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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Hostile Welcome
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The carriage continued onward even after entering the garrison, finally coming to a stop in an open area swarming with imperial soldiers.
The occasional glimpses of familiar unit flags suggested that the forces that had surrounded Zabinsk had relocated here.
They all seemed to know I was riding in this carriage, glaring at it with intense ferocity.
My minimap was dotted with red markers, making it feel like I'd been dropped alone into the heart of enemy territory.
...Though that sense of inner camaraderie was just something I felt unilaterally; it was still enemy ground for now.
I needed to proceed with caution.
Every group had its crazies, and armies tended to have a particularly high proportion of them.
If I didn't stick close to Erika and Paul, I might end up murdered without anyone the wiser.
"...Hold on a moment."
Before stepping out of the carriage, Paul finally untied the ropes binding me.
I hadn't felt much discomfort, but once freed, a rush of blood brought a tingling sensation to my fingertips.
Erika and Paul watched me stretch my arms, looking faintly apologetic.
They might have genuinely forgotten I was tied up.
Or perhaps the atmosphere had made it hard to loosen the bonds casually.
Still, the fact that they did untie me was a good sign, easing my mind a bit.
I trusted the minimap, but actions spoke louder.
I climbed down from the carriage, keeping close behind Paul and Erika.
The stares around us were piercing, but I controlled my body language to appear utterly unperturbed.
-Step, step.
"Ah, General Paul! You've returned!"
Moments later, a burly middle-aged man in imperial general's attire pushed through the wall of soldiers and approached us.
He bowed deeply toward General Paul.
A faint sense of recognition flickered across his plump face.
"General Josef Steiner. No issues in my absence?"
"Yes, sir! A few soldiers got indigestion from eating too hastily, but nothing serious!"
Hearing the name Josef Steiner jogged my memory.
He was one of the dukes who fought in the Northern War, appearing as the leader of the Noble Faction in the game.
Unlike Paul, who was content with his allotted lands, Steiner had risen as the Noble Faction's head, clashing with the Emperor in pursuit of greater power.
"General Steiner, hello! I'm—"
"Hm. We'll talk inside."
"...Ah, yes, sir."
I recalled how his staunch loyalty to the Noble Faction was highlighted in event after event.
He blatantly ignored Erika, who was carrying out the Emperor's direct orders, and fixed me with a murderous glare.
"...So this is Viktor."
Even addressing me directly seemed distasteful, so he directed the question at Paul instead.
From what I remembered, he wielded the strongest influence in the Noble Faction after Paul and had invested the most in the Northern War.
He should have become the Noble Faction's pillar instead of the politically unambitious Paul, capitalizing on those achievements...
Though the Northern War had ended in the Empire's victory, the losses he suffered must have been unimaginable.
The Noble Faction's forces had numbered eighty thousand at the war's outset, and now barely half remained, if my memory served.
Worse, with the Emperor meddling in the negotiations, even the gains had to be split with her.
Having mobilized such massive troops, Steiner's casualties and supply drain would have been especially severe, so that glare was understandable, if not excusable.
To him, I was blood-sworn vengeance incarnate.
If not for the Emperor's command, he wouldn't have hesitated to kill me on the spot.
His hand twitched repeatedly near the sword at his waist, as if barely restraining himself.
"...Hoo. General Paul, this way to the command tent."
"Lead on."
After a brief staring contest with me, Josef turned and walked ahead.
Was it my imagination?
His head seemed balder than in the game.
A twinge of guilt surfaced, but I followed obediently for now.
***
"Will you be departing immediately?"
"We'll stay one night and head out tomorrow."
Josef led our group into the command tent and sat across from Paul, conversing as if Erika and I weren't there, eyes fixed solely on Paul.
"Understood. I've cleared out the tent you used before, sir. Feel free to take it."
"Much obliged."
"Um, what about me...? Eek."
He'd occasionally flick his gaze toward Erika when she spoke.
Erika tried to hide behind Paul but couldn't withstand Josef's stare and sidled over to me instead.
