Volume 6: The Meeting of Two Heroes, Chapter 124: Return of the King (Part 2)

Davos even had the leisure to glance several times at the Spring of Thurii on the southwest side of the square. He could say that this spring, which he had never paid attention to before, had played a critical role on his path to becoming king. An underground spring that had been dry for five years suddenly came back to life at such a special moment. Something so miraculous made Davos unable to help thinking: Could there really be gods in this world?!

His gaze involuntarily drifted toward the white temple of Hades on the hill behind the northwest side of the square…

Standing on the platform in front of the Great Council Chamber of the Senate, looking down at the First and Second Army Corps arranged in neat ranks in the square, and the citizens standing orderly on both sides of the corps, even though these Daonian people were eager to know the answer, they still maintained relative calm under the guidance of the patrol members. The habit of obeying social order cultivated over the years in the Daonia Alliance had proven effective.

Davos sighed inwardly, then shouted loudly: “Warriors of the First and Second Army Corps! You have traveled thousands of miles, fought against the invading Samnites in unfamiliar mountainous terrain full of scattered rocks and difficult roads. Facing Samnites who outnumbered us and were far fiercer than any enemy we had encountered before, you showed no fear. You fought bravely and completely routed them, ensuring that the alliance’s northwestern border will not be threatened by the Samnites for a long time to come. The alliance should thank you! The Senate should thank you! The people should thank you!

After successive battles, you should have returned home to rest properly, but you cannot do that now! You must all know by now that while we were far away in Potentia, the great army of the Syracusans invaded Magna Graecia arrogantly, defeated the South Italian Allied Army in a pitched battle, captured many soldiers of the Fifth and Fourth Army Corps, Scylletium fell, Trina was taken, Caulonia surrendered, and the Syracusans’ forces have already reached the walls of Asperustum and Croton.

The foreign cavalry they hired have already invaded the Croton Plain, burning, killing, and looting on our lands, cruelly cutting off the heads of women and children…

Syracuse’s vast fleet roams the Ionian and Tyrrhenian Seas, cutting off our trade routes, ramming our ships, blockading our ports, landing on our coasts, slaughtering our people, and burning our villages…

Our former ally Tarentum has also betrayed us in our time of difficulty. Not only have they captured our allied city Metapontum, but they are now attacking Heraclea, and have also sent soldiers to burn, kill, and loot in Amendolara—our own land…

Moreover, the senators Petalus, Kaduruk, and Bogam of the Senate were secretly bribed by the Syracusans (in fact, there was no such thing; these three had long harbored rebellious intentions, and Davos let Syracuse take the blame). At our most difficult moment, they actually incited some of the Bruttian people to rebellion…”

When Davos said this, the soldiers who had been listening intently in the square finally stirred restlessly. Many soldiers had only learned something of the situation while entering the city, but they never imagined the alliance’s overall situation was so dire: even senators of the Senate had turned traitor!!

Davos’s face was solemn as he shouted again: “Brothers, after arduous battles, you should have returned home to rest properly and reunite with your families. But facing countless alliance citizens who have lost their loved ones and their homes, can you stay at home with peace of mind?!”

“No!!”

“We don’t want rest! We want to keep fighting!!”

“We’ll rest only after we’ve driven back all the enemies!!”

…

The soldiers shouted excitedly.

Davos nodded, tears in his eyes, and said with some choking: “As the saying goes, ‘In danger you know who the city’s heroes are.’ You may not know this yet: after losing the battle in the south, Fourth Army Corps Legion Commander Drakos stayed behind to cover the safe retreat of his comrades, was severely wounded, and captured… The vile Syracusans tried to humiliate him before the walls of Asperustum to demoralize the Fourth and Fifth Army Corps. For the safety of the alliance… Drakos… he angrily dashed his head against the ground and died…”

When the soldiers and citizens in the square heard this news, they could hardly believe their ears. Especially the soldiers of the Second Army Corps, where Drakos had once served as legion commander, shouted: “Lord Davos, is this true?! Legion Commander Drakos sacrificed himself?!”

“Legion Commander Drakos, that strong fellow… how could he… be dead?!”

