173 Enemies meet on a single wooden bridge
The end of a prisoner of war is one of two things. Those who have money and clans to take over are released after paying a ransom, and those who do not are executed.
The Marquis knew that he was on the side of the execution. It’s not like there’s anything against that reality. He would have done the same thing if he had taken the enemy prisoner.
However, I did not expect that Eina Kingdom would treat her with such contempt.
He, a high-ranking nobleman, was put together with commoners in a prison where the lower classes were confined, and his food was only dried bread and thin soup once a day. They were not even given a pot to excrete. The prison warden insulted him at every opportunity. When the jailer was in a bad mood, he was beaten with a whip, and the bloody wounds festered and pus came out.
Even Eina, who had no grudge, was treated like that. I was a little afraid of how I would be treated in the Empire, even the calm Margrave.
The Emperor of the Empire was from Dicoquaria, which was ruined because of Cania. Of course, he would resent Kania for destroying his country.
‘furthermore.’
The Marquis closed his eyes.
Ten years ago, he was the one who dragged the Duke of Watoringu around, humiliated him, and executed him.
The current Emperor of the Empire is that person’s son.
I wouldn’t kill it by normal means. Will he die after all sorts of torture, or will he be killed in the most degrading way?
‘Oh, I see. Did Eina deliberately treat me that way because she knew that? To flatter the empire.’
A self-deprecating laugh broke out.
‘Whoops, in the end, humans reap what they sow.’
Resentment breeds resentment and brings resentment back. It spins round and round in that circle, and eventually everyone will collapse and die.
However, after arriving at the main headquarters of the Imperial Army, his treatment was a little strange.
The Marquess was moved from Eina’s wagon he had been riding to another wagon. Although it was a barred wagon for escorting criminals, it contained straw for sleeping and a toilet for excretion.
Twice a day, the basic meals were stew and bread made with soft-boiled beef jerky, and sometimes meat. And strangely, soup was served early in the morning.
Originally, the margrave wore only a shirt and trousers worn under armor. Even so, she was soaked in blood and torn, and her bottoms were dirty with feces and urine. The money-worthy armor was stolen from Eina.
However, after being taken over by the Imperial Army, he was rinsed in warm water and changed into simple clothes.
Far from beating or torturing him, an army surgeon looked at his wounds and applied herbs.
His chariot was covered with a thick tent cloth, which was completely closed at night to keep out the wind.
weird. It felt like a cold frost was sitting on my chest. I wasn’t afraid of being treated so harshly in Eina Kingdom, but now I’m afraid of the unidentified treatment, and I’m startled. What the hell does the empire want to do?
The wagon the Margrave rode in was stuck at the end of the imperial army’s march and moved together for several days.
If it were the soldiers of Dicoquaria, they would have looked at him as a noble of Cania, but they were the Imperial Army. No one particularly had personal feelings for Marquis. was just calm
So one day he asked the soldier watching him. Do you know why you treat me so respectfully?
The soldier’s answer was simple.
[Because His Majesty ordered us to treat them as noble prisoners. That’s what I heard.]
I don’t know. I really don’t know why he treats himself, his enemy, like that.
A few days later, a young man who appeared to be of some rank came to visit him.
The handsome man said he would be executed when he reached the next city.
“Is that all there is to it?”
The beautiful man asked the Marquis’s question.
“Is there something else?”
Only then did it occur to them that they might not know that they were the ones who killed the emperor’s biological father.
The Marquis was silent for a moment, then looked at the man.
“Can we see the Emperor before he is executed?”
“Well, why are you making such a request?”
The Margrave straightened his back and puffed out his chest.
“There is something I want to tell you. If you don’t listen to me and execute me, the emperor will probably regret it.”
The man shrugged and said.
“Well, I’ll tell you, Your Majesty. I can’t give you a definitive answer.”
“That’s enough.”
The beautiful man didn’t seem to care much about what the Marquis was trying to say. But when you find out, you will be surprised and outraged.
The Empire’s soldiers love their own emperor, I learned enough over the past few days while traveling in a wagon. Few monarchs are so loved by soldiers. The Marquis had never seen it before.
What will happen when they find out that they killed the emperor’s biological father? Shall we throw stones and spit at the Marquis, whom we have been staring at calmly until now?
‘Why do I bother to tell the emperor about it?’
I don’t even know my own heart.
I feel sorry for the emperor who just knows nothing and treats his parents’ enemies respectfully.
What will the young emperor do when he finds out all the facts after he dies? Would you hate yourself too much?
Perhaps the insult he received in Eina Kingdom left a bigger scar on his heart than he thought. Maybe that’s why I felt grateful when I received the exact opposite courteous treatment.
‘I’m old too.’
From nob le mt l dot com
Duke Watoringu was an outstanding warrior. Once he raised his sword, he became violent like a beast. There are countless people whose families have died to him.
The Marquis also had his young son, who had just entered the battlefield, stolen by his sword. But to sympathize with and be thankful for the lineage of the enemy, it must be because I am old.
