Shadow's Oath-Chapter 104

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 104: Execution Meeting (1)

Damion’s eyes lost focus.

His body was here, but his mind seemed elsewhere.

Forcing him to sit through this meeting in such a state was unreasonable.

However, even Terdin struggled to stop Rusef, who was too agitated.

"Why must we wait until tomorrow? I will kill that barbarian with my own hands. I will tear him limb from limb in the way of Born!"

Rusef shouted, even more enraged than when he had confronted Jedrick earlier.

"Calm yourself, Captain Rusef."

Surprisingly, Vadio remained composed.

He had arrived late to the meeting from who knew where and had been lost in thought ever since discussions began.

Terdin had expected the count to be more actively involved in Jedrick’s execution.

"Do you expect me to calm down, Count Vadio? My sister just…."

Rusef struggled to say the words outright.

The count, in a show of apparent consideration, finished the sentence for him—in the worst possible way.

"…has lost her value."

"W-what? Value?"

Rusef sprang to his feet.

"What did you just say, Count? Value?"

He looked ready to cut Vadio’s throat.

But Vadio, knowing Rusef couldn’t actually do it, remained unfazed.

"She was meant to be taken into the royal family, but after what just happened, her body has been defiled, and her value has diminished. Isn’t that the truth, Captain Rusef? The prince cannot marry a woman who has lain with a barbarian."

"Take that back immediately!"

"What I meant was, you deliberately caused such a commotion to make sure the prince would see…."

"You bastard!"

Rusef finally lost control and grabbed Vadio by the collar.

"Enough, both of you!"

Terdin intervened angrily.

Even with Rusef gripping his collar, Vadio remained composed.

"Both of us? The only one who needs to stop is Rusef. A mere foreign knight captain dares to lay hands on the lord of Triton and supreme commander of the northern forces? What should be done about this?"

"What I meant was, stop saying such things, Count Vadio. Rusef is already emotional over what happened to his sister. Why are you so eager to provoke him further?"

Vadio made no move to remove Rusef’s hand from his collar.

"Well, perhaps because I just heard that Born’s knights consider Triton’s forces inferior in value. The word ‘value’ must have slipped out without me realizing. Who would have thought my irritation over military deployment would surface in this discussion? It seems I owe you an apology, Captain Rusef."

Terdin wanted to kick Vadio for his obviously theatrical response, but right now, calming the situation took priority.

“Captain Rusef! Let go of him.”

“What if I can’t?”

Rusef’s eyes were red with a mix of agitation and sorrow.

If not for this meeting, he would probably be holed up somewhere, crying.

He was hiding it behind his anger, but he was undoubtedly tormented by guilt for failing to protect his younger sister.

‘Guilt… But is this really something to feel guilty about?’

The two had loved each other.

Visit frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓ for the b𝘦st novel reading experience.

Strictly speaking, it wasn’t adultery, and no one had died because of it.

If they had been mere commoners, it would have been something that could easily be overlooked.

But they weren’t commoners.

And so, this had become a tragedy beyond reason.

It was now a matter that could break the alliance between Born and Triton, and even reignite the war in the North, which had only just begun to settle.

Terdin recalled an incident from an ancient kingdom’s peace negotiations—a crow had suddenly flown into the meeting hall, causing such an uproar that the guards waiting outside misunderstood the situation and started a fight.

The result?

A hundred soldiers killed in battle, ten nobles slain by their own allies, and a war that reignited, taking the lives of thousands.

Later, a legend arose that the crow had been a messenger sent by a demon.

“Let go, Rusef. This will bring neither you nor your sister any good.”

Terdin spoke in the same gentle tone he had used when he first took Rusef away as a hostage in childhood.

‘It’s okay, child. This isn’t your fault, and it’s not your burden to bear. Nothing will happen. Just think of it as a short journey.’

Rusef, breathing heavily, finally let go.

"I’ll back down for the general’s sake. But don’t think I’m forgiving this."

Vadio scoffed and straightened his wrinkled collar.

"Now, let’s resume."

Just as Terdin was about to bring the meeting back on track, Aikob suddenly interjected.

"From a purely legal standpoint…."

The moment Aikob opened his mouth, Terdin wanted to tell him to shut up.

‘Damn that old man. Why now, of all times?’

Aikob had avoided the earlier discussion on withdrawal plans, insisting, "Leave this to Vadio, and let’s depart as soon as possible."

When Terdin refused, he had holed up in his tent.

Terdin assumed he was sleeping.

Yet, as soon as a crisis arose, Aikob appeared as if summoned by some dark magic.

He had no reason to be here.

But there was no justification to exclude him either.

He was not only the archbishop but also the king’s chancellor.

"In history, it is not unprecedented for a non-virgin woman to marry into the Triton royal family. Would you agree, General?"

Aikob asked.

Terdin had no desire to entertain him, but he had been asked a question, so he answered.

"I recall that an imperial princess once married the king of Triton as a second wife."

"There is also no law stating that a prince’s bride must be a virgin."

Aikob pressed his fingers to his forehead as if recalling some great wisdom.

It was an infuriating sight.

"Hmm… Yes, as I thought. I remember no such law. So, this is not an issue. Nor is the fact that the lady in question loves another man. Think about it. How many arranged marriages are actually based on love? Listen to the teachings of the divine. We must reject emotional impulses like love and make judgments solely through reason and logic. So, again, it is not an issue."

"You keep saying it’s not an issue. Which means you’re about to tell us what the real issue is, aren’t you?"

Vadio asked, smirking.

