Chapter 71 : Chapter 71
Chapter 71
Quite some time had passed since Jereuth left to scout.
In the meantime, the soldiers had nearly finished preparing the camp and now seemed to be getting ready for their meal.
As I had done until now, I was about to get out of the carriage to help with the camp, but when I tried to step down, my feet wouldn't move.
It was because I was worried about Jereuth.
'…Nothing will happen to Jereuth, right?'
Perhaps because I had seen Elly get hit by an arrow in the <Future Diary> earlier, I was filled with unnecessary worry.
'I shouldn't think such unlucky thoughts. Since no new content has been added to the <Future Diary>, nothing bad should happen to Jereuth either.'
Since Jereuth went out to scout, I had already checked the <Future Diary> several times.
As a result, the future had not yet changed. It was fixed on the future where I would be attacked while passing through the gorge in the carriage, and Elly would take an arrow for me.
So, Jereuth should be fine. …Although the future where Elly gets hit by an arrow remained the same.
'I can change the future where Elly gets hit by an arrow, so for now, let's just wait with a calm mind. There's nothing I can do at the moment.'
Still, just in case, should I check the <Future Diary> one last time?
Like an investor who ceaselessly checks stock charts.
I found myself opening the <Future Diary> again. This might also be an addiction to anxiety.
Flip―.
I opened the diary. To the part showing the future closest to the present, a part that had shown no changes until now. But.
‘…There’s new content?’
Just a moment ago, the content of the <Future Diary> had been the same, but in that short time, new content had appeared. I read it immediately.
…….
Quite some time had passed since Jereuth entered the gorge to scout the inside.
The sun had almost completely set.
'…Why hasn't he returned yet?'
Even after so much time had passed, Jereuth had not come out of the gorge, and my worries continued to grow. It was difficult to calm down. I was concerned that some accident might have happened to Jereuth in the gorge.
'Did Jereuth encounter the bandits? Or did he misstep and fall? Or perhaps… did he go too deep while scouting and get lost? Why isn't he back yet? Should I send a rescue team?'
Perhaps because I had already seen the future where Elly gets hit by an arrow in the <Future Diary>, I had become more worried than usual. I felt like I was becoming paranoid.
Perhaps, without realizing it, I had come to rely heavily on people like Elly and Jereuth. That must be why I was so concerned.
'If I had known this would happen, I should have just suggested we bypass the gorge instead of passing through it. But if we bypassed it after coming all the way here, we wouldn't have been able to reach Misty Port within 15 days… still, that would have been much better than something happening to Jereuth or Elly—.'
It was then, while I was worrying about Jereuth.
―The Commander has returned!
With a soldier's voice, four men walked toward me from the gorge entrance I had been staring at endlessly.
Because of the backlight from the sun, their faces were hidden in shadow, but I could tell who they were by their silhouettes.
It was Jereuth, and the three knights who had gone scouting with him.
Reading up to this point, a sigh of relief escaped me.
‘…Jereuth is returning safely.’
Jereuth's safe return. For now, my biggest worry had been resolved.
Feeling at ease, I turned to the next page and continued reading the diary.
…….
Jereuth, having returned from scouting.
Before he could even catch his breath, he approached the carriage and reported what he had seen inside the gorge.
Just as I had said, there was a bandit group inside the gorge, and they had been plundering and kidnapping people.
Up until that point, Jereuth had been calm. However.
“…Those bastards, who deserve nothing less than to be hung upside down and killed, dared to attack a merchant guild flying Your Highness' flag, and even mocked that flag.”
As he said that, Jereuth's tone and voice changed. The target of his anger was clearly the bandit group, but it was to the point that even I felt scared.
That was how furious Jereuth was.
“Your Highness, it is heartbreaking that the people are being plundered and forced to work like slaves by bandits. But for them to think so little of the flag, which is as good as Your Highness' face, is infuriating.”
“……”
“Therefore, Your Highness, please grant me command authority. I will wipe them out, leaving not a single one of them alive.”
Thus, Jereuth declared that he would subjugate the bandits of Ateras Gorge and requested my permission for the subjugation. However, in truth, it was closer to a demand than a request.
That was how resolute and strong Jereuth's tone and will to subjugate the bandit group were. For some reason, he seemed unable to contain his anger, unlike the usual Jereuth.
‘Is it because they attacked the merchant guild flying the royal family’s flag? Because they ignored me?’
