The Founding Monarch Became the Mastermind

Chapter 65

During battle, when the commander is killed or captured, the situation often ends.

It’s because there’s no one left to give orders.

Moreover, the person who gives the orders usually also bears the ultimate responsibility.

So, when the commander is dead or captured, those below tend to surrender.

But what if those below also bear some responsibility?

They won’t surrender so easily.

With their own lives at stake, who would give up without at least swinging a sword once?

That’s exactly the situation the aristocratic families in Paloma and the surrounding areas found themselves in.

“Let’s surrender. It’s over.”

Seeing the heads of Gede Si-on and Hozat Si-on hung on a half-broken spear, everyone fell into panic.

No one had seen or heard anything.

It hadn’t rained all night, nor had there been thunder or lightning.

The night was cool and quiet.

Yet, no one noticed that the father and son had died inside the tent.

Even if their deaths could be explained away, no one had seen their severed tongues hanging at the camp entrance.

This was beyond shocking—it was something else entirely.

The aristocrats were engulfed in fear.

What if the assassin who killed Gede and Hozat came for them next?

“How can we stop such an assassin? Let’s surrender and beg for mercy.”

Those advocating surrender were terrified of dying on the spot.

Moreover, the deaths of Gede and Hozat meant inevitable chaos would follow.

The lives of the direct line of the Si-on Ducal family carried that much weight.

Even if the nobility of Sionia had plotted the assassination, the direct descendants and aristocrats of the Si-on Duchy who had fled to other villages and cities wouldn’t let this slide.

“An opportunity will come then. At the very least, nothing will change for us.”

Blint, who likely orchestrated this, and at least some of the lower nobles under him would have to take responsibility.

Thus, they believed they could remain safe.

That was the calculation of those advocating surrender.

“Don’t talk nonsense! Our lord was struck down by treachery!”

“Do you think this makes any sense!? We should immediately gather our forces and march on Sionia!”

Those demanding revenge were mostly knights of Paloma.

Even if the opponent was from a different territory—an outright enemy—it was forbidden to kill the supreme commander or nobility.

Even if someone fell to a stray sword or arrow during battle, the bodies were preserved with as much honor as possible.

But what happened today?

There was no honor to be found, no matter how hard they looked.

The father and son had been left with nothing but cruel humiliation.

The knights of Paloma could not let this go.

But the only reason they didn’t immediately rise and march on the Three-Headed Eagle Castle was that almost half of their troops belonged to the aristocrats.

Without them and their soldiers, revenge was impossible.

“So, what’s the plan? You think they’ll come out if we demand the person responsible? Do you think Blint Si-on himself will take responsibility? Do you think that young brat will step forward?”

“If he doesn’t, we’ll force him to come out!”

“That’ll start a real civil war! Don’t you realize the direct lines of Fland and Rozin won’t stand by any longer?”

At the mention of the other two cities within the duchy, the ones demanding revenge hesitated.

The second and third generations of the Si-on family, the son and grandson of Duke Jang Si-on, were governors and lords of these two cities and had remained neutral until now.

But if they got involved due to this incident, things would become even more complicated.

“Let’s surrender. If that’s not agreeable, let’s just go back. We’ll return for now, assess the situation, and come up with a plan.”

“No!”

“What do you mean, no?”

The remaining group couldn’t make a decision.

Had only Gede died and Hozat survived, things wouldn’t have come to this.

At least Hozat could have served as a rallying point for them.

But with both father and son dead, the remaining group could not unite and only bickered among themselves.

“Damn it! I’m just going back!”

“I’ll go with you!”

In the end, some even began to act on their own.

Thus, the resolve that had seemed so firm just yesterday crumbled like a sandcastle.

Though they had dressed it up with righteous claims, in the end, it was the bare greed of those united by profit.

Still, thanks to the more level-headed among the aristocrats, they decided to stay for one more day to assess the situation.

They would decide whether to rebuild the crumbled sandcastle or not.

But they couldn’t make a decision.

To be precise, it wasn’t their decision to make—someone else made it for them.

The afternoon of the day they prepared Gede and Hozat’s bodies, a troop appeared from the direction of Sionia, raising a cloud of dust as they approached.

***

“…Thus, the death of the previous Duke, His Highness Brian Si-on, and his two rightful heirs is due to the vile treachery of the wicked witch Katrina Bellin and the heinous act of the foolish Blint Si-on, which should rightfully be condemned by the heavens!”

“…”

Neither the knights nor the aristocrats of Paloma knew the truth behind the deaths of Brian Si-on and his two sons.

They had always believed that the previous Duke, who had been sickly, had passed away after only a few years, and that his sons had died unfortunate deaths due to illness as well.

So the knights and aristocrats of Paloma stood dumbfounded as they listened to the roaring declaration in front of them.

“Furthermore, the vile witch Katrina Bellin and the foolish Blint Si-on were instigated and given poison by none other than the traitors of Si-on, Gede, and Hozat. These two mother and son confessed as much!”

“Ugh!”

“This… this is madness…”

“No, this isn’t true.”

Some fell to the ground or even knelt, wailing in despair.

Although they had joined Gede for their personal ambitions and desires, they were still from the Si-on Duchy.

They were people who understood honor and duty, at least the bare minimum, as subjects of the Duchy of Si-on.

Thus, they despaired.

They felt disgusted with themselves for serving, until yesterday, a master who had committed the atrocious crimes of treason and unspeakable sacrilege.

Of course, all of this could be a lie.

It might have been a dirty trick to strip them of their legitimacy.

But no one dared to say it out loud.

