episode_0019

There was a customer who came to see me early in the morning.

Instead of the frightened maid and coachman, I greeted them with a body still weighed down by sleep.

The soldiers holding their spears in front of me all looked like young men who had just been conscripted.

“Ra, Raoul Muska. You are under immediate arrest on charges of treason and attempted murder. If you don’t comply, you will be killed…!”

Raoul Muska was the second name I used after abandoning Bergé’s surname.

The soldiers who shouted that name were trembling like aspen trees, as if they had heard my story.

“Hmm. As expected, you reacted quickly.”

When I raised my hand, they took a step back with a very frightened look on their faces.

Soldiers who were so immature that they took a step back even when they only tried to brush their hair back.

Inevitably, the author’s goal was for me to harm them.

If I attacked a soldier, he probably intended to use that as an excuse to report to the top and move the army properly.

Otherwise, they could have made a request to the capital and brought in a truly capable person.

“You guys.”

“Yes, yes?!”

Of course, I didn’t want to kill these new recruits.

What kind of disgusting group of bandits would kill these young soldiers who were brought to a place they didn’t want to be?

“Have you eaten breakfast?”

“Uh, uh… I’m in a hurry so I haven’t yet…”

“What if I tell you that! They might think that just because we’re starving is a good opportunity to attack us!”

“Well, I ate it! I ate so much that I was full!”

I thought maybe the guy had sent a clown to make me laugh as an apology, but I guess that wasn’t the case.

“Betty.”

“Yes, Raoul.”

“Can you make a quick sandwich to eat on the way? Enough for everyone here to eat.”

“If you say the people here…”

“I believe you know the extent of my words.”

My maid made some sandwiches and I picked one up and put it in my mouth.

Fortunately, this sandwich did not contain pork ham or onions, so I was able to eat it without difficulty.

“You guys too.”

“Well, then I also have one…”

“You idiot, it could have been poisoned! Get your hands off me right now!”

I abhor things that use poison, so I do not bring such unclean items into my home.

Plus, my maid had a habit of tasting everything she saw, so it was quite dangerous.

“You all know my story well because you have heard it in general.”

I grabbed the blade of the spear they were aiming at me and broke it.

“I don’t need such cumbersome items to harm you.”

“Goe. Monster…”

“It’s a cliché criticism. If you have a mouth that is going to say harsh words, it would be more beneficial to consume food.”

I thrust a tray of sandwiches at them.

Perhaps because they were quite hungry, or perhaps because they interpreted my words as a threat, they secretly accepted the tray.

As I watched him hastily chowing down on a sandwich, old memories flashed through my head.

Things like memories of a meal I enjoyed with friends after receiving training from my teacher for three days without being able to eat or drink.

It may have been just a memory, but strangely enough, it was more fragrant and sweeter than any other delicacy.

“If the meal is over, let’s go quickly.”

I held out my hands so they could handcuff my hands.

Now those things have no meaning to us. But people mistakenly thought they could tie us down with something like that.

The handcuffs they had placed on me were like a strand of thread that could be cut off at any time.

“Then let’s go.”

The moment I was about to leave the village, leaving the onlookers behind, I saw Cecilia running from afar with her silver hair fluttering.

Judging by the fact that he was running with a huge lance, it seemed like he was willing to use force if necessary.

“Lord!”

“Put down the lance.”

“If you’re getting arrested for yesterday’s incident, I…!”

“These people are just following orders. Even if you kill them, new ones will come and in the end, only unnecessary deaths will increase.”

“But isn’t this nonsense? The one who attacked first was that bastard!”

“Originally, the world is a series of incorrect actions.”

She was still glaring at the soldiers as if she did not understand this situation.

“Even if a problem arises, don’t worry too much. I am a person responsible for the seeds I sow.”

It was I, not her, who committed violence against that man and his companions.

That’s why I thought I’d try to keep them from getting the spark that I had to deal with alone.

“Why do you keep accelerating this misunderstanding!!!”

“Isn’t it true that I sowed the seeds?”

“It’s something I don’t understand.”

