It was a signal to retreat.
Roman and his soldiers vanished as suddenly as they had appeared, leaving Barco's men in a state of confusion, like a dog chasing a chicken.
"Huff, huff."
In the midst of it all, Chris gasped for breath, his condition a complete mess.
He had swung his sword wildly, trying to follow Roman, and the soldiers of Barco had been helpless against the fiery aura of his blade.
Perhaps because of this, his once golden hair was now drenched in blood.
Chris wiped away the droplets, unsure if they were sweat or blood, and for a moment, a smile broke through. 'I’m sure of it.
My lord's way was right.'
In this battle, Chris had used his aura differently than before.
Normally, the common sense of this world dictated that one should maximize the power of their aura through explosive release, but facing Roman had made him realize that this was not the answer.
After much thought, he reduced the size of his aura.
Instead, he focused on condensing it as much as possible, which allowed him to conserve mana even in the midst of fierce combat.
He couldn't help but laugh.
Despite the mockery from those around him for following Roman, Chris was gradually discovering his potential for growth.
He steadied his breath.
As he finally took in his surroundings, Chris realized that his condition was relatively good.
"Huff, huff."
"I really feel like I'm going to die."
"Ugh."
Roman's soldiers lay scattered on the ground like corpses.
Only someone of Chris's caliber could keep up with Roman's pace; the others gritted their teeth and struggled to stay close, fearing isolation.
The battle had been brief, but the intensity had completely drained their stamina, and some of those who had collapsed were even retching on the ground.
Fortunately, there were no fatalities among them.
All thirty soldiers had made it through, and it seemed none had sustained serious injuries.
They understood the truth: why they had managed to survive.
Despite their weary faces, the soldiers could not take their eyes off Roman, who was scanning the area alone. 'Does he never tire?' 'He truly is a monster!' Roman showed no signs of fatigue.
Despite being at the forefront, taking on the most dangerous roles, he appeared completely unfazed.
It was an unbelievable sight.
Roman had slain a dozen soldiers, and even when the leader of the Berge Mercenaries charged at him, Roman handled it as easily as if he were facing a single soldier.
A monster.
There was no other way to describe him.
Chris had witnessed Roman's strength during the soldier trials, but today's battle surpassed all common understanding.
Awe.
The soldiers looked up at Roman, drenched in blood.
Rather than seeing him as cruel, the fact that their lord was so powerful filled their hearts with warmth.
When everyone had somewhat stabilized, Roman spoke.
"Our role is complete. Now, let us return to Lawrence."
Return.
As the hero who had sounded the victory horn, it was time for a triumphant homecoming.
Boom.
The gates opened.
As Roman and his soldiers entered with confidence, the people of Lawrence, lined up on both sides, erupted in cheers.
"Kyaaa!" "Roman! Roman!" "Roman! Roman!" "Hero of Dmitri!"
The reputation had flipped.
Once called the fool of Dmitri, Roman Dmitri was now welcomed as if he were a great figure.
It was no surprise.
Their perception had not been formed solely by this incident.
After the defeat of Blood Fang, Roman's reputation had gradually begun to change in Lawrence, and now, having saved Lawrence from crisis, he had reached the pinnacle of that transformation.
The hero of Dmitri.
It was a fitting title.
His appearance, like a prince on a white horse, smashing Flare, left a strong impression on the citizens of Lawrence.
"Thanks to you, we survived! Thank you so much!" "From now on, Lawrence will never forget the grace of Roman Dmitri!" "We love you!" The women were in a frenzy.
As they rushed to touch Roman, the lord of Lawrence smiled wryly. 'What a pity.'
Roman was an exceptional talent.
From the moment they first met, he had recognized that Roman was extraordinary, but today’s scene of him destroying Flare proved that his talent was even greater than he had imagined.
Though he had not seen it clearly from afar, he had witnessed Roman at the forefront, slaughtering Barco's soldiers and using a powerful aura to destroy Flare.
Dmitri had birthed a tiger.
And if things had not gone awry, that tiger would have been his son-in-law.
He swallowed hard.
Watching Roman Dmitri stride confidently made him feel parched, but the lord of Lawrence forced himself to turn away from reality. 'From now on, I promised to respect Flora's life.
No matter how tempting and attractive Roman Dmitri may be, marrying him is a choice Flora must make.
Therefore, I have no reason to intervene.' He suppressed his desires.
Then, as Roman approached, he greeted him with a wide smile.
"Hero of Dmitri! It’s good to see you again!" The welcome ceremony was brief.
The war was not yet over, and Roman moved inside the building, receiving the enthusiastic cheers of the people.
At that moment, a familiar voice came from behind. "…Thank you."
It was Flora.
Her appearance was disheveled from the fierce battle.
Her skirt was torn, and her face was smudged with dirt, but she spoke without caring about her appearance.
