episode_0144

The mercenaries and soldiers who stayed behind to fight took notice, slowly retreated, and quickly dispersed.

As they ran away, they screamed, ‘The Emperor is dead!’ Soon, there was silence around the barracks, where all the enemies had fled.

I wiped the blood off the lightsaber with a cloth wrapped around my arm and tied it back on my belt.

Likewise, after handing the mace that he had been swinging excitedly just a moment ago to his squire, a knight with a clear expression on his face asked,

“Lord Raven.”

“Okay.”

“We won… Is this correct?”

“Yes. So, let’s go back safely and enjoy our victory.”

When the work is done, it must be returned cleanly. If you are greedy for balls or snooping around to see if there is anything else to eat, you are likely to get surrounded.

Since it was something that had been agreed upon from the beginning, no military language was mentioned.

Soldiers who seemed to have heard the news late could be seen coming from far away, but they were far enough away.

Without anyone saying anything, we all went down the hill at once. Now there are hardly any people in the way, so it was much easier than when we came up.

“Ah, there! I see it coming down!”

“Drivers! Here we go!”

“Oh, it just worked out.”

And down the hill.

There, the servants who had told me to take good care of the horses were waiting there.

“Did anything happen while you were away?”

“Who would have cared about this place with all that noise? However, it seems like some soldiers walking around saw you, so let’s leave quickly.”

“Yes! good. But the number of words is a bit empty.”

“Sorry. Apparently, some people were startled by the sound of battle and ran away… … .”

“Ah… … .”

“Still, won’t there be a reward that exceeds that! Don’t be too tight. Even if it’s just waiting here, somewhere. If I had not been careful, I would have returned on foot.”

I found Sancho among the horses I had managed to drive without being seen.

As expected, I had a lot of experience traveling around battlefields, so I didn’t run away because I wasn’t going anywhere.

Some of the squires who had lost their horses due to lack of training got on the back of their master knight with a sad look on their faces, and we ran through the swamp and into the forest.

For a while, someone’s screams of astonishment could be heard from behind, as if they were checking the emperor’s condition, but they were soon obscured by the sound of chirping birds and the sound of running horses’ hooves.

After recalling the map I had memorized in my head, I walked up the stream and opened my mouth when I thought I had gotten far enough.

“If it falls this much, you won’t be caught.”

“Yes, so how about taking a break for a while?”

“Yes, if you meet the enemies right away, you might get hit again.”

It was a car that had been run around swinging a sword in a swampy area where horses could not be driven.

Fearing that they would not be hit by blind arrows or magic, the knights took off their stuffy helmets one by one and took a deep breath of fresh air.

I got off Sancho’s back, picked a flat rock, and sat down.

Then I massaged my sore shoulders a few times, took a sip of the beer tied to my horse’s waist, and took a breath.

Since we caught Rudolph too, is this the end?

If there is an enemy left, he is probably anxiously awaiting the outcome of the war by now.

There was only one Pope who received the award of excommunicating the Emperor twice in a row, a legendary achievement in name and reality.

And unless there was a secular lord through whom to project power, it was difficult to pose a major threat.

Therefore, what really bothered me was not the Pope, but the Count of Ravenna, whom I could not remember seeing here no matter how much I tried to remember.

Where is he and what is he doing? Could it be that they are still fighting somewhere on the front line?

At that time, I wondered if I should give up the position of count if I couldn’t catch him here.

– rustling

“… Huh?”

I turned my head when I saw something moving in the nearby bushes.

The sound was small for a sturdy soldier, so I thought it might be a wild rabbit.

“Oh my gosh.”

“Why are you doing this, sir?”

There was a familiar face there. After seeing that, I decided to leave for a while.

As I stood up from the ground, a knight who was drinking wine next to me looked at me quizzically.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m going to take a look at the network. Those who are tired can rest.”

“Can’t we leave that to the servants? It must have been very difficult for you too.”

“I’m fine, so don’t worry about it.”

“Oh… I was impressed by the way he took the lead.”

“Okay, thank you.”

I shook off those misunderstanding looks and walked in the direction where I felt the presence of people earlier.

If you go too far, it’s not like you’re going to look out, it’s like you’re leaving the battlefield altogether. There was room for unnecessary suspicion.

So, I walked just enough to keep my words and actions in sync, and stopped when I felt that I could not hear small talk.

And if you wait a while.

– rustling

“Laven.”

“Licia.”

With the sound of leaves shaking, a girl stuck her head out from the bushes behind her.

And when I saw those eyes that wanted something, I tried to extend my hand out of habit, but suddenly realized my situation and stopped.

“It must be dirty since it just finished a battle.”

“It’s not a real body anyway, so what.”

If you say so.

I gave Lisia the pat she wanted.

“Hehe… … .”

“How are you?”

“Yes, nothing special happened.”

