Chapter 6
Chapter 6
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 6
Chapter Title: The Betrayed General Betrays
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Andrei Komarov had been in high spirits right up until the moment he shoved that thorn in his side, Victor, into solitary confinement.
He couldn't stand seeing a mere commoner strutting around as Supreme Commander. And it grated on him even more that everyone was praising Victor as the greatest of them all.
Andrei had never seen real combat, but he was absolutely convinced that if he took the field, he'd outperform Victor by miles.
In wargames with the kingdom's other officers, he'd always crushed them overwhelmingly. Eventually, they all started making excuses—whether out of fear or whatever—and refused his invitations to spar or play.
To him, Victor was nothing more than a lucky commoner peon.
The Imperial Army's defeat at Victor's hands was just because they were incompetent. If Andrei had been in command, the enemy wouldn't have even gotten a glimpse of the Ruth Kingdom's capital. That was his firm belief.
That disdain made Victor's calm, almost leisurely demeanor as he was dragged in all the more infuriating.
The weird questions he kept asking, the fake innocence and compliance—it all rubbed Andrei the wrong way.
Locking him in solitary was Andrei's impulsive decision, fueled by raw emotion.
Sure, Count Savinkov, his commanding officer, had only ordered him to stash Victor somewhere appropriate until the negotiation team arrived. But to Andrei, that sounded like carte blanche to put him wherever he damn well pleased.
Thrilled, Andrei shoved Victor into the hole to break his spirit.
A few days of misery in there, and the mask would peel away, revealing his true colors.
"The food we're shoving in there isn't decreasing, sir."
"Yeah? Let him do whatever. We'll boot him out in a few days anyway."
Andrei brushed off the report from the Royal Guard posted at the door.
Skipping a meal or two for a day or so wouldn't cause any real issues, so he had no interest in poking the bear and making more trouble for himself.
He ordered his men not to bother him with further updates and headed off to the party the nobles were throwing.
'General Victor has been arrested by the Royal Guard!'
Starting with the soldiers who'd witnessed the arrest firsthand, the rumor spread faster and wider than the kingdom's nobles had anticipated.
With most of the forces gathered in the capital, word that Victor had been nabbed by the Royal Guard raced through the ranks like wildfire.
Rumors of an armistice were circulating too, but since everyone could easily connect the dots between the two, the army's mood soured fast.
Everyone knew the score.
Before Victor took command as Supreme Commander, how many officers had been swapped out, and how many troops had died.
By contrast, the 1st Legion he'd led from the start had earned the moniker Undying Legion for its ridiculously low casualties.
The conscripts—who made up the bulk of the forces—were just young men desperate to survive and get home. And junior officers were always high-risk anyway.
Victor had the love of nearly every soldier, save for the noble-born high command.
The early string of defeats had turned the Imperial Army into a boogeyman. Victor, who'd racked up overwhelming victories against them, became the kingdom's last hope.
With the nation desperate for a poster boy, he was hailed as a near-hero by both the military and the civilians.
So when Victor suddenly ended up in a cell, discontent started bubbling up among the troops.
The perfectly timed rumor that he'd been arrested to be handed over to the Empire poured fuel on the fire.
Word even spread that General Victor was locked in the palace basement dungeon, refusing food. Voices rose demanding they storm the palace and free him right then.
Sure enough, plenty approached Anna, whom many saw as Victor's de facto successor. Even some noble officers sympathetic to Victor made contact with her.
Anna put any action on hold for now, citing security and odds of success. But those already ready to draw steel began checking their authority and rallying their men, preparing for what was coming.
In their private huddles, they openly tossed around the word "rebellion." Things were that dire.
The Royal Guard on duty with the nobles weren't oblivious to the mood, but officer purges and the resulting gripes were routine. They didn't take it seriously.
After all, it was always just a vocal minority, easily quashed with executions or brute force.
The nobles only feared Victor flat-out rejecting the arrest. The spreading unrest? They ignored it.
