Unification War - Deharon (4)
Unification War - Deharon (4)
"The Lord of Kalpen has betrayed Dharon!"
"It's an order from the central command!! Appropriate rewards will be given to those who bring Kalpen's head!"
"If we stop them, everything of Kalpen will become ours, Basern's!!"
At the shouts of officers belonging to the Dharon, or more precisely, the Basern fief's territorial defense force, some soldiers rallied their fighting spirit and began resisting the Imperial army assaulting the castle walls.
However, their resistance, their futile dream, was shattered in exactly one hour.
"Major! Major! Urgent report!"
A sergeant major approached Major Seltibun, who was in charge of defending Basern's southern gate, and shouted.
"They say the western gate completely collapsed under a recent attack by the Empire's magic artillery shells! Furthermore, they couldn't even mount a proper resistance, so the Imperial army's casualties are practically nonexistent!"
"What!?"
At first, Major Seltibun thought his ears were ringing from the soldiers' shouts and that he had misheard.
But the sergeant major continued his report with an increasingly pale expression.
"This is not the time for this! Right now, the Empire's magic artillery units and siege regiment combined, two brigade's worth of troops, are tearing down Basern from the inside through the western gate!"
"I-is that true?"
"It's true! And this place is also in danger!! Some of the enemies who entered the castle are attacking from behind to assist in capturing the southern gate!!"
"H-how can this be...."
"Please give new orders quickly!!"
The sergeant major urgently urged the Major to issue new orders.
Major Seltibun, fidgeting anxiously for a moment, soon looked down over the castle wall with a troubled expression and asked.
"Resistance... would be a meaningless choice, right?"
At his dry voice, the sergeant major also hesitated for a moment with a serious expression before answering.
He opened and closed his mouth several times, then finally nodded with difficulty.
"For reasons not yet precisely understood... they say the Imperial army is sparing all soldiers who do not resist fiercely. So, if we surrender even now... all the soldiers can survive."
"...... I see."
At those words, the Major's shoulders slumped powerlessly.
Staring into space with a complex face mixed with defeat and an inexplicable sense of relief, he soon let out a deep sigh as if resigned.
The Major, with trembling hands, pulled a communication device from his uniform pocket and gave an order to his adjutant in a hoarse voice.
"Raise the white flag... and open the gates."
Inside Basern castle, where the smell of gunpowder and the coppery scent of blood had not yet faded.
The Kingdom soldiers who, just an hour ago, were pointing their spears at the Imperial army with murderous intent.
Now had all thrown their weapons to the ground and were bowing their heads deeply.
Guided by those who had surrendered, as we entered the castle courtyard, the first thing that caught our eye was a man who had been pitifully subdued.
"That man is...?"
"Seems to be the lord of this castle."
It was Viscount Baren, the lord of Basern.
His right arm was cleanly severed, and he was forced to kneel on the cold stone floor.
The severed cross-section appeared to have been hastily bandaged to stop the bleeding, tied with a blood-soaked cloth.
Two large Imperial knights were pressing down hard on both his shoulders, suppressing any resistance.
"Denias! You traitorous bastard worse than a beast! How could you sell out all of Dharon to the Empire!"
Despite his face pale from pain and excessive blood loss, Viscount Baren screamed at Count Denias, who was hiding behind the Emperor and gauging the situation.
His neck veins bulging as if about to burst from his shouts, we—Belletria and I.
And the two division commanders, Gerbern and Chern, following behind, looked at each other's faces as if by prior agreement.
With an expressionless face, I gave a slight nod, then slowly approached Viscount Baren.
I knelt slightly, matching his eye level, and spoke.
"If you surrender, I will spare your life."
"..."
At my proposal, Viscount Baren looked at me with eyes that seemed capable of easily tearing a person apart.
His pupils, a mess from sweat and dust, still harbored venomous hostility.
Swallowing a groan, he spat bloody saliva towards my face.
"Shut up, you Imperial lackey! Even if my head is cut off, I will not kneel and beg to scum like you!"
And the moment I was hit by the spit, an oppressive, suffocating chill that felt like it was strangling my breath swept over me from behind.
It was Belletria.
Whether she was displeased that I had been spat on, or judged he was no longer worth listening to.
She had instantly moved and reached right beside me.
True to her reputation as the strongest swordsman in Imperial history, even the faint killing intent she emitted seemed to freeze the surrounding air in an instant.
"This insolent man... I have no intention of sparing him a second time."
She said in a low voice, moving her hand to the hilt of the sword at her waist.
"P-please wait!"
Then, Count Denias, with a pale face, prostrated himself flat on the ground and urgently blocked our path.
"Your Majesty! Commander-in-Chief! Please, let me persuade him just once! Count Byron holds similar thoughts to mine. I can persuade him sufficiently... so please...!"
"......."
Looking at Count Denias kowtowing on the ground once more, I was lost in thought for a moment.
