Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Confronting Antoine
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I'd seen him in the game several times, but this was my first time meeting Antoine in person.
Antoine was a slender old man.
He was probably around the same age as Gerhard, but he looked far younger than Gerhard, who had spent his years active on the battlefields.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Victor, Deputy Commander of the Imperial Army."
"...You? Hah. I'm Antoine Clavier."
Like Guillaume, Antoine had essentially been isolated and confined, but unlike Guillaume, he hadn't lost his composure.
He let out a hollow laugh and straightened his posture.
"You look even younger than His Highness. If it's not rude, may I ask your age?"
"I'm twenty-seven now."
"...Twenty-seven?"
His tone and expression carried a subtle air of disbelief.
"Yes."
As if trying to discern whether I was telling the truth, Antoine narrowed his eyes and stared at me.
"...Deputy Commander at that age—impressive. No, wait. Didn't you rise to Supreme Commander in Ruth Kingdom?"
"That was the case until the traitors sold me out."
"Traitors?"
"They attempted rebellion afterward and assassinated the King."
Antoine's eyebrows twitched upward slightly.
"...Amazing."
"Didn't you know?"
"No, I did."
After exchanging some light small talk for a moment.
"So, what's the purpose of your visit?"
"Antoine Clavier, the Prime Minister who led Brotan Kingdom for decades. I came because there's something I wanted to show you. Ah, and there's also one important matter I need to inform you about separately."
"..."
With the question I'd been waiting for, we got down to business.
He closed his eyes and pondered for a moment.
"...Hmm. Are you planning to negotiate with the kingdom or something?"
Even without many clues, he'd inferred part of my objective.
"Why do you think that?"
"There aren't many reasons to suddenly show up so politely after not appearing for nearly two weeks. The war is over—now it's time for negotiations, isn't it?"
"Hmm..."
When I widened my eyes in feigned surprise and asked, he confidently explained his thinking.
His tone brimmed with certainty, but his gaze trembled ever so slightly.
"And the fact that you came to me specifically means you need my voice, my influence? Because the negotiations aren't going smoothly."
To me, that demeanor of his looked like the confirmation bias unique to someone isolated in their anxiety.
"If that's what you think, what will you do?"
To give him at least a little reassurance, I played along with his hopeful assumption.
"Sorry to disappoint, but I have no intention of helping the Empire."
To avoid shattering his own expectations, he deliberately ignored the subtle undertone of my question and focused solely on its content.
"I've served as an official of the kingdom for over forty years. Let me go. No matter what offer you make, I won't accept it."
"Is that so."
Emboldened by my demeanor, Antoine issued his firm refusal—and I responded with a satisfied smile.
"...What."
"..."
"Why are you smiling like...!"
"What did I say to you at the beginning?"
By the time he bristled in anger, I pulled a transcribed copy of the treaty from my bosom.
"Take a look."
"..."
Antoine snatched the paper from my hand.
"...Hah. Hah, ha... Me, of all people."
He skimmed through the contents at a rapid pace.
-Pak!
"Nothing but utter nonsense. What fool handed this to me?"
He tossed it to the floor before he'd even read halfway.
His voice still maintained its calm.
"It's the peace maintenance and cooperation agreement between the Dragonia Empire and Brotan Kingdom—abbreviated, the Saint-Touar Treaty."
"...What?"
I kept my smile and enunciated each syllable deliberately.
"What does that..."
"Need more explanation? Or would you like to read it again?"
"..."
With trembling hands, he picked up the treaty again and read it much more slowly than before.
I sat across from him, leisurely awaiting his reaction.
"Hah, haha. Ha..."
A moment later.
Antoine set the paper down and let out a hollow laugh.
"All done reading? This is what I wanted to show you."
"You think something like this will shake me? Ridiculous—utterly ridiculous!"
He shot to his feet right there and jabbed a finger at me.
"Shake you?"
"A decision like this gets made without me, the Prime Minister of Brotan Kingdom? It doesn't make any sense!"
"What are you talking about? Isn't the legitimate ruler of Brotan Kingdom—His Highness Guillaume Châtion—the one with decision-making authority?"
"...No way?"
His beard flared as he vented his rage, but he froze the moment Guillaume's name came up.
"His Highness Guillaume did this...? No, it can't be. No matter what..."
He clutched his head and muttered to himself for quite a while.
"His Highness has no desire for your return. It's something he confirmed with me time and again."
I drove the final nail in.
"...Ha."
"You'll be heading to the Empire's capital, Rainesberg, along with us. For the sake of stabilizing the kingdom, you'll negotiate with imperial officials as its representative."
"..."
"Who else knows the kingdom's internal affairs as well as you? It's hard to imagine a better pick."
Shocked by the revelation of Guillaume's will, he collapsed weakly into his seat and listened to me attentively.
"You'll represent the kingdom's nobles cooperating with the Empire, so expect fine accommodations and good treatment. Servants? Wealth? All provided at a generous level. However."
Seeing him agonize like that reminded me of my past self—the one who had planned to bury his bones in Ruth Kingdom, only to be betrayed.
"You will never set foot on Brotan Kingdom soil again."
I didn't stop there with my explanation.
I simply continued speaking in a polite tone.
"While living in Rainesberg, you might go through all sorts of things. You head out and return to find the furnishings in your room rearranged. You might get the constant feeling of being watched from somewhere. But does any of that matter?"
