Chapter 54: If it has begun, it must be seen to its end (4)

Drip, drip.

Blood dripped from the sword.

Amid the stunned gazes of the nobles, the sight of Baron Barco sobbing and running away was visible.

“No, no, no!”

Thud.

He hastily embraced Anthony Barco’s corpse.

The fine fabric of his clothes was stained with blood, and Baron Barco, with trembling hands, tried to stop the blood flowing from his neck.

But it was a futile effort.

Despite the still warm body of his son, Baron Barco’s eyes lost their focus as he watched his son’s arm fall limply.

“...Ah!”

The death of his son.

He could not accept it.

He never imagined that his son would be killed right before his eyes in his own bedroom.

“Aaaaaaaah! What are you all doing?! How dare you let this devil kill the eldest son of Barco! Tear him to pieces! Shred his limbs!”

Baron Barco screamed.

With eyes that seemed to be bleeding, he raged, and the knights of Barco hesitated, looking at each other.

They had seen Roman on the battlefield.

Roman, who had attacked Barco’s rear, decapitated over a dozen soldiers, and killed Berg and Homer in one strike. They did not have the courage to rashly charge at him.

No matter who it was, the first person to charge would surely die.

The rising fear gripped their ankles, and even the shock of Anthony Barco’s death could not suppress their fear.

Swish.

Roman wiped the blood from his sword.

He then looked around at the gazes surrounding him.

“Is there a problem? It is very common for the guilty to die in a trial by combat.”

Baron Barco was mistaken.

Roman, when proposing the trial by combat, never said he would not kill Anthony Barco.

It was a trap.

Roman visited Barco without bringing a single guard.

Baron Barco thought Roman would not make an extreme choice alone and made the mistake of putting Anthony Barco on trial.

As a result, Roman gained a just cause.

Since Baron Barco provided the opportunity for direct punishment, the responsibility for Anthony Barco’s death did not lie with Roman.

He simply administered a fitting punishment.

Roman warned the people who were at a loss.

“Listen carefully to what I say now. From the day Anthony Barco threatened me, I could no longer live under the same sky as Barco. I am the kind of person who, with a petty heart, cannot sleep until I have repaid a wrong. Since then, I have been thinking about how to bring down the Barco family. And this is the result. If there are still people who cannot let go of the tenuous connection with Barco, see what kind of person you will be dealing with.”

People say,

A cornered rat will bite the cat.

Chris tried to stop Roman for this reason, and in the past, Baek Joon-hyuk criticized the extreme attitude of Baekho Island.

However,

If you let the rat live out of fear of being bitten, the rat will gather a gang to attack the cat or wait in the rat hole for a chance to take revenge.

Therefore, Roman did not give his opponent time.

Even if it meant his own flesh being torn and seeing his own blood, he would kill when the time came, as Baek Joon-hyuk did.

Baron Barco’s eyes widened.

With a burning gaze of revenge, he shouted at Roman.

“Do you think you will get away with this!”

“What is the point of saying such things now? From the moment I joined the war on Lawrence’s side, Barco and I became enemies who sought each other’s lives. And this relationship will not change until you, Baron Barco, are dead. I will not let my guard down for a moment and will continue to watch how the Barco family lives, and I will attack until Barco is completely destroyed.”

It was a warning.

The nobles watching the situation.

It showed them how dangerous it would be to help Barco.

By his own will.

Dmitri’s actions meant that he would attack the Barco alliance with equal force.

In response to Roman’s warning,

No one stepped forward.

The nobles of Cairo fell silent, and Barco’s knights only made a show of gripping their swords but did not charge.

“I will take my leave now.”

He turned and walked away.

Just as he had come alone through the main gate.

Despite the blood dripping from Roman’s steps, no one blocked his path.

Thus,

Leaving behind the screams of Baron Barco, Roman disappeared from the people’s sight.

Barco.

Their downfall was swift.

Enraged by his son’s death, Baron Barco tried to seek revenge, but the response was cold.

“I’m sorry. As you know, we do not have the confidence to help Barco against Dmitri. While we acknowledge our past good relationship, Barco has touched a dangerous enemy.”

They drew a line.

Roman’s actions were bold.

He went to Barco’s bedroom and killed Anthony Barco right before Baron Barco’s eyes.

It was a decisive action that put an end to an ambiguous hostile relationship.

Roman Dmitri did not just get involved in Lawrence’s affairs; he clearly showed that he was the one leading the revenge.

Moreover, he had a just cause.

Anthony Barco’s threats.

Assault.

And Baron Barco’s decision to allow the trial by combat.

The nobles who thought they were on Barco’s side became witnesses to the just cause of Roman’s actions.

It was a dead end.

Barco had no way to seek external help.

