Rome Must Perish

At that time, Siris was recovering from his injuries in the outside camp. When the ambush occurred, he quickly realized it and, enduring the pain, fled outside, barely escaping the sea of fire.

When Andres fell into the Kupa River, he witnessed it not far away, and a thought unexpectedly surfaced in his mind: If Andres dies just like that, it might be a good thing for the entire tribe.

Unexpectedly, he was unfortunately proven right, Andres died from illness, and Cabdes became the new spokesperson for the entire Segestica Tribe, and even took the initiative to sign a ceasefire agreement with the Nix people.

Yes, that band of mercenaries settled by the Kupa River, calling themselves the Nix people.

When the news of the ceasefire agreement reached the tribe, Siris, like the other tribesmen, breathed a huge sigh of relief because they had developed a fear of the Nix people. But unlike his tribesmen, his fear was not only because he nearly lost his life in their ambush but also because the attire of the Nix people during battle was strikingly similar to the weapons and equipment of the Roman Soldiers he saw in his youth that defeated the Skodisqi army, a shadow that had always lingered in his heart.

However, the hard-won peaceful life only lasted for half a year. The newly appointed Great Chief Cabdes once again provoked a war against the Nix people. This time, it was led by the tribal alliance, assembling a large Alliance Army. Due to unhealed old injuries, he was not summoned this time.

When the army left the Main Camp, many tribesmen stood by the road to see them off, placing great hope on Cabdes, wishing he could achieve revenge, destroy the Nix people, and rescue the missing relatives.

Siris did not go, as he felt somewhat uneasy.

A few days later, bad news arrived: the Segestica Army suffered a crushing defeat, and the Great Chief died in battle!

The Segestica citizens mourned deeply, their fear of the Nix people growing even stronger.

Just as they were holding onto a glimmer of hope that the Alliance Army would defeat the Nix people, the Nix Army appeared right before them.

Once again, the territory of the Segestica was invaded, but no one dared to resist. The Nix people had already become a more terrifying presence than their former masters, the Skodisqi, in the words of the Segestica citizens. Even without seeing the enemy's shadow, the tribesmen began to flee, including the Clan Leader who constantly cursed the Nix people.

Siris also wanted to flee, but his old injuries left him incapacitated. To avoid burdening his wife and children, he decided to stay behind alone, letting his wife escape with the children.

However, his deeply loving wife stubbornly refused to leave him behind. Just as they were arguing, the Nix Army was already approaching.

With no other option, Siris had to take his wife and children and hide inside their house. In the dark, they huddled together, silently praying to the Divine.

Siris felt the bodies of his wife and children trembling uncontrollably with fear, and the only thought in his heart at that moment was: If the enemy breaks in, even if he has to kneel and surrender to become a slave, he would save his wife and children's lives!

But after a long time, no enemy broke in. Gathering his courage, he pushed open the door, finding the village silent, without any fallen bodies or horrifying bloodstains, and the enemy troops had long disappeared...

The Siris family survived, but this wasn't due to the Divine's blessing, as he walked around the village and found all the houses intact, undamaged, and even discovered many hiding Scodisqi slaves who had not fled, all safe and sound.

Recalling what his tribesmen had done after overthrowing the Skodisqi's rule, and hearing about what Andres had done after invading the Aldean Territory these years, the Nix Army seemed very different... Siris stood at the eastern end of the village, gazing at the distant Main Camp, pondering for a while, then turned back inside, telling his wife and children they no longer needed to hide, and began to personally prepare dinner. After dinner, he finally managed to soothe his wife and children to sleep peacefully...

The night passed uneventfully.

Waking up the next day, Siris found that some of the tribesmen who had fled had returned.

In their anxious recollection, Siris learned the shocking news that the West Village had been captured by the enemy and the floating bridge connecting the banks was dismantled, sending his mood plummeting: the leaders and the Nobles had no power to resist the enemy's attack; Segestica was likely doomed!

But Siris also learned that the Nix Army had not massacred. They released all the captives in the West Village, even cooking for them and tending to their wounds... confirming his earlier suspicions.

Though his mood was dejected, his worries greatly diminished.

