***
***
His life was only for Mortheon.
Thanks to his brother, he survived and he fought. For his brother and for his land.
He took the position his older brother had left him, and tried to take care of Morte, the land he loved, and the people he loved.
But all he received in return were cruel words.
An older brother that had been 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 vassals who wanted to profit from such rumors and those who were just having fun.
But regardless of their intentions, they were the people he looked after and guarded.
‘Why am I doing this?’
A dark thought that had been suppressed for a long time rose again.
Victor slowly leaned back in his chair.
He questioned his knights.
“If Brother Theon were here, what would he do?”
“…He would’ve called the vassals and had a conversation. He would’ve worked hard until the rumors went away.”
“But he won’t do that.”
Carlz interrupted Leonard as he was about to say something, as if he knew that they couldn’t stop it.
Victor took off his gloves.
“Catch Gillard and the vassals. I will interrogate them myself.”
***
The square flowed with blood.
Victor Morte did what he did best on the battlefield.
Due to the sleepless cruelty of the Grand Duke, the screaming did not stop, even at dawn.
The vassals who spread the rumors claimed that they received the protection of the cruel new Grand Duke. They claimed that in return for their support, they received land or mining rights.
They, their families, and their attendants were all executed.
The same was true of the servants of the Grand Duchy.
All were interrogated and executed, except for the servants who were young or never met the vassals. The gold coins the guilty received in exchange for spreading rumors were burned, along with their corpses.
When the month of execution was over, all of Morte was trembling in fear.
Many vassals and servants left, and those who survived were so frightened that they could not even look at Victor.
He couldn’t either.
He was rather cruel by nature, and he did not regret killing for his older brother and those who insulted him. But he suffered when he saw his people terrified of him. Morte, the land which he and his brother loved, was suffering because of him, just like the Southern Kingdom.
‘Why did this happen?’
The Grand Duke, pondering deeply, came to a conclusion.
Maybe it was because he didn’t finish his revenge properly. Just then, a letter arrived from the Capital.
The letter, sealed with the Emperor’s insignia, was full of rhetoric, but it’s 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 that the Emperor could make because he didn’t know how brutal war was.
Normally, he would have protested, but Victor accepted it readily.
If he refused to go to war, Morte would become the target of the Imperial family.
‘And, this way, we can turn the assassins’ hometowns into a living hell.’
Victor accepted the order, and summoned his knights. They departed as soon as they could.
He was running away.
***
The Emperor welcomed Victor heartily.
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 off the nobles who were part of the Imperial command during the Southern war.
They were terribly incompetent, killed many people, and even allowed Mortheon die on that island.
He meant to forget them, but since he decided to finish his revenge…
He was already famous for being brutal. He did not hesitate to bury a few more bodies in the name of the Emperor.
The Emperor willingly granted the Grand Duke of Morte’s request.
Because he had promised to do anything for him. Moreover, he said that the charges against them had already been filed.
Victor set out only after witnessing the decree to execute them being signed.
“They were fools. They bought my grudge and they deserved what they got.”
Leonard, who was standing next to him, did not respond.
After Victor executed his vassals, Leonard began to avoid him. They were at fault, but it was unbearable for Leonard to witness so many people from his hometown being slaughtered.
Victor didn’t specifically investigate or punish the wrongdoers, but that made Leonard even more upset.
He found it very difficult to watch his friend and master break chivalry.
Victor looked out over the multitude of soldiers following him.
This time, Victor went out to battle with the rank of commander-in-chief. Unlike in 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 should tell you before we leave. From now on, you are the deputy commander of the Knights.”
“…Why me and not Carlz?”
The Grand Duke’s golden eyes glanced at Leonard.
“Because I need someone to stop me when I make a mistake.”
Leonard kept his mouth shut.
Victor kicked the side of his horse without saying any 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 down, would it be ‘Illium Nawad’. In their language, it meant Orange Kingdom.
As the name implied, most of the Eastern Kingdom was orange dessert, and the people wore unique ornaments, including long earrings and golden chains.
The most unusual thing was that magic existed.
“Magicians are very rare, even in the Eastern Kingdom. Only royalty and nobility are born with magical abilities, but by using a special medallion, you can use magic temporarily.”
“Yes, I know.”
The intelligence officer bowed his head at the chilling words of the Grand Duke.
“Only a few wizards can breathe fire and summon lightning like the old tales say. Typical wizards can only create illusions to blindfold their enemies or strengthen their bodies.”
Victor winced at the painful memories that resurfaced.
Assassins 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 had always been plagued by swarms of monsters that came down 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 minor territorial dispute, but that was only an excuse to invade. Within the Eastern Kingdom, there were rumors that the blood-loving Duke had started the war.
Victor didn’t care.
He came to the battlefield to run away from his hometown, so it was true to some extent.
As a child, he remembered Mortheon sitting him down and teaching him about chivalry.
-‘A knight must neither kill nor take revenge excessively, Victor.’
Victor clenched 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 the battles were efficient, but the Eastern Army was stronger.
The wizards were particularly troublesome.
Illusion magic didn’t have a wide range, but it was difficult to deal with enemies whose bodies were strengthened with magic. Only strong and advanced knights could properly deal with the wizards.
So Victor sent the other soldiers to deal with stragglers while he led the Knights of Morte to defeat the wizards.
Victor protected his Knights more than he did during the Southern war.
This time, he really didn’t want to lose a single one. The Grand Duke always attacked the enemy camp himself to find the enemy commander and wizard. When his knights followed, there were typically no survivors left.
No matter how strong he was, it was reckless.
But his knights didn’t say anything.
Carlz spoke bluntly.
“When this is over will you have a good night’s sleep?”
“Yes.”
“Well, you should still go to sleep. It is terrifying to see your highness sitting outside at night. Yesterday, a messenger from headquarters thought your highness was a ghoul!”
The knights burst into laughter at Carlz’s wit.
Morte’s knights were not as gloomy as they used to be. This war was for their master, and also for themselves.
Besides, their situation was definitely better than before. The orders from command were reasonable, and the battlefield wasn’t a sweltering tropical island.
Victor quietly lowered his head and polished his sword.
He was grateful for the consideration of his colleagues.
***