Despite his son’s murder, he lost his just cause, and no one responded to his desperate pleas for help.

Even the connections in the central government were no different.

Despite being from the Barco family, he showed reluctance, saying that this matter made his own situation difficult.

The tower that had been built crumbled.

Roman’s judgment was correct.

By completely crushing the cornered rat, Baron Barco had no way to overcome the crisis.

And,

“The time to repay the principal and interest, as promised, is just three days away. If you do not repay by then, the Golden Bank, as a creditor, will have no choice but to exercise its rights. Baron Barco, three days. Even if you have to sell your soul to the devil, you must repay the principal and interest to us.”

It was an ultimatum.

With the Golden Bank’s notorious reputation for recovering principal and interest by any means necessary, Baron Barco knew he was finished.

The greed for Lawrence’s land had brought about this disaster. In the face of this desperate reality, he ultimately chose the last option.

A few days later.

Baron Barco attempted to flee in the dead of night.

He escaped with minimal luggage and assets but was found dead in an unknown mountain not long after.

The once powerful Barco family in the northeastern region.

This was the moment of their futile downfall.

* * *

It was a bright moonlit night.

Seeing the figure of a man illuminated by the moonlight, Hans, who happened to be in the corridor, asked,

“Where have you been out at this hour of the night?”

He stopped.

The man halted his steps.

Roman turned his head and smiled at Hans.

“The moon was bright. I went for a walk for the first time in a while.”

“Is that so?”

Hans smiled.

He approached Roman, took a handkerchief from his pocket, and wiped the red stains from Roman’s clothes.

“Everyone is worried these days. It is a great joy that you, young master, are recognized by the people, but I cannot hide my unease since you are involved in dangerous matters like war. Young master, you are the eldest son of the Dmitri family. As the future ruler of this land, your life is not just yours. Always be careful. And if you need any help, please let me know. I am always ready to do my best for you, behind the scenes.”

Swish, swish.

Hans meticulously wiped the stains.

Only when the stains were no longer visible did Hans step back with a satisfied look.

Roman looked down at him.

“Hans.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I told you before. You are my man.”

“I remember.”

Starting a new life,

Roman accepted Hans for the first time.

It meant a special relationship.

Baek Joon-hyuk of the Heavenly Horse.

He had slaughtered countless enemies to reach his position, and the blood of his enemies could have formed a sea.

It was not a human life.

People called him an extremely wicked demon because of his thoroughness in crushing enemies, but there were always people around him.

Why?

Baek Joon-hyuk had one principle.

At least for those who entered his circle, he did his best for them.

One person inside the circle was more important than hundreds or thousands of enemies.

That was enough.

If the threat of Barco had been left unchecked, the circle might have become a wasteland.

“I will do my best to ensure that my people are not in danger.”

Barco.

They were no longer a threat.

The dead can do nothing.

Roman, having said his final words, turned and entered his room.

Creak.

Thud.

Hans stood in place, watching the door Roman had disappeared through for a long time.

* * *

The capital of Cairo.

Kairos.

In this place, where countless crowds from across the kingdom gathered, an unbelievable piece of news arrived.

“...Is this true?”

“Yes! At first, I did not believe it either, but since it was at the site of the Grand Tournament, there were many witnesses to Homer’s fall. Isn’t it amazing? Roman Dmitri, an unknown figure, not even listed among the rankers, defeated a 4-star swordsman in one strike!”

“Hmm.”

At the believers’ excitement, the priest Vilas, who managed the Valhalla Temple’s Cairo branch, furrowed his brow.

‘It’s practically impossible.’

Homer.

49th ranker.

A holy figure recently under the watch of the Valhalla Temple, who was suddenly killed by an unknown person.

The issue was the identity of the opponent.

The northeastern region of the Cairo Kingdom was so remote that it did not need to be examined, and no one had heard of a person capable of defeating Homer there.

Who exactly was Roman Dmitri? If his name had been known, he would have tried to understand this shocking news.

Vilas said,

“The one thing we know for sure is that Roman Dmitri is only 25 years old. If this report is true, it means a genius unprecedented in the Cairo Kingdom has been born. We need to verify the facts. Even if the probability of it being false is high, the impact if it is true cannot be ignored.”

Valhalla Temple.

They are part of the Valhalla Empire.

Usually, they manage rankings through ‘ranking battles,’ but in this case, they needed to mobilize personnel.

His interest was piqued.

Indeed,

Was it just a rumor from the remote region?

Or was it really the birth of a monstrous genius?

He wanted to see Roman Dmitri’s face.

“Pack your bags immediately.”

“Understood.”

At that time, he did not know.

A wind that would bring great changes to the continent was blowing from the northeastern region of the Cairo Kingdom.

A sharp awl,

was beginning to pierce through the bag.