Volume 6: The Meeting of Two Heroes, Chapter 21: Not a Single One Can Be Left Behind

“Is that so?!” Davos sneered, raising his voice. “I’m afraid your former colleagues from Thurii would hardly agree with your reasoning. The destruction of Thurii happened because the citizens’ hearts were consumed by the deaths of loved ones and fear of the enemy, and they were manipulated by certain malicious individuals into driving out the truly capable leaders! The generals they elected in panic were helpless before the difficulties, yet the common people, driven by self-interest, were unwilling to fulfill their promises and grant citizenship to freedmen—that’s what caused the series of tragedies that followed! All of this shows that the ones truly responsible for the destruction of old Thurii were its citizens and the Assembly they formed!!”

Kynogoratas let out a soft sigh. At that moment, the face of his tragically deceased daughter suddenly surfaced in his mind, stinging his heart with grief.

Polyxides was momentarily at a loss for words, then managed weakly, “That… that was just a special situation—”

Davos cut him off loudly, “If Daonian citizens want political participation, of course they can—haven’t we always done that! The Daonia Law has already stipulated that ‘regardless of high or low birth, any Daonian citizen may serve without restriction in the public offices of the Daonia Alliance.’ And we will continue to enact more laws to allow them further involvement in Daonia’s administrative decisions. But—”

Davos suddenly raised his volume, snapping sternly, “The Daonia Senate will never indulge the masses, granting them unlimited freedom, allowing them to recklessly destroy Daonia’s order and the common good for personal gain, or even be used by those with ulterior motives to destroy the Daonia Alliance we have worked so hard to build! Anyone who attempts to sabotage the美好 life of the Daonia Alliance today will be severely punished by the Senate! No mercy will be shown!!”

Davos’s resolute words boomed like thunder in Polyxides’ heart, making him tremble with fear. He muttered under his breath, “…If you put it that way, most Greek city-states would be destroyed, because—”

With a loud bang, the meeting hall’s doors were violently pushed open. Polyxides instinctively turned to look, and saw Matonis, the Patrol Captain of Thurii, hurrying toward the podium at the front of the hall.

What happened? That was not only Polyxides’ question but also the doubt of several senators in the hall.

Davos narrowed his eyes, looking toward the podium, fingers lightly tapping the back of his chair. He thought: Finally…

Cornelius listened to Matonis’s whispered report, his face growing more astonished by the moment. His gaze occasionally darted toward Polyxides, making the latter increasingly uneasy.

When Matonis finished his report, Cornelius, who had never encountered such a situation before, didn’t know how to proceed and had to seek help from the floor: “Lord Davos, please come up.”

Davos unhurriedly walked forward.

Seeing Davos and Cornelius whispering on the podium, the senators grew even more curious and puzzled. They craned their necks and pricked up their ears, trying to catch what they were saying, only vaguely hearing Davos’s firm voice: “…No! Everything must be handled according to Daonian law!…”

Then Cornelius called out again, “High Judge Tritodemos, please come up to the podium.”

The senators stirred, speculating among themselves: What on earth is happening?

The three exchanged words on the podium, with Tritodemos occasionally turning to Matonis, who stood by, to clarify details.

Finally, Davos returned to his seat, while Tritodemos remained by the podium. Cornelius cleared his throat, carefully choosing his words as he began, “Ahem… ahem… Honored senators, just now—”

“Cornelius, please hurry up! You’re killing me with suspense!” Scombrus shouted loudly, drawing a burst of laughter from the senators, which seemed to dissipate some of the tension in the hall.

But Cornelius remained grave. “Honored senators, a short while ago in Thurii, an incident occurred. A freed slave was being hunted down and fled to the Temple of Hades to beg for protection…”

The senators immediately erupted in commotion. Though the Daonia Alliance had been founded only recently, violent crimes had occurred before. But a case where a victim ran to a god for refuge was unprecedented—after all, they had involved Hades, so the matter had to be handled with even greater caution.

When Polyxides heard the words “freed slave,” a strong sense of unease rose within him. He fidgeted in his seat, as if the wooden chair were studded with nails.

“The city patrol, led by Captain Matonis, rushed to the temple, and with the freed slave’s identification, they arrived at the scene of the attack, where they arrested several men who resisted. After an urgent interrogation, the suspects’ confessions were largely consistent with the freed slave’s account…” Tritodemos had taken over from Cornelius, his eyes shining like cold blades as he fixed them on the center of the hall. “Lord Polyxides is the one behind it all!”

