Hyperdimensional Player

Chapter 158 The Emperor Dies Suddenly!

Quintus eventually returned.

But after meeting with Valentinian III, he walked out of the palace with a bruised and swollen face. It turned out that the news he brought back had greatly displeased the emperor. The enraged Valentinian III could not control his anger and smashed a silver goblet directly on Quintus's head.

This instantly caused Quintus to bleed profusely from the head.

"Sir, are you okay?"

Upon seeing the blood on Quintus's forehead, the palace guards, who had always benefited from him, stepped forward and helped Quintus out of the palace.

Cannibals are soft and short.

Quintus had been feeding his men well during this time, and seeing him in such a sorry state today, many people came to quietly offer their condolences.

Quintus wiped the blood from his forehead and shook his head, saying, "It's nothing."

The palace guard nodded slightly, and casually whispered, "Lord Maximus came again this morning."

Ok?
Quintus narrowed his eyes upon hearing this and casually took out a money pouch and handed it over.

It seems Maximus is already considering taking action.

However, Maximus alone could not accomplish this task, because the Imperial Senate had already placed its own people within the army. Without the support of the other members of the Senate, there would be no opportunity to take action against Valentinian III.

When the emperor traveled, he was always surrounded by a large number of imperial guards, so Maximus had to bribe many people.

Quintus had just returned to his residence when he summoned his trusted men and said in a deep voice, "Send some of your men to keep an eye on the residences of the Senate members."

"The others are keeping a close eye on the mid-level officers who have recently been promoted by the Senate."

"Let's see if they make any unusual moves."

Maximus had to network with many people to find an opportunity to act, but since he had to bribe so many people, there would inevitably be clues that would emerge.

Time passes day by day.

Quintus soon discovered a clue: Maximus had been visiting other members of the Senate for several days, and he had also secretly met with the current squire, Hercules's deputy, who had been spending quite lavishly lately.

This is a huge investment.

As for who carried out the plan, Quintus's spies spotted some traces of the Huns, but knew nothing more, only that several men with Hunnic features secretly entered Maximus's villa at night. Maximus kept two lovers at that villa, rarely visiting, but recently he had been going there more often.

"They're probably going to make their move in the next few days."

Quintus looked at Cullin with a solemn expression and said, "When the time comes, I will go to the palace as soon as possible and find a way to take the Queen and the two princesses away."

"You guys wait for me outside."

"Be prepared for battle at any time. Maximus has already bribed the palace guards, and I expect they will try to stop us."

Maximus has been secretly interacting with two types of people during this period: one is the old noble members of the Senate of the Empire, and the other is the legion commander who was recently promoted to replace Aetius's confidant in the vacant position.

Upon hearing this, Kulin slowly nodded and said, "Just bring the person out."

"Leave the rest to me."

This was said with great confidence. The Gallic Oath Warriors dared to escort their generals into battle with thousands of troops. How many of these court guards, who had never even been on the battlefield, could stop them? It was just that the enemy was slightly better equipped.

Quintus said in a deep voice, "Then I'll leave it to you."

"I'll go arrange the manpower now."

Three days passed quickly.

Perhaps because he did not receive a clear answer from Governor Duncan of Britain, Valentine III, who had been slacking off for a while, became diligent again. He was not busy with political affairs, but went to the Mathieus camp to inspect the troops.

Valentinian III understood one thing very clearly: by controlling the army, he controlled the discourse and had the power to confront the Senate.

Early this morning, hundreds of fully armed Imperial Guards escorted the Emperor to the military camp for inspection.

Quintus also arrived early after hearing the news.

But Valentinian III merely glanced at him coldly before turning away with an indifferent expression. Ever since the last matter was not handled well, the emperor had become increasingly indifferent to Quintus, as if he had completely lost the favor he once had.

"His Majesty."

Quintus tried to step forward to greet him, but was stopped by Maximus's men. The senator gave him an arrogant glance and waved his men away.

Such sycophants are nothing without the emperor's favor.

The large group of people quickly departed.

Quintus glanced quickly through the dust as he looked at the commander of the Imperial Guard ahead, then beckoned to his trusted aide and said in a deep voice, "Send men to follow immediately."

"Send back any news immediately."

After all, he was of low rank and his words carried little weight. He could bribe some people in the palace, but he had no say in the military camp. He could only try to find out information from other places. Fortunately, there were guards and servants he had bribed among the imperial guards who were traveling with him today.

About half a day later.

A trusted aide rushed over, dismounted, and panted, saying, "My lord."

"The Imperial Guards were all left outside."

"The emperor only brought a small group of people in to observe the archery practice. I bribed the guards at the military camp and saw our people. The emperor had already been in the camp for a while."

what?
Did you only bring one team in?

Quintus's expression changed instantly, and he said to those around him, "Gather the men and head to the palace immediately!"

"Notify Kulin and the others to prepare for the rescue."

