AWDC Chapter 65
by Volare## Chapter 65: Incident in the Capital
The King’s death was no mistake.
Eric, Peck, and the people from Labos’s shop had been gathering information.
The wound inflicted by the mad King’s blade was not shallow, but it wasn’t a fatal wound.
However, the blade was coated with poison. The King’s personal physician lacked the knowledge to neutralize it.
The poison caused respiratory failure, and he passed away unconscious.
The assault could be described as an extremely coincidental event. A guard, flustered by a stray arrow, left his post, and a single assailant seized the opportunity to attack the King, disregarding his own life. Had the soldiers not abandoned their posts, the King would not have faced such danger. Above all, if the inspection route had differed by just one street, the hidden assailant’s blade would never have reached him. Even such a series of coincidences can drastically alter history.
If King Michael had lived out his average lifespan, future historians might have praised him as a wise and virtuous ruler.
He was a capable and diligent king. However, history is sometimes cruel. It allows foolish kings to live long while prematurely ending the lives of wise ones. This is what one might call the irony of history.
His death brought chaos to the country.
“Michael not only murdered the King and seized the throne but also cruelly killed the young Prince, the beautiful Queen, and many virtuous retainers. The Bawa Roma God is angered by these godless deeds! Behold! Michael has received divine punishment from the Bawa Roma God!”
The identity of the attacker remained unknown, but the rumors spread by the Bawa Roma teachings permeated the capital within a day.
“The King is hoarding wheat! We can’t eat bread because of the King!”
The starving masses seized upon this rumor.
“Give us bread! Hand over the wheat!”
The mob attacked the shops of wheat merchants and looted their goods. Over a thousand people stormed the wheat warehouses at the docks, carrying away sack after sack of wheat.
Emboldened by the large quantities of wheat they had obtained through the attacks, the mob swelled to over ten thousand and eventually turned their attention to the royal warehouses.
The guards protecting the warehouses were overwhelmed by the sheer number of rioters and could only watch as sacks of wheat were carried away.
The King’s death prevented the national army from suppressing the rioters.
The military leadership was shaken by the King’s death and unable to issue orders to quell the unrest.
While the capital was reeling from the shocking news of the King’s death, I secretly entered the Midland estate.
Lord Midland seemed to have been eagerly awaiting me, immediately ushering me into the drawing room. Lord Gregg was also present.
We had met in Toriholi Village, so it wasn’t our first encounter, but we had never been this intimate before.
“I’ve heard about you from my grandfather and father. Lord Gregg, Toma is a reincarnated person,” Lord Richter introduced me simply.
“Is that truly the case?”
His face showed suspicion.
“There’s no point in denying it here. I came from another world. However, I don’t know the reason or method of my reincarnation.”
“Toma is responsible for the various achievements and successes we’ve seen in Toriholi Village.”
“Ah, I understand that. Such achievements could only have been accomplished by a reincarnated person. But still, I never imagined that a reincarnated person would appear a hundred years after King Gregory’s death,” Lord Gregg said frankly.
“The remarkable development of Toriholi Village is due to Toma’s efforts, then.”
“Yes, well…”
“How was the desert reclamation achieved?”
Lord Gregg began to bombard Toma with questions impatiently. Lord Midland hastily restrained him.
“Elliot, we can discuss that later. Right now, we need to figure out how to overcome His Majesty’s death.”
“Ah, that’s right. I got carried away. Toma, what are your thoughts on this situation?”
“Finding the culprit is important, but the immediate concern is how to quell the ongoing riots.”
“The riots won’t be easily suppressed,” Richter acknowledged the difficulty of quelling the unrest.
“There’s nothing more formidable than a starving populace. Even if they are a disorganized mob, with numbers twice that of the national army, we can’t rashly intervene,” Elliot also expressed the difficulty of suppressing them by force.
The national army’s strength exceeds ten thousand, but their unity depended on the King’s presence. Now that the King is gone…
We then exchanged opinions frankly.
And we agreed to closely monitor the riots in the capital and prevent them from spreading to our respective territories.
After I left, Midland and Gregg discussed the matter privately.
“Why didn’t you inform me about Toma?” Elliot demanded.
“I’m sorry. I was informed about Toma only at my grandfather’s deathbed. I was strictly ordered not to reveal it to anyone else.”
“Didn’t you even tell His Majesty the King?”
“Of course not. However, His Majesty seemed to be quite suspicious of Toma’s abilities.”
“Ah, I also suspected something was up when His Majesty kept Toma close by his side in the desert.”
“My grandfather said that the existence of a reincarnated person would be a crucial key when this country fell into chaos. Seeing the results in Toriholi Village, I followed that idea.”
“Ah, if he can truly accomplish so much, he could overturn the entire country.”
“We should consider how we can lend our strength to Toma.”
“Don’t you think Toma might try to take over the country?”
“Ten years ago, the residents of Toriholi Village couldn’t even afford to eat bread properly. Now, it’s about to become the country’s leading granary. If Toma were to take over the country, it would become even richer.”
“Do you evaluate him that highly? Indeed, if it’s Toma, he might be able to do it. Yes, I will also consider how we can enable Toma to maximize his abilities.”
Neither of them objected to that idea.