Chapter 43

While being on the Northern Front, one of the most troublesome issues was carrying weapons.

Given the battlefield environment was so chaotic, you never knew when a surprise attack would come or a battle would break out.

Relying solely on the supplied weapons just didn’t feel safe enough.

I always carried a sword at my waist and a pistol in my coat, but that level of armament had its limits.

The gun was single-shot, so once you fired, it was useless, and the sword would often break if it hit armor. It wasn’t rare to pick up enemy equipment on the battlefield after my own weapons broke.

Perhaps that’s why. Around the time I was promoted to Major, I started making small modifications to my uniform. Specifically, adding iron armor around the sleeves.

It might look odd, but it was surprisingly useful.

In emergencies, it served as a defensive guard for my wrists, and when throwing punches, it acted as makeshift gauntlets. Aside from making the uniform a bit heavier, it wasn’t particularly inconvenient.

But what does this have to do with the current situation?

Well, of course, it’s relevant.

I’m currently wearing my military uniform.

“Wow, it’s been a while. I stopped getting into fistfights after being promoted to General.”

Good thing I didn’t dress up for this so-called banquet.

No matter how much power you gain or how high your status, threats always seem to come at the most unexpected times.

I should probably conduct a massive purge soon.

“Don’t worry. I won’t kill you since I need to interrogate you.”

–Crack!

I grabbed the head of the guy who pointed a sword at me and smashed his face, knocking him out.

I already fixed Larry’s neck earlier, so he won’t be moving for a while. Even if he survives, he’ll probably be disabled for life.

“Kyaaaah!!”

“Murder! Someone just got killed with bare hands!!”

“Someone is targeting His Majesty the Emperor! Call the guards and seal off the banquet hall. No one leaves!!”

Ignoring the noisy chatter, I quickly glanced around.

There’s no way someone planned and executed such a large-scale operation alone.

Not only did they secretly poison the drinks served to everyone, but they also smuggled daggers past the guards’ inspections?

There must be multiple accomplices.

And for the assassination operation to proceed smoothly, the accomplices were likely still inside the banquet hall.

‘Damn it.’

Sure enough, I soon spotted some suspicious-looking individuals. Their faces pale, sweating profusely, and clearly panicking.

…The problem was, those guys were members of our negotiation delegation.

“Count Eppenstein.”

“W-what?! Why are you calling me suddenly, Vice-Chairman??”

“Why are you so fidgety? You look like someone who’s desperate to go to the bathroom.”

Including Count Eppenstein, the deputy of the negotiation delegation, along with a couple of clerks and advisors.

There were quite a few people, but strangely, they all had one thing in common.

They were all recommended and selected by the Noble Faction.

I’m not stupid enough to not understand what this situation implies.

‘These bastards have finally crossed the line.’

I calmly clenched my fist. Shaking off the blood on my hand and cracking my knuckles, I approached.

“Is there something bothering you? Or perhaps something weighing on your conscience?”

“W-what are you talking about? I have no issues! I’m perfectly fine, so stop with the strange worries!”

“Is that so? I have my suspicions. It seems like you and the guys behind you… were the ones behind this.”

At the blatant accusation, the Count, unable to withstand the pressure, drew a dagger and shouted.

“Damn it, attack! No matter how much of a wolf from the North he is, he can’t handle all of us at once!!”

“Die, you damn traitor!!”

The men, armed with small blades disguised as decorations, rushed at me all at once.

They were amateurs, their stances were a mess, but they had enough momentum to kill at least one person.

It was clear they were determined to take me down, no matter the consequences.

Sighing at the foolishness of these desperate fools, I lightly stepped aside and struck their vital points in succession.

“Gahak!”

“Ugh! Gweeehh….”

The assassins, clutching their solar plexus and knees, rolled on the ground. It was nothing but a farce.

Did you think I hadn’t fought one against many after ten years on the front lines?

I’m a survival veteran who has experienced every tactical situation possible on the snowy plains.

You bugs, who’ve been lounging around in the rear, are no match for me.

“Guards! Arrest these criminals and throw them into the palace dungeon. Their punishment will be decided later by His Majesty the Emperor and myself!”

“Understood. Take them away!”

I handed the criminals over to the soldiers who came running and left only Count Eppenstein.

Staring at the man who was breathing heavily, I placed my boot on his neck and pressed down gently.

“Guh…”

“Well, Mr. Councilman. No, my dear attempted murderer. Shall we have a little chat, just the two of us?”

The neck is a vital area with all sorts of nerve bundles and important organs like the brainstem.

Even a slight pressure causes immense pain and discomfort. Let alone being stepped on by a metal-studded military boot.

“Why did you pull off such a crazy stunt? What was the reason for trying to kill the ambassador of a delegation in enemy territory? No, you don’t have to answer. I think I already know. You knew too much. Right?”

