บท 48: Becoming the Villain that is Needed

Marcellus gripped the hilt of his spatha with a bitter expression on his face. Currently, he was in the middle of a small agricultural town outside the borders of Italia. Because he had begun to march his army on such short notice from Raetia to Ravenna, Marcellus and his soldiers had lacked a proper logistical supply chain. To put it simply, he and his men had resorted to forcing local villages to give up their food stores. 

Upon seeing such a large army demand tribute from the local villages, most were reluctant but willing to give into Marcellus' demands. However, this village, for whatever reason, was defiant. This posed a difficult dilemma for the self-proclaimed emperor. Should he leave this village be? Or should he compel them to see reason?