Chapter 146 : Chapter 146
Chapter 146
“Nonsensical rumors?”
“Yes.”
Garme, looking into Ian’s eyes, recalled the Royal family’s assessment.
‘They said he’s a scoundrel gnawing away at the Kingdom and Moner.’
The rumor that he can’t control his anger.
The rumor that he tortures subordinates consumed by madness.
The rumor that he’s a cancer threatening the Kingdom.
All were clearly false.
The fact that he didn’t cause a disturbance even after being turned away at the door by a mere soldier was enough to verify the truth of the rumors.
“If you were the Young Duke from the rumors, you would have drawn your sword already.”
Looking at Ian who replaced his answer with a shrug, Garme continued.
“Since I was young, my father told me. You have no talent for politics, so pick up a sword and become a soldier. Puhahaha! You don’t know how unfair that felt when I was young! After Father passed the title to my younger brother, I lived my whole life to become a noble. Even to the extent of dedicating myself to the army, not the Knight Order, to gain a title and a domain.”
As Ian looked at him wondering what on earth he wanted to say, Garme, bursting into dry laughter, fiddled with the ring on his left hand and continued.
“Only after becoming a noble did I realize. That Father was right all along. I was more suited to be a soldier. Domain management or managing connections in politics didn’t suit me. That’s why I’m roaming battlefields even at this age.”
Sweeping back his hair dyed white, Garme smiled self-deprecatingly and bowed his waist.
“I apologize once again. Just this once, thinking I had to confirm the truth of the rumors, I committed rudeness.”
* * *
Ian looked at Garme with narrowed eyes.
‘Why is he suddenly acting like this?’
Seeing the evident fluster on the faces of other commanders, it was clear they hadn’t expected this situation either.
‘Of course, it’s something deserving of an apology, but…….’
For him leading the Royal Army, this level of power struggle would be practically daily life.
Just twitching his lips searching for a suitable answer, he asked him.
“…Why?”
Why is he, a General leading the Royal Army, bowing his head in front of me.
‘Just what is he thinking?’
I shouldn’t be deceived by the words that he’s not noble-like.
Just the fact that a child of a noble became a General leaves no room to doubt his ability.
‘Seeing him coming out with such a low profile, he definitely wants something…….’
While looking at him thinking there must be an ulterior motive I haven’t grasped.
Garme took out a small magic stone from his bosom and handed it to me.
‘This is… General’s plaque?’
Originally named Emergency Kit, it’s a high-grade artifact developed to hide a commander’s identity in war and simultaneously help in emergency situations.
Although it became more famous by the name General’s plaque due to its additional ability more important than the magic contained in the magic stone.
‘Holding this grants command authority over the relevant unit.’
The General’s plaque is a unique item that grants authority close to absolute command on the battlefield just by possessing it.
Generally, it would be common to entrust it to an adjutant so the command system doesn’t collapse after the General’s death……
“This is…….”
“For now, it’s an object made to save lives in emergencies, but it’s a magic stone used more often when appointing a temporary General in emergencies. Like follow the words of the person holding the nameplate unconditionally when the General is absent for some reason.”
Garme bent his knee and showed me respect.
“The Royal Army will follow the Young Duke’s orders in all future battles.”
Simultaneously, the commanders waiting behind him bent one knee and shouted.
“-Loyalty!”
* * *
“So, you mean you will follow my orders from now on?”
Simultaneously with the question, Garme nodded.
“Yes.”
“Whatever the order?”
“If it is an order to win in battle, it is natural.”
Seeing his eyes not trembling even a little, I was dumbfounded.
Knowing full well that they are targeting this side, now asking to trust them saying they will follow any order.
He must know there’s no way I’d trust him…….
‘Just what is he thinking? Does he intend to target an opening after the battle breaks out? Or maybe ignore orders after the battle breaks out.’
The former would be a direct threat, and the latter would make me a laughingstock or put the Moner army in danger at a critical moment, so it would be a not bad choice.
If only there was no General’s plaque.
‘But he gave me the General’s plaque… As long as there is the General’s plaque, the soldiers will follow my words. Because if they openly ignore the General’s plaque, even the Royal Army wouldn’t be able to handle the aftermath.’
While my head was moving busily, Garme spoke in a nonchalant voice.
“Young Duke, I just want to return saving even one more person.”
