Chapter 729: Returning home (I)
When Vlad had first entered the chamber, the mood had been jovial and full of excitement—a moment of triumph following the end of a long and brutal war. But now, that feeling had vanished. A heavy silence loomed, and the atmosphere had turned grim.
Marshal Maximo, once a towering presence of martial pride and confidence, now felt the weight of a terrible shadow cast over the Graecian Empire.
If Vlad’s theories turn out to be true—if the Zanis Association had indeed betrayed the Empire from within—then they were not merely dealing with foreign threats but standing on the brink of internal collapse.
Mishandling the matter could lead not just to scandal, but to absolute damnation.
When it came to enemy races like the Vorometallicae, things were simple. You could point your blade at them, march to the battlefield, and destroy them without remorse. But when the threat came from within—especially from an institution so deeply rooted in the Empire’s foundations—it became something entirely different.
Even if they possessed definitive evidence of betrayal, exposing it publicly could plunge the Graecian Empire into chaos, civil unrest, or even civil war. It had to be handled with discretion and surgical precision.
"Ahhh, if only the old man were here..." Marshal Maximo muttered under his breath, referring to Elder Damian.
The old man had always been a man of reason and insight, someone capable of navigating intricate webs of intrigue. Maximo, by contrast, was a warrior—a battle-hardened general far more comfortable wielding a sword than playing political chess.
Still, Maximo did not allow the crushing weight of the situation to overwhelm him. His eyes sharpened with resolve, and an aura of leadership, firm and composed, radiated from him. He straightened his posture and faced the others with clarity.
"I’ll take responsibility for this investigation," he declared. Then, turning to Spartacus and General Tiberius, he continued, "You two—keep your eyes open. Don’t directly intervene, but monitor the movements of the Zanis Association closely. If anything unusual surfaces, report it immediately."
The two Legends solemnly nodded, fully aware of the risks and the delicate nature of their new assignment. A single misstep could unleash consequences they weren’t ready to face.