Fate: Hero of Justice Takeover-Chapter 246: [] Young Man, the Star of Death Shines Upon You

After a morning of fierce battle, the enemy camp was firmly under Sakatsuki's control.

By lunchtime, the troops were divided into three groups: one stationed for defense, another guarding the prisoners, and the last enjoying their meal.

The tension of battle had faded, and the soldiers in the camp wore relaxed smiles as they savored the rare feast—cheese, cured meats, and fresh fruit personally gathered by Sakatsuki—delivered by the quartermaster earlier.

Meanwhile, the unlucky patrol and prison guards, who had drawn the short straw in the centurion's lottery, could only stare enviously at their comrades feasting inside while they stood watch at the camp gates or oversaw the thousand prisoners.

"Legate, won't you eat?" Rosario, now sporting a fresh scar on his face, asked with his mouth full, grease dripping from his lips.

Sakatsuki merely waved him off. As a Servant, he lacked the voracious appetite of a certain saber-faced glutton.

"More importantly, report our casualties and the spoils of war, Deputy."

Indeed, after confirming Rosario's loyalty, Sakatsuki had promoted him to replace the fool Gorin, entrusting him with handling the army's tedious affairs.

"Yes!" The middle-aged man flushed with pride at the title of Deputy and recited the memorized figures. "Forty-two dead, three hundred and twelve wounded—mostly minor injuries. The severely injured have been sent to the commander's tent for emergency treatment and will be transported back to the main camp this afternoon."

"Hm. Any word from the main camp?"

The main camp referred toSakatsuki's base in Pisa, currently left nearly empty save for a few messengers.

"Nothing yet. Though when I inquired, the messengers seemed... uneasy."

"How so?"

"Never mind—likely just my imagination." Rosario paused before continuing. "As for the seized supplies, most of the cloth and rations were lost to the fire, but the weapons and armor remain largely intact. After repairs, they'll be ready for use."

"So this was a resource depot for the United Roman Empire." Sakatsuki nodded before turning toward the prisoner compound.

Pisa, nestled along the Mediterranean, endured scorching summers despite its mild winters. The dry, rainless heat made the air brittle—perfect conditions for Sakatsuki's incendiary tactics.

Today's clear skies were ideal for sightseeing but pure hell for the prisoners kneeling in the dirt, hands clasped behind their heads.

The merciless sun seared their skin, parched lips cracked, and the rising heat haze dulled their minds, eroding their will.

Some collapsed, but under Sakatsuki's orders, the Roman soldiers merely watched coldly, barking threats at any who stirred.

Then, abruptly, the sky darkened.

'Rain at last?'

A prisoner looked up in hope—only for his pupils to shrink in terror.

A churning sea of blood.

Resentment never fades. The hatred spilled in human conflict had been absorbed by the young man, its wounds freshly torn open before time could heal them.

The bloody miasma blotted out the sun, yet no one felt relief. The palpable malice above cursed all living things, yearning to drag them into eternal suffering.

"I ask you now—will you surrender and rejoin the Roman Empire?"

Amid this hellscape, the white-haired youth ascended a makeshift platform, his voice calm.

"Do you denounce the United Roman Empire as heretics? Do you acknowledge Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus as the sole ruler of this land?"

"Answer me, soldiers. If you sincerely praise the glory of Augustus, step forward, kneel, and receive mercy."

The prisoners stirred as Roman soldiers laid out a long table before them, the quartermaster placing bread and fruit upon it.

Food. Water.

The hope of survival.

Their bodies groaned with hunger, the beast within battering the walls of loyalty. The bloody wrath above still loomed, and their fallen comrades foreshadowed their fate.

One step forward.

Just one step, and the torment would end. Salvation awaited.

So why hesitate?

One man broke. A limping soldier crawled from the ranks, wailing as he smashed his forehead against the ground until blood stained the stones. At last, the guards parted, allowing him to lunge at the table and gorge himself.

Where one led, others followed. The dam shattered as more prisoners stumbled to their feet, eyes alight with desperation, bowing deeply to the youth on the platform.

The bloody clouds dispersed. Sunlight bathed the earth once more as the surrendered feasted like men reborn.

"Partake of this sacrament and shed tears of gratitude. This is the Emperor's forgiveness."

Sakatsuki's crimson gaze then slid past these broken men to the few who remained defiant—those still loyal or clinging to false hope.

"As for you... do you seek to prove your resolve through death? Good."

When no answer came, the young man smiled brilliantly.

"Then start digging."

The Servant he hosted was infamous for a reason—was it not for that very massacre?

Besides, with restoration assured, Sakatsuki felt no guilt.

Digging?

Under his pitiless stare, the prisoners' eyes widened in dawning horror.

But before any could beg, a voice as bright as the sun itself rang out:

"Umu! I thought I'd have to ride into battle myself, but victory came so swiftly! As expected of my Legate!"

That signature 'umu' told Sakatsuki exactly which nuisance had arrived. He sighed deeply, his imposing aura vanishing as he turned reluctantly.

"Your Majesty... why are you here?" frёeweɓηovel.coɱ

Before him stood the Emperor herself—Nero Claudius, resplendent in crimson, golden hair framing emerald eyes, her petite yet voluptuous figure blooming like a grand rose.

"Umu! I came to inspect the frontlines!" Nero's eyes darted about, unwilling to admit she'd been spurred by a daydream. "Speaking of which, I'm starving from the journey! Where's the meat? I demand meat!"

She pouted, rubbing her flat stomach with such exaggerated misery that Sakatsuki almost felt like a villain who'd wronged her.

"Yes, yes... Just wait a moment. Once I finish here, I'll take you to dine."

Even a ruler who mingled with commoners wouldn't eat alongside prisoners. As Sakatsuki scrambled for an excuse to shoo the Emperor away, a young soldier clutching a shovel jogged over, saluting eagerly.

"Legate! The tools are ready! How deep should the pit be? And where shall we dig?"

Sakatsuki: "...."

An awkward silence fell. Oblivious, the boy stood at attention like an overzealous fool, unaware that while Nero's eyes sparkled with curiosity, the white-haired Legate's gaze promised death.

Young man, the star of death shines upon you.

***

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