Chapter: 364
It seemed like the Vice Captain was caught deep in thought over my request.
If this were during the last war, he would have accepted my request without hesitation, setting aside any concerns about our friendship. No, he probably would have ordered me before I even asked. The Vice Captain isn’t someone who lets personal feelings interfere with duty. He knows that having me involved increases the chance of capturing the Khan.
Yet the reason for the Vice Captain’s hesitation is simple. First, I am serving as a Civil Servant, not a warrior. Second, there are too many powerful figures entangled with me.
‘At least three Dukes are tied up in this mess.’
It’s quite clear that the Emperor appointed me as a Civil Servant to allow me to participate in battle in case of an emergency. However, a Civil Servant officially has no obligation to engage in combat.
Now, a Civil Servant is saying he’s going to face off against a strong opponent like the Khan, and the Vice Captain accepts that? If the likes of Marcilio, Horfelt, and the Wise Duke express their regrets to the Vice Captain, he’d be in quite a tight spot. Regardless of how high-ranking he is, getting ganged up on by three Dukes is no fun.
“I understand the Civil Servant’s heart well. However, there’s no need for you to engage in battle directly. Trust in the Empire’s soldiers.”
In the end, the Vice Captain simply returned a generic response.
But a generic response at this timing is nothing more than a way to save face. He doesn’t want the Civil Servant to join the battle but feels the pressure of the circumstances, so he reluctantly accepts, creating a facade of duty.
“I know the soldiers’ bravery well, but Dorgon is also skilled at slipping away. If we miss this chance, the Empire will suffer even greater losses.”
With that, I joined in the facade-building. If I stand on the front lines, the Vice Captain will inevitably bear some burden, big or small. So it’s only right to lessen that burden as much as possible.
“Also, moving for personal reasons in state affairs is embarrassing, but Dorgon likely harbors deep resentment against me. I can’t just stand by, fearing what will happen to my father.”
Hearing that, the Vice Captain nodded. Normally, referring to personal reasons in state matters would be absurd, but for this moment, it is an exception.
The three—the Duke, the Iron-Blood Duke, and the Wise Duke—who have reasons to express discontent to the Vice Captain, are all related to me by blood. In such a situation, if I say, ‘The Civil Servant is trying to save his father, how can we oppose him?’ they’d have little to say. Just as they would protest to the Vice Captain for family reasons, I too would act for family reasons.
“If you move with Mukgwangdae, I’ll permit your participation as a Civil Servant.”
The moment the facade was complete, the Vice Captain quickly accepted. Although it came with the condition of moving with Mukgwangdae, they are basically my escort and can immediately contribute on the front lines. It’s a gracious condition.
“Thank you, Your Grace.”
I bowed my head to the Vice Captain and quickly exited the barracks.
If I were even a moment late and something irreparable happened, I’d regret it for the rest of my life.
*
Georg, who had been bent over, raised his head as he spat out a mouthful of blood.
“Damn.”
His brief remark was filled with various emotions, making me bite my lip softly. I felt the same way as Georg.
The nomads, appearing like a rain of arrows filling the sky, continued to shoot arrows again and again before charging forward with a thunderous roar. Under the circumstances, attacking from a distance against forces well hidden behind a flimsy defense has its limits.
With over ten thousand nomads charging at us, the ground shook, and the wind howled. I, who had faced this numerous times before, felt a chill run down my spine, let alone the regular soldiers.
That’s why I encouraged the soldiers at the front. Lifting my sword against the looming disaster.
“Truly sturdy.”
Yet the disaster before us was overwhelming, too much to handle alone.
“I didn’t particularly plan to spare you, but you’re holding your ground. Seems you’ve gotten stronger since the past.”
I could hear Georg gritting his teeth at my muttering filled with awe. He wasn’t merely embarrassed to be rated by the enemy; he acknowledged that this opponent was stronger than us.
“Huh, or maybe it’s just that you’re not used to this makeshift replacement of a weapon?”
He was only angry about the behavior that showed obvious disdain while gloating.
Dorgon, stroking his chin, faced us with a long staff he had somehow picked up. I would have accepted if it were a bow or spear, but he was now using a weapon he had never once employed in the last war to battle both of us at once.
And to be losing against such a weapon filled me with frustration. After taking a solid hit to the belly with that staff, Georg gasped for breath and barely managed to lift his head.
‘It’s not going to be easy.’
I had prepared myself for it, but experiencing it firsthand was unsettling. Just holding on to each other’s ankles was a struggle; this was a serious gap.
At least Dorgon focusing solely on us was a small mercy. While we kept Dorgon busy, our allies were somehow dealing with the nomads using knights and mages. If Dorgon broke through into that chaos, the frontlines would collapse rapidly.
