Capítulo 20: Chapter 20: Noble Titles and Police Brutality
3rd Pov
It's been 2 weeks since Duloc's attack on Baron Marcus Di Maria's city, with the Barony's family being captured and placed in a prison, but unlike the prison where the other war enemies were, the prison where the Di Maria Family was being held was cleaner and more organized, along with several other things to provide some comfort, especially for the couple's baby.
The news of the official takeover of the 2 Baronies was quickly sent to Duloc, while the Dulocian armies that were acting in both Baronies were creating supply lines between themselves and fortifying their positions in case of retaliation from the Duchies.
In Joseph's "Palace", we can see our protagonist looking at the map, with the regions of the 2 Baronies being occupied by Chess pieces to represent the takeover of the territory.
"Thelonius, how are the police operations in the Baronies going? Are we managing to maintain public order?" Joseph asked as he raised his head, looking at Thelonius seriously.
"Mi'lord, the Order is being guaranteed, we had some people who dared to try to stand up and resist, but in the end, they were dealt with brutally and used as an example by the Police" Thelonius said calmly as he took a paper with written reports, handing it to Joseph who took it and began to read, in addition to signaling for Oliver to make his report.
"Mi'lord, the troops are strengthening the positions taken every day, they also have Barons Marcus Di Maria and George Vasgi, with Baron Di Maria's wife and child, also captured, you just need to give the order and they will be sent to Duloc" Oliver said with a confident but serious face, waiting for Joseph's next orders.
"Hmmm....good....we need to force these bastards to sign documents declaring that their properties and fiefs now belong to Duloc, this will be very useful later on in the Peace Negotiations against the two Duchies, besides making them sign a declaration that talks about the plans the Duchies had to attack Duloc and force us to enter the war that is taking place against the Principality of Razia" Joseph said as he poured himself a glass of wine with a smile, knowing that everything was going according to plan currently.
Thelonius and Oliver nodded seriously, knowing that this would be necessary to show that the war against the Duchies was fair, so as not to receive ostracism from the other nobles in the region.
"One more thing... when the war ends, the most exemplary officers will receive titles of Knight, both non-hereditary and Hereditary, in addition to titles of Baronet and Baron, to begin the foundations of the Nobility that will emerge, as for you...." Joseph pointed to Oliver and Thelonius, with a smile on his face.
"I suggest you think about the Coats of Arms of your Noble Houses and choose a surname from the list I have prepared, Marquises" Joseph said as he saw the surprised looks on Oliver and Thelonius' faces, who had not expected such a reward.
Thelonius and Oliver's minds were overwhelmed, they did not know whether to cry with happiness or try to keep a dignified face, so they did what would be normal in such situations, with them kneeling before Joseph.
"Mi'lord, I am deeply grateful for such a reward, I swear to serve you faithfully and never disappoint you" Said Thelonius as some tears fell from his face, with him trying his best to hold back the other tears that would fall.
"I also swear, Mi'lord, I will ensure that your rule is unquestionable and that your armies are always loyal and ready to serve you" Said Oliver seriously, while he did not cry, his legs trembled along with the rest of his body.
"W-wait.... Mi'lord, but what about you? Because technically we would be above you in the Noble Hierarchy" Said Thelonius showing some concern.
"Calm down, I already know how to deal with this problem, since we have plans to take most of the Duchies for ourselves, leaving only a part for the Principality of Razia, I will take the titles of Duke of Hyarlia and Gisla and create a Grand Duchy, with me receiving the title of Grand Duke" Joseph said calmly as he raised an open hand, to show that he had everything under control and they didn't need to worry.
Hearing this, Oliver and Thelonius sighed in relief, they were about to refuse the Noble titles they would receive just so they wouldn't be above their Ruler, but now upon learning of Joseph's plans they calmed down.
"Understood Mi'lord, don't worry, the Army will ensure that the Duchies are taken as soon as possible, for the glory of Duloc!" Oliver said as he stood up and gave a military salute to Joseph with a serious face.
Thelonius nods with a serious face as well, promising himself that he would ensure that no acts of rebellion would happen in the occupied territories.
In the Barony Di Maria
In the city of the Barony Di Maria, more specifically in one of the Sectors established by the Police, Sector-07, we can see some men in rich clothes in a house, these men are members of the City Merchants Guild.
"These Dulocians are insane! This morning I saw a simple merchant being publicly beaten for keeping a sword with him, now we don't even have the right to defend ourselves!" Shouted a merchant as he banged his fist on the table where he was eating.
"Yeah... this so-called 'Police' only brings problems, while I don't take away their credit for having ended crime in other areas, or rather, 'Sectors' now, they clearly abuse their power, my brother was beaten and then charged for having pissed on a wall, where else should he piss? In his own pants?!" Said another merchant seriously, with one hand on his head and with a face that clearly showed anger.
"Indeed, I believe we should do something about this. While we cannot make an armed resistance, since everyone knows what happened to those who tried in some villages, we can still make the Dulocians understand that without us, the economy will never turn around. If we bring a certain impact to the city's economy, they will have to tone down the violence towards us." Said an older man, with a white beard and eyes that showed calm and wisdom coming from age.
The other merchants nodded, but deep down one Merchant was nervous. He had brown hair and blue eyes, he had white skin tanned by the sun, and he had a ring on his right hand, showing that he was married.
"John, you don't need to worry, everything will be fine." Said a merchant who was close to the one now known as John, with him placing his hand on his shoulder to calm him down.
However, they soon heard knocks on the door of the house, drawing the attention of all the merchants. They then heard another knock on the door, but this time in a rhythm that was taught only to merchants, to know who was invited or not.
"Huh? I thought the guests were here..." Said the elderly man as he looked at his assistant who was next to him, who was reading a book with names, in addition to having a sign to show who was present or not.
"Ah! Master, it must be Merchant Julian who hasn't come yet, he lives in Sector-12, that's why he must be showing up only now, you know how that Sector has been under heavy police surveillance after they found out about the slave traders there" Said the assistant calmly as he showed the book to the elderly man, who read it calmly before nodding and returning the book to the assistant.
"I see...open the door, let Julian in" Said the elderly man calmly, with a merchant nodding his head and going to the door.
But when he opened the door, which had locks, he soon felt the door slam into his face, making him fall to the ground unconscious.
They then soon saw several men and some women wearing the uniforms of the Duloc Police, along with the Custodian Helmet that had a steel tip like the Pickelhaube, with them invading the house with batons and some coming with shields and flintlocks, with all the police officers having blood in their eyes.
"Stop! You are violating the law!" Shouted a police officer as he hit his baton in the face of one of the merchants, making him fall.
Chaos erupted as the police officers beat the merchants in anger, while the elderly man, frightened, tried to run away, only to be held by the merchant John, who had a look that showed sadness.
"I'm so sorry sir... they have my family" Said John as he held the elderly man tightly.
The elderly man was surprised, but understanding the situation John was going through, he decided not to resist, while some police officers soon approached them and tied his hands.
"You are under arrest for conspiring against the State and intentionally trying to bring economic problems to this city, by the Laws of Times of War, your situation no longer directly involves the police, the Military Governor who is about to come will decide your fate, scum" shouted the police officer as he pushed the elderly man, to take him with the others.
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