As the soldiers shouted, tears streamed down their cheeks, and weeping arose in the square.

Davos wiped his tears and continued shouting: “Before he died, Legion Commander Drakos yelled, ‘Long live the Daonia Army Corps! Avenge me!’ Those were his expectations for us! As the Supreme Commander of Daonia, I give you, the warriors, this order: we will not withdraw until the enemy is defeated!”

“Avenge Legion Commander Drakos!!!”

“Fight the Syracusans to the death!!!”

The soldiers in the square were roused to passion. They drew their short swords and beat them against their long shields, producing a tremendous thunderous sound. And all the shouts finally merged into one voice: “Avenge! Avenge!! Avenge!!!…”

This cry from the depths of their hearts, like rolling thunder, condensed the soldiers’ anger and grief, echoing across every inch of land ravaged by the enemy…

It stirred the hearts of everyone present. Even Kynogoratas, Cornelius, and the other senators silently standing before the Senate could not help shouting out “Avenge!”. Davos himself raised his right fist and roared along with the soldiers.

After a long while, Davos lowered his fist, and the soldiers gradually quieted down.

Davos swallowed to moisten his throat, hoarse from shouting, and prepared to continue his speech. This time his target was the citizens on both sides of the First and Second Army Corps’ formations: “Citizens of Daonia! The alliance developed from the small Amendolara into the vast Daonia of today in just four or five years. We have faced many dangers, confronted many powerful threats, and united as one. We defeated the enemies, overcame difficulties, and pushed through, giving us the Daonia of today.

Now an even stronger enemy stands before us. Syracuse envies our rapid rise. It wants to strangle us completely, to prevent our alliance from growing into a nation that could threaten its hegemony. You must understand: this is no longer a question of whether we stop fighting or surrender. This is a matter of survival—‘either you die, or I die’! That is why the Syracusans mobilized all the troops they could, spent a vast amount of money and resources, and launched this massive war. They want to wipe out our alliance completely, occupy our land, and turn us and our children into slaves, just as they destroyed Scylletium!”

Davos paused. A deathly silence fell over the square. Soldiers and citizens alike, thinking of the tragic scenes Davos had described, turned pale and trembled.

“Citizens!” Davos’s voice softened a little: “I know that in this war, which has only just begun, some of you have lost relatives, some have lost friends, some have lost homes, some have lost land… And we may lose even more in the days ahead. But we have no choice. To avoid such a miserable fate for ourselves and our descendants, we must fight bravely against the cruel Syracusans to the end! As long as we stand together—in this difficult time, those with food help the hungry, those with shelter help the homeless, helping each other like one family—we will get through this crisis together! I, Davos, the magistrate of the alliance, promise you: soon you will hear news of one victory after another! After darkness comes light. Once we pass this trial, an even more brilliant tomorrow awaits the Daonia Alliance!!”

Davos’s final promise lifted the spirits of the oppressed citizens.

“Lord Davos, we will never be slaves! We will fight with you to the end!”

“Lord Davos, as long as you are here, I believe we will win!”

“That’s right! Lord Davos is the God-Touched One, protected by Hades. We will not fail!”

“Don’t forget the oracle Hades gave us!” Amid the excited shouts of the people, a voice suddenly reminded everyone: “The Lord of the Underworld said, ‘Only if Lord Davos becomes king will we achieve final victory!’”

“That’s right! He also used his divine power to revive the spring to urge us to fulfill that oracle!” another voice shouted.

The soldiers listened with some confusion as the citizens on both sides spoke emotionally about an “oracle… Lord Davos becoming king” and such things.

Antonios vaguely guessed something. He looked up at Davos on the platform ahead.

Davos, with a calm expression, looked down at the square, which had become somewhat boiling.

Behind him, Kynogoratas, Cornelius, and the other senators all looked tense.

At that moment, a shocking cry arose from the mouths of countless people: “Let Lord Davos… become king!”

“Let Lord Davos become king!”

“King Davos!”

“King Davos!!”

“King Davos!!!”

The shouts grew louder and louder because the soldiers also joined in. Though they did not yet fully understand the reason, it seemed only natural that their beloved magistrate and invincible commander Davos should become king and continue to lead them to victory.