Chapter 133: Harvest Day (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 133: Harvest Day (3)
The meeting room for the operation to retake Avila.
Though it was called an operation meeting room, it was nothing more than a large tent with a long table and a few chairs. The atmosphere inside was extremely tense.
“Ah, I said I'm sorry, didn't I? I didn't know you'd be doing that in broad daylight.”
“Bullshit. Even I know knocking is basic courtesy before entering someone's room. Ah, but maybe you wouldn't know, being an orphan bastard with no home training.”
The cause was a small incident that occurred when Cloud arrived at the Alitia Kingdom's camp.
Normally, the argument would have ended right there. But how could that be possible between two people who were always looking for a chance to tear each other apart? This argument was the result of Gis's companions barely managing to stop him from starting a physical fight.
“It's much better to have no home training than to get it from a prostitute.”
“What did you say, you bastard?”
“Hm? Why the glare? I wasn't talking about you. You ran away from home, so you didn't get any home training either, right?”
Cloud shook his head with a sly grin.
That bastard…
Grit. Gis ground his teeth. He wanted nothing more than to rip that smug mouth apart, but now was not the time. There was someone else he had to deal with before Cloud.
You're next, after that orc bastard.
Just you wait. I won't go easy on you like last time. I'll make you wish you were dead.
To control his surging irritation and anger, Gis thought of his adoptive mother, Hailey.
Her beautiful black hair, like the night sky itself, and her elegant demeanor.
Just thinking of her calmed his heart.
While Gis was regaining his composure, Cloud clapped his hands as if he'd just realized something.
“Oh, maybe you got your home training from your dad while your mom was working!”
Then he tilted his head, feigning confusion.
“By the way, do you even know who your dad is?”
“You son of a bitch!!”
Gis reached for his weapon. His companion standing behind him grabbed him in alarm.
“Let go of me!”
“Calm down, Sir Gis. If you fight now, we'll be the only ones to suffer. If the reinforcements leave, this city is truly hopeless! And you still have to kill that arrogant orc, don't you, Sir Gis!”
“Fuck the city, fuck the orc, just let me the fuck go! You won't let go? You wanna die first?!”
Unable to control his temper, he slammed his elbow into the head of the female knight trying to hold him back. Thwack! A heavy, dull sound echoed through the tent.
The female knight still held onto him.
“What, you're not letting go? Let. Go. Let. Go!”
With each syllable, his elbow slammed down hard on her head. She let out short grunts like “Ugh” and “Oof” but stubbornly held on. The more he did it, the harder the expressions of everyone in the tent became, except for Cloud.
And it reached its peak when she finally collapsed, blood streaming from a gash on her forehead.
The atmosphere in the tent grew dark, but for a different reason than before.
Looking at the fallen female knight, Gis clicked his tongue.
“Shouldn't have done something so fucking insolent.”
He didn't beat her any further. Seeing her lying there pathetically, bleeding, had cooled his anger somewhat. All that remained was a knot of displeasure in his chest.
“Hey, you. Take her and get her healed by tomorrow. We'll hold the meeting again tomorrow.”
“…Yes, I understand, Hero.”
After giving his one-sided order to Duke Pabir, he shot Cloud a glare and left the tent.
Right after Gis left, a collective sigh erupted from all corners, filling the tent.
“Sir Ers. Please take her to the clerics.”
“Understood.”
Duke Pabir's knight lifted the fallen female knight onto his back and left the tent. Only after she was carried out did the heavy atmosphere lighten somewhat.
“Bro.”
At the voice of Mars, the only companion Cloud had brought, he turned his head. Mars was looking at him with an expression of disbelief.
“Bro, I know you don't get along with that guy, but did you really have to provoke him that much?”
“He's the one.”
“The one?”
“The one who had an affair with Neria.”
“Ah.”
No further explanation was needed.
Mars immediately bowed, pressing his head to the ground.
“S-sorry. I spoke out of turn again without knowing the situation.”
“Be more careful next time, unless you want to get knocked out. More importantly, did you say that because you thought it was my fault that female knight got beaten up? Hey. How is it my fault that bastard is a psycho who beats his own companions?”
Mars had nothing to say, even if he had a hundred mouths. So he only said one more thing.
“How long should I keep my head down?”
“Until you die.”
“…Got it.”
*
After giving Mars a light punishment for his careless words, I was about to leave the tent.
“Hero Cloud. Could you spare me a moment?”
Duke Pabir stopped me.
“Is it an important matter?”
“It is.”
“Understood. Mars, you head back first. Duke Oller, Count Sentry, you should also go back and rest.”
After sending the three of them off, only Duke Pabir and I remained in the tent.
“So, what is it you wanted to talk about?”
“The citizens are alive.”
“Pardon?”
“All the citizens who couldn't escape the city are alive.”
“Is this information reliable?”
Duke Pabir nodded with a serious expression.
“It's information sent by one of my trusted men trapped inside the city, at the risk of his life. I can guarantee it on my family's name.”
“So that means the orcs have left room for negotiation. Isn't that a good thing?”
Then why does he look so gloomy?
The duke sighed and confessed the whole story.
“I only learned of this yesterday.”
“…Pardon?”
“From the time the castle fell until now, I was under the impression that all the citizens who couldn't evacuate were dead.”
