Special Chapter
The Beginning of the End ③
Intervention of Darkness
Translator : PolterGlast
The town of Fran was
in utter chaos. The streets were overflowing with people and horses as
citizens, having learned of the situation from those who had fled Teigoon, were
escaping the town.
Takuhir, who had been
transported from the Teigoon defensive line, awoke here for the first time.
Fortunately, thanks to Marianne's appropriate treatment and the care he
received in Fran, he had managed to cling to life.
"Everyone... I'm
sorry... What's the point of me being the only one... to survive?"
Muttering this, he
closed his eyes, weeping as he offered a prayer for them.
"No... is there
still a use for my life? It depends on the person, but this is a life that was
saved for me. It would be an injustice to them if I didn't use it effectively.
Thanks to them, the evacuees were able to make it this far. I've fulfilled my
duty to the kingdom. All that's left is to save the citizens of the Estol
domain."
Saying this, he stood
up and, enduring the pain wracking his body, recklessly mounted a horse and
galloped back toward Teigoon.
The 10,000-strong
cavalry force led by Corps Commander Weiss had left 500 men in Teigoon as a
liaison and casualty unit, and had begun to advance north with its full force
to rendezvous with the dispersed army at Fran.
"Report! A man
calling himself Baron Solis, carrying a white flag, is approaching us alone! He
wishes to negotiate a surrender and requests a meeting with the Corps
Commander. What are your orders?"
"Surrender now?
After fleeing the battlefield where those men fought! What a despicable,
shameless coward... Because worthless men like him are in charge as nobles,
this country... has it not changed at all from the old days? Very well. We'll
let him apologize to them. Bring him in!"
It was unpleasant, but
responding to a surrender, granting an audience, and hearing what they had to
say was the minimum requirement of the military law established by Emperor Grat
back when he was the Third Prince. Grudgingly, Corps Commander Weiss permitted
the meeting.
When Takuhir was led
into the audience chamber, he was first astonished.
They should be in the
middle of an advance. Have they really prepared a formal, albeit simple,
audience chamber in such a short time? Are they that accustomed to this kind of
response?
As he was thinking
this, he saw a familiar face among the enemy generals lined up and was struck
dumb. The face, smirking and looking down on him, was one he never wanted to
recall, but could never forget.
『Erol! Why is he here, lined up with the Imperial
generals? ...So that's it! Was it all due to that traitor's guidance, their
passage through the demon territory, and the speed of this invasion! 』
Corps Commander Weiss
spoke, watching Takuhir glare at Erol.
"You are
permitted to speak. State your intentions."
"Thank you truly
for this opportunity. I am Solis Takuhir, entrusted with this land as its
Baron. I have come to inform you that my domain surrenders to Your Excellency.
In return, I have a request..."
"Hah, begging for
your life? Baron Solis, do you feel no shame?"
"I beg your
pardon. Your Excellency's words are both correct and incorrect. My domain
surrenders to Your Excellency, and I will offer all the wealth of the House of
Solis, and all the grain that will be harvested and paid as taxes. Furthermore,
I will take personal responsibility for ensuring these things are carried out.
My request is for what
remains: that you not requisition the harvest that rightfully belongs to the
citizens, but rather purchase it using my family's wealth as payment, and that
you guarantee the livelihoods of my people and refrain from plundering from
them. For this, I humbly beg you.
In exchange, I will
atone for my crimes with my life."
"What? What is
the meaning of this? You are saying you want me to save your citizens in
exchange for all your wealth and your own life?"
"Yes. The battle
at Teigoon was to buy time for the citizens to evacuate. I failed to die there.
Now that the citizens' evacuation is complete, I wish to use this life, which
was entrusted to me by them, to save them. With this, I intend to apologize to
them for being such a worthless lord, and to atone with my death. P-please, I
beg... y..."
He collapsed before he
could finish. And on his fallen clothes, blood was seeping from several places.
He didn't flee, he was
gravely wounded and forced to retreat? He pushed his body this far, for the
sole purpose of saving his citizens, to come here alone and tell me this...
Thinking this, Weiss's
perception of him changed. And he recalled an old memory, the circumstances of
how he had left this country, his homeland, and crossed over to the Gryphonia
Empire.
To think there was a
noble in this country who would lay down his life to save his citizens... I
have seen nothing but foolish nobles, driven by self-interest, but if a man
like this had existed, perhaps my mercenary company...
What a waste... Is
this country falling to ruin because a man like this is nothing more than a
baron on a remote frontier? To serve a wing of the new country ruled by His
Majesty Grat—would that not be a fitting station for such a man?
After closing his eyes
for a moment, he made his decision.
"As the Corps
Commander of the Gryphonia Empire's Northern Expeditionary Force, I command!
The negotiations for surrender are concluded. From this moment, all acts of
violence, plunder, requisition, and forced purchasing are forbidden! Any who
break this prohibition, any who commit disorderly conduct, shall be immediately
executed as one who has defiled the honor of the Empire! See this is enforced
throughout the entire army! I will not say it twice!"
Then, looking down at
the fallen Baron Solis, he continued.
"Treat his wounds
at once. With respect. Carry him on a pack horse to Fran. You are... never to
defile his honor as a nobleman. Be careful that the Baron does not do anything
rash, and do not treat him with any disrespect. Take this command firmly to
heart!"
He is a man of such
integrity. He is still loyal to his kingdom, and he likely has some
reservations as well.
Until then, we will
hold him in confinement with all due respect, and after the kingdom falls, we
will give him the opportunity to serve the people of this country. If he has
such feelings for his citizens... will it work out somehow?
Weiss thought this as
he watched the man being treated and carried away.
※
After Takuhir's
surrender, the Imperial army's movements, including the supply of food, were
all carried out without confusion. Perhaps because the lord had issued a
proclamation beforehand, there was little panic among the citizens.
