Chapter 211

That day, Count Dubien could finally see the world from the same level as the nobility for the first time.

Though, since his eyes were gouged out, he probably only saw darkness. But he wouldn’t complain—his tongue was cut out too, so he couldn’t even voice his grievances.

When Countess Renea heard the execution method I proposed, her face turned pale, but her vassals enthusiastically agreed. After I described the scenes I witnessed on my way here, even the Countess nodded in approval.

There were 231 soldiers who surrendered and laid down their weapons, along with the severely wounded who were still alive. And then there was Count Dubien.

The same punishment was carried out on all of them.

Countess Renea’s private army, reduced to just 80 after several battles, wasn’t short on executioners. Hundreds of citizens filled with hatred and rage were waiting inside the castle.

“Kyaaaaaaah!”

The agonizing screams lasted for hours.

Some were lucky enough to die from shock during the execution, but most soldiers, being from another world, endured it stubbornly. Even after their limbs and groins were sliced off, their faces carved to look like Count Dubien’s, and their bodies skewered on blunt spikes, they were still alive.

Two hundred spikes stood densely packed on one side of the territory. I suggested arranging them like a fence around the land, but they said it’d be too hard to manage if they were spread out.

Manage? Guess they plan to keep them alive as long as possible. Well, the locals will figure it out—whether they set them on fire or peel off their skin.

After confirming the last one was skewered, I left Renea’s territory. Before leaving, I left a letter at Countess Renea’s earnest request, stating that I had overseen the matter.

If the lords of Leopold’s faction, upon hearing about Dubien, decide to storm in and kill Countess Renea… well, once they find out it was my doing, they’ll probably back off quietly.

—

“Done? Took longer than I thought. I almost got tired of waiting.”

“I had to make sure the prisoners were dealt with.”

I originally planned to regroup with the others right after the battle, but I figured the sight of the criminals wouldn’t be great for Rana’s emotional education, so I held off.

[The woman who skewered two hundred people on spikes dotes on that girl like she’s her own sister. How ironic.]

What’s it to you?

‘Speaking of sisters, didn’t you have one too?’

[……I did.]

Her voice dropped low. Guess they weren’t on good terms.

Hersela stayed silent for a while.

—

“Conscripted soldiers… not a pleasant topic.”

“Really? Even if they were forcibly conscripted, they willingly participated in massacres, so they deserve the same punishment as the private soldiers, don’t you think?”

Unless Dubien’s soldiers threatened the conscripts with death if they didn’t join in the slaughter and rape, there’s no reason to sympathize with them. They joined willingly to avoid being at a disadvantage.

“No, that’s not what I meant. I just don’t like the idea of conscription itself. Since the Empire stabilized, there’s been almost no need to conscript peasants for battles. Territorial wars between lords were rare, and the standing army was enough to defend the borders.”

Leonor leaned back in her seat and sighed.

Ah, that kind of talk. I thought you meant something else.

“Now that lords are starting to mobilize conscripts to fight… it’s a bad trend. The number of commoners, who are the backbone of the Empire, will shrink rapidly. Even if we end the civil war, it’ll take forever to recover the nation’s strength.”

A valid concern.

The Empire has maintained its position as a global superpower thanks to its vast territory and large labor force. Even the tens of thousands of Imperial soldiers are sustained by taxes collected from them.

If just 30% of the labor force disappears due to the civil war and conscription, the Empire will suffer a massive blow.

Even if Isabella wins, the Empire’s status will already be irreparably damaged.

…Is Isabella’s real goal to cripple the Empire beyond recovery?

Thinking about it, all her actions align with that.

Corrupting the ruling class, collapsing the palace, inviting external invaders, and causing a civil war…

Instead of gathering forces, she’s scattering them everywhere, plunging the entire Empire into chaos.

…I should talk to Ludwig about this.

—

The journey after that was quite peaceful.

Rumors spread faster than the speed of our carriage. Though, as rumors go, they were somewhat detached from the truth.