"...Hey."
I ignored his call, as I wasn't finished speaking.
"You'll become the symbol of exchange between the kingdom and the Empire. We'll have you attend regular meetings, and we'll review every proposal with the utmost care. You'll live in luxury that everyone envies. Until the day you die—eternally in Rainesberg."
"..."
"That's the important matter I mentioned earlier. Any questions?"
He slowly raised his bowed head.
"Victor, Deputy Commander."
"Yes."
A thin, trembling voice—one that suited a frail old man devoid of any resolve.
Preparations seemed just about complete.
"...Why are you doing this to me?"
"..."
"Did you have to corner me like this? Make me a wretched retainer abandoned by my lord—a frontman for a fallen kingdom?"
Now,
"Indeed, why did you struggle so desperately to lead Brotan Kingdom?"
"...What?"
It was time to get a glimpse of what kind of man Antoine truly was.
Casualties from Lake Apitello: 10,489.
Casualties from the sieges of Anyac, Montpieu, and Saint-Touar: 782.
Casualties from the Battle of Baldua: 9,966.
I had no intention of shirking that responsibility.
I wouldn't rationalize it as "they were doomed to die anyway," nor treat a soldier's death as some badge of honor.
Simply put, it was in the past.
I wouldn't forget those sacrifices—I'd use them to whip myself into making the best choices going forward.
"You were the only one who could stop the King's wrong decisions—the only one who could resolve to prevent rivers of youths' blood from flowing. Even if the King couldn't help it, you could have."
As the kingdom's helmsman, what was he thinking?
I was simply curious whether he even recognized that he bore responsibility for those decisions.
Would he be any different from Guillaume, who had whined about how unavoidable it all was?
Did Antoine even take into account the sacrifices his choices inflicted on others?
"In the Battle of Baldua, 30,000 Brotan youths died and 15,000 were wounded. Weren't you in a position to prevent that? At the very least, after Montpieu, Anyac, and Saint-Touar fell, you should have demanded a treaty."
I noticed my words speeding up, but I had no intention of calming down.
There was emotion in it, yes—but this was also my way of confirming what kind of man Antoine was.
"If that was impossible, you should have at least stopped Guillaume's expedition. You're the one who usually reined in his reckless behavior. Why did someone who knew better shove the soldiers into the jaws of death?"
I hoped he was the kind of man who, like me, always pondered what the best choice was—and what consequences his decisions would bring.
"What are you..."
"Can't you see?"
I seized both his hands and lifted them to eye level.
"Don't you feel it—the hands stained bright red with their blood, this sticky sensation clinging to them?"
"Wh-what...!"
His gaze never dropped.
"Don't the screams of those youths reach your ears—the ones crying out the names of mothers left behind in their hometowns, the names of comrades who fought beside them?"
"Suddenly, what are you talking about...!"
He hadn't agonized over it.
Sadly, all I could sense from him was bewilderment and a sense of injustice.
No guilt. No regret.
"Don't you know? Why? Are you forcing yourself to ignore it? Do you let it slide because they're mere commoners? Do you think it's none of your business?"
"I didn't even command the soldiers—why are you saying things like that to me...?"
This was merely a slight variation on the same reaction I'd gotten from Guillaume.
They weighed profits and losses.
But the human cost in the process? That never even entered their minds.
His excuse-like words fell on deaf ears.
"...Haa."
My head cooled.
If he met even a sliver of my standards, I might have considered softening the harshness just a little.
But it always came back around like this—confirming the certainty of my own decisions.
"As expected."
I released his hands and stepped away.
In truth, I'd known it would turn out this way.
"...As expected?"
"It confirms that my choice wasn't excessive."
"What does that mean?"
"I'll tell you one more thing. I was the one who devised the contents of the Saint-Touar Treaty—and the plans for your treatment. I racked my brains to ensure you and His Highness would suffer as much as possible. I'm glad to see it seems to have disheartened you."
"...Victor...!"
"I'll see you again in Rainesberg."
All the officers and statesmen I'd seen up to now.
Especially those from noble backgrounds.
Most had never once entertained thoughts like these.
The game had portrayed him as a man of integrity, so I'd held out a sliver of hope.
If he'd shown even the faintest sign of guilt, I might have arranged for him to spend his remaining years in a bit more comfort.
-Thud!
"Maintain Antoine Clavier's current treatment. He'll be moving to Rainesberg later, so guard him thoroughly to prevent any escape."
"Understood!"
Now I felt utterly confident in unleashing endless cruelty upon Brotan Kingdom—and upon Antoine.
I left the cabin and started walking.
"...Phew."
I felt somewhat relieved, in my own way.
And thanks to that,
"Deputy Commander. You're not late at all."
"You cut it so close coming back—I had to urge you the whole way."
"Ah, I see."
"Haha, I'm always grateful to Anna."
I set aside the uncomfortable thoughts and, for the first time in a while, attended the banquet with a light heart.
"Deputy Commander! You made it!"
"If you hadn't come, I was gonna head out too!"
"Really?"
"Ah, Commander. Ahem, that's not what I..."
"Hahaha! It's fine. If the Deputy Commander hadn't shown, I'd have gone and dragged him here myself."
Watching the officers converse so joyfully, without a shadow of gloom on their faces, I truly felt that all that remained for this war was triumph.