Aikob nodded in admiration.

"Precisely. That is the issue."

As the two bounced their words off each other, Terdin’s disgust deepened.

"And what exactly is the issue?"

"The part in question is whether the noble lady felt pleasure when she lay with that barbarian."

Rusef, who had only just begun to calm down, once again shot a furious glare.

"How is that… in any way important?"

Terdin wanted to slap Aikob across the face just to shut him up.

From his very first words, it was clear what he was trying to argue, what conclusion he was aiming for.

Terdin understood his intentions, but there was absolutely no reason to bring this up in front of both Damion and Rusef.

"Let's hear him out. What could be more important in this matter than the archbishop’s opinion?"

Vadio listened to Aikob with an air of intrigue.

Damion remained as expressionless as ever, as if he did not even feel the emotion of disgust.

Terdin stared at Aikob in disbelief, but Aikob misinterpreted everyone's focus on him.

He seemed to enjoy the moment, smiling leisurely.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

"I'm asking about pregnancy. From the perspective of the chancellor, who is responsible for both the church's doctrine and the royal laws, a woman's virginity is surprisingly unimportant when marrying a prince. However, if she is pregnant, that changes everything. That is why this matter is important. Because it is an indisputable fact in every way that a woman cannot conceive unless she experiences pleasure from the act."

"What nonsense are you speaking, Archbishop? Can't you see? It was forced! She could not have felt pleasure!"

Rusef shouted, while Vadio stifled a laugh beside him.

Rusef, now poised to throw another punch, asked,

"What’s so funny?"

"Oh, I was just thinking how this situation could be used to our advantage."

"What?"

"Whether Princess Charlon and His Highness marry is not actually for us to decide. That decision lies with King Gallant, does it not? No matter how right Archbishop Aikob may be, ultimately, the king will make the final decision."

"That is correct. I merely offer advice to aid His Majesty’s wisdom."

Aikob acknowledged.

Vadio, as if he had everything under control, clapped his hands together with a sharp sound.

"Then, there is nothing for us to decide here regarding the matter of the prince and the noble lady. However, if we take this opportunity to dispose of their chieftain, we can solidify our position for the future."

Rusef asked,

"Dispose of him? What do you mean?"

"Let’s execute him in front of his people. Just like we did during yesterday’s village trial—gather everyone, young and old, his mother, his siblings… let them all witness it."

Vadio made a slicing motion across his neck and let out a sharp clicking sound, mimicking an execution.

"I don’t want to kill him so easily. If we do it the Born way—"

"The Born way? What, tear him limb from limb?"

He continued mockingly,

"As far as I know, the 'real' Born law requires gathering exact evidence, holding a trial, and listening to both sides. Let’s see… that would take about a month, wouldn’t it? Am I wrong?"

"This is the military. According to military law, immediate execution is allowed, and I am the highest-ranking officer in the Born army here!"

But Vadio did not concede.

"If we’re going by that logic, then this incident happened in the Triton army's camp. General Terdin, what does our military law say?"

Vadio seemed to be enjoying the fact that he was now leading the discussion.

Terdin kept his response simple.

"I allowed my soldiers to plunder Elum village in exchange for promising them greater rewards later. The plundering itself was not the issue. The real problem was the inevitable violation of the village women that comes with such raids. The Geron people would bear a great grudge over that, and when His Highness later governs this region, that grudge would become a major obstacle. That’s why I issued a military order: Any soldier who violates an enemy woman shall be executed. However, this case is the exact opposite. It was not something I ever considered possible, so it was never included in the military law."

"But that very impossible thing has now happened. What will you do, General?"

Vadio asked.

'He's trying to force me to say those words myself.'

But there was no way to avoid it.

"If it was forced… execution is the punishment."

"Exactly!"

Vadio seized the moment.

"Then, under my authority—"

But before he could finish, Terdin cut in.

"It’s not that simple, Count Vadio."

"What part is complicated, General?"

"Legally speaking, Princess Charlon’s 'ownership' belongs to Captain Rusef. But Rusef is a knight of Born and does not follow our military laws. However, the incident happened within our army’s territory. That means two foreigners committed an act on our land, and we cannot simply punish them however we see fit."

As soon as Terdin finished speaking, both Vadio and Rusef objected at the same time.

"You’re talking about legal procedures over a mere barbarian—"

"I have the authority to overlook such formalities—"

Terdin stopped them both again.

"Yesterday, their elder stated that even someone like Jedrick, whom he treats as his own child, would first be stripped of his title as chieftain and lowered to the status of a regular villager before facing trial again. They are clearly trying to save their leader through a cheap trick, yet they are still following their own procedures. And yet, if we—the so-called civilized people—show less regard for law and order than these 'barbarians,' what does that say about us? Wouldn't you agree, Archbishop Aikob?"

Terdin quickly turned to the archbishop before either Vadio or Rusef could counter his argument.

He prayed that, just this once, Aikob would be useful.

And, to his relief, Aikob obliged.

"General, you speak with great wisdom. In times like these, we must suppress our emotions and uphold due process, demonstrating the superiority of our civilization to these barbarians."

Rusef was momentarily speechless.

Not because Terdin’s argument was flawless, but because he was too enraged to come up with a counter.

Vadio, on the other hand, was stubborn.

"So, what exactly are you proposing, General?"

At that moment, Damion, who had been silent the entire time, finally spoke.

"May I offer my opinion?"

All four men turned to look at him at once.

Terdin felt a mix of dread and curiosity.

What did the prince intend to do with Jedrick?

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]