The Extra Wants To Live

"Akhtar Ali, why have you come to see me?"

Despite the solemn atmosphere, Carl asked calmly.

Ali slowly moved his old face as he watched Carl treating him politely.

"I appreciate your consideration for this old man's unreasonable request, but I still have one more request."

"Tell me."

Carl responded gently to Ali's careful and polite words.

"Would you please have mercy on the people of Tumari who have been taken captive?"

Ali got straight to the point.

He looked up at the young Carl, who was a hand taller than him, and met Carl's clear, green eyes with his bright, shining black eyes.

"Akhtar Ali, I understand your feelings, but what we are doing is war. They are not innocent people of Tumaria, but rebels who have joined the rebellion and have pointed their spears at Sultan Yusuf. They have also pointed their spears at us, who came to Sultan Yusuf's aid."

Carl spoke eloquently, in a gentle voice, yet with a firm demeanor that seemed impenetrable.

"Besides, our numbers are far smaller than theirs, so how long can we maintain control over them? And how are we going to provide food for so many prisoners?"

Carl refused Ali's request based on his unwavering, cool reason.

This was not a war game for children.

This was a war of death and killing.

If necessary, they could kill as many prisoners as they wanted.

Ali's parched lips twitched slightly at Carl's firm attitude.

But instead of blurting out the words that came to mind, the cautious Akhtar took a moment to compose himself, and Carl waited for him.

"If so, how can you save them?"

Ali decided to act more cautiously.

This young Archduke was too threatening to speak hastily.

"There are two reasons why we have difficulty dealing with prisoners. One is the difficulty of control due to the difference in numbers, and the other is the difficulty of supply."

Carl spoke to Ali in a calm voice.

"We have to attack the western part of Tumaria and blockade Jihan. Therefore, we cannot waste our troops any longer. It is impossible to keep them in Jihan, and it is impossible for us to carry them. In fact, it is impossible to control them."

Carl listed the reasons why they had to be killed, as if he were about to give the order to annihilate the prisoners at any moment.

"And how can we afford the supplies to feed so many mouths? All that money and food are the result of the sacrifices made by the subjects of the Empire for the Empire. You know the blood and sweat, so don't dare talk about it."

It was not a supply to feed the people of Tumari.

That was not why the Laurel Union was created, nor why the subjects of the eastern part of the Empire joined forces.

The reasoning put forward by Carl was so persuasive that he could not even bring himself to refute it.

"Akhtar Ali, we must concentrate on the war at hand rather than the many problems that will arise later due to the disposal of prisoners. I am responsible for the countless soldiers who have followed me to a foreign land. What meaning and value will my mercy for the people of Tumaria have if I send them to their deaths through my own mistakes?"

"… … ."

Rather than simply persuading him by explaining the pros and cons, he also supported his words by adding the heavy burden and responsibility he carried on his shoulders as the supreme commander and his heart for the soldiers.

Saying, 'Please spare me,' here would be an insult to Carl's honor and authority.

… … In fact, Carl was a man who would gladly tarnish such things as honor and authority for the sake of a cause.

There was one thing Carl wanted to hear from Ali right now.

Upon hearing that, Carl would be more than willing to show mercy to those worthless Tumari people.

However, if Ali did not give him the words he needed, he would make a strategic decision as the supreme commander and kill all the prisoners.

After finishing his speech, Carl looked at Ali quietly.

Beautiful blond hair, as if spun from gold thread, flowed down Carl's face as he lowered his head slightly, pulling his chin up.

But the green eyes that shone beautifully under the shade were ruthless, unlike their angelic appearance.

"… … ."

Ali slowly gathered his thoughts as he realized that Carl wanted something.

Strangely enough, if one looked into Carl's eyes, they could clearly feel his thoughts and will.

Thanks to that, Ali quickly realized what Carl wanted to say.

"Free the prisoners and conscripts."

"What…."

Ali's words caused a commotion in the conference room.

You want me to just free the prisoners without killing them to inflict damage on the enemy or collecting ransom?

Why would you do something so ridiculous?

"Akhtar Ali, we can't do that. What if they join the Tumari rebels again and attack our forces surrounding Jihan?"

Contrary to Carl's worried words, he spoke with only his lips moving emotionlessly.

Ali told him with unwavering eyes what he must do.

"I will convince them. Akhtar Ali Ghabin Haddad will convince them and get them to promise never to go to war again."