That day, the tribesmen in the village gradually returned. Some of them had not fled to the Main Camp yesterday but escaped to other villages not on the Nix people's attack route. Seeing that each village seemed unharmed, they mustered the courage to quietly return, bringing back some life to the village that was nearly dead silent the previous night.

On this day, no Nix people attacked the village. Occasionally glimpsing a Nix Cavalry was to see them bypassing the village, as if, in the eyes of the Nix people, this village did not exist.

This eerie calm left the village residents both puzzled and uneasy, and rumors about the Nix Army quickly spread in the village. The residents initially wanted to gather and discuss what to do next but feared that large gatherings might draw the attention of the Nix people, giving them a reason to attack. So, most of them secretly exchanged opinions by visiting each other. Although there were two elderly Clan Leaders in the village, the person most visited by the residents was Siris.

After all, as a famed warrior in the tribe, his heroic deeds were well-known, having once faced the Nix people and survived. Yesterday, he was the only family in the village that had not fled and lived well. It showed his courage and apparent blessing by the Divine, leading many to eagerly seek his guidance.

"Stay in the village and continue as normal," was Siris's response to everyone seeking his advice.

"But what if the Nix people enter our tribe?" someone asked worriedly.

"They didn't kill the captured tribesmen in the Main Camp yesterday; I suspect they won't do so in the future. As for anything else... just do as they request, and I believe you and your family will remain safe."

Some took his words to heart, while others showed resistance: "You're telling us to surrender to these foreigners occupying our lands and slaughtering our people?!"

"Do we have another option?" Siris calmly replied, "Fight, we cannot win; flee, where can we run to? Even if we escape to other tribes, we'd still encounter the Nix people. Running to Brochi or Desitia, not to mention the long journey, can you succeed in bringing your family? And if you arrive, will life be better there than at home?

You all know how Asimis, the Brochi who lived in our village for years, fared. In the end, to obtain land, he followed the Great Chief's army to fight the Aldeans, and he wasn't killed later!

Moreover, I've heard that both Desitia and Brochi suffered grave defeats this time. If one day the Nix people attack them, where will you flee to?..."

The tribesmen no longer resisted Siris's words but left feeling uncertain.

Of course, some didn't come for advice, like their Clan Leader Icarus.

Icarus, due to his age, did not participate in this battle against the Nix and thereby avoided disaster.

This fortune seemed to add to his fear of the Nix. When the Nix troops invaded, he was the first in the village to flee with his family.

However, when he arrived at Siris's house, he showed no signs of panic and did not display the authority of his position, but instead advised in a tone of an elder, "Siris, this time, our Segestica suffered a disastrous defeat, bringing Nix people's invasion, taking over our Main Camp. It seems our entire tribe is hopeless, but we can't easily yield to the Nix people! You're a famous warrior in our tribe; you should rekindle the fighting spirit in our tribesmen. So when the Nix people come to our tribe, they'll know we are not easy to deal with, which will make them more willing to hear some of our demands—"

"Why don't you lead everyone to resist the Nix people? You are our Clan Leader, protecting the homeland is your duty! As for me, I'm just a regular tribesman, injured and unable to even lift a Wooden Shield; sorry, I can't do anything!" Siris bluntly refused.

Icarus's face immediately changed, and he said sternly, "Siris, since you know I am your Clan Leader, you must understand that during this time of war, you must obey my orders!"

"I refuse!" Siris resolutely replied.

"Siris, how dare you disobey a Clan Leader's order; I will definitely—" Icarus, in anger, just started to scold before seeing the other person stand up, moving towards him fiercely. He was so frightened that he darted outside like a rabbit, shouting, "Siris, you wait and see! Watch how I deal with you!..."

His bewildered wife came over from the yard, anxiously complaining, "How did you provoke Icarus to anger?! He already had issues with you, and now if he seizes the chance to punish you through tribal rules, what will you do?!"

"He wanted me to offend the Nix people. I'm no fool; why would I agree to do such a foolish thing?" Siris embraced his wife, comfortingly chuckling, "Don't worry, it's not like it used to be. He's nothing more than a toothless old dog now; he can't harm me at all."