After Becoming The Tyrant

There was fog on the sea.

The outline of the mast gradually emerged in the mist, the first ship approached the reef, and then the three ships also sailed out of the darkness.

anchor.

The ship stopped at a distance from the coast, and there was no plan to land.Charles, with a professorial air, appeared at the bow, and with him was a witch with a pointed hat and a crow parked on her shoulder.

"Is this distance enough?"

Charles asked the witch.

After being "pardoned" by the king, the hell that originally brought them a curse made the ship the new ship of the Volwe pirates.Charles led a group of elite Walwe pirates, crossed the abyss strait on a ghost ship that was erratic on the sea, and searched for the king.

In order to avoid being discovered by Blaise and the Holy Court's ships, they only sailed at night.After arriving at the east side of the Abyss Strait, continue to the southeast, bypass the Noginia Bay, and boldly go deep into the Hopeless Inner Sea where the Holy Court has a lot of influence.

At this time, they were in the sea area of ​​the Kingdom of Upper El, which was the junction of the continents.

According to the witch's calculations during this period, if the Black Death really broke out, the east would be its source.

The sea breeze was blowing the witch's hood. Under the hood was a face with profound features, dark purple eyes, and abnormally pale skin.The witch put on a pair of thick glasses, looked at the city looming in sight for a moment, and then nodded.

"let's start."

Charles had a premonition in his heart.

The place they chose was relatively secluded, and they could see the blurred scene on the other side of the port—there was quiet, the ships were moored, and there were no moving figures on the pier, as if they were in a deep sleep.

The witch raised her hand.

The crow flapped its wings and took off.

Her dark green pupils dilated slightly, linking the crow's eyes with her own.

With the sea breeze blowing, the crow circled twice in the sky, and after confirming its direction, it flew towards the city of Freya.

The city was dead silent, the church bells did not ring, and there was no noise that a city should have.Looking down from a high altitude, I saw sporadic figures running staggeringly towards the mountains.Some people fell to the ground while running, unable to get up.

The crow lowered its flight.

The dark red eyes showed the cemetery not far from the city—if it could be called a cemetery—many ditches were dug in the wilderness, and hundreds of corpses were piled up inside like goods, and some ditches were covered with thin A layer of soil was covered, but more corpses were directly exposed to the air.

There were also some morgues lying nearby, and the bodies had not been unloaded in time.

Because the mover didn't have time to finish his work, he died beside him.

Crows flew into the city.

The doors and windows of many houses were open, and the owners and guests of the houses were either dead or had just died, and the bodies were not moved.At intervals on the street, there were a few corpses lying down.Occasionally, a few hermit priests of the city of Fronya, wearing dark robes and carrying crutches, tended to the terrible dying patients.

The patient groaned in pain.

Some of them were covered with lumps as big as eggs, and some were covered with dense carbuncles. The patients cried out weakly while spitting out black blood.The monks, nuns and doctors in charge of taking care of the patients all looked bleak.

Someone pleaded with passers-by for help in burying the body.

The crow flew lower to hear what those people were saying clearly.

"Help us send the corpse to the grave!" They almost cried, "This way, when we die, someone will carry it!"[1]

The crow circled around and landed on the window of the newly deceased patient's house. It tilted its head slightly. In the dark room, a woman had just died. Her child was writhing on the ground in pain while clutching his pimples. Gas spit out from her mouth along with black blood.

The crow flapped its wings and flew again.

Just after flying a little bit, the crow suddenly fell straight down from mid-air.

It also died.

…………

on board.

The witch's pupils suddenly regained clarity.

"How about it?"

Charles asked immediately.

"The city is dead." The witch replied concisely.

A huge haze shrouded, and Charles stared at the dead city not far away, and sighed for a long time.

"Return."

He ordered.

Led by the Hell Envoy, the three ghost ships quietly retreated into the mist just like when they came.And when they sailed a certain distance, they found a merchant ship with the logo of a certain chamber of commerce appeared in front of them.

The merchant ship sailed from the city port where the plague broke out, struggling to escape here.

"Charles." The witch stared at the ship through thick glasses. "That ship is infected by the plague."

Charles frowned slightly: "All?"

"Some people are still alive, very few, and they cannot survive," the witch stated.

A cold and terrifying thing appeared in the concise words.

"Give it a ride."