“….”

“Looks like I’m right.”

Judging by the flicker in his eyes, that seems to be the answer.

Not satisfied with just poisoning, they even prepared blades for a double trap.

To go this far in a foreign country, under tight time constraints, there must have been a compelling reason.

Even though we are political enemies, it’s not to the extent of resorting to such extreme measures to take lives.

If I had to guess the reason, there’s only one.

These guys suspected that I might have learned something from Louis XVI.

“You were desperate to hide the truth because if I returned and spread it, both the nobility and the royal family would be finished.”

“….Damn, you’re sharp.”

I should have realized it when they begged me to turn back multiple times on the way here. These guys already knew everything.

In the Empire, where the realities of war are widely known, it was obvious what kind of information I might access, so they tried to block it at all costs.

And on top of that, since I had a private audience with Louis XVI, they were determined to eliminate me, even if it meant taking extreme measures.

‘If it were just that, I could have understood.’

But questions remained.

If they had plotted against me and my subordinates, aside from anger, it would have been understandable.

At least there was some rationality in their target selection.

But why target the monarch? And a foreign monarch at that?

Did these bastards decide to ruin the country?

“Why did you try to poison the Emperor? If he had been killed, the Empire and the Kingdom would have had to fight to the death. Did you want war that badly?”

At this, the Count gritted his teeth and spat out a bloodied reply.

“Isn’t that obvious? It’s for our survival!”

“….What are you talking about?”

“The moment you return to the country, we are all doomed. If even one member of the delegation survives and returns, your faction back home will move. They’ll strip us of all our power and bring us to ruin!!”

“It’s time to pay for our sins. You’ve been sucking the blood of the people under the pretext of war, yet you never intended to take any responsibility, did you?”

“That’s the commoners’ duty!!”

The Count screamed as if in agony, pouring out his grievances with a sense of injustice.

“We are the Blue Bloods! The chosen bloodline to rule the Kingdom! So what if we collected some taxes for the war? What crime is that?! You’re oppressing us with absurd demands, forcing us to take extreme measures!!”

“….What does that have to do with killing the Emperor?”

“If you and Louis XVI die together, we won’t have the luxury of being oppressed! The war will intensify, and the Kingdom’s chaotic order will be restored to its rightful course!”

After hearing this, I barely managed to grit my teeth and respond.

“Alright, I understand.”

You really are creatures that shouldn’t exist.

* * * * *

[If you don’t expect anything, you won’t be disappointed.]

Since coming into this world, I’ve realized how wrong that statement is.

Even if you don’t expect much, there’s a basic line of decency that you assume others will follow as fellow humans.

But there are just too many who don’t even uphold that.

To truly avoid disappointment, you just have to stop seeing others as people.

You have to stop considering them as intelligent, civilized beings. Only then can you avoid emotional distress.

And these nobles are no different.

They’re just beasts.

Utterly selfish, only caring about themselves, and incapable of correcting their bad habits.

So to stop the rampage of these beasts.

There’s no choice but to kill them all.

Thoroughly and completely.

You can’t just strip them of their power.

You have to take their lives too.

You have to strip them of even the most basic rights they enjoy.

Like exterminating pests.

Like slaughtering pigs infected with foot-and-mouth disease.

You have to wipe them all out, root and stem.

–Crack.

I crushed the bones in his neck with a strong press. A clean and definitive death.

Wiping my boot on the corpse’s clothes, I turned to the Emperor and apologized.

“I apologize, Your Majesty. It seems our idiots have caused you great distress.”

Fortunately, he was unharmed, but the fact remains that an assassination attempt was made. This means the Kingdom now owes the Empire a significant diplomatic debt.

To repay that debt, I quickly thought of an on-the-spot deal to propose to the Emperor.

“As a gesture of apology, I’d like to make a proposal. Would that be acceptable?”

“Go ahead.”

“Within a year, we will cede the territory of the Earl of Helgoland to the Empire. In return, please conclude this incident by allowing us to take the perpetrators back for punishment. And….”

I paused for a moment before continuing.

“Please acknowledge any political changes that may occur in the Kingdom for the time being, and refrain from accepting any exiles.”

The territory of the Earl of Helgoland is located right in the middle of the Western Front, which has become a battlefield.

It’s not particularly large, but it’s decent farmland. Moreover, since he’s a staunch royalist idiot, sacrificing him isn’t a big loss for us.

In exchange for ceding that land, we ask that this incident not be blown out of proportion.

If you cooperate well, we’ll carry out the political reforms we desire and completely eliminate the idiotic ruling class to end the war.

“Of course, those responsible for starting the war will be sent to the Empire for appropriate punishment. How does that sound?”

After a moment of consideration, the Emperor nodded.

“That doesn’t sound bad. I accept.”

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