Let the heat die down, purge Anna and Victor's cronies, then ship the man himself to the Empire in a few days. Problem solved—that was their thinking.
Only a tiny few genuinely worried about the brewing storm.
The nobles, cares cast aside, reveled in yanking out the aching tooth that was Victor so effortlessly.
They even threw a party in the palace with the puppet boy-king propped up on the throne. Word spread that the nobles who'd sold out General Victor were partying it up, drenching the soldiers' rage in oil.
The war had halted, but tension in the Ruth Kingdom's capital was ratcheting up higher than ever.
"Ha."
It was a tough fight.
The scenario had the kingdom's forces counterattacking, defended against by city guardsmen. I'd cranked the difficulty to max, and the enemy Ruth Kingdom army ended up way stronger than the real thing.
The early kingdom troops would rout even while winning if you didn't whip them hard, and scatter in panic at the sight of Imperial knights. But in this sim, every last one was a fearless warrior ready for battle.
Luckily, the kingdom side had weak cavalry and archery, and they attacked in scattered waves. I beat them with all-out divide-and-conquer tactics. If they'd come en masse in one go, the lightly armed guards would've struggled to hold.
With the battle over and tension easing, a ravenous hunger hit me—like I hadn't eaten in days.
"Starved myself pretty good, huh."
I'd handled necessities and sipped water here and there, but meals would've wasted time, so I'd filled up on water alone.
No sleep at all probably explained the fatigue, too.
Getting this lost in a game without a care was a rare treat these days.
Thinking back, this was the real me.
Before coming to this world, I'd blow through holidays skipping meals and sleep, glued to the PC for days. Those memories came flooding back fresh and vivid.
I peeled away the cloth I'd been using as a blindfold instead of an eyemask. Bright midday sun streamed through the window.
After forcing my eyes open at dawn, I'd covered them with clothing completely. No clue how much time had actually passed.
"...No idea."
The sun being up told me nothing about what day it was.
Too many battles to tally up the sim time precisely, and I hadn't bothered counting anyway.
Not that the exact days mattered much.
I trusted the twitch in Andrei's eye when I mentioned my "expected date" and he shivered at "three days."
If he was wrong, whatever—a few more days of sim bliss would sort it.
Bread crumbs scattered on the floor meant they were at least delivering meals properly. In some ways, this beat sweating it out as a commander.
Sight of food just made my stomach growl harder, though. Didn't want post-meal drowsiness, so I left it be.
"Just a bit more. Just a little longer."
Once I hit the Empire, things would get busy for sure.
To claim my spot, to chase that deferred dream of world conquest—I'd have to hustle.
No telling when I'd get another risk-free gaming binge like this. I gulped some water to blunt the hunger pangs and flopped back onto the bed.
Blindfold back on, sim startup...
Clank. Clank. Screeech.
Door opening. I ditched the blindfold and sat up.
After a moment, the blocking door swung wide.
"Ha. Brutal, huh? Brutal. How'd you even... Oh, never mind."
A now-familiar silhouette stepped through the open door.
"Andrei."
"Not even one meal down, they say. What's your beef, huh?"
Andrei scanned the cell interior, eyeing me with a mix of shock and dismay.
The Royal Guards behind him sneaked glances too, like I was some exotic specimen.
"What're you talking about?"
"Three straight days, just lying there chugging water. Some kinda protest?"
Three days already over?
Hearing that, a bone-deep exhaustion washed over me.
"Yeah?"
"...Let's go. Drag him out."
Maybe the carefree sim grind had been too fun.
Getting kicked out of solitary felt a tad disappointing.
"Could hang out a bit longer, y'know."
"...Guy's lost it. Haul him away and tie him down."
"Yes, sir."
Two Royal Guards entered and supported me up.
"Ah... Shame, what a shame."
"...Pardon?"
Regret lingering, I let the Royal Guards lead me out of solitary.