Charles, the elegant mate of the pirates, was silent for a moment, then made his decision.

No one objected.

The trebuchet obtained from the Cinque Port Alliance was erecting the ship, and the boulder roared and smashed into the fleeing epidemic ship.The merchant ship was not big, and the sailors on board were almost dead.The hell makes the ship and the ghost ship some distance away from them but still sinks it with ease.

The plague-infected ship sank, and the sick and dead, as well as those still alive and struggling, were swallowed by the sea.

Charles and the witch stood at the bow, watching the scene silently.

Their hearts also sank slowly.

Black Death.

The great plague, the catastrophe, has come.

………………

"...The plague appeared in the eastern city of the hopeless inner sea. When we arrived, there were already places that had become dead cities due to the plague. At present, the plague has not spread outward quickly, because the initial contact between these places and the outside world is not enough. Infrequently, but quickly.

We sank several infected ships on our way back, and we could do nothing more to avoid pursuit.

……

The plague is spreading, and once it reaches the confluence of the Hopeless Inner Sea and the Abyss Strait, it will be the time for a major outbreak. ...Grela already understood what the 'group of fish' in the prophecy refers to—the death spreading outward from the Hopeless Inner Sea.

Your Majesty, may God bless Legrand.

……

"

The king finished reading the letter that Charles had sent back by sea with extraordinary speed.

Charles had tried his best to write the letter calmly, but the tone of the letter still couldn't help but reveal the deep sorrow of the Black Death-this is a disaster.

The king pressed his forehead lightly, and his head began to ache again, perhaps it was Charles's overly gloomy writing style that infected him.

Although the king has tried his best to think about what a black death means, there are some things that can only be seen when faced with them.

"What are you worrying about? My dear majesty."

The devil's brisk voice sounded, and black mist flowed in the room. The devil in a black dress with a red rose on his lapel came out of the shadows.

"I feel your dissatisfaction with me... Did I make you unhappy?"

He put his hands on his chest and bowed to the king in salute.

"The Black Death has already appeared." The king's eyes still fell on the letter in his hand, "Don't you have any explanation for this? Mr. Devil, who is full of lies."

"My dear majesty, you can't blame a knight who has done his duty for you like this." The devil was very calm, he smiled, "I have never deceived you, you see, when the Black Death is completely in Legrand Isn't the outbreak in January?"

"You are a masterful language artist, Mr. Devil."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your compliment?"

"So you mean to solve the plague after it broke out in Legrand, right?" The king changed the subject, skipped the question about the outbreak time of the Black Death, and went straight to the point.

"Ah..." The exposed devil spread his hands helplessly, "Why are you so keen?"

"You are really a typical representative of hell. Should I put countless question marks on all your words? Should I invite my former Mr. Templar Knight again?" The king asked softly, "A man like you The Knight is truly the No. [-] Hell Knight.”

"It is for your benefit, Sire."

The devil restrained his smile slightly.

"I'm afraid you don't have a penny of credibility in that statement."

"You're blaming me." The devil's smile faded, and he approached the king, "Aren't you going to block the customs? But don't you think those selfish people—those short-sighted ants Will you be grateful?"

He let out a grim laugh, with undisguised sarcasm in it.

"Ah, my dear Majesty, you would save their lives, but look, they will not appreciate your greatness... What will they say? They will say! It is the violent king who killed He made us bankrupt, made us impoverished, and forced us to starve to death!"

"Let me see what else there is, waiting for you to keep all ships out, how many saints - aha! saints! - will jump out and accuse you of your cold blood! . . . You have kept the plague out for them , but as long as they didn’t see those deaths with their own eyes and stayed in the warm safety line from beginning to end, they might not be grateful to you.”

His voice was no longer frivolous as before, but full of mockery.

There seemed to be some deep hatred lurking beneath his sarcasm.

"It's so rare, are you complaining angrily?" The king caught the hatred for something hidden in the devil's words, but he couldn't figure out where it came from, "This is not the same as your usual image match."

"Your Majesty, how can there be any inconsistency?" The devil said softly, and he knelt down on one knee in front of the king, "If you want, I will do anything for you... Who else is better than me?" Allegiance to you?"

No mercy, no bottom line, no right or wrong, no reason...

Who but the devil could serve you so madly?

