Napoleon of Another World!

Chapter 29 - Fury

Next to the Great Hall was the bathroom where the old governor used to take his footbaths, which Daemon had converted into his office.

There too, everything had been readapted according to the new role that the room had to play: a simple but well-built desk had replaced the pompous seat with stool and armrests, the walls had been repainted, and next to the large window now stood a pole with the flag of the Free State hanging from it.

"Shouldn't you be at the barracks?" Daemon said as he walked in to find Scalia sitting at the guest booth by the fireplace

"I have nothing to do, I'm bored standing there."

"I thought you would be comfortable among so many young recruits to train."

"I have no patience with newbies, you know. I'll let Jack handle it."

"I heard that you often go to the library. I am pleased. It means that in the end I managed to make you love books."

"Actually, as I said, it's mostly because I'm bored. I mean, Grog oversees the mines now, old Passe is on that regency council of yours, Jack trains the recruits, Lori and the others keep the palace in order. In all this, what would my role be? If you let me go back to work..."

"I need you here, Scalia. Indeed, I fear that the time will come when your skill with the sword will be useful to us again."

"Do you think someone will attack us sooner or later?"

"If I told you it wasn't a possibility it would be a lie. Epochal changes are never painless processes. The Revolution brought something never before seen to this world, and many may see our very existence as a threat."

"But aren't all those trade agreements meant to guarantee peace?"

"Those are a bridge. A hand reaching out to demonstrate our goodwill. It's up to our enemies to choose whether or not to tighten it. But we have to be ready for anything, and that's why we're building a regular army."

"Speaking of which, I also came to talk to you about something. There's been some trouble in town."

Daemon sighed, "Xylla, right?"

"Since we freed her she has done nothing but cause problems. Luckily, I happened to be passing that way and I managed to stop her, otherwise that guy would have lost more than an eye. It seems that she attacked them for no reason."

"I can't justify what she does, but I tried to be understanding with her. What she went through would have been terrible for anyone. And where is she now?"

"We locked her in the cell waiting for her to calm down. But now I too think that measures should be taken before something irreparable happens."

"Okay, I'll try to talk to her."

Scalia, however, seemed to have something else bothering her: "Daemon, I was thinking..."

"Yes?"

"Well, I don't like discussing your actions. After all, you are the one who gave us freedom. However, the fact is that some of us have... let's say some doubts about some of your choices."

The young man looked at her as if she were an open book.

"Speak up."

"When you urged us to rebel you said that all those who had harmed us would pay for their crimes. However, many landowners, many slavers... even some militia officers. If we exclude a few, many of those people were never punished."

"You're wrong Scalia. We are punishing them. Severely, too."

"What!?"

"Think of Van Lobre, or Baron Mecht. They no longer have lands, titles or properties. All they can do is watch helplessly as they, as trustees, administer lands that once belonged to them, now owned by the state and entrusted to the same slaves they once mistreated. And what about the militiamen who surrendered? They had to choose between prison or enlisting in the National Guard, and if they want to continue living they will have no choice but to fight, with us and for us. Don't you think that for people like them, who are used to seeing you as nothing more than objects, this is the worst possible punishment?"