Chapter 98

Maximilian bowed his head. It felt as if lightning was flashing before his eyes.

Laura’s gaze toward him remained unchanged. That was painfully heartbreaking for Maximilian. It was a pain that tore at his heart. It was a pain that tortured his entire body.

If he wanted to find points to refute Cesar’s words, Maximilian could do so a thousand times over. However, he did not.

He wanted to return Laura’s gaze, the gaze of his daughter looking at him back to how it used to be… a look of a loving family, a caring father, and the Territory’s greatest Archmage.

No, nothing else mattered. Maximilian was content to share love as a father and daughter, as family. That was enough.

More than anything in this world, Maximilian wanted to bear his precious daughter’s pain.

And that was only possible if Maximilian did not relent.

On the rooftop enveloped in silence. Beneath a sky that looked like it could rain at any moment, two wounded men were pointing guns at each other. As Maximilian watched them…

“I…”

After a long silence, he finally moved his dry lips.

“What should I have done…?”

“Hey, Adelhaid Duke.”

In response to Maximilian’s question, Cesar steadied his trembling breath and opened his mouth.

“Are you asking what you should have done, right now?”

“…Yes.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

A hollow laugh escaped from Cesar’s lips. Maximilian felt no sense of humiliation even upon seeing that. It was peculiar.

“How could you ask what you should have done? Isn’t that a funny question even to you?”

“……”

“But, still… at the very least, you should have had a humble heart.”

Maximilian clenched the magic wand in his hand tightly. His fist began to tremble.

“…A humble heart.”

“For the countless soldiers who died because of your command… for those who suffer in death and continue to suffer in life… you should have shown them at least the minimum respect.”

Cesar’s gaze did not leave Maximilian. His dead left eye and his bloodshot right eye.

“When they learn that they died like dogs because of your orders… they should have at least known gratitude. You shouldn’t have thought of that death as something taken for granted… No, you shouldn’t have made it apparent even if you did think that way!”

It hurts. My heart hurts.

Laura’s cold gaze tightened around his heart, and Cesar’s words became sharp daggers that cut into his skin.

“Maximilian von Adelheit. If you sit in the position of Duke… if you are someone who can exert enough influence in this country by leveraging the power, connections, and family name you possess…! If you are someone who is well aware that the last breaths of so many young lives are chilling in the mud where no one remembers them—!!”

“……”

“At the very least, you should have done what you could have done…”

Maximilian realized that even though he did not bleed on the outside, he could feel such pain within.

Cesar’s words were not wrong.

“Do you even know what kind of lives the veterans who have survived are living? Have you ever taken a moment to care?”

He had not. Thus, Maximilian could not respond.

Cesar continued with a fervent voice that bubbled over.

“Most of the comrades I knew have died. Those who are still alive are barely there, and most are the ones who shared their intentions with me today.”

The echoes of resentment flowed ceaselessly. Like a bare branch swaying in the cold winter wind, Cesar’s voice trembled precariously.

“You wouldn’t know what kind of lives we survived in that hell after the war…”

Cesar’s expression turned colorful. He wore a face of anger, then a face of sadness, and occasionally a face that laughed grimly.

“Among those who survived with me, there was one who lived picking up scrap paper with one remaining arm.”

He barely managed to survive by picking up scrap paper without even eating properly and ultimately collapsed from overwork, leaving behind a young daughter he was responsible for.

Another had lost a leg. Unable to accept that he lost his leg, he fell into delirium and was locked away in a mental hospital.

The one who lost both arms sank into despair for not being able to afford an expensive prosthetic and ended his life.

One who became blind due to fragments in his eyes could not find a job for a long time and was dragged away for the theft of an apple from a fruit shop.

“Is this really how you envision the treatment of veterans?”

“W-well, the compensation…”

“Compensation? Ha…”

Compensation. Of course, those who participated in the Great War, even mere soldiers, could receive compensation.

“The compensation that should be deposited monthly is often overdue, and even that is so low that you can’t even pay rent… Are you talking about that which you created to save face, deceiving us through our sacrifices?”

Maximilian’s mouth was once again shut tight. Cesar grew even angrier at Maximilian’s demeanor.

