Chapter 111
Chapter 111
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 111
Chapter Title: The Betrayed General Betrays
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Sancho harbored no particular personal feelings toward Victor.
He held Victor's outstanding leadership and cool-headed judgment on the battlefield in high regard, but that was closer to analysis than mere sentiment.
Before boarding the carriage and starting their conversation, Sancho had expected only brief, curt exchanges—much like the ruthless efficiency Victor displayed in battle.
However,
"What do you think?"
Victor's voice trembled with barely contained fury, and the intensity of his gaze was piercing.
That expression, overlaid on a face far younger than expected—young enough to call him inexperienced as a commander—caught Sancho off guard.
Sancho had intended to hold back his response until he fully grasped Victor's intentions,
"...You're young."
but he found himself swept up in what seemed like Victor's immature demeanor, blurting it out impulsively.
"...!"
"Hoo..."
Seeing Victor's startled expression, Sancho leaned back with a sigh.
He regretted showing such vulnerability, but the words were already out.
"If you're truly curious about my thoughts..."
Realizing it was too late to hide, Sancho chose his words carefully and spoke slowly.
"...Well. No point making a fuss now."
Victor leaned forward quietly, closing the distance slightly.
"As you said, I anticipated something like this might happen someday. Nobles all have their similarities, don't they?"
"..."
"Having lived my whole life in the Esperia Kingdom, I wasn't oblivious. I just stayed put, making excuses about lacking the power or ability to change the status quo."
Sancho lifted his head and recited his recollections calmly, almost like a confession.
"Sometimes I wonder if this whole affair is punishment for me."
"Punishment?"
"Mm. And who else should take responsibility for commanding those two devastating defeats if not me?"
Though he couldn't fully bare his soul to Victor, the enemy general, Sancho gave the kind of answer a loyal officer might offer,
"Do you truly, honestly believe that?"
"...Hm?"
but Victor, unsatisfied, pressed harder.
"You were a high noble, so it might be different for you, but I can't comprehend their behavior."
"Mm..."
"Above all, I can't fathom how they so willingly handed you over."
Sancho narrowed his eyes and looked at Victor.
"Me?"
"I've done my own research. From what I gathered, you were the only noble who built merits across countless battlefields and could unite nobles regardless of faction."
Such flattery-like praise caught Sancho off guard, and he forced down the smile tugging at his lips.
"Rumors tend to exaggerate."
"To me, the tough battlefields were Al Verdo Pass and the Betaviya Plains—not some impregnable fortress."
"...When you achieved an overwhelming victory and say that, it lacks conviction."
"We held the advantage in weapons, discipline, elites, and more. If it had been a true overwhelming defeat as you claim, half our forces wouldn't have managed to retreat successfully."
"..."
Sancho knew Victor's confident assessment rang true, so he smiled wryly in silence.
"It was obvious even to me, your enemy. The kingdom's nobles knew it better. Yet they sent you to us without hesitation."
"Legion Commander Victor."
"For a peace that's not even permanent, they sacrificed so much."
"..."
"Talented nobles like you, land, capital... The nobles may be content with the treaty and step back, but can the Esperia Kingdom survive after losing it all?"
Meeting Victor's blazing eyes, Sancho touched his lips.
Watching that passionate display reminded him of conversations with the late Carlos.
He, too, had often visited Sancho, venting similar frustrations with eyes like those.
"They shouldn't have abandoned you, at least. Whether it was infighting or a conspiracy among nobles who hated you, keeping you in the kingdom would have given them hope."
"...Legion Commander Victor."
"Just as the Ruth Kingdom that betrayed me fell to ruin, the Esperia Kingdom will soon vanish into history. Don't you resent nobles who care only about holding their own seats, regardless of what happens to the nation?"
Victor's intent was plain, making it easy for Sancho to see what answer he wanted.
He could deny it easily, just as before, citing similar reasons,
"..."
but Victor's words dredged up issues Sancho had tried to ignore, leaving him unable to respond as quickly.
"I've told those around us to stay away, so no one will overhear. And I'm not one to gossip about such talks."
Sancho's mind grew complicated.
He was a man and a noble before being a loyal subject of the kingdom.
He wasn't without resentment toward a kingdom that discarded him like a used rag.
Sharing that with an enemy general exposed weakness, and with his fate undecided, it was risky to speak freely.
Yet Victor's fury—tinged with obsession, born from a similar betrayal—made it seem almost natural to voice such obvious truths.
Victor was facing an enemy general too, after all.
"Haa..."
In the end,
"Fine. You win."
"So you'll speak your mind?"
"Mm."
Sancho leaned forward as well, adjusting his posture.
"Looking back now, it always came down to money and power."
"..."
"I can't say graduating from the Officer Academy and entering military service was uninfluenced by my family, but it was because I wanted the honor of defending the nation."
"I see."
Sancho felt a slight disconnect seeing Victor, who had been burning with passion moments ago, now listening calmly—but it wasn't enough to make him back out.
"I needed some money, sure, but power? I never cared about it. The other nobles did, though."
"..."
"Troop movements, command, allocation, formations, spoils distribution... They sank their teeth into every last one. I didn't want to bother with factions and such, but after inheriting my count's title, I had no choice."
Sancho spoke candidly.
"This war was the same. Even with the nation in crisis, they eyed the nobles and other countries, unable to choose the best path. I became a figurehead supreme commander, swayed by the officers."
"Ah, that charge at the Betaviya Plains..."
"My leadership was lacking, sure, but I'm getting old now. That defeat felt like their problem, and despite the scale, it didn't hurt as much. Hell, I even thought it was a relief to lose."
"...The fate of coalition forces, isn't it?"
"True, you wouldn't know. The 5th Legion? Even they didn't fully follow your commands except in the final battle. Right?"
"Yes."
And so, Sancho and Victor traded stories of their experiences.
Victor steered clear of Empire matters, focusing on the Ruth Kingdom, allowing Sancho to share publicly known details easily.
Their conversation, once started,
-Beep!
"...Ah. Looks like our talk ends here."
"I see."
continued until the horn signaling the carriage's arrival rang out.
As Victor rose, Sancho felt an odd pang of regret, startling himself with twitching fingers.
"I'd like to talk again sometime."
"..."
He masked his reaction with silence, but Victor smiled brightly and stepped out of the carriage.
"Ha..."
Alone in the quiet carriage, Sancho reflected on their exchange, lost in thought.
My main goal was to break the ice with conversation.
The more we talked, the clearer it became: Sancho was too valuable a talent to rot away locked up in the capital.
Beyond his abilities, finding a noble so moderate and upright in character was rare.
"Escort the hostages to the capital for now. I'll inform His Majesty myself."
"Understood."
He did seem a bit soft-hearted, though.
I deliberately avoided mentioning defection, starting instead with building rapport step by step.
I couldn't spare much time right now, so letters back and forth would have to do—but we seemed close enough for replies.
For now, this should suffice.
"Deputy Legion Commander Axel Lübeck. Prepare to depart. We leave before sunset."
"...Understood."
I prepared to handle the urgent matters.
Most of the troops would stay at Ceres Pass; only Anna, Erika, Axel, and I would head to Manzheim first.
We needed to address the southern unrest quickly,
"Legion Commander. Count Volker Rommel has regained consciousness."
"Oh..."
and things here weren't fully wrapped up yet.
Better handle it soon.