Something flows in the air, carrying the secrets turbulent under the undercurrent.

The king and the devil looked at each other, and the devil had a mask-like smile on his face.

"So, do I have to praise you for your painstaking efforts?"

The king frowned and looked away.

"If you want." The cold hatred in the words just now seemed to be just an illusion, the devil's tone became light again, and he smiled, "Look, I have thought hard about this for you...... Your hostile countries are plagued by the Black Death."

"Everyone is dying, so wouldn't it be more beneficial for you to let the Black Death break out in the southeast first?"

The devil tried his best to convince his majesty.

"You only need to break out for a while, not only to avoid the envy of other countries for Legrand's specialness, but also to make the things you want to do next smoother. Isn't that good?"

"What do I want to do next?"

the king asked back.

"Don't you want to take back the power from those stupid nobles?" The devil laughed, his voice was sincere, "You see, when the Black Death takes some people away, the tenants and serfs who are dominated by the manor owners will be more powerful Great, you can make the old antique of the manor disappear from Legrand's stage with such a light push."

"Without the foundations of the estate, what are they to trouble you with?"

"You are so smart, naturally you don't know the changes brought about by the reduction of manpower? How naturally and easily you can promote the emergence of a new production system, your idea... How much easier can the big factory and steam artillery you want be than it is now Doubly appear in Legrand."

"The old chamber of commerce in the southeast is completely dead, but your free chamber of commerce can be re-established and become a chamber of commerce that completely controls the port. All ships will only fly your flag, and your will is the direction of the ship. If you If you want, I am also willing to help you develop new air routes."

"At that time, from the Hopeless Inland Sea to the Abyss Strait, only your ships will be woven into a net."

"You see, all this is the benefit of this plague, and you just need to act as if you don't know anything, let it break out on the earth for a few days, and then let me solve it for you .”

"Isn't this the most favorable option?"

The devil is the best persuader in this world.

He outlined the shadow of the grand plan and great cause, peeped at the realization of what people want to achieve in the depths of the heart, and put all the interests that moved people's hearts on the table one by one.

The king clearly understood one thing.

Regarding the outbreak of the Black Death, the changes and benefits that will be brought about after the mass death of the population, the devil did not lie, that is the fact.

"Hell is willing to serve your empire, my dear majesty."

The devil smiled.

"I do not need."

The king lowered his eyes and spoke slowly.

The smile faded from the devil's face.

The king's ice blue eyes met his.

The devil sighed distressedly: "Why do you choose a thankless path of infamy? My dear majesty."

"Because I don't need it."

"You are so proud, the people of Legrand should be glad that they have a king like you." The devil stood up as if compromising, and he bent slightly, "Well then... as you wish, the Black Death will not It erupted in the land of Legrand."

………………

General Sean is about to arrive in Kothsoya with the first Iron Rose cavalry.

He was terribly silent all the way, even a little absent-minded.

The subordinate followed him, not knowing what he was thinking, and could only remind him that "here we are" when Kossoya appeared in front of him.

General Sean raised his head and looked at the city in front of him with a complicated expression.

Only a few people know the real purpose of this troop mobilization, and General Sean is one of them.

Before setting off, the Duke of Buckingham met him and told him the real purpose of the trip—he must assist in the blockade of the city, and all those who obstructed the blockade of the sea area, regardless of their identities or reasons, would be executed uniformly.

"I know that justice is above all else in your heart."

In the cold wind of midwinter, the Duke of Buckingham sat face to face with him.

He respected the old man who had guarded Legrand for many years, so he kept silent.

"Block the harbor and kill all those who oppose it. Many of those who oppose it will be innocent. They never stole, never murdered and robbed. They obeyed the law. They only wanted to keep their goods from rotting on the ship. In order not to let his wife and children starve to death."

said the Duke of Buckingham flatly, his voice low.

General Sheen didn't answer.

"I once told Your Majesty that you are too idealistic." The Duke of Buckingham sighed, "You think knights are for guarding rather than slaughtering, for justice and not for crime, right?"

"If a person who wears armor and holds a sword doesn't protect the weak, what qualifications does he have to be called a knight?" General Sean finally said, "Isn't this the oath we swore to abide by when we were canonized as knights?"

"Your Majesty's evaluation of you is absolutely correct."

The Duke of Buckingham smiled faintly.

"What do you think of my brother William?"