At these words, the hall erupted in uproar.

Polyxides shot up like a cat with its tail on fire, shouting, “This is slander! Slander!…”

“Whether it is slander can only be determined after a more detailed investigation.” Tritodemos’s demeanor was calm, but his words were sharp as knives. “Because their revelations also involve more serious crimes. They claimed that you, Lord Polyxides, frequently granted slaves their freedom not out of goodwill, but in order to control them, and that you abused your authority to deceive the Agricultural Affairs Department, leasing fertile land to them, then taking most of the land’s income for yourself…” If this is true, it would constitute a serious violation of the Daonia Law’s provisions on ‘no illegal occupation of land’ and ‘no restriction of others’ freedom’ and several other laws!”

Polyxides’ heart pounded wildly. He stammered in panic, “That’s not true! That’s not the truth! I… I never coerced a single slave! No! They were all willing! Yes! Willing! They… voluntarily gave me part of their income to thank me for granting them freedom! If you don’t believe me, go check—some of the slaves I have freed have already become full citizens!…”

“We will also investigate your claims, and we will never allow a high-born senator of the Senate to be wronged! But Daonian law applies equally to everyone, even a senator! Now that this case involves you, we will temporarily restrict your freedom until the matter is fully resolved.” Tritodemos’s face was expressionless as he finished speaking. Several patrolmen entered the hall, led by Matonis, preparing to seize Polyxides.

Polyxides struggled desperately. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Davos watching him coldly, and in that moment, understanding dawned. He turned to the senators around him in a desperate last-ditch plea: “Honored senators, this is a conspiracy! A conspiracy by Davos! He saw that my efforts threatened his dictatorship, so he used these despicable means to frame me! Sirs, help me! Please help me! If I fall today, you may be next! You…”

The patrolmen forcibly “escorted” him out, but his words still echoed in the hall.

The man who had been so triumphant moments earlier had now been knocked into the dust. This sudden reversal was too shocking; the senators looked at Davos with complex expressions.

But Davos paid no attention to Polyxides’ words. He leaned back leisurely against the wooden chair.

And then Tritodemos’s next words made senators like Eanilus, Oryphus, and Massisacus tremble with fear: “Considering the wide scope of people and affairs involved in this case, after consulting with the Chief Magistrate, I have decided to impose a city-wide curfew. No one shall leave their homes until this matter is concluded!”

The Senate meeting ended in shock. While everyone was still in a state of panic and discussion, Davos had already strode out through the side door.

“Lord Davos, please wait! Listen to me…” Eanilus, usually composed in speech, called out in a tone close to pleading, chasing after him, followed closely by Oryphus, Massisacus, and others.

Kynogoratas watched this scene with a faint sneer. He turned and was about to leave through the main entrance when he saw Bourkos sitting there dazed, muttering to himself, “How could Polyxides do such a thing?…”

In the Senate, Bourkos and Antistanos were among the few who had not kicked Kynogoratas when he was down. So Kynogoratas offered one remark: “A once-wealthy man finds it hard to endure present poverty.”

Bourkos looked up in shock, but Kynogoratas had already stepped briskly out of the hall.

…

That day, the citizens of Thurii watched in astonishment as the patrols swept through every corner, searching Polyxides’ residence, then subsequently restricting the freedom of senators like Eanilus, Oryphus, and Massisacus.

By afternoon, an urgent message arrived from Crimissa: “A freed slave has sought refuge at the Temple of Hades.” Without waiting for the Senate’s decision, Protesilaus, the Chief Magistrate of Crimissa—who had already received Davos’s secret orders—ordered the patrol to arrest a few former nobles of Crimissa. The feedback from these arrests then brought down Euricpus and Pleades.

In truth, the intelligence organization under Davos, led by Aristelas, had already grasped every detail. They just needed a pretext to bring it into the open.

The news that “nearly ten senators had been detained” sent a political earthquake through Thurii, sparking gossip and rumors among the citizens.

Hermes, staying at an inn, could hardly fail to sense the violent tremors in Thurii. He immediately realized the situation was turning against him, quickly packed his belongings, and prepared to board a ship back to Sicily without delay.