Chapter 20
Chapter 20
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 20
Chapter Title: The Betrayed General Betrays
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Woratikas entered the room alone this time, leaving the attendant who'd followed her outside the door, unlike that morning.
Her face had brimmed with anticipation back then, but now her steps were far more measured.
"You don't need to be so tense. I just came to satisfy my curiosity, that's all."
She sat down naturally across from me, as if it were her reserved seat.
"First off, let me apologize for my rudeness this morning. I ran off without even having a proper conversation."
"..."
The apology felt a bit off-kilter, but the fact that she was apologizing at all meant she was interested in me.
I gave a slight nod.
"Thank you. Your display was truly impressive, so I wanted to have a calm chat."
I wasn't worried up until she called it impressive.
Though her expression darkened a bit as she said it.
"Generals' reports, rumors circulating in the Empire, Erika's dispatches. When I first heard them, I thought they were full of exaggerations and lies."
"..."
"So when you lived up to the hype, I was quite surprised."
Woratikas's words felt more like a review than a conversation.
Her voice carried not the joy or excitement of discovering new talent, but a thick undercurrent of regret.
It was profoundly unfamiliar.
I hadn't wanted her to show recruitment interest anyway, but I hadn't expected it to feel this awkward.
She kept murmuring these odd impressions to herself until finally,
"It would have been great if you were an imperial citizen..."
She left those words hanging and departed the room.
What on earth had happened in the past few hours to make Woratikas act like this?
A faint sense of crisis stirred within me.
The same situation repeated for the next few days.
Woratikas visited me every day, chatting about this and that.
She even shared updates on the Ruth Kingdom—nothing particularly noteworthy yet.
If there had been purges or demobilizations, the Empire would have noticed, so my subordinates seemed to be holding out for now.
How long could they last without me, though?
...Anyway.
Judging by her attitude alone, she seemed quite taken with me, but she kept lamenting that I wasn't imperial, over and over.
She never once brought up recruitment.
It wasn't like her at all—the woman who'd throw offers at people in the game like some kind of human collector.
As I pondered that, Theodore visited my room again.
He showed up out of the blue and said to me,
"Her Majesty summoned me and asked how you were. I told her you're undoubtedly talented, but convincing you to join the Empire is realistically impossible."
He claimed he'd convinced Woratikas to give up on hiring me.
"A general as magnificent as you wouldn't bend, right? Abandoning your men to slink off to the Empire alone? That doesn't make sense."
His logic for persuading her was simple.
If I joined the Empire, it would give the Ruth Kingdom nobles a pretext to turn their blades on my remaining subordinates. Victor, who cared for his men, couldn't be swayed until that issue was resolved.
"Her Majesty had high hopes, too. Shame, huh?"
Theodore had probably sold that logic to Woratikas hard.
It wasn't wrong, so she'd buy it easily enough.
Her not asking about my intentions was perhaps her own form of respect.
If so, that wasn't bad.
"A hero perfected in death—how noble. Noble indeed."
He was still marked red on my minimap.
He'd probably recited reasons to kill me every time he met Woratikas.
Same in the council chamber, no doubt.
"Farewell, Victor."
Theodore brimmed with confidence that things would go his way.
And truthfully, his influence and position made his assault fairly threatening.
My unstable subordinates and lack of a base to counter him.
Without resolving both, my stable career change and dreams of world conquest were doomed.
This was when I'd use my "last resort"—something I'd prepared for exactly this.
A method to justify betraying the Ruth Kingdom when justification was lacking.
I'd been saving it since it could only be used once, but now was no time to hoard it.
If I was going to betray, I'd do it big and flashy to the end: my plan for "betrayal by quasi-intent."
I reviewed the plan while biding my time for the right moment.
Time passed, and about a week after arriving in the Empire.
-Click.
Woratikas showed up alone as usual today.
"...Good to see you."
She didn't even try hiding it anymore—regret dripped from every word.
Green on the minimap, too.
'Victor' was a well-crafted character, so any normal ruler would hate to let him go.
She'd even tentatively asked a few times if I'd join the Empire.
I'd refused out of necessity.
"Victor. Your..."
She broached the subject carefully,
"...execution date has been set. One month from today."
She'd just filled in the final puzzle piece I'd been waiting for.
"I know it's rude, but I'll ask: are you absolutely, truly not changing your mind?"
Was it because she was young for a dragon?
Drawn instinctively to what she couldn't have, she asked almost petulantly.
"Even locked in a cell, facing certain death?"
"..."
"As expected, then..."
Taking my silence as refusal, Woratikas drooped her head in deep disappointment.