"What are you going to do if they break their promise even though you made a promise?"

Carl asked his question.

In response, Ali brought up what Carl wanted to say.

"I will take responsibility."

"How?"

"By any means necessary."

Only after Ali's resolute answer did Carl smile.

"Well then, Akhtar Ali, I respect your wishes. However, I think we need to discuss this important matter for a while. Could you please wait a moment?"

"Yes, Your Highness. Of course."

Ali bowed his head once more, turned around, and left the conference room.

If those who swore an oath went to war again,

When Carl cut off Ali's head or insulted him for a just cause,

All Ali had to lose then was his pitiful life, which was barely enough to last.

If he was already prepared for death, what was there to be afraid of?

But then, after Ali was justly killed by Carl,

The aftermath that would follow was something even Ali could not bear.

The Kuah Hadad sect, no matter what, ultimately worships the god Hadad.

This is no different from the Hadad Church, their main church.

Akhtar, one of the 16 pillars of the Hadad sect, risked everything to save the people who joined the rebellion by joining hands with the Kuah Hadad sect.

If the rebels were to send them back to the battlefield, it would not simply end with Ali's death but would shake the very foundations of Tumaria, which is closely tied to religion and has laid the framework for the state.

The father risked his life for his son, and the son killed his father and drank his blood.

Tumari would be torn to pieces.

What Carl gained from Ali's promise was almost incalculable.

Now, no matter how the war went, Carl could change the situation as he wished.

If the liberated conscripts attacked their forces again, just kill Ali.

Then all the believers of the Hadad sect in Tumari would rise up, and the people whose pillars of faith had been shattered would fall into confusion.

If Carl treated Ali well despite the broken promise, he could force Tumari and the Hadad sect into a huge debt that they could never repay.

Tumari abandoned Akhtar Ali, but the Grand Duke of Hardion treated Akhtar Ali well? This would also be a problem.

What if the liberated conscripts just did nothing?

Then, all they had to do was go north and occupy western Tumari.

With the promise of Carl and Ali alone, Carl had every excuse he could possibly make.

Whatever Carl did after Ali's death would be a just action under a just cause.

Therefore, Ali's decision felt like a hasty and terrible blunder that could have put not only his own death but also the Hadad Order and, by extension, the vast nation of Tumaria in jeopardy.

But even in this desperate situation, the one who held on to a single ray of faith was Akhtar Ali, a true believer who carried the name Ghabin Haddad, who dedicated himself to God.

Ali had faith. He had a truly unshakable faith deep in his old heart.

Carl accepted Ali's 'offer.'

It was his intention, but formally this was what Ali wanted.

One of the 16 pillars of the Hadad Order, Akhtar Ali Ghabin Haddad, appealed to the people in despair and fear with all his heart, took their oath, and, as proof, wrote down the names of all the people one by one in a very long document that came to be called the 'Oath of Ten Thousand.'

Ali stayed up all night writing down all ten thousand names, and then personally delivered them to Carl with swollen, shaking hands.

Even those who had thoughtlessly sworn to live in the moment could not bear the overwhelming emotions they felt as they watched Ali bow his head to Carl and hand over the documents in a dying state.

Their spiritual leader, Akhtar, was trying so hard to save them.

"Akhtar Ali! Akhtar Ali!"

Ten thousand prisoners cried out the name of Akhtar Ali.

Even after they died, they would never forget this moment, and when the secular rulers of the land they had returned to thrust their swords into the battlefield, they would refuse to risk their lives for Ali.

But they, Ali, and Carl all knew that not everyone could do that.

The oath, which was as precarious as running on thin ice, passed from Ali's hands to Carl.

As promised, Carl freed all the conscripts and even distributed enough captured supplies to ensure that they could return home safely.

Ali, who had stood firm until the end and watched the people of Tumari leave safely, finally collapsed, unable to bear it any longer.

This was so impressive to Hardion's people that Ali was carefully moved to the hospital and treated with the utmost care by Archduke Charles' personal physician, Milton.

Now all that remains are those who have broken free from the covenant.

"We're finally getting to talk. Did you have a good night?"

"… … ."

Hidan, who was not an innocent citizen but one of the secular monarchs who had joined the rebellion, looked at Karl who was sitting across from him.

Now he must decide what to do with the remaining nobles, warriors, and standing armies that were taken captive.

Carl had quite a few things he wanted to hear from Hidan.