Chapter 63
Chapter 63
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Imperial Rewards
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“Triumphal Generals Gerhard Weissilt of the 10th Legion, Victor of the 1st Provisional Legion, and Friedrich Günter of the 8th Legion, entering!”
The doors to the audience chamber swung open, and Gerhard, Victor, and Friedrich—the heroes of the Brotan Kingdom war—strode in, clad in their dress uniforms.
“...”
The gazes of the nobles waiting inside the audience chamber pierced the generals.
Some nobles looked upon the generals with genuine joy at the empire's victory, their eyes warm and welcoming.
Others, wary of the generals' growing influence for various reasons, shot them cold or outright hostile glances.
Especially toward the up-and-coming general Victor, the negative stares were the most intense. And in the look Duke Theodore directed at Victor, hostility, jealousy, hatred, and a tangle of other dark emotions swirled.
Gerhard and Victor met those stares with calm composure, walking toward the throne with heads held high. Friedrich followed, his fists clenched tight.
Gerhard knelt on one knee before Luise's throne, where she sat with a subtle smile.
“Gerhard Weissilt and two others, reporting as ordered.”
“We greet Your Majesty.”
“We greet Your Majesty!”
Gerhard's voice rang through the audience chamber, and Friedrich and Victor knelt as well, bowing their heads.
A moment of silence followed.
-Swish.
Luise rose from her throne.
She slowly scanned the generals kneeling before her.
“Loyal generals of the Dragonia Empire. You led us to victory in this war and brought the Brotan Kingdom to its knees.”
Her eyes lingered on Victor, head bowed. With a steady voice, she began to speak as she descended toward Gerhard.
“Duke Gerhard Weissilt.”
Gerhard lightly raised his head at her call.
“Your exceptional command and leadership have brought victory to the empire. In honor of your long service and achievements, I grant you the rank of Grand Marshal of the Dragonia Empire's forces.”
At the mention of bestowing the long-vacant title of Grand Marshal, Gerhard's body twitched.
She took the sword carefully offered by a nearby attendant.
“As a symbol of my trust in you, I bestow this blade. Any order you give on the battlefield is my command, and any challenge to you is a challenge to me.”
Though Gerhard had earned the respect of all imperial generals through his abilities and deeds, he had never before received full imperial recognition of this rank.
His hands trembled faintly as he reverently accepted the sword with both hands.
“...Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“Furthermore.”
Yet the empress did not pause, even at the quiver in Gerhard's voice.
“A monument shall be erected in commemoration of your deeds and loyalty, proclaiming to all that the great general Gerhard Weissilt serves the Dragonia Empire.”
“...”
Gerhard, his composure shattered, couldn't even properly express his gratitude. But none in the audience chamber found it strange.
The rank of Grand Marshal and a monument were the greatest honors a general could dream of.
With the empire's recent turmoil, there had simply been no opportunity for such a ceremony until now.
No noble could deny Gerhard's accumulated merits, so during the prior meeting to decide rewards, no one opposed Luise's proposal to grant these honors.
For Gerhard, who had refused fiefs in order to stay on the front lines, this reward struck deeper than any land.
“Thank you, thank you, Your Majesty! I shall devote my life to elevating the empire's glory!”
Applause erupted from the nobles, and he bowed his head, eyes reddening.
“Count Friedrich Günter.”
A moment later, Luise called Friedrich next.
He raised his head, face tense.
“Your brilliant valor secured our foothold in the war, and you and your 8th Legion contributed greatly to crushing the Brotan forces thereafter. I promote you from count to marquis and appoint you Governor-General of the occupied territories in the Brotan sector. Once stabilization is complete, Anyak shall become your domain.”
Friedrich's eyes widened at the unexpectedly lavish reward.
Anyak was a key stronghold alongside Saint Tour and Montpieu in the Brotan direction, and a vital hub through which most logistics passed on either side of the Crezon Mountains.
Moreover, with its massive port, Anyak was the wealthiest territory the empire had seized from Brotan.
Luise handed him a golden plaque.
“I look forward to your continued service as the empire's shield and sword.”
“I shall never forget Your Majesty's grace!”
He clutched the plaque and bowed his head, as the nobles applauded and murmured softly.
Finally, Luise's gaze turned to Victor, still kneeling.
“Legion Commander Victor.”
She called his name in a soft, gentle voice.
As he lifted his head, she silently regarded his face for a moment.
“There were many voices doubting you. Some questioned your loyalty after defecting to the empire, others your capabilities and those of your 1st Provisional Legion. But you proved them all wrong.”
As Victor pondered his response, she continued.
“Grand Marshal Gerhard Weissilt's report makes no mention without your name. Strategy, tactics, command, diplomacy, the treaty—your name appears in every phase of the victory.”
The longer Luise's praise went on, the more sour the expressions of Theodore and his noble faction grew.
Some nobles were displeased that Victor's commendation outlasted those for Gerhard or Friedrich, but they dared not openly defy the empress conducting the ceremony, settling for slight frowns.
