Chapter 45
His life was only for Morthion's sake.
Thanks to his brother, he survived and fought.
For the sake of his brother and for his land.
He took the position his older brother left him, and tried to take care of Morty, the land he loved, and the people he loved.
But all he received in return were harsh words.
An older brother who was sent to war by his younger brother, and a younger brother who shamelessly killed his older brother to take the seat of the Grand Duke.
There were underlings who wanted to profit from such rumors and those who were just having fun.
But regardless of their intentions, they were the people he cared for and guarded.
"Why am I doing this?"
The dark thought that had been suppressed for so long rose again.
Victor slowly leaned back in his chair.
He questioned his knights.
“If Brother Theon were here, what would he do?”
“...He would call the followers and have a conversation. He would work hard until the rumors went away.”
"But he won't do that."
Carls interrupted Leonard because he was about to say something, as if he knew they couldn't stop him.
Victor took off his gloves.
"Arrest Gaillard and the subordinate. I will interrogate them myself."
***
The arena flowed with blood.
Victor Morte did what he did best on the battlefield.
Because of the unsleeping cruelty of the Grand Duke, the screaming did not stop, even at dawn.
The vassals who spread the rumors claimed that they had received the protection of the cruel new Grand Duke.
They claimed that in exchange for their support, they received land or mining rights.
They, their families, and their companions were all executed.
The same applies to the servants of the Grand Duchy.
Everyone was interrogated and executed, except for the servants who were young or had never met the vassals.
The gold coins that the guilty parties received in exchange for spreading rumors were burned, along with their bodies.
When the month of execution was over, all the murtis were trembling with fear.
Many servants left, and those who survived were so frightened that they could not even look at Victor.
He couldn't either.
He was cruel by nature and did not regret killing those who insulted him but he suffered when he saw his people terrified of him.
Morty, the land that he and his brother loved, was suffering because of him, just like the Southern Kingdom.
"Why did this happen?"
The Grand Duke, thinking deeply, came to a conclusion.
Maybe it was because he didn't finish his revenge properly.
Just then, a message arrived from the capital.
The letter, sealed with the Emperor's insignia, was full of rhetoric, but his point was clear.
He wanted to make the Eastern Kingdom a vassal state just like the Southern Kingdom.
Another war.
It was nonsense.
It was a decision the Emperor could make because he did not know how brutal the war was.
Normally, he would have protested, but Victor accepted that easily.
If he refuses to go to war, Morty will become a target for the Imperial Family.
"This way, we can turn the killers' hometown into a living hell."
Victor accepted the order, and summoned his knights.
They left as soon as possible.
He was running away.
***
The Emperor welcomed Victor warmly.
The Grand Duke was the jewel of the empire, and the loyalty of the Knights of Morte was absolute.
The Emperor started this war knowing that Victor would not be able to refuse.
Knowing his intentions, the Grand Duke smiled softly.
He only asked for one thing.
“Please execute them, Your Majesty.”
Victor listed the nobles who were part of the imperial command during the Southern War.
They were terribly incompetent, killed a lot of people, and even allowed Morthion to die on that island.
He meant to forget them, but since he decided to end his revenge...
He was already famous for being brutal.
He did not hesitate to bury some other bodies in the Emperor's name.
The Emperor willingly agreed to the Grand Duke's request for Morte.
Because he promised to do anything for him.
Moreover, he said that the charges against them had already been filed.
Victor did not proceed until after he witnessed the signing of their implementation decree.
"They were idiots. They bought my grudge and deserved what they got."
Leonard, who was standing next to him, did not answer.
After Victor executed his henchmen, Leonard began avoiding him.
They were wrong, but it was unbearable for Leonard to witness the slaughter of so many people from his hometown.
Victor didn't specifically investigate or punish offenders, but that made Leonard even more upset.
He found it very difficult to watch his friend and master breaking horsemanship.
Victor looked at the several soldiers following him.
This time, Victor went into battle with the rank of commander-in-chief.
Unlike the past, when a single strategy was satisfactory, the young Grand Duke would be able to lead the entire imperial army and trample the Eastern Kingdom.
He opened his mouth.
“I have to tell you before we leave from now on, you are the deputy commander of the knights.”
"...Why me and not Carls?"
The Grand Duke's golden eyes looked at Leonard.
“Because I need someone to stop me when I make a mistake.”
Leonard kept his mouth shut.
Victor kicked his horse's side without saying more.
***
The Eastern Kingdom was a foreign land.
Half of the country was a black mountain range, and the language and culture were different from that of the empire.
Like the Southern Kingdom, it had an official name, but it was not easy to pronounce in the imperial language.
If you had to write it, would it be “Illium Nawad”. In their language, it meant the Orange Kingdom.
As the name suggests, most of the Eastern Kingdom was orange candy, and people wore unique adornments, including long earrings and gold chains.
The strangest thing was the presence of magic.
“Mages are very rare, even in the Eastern Kingdom only kings and nobles are born with magical abilities, but by using a special medal, you can use magic temporarily.”
"Yes, I know."
The intelligence officer bowed his head at the Grand Duke's terrifying words.
“Only a few sorcerers can breathe fire and summon lightning as the ancient tales say. Only typical sorcerers can create illusions to incapacitate their enemies or strengthen their bodies.”
Victor winked at the painful memories that resurfaced.
Killers who used magic to keep them in the dark.
This was the land where they grew up.
An unforgettable hatred filled his heart.
The imperial army was now on the border of the Eastern Kingdom.
The Eastern Kingdom, which was always plagued by the swarms of monsters that descended from the Black Mountains, was more militarily advanced than the Southern Kingdom.
Their walls were strong and the number of soldiers was astronomical.
They resisted much more fiercely than the South.
From their point of view, they were invaded for no reason.
The empire declared war over a simple territorial dispute, but this was only a pretext for invasion.
Within the Eastern Kingdom, there were rumors that the blood-loving Duke had started a war.
Victor didn't care.
He came to the battlefield to escape his hometown, so this was somewhat true.
When he was a child, he remembered Mortheon sitting with him and teaching him about horsemanship.
“A knight must neither kill nor take excessive revenge, Victor.”
Victor drew his sword.
"I know..."
“...But brother...I couldn't do it...”
***
Conquering the Eastern Kingdom was not easy.
Unlike the previous war, the soldiers were competent and the battles were effective, but the Eastern Army was stronger.
The witches were especially annoying.
Illusion magic did not have a wide range, but it was difficult to deal with enemies whose bodies were enhanced by magic.
Only strong and advanced knights can properly deal with mages.
So Victor sent the other soldiers to deal with the stragglers while he led the Morty Knights to defeat the wizards.
Victor protected his knights more than he did during the Southern War.
This time, he didn't really want to lose one.
The Grand Duke always attacked the enemy camp itself to find the enemy commander and magician.
When his knights followed him, there were usually no survivors.
No matter how strong he was, he was reckless.
But his knights didn't say anything.
Karls spoke frankly.
"When this is over, will you get a good night's sleep?"
"Yes."
"Well, you still have to sleep. It's terrifying to see Your Highness sitting outside. Yesterday, a messenger from Headquarters thought Your Highness was an ogre!"
The knights burst into laughter at Karls' wit.
The Knights of Morte were not as gloomy as they had been before.
This was a war for their master, and also for themselves.
Besides, their situation was definitely better than before. The orders from the command were reasonable, and the battlefield was not a barren tropical island.
Victor calmly lowered his head and sharpened his sword.
He was grateful for his colleagues' consideration.
***
• End of chapter •
To be continued •••
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