The East, and Biraf (2)
Knock, knock!
“This is Knight Sternfeld and Knight Grautal. May we enter?”
“Come in.”
Click! Creeeeak!
“It’s been a while.”
“Indeed. This is the first time we’ve met since I became your vassal. We’ve only exchanged written reports until now, so it doesn’t feel entirely unfamiliar.”
“Is your health alright?”
Sir Grautal asked about the 3rd Prince’s physical condition immediately, clearly worried about him.
Well, he had heard that the 3rd Prince suffered a serious injury while escaping the capital. Given his stubbornly straightforward personality that only knew how to charge forward, it seemed the concern had been weighing on him heavily.
“Don’t worry. The injuries healed long ago.”
The 3rd Prince laughed lightly as if to brush off the concern.
But with how haggard his face looked, it wasn’t very convincing.
Whether the physical toll or the mental strain was worse during this time, his face is practically half its original size.
It was true—the 3rd Prince’s face was severely emaciated.
No matter how scarce food had been in Hartzfeld Castle, there was no way a prince would have gone hungry… so what had happened?
Still, I set my curiosity aside for now. The report on the Weistenfel territorial army took priority.
“Sir Grautal? Let’s discuss the 3rd Prince’s health a little later. Your Highness, I have quite a lot to report regarding the territorial forces.”
“Ahem! My lord, whom I haven’t seen in so long, looks this haggard! Are you really going to be so cold?”
“Sir Grautal.”
The 3rd Prince seemed to need the report urgently as well and moved to restrain him.
When the 3rd Prince spoke, Sir Grautal turned his head with obvious reluctance and crossed his arms.
His loud snorting made it very clear he was broadcasting ‘I’m upset,’ but I simply ignored it.
Urgent things come first, old man. Let’s get our priorities straight.
“Before I give a detailed report, I’ll summarize it in a single sentence: the Weistenfel territorial army… has been annihilated.”
“Annihilated… I see.”
It didn’t seem entirely unexpected. That didn’t make the loss any less painful, however.
The 3rd Prince’s expression hardened with clear gravity.
“In the dawn surprise attack, we eliminated five hundred enemies. In the afternoon operation that followed, we defeated a large number of enemy infantry and seven knights.”
The 3rd Prince’s face eased slightly at the news of our accomplishments. But the real report was only beginning now.
I steeled my resolve inwardly and continued. I was prepared to accept whatever reprimand might come.
“Of the five hundred infantry, roughly four hundred are gone—either casualties or deserters. Of the twelve knights, nine died during the recent operation.”
The 3rd Prince’s expression darkened sharply once more as the report continued.
It seemed the scale of the damage far exceeded what he had anticipated.
“Their sacrifice is what made this victory possible. I keenly felt the limits of my own capability. I’m sorry.”
“I see… So that’s how it is, Sir Sternfeld. You’ve done well. Don’t dwell on it too heavily.”
The 3rd Prince added words meant to comfort me, yet he still seemed unable to regain his composure.
It was understandable. The five hundred infantry we mobilized had been peasant soldiers scraped together from the young men who were essentially the backbone of the territory. With their loss, the domain’s labor force would inevitably plummet.
The situation with the knights was even more dire.
Weistenfel already struggled with low tax revenue and lacked the resources to train knights. Losing what few we had left us with no clear path to recovery.
“Come now, let’s not drag the conversation down such dark paths. Shall we speak of brighter things? Thanks to the success of this operation, we were able to rescue both the 3rd Prince and the 1st Prince, weren’t we?”
Sir Grautal deliberately changed the subject to lift the mood.
The sulking from earlier when I hadn’t listened to him was gone. It seemed he disliked this heavy atmosphere as much as anyone.
…I’m grateful.
While the infantry losses had an element of inevitability, the knights’ deaths had largely resulted from my misjudgment.
Knowing that full well, he had still covered for me. I could only feel thankful.
“It’s all thanks to both of you. However, the real problem lies ahead.”
The 3rd Prince seemed to dislike purely dark reports as well. He agreed with Sir Grautal but his words still carried clear concern for the future.
“I saw it on the battlefield as well—the eastern knight order has joined the 2nd Prince’s camp. By the next engagement, their commander may even take the field.”
“Ah, I have a question regarding that.”
The 3rd Prince nodded when I spoke, signaling he would hear me out.
I began unraveling the question I had carried since meeting the 1st Prince.
“According to the 1st Prince, unlike the 2nd Prince’s side, it will be difficult for a Sword Master to join our camp.”
His expression changed in an instant. It would be fair to call it a flinch.
“…Sir Grautal. Could you step outside for a moment?”
“Pardon? What is this about so suddenly?”
Sir Grautal asked the 3rd Prince.