I could not break his strong will.
In the end, I gave Jereuth permission to subjugate the bandit group.
‘The fact that the usually calm Jereuth couldn't contain his anger… is it because the bandits attacked the merchant guild flying the royal family's flag? Is it because the bandits ignored me?’
I was grateful that he was angry for my sake. Of course.
But just as with anything in the world, one must maintain composure in all matters. Because if one is not calm, one is bound to make mistakes they wouldn't normally make.
‘…Surely, nothing will happen to Jereuth, right?’
Worry began to bloom again.
I continued reading the next page.
…….
Jereuth, who led the army into the gorge at dawn to subjugate the bandit group.
I waited outside the gorge with a minimal number of guards.
I could see something burning brightly somewhere inside the gorge. I didn't know exactly what it was, but I knew that the fire was a result of Jereuth's attack on the bandits.
As time passed and dawn was about to break.
The knights and soldiers finally returned. Their faces and bodies were covered in blood, but other than that, they appeared to have no major problems on the surface.
‘But… why do their expressions look so grim?’
An ominous premonition slowly crept up on me.
Soon, I would find out the reason for that ominous feeling.
Clop… clop….
A knight approached me with the sound of weak hoofbeats and reported.
“…Your Highness, the bandits have been annihilated, leaving none behind.”
It was clearly a report of victory. But why did his voice sound so dejected?
“However… Commander Jereuth was struck by an arrow. He was chasing the fleeing bandit boss to the very end… and was shot by an arrow in a dark alley.”
…So that was why.
This was the end of the newly written <Future Diary>. And indeed, it seemed the <Future Diary> would never allow me a peaceful future.
Another sigh escaped me.
‘Damn it… now it says Jereuth gets hit by an arrow?’
At this point, it seemed like someone absolutely had to be hit by an arrow in the Ateras Gorge. It felt as if the future was designed that way.
‘Should we just not pass through the gorge and take a long detour around the Monster Mountains? It would be much safer, but…’
The problem was that it would take too much time. Passing through Ateras Gorge would get us to Misty Port in the next 2-3 days, whereas detouring around the Monster Mountains would take over ten days.
‘Then we’ll eventually run into the storm… and then I don’t know what other variables might arise.’
Even though I knew the future, my worries kept piling up.
As if unaware of my inner turmoil, the sunset of Ateras Gorge streamed into the carriage from outside the window.
It was a truly, pointlessly beautiful scene.
It was at that moment.
―The Commander has returned!
A soldier shouted, and Jereuth and three other knights came into view. Just as in the <Future Diary>, their faces were hidden in shadow due to the backlight of the setting sun, but I could recognize their silhouettes.
Jereuth approached the carriage.
His clothes were soaked in sweat, and his bronze skin also glistened with sweat and the setting sun. His cloth shirt failed to cover his biceps, which were as big as my head, leaving them exposed.
Normally, I would have admired Jereuth’s incredible muscles as a man, but I was not in the mood for that now. Because the future foretold for Jereuth was by no means good.
Jereuth came right up to my carriage and began to report on his scouting of the gorge.
“Your Highness. As you said, there was a bandit group inside the gorge. If we had entered the gorge without any preparation, we would have been ambushed and suffered considerable damage.”
At Jereuth’s words, the knights and soldiers looked at me with slightly surprised eyes.
―…How did His Highness know there was a bandit group in the gorge?
―Did he sense the situation in the gorge from within the carriage?
―The bandits of Ateras Gorge… come to think of it, I think I heard something like that among the merchants recently. That merchants who traveled through the gorge had started to disappear at some point.
―If His Highness hadn't warned us, it could have been really dangerous, couldn't it?
―Hmm. An ambush is dangerous no matter how weak the opponent.
The knights and soldiers looked at me with sparkling eyes. Like them, the knight squires and children also looked at me with adoring eyes.
―As expected of His Highness…!
That was Yoanna's voice of admiration. Yoanna's eyes, which were unusually large compared to the other children, stood out.
It was certainly a pleasant feeling to receive such reactions, but I could not smile.
It was because of the concern that Jereuth might be hit by an arrow soon.
“So… what do you think would be best, Commander? I would prefer it if you could avoid battle if possible.”
I asked cautiously.
However.
“Your Highness, I propose a preemptive strike to annihilate every last one of them and then pass through the gorge.”
“…You want to subjugate the bandit group?”