Veterans who were forcibly called by the state and then forcibly released are left with no route for their livelihoods.

“So, we can only live this desperate life…”

Cesar’s gaze turned away. Where his gaze lingered, there was still a man aiming a gun.

“Lucio, you know this.”

Professor Antorelli stood there.

“…Cesar.”

“The Adelhaid Duke could have sufficiently improved our miserable reality.”

The fact that many young lives perished on the battlefield… that they sacrificed themselves for their homeland, reminding the citizens of the Empire of it, and improving the treatment of surviving veterans.

As Cesar said, Maximilian had the ability, power, and social status to realize that.

But, Maximilian ultimately took no action. He neither mourned their deaths nor sympathized with them, nor did he make any moves to protect them.

Was it because he truly believed their deaths were in vain? Because he thought that death in war was merely a statistic?

Not at all. Maximilian did not think that way. It was just that he…

“…was afraid.”

He was afraid. Unlike himself, who was lauded as a war hero, he did not listen to the lives that were desperately clinging to survival, cast in the shadows of a dark society.

He was afraid. Afraid that veterans lived so miserably. Afraid that the result of his ‘operations, minimizing losses while maximizing gains’ led to yet another bleeding.

Ironically, the operations Maximilian devised had succeeded too well. More had survived than he expected, and the war ended sooner than anticipated.

The Empire, which had conducted harsh conscription for the victory in the Great War, couldn’t pay proper attention to the survivors afterward.

This was, after all, the responsibility that Maximilian wanted to turn a blind eye to.

The moment he realized that, it was clear that Maximilian would not be able to bear the heavy sense of responsibility.

“I might have been afraid.”

That was what he feared.

Maximilian realized the disgusting truth hidden deep within him.

“What was I so afraid of?”

“The weight of responsibility I had to bear… I was afraid of that.”

“…Maximilian von Adelheit. You are truly the worst.”

If he should mourn the fact that he had lost precious things, then he should mourn.

If he realized that lives died meaninglessly on the battlefield, he should have felt the pain.

When he finally realized that deliverance would not come, they were to despair.

The time of loss is like that.

“…I-I…”

And here.

“I, I…”

Struggling to continue his words, the stubborn middle-aged man who had lived believing that his decisions were always correct.

The hero of the last Great War, a savior of the nation, a general who sometimes protected the Empire’s territory and people, and a Duke of Adelheit, who was born with the fate of ruling over others.

“It might be.”

He was going through the time of loss.

As much as he had suppressed in the last Great War. He had to feel the deferred pain he had been denying, turning his eyes away, and hiding deep within his heart.

“…It might be.”

He had to feel the late arrival of loss without denying it anymore.

– Thud. Drip.

A small touch began to tap on his shoulder. It started to resonate in Maximilian’s heart like a drum.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

Maximilian found focus in his vision. His gaze, which had been far away, sharpened to show the rooftop floor, gradually soaked with the falling raindrops.

– Drip. Thud. Drip.

It began to rain from the overcast sky.

Maximilian slowly lifted his head.

Though the raindrops were not falling heavily, it was an instinctual action born from concern for Laura, fearing she might catch a cold from the rain.

“…Laura.”

In Laura’s gaze toward him, there was no longer just betrayal and contempt.

In the dark shadow, the family love and bond that could not completely reject their father shone faintly like a pearl in the sand.

“Adelhaid Duke.”

The heavy, cold barrel of the gun aimed at Laura’s head. The realization of it struck Maximilian’s mind.

“Th-this….”

Maximilian’s voice trembled immensely. His gaze turned toward Cesar.

His gun still aimed at Laura’s head. A gun that bore the marks of scratches from dirt and showed signs of wear at various places.

Through that, Maximilian understood. That the gun was one that Cesar had used during the Great War.

Cesar spoke.

“Were you afraid… that we would be responsible for surviving, and were you afraid of that?”

“Y-yes.”

“Ha!”

Such scandalous, selfish thinking only Maximilian could concoct. Cesar could not suppress his laughter at Maximilian’s appalling thoughts.