What kind of fresh bullshit is this?
“How is that possible? The orcs must have sent a messenger to negotiate, and you didn't know? No… it's possible they deliberately hid the fact, saving it as a trump card to turn the tables on the negotiations in an instant.”
That made the most sense.
When negotiations don't go their way, hostages are the perfect card to flip the game.
A set of noble and commoner hostages.
There's no way we wouldn't fall for it.
Those orc bastards. For a bunch of blockheads, they really used their brains.
I was suddenly reminded of Brother and his tribe, who just laughed happily even as the Imperial Guard captain was ripping them off for food.
I wonder if they're doing okay. They're probably in there, right? I hope they're alive.
While I was briefly lost in memories of old acquaintances, Duke Pabir spoke, tearing at his hair with a grave expression.
“It would be better if that were the case… but unfortunately, it seems it's not. The orcs never sent a messenger.”
“…Is that true?”
“As far as I know, yes.”
“What kind of vague answer is that?”
I asked, frowning.
My message to stop beating around the bush must have gotten through, as he quickly continued.
“Hero, you saw the atmosphere in the meeting just now. It was hostile. While you two were arguing, no one tried to intervene. Not me, not Duke Oller, not even Count Sentry. If I may be so bold as to ask, why do you think those two didn't try to stop you?”
Why didn't they stop me? Well, that's… “Ah.”
A realization struck me like lightning. Noticing my expression, he nodded.
“My position within this royal army is quite weak. This, despite the fact that this is a battle to reclaim my own city. Do you know why?”
“It's because of Gis.”
“Correct. It's an open secret that the Snake Venom Society is backing him. On top of that, as the Hero, he also has the king's support.”
Justification is important. But no one cares about the justification offered by the powerless.
Justification belongs to the powerful.
Gis has power, and Duke Pabir does not.
So that's why no one was quick to move when Gis was raging earlier.
And why he suffered the humiliation of being ordered around so informally.
I understood the internal politics of the Alitia Kingdom's army. But the real problem was what came next.
“So, Duke Pabir, you suspect that Gis's side has been deliberately hiding information related to the negotiations.”
“…It is only a suspicion.”
“What's the basis for this suspicion? I mean, a reason for Gis's side to unilaterally block any information about negotiations.”
“If there is a reason, it would be that they want all of my citizens to die. And to die very cruelly.”
Duke Pabir's face darkened.
“It would be to show the horrific sight to the royal army when we retake the city, to incite public outrage. With that outrage, they would get help from other nations and completely crush the orcs. The orcs have always been a nuisance to the Alitia Kingdom…”
“…”
Silence fell in the tent for a moment.
I tapped my fingers on the table before asking.
“What do you want me to do?”
“As I just said, I have almost no voice here. But you, Hero, are different. I implore you to announce the fact that the citizens are alive in the city at tomorrow's meeting.”
“They'll ask for the source of the information. I'll have no choice but to give them your name. Are you okay with that?”
To my question of whether he could handle the fallout, the duke nodded gravely.
“I am already prepared for it.”
A kind face, like a neighborhood uncle. The resolve etched on that face was the real deal.
“Alright. Since you yourself are prepared, there's nothing more for me to say.”
“Does that mean…?”
“I'll accept your request.”
Duke Pabir's eyes widened. He then began to bow his head repeatedly, without a care for his dignity.
“Thank you! Thank you, Hero!”
“But may I ask one thing?”
“What is it you wish to know? I will tell you anything I know!”
“Is all of this truly just for the citizens of the city? Are you trying to sacrifice yourself for them?”
The smile vanished from the duke's face.
“In the city… my wife and son are there…”
He bit his lip, forcing out the words, then hung his head low.
“I'm sorry for not telling you everything. But it's not that I wasn't thinking of the citizens. Not as much as my family, perhaps, but I hold them dear as well…!”
“Raise your head.”
“If there is anything you want from me, I will give it. So please…”
“Raise your head.”
At my repeated words, the duke lifted his bowed head.
I looked him in the eye and said, “What's so wrong with doing this for your family? What is there to be ashamed of?”
“B-but I…”
“You said that even if it's not as much as your family, you still care for your citizens. Was that a lie?”
“Never.”
Unlike his anxious expression, there wasn't a hint of hesitation in his answer.
“Then that's enough.”
I smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder.
“You are an excellent head of your family and a good lord. So from now on, do not bow your head and lower yourself.”
His expression went blank.
Then, with a look of someone trying to suppress a surge of emotion, he said, “Thank… you…”
*
I knew the Alitia Kingdom and the Snake Venom Society considered the orcs a nuisance. But I never imagined they'd consider such an extreme method.
This is why I hate being a Hero.
Annoying politics follow you everywhere.
How much easier would it be if we could all just pull together and defeat the Demon King?
Why do people have to go and make things so tiring…
I was walking through the Alitia Kingdom's camp with a sigh.
-Let go of me!
A woman's shout rang out.
Wondering what was going on, I went to check and found a shrine maiden surrounded by soldiers of the royal army. A woman with long white hair and a voluptuous, bronze-skinned body. She looked familiar.
Isn't that Gis's mom?
What's a woman who should be in Owlheim doing here?