General Sheen replied solemnly: "He is Legrand's hero, a promising and great king."

In his view, it was William III who unified the 36 states and ended the chaos of endless conquests.

"Heroic? Promising? Great?" repeated the Duke of Buckingham. "Promising is all well and good, but heroic? Great? That is not a word for a king."

General Sheen looked at the Duke of Buckingham suspiciously. Given the relationship between the Duke of Buckingham and King William III, it was impossible for him to despise his elder brother.

"Do you know about the Battle of Cassian?" The Duke did not explain, but asked instead.

"know."

General Sheen replied.

It was a battle that took place in the third year of William III's coronation, and all those who admired William III will remember it in their hearts.

"That time I fought with him." The Duke's thoughts seemed to go back a long time ago, "Our enemy is the Northern Alliance Army supported by Blaise. The most critical battle took place in Cassian. Our army only Less than seven thousand, and the enemy has fifteen thousand."

Everyone in Legrand knew about the battle. William III and the Duke of Buckingham defeated the strong with one blow, smashing Blacy's plan to invade by means of rebellion.

When the news of the victory came back to Merz, the people were ecstatic and reveled in the streets, shouting "God save Legrand" and "God save the king".

The court poets wrote in admiring style, "Never in history has a king of Legrand turned the tide and won such an important victory in such a critical situation. The people of Gelang will not be reduced to subjugated people from now on. When he returns with great glory and victory, this country will only bow to him."

"Isn't that great enough to be called a hero?"

General Sheen asked suspiciously.

"Only the glorious side will be remembered." The Duke of Buckingham said lightly. "At the end of the battle, we have less than 2000 people left, and there are more than 2000 prisoners of war and enemy wounded. Do you know what order he gave at that time?"

"what?"

General Sheen suddenly became nervous.

"He ordered—to kill all prisoners of war."

the Duke of Buckingham spoke slowly.

General Sheen looked at him in astonishment.

Kill all surrendered prisoners of war and immobilized wounded... This is an order that can only be described as "cruel and ruthless".The spirit of chivalry and basic humanistic morality were completely trampled by it.

The Duke of Buckingham closed his eyes slightly.

He seems to have returned to a long time ago, when he was still young, galloping on the battlefield with Brother Wang.He watched as William took the longbow in his hands, pulled the bowstring, and shot the first wounded moaning in the mud—his brother, the proud knight who took the lead in violating the principle of "don't bully the weak".

So everyone picked up their weapons silently, and swung their butcher knives at the enemies who put down their weapons.

"Kill prisoners of war, kill casualties."

The Duke of Buckingham opened his eyes suddenly, his voice was deep and powerful.

"Yes, this is callous, heartless, and contrary to justice."

General Sean sat there with a cold body, feeling that the image of a hero he admired in his heart was gradually collapsing.

"But what can we do? There are only 2000 Legrand troops left, and we only have less than a day's food. Can we take them away? Can we guarantee that they will not rebel again?"

"Behind us is Legrand's royal city, and we are surrounded by countless dead comrades in arms. Can we take the risk of losing the country because of a little justice?"

The Duke of Buckingham questioned General Sheen aggressively.

General Sheen was speechless.

"It was His Majesty who gave the order to block the customs, because he is the king of Legrand. People in the future will only remember what order the cruel king gave this year, but they will not remember who carried out the order. Whether it's infamy or accusation, it will only fall on him."

The Duke of Buckingham took a deep look at General Sheen.

"If the king only upholds justice, then who will bear the sins of those innocent sacrifices for the people?"

The Duke of Buckingham stood up and patted him on the shoulder lightly: "You are the first general chosen by His Majesty, don't let him down."

"Does Your Majesty understand what his orders represent?"

General Sheen asked in a low voice.

"He knows better than anyone."

The Duke of Buckingham turned and walked into the snowstorm.

——Anyone can long for redemption, and anyone can hope to enter the paradise of rest, except the king.

The king's robes were destined to be stained red with blood...the blood of the innocent, the blood of the enemy, and his own.

"Xion? Xien?" The servant shouted twice, "We are here."

General Sheen woke up with a start.

He tugged on the reins:

"Walk."

He carried out the king's order.

The author has something to say: [1] From "The Chronicle of Pisa", which is a real record during the second pandemic of the Black Death.