Ch#45
***
***
His life had been solely for Mortheon.
Thanks to his brother, he had survived and fought—for his brother and for his land.
He had taken up the position his older brother left behind and tried to care for Morte, the land his brother loved, and the people his brother cherished.
But in return, all he received were cruel words.
An older brother sent to war by his younger brother, and a younger brother who shamelessly killed his older brother to seize the seat of Grand Duke.
There were vassals who sought to profit from such rumors and those who spread them merely for amusement.
But regardless of their intentions, they were the people he had protected and guarded.
‘Why am I doing this?’
A dark thought, long suppressed, resurfaced.
Victor slowly leaned back in his chair.
He questioned his knights.
“If Brother Mortheon were here, what would he do?”
“…He would have summoned the vassals and spoken with them. He would have worked tirelessly until the rumors faded.”
“But he won’t do that.”
Carlz interrupted Leonard as he was about to speak, as if sensing they could not stop it.
Victor removed his gloves.
“Capture Gillard and the vassals. I will interrogate them myself.”
***
Blood flowed through the square.
Victor Morte did what he did best on the battlefield.
Due to the sleepless cruelty of the Grand Duke, the screams did not cease even at dawn.
The vassals who spread the rumors claimed they had received the protection of the cruel new Grand Duke. They claimed that in return for their support, they had been granted land or mining rights.
They, their families, and their attendants were all executed.
The same fate befell the servants of the Grand Duchy.
All were interrogated and executed, save for the young servants who had never met the vassals. The gold coins the guilty had received for spreading rumors were burned, along with their corpses.
When the month of executions ended, all of Morte trembled in fear.
Many vassals and servants fled, and those who remained were so terrified they could not even look at Victor.
He could not bear it either.
He was cruel by nature and felt no regret for killing those who insulted his brother and him. But seeing his people terrified of him tormented him. Morte, the land he and his brother loved, suffered because of him, just as the Southern Kingdom had.
‘Why did this happen?’
The Grand Duke, deep in thought, reached a conclusion.
Perhaps because he had not fully completed his revenge. Just then, a letter arrived from the Capital.
The letter, sealed with the Emperor’s insignia, was full of rhetoric, but its point was clear.
He wanted to make the Eastern Kingdom a vassal state, just like the Southern Kingdom.
Another war. It was absurd.
It was a decision the Emperor could make because he did not know the brutality of war.
Normally, he would have protested, but Victor accepted readily.
If he refused to go to war, Morte would become a target of the Imperial family.
‘And this way, we can turn the assassins’ homeland into a living hell.’
Victor accepted the order and summoned his knights. They departed as soon as possible.
He was running away.
***
The Emperor welcomed Victor warmly.
The Grand Duke was the Empire’s jewel, and the loyalty of the Knights of Morte was absolute.
The Emperor had started this war knowing Victor could not refuse.
Aware of his intentions, the Grand Duke smiled faintly.
He asked for only one thing.
“Please execute them, Your Majesty.”
Victor listed the nobles who had been part of the Imperial command during the Southern war.
They had been utterly incompetent, caused countless deaths, and even allowed Mortheon to die on that island.
He had meant to forget them, but since he had decided to complete his revenge…
He was already infamous for his brutality. He did not hesitate to bury a few more bodies in the Emperor’s name.
The Emperor readily granted the Grand Duke of Morte’s request.
Because he had promised to grant anything. Moreover, charges against them had already been filed.
Victor set out only after witnessing the execution decree being signed.
“They were fools. They bought my grudge and got what they deserved.”
Leonard, standing beside him, said nothing.
After Victor executed his vassals, Leonard had begun avoiding him. They had been at fault, but it was unbearable for Leonard to witness so many from his homeland slaughtered.
Victor had not specifically investigated or punished only the wrongdoers, which upset Leonard even more.
He found it agonizing to watch his friend and lord forsake chivalry.
Victor gazed at the multitude of soldiers following him.
This time, Victor went to battle as commander-in-chief. Unlike before, when a single strategy sufficed, the young Grand Duke would lead the entire Imperial Army and trample the Eastern Kingdom.
He spoke.
“I should tell you before we depart. From now on, you are the deputy commander of the Knights.”
“…Why me and not Carlz?”
The Grand Duke’s golden eyes turned to Leonard.
“Because I need someone to stop me when I err.”
Leonard fell silent.
Victor spurred his horse without another word.
***
The Eastern Kingdom was foreign territory.
Half the country was a black mountain range, and its language and culture differed from the Empire’s.
Like the Southern Kingdom, it had an official name, but it was hard to pronounce in the Imperial tongue.
If written down, it might be ‘Illium Nawad.’ In their language, it meant Orange Kingdom.
As the name suggested, much of the Eastern Kingdom was orange desert, and its people wore unique ornaments like long earrings and golden chains.
The most unusual aspect was the existence of magic.
“Magicians are very rare, even in the Eastern Kingdom. Only royalty and nobility are born with magical talent, but with a special medallion, one can temporarily use magic.”
“Yes, I know.”
The intelligence officer bowed at the Grand Duke’s chilling words.
“Only a few wizards can breathe fire or summon lightning as in the old tales. Typical wizards can only create illusions to blind enemies or strengthen their bodies.”
Victor winced at the painful memories that resurfaced.
Assassins who used magic to plunge them into darkness. This was their homeland.
Unforgettable hatred filled his heart.
The Imperial Army was now at the Eastern Kingdom’s border. The Eastern Kingdom, long plagued by monsters descending from the Black Mountains, was more militarily advanced than the Southern Kingdom. Their walls were sturdy, and their soldiers numbered in the legions. They resisted far more fiercely than the South. From their perspective, they were invaded without cause.
The Empire had declared war over a minor territorial dispute, but that was mere pretext for invasion. Within the Eastern Kingdom, rumors swirled that the bloodthirsty Duke had started the war.
Victor did not care.
He had come to the battlefield to flee his homeland, so it was true to some extent.
He recalled his childhood, when Mortheon had sat him down to teach him chivalry.
-‘A knight must neither kill excessively nor seek unjust revenge, Victor.’
Victor gripped his sword.
‘I know…’
‘…but, brother… I just couldn’t do it…’
***
The conquest of the Eastern Kingdom was not easy.
Unlike the previous war, the soldiers were competent and battles efficient, but the Eastern army was stronger.
The wizards were particularly troublesome.
Illusion magic had limited range, but foes with magically enhanced bodies were hard to handle. Only elite knights could properly counter the wizards.
Thus, Victor sent other soldiers to mop up stragglers while leading the Knights of Morte against the wizards.
Victor protected his Knights more fiercely than in the Southern war.
This time, he refused to lose even one. The Grand Duke always struck the enemy camp himself to find commanders and wizards. When his knights followed, few survivors remained.
No matter his strength, it was reckless.
But his knights said nothing.
Carlz spoke bluntly.
“When this is over, will you finally sleep well?”
“Yes.”
“Well, you should still try. It’s terrifying seeing Your Highness sitting outside at night. Yesterday, a messenger from headquarters mistook you for a ghoul!”
The knights burst into laughter at Carlz’s jest.
The Knights of Morte were no longer as gloomy. This war was for their lord—and for themselves.
Moreover, conditions were better than before. Command’s orders were sensible, and the battlefield was no sweltering tropical isle.
Victor quietly bowed his head and polished his sword.
He was grateful for his comrades’ consideration.
***
