"You win!"
Old Pompey finally conceded, feeling a mixture of complicated emotions, yet a strange sense of relief washed over him once he voiced his decision.
Yes—
It's not about choosing good or bad; it's about the lesser of two risks.
Cooperating with Night was undoubtedly a risky path for the Pompey family, one that would forever alienate him from the other elders.
But if he refused—
As Night had pointed out, there were many other elders who would be eager to align with him.
These elders, given the chance, would crush Pompey and his family without remorse, sending them to ruin for their own survival.
Knowing his limited options, Pompey had no choice but to recognize his own bargaining position.
Besides, Old Pompey was, in truth, terrified of death!
Because at that moment, he realized that Night was truly willing to go as far as it took.
If he refused, he could see himself suffering the same fate as Babos.
The thought of that fate—stripped of power and left with nothing—terrified him.
As the patriarch of the Pompey family, he held supreme power and status, and he wasn't ready to lose it all so easily.
He had to survive.
If he died, all that power, wealth, and influence would be stripped away and passed on to others.
Just imagining it was worse than death itself.
...
"Well, Pompey—it's time to bring down the other senators.
Show me what you can do. I don't think you'll need any further help from me.
Or do you need some additional evidence?" Night said with a restrained smile.
...
Well...wielding an understanding of human nature with chilling precision…
He knew that by now, he had established an undeniable influence over Old Pompey,
Not wanting to push Night any further, and determined to make a good impression, Old Pompey quickly shook his head, assuring Night that he could handle the task himself.
There were many senators who had no ties with the Pompey family, but Pompey knew precisely what scandals plagued those who did.
He could use these as leverage.
I'm sorry, old friends.
For the honor of the Pompey family and for my sake, please go to hell..
A glimmer of cruelty flashed in Old Pompey's eyes.
No longer conflicted, Pompey finished his whispered conversation with Night.
When he looked up, he noticed several people watching him with curious or even suspicious expressions.
Everyone was eager to know what Night and Pompey had discussed.
After all, Pompey's expressions moments earlier had been too revealing, too dramatic.
And Old Pompey, fittingly, seemed every bit the dramatic actor.
His face showed an expression of profound sorrow.
Night observed with great interest and couldn't help but think, 'It doesn't look fake.'
The grief was genuine, and the reason for old Pompey's anguish was open to interpretation, depending on his next words.
At that moment, old Pompey began to speak:
He seemed barely able to lift his gaze to meet the assembled crowd.
"There is…so much I never wanted to believe," he began, his voice carrying a tremor. "What Lord Lista has shown me is beyond anything I imagined possible. The rot within our own ranks…the corruption in Rome's highest places…"
His voice broke slightly, as though struggling to contain the grief of a man whose last illusions were falling apart.
"For years, I was blind.
But now—now I understand. Rome stands at the edge of a cliff, and if we do not act swiftly, we are lost."
With a sweep of his arm, Pompey gestured toward Night and then toward the reforms. "I stand before you all, fully supporting the new bills proposed by Lord Lista and the Gracchi brothers,"
"In good conscience, I can not remain silent any longer. As my duty to Rome, I will tell you the crimes of those who claimed to be my friends."
One by one, old Pompey began to reveal the transgressions of his former friends, recounting each offense with such vivid detail that it seemed as though he might have been involved himself.
However, nobody questioned how Pompey could know so much after just a few whispered words with Night.
Well.. it didn't matter—
Even though his sudden expertise was suspicious, no one was foolish enough to call it out.
Anyone with a discerning eye could see that old Pompey had completely sided with Night.
As old Pompey grew more impassioned, he seemed to transform suddenly.
In that moment, he was the very picture of righteous fury, a man reborn as a crusader for justice.
Countless elders glared at him with bloodshot eyes, just like a sharingan, their fury so intense it was as if they wished to kill him down with a glance.
Seeing this, Night smiled.
The betrayer is more hated than the enemy.
With just a few tricks, he disintegrated the Senate, Rome's once-united and powerful ally, turning their strength against them and transforming them into his enemies.
If Night had chosen to kill all the elders himself, the repercussions would have been grave.
Violence would erupt across Rome.
Class conflict, in particular, would become irreconcilable.
Being blindly radical would not only fail to achieve the desired results, but might even backfire, making the situation worse.
But now, things were different—
He had sown division within the Senate.
By doing so, he ensured that civilian power could be preserved, allowing him to watch the chaos unfold from a distance.
As one side gained strength and the other weakened, they would tear each other apart.
"Damn Pompey!! You traitor, you actually—!" shouted an elder, so incensed that he could hardly see straight.
In his desperation, he decided to make a final stand.
This senator, on the verge of exploding with anger, planned to self destruct and bring down Pompey,
He wanted to let the people know that this high-sounding and righteous old man in front of them was not a good person either.
However—
In the next instant, Night's sword flashed, piercing the senator's throat.
As the elder fell, nailed to the ground in the square, the remaining elders cried out in terror.
Someone was dead!
Up until now, although there was blood before, at least the person was fine, and, everyone had survived—until now.
This completely shattered the elders' last hopes.
He truly dared to kill!
"Mr. Pompey, you may continue..." Night said casually, resuming his role as a spectator.
And it was precisely because of this sentence that the senators immediately turned their wrath on Pompey.
They blamed him for everything.
This old guy had really aligned himself with Night, the devil.
If it weren't for Pompey, perhaps there wouldn't be any casualties in their Senate, or at least no blood would be spilled here.
Despair and resentment filled the senators' hearts—their hatred for old Pompey now reaching a fever pitch.
They didn't dare direct their rage at the devil Lista Night, but for the betrayer?
Their hatred was magnified a hundredfold.
Pompey was completely stunned at this point.
A shiver ran through his heart, mingled with a hint of resentment, though he dared not show it.
Lista Night was driving him straight into a dead end.
A senator had died because of him, which was even more unforgivable than being punished after being reported.
The families behind those senators would now see him as an enemy and certainly wouldn't let him off.
He knew Lista was using him, manipulating him to achieve his own aims.
But he could only pretend to be unaware of it.
Being trapped like this was the ultimate humiliation!
.
.
.