Viking: Master of the Icy Sea

Chapter 319: Another Choice

On July 20th, Intelligence Director Gwen sought an audience with the King, bringing a crucial piece of news.

After Michael III murdered the co-emperor Bardas, he appointed his court favorite, Basil, to inherit the title.

Niels continued to serve as the commander of the Varangian Guard and was even bestowed a highly convoluted honorary title.

"A Scabbard Sword guard? It seems Niels is doing quite well for himself. Rurik driving him away back then actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise."

At this very moment in Constantinople, Niels was facing a crucial choice.

He looked up at the drifting white clouds, the eunuch's question echoing in his ears.

"My lord, do not hesitate any longer. Basil has always treated you as his closest brother. He promises that once this is done, you will be richly rewarded."

"Give me a little more time to think."

Niels's mind was a tangled mess. He had barely survived last year's turmoil, never expecting another coup to erupt so soon. Furthermore, he had no way to avoid it; Basil had invited him to join his faction in a conspiracy against Emperor Michael III.

'By Odin, these Roman coups are far too frequent.'In the beginning, Michael III used Bardas to eradicate the forces of the Queen Mother and the powerful minister, Theodoric.

Last year, Michael III used Basil to eliminate Bardas's faction.

Barely a year had passed, and now Michael III and Basil were suspicious of each other. Constantinople was once again facing a bloody and ruthless internal conflict.

"Alright, I accept."

Niels had no other choice. If he refused the invitation, he likely would not walk out of these palace gates alive.

"Congratulations on choosing to stand with the victors." The eunuch led Niels out of the royal court and toward the Varangian Guard encampment.

At sunset, most of the warriors were eating or bathing. Upon hearing the order for an emergency muster, they hastily rushed to the drill grounds to assemble.

"Gentlemen, I have received a royal edict. The remnants of Bardas's faction are plotting a rebellion. Emperor Michael III has ordered us to arrest the following individuals. Anyone who dares to resist is to be killed on sight."

Hearing this, the low-ranking military officers and soldiers were overjoyed. When they eradicated Bardas's cronies last year, the brothers had made a fortune. They never imagined there were still remnants of his forces within the city. It was time for the brothers to strike it rich once again.

However, the financial officer, Tytus, and two veteran centurions wore subtle expressions. The individuals they were about to arrest were all Michael III's trusted confidants; the Emperor could not possibly have issued such an order.

The only possibility was that this royal edict had been forged by the co-emperor, Basil.

Tytus was just about to say something when he caught a glimpse of the decree-bearing eunuch's cold, sinister gaze. He silently remained standing in place.

Time ticked by as the two thousand warriors waited on the drill grounds for the order to attack. The summer night was stifling and still, sweat soaking through their linen shirts. The surrounding area occasionally echoed with a harrowing scream.

At around eight in the evening, another eunuch delivered Basil's latest directive: strike immediately.

Niels wiped the sweat from his forehead and led his troops out of the encampment. They marched down the streets toward the Forum of Theodosius. Sensing the danger, the nearby residents hastily locked their doors and windows and blew out their lamps.

Coincidentally, another force appeared on the western side of the square. The two sides confronted each other beneath the dim moonlight. After a half-minute standoff, a shout rang out from the opposite side: "Are you the rebel army?"

Niels hurriedly replied, "No, the Varangian Guard has always been loyal to the Emperor. Who do you serve?"

"The same, we serve the Emperor."

Taking the morale of their rank-and-file soldiers into account, the commanders on both sides claimed loyalty to the Emperor and asserted they were under orders to wipe out the rebel army.

After a few more minutes of stalemate, two figures emerged from the opposing lines. Seeing this, Niels and the decree-bearing eunuch, Batiatus, stepped forward to meet them. In the shadows of the square's marble columns, the two sides cautiously probed each other before finally confirming that they both belonged to Basil's faction.

"Our mission is to secure the Forum of Theodosius, the Forum of Constantine, and the Hagia Sophia. What is yours?"

Niels answered, "To purge the estates of Bardas's cronies."

"You have good luck, being assigned such a lucrative task."

"Rest assured, Basil will not treat you poorly." Niels patiently offered a few words of agreement before returning to his own troops. The next moment, the army on the western side of the square cleared the way, allowing the Varangian Guard to pass through.

"According to the previous plan, the first, second, third, and fourth centuries will head to..."

Niels divided his two thousand soldiers into three groups, dispatching each to their respective target locations. He personally led eight hundred of his most trusted soldiers, continuing westward along the main thoroughfare.

Soon, they encountered another unidentified armed force. The decree-bearing eunuch scrambled onto a nearby carriage, and upon recognizing the leader's face, he shrieked, "Kill him!"

Receiving the command, the frontline Varangian warriors instinctively swung their massive axes and cleaved into the enemy ranks. The enemies' chainmail and lamellar armor could not withstand the heavy chops of the great axes; they broke and scattered in less than five minutes.

The surviving enemies fled into the deep alleyways. The Varangian Guard did not pursue them. Instead, they leaned against the blood-splattered walls, gasping for breath as they bandaged their wounds with linen strips.

Suppressing the urge to vomit, the eunuch Batiatus carefully inspected the leader's corpse. He pulled a ruby ring from the dead man's right hand and explained to Niels.

"This is a token of proof. I am not intentionally embezzling your spoils of war."

Niels did not care about such trivial matters. After a brief rest, he led his troops toward the first estate. The main gates of the mansion were too sturdy to be breached even with two-handed great axes. Niels had no choice but to circle around to the back and have his soldiers scale the walls into the rear courtyard to purge the resistance within the luxurious estate.

While they were catching their breath, Batiatus urged them on, "Do not waste time! The battle is not yet over, and the enemy could launch a counterattack at any moment!"

"I know," Niels replied. He arranged for one century to tend to the wounded and guard the prisoners and treasure before rushing to the next location.

After a busy night, the eastern horizon began to pale with the dawn. Constantinople welcomed a new day shrouded in fear.

Relying on his exceptional scheming abilities, Basil had eradicated Michael III's forces in just a single night, seizing control of the City of the World's Desire.

At noon, he summoned the city's nobles to the Hagia Sophia. Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, he and his wife, Eudokia, received the Patriarch's blessing and announced the deposition of Michael III from the throne.

The moment Basil donned the crown, the crowd broke into whispers. They discussed the new emperor's past, feeling that his origins were far too lowly and that he severely lacked legitimacy.

It was common knowledge that Basil was born into a peasant family in the mountains of Macedonia. Kidnapped and taken to Bulgaria during his childhood, he narrowly escaped back to the Eastern Roman Empire at the age of twenty-four, working as a stableboy for a certain noble. Later, he earned the favor of a noblewoman and was eventually noticed by Michael III, becoming a close confidant to the Emperor.

Standing at the edge of the cathedral, Niels reflected on the life of his new master, feeling profoundly shaken.

'After fifty-three long years, going from a mountain peasant to the supreme ruler of the Eastern Roman Empire... Has he truly earned the favor of the gods?'