Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: The Betrayed General Betrays
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After being tied up again by the Royal Guard and dragged out of the underground prison like a prisoner, a group of soldiers approached us.
Judging by their unit insignia, they weren't Royal Guard members. They seemed to be troops temporarily pulled from the front lines to guard the palace during the war.
"We'll take custody of him."
"Ah, yes."
They gripped their spears in one hand, pressuring the Royal Guard with a fierce, intimidating presence.
Andrei had left ahead of us, so the guards flinched, unable to refuse, and handed me over to them.
"...Are you alright?"
After the Royal Guard scurried away, the man who appeared to be their leader asked me.
"Yes."
"Tch."
The soldiers reacted oddly as they supported me and led me into the palace interior.
"General, we'll never forget you."
"Those dog-like noble bastards..."
"...Thanks."
They must have known me from before, because as we walked, they kept murmuring things like that to me.
They left me in one of the palace guest rooms and vanished.
Was this the soldiers acting on their own?
Or someone higher up?
They didn't even give me time to ponder before a group of palace maids entered the room.
"Whoa, it's really him!"
"Lord Victor! I've wanted to meet you so badly!"
They effortlessly scooped up my unsteady body and carried me to the bathhouse.
"We'll wash you! No need to answer!"
Once we were inside the large tub-like bath.
With skilled hands, they stripped off my dust-covered clothes and scrubbed away the grime clinging to my skin.
"Oh no, your hair's completely damaged."
"Your skin's so dry and rough. Why on earth were you thrown in prison...?"
"Is it okay if we do this?"
As I soaked in the warm water, my eyes closed on their own, and I could barely follow the maids' chatter.
Being palace maids, they were probably daughters of noble houses, but their touches and words were so kind that I accepted it quietly.
"All done."
"...Thank you."
"If you're grateful, just give us an autograph!"
"..."
After signing what looked like a handkerchief, I let their guiding hands lead me, and before I knew it, I was in a guest room that looked far nicer than my own home.
The maids fussed over my hair, dressed me, and then left the room.
The clothes they'd put on me were a rather ornate Kingdom officer's uniform.
Out on the battlefield, I always wore comfortable clothes under my armor, so the uniform's tight fit around my body felt utterly unfamiliar.
"At least have some of this."
A somewhat older maid approached me as I sat dazed in a chair and set down a bowl of soup.
My stomach wasn't really hungry after starving for so long, but the soup smelled so good that I picked up the spoon.
After confirming I was carefully bringing the soup to my lips, she bowed once and left the room.
"...Hm."
This was completely unexpected treatment.
Even when I'd visited the palace as Supreme Commander, I'd never felt this level of hospitality.
The ones who sold me out wouldn't have arranged anything like this.
The nobles were too busy lounging around, and Andrei had ordered them to tie me up and lock me away—not to treat me like this.
It was probably just the personal goodwill of the soldiers and maids who'd helped me.
I hoped they wouldn't get in trouble for aiding me.
"Hoo..."
...Being human, after all.
I was worried, but their help had lifted my spirits a bit.
It gave me some confidence.
Confidence that my actions so far hadn't been wrong.
Since they'd mustered their courage, I had to buck up too.
I finished the bowl clean, then closed my eyes and leaned back into the plush chair.
-Knock knock knock!
The knocking jolted my eyes open.
The sun hadn't set outside the window yet, so not much time had passed, but my body felt refreshed, like I'd slept a full day.
"Victor! Are you in here?!"
"Haa..."
Not waiting for a reply, Andrei burst in with his frivolous voice, flinging the door open.
"Hiding in here, huh. Your guests are waiting in the hall!"
"...The negotiations."
"Wrapped up ages ago. Ha, the day has finally come."
Andrei was ridiculously hyped, while the Royal Guard members trailing him looked utterly drained by contrast as they piled into the room.
Did they have some obsession with tying me up?
Andrei was clutching another bundle of rope in his hand.
Including him, his men were decked out in gleaming silver armor and ceremonial swords, making them look somewhat impressive at a glance.
But the joints and how they wore their gear screamed that they'd never seen real combat, though that probably didn't matter to them or anyone watching.
I pinched my thigh hard to shake off the drowsiness completely.
To build the perfect image from here on out, I needed to stay sharp.
First impressions were everything—no matter how much you stressed it—and I needed to decide in advance how I wanted to appear.
"You haven't eaten properly, so you must be weak. Help him along."
The moment I heard Andrei order his men, my mind started racing.
What image should I show the imperial side?
Did I have any skeletons they could use against me?
Since they were from the Emperor Faction, probably not.
Was I really too weak to walk on my own, as Andrei claimed?