“Ah, it just dawned on me.”
Amidst it all, Dorgon resumed his conversation from touching his chin again.
“Wilhelm Krasius of Tailglehen, Georg Hiden of Horfelt. That’s your names, right? I remember everything else, but I thought I was going crazy not being able to recall your names.”
That remark pushed Georg further into a fit. The adversary he had been giving his all to confront didn’t even know his name. It was enough to deliver a psychological blow.
“Don’t get it twisted. I just couldn’t remember your names; I still recognize you as formidable foes.”
“Then why wave that stick around?”
“Don’t be sad. This is like a spear. It just lacks a blade.”
I had to bite down a curse that almost slipped out. Such trivial comments somehow grated on my nerves. Is this guy a complete jerk because his father died or was he already like this?
I glared at Dorgon, exhaling a sigh as I gripped my sword tighter. Regrettably, character and strength don’t always go hand in hand. No matter how low the character, a strong one exists, and those guys tend to survive combat.
‘But I can’t last long.’
I glanced fleetingly at my left hand, holding the reins. More distressingly, I was feeling a considerable ache from before.
Which is well expected. It hadn’t been long since I was pierced, and now a staff had stabbed me again. If the same spot continues to suffer injuries, issues are bound to arise. Thankfully, I was holding the reins instead of my sword, or I might not have been able to endure at all as the battle dragged on.
‘As long as I hang on a little longer, they will retreat.’
Fortunately, the screams echoing across the battlefield were only horrific in the beginning, and now they’d lessened somewhat. If intense fighting continues, that just shows that the nomads are refraining from a long-term assault.
In that case, this battle holds more of a meaning akin to reconnaissance, suggesting they would fight moderately and then withdraw. Unless the nomads pull a stunt of retreating with only their leader left behind, the devastation before my eyes will soon recede.
I never expected to win in the first place. So just a little longer, until those guys retreat—
“It’s about time to wrap things up.”
As soon as I caught those words, my vision tilted.
“Wilhelm!”
Georg’s horrified voice came in a panic, but who could be more surprised than me?
‘…A monstrous guy.’
Only when blood filled my mouth did I understand the situation. The beast, which had merely been riding earlier, suddenly dashed forward, launching its staff. The staff piercing through the horse’s neck reached my chest.
This situation was incomprehensible. Did it use the horse as a stepping stone for a leap? Or did it just charge normally? Either way, such an action would take considerable time, and yet I didn’t perceive a single moment of it.
The gap was hilariously vast. In just three years, this monster has grown even stronger.
‘Damn it.’
The ground drew closer. As the horse impaled fell, I staggered, struggling to maintain my balance. It wasn’t a direct piercing to my chest, but that last attack seemed to have shaken my insides.
Yet amidst that, instinctually, I protected my head. Falling off in this state would incur grave injuries, but I could at least avoid instant death. As long as I breathe, there’s still hope.
Of course, it’s a futile gesture. Even if I evade instant death, there’s no one alive to let a struggling enemy remain. The proof of that was Dorgon withdrawing the staff from the horse and waving it again.
‘Now I can see it clearly.’
It almost made me laugh. Was it my nearing death that was sharpening my senses, or was the monster simply becoming sluggish due to fatal wounds?
I hoped for the former. As a warrior, dying is always on my mind, but to have that ending colored by the enemy’s mercy and neglect would be utterly humiliating.
‘How many times have I fought with such a being?’
The blade of my father flashed in my mind. That man had fallen against this monster in an instant, yet Cal fought a few times on equal footing. What a truly outstanding son, unlike a useless father.
…If only that son didn’t join the frontlines, I would feel even more at ease. Just reaching this point made me wish I’d urged him to stay back harder.
But this too is likely a useless regret. No matter what I said back then, Cal wouldn’t have listened.
‘Just piling more burdens on a struggling child.’
And that’s a pitiable circumstance. Holding onto old grudges while being of no help, or worse, becoming a burden to a son fighting on the frontlines.
No, it might be an overestimation of myself. Just how good of a father do I think I was that my death would weigh on him?
Thinking that brought me some comfort—
“Ah.”
Suddenly, Dorgon raised the corners of his mouth and let out a short exclamation as he passed me.
“Ah, Krasius Carl has arrived!”
…?
‘Who?’
The unexpected name snapped me out of my thoughts, making the flickering lights before my eyes dim completely.
Perhaps it was a mistake to hear that name with death looming so close, but—
“It’s been a while, you orphaned brat!”
The voice that followed was unmistakably Cal’s.
“So you’re lonely living alone; why not go dig up your family instead of trying to make more orphans!”
The content sounded odd, but it was definitely from Cal.
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