Valentinian III usually traveled with hundreds or even thousands of guards. At this critical juncture, most of the guards were stationed outside the camp. As he led a contingent to inspect the troops, Quintus had already keenly sensed something amiss. This was a gamble.

If he bets right, he can seize the initiative; if he bets wrong, he won't be able to stay on the Italian peninsula and will have no choice but to flee.

Quintus hurried to the palace, handed a bag of gold to a bribed guard, and said in a deep voice, "I want to see Queen Lysinia."

It didn't take long.

Then a female attendant came and quietly led Quintus to the rear palace.

Mathieus's military camp.

Valentinian III was in good spirits today. After several days of rest, he finally had the energy to go out of the city to inspect the troops. Beside him was Heraclius, the newly appointed commander of the empire's army, and half a step behind was Maximus, whose expression was very humble, but occasionally when he looked up, a hint of ruthlessness and malice appeared in his eyes.

An archery competition is being held in the military camp.

The emperor sat high up, with Hercules beside him, but Maximus had disappeared without a trace.

The Roman archers in the distance hit the bullseye with three consecutive arrows, which quickly drew cheers.

Valentinian III was also captivated by the sight and was about to get up to reward the people in order to win their hearts, but suddenly two fierce Hunnic figures appeared behind him.

Beside the Emperor, Hercules was the first to react.

He was, after all, a former attendant and had some skill, but before he could make a move, the two fierce Huns pounced on him. With a clang, a sharp sword pierced his chest, and then with a backhand slash, cleanly slit his throat. The newly appointed imperial commander clutched his throat, blood gushing out, and slowly collapsed before everyone's eyes.

Valentinian III was much slower to react.

Valentinian III didn't react until the Hun reached behind him and plunged a sword into his back. The startled emperor turned to see who was attacking him, but the Hun assassin slashed him a second time, piercing his heart and ending the emperor's life.

throughout the process.

The army camp was filled with a large number of soldiers who watched silently. They stood aside and none of them stepped forward to rescue the emperor. They just watched helplessly as he was stabbed to death.

Even the imperial guards who had brought the emperor watched indifferently from a short distance behind him. None of the dozen or so guards stepped forward to stop them, and they simply watched as the two Hunnic assassins crossed the crowd and killed Valentinian III and Heraclius on the spot.

This scene is truly ironic.

At the back of the crowd, Maximus revealed a cruel sneer. He had long known that Valentinian III had lost the hearts of the people, but he had not expected that people would hate this incompetent emperor so much.

Maximus only bribed a portion of the people, mostly recently promoted officers. He couldn't possibly bribe everyone, let alone so many soldiers in the camp.

His original plan included other backup plans; if the two Hunnic assassins failed, his bribed imperial guards would take action.

But things went more smoothly than expected.

Everyone watched silently. Apart from the legion commanders he had bribed, everyone else was indifferent to the emperor's death and couldn't even use the backup plan.

It went so well!

The two Hunnic assassins who attempted to assassinate the emperor and Heracles were able to escape unscathed; no one deliberately tried to stop them.

This is the backlash from murdering Aetius.

These soldiers were once Aetius's men, and Valentinian III ultimately paid a heavy price for his actions.

On the training ground, only two corpses remained, the two most powerful figures in the empire. Their bodies were left unburied until the Imperial Guards rushed in in a panic, at which point someone picked up the body of Valentinian III.

But his body was already cold; the second stab pierced his heart, and he died swiftly and decisively.

Smoke and dust rose up.

A rider galloped along the road towards the palace. Upon approaching, he abruptly pulled on the reins, swiftly landing on his feet. He then turned to Kulin, dressed as a servant, and said in a low voice, "The Emperor is dead!..."

"The Imperial Guards were in complete disarray."

Do it!

Kulin's eyes narrowed instantly, a murderous glint appearing in them. He gestured to his left and right, then led his men towards the palace gates.

It didn't take long.

Behind Quintus, several figures with terrified expressions followed and, escorted by the crowd, boarded the carriage.

"There are enemies!"

A British veteran dressed as a follower set up his crossbow, and a dozen or so men fired wildly into the gate, quickly wiping out the pursuing guards. Cullin rode ahead, and as he approached the gates of Ravenna, he saw a troop of Imperial cavalry rapidly approaching from behind. He immediately drew his weapon and roared, "Follow me!"

Sonorous.

A chorus of swords being drawn.

More than ten riders charged towards the enemy. In just one round of collision, corpses fell from their horses. The merciless slaughter caused the nearby Roman people to scream in terror, and the figures inside the carriage covered their mouths in fear.

"go!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Kulin delivered the final blow to his critically wounded comrade, swiftly piercing his heart with a single stroke. Then he addressed the others, saying, "There are cavalry reinforcements from Gaul!"

"Don't delay! Keep going!"

Until this point.

The unrest was just beginning to spread, and news was spreading rapidly in all directions. With so many people in the military camp, it was impossible to contain the news.

The emperor is dead!

The entire Italian peninsula is in chaos.

………………

(End of this chapter)