Josef was deliberately avoiding looking my way, so aside from the fact that I was the root of his fury, it wasn't a bad spot.
"...I'll brief you on the unit deployments."
"Mm."
More than that, Josef's reaction surprised me.
Outside, he'd seemed ready to strike at any moment, but inside the tent, he stuck to ignoring me.
Even accounting for deference to Paul, this was downright polite.
"...The Duke's forces are..."
"...That's under supply division's..."
-Step. Step. Step.
Or maybe he was preparing something else.
Rather than listening to their nutrient-poor exchange, I focused on the footsteps approaching from outside the tent.
The minimap showed countless red dots slowly converging on us.
"Then I'll take my leave. Keep up the good work."
"Yes, General Paul."
The conversation wrapped up quickly.
Bracing myself, I followed Paul out of Josef's tent.
"...What is the meaning of this?"
"General, stand aside!"
Outside, imperial soldiers had gathered.
They gripped their weapons ready to swing, eyes locked on me, showing no intention of yielding even to General Paul.
Some had bandages wrapped around their bodies—likely those with personal grudges against me.
Acting on their own?
Doubtful.
The commotion outside should have been audible, yet Josef hadn't emerged from his tent.
Whether tacit approval or deliberate orchestration, it was clear he had no intention of helping me.
"Th-this is the Emperor's command! Step back now!"
"What's this? Who're you?"
"I'm from the House of Bauman, a count's—!"
"Oh, the Emperor's lapdog, huh."
"W-what did you say?"
Erika was no help at all.
Brushed off dismissively, she shrank back completely, huddling behind General Paul.
A count's title shouldn't be so easily scorned by common soldiers, but they mocked her even after she name-dropped her house—suggesting solid backing.
It looked like a powder keg on the verge of explosion, but I felt no real crisis.
Why?
Because...
"...Are you defying orders right now?"
"General Paul...!"
As long as General Paul showed as neutral gray on my minimap, there was no reason he'd let me die here.
I just had to stand still.
"Why are you protecting that bastard!"
"...Disperse!"
Paul abetting them here would surely get me killed, but Erika's presence as an Emperor Faction member was key.
Killing her too would draw the Emperor's direct intervention.
The Noble Faction, already weakened by me, couldn't afford open hostility with the Emperor Faction on their current strength.
Even when nobles held sway, it was hard to gloss over; in this lopsided balance?
It would spell disaster, not something profit-minded nobles would risk.
Unless Paul wanted civil war, there was no reason to touch Erika.
Killing just me wouldn't benefit him either.
Erika would return alive and report everything to the Emperor.
That Paul, who traveled with her, had stood by and let me die.
That left the Noble Faction with two options: sacrifice Paul like a scapegoat or defend him and openly defy the Emperor.
The justification favored the Emperor Faction, making the latter a heavy burden for nobles already much diminished.
Naturally, they'd pin all blame on Paul.
Depending on how highly the Emperor valued me, his head might even roll.
Luise the Emperor was quite hot-tempered.
"...General Paul."
"Disperse immediately! That's an order!"
The moment I died, Paul would suffer massive fallout no matter what, making us temporary allies of fate.
For him, escorting me safely to the palace was the safest play.
He could voice complaints later, but for now, placate the Emperor and bide his time.
Unless he was willing to bear all losses—and his non-red marker suggested otherwise—he had no burning desire to kill me.
Why risk his life to kill me when he could slip away unscathed?
So I just needed to stand tall behind this invincible shield, projecting confidence.
"Disperse now, or face military tribunal!"
"Th-this...!"
The enraged soldiers scattered at Paul's stern command.
No more variables now.
Someone with a deep grudge might sneak in at night, but since we weren't staying long, a few sleepless nights would suffice.
"...Thank you."
I wondered how it felt protecting the life of his greatest foe, but his elder statesman age and my captive status held me back from risky questions.
Instead, I offered simple gratitude.
"Military law must be upheld strictly—that's all."
Paul fiddled sheepishly with his graying hair, then said,
"Let's go."
He set off at a brisk pace.