The madman who skewered 400 allies just for blocking his path.

After hearing that rumor, no one dared to stand in our way.

[In about two years, you’ll surpass my infamy. Should I congratulate you?]

‘…Congratulate me, my foot.’

There were some good rumors too.

Like the noble knight who, out of pity for the enemy’s civilians, stood alone against hundreds of soldiers to prevent a massacre.

Probably a rumor spread by the people of Renea’s territory as thanks… though only they know the truth.

Of course, it wasn’t a particularly helpful rumor.

The Skewer King.

Unable to withstand her popularity, she was buried just like that.

At least, the eastern territories have quieted down instead of engaging in a reckless civil war, so that’s one thing to be grateful for.

After a few more days of travel, we finally arrived at the Landenburg territory.

======[Knut]======

A mansion on the outskirts, slightly removed from the capital. It was a building that had been misunderstood as abandoned since no one had visited for years, but it was known that a newlywed couple had moved in and started living there half a year ago.

A husband who rarely went outside due to a missing leg, and a wife who often went out but whose activities were unknown.

Rumors spread that she might be selling her body or having an affair with a noble. It was natural for such gossip to circulate, but the couple seemed well aware of the rumors surrounding them and didn’t seem to care much.

A man who thought she was a prostitute and tried to pay her was found dead a few days later, drowned in alcohol.

The reason they didn’t care about the rumors was simple. The newlywed status was just a cover; they were never married in the first place.

In fact, their relationship was more like coworkers. How they felt about each other was unknown.

The mansion was one of the hideouts prepared by the Dane intelligence agency. Although it was an unsuitable location for espionage due to its distance from the capital, it was an excellent place to hide and wait.

—

In the middle of the night, in the bedroom. The knight, who had been reading a letter by the light of a lantern, placed the finished paper on the desk and turned her head toward the man sitting on the bed.

“News from the homeland. It might be good news for you, Knut.”

“Good news…?”

Knut tilted his head.

Since his body had been wrecked, all the news he had received was bad. Like the Ka`har princess he failed to defeat, who was building an immortal reputation within the Empire and the Elpinel Church.

Not long ago, there were rumors that she had joined hands with a witch and was devouring Empire knights. It wasn’t very believable, but it was unsettling.

“The Empire is in chaos due to civil war, so the order is to cross the border and return. With the peace agreement between Ka`har and the Empire broken, Dane must also prepare.”

“Prepare. Yes, that’s natural. But there’s no reason to call me for that, is there? The homeland knows well that I can no longer fight.”

After nearly half a year of recovery and rehabilitation, he still couldn’t return as a warrior. Having lost an eye and a leg, and with his vitality severely damaged, it was impossible to engage in intense combat as before.

No longer a warrior, he couldn’t even use the power of Bølberg.

“That’s… there might be a way. You might not be able to fight as a holy warrior, though.”

“What do you mean?”

The knight shrugged as she burned the letter with the lantern flame.

“The homeland has discovered a strange relic. The details aren’t written, but they’ve found a way for non-magicians to use magic… maybe you could do it too.”

“…Magic?”

Knut’s brow furrowed. Magic? That was a word far removed from him. The idea of non-magicians using magic was beyond his understanding.

“In your condition, you can’t fight as a priest or a warrior, so what other option is there but magic? The chances are slim, but if you still want to fight, you’ll have to pin your hopes on this.”

The knight coldly mocked. She didn’t want Knut to fight anymore. Secretly, she wished he would live quietly, but seeing him suffer mentally from losing his ability to fight was also quite unpleasant for her.

In the end, she had to respect Knut’s wishes. As always.

“Magic… So, I should prepare to leave like this?”

“Yes. It will take about three days to erase our traces and arrange a carriage.”

The knight calmly replied, brushing off the ashes and sighing deeply inside. As she had expected, this man still wanted to fight. He probably would until he died.

She had anticipated it, but… it was still not a pleasant thing.