Beyond the snowy mountain ridge, a black figure unfolded its crouched form.
The behaviour, reminiscent of something sinister, caused a surge of unease, but the ominous feeling was quickly proven wrong.
As the black figure drew a weapon, a ripple of unease spread through the horde of monsters. The fierce battle that had just taken place seemed almost forgotten as the creature pushed off the ground, sniffed the air, and became excited.
Then, it turned its back on the barricade and charged toward the black figure. It was like a pack of carnivores, smelling blood, swimming across the current to reach their target.
'…!'
As the instinctive warning to flee rose up to his throat, the snowstorm that had been whipping diagonally suddenly dispersed, and the snow-covered landscape was scraped away in a semi-circular path. The black figure, clearing all obstacles in its path, moved violently, tearing everything in its way apart.
It was more like slaughter than a battle.
'Who on earth wields a sword like that…'
The noble's swordsmanship was worlds apart from the crude, street-level techniques that would be better suited for butchers or mercenaries.
Where the snow had once been, a muddy pit had formed, emitting steam. In the midst of the blizzard, a beast, clearly still excited from the massacre, lifted its head.
As the sleet that had momentarily stopped began falling again, the figure was obscured. While the noble was lost in thought, a knight rushed up to him and reported.
"At the barricade."
The noble, anticipating the visitor's identity, hurried down. He had never heard of anyone possessing such a style of combat.
Of course, the deceased field commander had once monopolized that reputation, but that man had been more of a monster sculpted in human form than a true person, so he was an exception.
As the noble hurried down from the watchtower, a tall man standing in the courtyard turned around.
The face revealed beneath the cloak was unexpectedly handsome, with sharp features, and he wore a refreshing smile.
"I seem to have lost my way for a moment. While chasing the monsters, I must have crossed into an area not assigned to me…"
'This person… is one of the King's favourites!'
Suddenly, like a comet, this individual had appeared, the King's favoured one, beloved by the monarch.
The noble had stayed late into the night at the king's tent and had only left past midnight, which caused quite a stir among the other nobles.
"Excuse me, if it's not too much trouble, may I borrow a map?"
"Oh, of course! But while you're here, why not have a meal with us?"
The noble greeted his guest with a bright smile, welcoming them in, fully aware of the opportunity.
If played right, he might even be able to gauge the king's intentions.
***
Ah! That was quite the feast.
Compared to the reclusive anti-Godric faction nobles living up in the mountains, those politically sensitive individuals certainly had more information about the capital.
First: The capital, Kargasthol, is renowned as an indomitable fortress, but there's a lack of reliable information coming in and out.
Second: The underlying motive for those trying to win Godric's favour is more about seeking personal gain than loyalty to the king.
And lastly: Even these nobles aren't fully trusting of the king.
The noble casually poured more wine into my cup and subtly added,
"The king has gathered all the nobles of the kingdom in one place after a span of ten years… Surely, there must be something more to it, don't you think?"
"Haha. His Majesty always thinks of two plans at once."
This is a very irritating fellow.
"Exactly! And so, some of us believe that the king might make an announcement during this campaign… Of course, the Dragonbone Sword was impressive, but surely there's something special to crown the final day."
He cleverly phrased it as, "Do you know what the king is really planning?"
'I can tell just by the way you're trying to coax me and read Godric's intentions from me…'
It seemed like he was trying hard to extract information, but ironically, it was that very attempt that gave me the answer.
'The reason the king chose not to give orders and instead took a personal tour must be because of this.'
Indeed, since the calamity, the concept of the kingdom has essentially become meaningless. Godric's ability to exert influence as a king stems from what he did during the succession ceremony seven years ago, and the entire capital was replaced by that.
'If the people who sent me letters are all cut from the same cloth… They'll be easy to handle.'
"Hmm. How could I possibly fathom His Majesty's heart?"
For now, I avoided the direct question. If I openly said, "There seems to be something fishy going on" here, I would probably end up being accused of gossiping.
The nobleman seemed displeased, his lips twitching, but he didn't give up easily and started buttering me up.
"By the way, your accomplishments are truly remarkable. People who reach such a level usually become known, and it seems like it's your turn this time."
"My turn?"
"Previously, there was the field commander. That person was of humble birth, barely receiving a knighthood and no land, but from what I see, you're someone who can rise to even greater heights."
A bitter smile escaped from me, almost impossible to hide.
