The Knight Commander's Desperate Retreat
Even if it's like that, NTR has gone too far.
Edward Cromwell.
His reputation was well-known even within the rebel army.
The man who had shown brilliant performance as the Empire's knight commander over the past two years, and from the colonial rebel army's perspective, was seen as a nightmare on the battlefield.
He had defeated countless large and small battles, and unless one had not seen his face, there was not a single person in the rebel army who did not know his name.
In this way, from the rebel army's perspective, he had become not just an object of fear, but a target of reverence.
However, at this moment, the generals including Franklin and the people present here could not help but feel sincere sympathy when they looked at the man in front of them.
It was a well-known fact that the military was inherently full of injustice and small incidents occurred.
But even considering that fact, the stories coming from Cromwell's mouth were something that went far beyond that.
The commander was cheating with his fiancé, and the subordinates were blinded by their own advancement and betrayed the superior who led them, and moreover, there was a purge planned to hide these facts right after the war ended.
Hearing the extremely miserable situation of that person who was just a few hours ago considered the messenger of death on the battlefield, the rebel soldiers were naturally seized by human anger.
“How could that be…”
“No, not someone else, but to do such a thing to Cromwell?”
“I knew that General Neto was not normal, but how could he do such beastly things…”
“That Clara girl is the bigger problem! How could she betray the man who had devoted himself so much to her until now and flaunt her waist in front of another man? If it were me, I would have stabbed him the moment I heard the news!”
The soldiers, who could not help but feel instinctive disgust as a person from hearing such stories, reacted with intense reactions one after another.
No matter how this is a battlefield where lives are taken from each other, at least there was the duty to protect as humans.
To insult comrades… even if it's to the enemy, it was the audacity of the Empire's officers who called him a hero.
To this, the rebel soldiers could not help but feel deep sympathy for Cromwell, who was showing a pained face in front of them.
After the difficult story ended, Cromwell said with a voice choked with sorrow, his eyes filled with tears.
“Because of that… I had no choice but to choose to desert the Empire and come here. I couldn't die unjustly… so that I could at least take revenge on those dirty bastards who repaid the grace I've received so far.”
Franklin let out a small sigh and said in a quiet voice.
“…I understand what you mean. If I had gone through something like that… I wouldn't have been able to stay still either.”
She spoke with a bitter emotion in her words to the man in front of her.
Then, she comforted him while he was pouring out his sorrow, speaking with sincerity.
“Your situation is well known and I understand it. As the leader protecting this place, I will formally accept your surrender. And, if things go well, there will be a chance for revenge.”
“Th-thank you, General Franklin.”
Franklin spoke with a slightly business-like feel, as if there was no big emotional fluctuation at first glance.
But at this moment, while maintaining a cold exterior appearance, in her heart there was a deep anger of indignation far beyond the soldiers present here.
“These bastards… Empire soldiers… No, even to a person I respect as an enemy? And what? The woman who was supposed to be my fiancé betrayed me and went to another man? How could such an unbelievable thing happen…”
Feeling an intense emotion that was so shameful for a woman, Franklin tried to hide her boiling heart and continued her thoughts.
“That Clara bitch… Is she really sane? How could she abandon Cromwell? If it were me, I wouldn't have thought of such a thing… M… If I were his fiancé… Every day with this person…! Hmm…”
Suppressing the thoughts that suddenly popped up unrelated to anger, barely maintaining her expression.
Meanwhile, seeing Cromwell, who had experienced the tragedy himself no matter how big or small, empathize with him and accept him, Cromwell let out a deep sigh of relief in his heart.
Franklin, who showed a slightly more favorable attitude and formally acknowledged my surrender.
Seeing her appearance, I could feel relief that I had overcome another dangerous moment.
“Good, it seems this has been resolved somehow…”
The reputation that the being Edward Cromwell had accumulated in the game.
And even though it was a story in the game, the emotion of sympathy that naturally arose from experiencing in reality the things that were enough to anger even someone who wasn't crazy about NTR.
These things combined to allow my surrender to pass without a big hitch.
And right after that.
In front of my eyes, a new guide window began to appear.
Hidden Quest - Preparing Revenge
📍 Location: Rebel Camp
🎁 Reward: New Ally. Secret Route Opened.
[You have officially joined the colonial rebel army after escaping the betrayers. They welcomed your surrender after hearing the circumstances. But there is still doubt about you in their hearts. Win their favor and receive full recognition as a comrade. It won't be difficult if you use the weaknesses of the dirty betrayers. Quest Goal: Gain the trust of the rebel army.]
Richard, a female warrior with short blonde hair and blue eyes, dropped the teacup in her hand.
“Wh-what… what kind of… sound is that? W-who… who… who did that?”
William, her colleague and a mage with black hair, slowly tilted the teacup and said while seeing her face.
“Our former knight commander, that Cromwell guy, deserted. I heard he ran to where the rebels are.”
“Wh-what… ah… no, that can't… that's a lie, right? A… am I joking from the morning?”
“No, why would I make such a boring joke during precious tea time? He definitely left. The second knight division camp is in chaos because of this right now.”
Richard spoke with a trembling voice.
However, William answered with an incredulous expression.
“That… that can't…”
After William's confirmation kill, Richard's face became empty.
“Cromwell knight commander has left?… That person… was our enemy on the battlefield?”
An unacceptable fact that she couldn't accept or want to accept.
It brought a chilling sensation to Richard's heart.
Shock and horror…
And a chilling despair.
Seized by an instinctive and terrifying feeling she had never experienced before, she felt her whole body trembling automatically.
Meanwhile, seeing her like this, William said in an unfazed voice.
“Hey, why are you making such a fuss? Now it's none of our business. We've sucked the marrow out of it. Rather, it's a good thing that that annoying human went to die on his own.”
Since they had overwhelming military superiority, the Empire's generals including William expected to capture Fort Stanwix in half a day after preparation and attack.
Regarding the fact that the former superior Cromwell, who had become a thorn in their side after being given a heads-up, had entered the rebel army, William thought he had just gone to die openly.
“Anyway, even if it's the rebels, there are only a few hundred people stuck in that tiny fort. While pushing the fort down, let's kill that guy too.”
William, leisurely sipping the teacup.
However… with a colleague leisurely in front, Richard started muttering with a heavy voice full of fear.
“No…”
“…What?”
“You… don't know… you, the mage… don't know what kind of person that person is…”
“What nonsense are you talking? Who doesn't know that guy? Even though I'm showing this, for a year I've been sucking the marrow with that person and you… He's definitely a great person, but without a knight division, what can that guy do…”
“Cluck…”
The next moment, after William's words, Richard no longer answered and hurriedly got up from her seat.
Richard, hurriedly heading somewhere.
Seeing this, William muttered with a puzzled feeling.
“No, why is she like that? Is it separate from backstabbing, and actually she liked Cromwell or something? I'm dumbfounded…”
William, not worrying about the future at all, poured tea into the teacup again.
Meanwhile, leaving William who knew nothing alone, Richard started running towards the place where the commander Neto was.
“Time… is running out… I have to come up with a countermeasure somehow… Damn! How did things get to this…”