Barco is likely under financial pressure. They need to capture Lawrence to repay their massive debt, and this remains true even with Flare destroyed. If we send a messenger for peace, I dare to predict that we will receive not a message of peace, but the head of a bloodied messenger.”

“Cough.”

Everyone cleared their throats.

They had tried to ignore the realistic fear, but as Roman said, the probability of Barco accepting peace was very low.

“Actually, that’s not the main