Chapter 113
Chapter 113
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 113
Chapter Title: The Bloodstained Truth
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"...What do you mean, ugh! ...What are you talking about?"
"Even including the troops stationed in the rear, the 5th Legion has barely 5,000 soldiers left."
"5,000? Five thousand?"
Volker instinctively tensed his upper body, only to groan in pain and slump back down.
Axel watched him with pity in his eyes and continued his explanation.
"During the clash at the Vitabeya Plains, Baron Kai Schuh moved his forces on his own initiative and suffered heavy losses. Right now, the remaining troops have been temporarily reorganized under the Red Dragon Legion holding Ceres Pass."
"Temporarily reorganized... No, forget that. Schuh did what?"
Remembering Kai as a reliable officer who had always served him faithfully,
Volker couldn't believe he'd committed such a reckless act that shattered the army.
"Yes. He defied my orders and charged into the enemy lines with like-minded officers."
But this was undeniable truth, and Axel replied with a hint of emotion toward those responsible.
"...Hah. Where are Schuh and those like-minded officers?"
Volker wanted to summon the officers caught up in the incident and hear their side,
but...
"That's..."
"I know."
Instead of Axel, who hesitated on how to respond, Victor stepped forward, rummaging in his pocket.
"Here it is. Hmm... Ah, got it."
In Victor's hand from his pocket was a pistol covered in dark stains.
"Do you know what this is? Probably not. It's a pistol—think of it as a shrunken-down version of the rifles our legion uses."
"A weapon... Are you threatening me?"
"To a sick man? Nah, not threatening..."
Victor scraped off the stains from the pistol, rubbing them into powder with his fingers.
"Here, I brought them."
"...?"
He took Volker's uncomprehending hand and sprinkled the powder onto his palm.
"You might not answer easily, but just smelling it should lift my spirits a bit."
Sensing something ominous in Victor's cryptic words, Volker hurriedly examined the powder on his hand.
"..."
What he'd thought was black powder had a reddish tint, and it felt oddly sticky.
His hand trembling, he brought it to his nose.
The powder gave off a sharp metallic scent, along with
"...Blood?"
a faint, familiar fishy smell.
"Oh, it still smells?"
"Victor."
"Hm?"
Volker's voice trembled as he called Victor's name.
"What the hell have you done?"
"Yeah, that's what I wanted to hear."
Victor nodded once, a smile playing on his lips.
"Kai Schuh, Kurt Bröhner, Wolf Ribben..."
"..."
He rattled off several names familiar to Volker,
"...and so on. They committed grave insubordination during battle. As Deputy Legion Commander Axel explained, they led half of the 5th Legion's forces in a reckless assault, dragging other Imperial troops into the mess."
"...No way."
"The battle ended in obvious defeat. We held an immediate trial right after, and summary execution was decided."
With a gesture like pulling a trigger, he calmly stated the fact of their execution.
"Execution..."
"You know insubordination in the heat of battle is a capital offense."
Volker was bewildered.
Why had those officers mutinied against Axel?
Why did Victor's pistol have these stains, and why was he claiming they were the blood of executed officers?
He could guess where this was going, but he desperately hoped his guess was wrong.
"...No. That can't be. Even if the mutiny is true, why on that pistol..."
"The 5th Legion took losses so severe we could call it annihilation from the defeat. And the enemy was still glaring at us from nearby."
"..."
"In the end, Deputy Legion Commander Axel and the surviving 5th Legion officers agreed to my command. A legion that lost its emperor's direct orders, its focal point, and suffered a crushing defeat—what happens next? You know it all too well."
"Deputy Legion Commander Lübeck."
"..."
Axel simply bowed his head under Volker's gaze, as if asking if it was true.
The silence was as good as affirmation.
Volker's face paled as he realized the meaning of the temporary reorganization Axel had mentioned.
And he knew he was next.
"...What are you going to do with me?"