Because…

“Surrender! Bow your heads under the banner of the Three-Headed Eagle! Do not make a foolish choice!”

The person standing in front of them, weeping tears and shouting as if spitting blood, was Sirvan Si-on.

No one could cry “liar!” to Sirvan, who stood there, calling his own father and brother traitors and criminals.

And no one could point fingers at Yonas, the half-brother who had once been closest to Gede, and call him a traitor.

“This is your final chance! Do not forget!”

Sirvan, wiping neither his tears nor his snot, stepped back a pace but did not look pathetic.

It was impossible to imagine the immense pain and regret he must be feeling at that moment.

For a son to denounce the crimes of his own father and brother… No one could point fingers at him.

At that moment, Yonas, who had been standing silently beside Sirvan, stepped forward.

“Lords, hear me. This is not a warning or a suggestion. It is an immediate order. If you do not comply, it will be considered that you are standing with the traitorous degenerates Gede Si-on and Hozat Si-on.”

“…!”

Those seated and those still standing all trembled.

The ones who had been crying for revenge that morning turned their heads in shame, their foolishness and embarrassment clear.

There was no longer any way to simply return home.

Following a traitorous degenerate and rebel would leave an eternal stain.

“Sir Yonas, may I ask one thing…”

One of the aristocrats raised his hand. He had been among those advocating for surrender. As everyone turned their gaze toward him, he carefully spoke.

“I wish to ask one thing.”

“Ask.”

“Then… who will inherit the title of the next Duke?”

“…!”

Everyone had been so shocked by the revelations that they had forgotten about the matter of succession.

With both Gede and Blint now revealed to be less than human, the candidates for the next Duke were now severely limited.

‘Could it be the direct line of Fland or Rozin?’

‘But they are now no more than a collateral branch. Do they still have a claim?’

‘Perhaps…’

Even in this dire situation, some had their eyes gleaming, calculating their next move.

At that moment, two people who had followed Sirvan and Yonas stepped forward from behind them.

“The nobles of the Three-Headed Eagle Castle have made their decision.”

“Master Blaho…”

At the words of the Swordmaster, perhaps the most neutral person present, the crowd fell silent once again.

Blaho surveyed the Paloma group before fixing his gaze on one point as he spoke.

“The Three-Headed Eagle Castle has decided to reinstate the Hander position. It has been unanimously decided that Sir Yonas Si-on will serve as the acting lord and Hander.”

There was no time to be shocked by yet another unexpected declaration.

Baron Biltman, who had stepped forward with Blaho, immediately continued.

“The term for the Hander will be three years, and according to the law decreed by our founder, Duke Jang Si-on, the position can be renewed once through a secret vote by the nobles. After the three or six years of governance by the Hander and the council, the next Duke of Si-on will be…”

Blaho, Baron Biltman, and the newly appointed acting lord Yonas all turned their gaze toward one person.

There stood a young man, wiping away his tears and snot in a daze.

“It has been decided that Sirvan Si-on, the direct descendant of Si-on who severed the sacrilege of his own father with his own hands, will be nominated as the next Duke.”

“Ah…!!!”

The eyes of the knights and aristocrats of Paloma widened in astonishment.

***

Making Sirvan the next Duke was, of course, Si-on’s decision.

It wasn’t a suggestion or proposal; it was a decision made by Si-on himself.

No one could contest a decree made by the legendary founder, who had returned to this land.

However, even if Si-on had not been the one to make this decision, it is likely that the senior nobles of the Three-Headed Eagle Castle would have eventually accepted it after much debate.

The justification and qualifications were perfect.

Though Sirvan was the son of the traitor Gede, he was still a direct descendant of Duke Jang Si-on, the founder.

His grandfather was the Duke two generations ago, and his uncle was the late Duke who had no heirs.

Of course, Sirvan had other brothers besides the deceased Hozat.

But they had sided with Gede and remained in Paloma.

Only Sirvan had opposed Gede and acted to restore the justice and broken laws of the family.

The truth was that he had coincidentally met Si-on and, half willingly and half unwillingly, joined him.

But still, he had the perfect justification of having stood against his father, the traitor, and was the most legitimate of the remaining direct descendants.

In the end, Sirvan was the only suitable candidate for the next Duke.

Appointing Yonas as acting lord and Hander, with the council of nobles supporting him, would give Sirvan time to learn and gain experience.

It was an excellent—no, the best solution.

Yonas had an outstanding reputation in Paloma.

Not only the knights and administrators but also the aristocrats of Paloma had few who disliked him.

By appointing Yonas as Hander, it was a gesture of goodwill to those who had followed Gede.

With the council of the Three-Headed Eagle Castle supporting him as equals, even those who had foolishly followed Blint would be satisfied.

“Everything works out well in the end.”

Sitting atop Blackie, Si-on murmured as he gazed at the backs of Yonas and Sirvan.

Though he had personally beheaded his great-grandson and great-great-grandson just a few hours earlier, he was calm.

After all, he had merely erased two worthless creatures lower than animals from this world.

“Grandfather, is it all… over now?”

Piotr asked, unable to hide his bitter expression.

Having seen the ugly and dark side of Si-on for the first time, the moment he had longed for had left him feeling far from happy.

“How could it be over? This is just the beginning.”

“The beginning…?”

Si-on, who had shifted his gaze away from the knights and aristocrats now kneeling under the banner of the Three-Headed Eagle, looked far off toward the northwestern sky.

“Isn’t there still someone left who dared to mess with my land and my descendants? Just like those two worthless fools, they must pay the price as well.”

Somewhere under that sky lay the Pamel Count’s family.