175 what’s in the box
Crete cannot wage war. A large number of soldiers died during the previous invasion of Watlingu, and now defending the border is the limit.
If someone invades in this state, even if it is not an empire, it will be lost. No one invaded because the Empire was targeting them. No dove touches the prey that the hawk is after.
The king of Crete threw things as they were. The Shinigami, who returned in a shabby appearance, was struck by it and fell down. But no one stopped.
The envoy lying on the floor was covering his head with his hands, and when the king stopped his hands in exhaustion, he continued.
“Your Majesty, the Empire has no intention of just forgiving us. He, he, the person in charge.”
“You nasty bastard!”
King Crete drew the sword of a nearby escort. The sword, which had come loose from its scabbard, glistened in the light. The escort seemed to be about to say something, but kept his mouth shut.
The god of death said that the empire would not forgive unless the person responsible for the last war was punished. It was said that the Emperor of the Empire’s favorite gunman had tipped him off like that.
The king of Crete raised his sword high and struck it at the messenger.
Blood splattered inside the office.
The king is responsible for the invasion of Watoringu.
Instead, the person to be held accountable is the Crown Prince, who was the commander-in-chief, but he has already died. I heard that the emperor of the empire directly lowered the sword.
Currently, there is no one in Crete who would take the blame and die. The envoy’s words meant, in one word, that the king die.
“You arrogant bastard! How dare you say that to me.”
The king struck the sword again several times at the body of the dead god. He finally stopped the knife because he was exhausted and could no longer raise his arm. The god of death was in such a state that he could not even recognize his shape.
King Crete gasped for breath and touched the floor with his sword.
What should I do? How can I appease the emperor of the empire? What should I do to quench his anger? It doesn’t necessarily mean dying to yourself. It just needs to save the face of the empire.
The king glared at the corpse of the death god for a while and muttered.
‘Yes, the important thing is the face of the empire.’
Then there is only one thing to do.
The king of Crete gave an order to the servants.
“Gather the prince of the queen’s rebirth. Hurry up. There is no time.”
***
The Imperial Army finally reached the edge of Cania’s territory. It is an area bordering the Kingdom of Crete. It was very far from the Crete invasion many years before.
At that time, there were many places where the border was naturally separated by mountain ranges, but most of these areas were wide plains and wastelands. The borders were divided by rivers and streams flowing from them.
The Imperial army was oriented towards an area without a river. It is the largest gateway on the border with Crete.
On the day before the border crossing, the envoy from Crete came to the advancing imperial army again.
What the Crete envoy brought this time were the King’s correspondence and several gold-crafted boxes.
Levin first met the envoy, and if he could not see the emperor, he would slit his throat and hang himself on the bridge, saying that he would have to commit suicide on the spot.
Levin sighed and said to Rudy.
“My gut tells me that there’s nothing good in that box. Really, I’ve been giving advice, but it’s all in vain.”
“What did you say?”
Levin scratched his head.
“Last time when the envoy was leaving, I said it lightly. Apologies are not enough unless the person responsible for the war is decapitated.”
“…”
Rudy closed his eyes. Hopefully, that won’t be the case.
“Put up the tent to welcome the god of death. This time, we will do it in the form of officially welcoming the god of death.”
“All right.”
Levin bowed politely. After Levin’s horse clattered away, Rudy looked up at the sky for a while.
The envoy of the Kingdom of Crete consisted of one officer and ten envoys.
A small tent was built, and the envoys came in carrying a goldsmith’s box.
Rudy sat on a chair in the tent and greeted them.
The head of the Cretan delegation bowed politely and handed the letter to Levin. Levin gives it back to Rudy.
Rudy opened the letter and quietly scanned it with his eyes.
The content of the letter was not much different from before. I am sorry.
After Rudy finished reading the letter, the head of the delegation knelt down and said,
“The King of Crete sincerely apologizes to the Emperor of the Empire. This is the proof.”
Five boxes opened quietly.