Considering the starvation and sleeplessness, I was in surprisingly good shape.
Maybe that soup had something special in it.
What was the established image from before?
According to intel, what had spread to the Empire was mainly my military achievements; personal details about me were scarce.
The negotiation team from the Empire probably saw me as just a capable Ruth Kingdom general.
From now on, the image I showed would shape who I was to them.
I imagined what would be advantageous and decided quickly.
From here on, I would be the steadfast general loyal to the nation and the King.
Unwavering no matter how dire the situation, never bending his will easily.
In reality, my opinion hadn't factored into the decisions at all, and I'd never harbored any such loyalty, but that didn't matter.
If the imperials—especially the Emperor—believed it, then it became truth.
"Got it..."
"No."
Before the Royal Guard could approach, I stood up from the chair on my own.
As Victor abruptly rose from his seat, the surrounding guards hesitated and stepped back.
His piercing gaze and the faint aura he exuded didn't belong to someone who'd starved for three days straight. The Royal Guard, already intimidated by the mere name of Victor, couldn't bring themselves to approach him easily.
"I'll walk myself."
"What the..."
Andrei, still nursing a grudge from when Victor had overpowered him during the arrest, grew furious at his men just standing around watching and was about to issue another order.
"I'll."
"Wh-what..."
Victor advanced toward Andrei step by deliberate step as he tried to speak.
Andrei couldn't comprehend the situation to begin with.
The Royal Guard he'd sent to tie Victor up properly had come back saying some weird soldiers stole him away. After scouring hundreds of rooms in the palace, he'd finally found Victor—who now glared at him freshly bathed and in full uniform.
Andrei could only work his mouth silently as Victor approached, growling low like he was about to devour him.
Even the guards, not directly facing Victor, felt an inexplicable pressure from his subdued voice and chillingly sunken eyes.
"Walk."
"Uh, er..."
None of them lacked in height or build—they were well-fed, well-trained noble sons—but with little experience under real pressure, the guards all recoiled or averted their eyes.
"Myself."
Victor stopped right in front of Andrei and declared it like a verdict.
"O-okay! Fine, I get it!"
In the end, Andrei shrieked and scrambled aside.
Victor strode out through the still-open door.
Andrei and his men froze for a moment before hurrying after Victor's lead.
If he'd taken a wrong turn, Andrei would have said something, but Victor marched with unwavering confidence straight toward the palace's main hall.
"Show's over? Scram!"
"..."
Embarrassed at following the man he'd arrested like this, Andrei yelled at passing guards and maids instead of Victor.
Seeing Andrei sneak peeks at Victor's expression, even those getting chewed out barely suppressed their laughter as they fled.
Andrei could only stamp his feet in frustration with nowhere to vent.
A short while later.
Victor halted before a massive door adorned with gold and jewels.
It was the one blocking the palace's main hall, where the negotiations had taken place.
"This it?"
"Yeah. Wait a—hey!"
As ordered to drag him in tied up, Andrei tried to bind Victor here at least, but Victor flung the doors open before the guarding soldiers could even approach.
With the doors already open, Andrei couldn't easily pounce and tie him.
"...We sent the Royal Guard, so soon he'll... Huh?"
"Ah, that's the guy..."
The main hall erupted in commotion at Victor bursting in.
The Ruth Kingdom nobles gathered to the left of the jade throne panicked at the sight of Victor walking in on his own two feet, fully uniformed—no ropes in sight.
The imperial negotiation team eyed him with keen interest.
Andrei and the Royal Guard, thinking they couldn't cause a scene in front of everyone, meekly followed Victor inside.
Ignoring the stares pouring onto him, Victor headed straight for the King.
Count Vladimir Savinkov, standing right beside the King, spotted the sheepish Andrei trailing behind and let out a sigh laden with multiple meanings.
"Supreme Commander of the Ruth Kingdom Army, Victor. Reporting for duty."
Stopping before the jade throne, Victor gave a polite bow, dropping to one knee and lowering his head.
The King on the throne rolled his eyes desperately at the scene unfolding—nothing like what the nobles had briefed him on.
With the atmosphere making it hard to issue orders right away, Vladimir couldn't respond to the King's pleading gaze.
"...Rise."
"Yes."
After dozens of seconds of awkward silence, the King finally mustered the proper response.
Victor, who had saluted with the poise of someone never arrested, swept his gaze across the assembly.
Seeing him glare at them fresh and fierce despite his solitary confinement, most nobles ducked their heads or looked away.
With that one motion, he'd seized control of the room's atmosphere.
"Your Highness. As Supreme Commander of the Kingdom's army, I have something to say about this war."
He opened with a grave tone.