The Imperial army's
discipline was strict, and the complete absence of plundering and violence also
put the citizens at ease. When Imperial soldiers bought something, they paid a
proper price.
Corps Commander Weiss
stayed in Est for only one day before entrusting the rest to a reliable
subordinate, leaving 1,500 soldiers behind, and once again setting out on his
campaign.
Arriving in Est to
replace him was Marquis Bradley, who had chased him all the way from the
border, arriving half-dead.
"What is the
meaning of this! To forbid plundering after we went to the trouble of
conquering the territory? What is the Corps Commander thinking!"
He was furious. He had
chased after them so desperately that his supply unit had been left behind on
the way.
He had finally reached
a decent-sized town, only to be told he couldn't even procure food without
paying for it. At this rate, there was no point in having invaded.
"The Corps
Commander is strict about military discipline, and this is also in His
Majesty's military law. Even for one of your noble status, you must consider
this the same as an imperial command. Please, you must convey this to your soldiers
as well. Violators will be summarily executed, with no room for excuses."
He had gone to
protest, but had ended up being threatened by the logistics officer that Corps
Commander Weiss had left behind.
"To surrender
after engaging us once is spineless. And here we are, unable to even resupply!
To sell out one's domain to save one's own skin, what a shameless coward. I
cannot stand to be swayed by the shallow cunning of such a man!"
He cursed the lord of
this land (Takuhir) without regard for who was listening. Unable to secure
proper supplies, he ended up staying put in Est.
※
The 18,000-strong
cavalry force advanced toward the Royal Capital at a speed no one had expected.
The nobles of the
various domains along the way did not even put up a fight; most of them simply
fled in a panic. As if marching through an uninhabited land, they advanced into
the heart of the Kyle Kingdom, and in just four days from Est, they had arrived
just short of the Royal Capital.
"What in the
world are they thinking? Even though a war is happening at their border, they
are completely unguarded, as if it's none of their business, and they haven't
even noticed our invasion."
Weiss said to his
aide, exasperated.
"Indeed. The
noble we passed today, for example—the report of our invasion and our arrival
were simultaneous, and he was in a pathetic panic."
"They just flee,
each man for himself, without even sounding the alarm for their allies. The citizens
who serve such nobles are the ones to be pitied. But the merchants are as sharp
as ever. They've been waiting for us at every turn, providing supplies free of
charge, so we've been able to advance without waiting for our supply lines at
all. Tomorrow, the capital, is it?"
"Yes, by
tomorrow, this kingdom will likely be in ruins. Their last hope, the Royal
Knights, are probably in a panic, on their way back, or still frantically
attacking the Southern Gate fortress. The merchants have surely caught wind of
this and are working hard, thinking of it as an investment in the future."
The Imperial army had
entered their rest early, in preparation for tomorrow's all-out attack on the
Royal Capital. And then, late at night, a suspicious shadow appeared at their
command tent and slipped inside.
"Master, thank
you for taking the trouble to come all this way. Tomorrow, at last, the
long-awaited fall of the kingdom and the new future we have longed for will
begin."
"Erol, you have
done well. With this, the first stage will be complete. And we must also lay
the groundwork for the next step... How are things on that front?"
"Yes, right now,
there is a perfect man in Est. I have fed false information to that bastard to
make him move according to our wishes, and have also placed him under a
suggestion with dark magic. He will likely erupt soon.
The Imperials,
especially the Corps Commander, seem to be fond of that incompetent fool.
Conversely, our puppet harbors an extraordinary hatred for the incompetent one.
That worthless man has finally made himself useful to us at the end."
"That is truly
good news. We need them to leave their mark as merciless invaders. Until the
day we raise the beacon of our counter-offensive to create a new world, the
people's hatred must be allowed to build. Your plan is to drive a wedge of new
discord into the Imperial side as well and to promote their separation, is that
right?"
"Yes, he is
likely erupting in Est as we speak. First in Est, and then in various places,
he will make a bloody example of the surrendered lord and plunder the citizens
to his heart's content. Just as his name, Blood-ley, suggests, he will become
the Blood-Soaked Marquis..."
"Fufufu, Bradley
becomes the Empire's Bloody Marquis, huh? As they say, the name makes the man.
It seems he will do a fine job. Well then, I leave it to you."
"Yes, for our
future."
Then, for a moment, as
if the surrounding darkness had deepened, the old man's figure vanished.
※
The next morning,
Marquis Bradley's soldiers began to move frantically in Est.
"Marquis, what is
the meaning of this? You are detaining Baron Solis without the Corps
Commander's orders? Where do you intend to take him?"
"I am merely
supporting the Corps Commander. From what I hear, is this man not the ringleader
who has made his citizens suffer and brought this domain to ruin? I thought I
would execute him here and let the citizens have their satisfaction."
"Wha... what are
you saying! The Corps Commander has strictly ordered that Baron Solis be
treated with respect and that his honor as a nobleman not be defiled. This is
too outrageous. What do you make of the Corps Commander's will!"
"Hohoho, his
honor as a nobleman, you say? For one of low birth, who is not even a noble,
who comes from a background of mercenaries, to speak of noble honor is truly
laughable!
Is it honor to become
a prisoner of an enemy you have once engaged in battle? Is it honor to curry
favor with the enemy army by providing them with supplies, all to save one's
own skin? And does he not wish for death himself?
I, the head of a
glorious marquis's house, will protect his honor. I will not permit an
intervention from you, who are not even a general. Tonight, the baron's execution
will be carried out! Oppose me, and you will be guilty of the same crime!"
Declaring this,
Marquis Bradley had the man, who still refused to yield, arrested and
imprisoned.
And then, he set about
preparing and announcing the public execution to be held that day.
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