Inside the box filled with salt were five heads. It ranges from an adult who looks as old as the crown prince we saw before, to a boy who is now estimated to be around 10 years old.
The head of the delegation said in a slightly trembling voice.
“These are the princes who inherited the legitimate blood of the Kingdom of Crete. Other than these, there are no other princes who inherit the blood of the king and queen. Please understand our king’s sincerity.”
“…”
Rudy said nothing and glanced at Levin. Levin noticed and quietly handed over the sword. Rudi raised his sword and approached the head of the delegation.
‘I guess he knows what will happen in the future.’
The officer’s body trembled.
“This is the answer I am sending. Tell your king as it is.”
The sword cut through the air, and the head of the head of the delegation fell. Frightened, ten Shinigami flattened their bodies.
Rudy walked away without looking at them.
Leaving the tent, Rudy gave orders to his aides.
“Gather the lords.”
A messenger ran to the lords who were advancing apart.
While watching the messengers on horseback, a tent was hastily set up for a strategy meeting on one side.
The attendants placed a desk inside the tent, and placed a map of the kingdom of Crete and small pieces representing each lord on one side of the desk.
One of the aides prepared a piece of paper to record the outcome of the meeting.
When all the lords gathered, Rudy swung around inside the tent and quietly opened his mouth.
“This war is a reward for your loyalty. Except for the capital, the rest of the cities give you the right to enter first. We’ll decide the area according to your major, so first decide where you want to go.”
The lords were in an uproar.
Looting was allowed in the Canian War, but the limits were set. After giving it the end of a few days, it was forbidden to touch it after it was occupied. The officials who governed after the occupation were also not on the lord’s side.
To that extent, the desires of the lords and their soldiers were also suppressed.
But this time there are no such restrictions. It’s like giving permission to do whatever you want.
“Later, this is the land you will rule over. Don’t do it so badly that it’s difficult to rule.”
Rudi smiled like an emperor when he saw the lords’ faces lit up with remorse.
It’s a masked smile, but no one notices it except for the attendants.
In enough time for such a face to come out naturally, Rudy piled up his sins.
It is the same now. All the rulers of this world live in sin. No one is guilty without exception. As much as you know that it is a sin, what you are carrying is the biggest.
“Don’t worry about attacking the castle. I’ll give everyone magicians.”
As soon as the words came out, the lords’ discussions began lively.
If you are free from the burden of attacking the castle, you do not need to avoid areas that are difficult to attack. You can choose only with conditions.
The lords struggled to occupy a better city, saying that each of them was better in their specialty.
Seeing that, Rudy muttered in his heart.
The war must end as quickly as possible. Even if it was a cruel way, it would be better than having the people of the country long under the present king.
After each of the lords decided on the area they wanted, the aide quietly told Rudi that this lord’s specialty was greater, and that lord had violated an order last time.
In the case of the lord’s army, which had a small number of soldiers, the aide looked at the past and present relationships and showed matching lords a pair of notes.
Rudi referred to the note and ordered the lords to unite or attack neighboring cities. There’s nothing more stupid than that if this side is annihilated by being overzealous.
After this and that adjustment was over, the aide who was waiting for the record held out a piece of paper.
The name of the city each lord decided to enter was written on it.
After Rudy signed it, the aide had each lord sign it again.
Everyone was busy that night.
Yeongju-gun hurriedly prepared to leave for their respective areas.
The same goes for the main body of the empire.
Through an aide, word went down to the commanders of each unit that the emperor wanted the war to end quickly, and the words were passed on to the soldiers.
Before dawn the next day, the soldiers were ready to leave earlier than usual. Departure was also earlier than usual. Every time they marched, the singing voices of the soldiers rang out exceptionally loud.
Horses are sensitive to signs around them.
Rudy’s black horse often scratched the ground with its paws, probably sensing the excitement of the people around it.
***
Even before the delegation sent with the heads of the princes arrived, everyone in the Kingdom of Crete knew the Empire’s answer.
The message was clear when I saw the imperial army advancing step by step like sea water rushing in.