“Yes. Those bastards are plundering, extorting, and enslaving your people. But above all… they dared to attack a merchant guild flying Your Highness' flag, and mocked that flag. I cannot forgive that.”
Jereuth continued, his eyes blazing and his fists clenched tightly. Veins popped out on his forearms.
As expected, the <Future Diary> was not wrong. Jereuth could not contain his anger at the bandits for ignoring and mocking my flag.
“Your Highness, the size of the bandit group is between about 150 and 200 men. If you grant permission, I will personally lead the troops and wipe them out.”
Hearing Jereuth's tone, he seemed to think I would naturally grant permission.
If the <Future Diary> hadn't mentioned Jereuth being hit by an arrow, I would have allowed it.
But I could not give permission. Not now that I had seen the future where Jereuth gets shot by an arrow.
Haaa―.
Taking a deep breath, I answered Jereuth.
“I will not grant permission.”
“…Pardon? Your Highness, I believe I must have misheard you.”
“You heard me correctly. I will not permit you to subjugate the bandit group.”
It seemed the other knights and soldiers also hadn't expected me to stop Jereuth, as they all looked at each other with wide, surprised eyes when I said this.
Jereuth, too, spoke to me again in a flustered voice.
“…Your Highness, I am prepared to follow any of your commands. If you were to order me to enter the gorge alone and subjugate the bandit group, I would proudly smile, don my armor, and mount my horse.”
“……”
“But for that very reason, I ask you to reconsider your command not to subjugate the bandit group. I cannot understand being told to leave alone those who have mocked none other than Your Highness' flag. It will be the same for the other knights and soldiers who are loyal to Your Highness.”
At Jereuth’s words, the knights and soldiers nodded their heads. They were all ready to fight.
‘…Why are they saying they want to fight?’
No matter how confident one was in their skills, ‘battle’ inevitably came with casualties. It meant one could die. And if you died, you lost everything.
If I were Jereuth, I would have been delighted if the Crown Prince told me not to fight.
So why were they showing resentment at being told not to fight?
Was this what they called ‘chivalry’?
‘I’m truly grateful that they want to fight for me, but….’
“Even if you say that, the answer is no.”
I refused once again.
At that, Jereuth trembled like an angry bull and asked me in a forcibly polite manner.
“May I know the reason for preventing our advance? Is it perhaps that you do not trust us?”
“No. That is not it. I trust you, Commander, as well as the knights and the soldiers.”
I spoke briefly and immediately added.
“The reason I am stopping your advance despite that is because you, Commander, are agitated.”
***
―Because you, Commander, are agitated.
At that one sentence from Leonardo, Jereuth was quite taken aback.
“…I am agitated?”
“Yes. Unlike your usual self, Commander, you seem to have slightly lost your reason. Even the most outstanding person, when agitated, will have their vision narrowed and is bound to make reckless decisions.”
“……”
“Although I may not know much about the art of war, I do know that it is not right to give full authority to an agitated commander.”
Leonardo spoke as if to soothe Jereuth.
His tone was not one of disrespecting Jereuth, and it was deeply laden with a voice of concern for him.
But Jereuth was so embarrassed that he turned red all the way below his ears.
Because what Leonardo said was a hundred times right.
‘…His Highness is right. I was too agitated. I have thought my entire life that one must always be calm and composed before heading into battle, so why did I show such an agitated side of myself to His Highness.’
It was unlike him.
If he had married, he would have had a son around Leonardo's age. If he had married a bit earlier, Leonardo could have been his grandson. In fact, Leonardo was Victoria's late child.
Yet, to have caused such a young boy to worry and even receive advice from him.
‘…I am ashamed. That I made that young monarch worry about me. It is so very shameful.’
However.
‘On the other hand, I feel a sense of relief. It has once again confirmed for me that my lord is indeed a great person, and someone who will correct me if I am about to make a mistake.’
Hooo―.
Jereuth let out a deep breath, looked straight at Leonardo, and spoke.
“Your Highness is right. I was too agitated.”
“Yes, so let’s take another route and bypass―.”
“I apologize for interrupting, but I still believe it is right to subjugate the bandit group.”
“……”
“Your Highness said it in the royal capital, did you not? That we must arrive in Misty Port within 15 days. There must be a reason why you specified ‘15’ days, so as your vassal, I wish to make that happen. Not for the honor attached to Your Highness' flag, but for the sake of Your Highness' plan.”