After that, the Emperor could not be met until they reached the city. Maybe he ignored it because he thought he would beg for help.
‘Well, then I can’t help it.’
When the Marquis arrived in the city, he was locked in a tower overlooking the square.
It was a fairly large city. I used to come to this city when I was young. It was a fairly lively place at the time, but now a gloomy atmosphere hung over the city.
People are skinny and there is life in their eyes.
When the margrave’s carriage passed by, people looked at him, giving him the impression that he was in an enemy country.
From the day he was imprisoned in the tower, an execution table was set up in the plaza. The men make a flat stage like a small stage. On one side, there is a staircase leading to the platform, and on the platform, a concave block of wood is placed.
I couldn’t hear it because it was so far away, but when I saw people hammering and driving nails, it seemed to echo in my head. I had a real feeling that I was going to die over there.
On the day the sentinel said tomorrow was the day of the execution, a rather sumptuous meal was served for dinner.
After silently eating all of them, there was a sudden uproar outside the door.
I was wondering what was going on, but the door opened and the beautiful man I had seen before entered.
I heard from a sentinel the other day that his name was Levin.
After Levin, several soldiers entered and stood on either side.
“They say that His Majesty the Emperor will meet you.”
Before Levin could finish his words, a man exuding a noble aura entered the room.
Black hair, black eyes.
was the emperor of the empire.
The Marquis got up from his seat and made the highest bow according to the court etiquette of Cania. It is unknown what will happen after this, but it is a token of gratitude for allowing me to die as a nobleman.
But I couldn’t do very well. My body faltered slightly. It was difficult to balance, but it would not have been very revealing. I don’t want to die remembering myself as a shabby figure who can’t even do that much. The mind barely overcomes the discomfort of the body.
“You may raise your head.”
I straightened up at the emperor’s words.
A little of the image of the Duke of Watoringu remained with the emperor.
“You have something to say to me?”
The emperor asked in an emotionless voice.
The Marquis answered while tightening his waist that was about to collapse.
“Yes, the emperor of the empire. You don’t seem to know yet, so I asked for a meeting.”
I took a moment to breathe.
“I am the enemy who executed your father in the former Duchy of Watoringu.”
I don’t know if the shouting will explode right away, or the knife will come first. The Marquis stiffened his expression so as not to look unsightly surprised no matter what happened.
However, no emotion appeared on the Emperor’s face. I looked at him with the same expression as before.
“so?”
“yes?”
“Is that all you have to say?”
“…That, yes.”
The emperor said in an expressionless expression.
“I know very well what you did and what kind of relationship you have with me. Did you think the Empire wouldn’t even know that much?”
“Then…why are you treating me like this…why are you being lenient with me?”
“generosity?”
Just a little bit of emotion on the Emperor’s face. It wasn’t resentment or hatred, it was just a pathetic expression.
“Does this seem like a generous treat to you?”
“Isn’t it?”
The emperor was silent for a moment. The forehead wrinkled a little. Even so, he is a beautiful person like a painting. Thinking of something unsuitable for this position, the Marquis waited for the emperor’s next words.
“First of all, let me tell you that you seem to be misunderstanding something. I am not here as the son of the Duke of Watoringu.
“…”
“I know you’re a good fighter. But that’s it. I know you’ve never been a true Marquis.”
What are you talking about? He has done his best for his country while bordering foreign countries.
While fighting small wars, he defended his territory and defended his country.
Without confidence, this country might have collapsed in the past due to repeated invasions by foreign enemies. Because there was a huge wall called himself, he refrained from aggression from other countries.
The same goes for Youngmin. Because he worked hard day and night, he was able to make a living by cultivating farmland and raising children without any harm.
As if he was clearly aware of the Marquis’ thoughts, the emperor continued to speak. It was like talking to a child.
“You only thought of winning the war, not the people who suffered behind it. In your domain, you continued to collect taxes under one pretext or another. When the head of the family died, the best livestock was taken away from the house with the death tax. The rate of head tax was one of the highest in Chania.”
The emperor’s words are true. But it was all necessary. You can’t keep an army without money. Even if the lack of troops were supplemented with slaves, even buying the slaves would require money.
“A lord who only engages in war is not a ruler. He is just a vermin that feeds on the blood of his people. If you have even the slightest lord’s heart left in you, you will stick out your head and surrender to save the people, not against the empire. would have.”
“…If you think so, why are you treating me like this?”
The more you listen, the weirder it gets. Regardless of whether the emperor’s words are true or not, if you think of yourself as such a lousy lord, isn’t it right to torture and treat you roughly?
“It is to give the people the strength to live. Sometimes anger is the power to sustain life. If you become humble and executed in a miserable manner, the powerless people of this country will think that the nobles are just as miserable as they are. Their anger is You will have nowhere to go, because everyone will think you are in the same painful and painful situation.”