Now was the moment.
"One thing."
"Hm?"
"A final request."
"..."
An opportunity to steer events my way while minimizing damage to my image.
Possible because I'd consistently shown 'Victor's' true colors.
Emphasizing my care for my men and responsibility as the Kingdom's supreme commander.
"Speak."
"Even a few days would do—I want to set foot on the soil of my homeland, Zabrinsk."
Such a request was feasible.
Like clinging to lingering attachments until the very end, despite knowing it was impossible.
Instead of questioning it, Woratikas drummed the table in thought.
The moment she didn't shoot it down as absurd, my goal was as good as achieved.
"I understand your feelings, but... that seems difficult."
After hesitating, she gave the response I'd hoped for.
She had no reason to send me back, and the risk I'd never return made it obvious.
Now for the final blow.
The wedge to move her—something only possible because I'd experienced this world through the game.
Extremely useful, but only once.
A threat viable only when she had no intent to kill me, like now.
"...Woratikas."
I spoke her true name and watched the minimap.
In The Great War, dragons appeared only once or twice because they fundamentally couldn't interfere in the world.
To mingle with humans, they faced severe restrictions limiting their power to human levels—plus one more condition.
Never get caught. Ever.
The instant I shouted at the execution ground, "Luise is the red dragon, Woratikas!"
Even if no one believed me, her game would forcibly end.
She could kill me on the spot, but I'd built our relationship meticulously for this very moment.
"...!!!"
Her eyes widened in shock, but instead of rage or attack,
"Haha. Hahaha. Hahahahaha!"
She burst into loud laughter.
Still green on the minimap.
I kept my face taut to hide my sense of triumph.
Woratikas calmed only after laughing for a good while.
"So that's what you meant by not fearing death?"
"...Yes."
"Fascinating. Truly fascinating."
She glanced around briefly, then unleashed her presence at me, smile intact.
"Blackmail, right? On the condition you don't disrupt my fun."
"Exactly. I'll definitely return."
The pressure matched our first meeting, but having endured it once, it wasn't as grueling.
She seemed to scan for deception, but I was nothing but truthful now.
I had no plans to mention her name again, and I would return to the Empire.
"...Haha."
She chuckled softly and withdrew her presence.
"Break the promise, and I'll burn everything you hold dear. Without fail."
"..."
Luise glared with her usual half-lidded eyes.
No pressure infused, yet her devouring tone felt more threatening.
I nodded once.
I wasn't just returning—I'd come loaded with gifts.
"...No next time."
With that, Luise rose from her chair and left the guest room.
Now that she'd accepted, it all depended on me.
Once the atmosphere of "the Emperor granting a final request out of admiration for Victor" took hold, temporarily returning a prisoner would seem plausible enough.
Luise's reputation for treating talent well was widespread, and everyone knew my lingering ties to the Ruth Kingdom.
Now it was my turn to perform.
The righteous, spectacular betrayal of the betrayed master general, Victor.
I would destroy the Ruth Kingdom with my own hands.
Luise convened an emergency council the moment she finished talking with Victor.
She sat on the throne, awaiting the nobles.
Since the Emperor—who rarely voiced opinions even in regular meetings—had called it, the nobles hurried to the audience chamber in flustered haste, sensing something unusual.
Theodore and the Emperor Faction filled seats first, followed by all Noble Faction members in the capital.
The chamber filled instantly, despite the late hour as the sun set.
Usually, Duke Theodore Offenstadt ran the meetings, but since Her Majesty had called this one, even he sat quietly, awaiting her words.
"...Enough are gathered. Let us begin."
All eyes turned to her at Luise's declaration.
"The agenda I, Luise Zeinburg, propose is the disposition of Ruth Kingdom general Victor."
"...Your Majesty."
The moment she named Victor, an Emperor Faction noble on the right shot to his feet.
"Lord Ralph. Speak."
"Hadn't you already decided on execution for Victor? I wonder at the purpose of this emergency council."
Many nobles nodded at Ralph's question.
It was a settled matter—why call an emergency session?
"What are you saying to Her Majesty..."
"Enough."
An nearby Emperor Faction noble bristled at the perceived rudeness, but Luise silenced him with a raised hand first.
"I'm not reversing the execution decision."
"Then..."
"However."
She swept her gaze across the room to assert dominance before continuing.
Ralph sat back down; whispering nobles fell silent under her stare.
The room grew so quiet breaths from neighbors were audible.
"Executing him like any common enemy general could stiffen Ruth Kingdom resistance unnecessarily. His fame and prestige won't vanish with his death. Isn't that right, Lord Theodore?"
