Chapter 96: Secret Promise (1)

Everyones attention was on Herarion, however, he did not seem taken back at all and said, Does anyone here know about La?

La I know it as the god that the Shahatra people believe in.

Thats right, but he is not the only god.

What does that mean?

There are two gods in Shahatra. There is La, who reigns over the sun and the desert, and Janus, who governs everything in the afterlife.

Janus?

Henry believed that he knew quite a lot about Shahatra, but he had never heard of Janus before.

We, the Shahatra people, are chosen by La. Therefore, only our people can borrow the powers of La, as well as the power of Janus, the god of death. Herarion said.

What are you trying to get at? Eisen became slightly irritated.

Despite Eisens reaction, Herarion smiled slightly and continued, By any chance, did Benedict mention the kings badge?

The kings badge He did mention it, but he said Las Badge rather than the kings badge.

It means the same thing. However, the ruler of Shahatra needs not only La's Badge, but also Januss Badge to prove that he is the king.

Januss badge?

Thats right. Benedict is also known as Las Sword, and as the king, I am known as Las Son. However, I am also known as Januss daughter.

Januss daughter? Does that mean Your Majesty can borrow the power of Janus, the god of death?

Yes.

This was also new to Henry. He couldnt help feeling curious and asked on behalf of Eisen, What powers does Janus have?

I cant tell you everything because this is a royal secret, but to give you one example, deprivation of death for all living things.

Deprivation of death?

Its just as it sounds. It is the power to take away the ability to die for eternity.

Isnt that a good thing? Its giving someone immortality, is it not?

I think its just better to show you rather than explaining it a hundred times. If you have any spare livestock, could you give it to me?

Oscar signaled with a slight movement of his chin, and one of the soldiers guarding the meeting room entered holding a chicken by the neck. Hed been planning to cook it.

Cluck cluck!

The hen was fluttering. However, despite the flurry of feathers, it couldnt escape the soldiers grasp. The soldier handed the chicken to Herarion, who began to cast a spell in a low voice.

Vudwja wha dhffuwntpdy.

Swoosh.

Immediately after Herarion cast the spell, a dark energy started to flow from the hand holding the chickens neck. Henrys eyes filled with joy, like someone who had discovered a treasure.

Black magic!

It was black magic for sure. Henry instinctively gulped.

The dark energy t started to wrap around the entire chicken, concentrating on the chickens neck, making it look like a withering flower. All of its feathers fell off, and its pink body turned dark, as though it were a mummy.

Thud.

Herarion placed the chicken on the round table.

Cluck

Surprisingly, the chicken was not dead. It was still breathing, but it couldnt do anything else.

This chicken will now live like this for the rest of its life. Even if its head gets cut off, if its burned or fried in boiling oil, the chicken will only be able to breathe and cry out in despair. All of its five senses will be intact and it will struggle to live in pain forever, said Herarion.

Gulp.

It meant losing everything and having to live a life of pain forever.

Everyone who saw the hens miserable end swallowed at the gruesome power of Janus.

This is a part of Januss power and we, the Khan royal family, have a duty to protect Januss power so that it is not abused.

Henry and Eisen finally understood why Benedict had asked for the entire Khan royal family.

Las Badge was only an excuse. What Benedict needed was the power of Janus.

If he had a power like this, he could put up a fight against the imperial army.

Eisen nodded after exchanging glances with Henry. This It seems that Las Badge was just an excuse, he said slowly..

Benedict has been consistently advocating a war of independence ever since Shahatra became a vassal of the empire. However, his suggestions were frequently ignored. Benedict had enough of this, and he finally started a civil war and usurped the throne.

Did he insist on using the power of Janus during the process?

I will not say anything regarding that.

There was no need for further explanation.

Herarion had justified the need for a subjugation without stooping to doubling the amount of tribute.

It seems like youve spent your time doing something. Henry smiled at Herarion for his commendable growth. Anyway, I cant believe its black magic. I didnt expect that so many things would be intertwined like this.

However, the black magic and Duke Arthuss possible role behind the rebellion made Eisens victory the last thing on Henrys mind.

Ill start getting busy soon.

The meeting continued as Henry organized his thoughts.

Now that Benedicts subterfuge had been revealed, they could focus on the subjugation.

Then whether we like it or not, we must proceed with subjugating the rebels, said Count Oscar.

Its actually better this way. I hated seeing Benedict act so arrogantly anyway. Let's move on and start talking about our plans. The scribe will take down the meeting notes and write a report for the imperial palace.

There was no need to inform Benedict of the empire's will. An unnecessary declaration of war would cause them to lose the opportunity for a surprise attack. Now that they had fully established what they were going to do, it was necessary to report the situation and a rough plan for the future to the imperial palace.

But I can't let that happen.

Although this was the standard way of doing things, it only worked when they were sure that there were no spies. However, there was a possibility that Duke Arthus was behind the rebels.

In this case, reporting their plans would only expose their strategy to the enemy.

I will organize the forms and plans for the report and then give them to the scribe. We dont know what the subjugation will look like yet, so lets make our plans as flexible as possible.

Ill trust you with it.

Henry took the meeting minutes.

Its quite late into the night. Lets end the meeting here and talk about the details tomorrow morning, said Eisen.

They had made a lot of progress through the meeting. Henry wondered if they would mention the supplies that hed given the soldiers, but as expected, the counts didnt seem to know anything about it.

Tsk tsk, and they call themselves commanders in chief.

They were commanders who didnt even know what their soldiers were wearing or eating. Henry left the barracks, clucking his tongue at the incompetence of the commanders.

As for the meeting tomorrow, well probably review the report for the imperial palace and determine when we will reorganize the army.

There would be only one thing left to do: deciding who would take care of the royal family until the subjugation ended.

No one is going to want to do such a troublesome thing, but this is actually a good thing. It would be better if I do it myself and get close to them.

Henry had had connections with them in his previous life, but even without that, the power of Janus had piqued Henrys interest. Shall I go and deliver some unpleasant news to Eisen now?

He immediately went to Eisen to suggest that they protect the royal family.

Eisen frowned and said, Protect the royal family? Why do we have to do such a troublesome thing?

It is a simple problem. At first glance, it may not seem advantageous, but thats because we dont know how much power Khan will have after the subjugation is over.

Are you trying to win him over with kindness?

Thats right.

Hmm, I dont really like the idea, but Ill go with it since you want to. Visjt nvelbin(.)cm for new updates

Dont worry. I will be in charge of taking care of the royal family, so all the count has to do is worry about the upcoming subjugation.

What should I prepare this time?

I have already planned ahead. I will let you know the details. Please prepare accordingly.

As expected, youre perfect. You must have been really busy while you were accompanying, how did you find the time to do everything? Im so proud of you.

I just did what I had to do. Also, after tomorrows meeting, we will have to reorganize the army, but in the meantime, I have to prepare something else.

Theres more to prepare?

Yes. I need to secure additional magical horseshoes to hand out to the other armies. The subjugation may turn into a long battle, and well have to prepare for that as well.

Is there really a need to prepare magical horseshoes for the others? If we're competing anyway, shouldnt we take any advantage over them, no matter how small?

In the end, if the subjugation isnt successful, none of this will mean anything. So, could the generous count please consider it just this once? You will soon become a marquis and rule over the two counts anyway.

Youre right. I should set examples for my subordinates. Hmm, anyway, how much are the magical horseshoes?

I apologize for not letting you know earlier, but I started a line of credit for the horseshoes under the Shonan familys name.Chapter end