There is no way but destruction.
The king of Crete called the chamberlain and made preparations for evacuation.
The whole palace was in an uproar.
He gathered all the wagons he could mobilize, and among the items in the palace treasury, those that could not be moved were moved to a prison deep underground.
I can’t move them all because I don’t have time. After moving as much as possible, the king had stones and sand poured over the entrance to the basement to prevent the Imperials from discovering it.
The king gave orders incessantly.
Pack all the important stuff and treasures, don’t forget the jewelry and, yes, the furs, they’re precious things that have been passed down through generations.
While giving such instructions, the chief chamberlain hesitantly asked the king.
“Your Majesty, what will the Queen do?”
It’s a stupid question.
The queen was confined to one concubine. He went mad from the day he killed all the princes.
“Leave it as it is. Only the ones in the Rose Palace will be taken with you.”
“…”
The chamberlain quietly bowed.
Rain in the Rose Palace turned 21 this year. She was the daughter of a high-ranking aristocrat in Korea and was a very lovely woman.
Not as much as the queen, but her lineage is fine. Since she is still young and beautiful, she will give birth to enough princes.
Authentic or not, it doesn’t matter. The queen has gone mad, so you can dethrone and make her the next queen.
“You can evacuate for a while and gather your strength.”
The emperor does not stay here forever. Eventually, you will return to the Empire. If you aim at that time, there is a good chance of regaining the country.
In this evacuation, the seal of the seal, which manages both public and private seals, as well as the most important people among the officials in his aides were supposed to be together. It is as if the government itself is moving.
‘I’m here and the main officials are all together. are you okay. I can recapture the kingdom again.’
Over several days, hastily packed luggage loaded onto the wagon. Now you are almost ready. But even in the meantime, the emperor of the empire was getting closer to the royal capital. Hurry up.
In the midst of nervousness, the chief of staff came in and bent down.
“Your Majesty, I think we can leave today. Please wait for about two hours.”
“Okay, okay, hurry up.”
The king of Crete took a deep breath. Just now my mind was relieved. In just a few days, the Emperor of the Empire will arrive.
‘I’m glad I’m not late.’
I’m relieved, the strength has gone from my body.
It’s noisy outside the room. It seems to be due to final preparations.
I was sitting in my chair, when I heard the door open. I wanted to be the chamberlain.
The king leaned back in his chair and turned his head to the side.
“Chief Chamberlain, what’s going on, huh? Isn’t that the captain of the guard?”
It was the captain of the Guard who entered the room. But the expression is strange. He was biting his lip with a calm face. Besides, there is blood on his sword.
Behind the captain of the guards came several guards who always stood by the king’s side. All of them were holding bloody knives.
“What’s going on?”
The king cried out and rose from his seat. Turn around before hearing the answer. I knew instinctively that I had to run away.
“Forgive me, Your Majesty. But without this, there is no future for this country. It’s already too late now, but at least to save the life of the little princess.”
At the words of the guards commander, the middle of his back became hot.
“Cheuk!”
The king groaned and fell forward.
weird. I couldn’t breathe. I feel like I’m inhaling air through my nose, but it’s not getting in properly. It was as if he was trying to get air into a punctured barrel.
“…traitor….”
The moment the king said that, the sword stabbed himself again.
“I should have done this right away.”
The voice of the captain of the guard came from afar.
But it’s strange. You can even hear the sound of your shoes stepping on the marble and the sound of blood dripping on the carpet.
The human voice is getting farther and farther away, but the quieter voices are getting closer.
“Does he resent us? He died with his eyes open.”
“…”
“Captain, shall we cut the king’s head?”
“Yes. Did you bring the salt box?”
“yes.”
The conversation of the guardsmen could be heard rippling like a swaying wave. It seems he knows he’s dead.
Guys, I’m still alive. You reckless bastards, traitors!
The king tried to shout, but neither his eyes nor his mouth moved any further.
It was two days later that the emperor of the empire arrived at the royal capital.