"Ah, yes. Indeed."
She cited established facts, glancing at Theodore.
Mentioned multiple times in prior meetings, he nodded promptly.
"Victor, upon hearing of his execution, requested to tread Zabrinsk soil one last time."
"...!"
"Thus, as a gesture of respect, my proposal is to temporarily send him back to the Ruth Kingdom before execution."
Noble Faction nobles stirred at her words; as she finished, an armored one stood.
"Your Majesty!"
"Lord Reinhardt."
"The Dragonia Empire is not weak! There's no need for this, and above all, Victor..."
Taking her nod as cue, Reinhardt unleashed his fury.
He'd chafed since Victor wasn't imprisoned; her granting his request ignited his strong opposition.
Other nobles shot glances her way in agreement.
Theodore had preached the Kingdom's frailty in prior sessions—no need to indulge Victor.
"I disagree."
"...Theodore."
Stifling Reinhardt's momentum was, surprisingly, Theodore—the one who'd pushed hardest to kill Victor.
"Treating prisoners well yields long-term benefits. It fits Your Majesty's reputation for valuing talent. No reason to refuse."
Upon reflection, Theodore had none.
His push to kill Victor was solely to eliminate a rival for her attention.
Far from it, he welcomed Victor distancing himself from the Emperor.
She'd visited his cell out of interest, after all.
She wouldn't chase him to the Kingdom, surely.
"Even so..."
"Lord Reinhardt seems worried he won't return, but his non-return benefits the Empire more."
"...What do you mean?"
"If he returns, it ends with execution. If not, we gain three advantages."
Backed by the Emperor's support and authority, Theodore's words flowed eloquently.
"Handing him over was a negotiation condition. His refusal lets us void it anytime—that's first."
"..."
"Victor's on bad terms with Kingdom nobles. His refusal to return throws them into chaos. We strike amid their infighting—that's second."
He cleared his throat and continued.
"Victor's threat stems not just from ability, but his imperial reputation and Kingdom support. If he stays, it doesn't stop at lost honor."
Reinhardt gaped, unable to interject Theodore's airtight logic.
"Spread rumors the war erupted because he fled, and his Kingdom support crumbles. A single blemish on his perfect image tanks his reputation overnight—that's third."
Though he said this, Theodore figured Victor wouldn't even reach the Kingdom easily.
The nobles were incompetent, but not blind to his threat upon return.
Victor wasn't a combat monster, and the nobles spared no means.
Theodore trusted them on that front.
"And if he flees, Your Majesty won't let it slide."
"Indeed."
The war's loss was the Noble Faction's, not the Empire's.
Everyone knew the Imperial Guard's elite prowess; the Emperor Faction's momentum soared.
Her personal intervention erased any lingering fear of Victor.
"...We might even encourage flight—no escorts or surveillance. Publicize the timeline clearly, and no blame falls on us."
Theodore had prepared thoroughly for Victor's demise.
Even sans his crush on Luise, a general with her favor threatened him.
Victor's removal trumped all.
"...Very well."
Luise rose from the throne.
"Tomorrow, we'll send the formal notice to the Kingdom and temporarily return Victor. Objections? Speak now or forever hold peace."
"..."
No noble dared challenge the Emperor and her faction head.
"Agreement noted."
Confirming their silence, Luise departed first; others followed suit, glancing about.
"...This should be entertaining."
Luise was curious what would unfold.
Her acceptance stemmed from the veiled threat and her fondness, sure.
But also spite toward the Ruth Kingdom for squandering him.
She knew what returning their sold hero meant.
They'd refuse if asked, obviously.
Of course, as a dragon, she only cared if it amused her.
"Summon the mages."
Anticipating his show, she prepared a small gift for him.
The next day.
I'd expected days of wrangling, but I departed the very next day as requested.
Even better: alone, without escort.
I could guess Theodore's push behind it, but with my minimap, traveling solo posed little danger.
"Victor."
As I donned my freshly laundered uniform, Luise approached with attendants.
She handed me a badge emblazoned with a golden dragon emblem.
"Show this at post stations in cities or villages for a horse. I've prepared Phegethon too—go and return swiftly."
"...Thank you."
I infused genuine gratitude, using formal address for the first time.
She hesitated briefly, then left without reply.
"See you again!"
I called a farewell to her retreating, fleeing-like back, then headed to Phegethon.
Phegethon again, huh.
...Maybe the Empire dumps all its progress funds into these.
Handing over the whole Ruth Kingdom would make it worthwhile, though.