"Really? Is there anyone who wants to oppose it?" Night asked with a calm smile, his face so serene that he seemed entirely unbothered by the elder's rebellious attitude.
Suddenly—
Countless veterans, like excited rabbits, felt their spirits lift, as if they were ready to act again.
Seeing Night's attitude, they thought he might be powerless or unwilling to act.
As a result, one by one, the elders began to declare that they would never support those "absurd" proposals.
"So—now, those of you who choose to support the new legal proposal, please raise your left hands!"
Finally, Night directly interrupted, ignoring the elders who wanted to keep speaking as he suddenly looked at the crowd and shouted.
In an instant—
All the civilians and soldiers raised their left hands.
*Crash!*
The orderly, uniform scene symbolized the rising will of freedom.
Elders: "…!"
They suddenly had a bad feeling, stronger now than ever before.
And in the next moment—
Night turned his gaze to the remaining elders, the only ones who had not raised their hands.
"Then, those who choose to oppose the new law proposal, please raise your right hands!"
Immediately, everyone lowered their arms.
The senators gathered together, whispering to each other.
"Are we really going to listen to them and submit like these civilians?"
They were reluctant to raise their hands.
In other words, they didn't recognize the legitimacy of this election.
To raise their hands would signify participation, making it seem as if they had accepted this civilian assembly.
This displeased the elders greatly.
But—
"Just raise your hands!
Cooperate with Lista Night this once. We can't let this devil use this event to create false news that we've chosen to support the new law!" one elder whispered.
Finally, the other elders agreed and raised their right hands.
However—
In the vast crowd, the sight of a few elders raising their hands made them appear like a small, isolated boat adrift in a sea…
*Pfft!*
Someone in the square couldn't help but chuckle.
It was as if they were mocking the elders for their resistance, as if they were overestimating their own power.
The elders' faces immediately turned pale, feeling as though they were teetering on the edge…
At that moment, they felt like clowns, humiliating themselves before so many civilians.
Shame!!
This was a tremendous humiliation for them as the highest nobles!
But these noblemen soon forgot their dignity and pride.
As Night suddenly walked slowly toward the elder who had raised his hand first…
This sight made the senators anxious, yet they tried to remain composed, assuming that he would not truly harm them.
After all, Night had a calm smile on his face.
However, the man who moments before seemed gentle and holy, like a priest worshiping in a church, now appeared almost saintly, bathed in sunlight as if he were Rama come to bring salvation to the suffering.
In the next instant, he suddenly drew his longsword from his waist. *Thwack!*
As the sharp, cold blade flashed, a severed arm flew into the air.
This brutal scene instantly silenced everyone present.
*Aa...*
*AAAAAAAHHH—!!*
At that moment, the elder collapsed into a pool of blood, wailing in pain, his face covered in tears and blood.
The agony was so intense that it exceeded his physical limits, causing his body to convulse and tremble on the ground.
"My hand... my arm!!"
His cries of terror and pain echoed through the central square.
Only then did the other elders take a deep breath, each one stunned by fear.
Only now did they realize what a terrifying enemy they had provoked—a man they had labeled a madman and a lawless brute.
Yet when Night actually abandoned formalities, stepping beyond conventional means to take an unconventional path, the elders could see his ruthlessness.
They had initially assumed he wouldn't dare to truly harm them, but they were completely wrong…
Instinctively, all the elders trembled and quickly pulled their arms back, terrified they would be next to lose a limb.
Night looked at everyone and said.
"Very good—
No one is raising their hands. Although the elders did not choose to support the bill, they also appear to have no intention of opposing it.
I think you've reconsidered and might wish to make a new choice.
Rome, a nation of freedom and equality, is always willing to offer us the opportunity to choose again.
So, let me ask once more: among the many elders present, who is in favor, and who is against the establishment of the new bill?"
Those who oppose the candidate, please keep your right hands raised high."
However, after Night spoke, no one dared to raise their hand this time.
At that moment, the elder lying on the ground heard the words "raise your hands" and cursed with resentment and fear, as if he were provoked:
"Hands—my hands, ah ah—!
Lista, you lunatic...
You evil devil—the gods will not tolerate your atrocities.
You will suffer the worst retribution."
...
Night: "If you lose one hand, will another grow back?
I'm very curious—what gives you the courage to speak so arrogantly to me after you've lost an arm..."
That night, he chuckled, his tone icy.
The elder with the severed arm was terrified, his courage fading beneath his bluster.
Finally, one of the elders could no longer remain silent.
He began denouncing Night's actions, declaring,
"Is this what you call justice?
Innocent Lord Babos has had his arm chopped off by you.
He committed no crime—he merely voted against your proposal, yet he suffered such brutality.
You claim that Roman law is sacred and inviolable, yet you were the first to trample upon it.
Lista Night, you are the one who should repent before the sacred statues of the Twelve Lords.
Is it your aim to become a dictator? To turn Rome into your personal dominion?"
...
At this, some of the surrounding elders looked at the speaker with admiration.
The man was none other than Pompey the Elder, patriarch of the Pompey family.
Though Night's recent actions had been brutal, many civilians were secretly pleased.
While the sight had unnerved them, they weren't exactly disgusted or frightened.
Instead, they felt a quiet satisfaction at seeing the Senate nobles humbled.
Yet, it was undeniable that Night's actions had crossed the line of Roman law.
The civilians, however, were more than willing to overlook this, or even turn a blind eye.
After all, at the Tiber River, they had already proven their willingness to cooperate with Night in dealing with these despised Senate nobles.
But—
Night looked calm.
"A dictatorship? Certainly not. I think Mr. Pompey may have misunderstood my intentions.
I did not cut off Senator Babos's arm because he voted against the proposal.
That's something I intend to clarify to the public."
.
.
.