“…”
“However, if they say that while they are suffering so much, the aristocrats lived well with beautiful faces until the end, how would you feel if you were in the position of a commoner? Wouldn’t it be? No one in the world would rather follow a ruler who tolerates them more generously than those who persecute and harass them.”
So, was it treated so that the wounds were not visible on the outside, and was he fed the right food to restore blood to his face?
The clothes given today are not flashy, but they are made of high-quality fabric and belong to nobles. I thought it was a consideration to keep my dignity considering that it was the last time, but it was different. It was all for the smooth rule of the empire.
My clenched fist hurts. Fingernails dug into fingers.
For the first time since entering this room, the emperor smiled. But it’s smiling, but it’s not a smiling face. It was like a frozen lake.
“Really, you are a selfish aristocrat to the end.”
Before he had time to ask what he meant, the emperor turned around. Levin and the soldiers followed the Emperor as he walked away.
Left alone in the closed room, making a heavy noise, the Marquis recalled what he had heard from the sentinel who had brought him a meal.
When asked if he was executed with an axe, the sentinel calmly replied that he would use a sword.
Execution with an ax is an insult to nobles.
If I could die with a sword, I thought it would be an honorable end. About 1/3 of the gratitude I felt for the emperor, if not half, came from that.
‘But even that was a show for the common people. The emperor had no thought of treating him like that because he was a nobleman.’
It was belatedly thought that the emperor of the empire was a truly terrifying person. His mind is a little strange. It was not a normal aristocratic way of thinking.
I am afraid of what I cannot understand.
The Marquis trembled involuntarily.
The scaffold seen from the high tower room felt terrifying for the first time.
The next day, at noon, the Marquis put on clean shoes and headed to the scaffold.
He had had his toes amputated because of frostbite. It’s a bit difficult to walk because the wound hasn’t healed. The shoes seemed specially made for that condition. The sole is slightly soft and there is room in the toe area, making walking a little easier.
‘Is this also to make commoners think that they are fine?’
The road to the execution site felt endlessly long.
The gaze of the commoner looking at him was tinged with murder. Not the imperial army, but the gaze poured on himself as a nobleman of the same country.
‘Was he being hated like this?’
As I went up to the scaffold, a small stone flew from somewhere. I was hit on the forehead and my body staggered. It would have fallen if the soldier had not supported it.
The soldiers did not catch or stop the stone throwers. He was put on the scaffold as if nothing had happened.
When the soldiers were still, a stone flew again.
The soldiers stood at a distance from the Marquis.
stones fly again
And again.
someone shouted.
“I ran away from the Marquis you ruled! My cattle were taken because I couldn’t pay my taxes, and later my daughters and sons were taken as slaves. Because of you, I’ll never see my children for the rest of my life! I don’t even know where they are or if they’re alive!”
That was the beginning.
Stones flew from all sides.
I heard that they would be executed with a sword, but the Marquis only found out about it. In reality, they are killed by commoners. And when the plebeian’s fury is at its peak, when his own life is scarce, then perhaps the Executioner will strike him down with his sword.
hahahaha. what. Standing here as the emperor, while talking coolly, wasn’t the truth simply wanting revenge? So I guess I’ll kill it this way.
Anger with nowhere to go rose up from the bottom of his chest. Gnome! The emperor, that young bastard! The guy who used to pack his words in a smooth way!
The Marquis, who had been thinking that far, fell forward. He was flamboyantly raging on the battlefield, but he clumsily covers his head with his hands to avoid a small stone. He thought it would be the worst death he had ever known.
***
Rudy looked down at the scaffold from the room where the Marquis had been before.
The Marquis was lying on the scaffold, bleeding from all over his body. Even though they are not moving anymore, the people’s slinging of stones did not stop.
The Marquess was a person who thought of nobles until the end. It’s like the world is spinning for you. I thought that everything happened because I was special, so that it was convenient for me.
That’s why, rather than counting the intentions of this side in various ways, it was concluded that they were treated as nobles. If you think about it a little differently, it was something you could notice enough.
“Your Majesty, it’s cold today.”
Levin slung the thick coat over his shoulders.
Levin was usually talkative, but he didn’t say anything more. I just stand there quietly.
The soldiers stop throwing stones. The men assisting in the execution placed the motionless head of the Marquis on a hollow block of wood.
The executioner’s sword cut through the air and landed on the Marquis’ neck.
When the Marquis’s head was placed in the basket, a loud shout erupted from the onlookers.
‘There’s no way I’m happy when a person dies.’
Behind Rudy, who was still looking down at the window, Levin spoke in a low voice.
“It’s all right. Your Majesty did nothing wrong.”
“…”
Levin’s words could not be an indulgence. Rudy knew he was guilty. Killing people so brutally. It couldn’t have been a sin.
But Levin’s voice over and over again calmed him down. It’s like listening to your mother’s lullaby.
“…thank you.”
Rudy looked down at the scaffold for a long time while saying that.
In this world, will the day come when war will disappear someday?
I hope so.