Jereuth spoke with his usual solemn and calm demeanor.
Leonardo looked into his eyes in silence for a while, contemplating, before pointing to the carriage and replying.
“…I will think about it for a moment in the carriage.”
His steps were heavy, and as fast and cautious as a student going to look at their hidden cheat sheet.
***
About 5 minutes passed like that.
―Click
Leonardo got out of the carriage with a much more relieved expression and spoke to Jereuth.
“Very well, Commander. I will permit the subjugation.”
“Thank y―!”
“But do not overdo it. If something were to happen to you, Commander, I think I would be very sad…. The same goes for the other knights and soldiers.”
“……”
“And one more thing, never chase an enemy into a dark place. ‘Never.’ Dark places are absolutely off-limits.”
A moment ago, Leonardo had shown the perfect image of a monarch, but this time, he spoke like a young boy worried about his grandfather.
Perhaps because of that strange difference, Jereuth found Leonardo to look somehow pure.
Jereuth straightened his back, struck his chest strongly, and replied.
“I will accomplish it without anyone getting hurt or killed. And I will absolutely not go into any dark places.”
Thump―!
A sound like that of steel armor rang from Jereuth’s chest.
In fact, with muscles like Jereuth’s, it was no different from armor.
***
Jereuth, having received permission to advance from Leonardo, spoke to the intermediate knight, Peralta.
“Peralta, I am entrusting the detailed strategy for this subjugation to you.”
“To me, sir?”
“What's the matter? You’ve done it many times in the war against the demon beasts.”
“…Well, that is true, but.”
“I’m entrusting this to you because I believe in you. You will come up with a wiser strategy than I would. Get the information on the bandit group from the Demian triplets.”
Pat, pat.
After Jereuth patted Peralta’s shoulder a few times to instill confidence, he spoke in a solemn voice to the knights and soldiers standing around him.
“His Highness has spoken. If I, or any one of you, gets hurt or dies, His Highness will be ‘sad.’”
―Yes!
“Therefore, anyone who gets killed or injured in today’s battle and makes His Highness ‘sad’ will die by my hands. If you don’t want to die by my hand, don’t get hurt or die.”
It was an order from the knight known as ‘A Single Ray of Light That Cuts Through the Battlefield,’ who had raised the honor of the small Plank Kingdom in the war against the demon beasts.
The knights and soldiers stood at attention and received the command.
―Yes, sir!
Their morale seemed to pierce the sky. They vowed to themselves not to make the Crown Prince they admired sad or worried because of them.
***
Ateras Gorge after the sun had set.
The moonlight was particularly scarce today. In the gorge with little light, only darkness lingered.
‘A gorge where darkness lingers’ was not usually a good expression. Because if one were to be ambushed in such an environment, they would be utterly helpless.
However, that was only the disadvantageous position of the one being attacked.
For the attacker, there was no better environment than this.
‘A perfect day for a surprise attack.’
The situation and environment were perfect. Jereuth felt as if the great nature of Ateras Gorge was cheering for him to fight and win, to prove his abilities to the Crown Prince.
‘Perhaps it really is cheering for me. I felt it on our way here, but it seemed like the plants were on His Highness' side.’
However.
‘If we had been ambushed in a situation like this… it would have been a huge problem.’
Snort―!
The horse Jereuth was riding snorted roughly. It was a famous horse named ‘Kartum,’ with glossy black fur and muscles that looked like they would burst.
While Jereuth himself was as calm and composed as an eagle eyeing its prey, Kartum seemed to still be carrying its master’s anger towards the bandits. Although Kartum was a horse, a herbivore, it looked ready to chew up the bandits.
But Kartum also did not want to see Leonardo sad, so it was planning to kill its own nature, calm its excitement, and protect its master, Jereuth.
“Commander, preparations are complete. The orders have also been given to the knights and soldiers.”
Peralta, who was in charge of the detailed operational plan for this subjugation, said. Jereuth then nodded and lowered his helmet.
Then he spoke to the surrounding knights and soldiers.
“I will say it again. No one gets hurt, and no one dies.”
―Yes.
The knights and soldiers replied quietly.
Jereuth raised his sword high and pointed forward.
“Ready the fire arrows.”
Fwoosh―!
Creeaak―!
The fire arrows were ignited all at once, and those fire arrows began to strain against the bowstrings.
Without delay, Jereeth gave the next command.
“Fire.”
Pyooong―!