Chapter 110
Chapter 110
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: The Hostage General
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Having taken over La Treto and now sharing a vast border with us, the Paris Kingdom could potentially become a threat in the future.
"...Huh."
"What does it say?"
"They have no intention of ever fighting us."
Perhaps having witnessed the Esperia Kingdom's complete submission, they sent envoys first to declare they had no desire for war.
In fact, we could confirm they were pulling back their forces from our border.
As long as the Paris Kingdom stayed put, the San Bastian Kingdom wouldn't be an issue for a while either.
"...With this, we declare the peace treaty between the Dragonia Empire and the Esperia Kingdom concluded."
We wrapped up the negotiations without any major concerns.
"We'll transport it to Rainesberg by the last Wednesday of each quarter."
"The route must go through the central path via Ceres Gate, Adense, and Manzheim."
"Understood."
After that, we ironed out the finer details for implementing the treaty.
"We'll prepare the initial payment and the responsible parties by tomorrow morning."
"Mm."
With the repayment schedule finalized, the Esperia Kingdom campaign came to a close for now.
-Rumble.
The next day.
The gates of Ordova Castle swung open, and a line of wagons emerged one after another.
The wagons passed between the ranks of Red Dragon Legion soldiers lined up along the road and came to a stop right in front of my tent.
"The responsible parties are in the first three wagons. The ones behind are loaded with reparations gold, land deeds, contracts, and so on."
Emilio, at the lead, gave a brief introduction and handed me documents detailing everything.
"Adjutant Anna. Please inspect the reparations wagons."
"Yes, General."
Since the gold wasn't the main focus, I passed the related documents to Anna and headed toward the wagons carrying the noble hostages.
"How are they?"
"We bound them in case of any resistance."
"...Hm. Sancho Gonzalez. He's in one of these wagons?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"Hm."
Apparently treated with some respect, Sancho had a fairly large wagon all to himself.
I had no idea why they'd bother with courtesies for someone they were sending off as a hostage, but Emilio didn't seem to care about such things.
-Clunk.
Wondering if they might have sent a substitute, I opened the wagon door to check the man's face inside.
"..."
Inside sat Sancho quietly, his wrists bound in wooden shackles.
Though his build was relatively small, his graying beard and hair reminded me of Gerhard, who must be toiling away in the south right now.
Having seen his face multiple times in the game, it wasn't hard to recognize him.
He didn't appear mistreated—his clothes and hair were neat—but his face was clouded with worry.
Since he always carried himself with such dignity in the game, the sight felt strangely unfamiliar.
-Thud.
Whether to win him over or just to talk, I planned to speak with him separately later.
I gave a slight nod and closed the wagon door again.
After a short wait, Anna returned having finished her inspection.
"The reparations wagons?"
"They match the manifest. No missing items."
I glanced at Emilio, who was fiddling with his monocle.
"Good. Count Emilio Silva. With this, the peace treaty has been fully honored."
"...I hope our peace endures for a long time."
I offered my hand without a word, and we shook.
"I'll take my leave then."
"Mm."
Emilio departed our camp.
"We'll withdraw as well."
"Yes."
We stood down from combat readiness and prepared to pull back.
I wanted to move the entire force south, but we lacked the troops to defend the western territories we'd just acquired.
No matter how much the Paris Kingdom had withdrawn its forces, leaving the area completely undefended would invite them to exploit the gap.
Our side of the Ceres Gate walls had been badly damaged, but the kingdom's walls were still intact, so the Red Dragon Legion would hold position at Ceres Gate with their remaining five legions until relief forces arrived to replace them.
Only a few of us, myself included, would head south via the capital.
With so much urgency, there was no time for leisure.
After ordering a move to Ceres Gate,
-Clunk.
"..."
Hoping to talk on the way, I boarded Sancho's wagon alone.
Sancho's eyebrows twitched as he saw me climb in.
His eyes observed me with subtle movements that were hard to detect unless you looked closely.
"I am Victor, legion commander of the Red Dragon Legion."
I sat across from him, composing myself as I calmly introduced myself.
"...Sancho Gonzalez."
His tone was curt, but he didn't outright refuse the introduction.
"For now, I'll remove the shackles."
"..."
"Would you prefer I leave them on?"
"Do as you like."
This was a good sign.
I pulled out the key I'd prepared in advance and unlocked the shackles binding his wrists.
He rubbed and rotated his newly freed wrists for a moment, then slightly raised his head to meet my eyes.
"Got any questions? You look like you've got a lot on your mind."
"Do I?"
"I'm your war prize now, aren't I? I'll answer anything that doesn't harm the national interest."
He spat the words with a hint of sarcasm.
From the way he called himself a "prize," he might already know I'd demanded custody of him.
Or perhaps he was just bemoaning his fate as a sold-off hostage.
"National interest... You mean the Esperia Kingdom?"
"No need to ask that one. Yes."
"Hmm..."
His demeanor carried a subtle undercurrent of anger, yet also a sense of detachment.
He wasn't an emotionless general, so he was probably consciously suppressing his feelings.
"Did you expect this?"
"Hm?"
"From the defeat until now... The whole sequence of events."
"..."
Feeling it was time to probe,
I continued amid his silence.
"So, how does it feel? You seem to have anticipated it, so probably not too shaken, but surely you have some thoughts."
"..."
"For example, maybe you're displeased with the nobles who sold you out. Or resentful of the king who couldn't make a decisive call at a crucial moment."
"You hoping to hear me say I hate the Esperia Kingdom? Sorry to disappoint."
"No. Not at all."
"...?"
The smirk that had curled his lips fell away.
"Everyone knows you've devoted yourself to the Esperia Kingdom for years. Yet its nobles handed you over to us on the pretext of two defeats."
"...What are you getting at?"
Though these words were laying groundwork for persuasion, I kept showing emotion to make him feel this was a personal conversation.
"I heard you advocated negotiating with us even before Ceres Gate fell. Ever thought about it? What if the nobles had united from the start, handled things properly, and actually listened to you."
"..."
"You know well that nobles always chase profit, but maybe you hoped—just once—they'd choose the nation. How does it feel when hope turns to certainty, and certainty to disappointment?"
He frowned.
"...Can you get to the point?"
"This is the point. I was genuinely impressed by the strategies and tactics you employed on the battlefield, and I'd love to recruit you to the empire while I have the chance... but..."
"..."
"I know that's unrealistic. I don't have the time, and your integrity is legendary. Rather than a futile recruitment pitch, I'm just satisfying my personal curiosity."
To his eyes, I must look like a young officer compared to his advanced age.
I figured showing a bit of emotion and honesty would be better at opening him up than coming off cold and calculating.
"...Hm."
"I've been through something similar, so I can guess, but circumstances and people differ. I just wanted to hear your take—no ulterior motives."
"...Right. You're from the Ruth Kingdom too."
"Yes."
And since he'd apparently looked into me, he knew my origins.
"I wasn't in the military long, but I can proudly say I gave my all for the Ruth Kingdom. Right up until the guards burst into my tent to arrest me."
"..."
"I refused the order to conquer Ruth directly, but seeing those nobles prioritize their own gains amid national crisis made me sick. Power, money, honor—all meaningless once your head rolls."
To let emotions spread contagiously,
I put more force into my voice, making it sound like the grumbling of a fellow betrayed general.
"What do you think?"
"..."
To the question looping back to the start, Sancho didn't reply right away this time.
Having watched my face the whole time I spoke, he covered his mouth with one hand and tapped his leg with fingers from the other.
"..."
After prolonged deliberation,
"...You're young."
He uttered a single, succinct impression signaling the success of my approach.