I had no idea what was happening either. Suddenly? And why Sir Grautal?
“I’m asking as a favor.”
“If it is my lord’s request…”
Though clearly puzzled, Sir Grautal obeyed and opened the door.
Click!
“My lord! Once your discussion concludes, please call for me! I wish to catch up with you as well—we haven’t met in so long!”
The 3rd Prince gave a small nod.
“Yes, I’ll call you the moment we finish.”
Creeeak! Clunk!
After Sir Grautal left, silence settled over the room.
The 3rd Prince appeared to be deep in thought, visibly troubled.
…What is it? Is the matter really worth this much hesitation?
After a while, the 3rd Prince finally spoke. His expression was solemn.
“I assume you’ve roughly heard from my brother why a Sword Master cannot join our side.”
“Yes. I was told the northern margrave will not intervene due to his family’s inclinations, and that my father cannot come because of the sudden uprising by the Biraf Coalition Kingdom…”
“That is roughly correct. The northern margrave is of little concern.”
That much was true. The 3rd Prince took a breath and continued.
“The problem lies with your father, Baron Rosfel… I bear responsibility for Biraf’s uprising as well.”
“Pardon?”
“To be exact, I have quite a significant stake in how this entire situation came about. From the poisoning of the late King, the 2nd Prince’s rebellion, and Biraf’s uprising—the whole chain of events.”
“…Pardon?”
What the hell was he saying?
After the 3rd Prince finished speaking, I seemed to have sat there in a daze for quite some time.
The shock had been that severe.
He had suddenly declared that he held a share in the series of events that had unfolded until now.
It felt like he had just said, “Actually, I’m the mastermind behind everything.” How could I not be stunned when the lord I serve suddenly drops a bombshell like that?
“…Sir? Sir Sternfeld? Can you hear me?”
“Ah, yes. I can hear you.”
“Whew, thank goodness. You looked like your soul had left your body. If it had gone on any longer, I was about to call Sir Grautal in from outside.”
“…Why would you call Sir Grautal?”
“Hm? Well, if you had lost your mind, I’d need to subdue you somehow. At that point we wouldn’t have been able to continue the conversation anyway, so I figured it wouldn’t matter if he came in.”
…So if I hadn’t snapped out of it, I would have been physically pinned down by Sir Grautal?
Roughly ninety kilograms for his body plus thirty for his armor equals one hundred twenty kilograms crushing me to death?
…Suddenly I have goosebumps. That’s genuinely terrifying.
Anyway, now that I had regained my senses, I needed answers. About how my lord had suddenly revealed himself as the mastermind behind everything.
“3rd Prince, what exactly did you mean by what you said earlier?”
“Hm? Which part?”
“That…”
…Ugh, forget it.
“The part where you suddenly confessed that you were behind it all.”
“Hm…. Hm? No, wait. That’s a misunderstanding. I didn’t do it.”
“What? Weren’t you confessing that you caused everything?”
“I said I have a stake in it. When did I ever say I carried it out myself?”
Ah. So it had been a misunderstanding.
…Wait. But saying he has a stake still means he had some degree of influence, doesn’t it?
“You seem to be misunderstanding again, so let me clarify. It is true that I provided some of the cause for this chain of events. However, I absolutely did not orchestrate any of it.”
“…Is that the truth?”
“Will you believe me if I explain?”
I nodded.
I needed to hear the full story first to understand the situation. I would listen and then decide.
What if it turned out he really was a traitor?
…I don’t know. Maybe tie him up and deliver him to the 1st Prince—would they show leniency?
“First, the reason I said I provided the cause is because I introduced Count Wint-Hafen to the 2nd Prince—my second brother.”
“Count Wint-Hafen? Who is he?”
“It seems you understand less about the kingdom’s internal politics than I thought. When you were advising me earlier, I assumed you were well-informed.”
Well, I had only possessed general information about the succession struggle. I knew nothing about specific nobles and their maneuvers.
If knowing those details was required to understand the kingdom’s political landscape, then it was accurate to say I knew virtually nothing about domestic politics.
“Since you don’t know about Count Wint-Hafen, I should begin by explaining who he is.”
“Please do.”
“Hm, where to start. It would be best to begin with his current position. He is the core of the 2nd Prince’s faction—the de facto leader. That is Count Wint-Hafen.”
He was quite the heavyweight.
“He was also the enemy’s supreme commander in this recent battle.”
Huh? If that was the case, then…?
“…Have I been marked? By the leader of the enemy faction?”
“Isn’t it obvious? Of course you would have been identified as a key figure.”
Um… it really was just like my life.
Never had it easy once, damn it.
Separate from my personal feelings, the 3rd Prince continued his explanation.