“Anyway, this is not correct! If the lord is taken away like this, we…!”

“It will just go back to the everyday life it was before I came. It’s not that big of a deal, is it?”

I’m going to die soon anyway.

It hasn’t been that long since I came.

I didn’t really do anything for them.

Even if there are people who mourn my death, it will only be limited to my close friends.

“Even if I die.”

What meaning is there in a death that cannot bring any inspiration even to my family or my fiancee?

That’s why I didn’t value my life.

“You can just assume that something like that happened and move on.”

If my death is something that even those who have met for only a few days will be saddened by.

What if my family doesn’t even shed a tear despite my death?

I felt like I couldn’t bear the contradiction and became a ghost who cursed everything.

“Lord…”

“See you again.”

After saying hello to the woman who was staring at me blankly, I walked and walked, following the soldiers.

I must have walked like that for about two and a half hours. A fortress appeared that was much smaller than expected.

After going through such a long and complicated process, they tried to force me into a prison in the basement of the fortress.

“I don’t recommend kicking me to create a feeling of intimidation.”

“What…?”

“I hate troublesome activities. If you do that, you have no choice but to use your hands.”

Coincidentally, the clothes I am currently wearing are quite expensive, and if they get dirty, I have to go through a cumbersome washing process.

That’s why I did the washing of the expensive clothes myself, and that’s why I just told this soldier not to kick me.

“I’m also human, so I don’t want to get my hands dirty.”

“… Oh, go ahead and get in! ”

“It’s chilly. Even though we finished eating together.”

Even though I was sitting in a cold dungeon, the soldiers were still glaring at me with their weapons tightly gripped.

“Did I do something else wrong?”

“The leader told me to keep a special eye on you!”

“… Come to think of it, it’s unusual. Normally, I thought he would come down and kick me if he did this.”

“Currently, the leader is busy treating the injury he sustained when he fell while running to the fortress…”

“Hey, what are you going to do if I say that!”

Seriously, they even thought that it would be a good idea to become clowns if they were to be discharged from the military.

“So what is my disposition? I refuse to be taken to the capital.”

It was difficult to come down, but I was dragged back a few days later and was unable to stand up.

Above all, it was clear that His Majesty would hold his stomach, laugh, wipe away his tears, and then kill everyone involved.

“Is that possible? The leader said you would be put to death!”

“I didn’t know he was even serving as a judge. Isn’t this an act of overstepping authority?”

“The leader said that in this small countryside, nobles like him are the emperor and the law.”

“… This small outskirts is full of things I can’t understand.”

Even if he was in a position of importance enough to be in charge of the fortress, he would not have the right to execute the person in charge of the village.

Moreover, no matter how much I was like a kite whose strings fell, it was outrageous to behead him without a formal trial.

“… I’ll have to ask a question later.”

“What question does a person who will be executed tomorrow ask…”

“Aren’t there people who will ask questions as soon as they die? I’m not sure if she’ll accept my question though.”

Anyway, it was quite funny that I, who had once led an army on the battlefield, was imprisoned in a small fortress like this.

No, it may not be just this prison that is funny.

His Majesty, who made remarkable achievements on the battlefield, almost lost his right to succession to the son of the Emperor’s favorite concubine. In the end, he had to endure the nickname of Paralymje in order to regain what was his.

Even though Her Majesty the Empress had accomplished many feats on the battlefield, people ridiculed her by giving her false nicknames. No one cared why he lost his virginity.

It was not a tragedy that should be inflicted on innocent people like me.

And when I thought of them, something suddenly came to mind.

“I would like to ask one more question, but what is the weather outside currently?”

“It was clear just a moment ago without a single cloud… but now it’s a bit gloomy with dark clouds…”

“Hey, will you tell me everything I asked you earlier?”

“But it’s scary!”

I was not a violent person who would resort to violence just because I did not answer a question.

“There will be a storm soon.”

“It’s not that kind of weather.”

” Well, you really shouldn’t be able to figure it out. If you look at it from that perspective, it might be worse than a storm.”

I was confident that this old fortress would soon undergo major renovation work.