*Clink.*
Ice in the glass made a tiny *ding*.
*Haa…*
Emilia sighed deeply as she set down her glass.
Every time she did that, the eyes around her kept darting in her direction.
A beauty in maid attire lamenting alone attracted a few admirers.
“Excuse me.”
“Oh, yes.”
But when a tall man sat beside her, everyone had no choice but to click their tongues and turn away.
*Slurp.*
The man looked at Emilia, who was drinking without restraint, with a worried expression.
“How many cups have you had?”
“Dunno.”
“Drink in moderation.”
“I’ll take care of it myself.”
“…”
Hertlocker maintained a smile despite feeling his insides boiling.
After all, he couldn’t get angry here.
“Master, give me a glass of milk.”
“Yes.”
Noticing the strange vibe between the two, Eric hurriedly tossed a milk glass over and fled the bar as if escaping.
He didn’t want to get caught in a family feud.
“Emilia.”
“What?”
“It’s been a while since I saw your face, and you don’t even greet me.”
“What more do you want? You’re a wanted man.”
Those were undeniably correct words.
Yet, for some reason, he couldn’t shake off the feeling that there was a thorn in that statement.
“How have you been lately?”
“Pretty much the same.”
“Still, you’d think you’d have some life back since that nasty boss who paid you 2,000 tirion has disappeared…”
Hertlocker had no choice but to close his mouth halfway through.
Emilia’s venomous gaze stabbed directly at him.
Seeing the droplets gathering in her eyes, he felt unable to finish his words.
“I’m sorry.”
“What are you sorry for?”
“Um… you know. That guy.”
“What?”
“The way that guy spoke.”
“You think I’m mad about that?”
“…”
Well, isn’t that right?
Hertlocker felt like he might die from frustration.
*Geez, this is insane.*
Emilia hadn’t been like this.
She used to say she wanted to be like her older brother and respected him above all else.
How had she come to treat her father like a rebellious teenager?
He didn’t want to keep this cold atmosphere going.
If he stayed silent, this Cold War would drag on for a while.
Hertlocker preferred to break through head-on.
“Do you… like that guy?”
*Gaf!*
“…”
Emilia choked on her drink.
Soon, Eric casually walked over to clean the bar and left again.
*Cough… cough… Why do you think that?*
“I thought you didn’t seem like yourself lately. If it’s an emotion strong enough to change you… what else could it be other than love?”
“…”
Emilia turned her head and propped her chin up.
Her foolish older brother only picked up on strange things quickly.
But that wasn’t completely wrong.
“I don’t know either.”
“Emilia, just be honest. This is an important matter that might interfere with the mission…”
“I mean, I really don’t know. I truly don’t know… if it’s love or something else.”
Emilia buried her face in her hands, her voice muffled.
Hertlocker drank his milk and turned around, fully focused on listening.
He was so absorbed, he didn’t even taste the milk.
“I’m just too worried. What if something goes wrong? I said it would be okay, but it’s a battlefield. It’s not about being a strategist; we’re going to fight. I tried to stop him, even shedding tears in front of him, but he still insisted on going.”
“…”
“Our biggest project right now is to win that guy over. But what if it all goes wrong? What if he comes back injured? Then I’ll really… really… Ah, *sniff*. Just imagining it makes me cry. What if that becomes reality? I’m so scared. I haven’t slept well lately. Is this… love? I don’t really know.”
“…”
Watching Emilia shed tears like a chicken dropping crap, Hertlocker felt like his heart was shattering.
Only he didn’t know.
That it was love.
Who would go through so much anguish just for a mission?
Emilia definitely had never had a love before, so it was clear she didn’t understand.
Feeling deeply saddened, Hertlocker suddenly craved a drink.
“Master, one whiskey. And stop taking her orders now.”
“Wha-why!”
“You’ve had too much.”
“No, I haven’t! I’ve just had enough, geez.”
“You won’t be able to sleep tonight.”
“Why do you care about that?”
*Haa…*
Seeing Emilia jerk her head away again, Hertlocker sighed deeply.
Too much caffeine was bad for health.
*What if she collapses?*
It was plainly evident.
Emilia looked worn out.
If that damn Empire’s lackey failed to return intact, what would happen to Emilia then…
He didn’t think that wretched guy would die.
He must’ve had a thorough plan in place.
But just in case.
There was a slim chance he could die.
*Damn it. This is really driving me insane.*
Hertlocker made up his mind.
*
If Emilia saw him now, what reaction would she have?
Would she be anxious, worrying?
Or would she be munching popcorn, watching him die?
He couldn’t be sure but one thing was certain—
“Don’t slow down! Don’t worry about the formation; just run at top speed!”
“Yes!”
Right now, they were in deep trouble.
To explain briefly, they had encountered an enemy cavalry while rescuing the trapped Imperial Knight Commander from the Great Forest.
“They’re closing in!”
