Chapter 124
Chapter 124
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 124
Chapter Title: The Betrayed General Betrays
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"We nearly ran headlong into the enemy's forces first!"
"Hah. Is it that strange to encounter the enemy during a war?"
"...That wasn't our plan."
Separate from the threat to pull out their troops right away, the fact that these humans—who had been staying quiet—were voicing their dissatisfaction was a dangerous situation for the Kingdom of Este, teetering on the brink of survival.
Vittorio, sweating profusely, desperately made excuses to Blake, who looked utterly furious.
"The traitors' movements were too suspicious. If we'd stayed put, they might have struck us and slipped away unscathed."
"Even if that's true, shouldn't you have given us a heads-up? Just moving on your own without any contact, expecting us to adjust?"
"I can explain that too. It's just..."
At least setting aside the dwarves' resentment, Vittorio swallowed his pride as much as possible and explained.
"...Isn't the Kingdom of Este in crisis, just like the Kingdom of Eckni? We need to join forces."
"Hm..."
Blake grimaced, inwardly savoring Vittorio's fidgety distress.
"..."
The elves who had seen Vittorio on the verge of exploding in rage before Blake arrived were intimidated by his mask-like composure, standing there with furrowed brows as they listened to the humiliating exchange.
After a long back-and-forth,
"...I hope we don't have a repeat of this."
"..."
Satisfied with the elves' submissive attitude, he left.
-Thud. Thud. Thud...
Once Vittorio confirmed Blake's heavy footsteps had faded into the distance, he stood silently in the quiet tent for a few minutes,
"Salvatore."
"...Yes."
He called for Salvatore Sordi, the scout captain whose rank was close to deputy legion commander.
Sensing the reason, Salvatore walked up silently and clenched his teeth.
-Slap!
"Kgh..."
Vittorio struck his cheek with full force.
"Hoo... Put some effort into it."
"..."
-Slap!
"Guh."
With a face like a vengeful demon, he silently swung his hand with all his might until both of Salvatore's cheeks were black and blue.
For several minutes, the elves' tent was filled only with Vittorio's ragged breathing, Salvatore's groans, and the brutal sounds of flesh striking flesh.
"Haa... Do you understand why I'm doing this?"
After venting his rage for a while, Vittorio rubbed his stinging hand and asked the bowed Salvatore, grinding his teeth.
"...I'm sorry."
"Tch..."
But Salvatore's slurred response failed to satisfy Vittorio at all,
"What do the others think? That I'm just venting because my pride was hurt?"
"..."
The surrounding elves, fearing they'd get swept up in his fury, averted their gazes cautiously.
"...Ha. To think these are elves."
Muttering softly, Vittorio
"Aren't you angry?"
suddenly changed his tone and began grilling them.
"Didn't you feel anything watching me grovel to those short bastards?!"
"..."
The elves were simply frustrated, unable to speak amid the dreadfully oppressive atmosphere.
No one dared argue back against Vittorio, whose eyes were bloodshot.
"Our nation may be in peril, but wasn't that too servile? Even if the world oppresses us, we mustn't forget our inner convictions! One of you could have spoken up!"
"..."
"I was prepared to face any criticism of my attitude, yet to be this disappointing."
Interpreting their silence as agreement, Vittorio shook his head in disappointment,
"Ugo."
"...Yes."
"What kind of race are we?"
"..."
"Answer me."
"We elves are the most... of the southern continent..."
"No!"
He bellowed at Ugo's mundane reply.
"Elves are the noblest and most superior race on this continent! Stronger than humans, more elegant than dwarves, more beautiful than orcs—that's us!"
Some elves, who were friendly toward other races, grimaced,
"..."
"Are you just going to endure this horrific situation where those scum look down on us?"
Vittorio's relentless shout ignited the excessive pride most elves harbored.
"We must ensure this never happens again. Even if it means letting those fools flee, we have to repay this humiliation."
"Oh..."
"..."
Vittorio's madness began to infect the elves.
Stirred by his cry, the elves nodded fervently with renewed zeal.
"But we need their support..."
"Support? Renato. Did you just say we need their support?"
Renato Serbi, who had advocated cooperation with foreign nations from the start, tried to pour cold water on it, but everyone glared at him as he stepped forward.
"You must have forgotten today's battle. They only intend to use us. If we naively follow their lead, elven blood will flow like rivers."
"But..."
"Why? Do you want to bow to them forever? Otherwise, there's no reason for such nonsense."
"...No."
With Vittorio's rebuttal and incitement added, he had no choice but to back down again.
"Of course, I'm worried too. If we stormed their tents now and insulted them, we'd only lose useful troops."
"..."
"So, I'll take on the humiliating role."
Vittorio drove the point home.
"I'll cater to their whims. I'll endure the disgrace of bowing my head."
"...Legion commander."
"So please, bear that resentment. Show those who underestimate us exactly what elves are."
Since he was volunteering for the most painful role, the elves nodded firmly toward him.
"...That's our specialty, isn't it."
"Yes!"
Even Salvatore affirmed it in his slurred voice, and the elves surged with energy as if their gloom had never been.
"For now, we wait for the right moment."
Satisfied with their reaction, Vittorio pondered how exactly to exact revenge.
"We're currently securing these points, these points with our scouts. Judging by the enemy's retreat direction, it's reasonable to assume they're advancing slowly through the central path."
"...I see."
Starting the day after I humiliated him, Vittorio participated in meetings as cooperatively as if he'd turned over a new leaf.
"Orcs have limited mobility in the forest, so your role is crucial."
"We've already significantly weakened the Lavria Republic's forces, so we'll do our best."
He actively shared previously hidden scout intel and maintained a neutral tone even toward his nemesis Blake, despite a stiff expression.
This meeting proceeded without any issues.
No need to compare to the previous one; the difference from when he barged into the tent was night and day.
But the elves' expressions felt off somehow.
"...Do you know why that guy's acting like this?"
"Hm..."
"Is his rage so intense he's gone mad?"
"...Whatever the reason, good is good, isn't it?"
"True, but... I don't get it."
Though they'd planned assuming cooperation.
Even Blake voiced doubts to me when Vittorio wasn't around.
"Deep in Adige territory. Got it."
"We can discuss detailed tactics later."
They concluded to engage in full battle in the forest and disbanded.
"We might need to revise our guidelines. We could end up provoking them unnecessarily."
"Agreed. If they perform their roles properly, they'll be our sturdiest allies in the forest."
The elves' odd behavior was clear, so even the officers asked how to handle them rather than tactics.
Situational speaking, cooperative elves were a good thing, and our distrust might backfire.
"Do you all trust the elves?"
At least I didn't think so.
"For now... they're allies, right? They've exploited our trust so far, but..."
"I can never trust those folk. I'd consider it if they repented all their past wrongs, but they won't."
"Still, they're useful forces. If we utilize them well like this time, it should be fine."
"I heard your opinions."
The officers' views were divided,
"As they participate more actively, the elves' role in the plan grows. They're the ones who retreated immediately upon encountering the enemy to preserve forces."
"..."
"Did you see Vittorio's eyes when he turned away after storming our tent? He already showed hostility toward us."
Elves were a race where diplomacy was nearly impossible with other species anyway.
Above all, since red dots had started appearing mixed in the elven camps from yesterday, they could turn enemy at any moment.
"The Kingdom of Este shared a long border with us, yet we've had no exchanges until now for a reason. Never let your guard down."
"...Understood."
"How about preparing a preemptive strike? Better than letting them roam our flanks and rear."
"...Not yet. Let's prepare alternative strategies."
The plan wasn't finalized, but we prepared countermeasures for any sudden elven moves in advance.