Volker asked in a weary voice.
The 5th Legion he'd nurtured so carefully was crumbling before his eyes, in the blink of an eye.
"What to do?"
Victor pocketed the pistol again and shrugged.
"Well, when I asked your subordinates why the 5th Legion was uncooperative, they all said it was your orders. Isn't that right?"
"...Yes."
Axel felt uneasy about joining in the persecution of his superior, but not enough to prefer being persecuted alongside him.
Under Victor's sharp gaze, he answered softly.
"That can't... Pfalz! Baron Pfalz! You killed him too!"
Volker endured the pain and shouted, clinging to hope for Florian at least,
but
"No, he's alive and well. Said he had no choice due to the legion commander's orders, professed strong loyalty to His Majesty, and complained about his grievances."
Victor chuckled lightly as he shared the update,
and
"..."
Axel's devastated expression confirmed Victor's words were true.
Volker ground his teeth in such intense betrayal that he felt those who died mutinying like Kai were better off.
"You pressured your men to defy His Majesty's orders, so it depends on how His Majesty feels."
"You'll report to His Majesty yourself."
Familiar with such rhetoric, Volker added a line, sensing his fate.
"Right. But there were eyes watching, so I'll report it transparently, without exaggeration or omission."
Victor's promise of a transparent report did nothing to reassure Volker, as intended.
A vein bulged in Volker's neck.
He couldn't accept the result of hasty judgment, bad luck, and underestimating Victor.
"Victor...!"
"We leave tomorrow, so rest up. Deputy Legion Commander Axel, let's go."
Victor stood first, ignoring Volker's outburst,
and
"...Yes."
Axel suppressed his rising guilt, avoided Volker's gaze, and followed.
"Ugh, ugh..."
Left alone, Volker groaned softly,
but even he didn't know if it was from his injury or his hopeless future.
There was some emotion mixed in, and it felt more cathartic than when I'd gone in,
but it wasn't like I'd pressured him just to vent on someone barely conscious.
-Step.
Exiting the tent, I checked the faces of the 5th Legion soldiers on alert nearby.
The mood was icy, their salutes tenser than before.
They must have overheard the conversation with Volker.
If they had any brains,
they wouldn't defy my orders until that tension faded.
"The talk's over. Call the doctor back."
"Yes, Legion Commander Victor."
"Oh, and keep a close watch so Count Rommel doesn't wander."
"Understood."
I gave them instructions, and they accepted immediately.
If these soldiers spread word of our conversation, everyone would know Volker had lost all authority as legion commander.
We're leaving tomorrow anyway, so this was enough for the troops.
"..."
Now it was time to console Axel, who couldn't hide his gloom anymore.
His expression had soured since midway through the talk and stayed that way.
The situation was clear enough that his cooperation wasn't essential,
but it helped keep the nobles quiet.
He still seemed attached to Volker, but consoling him shouldn't be hard.
"Since Count Rommel's recovery is slow, we'll need to prepare a carriage."
Instead of addressing his conflicted feelings, offering some comfort by excusing it as Volker's poor condition should suffice.
Time was tight, but a simple two-wheeled carriage, with frequent horse changes, wouldn't slow us much.
It was better than riding together, though not exactly comfortable in a fast-moving cart.
"...Yes."
Axel hesitated, then nodded.
He'd clearly been uneasy about putting the still-injured Volker on horseback; even this small concession visibly relaxed him.
For all I knew, Axel might have been more loyal than officers like Florian or Kai.
He was just pragmatic with a weak stubborn streak, yielding to unavoidable reality.
It was a pitiable situation, but Volker and his officers bore too much blame for sympathy.
"...!"
"We depart tomorrow morning, so prepare accordingly."
"Yes."
I turned, glanced back at Volker's tent briefly, then left to prepare for departure.
His fate would likely be decided by my report.
Barring sudden death en route, I had no reason to keep worrying about him.