“Truly the worst… a piece of garbage with boldness ingrained in its very bones. Such a title suits you perfectly.”

“……”

As Maximilian’s mouth shut, silence began to fill the air once more. It seemed to mark the beginning of a long silence.

– Click.

If it weren’t for the sudden noise of the rooftop door opening. Everyone on the rooftop turned their heads toward the sound.

“…Your Excellency.”

It was Maximilian’s former aide, Carmondorf. He spoke while holding an umbrella in his hand.

“I brought an umbrella.”

“…Carmondorf.”

It was an oddly timed arrival. Maximilian stared blankly at Carmondorf as he tried to unfold the umbrella before he turned his head away.

“It’s fine.”

“Your Excellency.”

“Carmondorf. You should stay away right now.”

Carmondorf fell silent. He merely stepped back and continued to watch Maximilian while holding the umbrella.

Seeing this, Cesar opened his mouth with a look of disbelief.

“How amusing. In the midst of this, there is someone like you who would bother to look out for him.”

“Carmondorf…”

“No, wait… That face looks familiar.”

Cesar’s gaze turned to Carmondorf. He examined his face for a moment before scowling at him.

“Oh, now that I see, I remember. Were you the Duke Adelheit’s aide?”

“……”

“Kheh, yes. We met at the court-martial.”

Cesar, who had been looking at Carmondorf, immediately turned his gaze and glared at Maximilian.

“There, you were still shameless.”

– Click.

The gun in Cesar’s hand made a threatening gesture. Maximilian barely held himself back from instinctively flinching.

“Right… Adelhaid Duke. You prioritized your own safety, thus excluding veterans like us from common sense in such a way.”

“……”

“You are human trash. Maximilian von Adelheit.”

“At least…”

After maintaining silence for a long time, Maximilian struggled to speak.

“At least, Laura has no fault.”

“What?”

“Cesar Li. Your hatred should only be directed at me, Laura has no connection to this incident at all. Please let Laura go… I beg you.”

Maximilian, of all people, Maximilian von Adelheit…

“Please…”

He was pleading with Cesar for mercy.

“…has nothing to do with this.”

“If you release Laura, I will do my utmost to improve the treatment of veterans like you. You might think it’s too late, but…”

“Shut up—!!”

Cesar’s roar once again split the rooftop. Maximilian looked at Cesar in surprise.

“Don’t talk nonsense, Maximilian von Adelheit…”

That was it. It was sheer malice.

“Nothing to do with it? Stop talking nonsense… Don’t speak those words while leaving out the sins you’ve committed…”

A gaze filled with malice. The gaze of revenge sharpened as it was fixed on its enemy.

“Because of scum like you merely folding your arms and watching, the intentions of us trying to raise our voices were trampled… while you set fire to a governing building, trying to kill me and my comrades!”

“What…”

“Nothing to do with it, innocent people… My comrades were not innocent!!”

Maximilian stared blankly at Cesar. It wasn’t that he couldn’t keep up with his words, but Cesar took it as Maximilian playing dumb and continued speaking.

“The sins you committed… they aren’t just related to the Great War. You seem to be mistaken, but just because I saw signs of you reflecting, doesn’t mean I was going to let this slide easily. I will… make you feel the same pain.”

“Another sin…?”

Is there more than this? Maximilian exchanged bewildered looks between Laura and Cesar.

“…So, you really want to play dumb?”

That behavior of Maximilian was incredibly disgusting to Cesar. He nearly shouted at him while gritting his teeth.

“The comrades I promised to join the protest with, the soldiers’ association… You set fire to our office building, killing those guys—!!”

In Maximilian’s eyes, it was only then that Cesar’s form was fully reflected.

The appearance of being severely burned. His melted face and stark white left eye. It was a mark of the terrible past that had taken place.

And at least the last image that Maximilian remembered of Cesar was not in such a broken state. With a flustered expression, Maximilian fumbled to move his mouth.

“What… what does that mean…?”

And then it happened.

– Bang—!!

With a chilling, spine-tingling gunshot.

– Drip—.

Drops of bright red blood, like Maximilian’s pupils, splattered on the rooftop floor, gradually soaking in the rain.

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