'He's just talking like a leaky mouth…'
But the nobleman, interpreting my smile as mockery of Leovald, seemed to get more excited and chattered on.
"Didn't His Majesty promise the position of the commander of the guard to the victor of this campaign? It's an honourable position that stays by the king's side, and you'll be treated as a high official in the capital."
"Thank you for your kind words, but it's too early to make any hasty judgments. This campaign is not about an individual's glory, but about following the greater cause for the kingdom's honour."
At that, the nobleman responded with a vacant expression, as if he had heard something naive.
"Ah, yes, indeed," the nobleman responded with a slight nod.
"Above all, I am truly satisfied with my position. The person I serve is of excellent character."
The nobleman raised an eyebrow and asked, "Are you saying you're content as a vassal of the Ertinez family? Ha, of course, Count Ertinez is a remarkable figure. But considering how bright your future looks, I must say…"
Here it comes. The typical meddling line from busybodies.
"I've heard rumours about the Ertinez family's young lord, though. Considering your age, shouldn't you be serving the younger generation of the Ertinez family, rather than the count himself?"
Hmm. I started to get a sense of the character I needed to portray.
When first learning acting, especially when focusing on strengthening expressiveness, there are times when you have to play something despicable. For example, playing a wild boar slowly dying in a trap, or a fox that successfully raided a bird's nest. Those kinds of roles.
And today, I decided my role would be "the magpie repaying a favour."
I innocently blinked and responded.
"Lord Leonardo is truly the person I respect the most."
"…?"
"When I was on the brink of losing everything and facing the streets, it was Lord Leonardo who took me in."
When the inn burned down to ashes, it was Leonardo who took me in. At least on the surface.
"He was also the one who accepted me for who I was, even after I had briefly walked down a bad path."
I had spent about two months as a leader of the back alleys in El Dante, so calling it a dark past might not be far off.
"I'm not someone who belongs to the royal family. However, I am always ready to give my utmost for the Ertinez family."
An inspiring story that truly follows the path of romance. The nobleman seemed flustered, his mouth opening and closing like a goldfish before he asked again.
"So, then… why were you so dedicated to the campaign?"
"Ah, well, to uplift the honour of the Ertinez family! To be honest, I didn't even realize I was earning personal credit from it. All of this is, after all, for a greater cause. Naturally, I had to put in the effort."
"Then… what about the position of the commander of the guard? Are you saying you would refuse the king's order?"
"It's not a position promised to me yet, so let me speak hypothetically. First, no. I do not intend to move to the capital."
"Wait…"
Watching the nobleman's logic crumble in real-time was quite an interesting experience. After all, I was portraying a naive romantic knight that was incomprehensible to an opportunist like him.
When the opponent falters like this, that's when I have to throw the real pitch.
"So, I must decline. I will be honest with His Majesty and pass the honour to someone else. Surely, there are many who are more suited to that position than I am."
"…!"
I'll pass on this, so you all can fight for it among yourselves.
"But His Majesty will surely not be pleased."
"The Ertinez family is loyal to the royal family, and my loyalty is ultimately for His Majesty as well. It's just that I serve from afar, rather than up close. I'm sure His Majesty will understand!"
Filled with unreserved positivity, I asserted my position, and while the nobleman was silently horrified, a genuine greed began to show on his face. After all, the opportunity he had thought was lost was suddenly within reach.
"So, you truly have no intention, then?"
"Yes!"
"I see… Hmm… Well, if ever you find yourself in front of His Majesty and need to bring this up, I will wholeheartedly support you! And if not, I'll send letters to others—"
The nobleman began rubbing his hands together frantically.
Haha, this should secure my escape route.
'Once I cause chaos in the banquet hall and secure the First Field Army, I'll have to make my getaway immediately.'
I lingered just a little longer, then stood up and said I had to go. The nobleman, having gotten what he wanted, dismissed me without hesitation.
As I passed the mountain ridge and approached the river, I found Leonardo sitting silently by the ice-cold water, washing his body.
Without saying a word, I spread my fingers. Leonardo blinked, then, after a moment, cautiously wrapped his hand around my middle and index fingers.
"What's this?"
"A sign of victory. Look, everything's almost ready."
We were preparing for the decoy operation.
After repeating similar actions a few more times, the second expedition, which had lasted ten days, finally came to an end.
The time for the final purge was drawing near.