"We did not fulfill our role as bait as planned. Even if you had abandoned Lawrence, we would have had no right to blame you, but I wanted to sincerely thank you for not abandoning us and for facing Lawrence's crisis until the end."
Her face flushed red.
Their first meeting had not been pleasant, so expressing gratitude in front of him felt somewhat embarrassing.
Still, she had to say it.
Without Roman's help, Lawrence might have fallen by now.
Roman replied, "I merely fulfilled my role as promised. And Lawrence performed as I expected."
"…!" Roman's words stirred something within Flora.
He was such an enigmatic person.
A simple thank you would have sufficed, yet Roman coldly drew a line by mentioning the fulfillment of promises.
She did not get angry.
No matter how he spoke, the fact that he had helped her remained unchanged.
Roman was Lawrence's benefactor, and Flora felt grateful for the decision to help, whatever the reason.
"I'm glad to hear that Lawrence performed as expected. You seem to think you don’t need to receive thanks from me, but as a representative of Lawrence, I want to repay your kindness. So if you have any requests, feel free to speak up in the meeting. Even if my father shows signs of difficulty, I will definitely support you to receive your reward."
Her sincerity was evident.
While shooting arrows from the walls, Flora had come to understand how difficult it was to fight on the battlefield.
Therefore, she was grateful to Roman for saving Lawrence.
For keeping his promise until the end, even though it must have been a difficult choice.
Roman looked down at Flora.
The height difference between them was considerable, and he couldn’t help but smile at her earnest gaze.
"Let’s head to the meeting room first. If your intention to repay my kindness remains unchanged, then I won’t refuse whatever I have to say."
In the meeting room of Lawrence, the leaders had gathered.
At the head sat the lord of Lawrence, with the vassals of the family seated on either side, raising their voices in heated discussion.
"We must send a messenger to Barco immediately. They must be demoralized after their defeat in the siege, and with Flare lost, further sieges will be impossible. Now is the time to seize the opportunity. We should propose appropriate carrots and sticks to Barco and wrap up this territorial conflict!"
"Indeed. Barco still has many soldiers left. Rather than provoking them unnecessarily and inviting disaster, we should bury the past and seek peace. That is the only way for Lawrence to survive."
The vassals' opinions were unified.
Peace.
They wished for the war to end.
Remembering the moment when the walls had nearly crumbled, their legs still trembled, and their mouths felt dry.
Pride was not important.
Having confirmed Barco's strength, they needed to find a way to avoid the next battle.
The lord of Lawrence spoke.
"Your opinions are correct. Although we were able to win the first battle with the help of Roman Dmitri, Lawrence cannot hold off Barco's attacks indefinitely. So we must prepare a messenger immediately…"
"May I speak?" Roman interrupted.
Normally, the vassals would have been angry at such a breach of decorum, but they merely looked on in astonishment at Roman's achievements.
"Speak."
"Thank you."
Roman stood up.
As all eyes turned to him, he slowly walked around the table and began to speak.
"Seeing that you chose to lay siege to Barco, I believe Lord Lawrence understands the advantages of a prolonged battle. Barco is likely suffering from financial pressure. They must capture Lawrence to repay their massive debts, and that hasn’t changed even now that Flare has been destroyed. If we send a messenger for peace, I dare say that what we will receive is not a message of peace but the bloodied head of the messenger."
"Ahem."
Everyone cleared their throats.
They tried to turn away from the harsh reality, but as Roman said, the chances of Barco accepting peace were very slim.
"However, that is not the important part."
Roman's voice changed.
It became a heavy, suffocating tone that pierced the ears of the people of Lawrence.
"Barco attacked Lawrence with forged documents. Despite Lawrence having done nothing wrong, countless lives were lost, and even now, soldiers are carrying corpses outside the walls. Do you feel nothing upon seeing that? We must not forgive Barco. To live peacefully within the walls of Lawrence in the future, we must clearly show the world what kind of revenge we will take against those heinous individuals who have touched Lawrence."
Roman's words chastised the vassals.
Though he spoke indirectly, he was clearly pointing fingers at those who had been advocating for peace.
Why were they not angry upon seeing the soldiers' corpses? The strong emotions boiling in Roman's words left the vassals of Lawrence red-faced and speechless.
Only one person, the representative of Lawrence, responded differently.
"We are not unaware of that. We want revenge too, and we want to make Barco pay for touching Lawrence. But what can we do when we are powerless? Barco still commands hundreds of soldiers and the Berge Mercenaries, and continuing to fight them would be nothing but suicide."
It was a cold reality.
Because of their weakness, Lawrence had been pillaged, and even after victory, they could not take revenge.
Roman said, "There is one way."
At that moment, he locked eyes with Flora.
Like a droplet falling onto still water, a great ripple formed in her gaze.
"Propose a champion battle. That is the only way to take revenge on Barco, transcending the difference in our forces."
The suggestion of a champion battle, a fight to determine victory or defeat on behalf of the family, shocked the meeting room.