Those truly loyal to the empress watched Victor, who seemed to have earned her favor, with keen interest.
“According to the Grand Marshal's report, you were a capable staff officer in briefings and an excellent commander in the field. You even shone in diplomatic strategy and treaty preparations. Marquis Friedrich Günter, what are your thoughts? Does the Grand Marshal's report ring true?”
Gerhard smirked with his head bowed, as Luise passed the baton to Friedrich.
Friedrich hesitated briefly,
“No, it does not.”
“...Hm?”
His firm denial caught Luise off guard, but then...
“I haven't read the report myself, but I can say with certainty: whatever it says, it falls short of Legion Commander Victor's actual achievements.”
“Ho.”
He added gravely.
“In that case, no need to hold back. Bring it forth.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Luise silenced the murmuring nobles—with their notably lengthy praise for Victor compared to the others—with a single glance, then opened the wooden box brought by an attendant.
“Legion Commander Victor. I elevate your 1st Provisional Legion to my direct command and name it the Crimson Dragon Legion. I appoint you its legion commander—be my hands and feet, and show the empire's enemies your might.”
From the box emerged a neatly folded flag.
Luise smiled brightly as she handed Victor the banner: purple field emblazoned with a red dragon spreading its wings.
When she had first proposed creating a direct-command legion centered on the 1st Provisional, nobles who saw it as a threat to their power moved to object immediately.
Yet her own faction couldn't protest due to their positions, and her bolstered authority from Gerhard's successes made it hard for the nobles to push back.
They tried acquiescence, persuasion, checks—but failed to sway her stubbornness.
She countered by declaring the legion for border defense and special duties only, promising to handle recruitment, maintenance, and management entirely on her own without noble support.
With sincere imperial loyalists voicing support, even the opposition had to yield.
“For the glory of the Dragonia Empire, I shall give my all.”
Victor reverently accepted the flag steeped in such history.
Seeing the corner of his mouth twitch upward, Luise gave a small smile of her own. Theodore, witnessing it, scowled and whispered with fellow nobles.
“Long live the Dragonia Empire! Long live Empress Luise Zeinburg!”
“Long live! Long live!”
At Gerhard's lead cry, reading the mood, all joined in cheering the empire and empress.
“A victory banquet in your honor is prepared for this evening—see that you attend.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“Understood!”
With Luise mentioning the banquet, the awards ceremony concluded.
---
“Günter Count—no, Marquis Günter, sir!”
“Ahem! Still getting used to it myself, hahaha!”
After informing the troops that the entire 1st Provisional Legion was now Luise's direct command, Anna and I attended the victory banquet.
Under bright lanterns, nobles' chatter and laughter filled the air without cease, empty plates swiftly refilled by circulating attendants.
“Could you tell us more about the Lake Apitel battle?”
“Yeah! You keep saying no...”
“...Hm.”
I wandered the fringes of the lively, noisy banquet hall, washing away a nagging discomfort with juice.
“What's wrong, General?”
Anna approached, sharp in her dress uniform.
Her face was nearly expressionless as usual, but her cheeks were rosy from the fruit wine in hand.
“Anna.”
“Not enjoying yourself?”
Her head tilted, brown bob swaying.
Maybe the wine, but her gestures seemed more animated than usual.
“No, I am.”
“You seem worried. Are you really having fun?”
“...Yeah.”
Truth be told, I was in good spirits, but as Anna said, plenty weighed on my mind.
Creating a direct legion and appointing me its commander didn't bother me much, recalling her vow to back my path with full force.
What nagged me was her shifting attitude toward the empire.
In the triumph and awards, Luise had flaunted her imperial authority boldly—even creating a direct legion, symbol of power.
Such behavior unseen in the game: mere extension of support, or something more?
No real cause for worry, but I couldn't help pondering her thoughts.
-Clink.
“Hm?”
Something bumped my hand as I mulled.
“This is the cure for heavy worries.”
Fit for an imperial banquet, she offered fruit wine in a glass.
“Is it? Hm, maybe.”
“Um, there's a quiet spot in the back...”
Before Anna could finish,
“...Ha, th...”
“...!”
“...What?”
The growing murmur of an approaching crowd drew my eyes.
The throng parted swiftly right before me.
“Legion Commander Victor, so here you are.”
Through the gap emerged Luise in a red gown.
“Good evening, Your Majesty.”
“Mm, good to see you. Are you Victor's paramour?”
“...! I am Adjutant Anna to General Victor, Your Majesty.”
Anna flustered unusually, took a deep breath, then curtsied to Luise.
“Adjutant? ...Hm. Seems I interrupted time with your commander. Mind waiting? I have private words for him.”
“...No permission from me is needed.”
“Appreciated.”
Luise eyed Anna briefly, then addressed her politely—contrasting her blunt opener.
“Follow me. I know a fine spot.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Unyaunted by Anna's faintly reluctant tone, the piercing stares, or heightened buzz, she strode ahead.
I followed slowly in her wake.