'If we keep him alive, it would be easier to learn about the local terrain or methods to breach fortresses. Also, if we just go around slaughtering all the lords, it will become increasingly troublesome to accept surrenders later on.'
Anyway, my ultimate goal is to survive safely until the Empire's continental unification is complete and return to Ersil....
If I could return to her, I would.
'Well... judging by the current situation, even if that time really comes, I probably won't be able to leave...'
Regardless of being spat on, I judged it was worth giving him a chance at least once and quietly nodded in agreement.
And after wiping the blood from my cheek clean.
I gave a smile to Belletria, who was watching me with a slightly subdued expression, signaling that it was okay.
The moment my permission was given, Count Denias hastily scrambled on his knees towards Count Byron.
He began whispering something very seriously into Count Byron's ear in a voice so small the surrounding knights couldn't hear.
The serious conversation between the two didn't last very long.
The fierce rage burning on Count Byron's face as he listened to Denias's whispers gradually subsided.
And what filled its place was a different kind of anger and a blatant conflict over his own life.
A short while later.
Count Byron, who had finished the conversation, precisely bowed his forehead to the ground three times, then carefully opened his mouth.
"I was momentarily blinded by rage and patriotism and committed an unforgivable sin. Your Excellency Commander-in-Chief, if you would generously show mercy and accept my surrender... I will never forget that grace for the rest of my life."
A perfect declaration of surrender, with not even a shred of will to fight left.
However, Belletria's brow, as she looked down at his prostrated head, began to narrow slightly.
A silent complaint—why should we spare this insolent bug who caused this unnecessary trouble, hindering the Imperial army's advance.
Even spat in our faces—swirled within her crimson eyes.
And soon, her gaze shifted away from the two counts and naturally turned towards me.
I did not avoid her questioning gaze.
Instead, I met her eyes directly and even gave a relaxed smile.
'There are too many eyes watching, so it's a bit awkward...'
The method to convince this woman, who still held some dissatisfaction and questions, was very simple.
As before, deliberately using embarrassing words to completely distract her.
After a moment of contemplation, I immediately spoke.
"Your Majesty."
"... Speak."
"Didn't I tell you before? I said I do not wish for the noble hands of the woman I love to be stained any further with the dirty blood of unnecessary men."
"⋯⋯."
A voice loud enough to stick in the ears of the surrounding knights and division commanders.
Feeling my face flush slightly with embarrassment, I continued.
"And yet, do you still plan to behead other men before me and provoke my jealousy? Even though you know how much it tears my heart apart."
At my brazen acting, the heavy atmosphere inside the castle began to change.
Some of the knights guarding the area coughed awkwardly and turned their gaze to the sky.
Even the two prostrated counts could be seen flinching in astonishment.
Finally, Belletria's eyes widened ever so slightly.
Across her cheeks, which were so pale one would think they were always white, a very faint peach-colored blush began to spread.
Unable to avoid my shameless gaze, she awkwardly lifted her chin and opened her mouth a beat late.
"I-if you put it that way..."
Her voice seemed to tremble just a little more than usual.
Clenching one hand into a fist, she covered her mouth and gave a short, false cough, then sharply turned her head away.
A perfect gesture of surrendering completely to the pretext, the embarrassing nonsense, I had presented.
"Stop this man's bleeding immediately and transport him to the capital, Iter."
She gave the order to the guard knights.
"Their judgment and punishment will be decided by me personally after the war ends, so stuff them into the prisoner transport wagon like cargo."
"As you command, Your Majesty!"
Having given the order, she immediately turned around and began walking towards the castle gate.
Simultaneously, a mutter spilled out like a soliloquy, yet clear enough for me to hear.
"Now I truly don't understand either, whether you're merely being cunning and employing political stratagems to survive, or... if you're doing this out of genuine concern for me."
The voice contained the image of a woman confused by an emotion she was experiencing for the first time in her life.
Feeling an itch in a corner of my chest without realizing it, I gave a sincere smile towards her retreating figure.
"Daring to call it political stratagems towards the woman I love. How could that be possible."
As if my answer reached her, Belletria's earlobes, as she walked away, turned a little redder than before.
"Let's end the unnecessary small talk here. Hurry outside the castle and tend to maintenance."
As if trying to hide her embarrassment, she exited through the castle gate with several officers in tow, walking faster than usual.
Watching her stiff, upright back receding into the distance, I twitched the corner of my mouth.
'Is it not acting... but am I genuinely becoming sincere towards that woman?'
When I started this insane devoted lover act, my only goal was to survive and escape....
I couldn't deny that the scales of my emotions were gradually shifting.
Well... that doesn't mean I've forgotten Ersil.
She was the reason for my life.
Then, giving a look to Ruamel and several adjutants who had been silently observing the situation nearby.
I, too, followed after Belletria and stepped out of the castle, where the smell of war had not yet faded.