He was dressed neatly, considering he had walked all the way here. Thanks to this, I was able to immediately recognize that it was magic.

“But the situation on our side is a little bad.”

“It seemed like that even before I left. But since we caught Rudolph, it would be okay as long as the emperor escaped well.”

“Ah, that’s… … .”

Lisia stretched her words and smiled awkwardly.

What could go wrong here? If Heinrich had been a guest, he would have told me as soon as he first saw me, so that wouldn’t have been the case either.

“Okay, it might sound a little strange.”

“Yes.”

“… Even if you want to escape, you can’t.”

“Why on earth?”

“In other words, the story is getting longer. You can just assume that the area designated as a retreat has been blocked.”

As long as you capture Rudolph, it is a real victory.

However, if both sides end up collapsing, the story is a little different. Isn’t it obvious that an era will begin where countless nobles, who were looking for an opportunity in the empire that has become communist, will rise up and take over as military leaders? It was not possible to film Season 2 during the already long war.

And Lisia said to me, who was slowly getting a headache.

“I’m saying this in that sense.”

“?”

“I have a good idea.”

*****

For today, I sharpened my sword and came out following the solemn orders of the emperor.

And the nobles under Rudolph, who had completed the first stage of siege annihilation, which was completed as perfectly as if it had been drawn from a picture, rushed forward, unable to come to their senses from the overwhelming taste of mulberry.

When some cool-headed staff members tilted their heads and pointed out that the main base would be in danger if so many people were present, no one paid any attention.

What would you do if you retreated to the rear like that and missed the opportunity to kill the emperor himself? It’s a legendary achievement.

It seemed like that was the case until the cavalry charge continued towards Rudolph.

Anyway, if it’s not me, someone else nearby will take care of it for me, right?

And I couldn’t believe it until there was a rumor that there was a special force targeting Rudolph with a pinpoint.

Because he was not the emperor. Even if I get stabbed, Rudolph will get hurt or I will get hurt.

Finally, as rumored, knights appeared from nowhere and attacked.

“Come on! Protect Your Majesty!!”

“No, it doesn’t work! The battle is already won, so why!”

Only then did he turn around and start running towards Rudolph.

“No way, no!”

“He will definitely be alive. Aren’t there also knights guarding his side? Don’t worry too much, Austin!”

“I… It’s not Austin.”

“Oh, I’m Austin.”

“… … .”

The nobles turned their horses and returned in a hurry and raised their heads only when they reached the bottom of the hill where the emperor’s barracks were located.

Several of our soldiers were walking around busily near the barracks. As soon as I saw them, I shouted and asked from afar.

“Your Majesty the Emperor, are you safe?”

“… Damn, they are nobles! Jump out!”

“Wait a minute, what… … .”

However, what came back differently than expected was instead of a clear answer, the soldiers got scared for some reason and ran away.

I don’t know what the reason could be since they weren’t enemies, but from the moment they didn’t answer, an ominous feeling came over me.

And sure enough.

“Your Majesty, what the hell…!”

“Why did you come all the way, Your Majesty!”

Waiting for the reinforcements that arrived late was a shabby body stripped of its valuable clothes and accessories.

Whether captured from allies or enemies, they are all valuable as long as the owner is gone.

Since it was impossible to check CCTV, it was natural to take valuable items as trophies. In fact, no one here cared about such trivial matters.

Subsequently, several nobles who had completed the arduous march across the swamp area arrived one after another, and they, who had been crying out for the emperor even just before then, lost their words as soon as they saw the head that was urgently ejected when they sensed a threat.

The lost language began to linger in my head instead. We both had similar thoughts.

‘Fucked.’

‘Should I run away?’

And from here, the way of thinking split into two.

First of all, half of the people think that Heinrich would forgive them if they hit him on the head even now.

“What should I do now?”

“Whatever! Shouldn’t we choose a new person to lead this war?”

“Not that, in this battle.”

“Ugh… The option to compromise is… … .”

And the rest were those who knew his temperament well and knew that it was impossible.

“Heinrich How could that man look kindly upon us? If you want to bow down, you should have done it before the battle. If you do it now, will you be seen as anything more than a loser?”

“Then what should we do!”

“There is still a chance. If you put me in the same situation… … .”

Since the situation has already become like this, it is not a good idea to benefit from it. At the very least, you have to save the money.

And in order to negotiate on more favorable terms, now was the only opportunity to capture Henry.

“Why am I already feeling defeated! We have lost the battle, not the war!”

“Yes, there is still a chance… It remains!”

Would it be any good if they physically dragged him to the negotiation table?

The brain, unable to accept the sudden situation, roughly came to that conclusion and stopped working.

However, those who were thoughtful among them quietly exchanged glances.

The very fact that such discussions were taking place in the first place meant a virtual defeat.

There was already a hole in the ship, and it was slowly sinking.

The countdown to sinking had already begun.