But the enemy cavalry was a bit overwhelming.
If it had only been about 50, he would’ve thought it was worth a fight, but clearly, there were over a hundred.
Even with only superhumans among them, against a swarm, it was hard to maintain an advantage.
As a result, they looked like they were fleeing with incredible speed.
“Almost there! I can see it!”
Getting closer to safety was good news, but the outlook ahead wasn’t exactly bright.
They could hear thunderous hooves from far away—the enemy infantry had stationed themselves right at the front gate.
“If we could get some support from inside…”
Taylor said, clenching his teeth.
It would be ideal if the soldiers inside came out to help, but the chances were slim.
The knights inside had lost their focal point and were essentially disorganized.
It was better to give up hope that they would rush out to help Pelaine.
Damn it. Were they going to have to fire magic spells from day one?
“Are there still troops inside?”
Just then, the Imperial Knight Commander fell in step next to Taylor and asked.
“Yes. About 20 knights.”
“…”
The Commander nodded once, then drew a greatsword from his left side.
He raised it high, and the Sword God glimmered gold from the moonlight.
It shimmered as if he had cast a flash spell.
Just then—
“Waaah!”
The main gate flew open, and knights poured out.
Suddenly, enemy cavalry burst in from behind, causing the enemy infantry formation to collapse in disarray.
Now, a path was clear.
With the knights who had rushed out as their escort, they charged straight into the safety of the main gate.
“Ugh! Retreat!”
The pursuing enemy cavalry couldn’t dare face off and had to turn back.
In this tight space against the defending troops along the castle wall, it was difficult to leverage their numerical advantage.
Soon the main gate closed, and peace returned.
No one was injured or left behind.
As promised, they had only brought the Imperial Knight Commander back.
“Commander!”
“You’ve returned!”
But cheers were directed at the wrong person.
The Imperial Knight Commander was still looking fatigued, shaking hands with each knight and greeting them.
He wanted to shout that he was no longer Commander-in-Chief, but he held back.
In this chaotic atmosphere, it wouldn’t get conveyed correctly anyway.
It was better to relay such things in a proper meeting setting.
“Is everyone okay?”
“…”
When someone tightened their grip on his clothes from behind, he turned to see Erica looking at them with anxious eyes.
Aintz was also cautiously emerging from the mansion.
“We’re fine. Things have calmed down a bit.”
“Yeah… I think so.”
“Are you prepared?”
“What preparation?”
“Are you prepared to kill?”
“…!”
Seeing her eyes widen indicated she wasn’t ready for that yet.
Of course, giving her a dagger and forcing her to kill a prisoner would temporarily solve the problem but could also shatter Erica’s mentality.
After all, both Erica and Aintz would eventually become capable of taking lives after twists and turns in the original story.
So there was no need for major concerns.
“If you’re feeling overwhelmed, it’s okay to go back to the institution.”
“No… that’s not it…”
“In that case, both of you come with me. We will attend the military briefing.”
There were urgent matters to address.
As the Imperial Knight Commander entered the fortress, the knights naturally gathered in the largest mansion.
The mansion quickly became humid, filled with knights soaked in sweat.
“Is this all the knights?”
“Yes.”
“…”
The Commander’s expression darkened.
Once, he had commanded nearly a thousand knights in the Suppression Army.
Of course, he had been the one to decimate that army.
“Then I will convene the military briefing. Who was in command here while I was gone?”
“…”
Pelaine raised his hand silently before lowering it.
“Understood. I express gratitude to the Holy Knight Commander for holding this much force together… Then, as of this moment, I intend to take over the Commander-in-Chief position; if there are any objections, please raise your hand.”
“…”
“…”
The meeting hall fell into silence.
The Holy Knights expected to raise their hands but were likely too scared to do so.
In the end, it seemed they wanted me to take the fall alone.
I took a deep breath and raised my right hand.
“Schlus… Hainkel? What brings you here?”
“Reinforcements.”
“…”
As soon as he spoke, the Commander’s expression crumpled.
But I couldn’t speak politely to him.
Given the position I was representing, that was impossible.
“Reinforcements? No, I oppose this. What gives you the right?”
“As a knight directly under the Emperor, I express my disapproval of the transfer of the Commander-in-Chief position.”
“…!”
Unrolling a scroll, I displayed the Emperor’s appointment.
As knights leaned in with wide eyes, it was quite the sight to behold.
Was this how it felt to announce one’s arrival as a secret royal inspector during the Joseon Dynasty?
“The Suppression Army lost the 4th Castle due to failure in prisoner management and suffered great losses due to strategic failure in the last battle. I shall hold the Holy Knight Commander, Kane von Sturmgarten, responsible for all of this and strip him of the Commander-in-Chief position.”
“Strip…!”
Kane’s eyes widened, and he began glaring at me as if he would kill me.
It wasn’t just him.
The knights staring at me all harbored hostility.
