CH 26

The first report of the tragedy at the Kailus Palace reached Thanasios’ office in the Styx Kingdom’s royal castle within three days. Almost simultaneously, it was reported that all the nobles of the Kailus Kingdom had been massacred, and the country’s functions had completely paralyzed.

Nikita, who came to report, explained the situation concisely to Thanasios, who frowned.

“So, the angry people rushed in and killed all the foolish noble lords. That’s what happened.”

Nikita seemed somewhat pleased.

“Rest assured my lord. The nobles who still want to hear the story of Hemerapolis and Amphitrite have been spared. General Sophocles still has work to do. The rebellion this time expanded faster than expected, and we couldn’t control it, but the damage to us is minimal. We will send troops along the border to monitor and negotiate with the rebels.”

Nikita didn’t hide his joy. This man is someone who can fully enjoy the misfortune of others that benefits them. Despite being a member of the royal family of the Styx Kingdom, he was expelled from the church for incurring the wrath of the king, but he doesn’t seem to have any intention of changing.

Thanasios had been using Nikita for a long time because he found him useful. Nikita also recognized Thanasios as a lord worthy of serving. Although they had a lord-vassal relationship, they were close enough to be comfortable with each other.

Therefore, Thanasios let out a deep sigh.

“Is something wrong?”

“No…”

“If you’re not feeling well…”

“That’s not it. It’s just…”

There was no point in trying to hide it. Thanasios confirmed that only he and Nikita were in the office and then repeatedly tapped his desk with his palm.

“They’re all idiots! They squeezed taxes from the people to the point of killing them, and the nobles who piled up luxury upon luxury deserve to be killed! And yet they’re having a peaceful ball? There were plenty of signs, even you, who were far away in this country, could have known! How much damage do they think this will cause to every country and every people?!”

Yes, it’s too foolish. The ruling class, such as the nobles who govern in a way that incites rebellion among the people, are no longer tolerable as rulers. Their actions have gone too far, to the point of inciting a revolution of tyranny, and there is no excuse for overlooking such behavior. From the perspective of the great nation of Styx Kingdom, where the so-called aristocracy no longer exists, it’s frustrating to think about how long they will continue with their outdated system of governance, which is why the war never ends.

Nikita nodded in agreement.

“Indeed. But you see, my wise prince of the sacred Styx Kingdom, the world is ugly.”

Thanasios was slightly annoyed by his words. Even though he knew Nikita wouldn’t say such things to the prince, he couldn’t help but feel that way.

“That ugliness has been accumulating day by day, year after year, like the rings of a tree. No matter how much we try to cut it down, the grievances and mistakes of our ancestors never run out, and no one living today can fix it. That’s why everyone has been turning a blind eye to the seeds of this rebellion. As a result, it has become an incredibly shocking event.”

Nikita’s words were empty. For him, it was not a shocking event, but just one of the events to be dealt with calmly. This man would probably say that Thanasios’ unchanged daily life was more important than the world turning upside down. Thanasios continued the conversation, knowing that there was no point in responding to such a man’s words.

“I understand. The problem is what the Styx Kingdom will do here. Of course, we will suppress the rebellion. However, we will try to do it as peacefully as possible, without making the people our enemies, and give them a new country created by the people in the former Kailus Kingdom.”

“That’s good. It’s really good, and it’s in line with the will of the main god Styx. In fact, there is no other solution than thorough massacre of the people by force. Such a method is too barbaric.”

“The Styx Kingdom will support the creation of a new country. We will carefully select the people to reach a compromise. Nikita, I need as much information as possible. Sharing is crucial. Place contact personnel in each department and provide necessary information without hesitation.”

“Understood. We’ll get right on it.”

Nikita accepted Thanasios’ decision humbly, bowing his head.

There are still many things to do. If we are to dispatch troops, we must prepare as soon as possible, and we may also need to seek assistance from countries other than the Kailus Kingdom. The Styx Kingdom must lead the continent, and to do so, we must move more quickly and accurately than anyone else. For the time being, Thanasios has the task of appropriately placing personnel. As a first step, he gave instructions to Nikita, and from there, we will proceed as usual.

Meanwhile, Nikita had a wicked smile on his face. Thanasios somehow understood the meaning behind it and felt self-loathing.

“Just one piece of advice. It might be a good idea to leave the rebel army alone for a while.”

“I know. I was just about to add that.”

“Oh, excuse me.”

“Confidentially, make contact with the upper echelons of the rebel army. Give them a month’s grace. Then, crush the extremist faction of the rebel army and show the bait only to those who are interested in nation-building.”

This is good. The crazies among the people who have become rebels and only want to kill the nobility are not necessary for the nation-building that lies ahead. We should eliminate them and join hands with those who have the motivation to envision the future ten or twenty years from now.

However, stopping the crazies is not an easy task. If possible, they should self-destruct, or their power should be reduced as much as possible before striking. The crazies are attacking neighboring countries of the Kailus Kingdom, giving the nobles and aristocrats an exquisite time to fight each other. However, if they wait too long, there will be no point in providing relief, so they cannot leave it alone for too long.

DAY 134 | The Book of Jeremiah: Cha...

Thanasios and Nikita both had this idea in mind. Nikita, who agreed with Thanasios’ orders, was in a very good mood.

“Well then, let’s do it that way. Let’s look forward to how many countries will disappear from the map in a month.”

Even his footsteps sounded cheerful, in line with Nikita’s good mood. After Nikita left the office, Thanasios finally leaned back on the backrest of his chair and imagined the map in his head.

The neighboring countries of the Kailus Kingdom are the Hyperion Empire, the Minava Kingdom, and the Uranos Principality.

Will they also perish? The probability is over 80%. It doesn’t require much effort to strike a headless body.

Oh, that’s right. The Uranos Principality… Eleni’s revenge will be carried out. I see. Then the Uranos Principality will perish along with the Uranos Prince. The rescue didn’t arrive in time, so let’s just leave it at that.

“As for the Uranos Principality… let’s cut off all communication.”

Thanasios called his secretary, Ioel, and ordered him to postpone all communication from the Duke of Uranos.

More importantly, they had to decide what to do with the former Uranos Principality knights. Since they couldn’t send them back now, they would have to keep them detained in the Styx Kingdom. If that was decided, there were a few things Thanasios wanted to discuss with Eleni.

Thanasios thought of his wife Eleni, who was probably taking a nap in bed right now. How could he bring up the topic in a way that would make her happy? How could he keep Eleni from knowing about the ugly events of this wretched world? Thanasios gathered his thoughts while drinking a cup of coffee.