Instantly, I met eyes with Garme.
‘To save even one more person…….’
“Quite a few soldiers will die.”
“It does not matter.”
At Garme’s appearance nodding as if it were natural, irritation suddenly surged.
A villain should act like a villain; it’s troublesome if he comes out like this now.
“I might use the Royal Army as meat shields.”
Even at the words telling him to change his mind, Garme still only nodded.
“That also does not matter.”
Doesn’t matter?
“No, that’s not it. Because I will minimize damage to Moner no matter what happens.”
Glaring at the still nonchalant Garme, I continued.
“Not a single one of my soldiers will die. In the meantime, hundreds, thousands of Royal Army soldiers might die. If it’s to save one of my soldiers, I won’t care even if a hundred Royal Army soldiers die.”
Despite the blatant words, Garme still didn’t waver.
“Naturally, that might happen. Since I heard the Young Duke’s unit shoots Knight Slayers, if used as a rear support unit, casualties might occur only in the Royal Army.”
At his still nonchalant appearance, Ian’s brow narrowed.
“No, not might occur, will occur. That barrier worse than trash won’t last a minute against the legion. Then the Royal Army will block the pouring Orcs. Then soldiers will die as easily as that barrier.”
“…….”
Even at the malicious remarks close to curses, Garme showed no reaction.
“It’s too late to try any tricks after the battle ends. Because already dead soldiers will never return. Since you handed me the General’s plaque, the Royal family won’t be able to say anything either.”
“…….”
Garme said nothing.
“Do you grasp the situation a bit now? I don’t know what you think of me, but you seem to be under a big misunderstanding right now. I am absolutely not a good person.”
“…….”
As I shot back at him as if growling, he, who was still bowing with one knee bent, raised his head and looked at me.
“I have no intention of shifting responsibility to the Young Duke. Even if the Royal Army is annihilated in battle, not just hundreds or thousands, it is the same.”
“Why on earth?”
When I looked at him with eyes saying I absolutely couldn’t believe it, Garme answered.
“We already lost 3,000. Not to elites, but to Orcs without reason, 3,000.”
Garme, recalling the Orcs chasing them like zombies digging into the forest’s darkness, smiled bitterly.
“A moron would have thought it was a result of carelessness, but absolutely not. It was simply my fault.”
The forest’s darkness was much thicker than he expected.
The monsters harboring the forest’s madness were scary enough to make one lose the will to fight the moment they faced them.
That day’s defeat was solely his mistake, and defeat.
Arrogant in an unfamiliar battlefield, assuming experience would help everything in an unprepared state.
Seeing Orcs chewing soldiers like hungry ghosts having lost reason, he, the General, couldn’t make a decision, and eventually ran away without looking back, losing precious soldiers.
“My arrogance is still shouting to solve the problem myself. They, too, and the army, are confident of victory.”
Therefore, he had to judge more cool-headedly.
‘Without the Moner army, we would have been defeated before even trying anything.’
If the Young Duke’s unit waiting nearby hadn’t helped the rangers, the Royal Army would have suffered a surprise attack without even grasping the enemy’s existence.
Since there is no Master-level power in the Royal Army, they would have been defeated miserably.
‘To survive in this forest…….’
Moner’s help was essential.
Since there would be no one who knows this forest better than those who protected this forest for generations.
‘It should have been like that from the start.’
If they received Moner’s help from the start, the Royal Army wouldn’t have suffered such great damage.
“Thinking like that, I realized, that Moner’s help is needed to live.”
“That wouldn’t be the reason to give this?”
As Ian spoke holding up the General’s plaque, Garme shook his head.
“No, that is correct. Because if there was no General’s plaque, the Young Duke wouldn’t have trusted me and the Royal Army. Even now having given the General’s plaque, you do not trust me, do you.”
“…I see.”
Ian, nodding as if understanding enough, turned his gaze to the commanders.
“Heard that? This is the General’s plaque. While holding this, I am the General. But even asking to trust like the General says, I can’t quite trust, so…….”
Ian, raising the corners of his mouth like a brat, continued.
“Lie down.”
* * *
After the meeting that was literally like a war ended.
The commanders hurried to leave to carry out Ian’s orders.
“Are you okay?”
At the adjutant’s question, Garme burst into hearty laughter while roughly wiping the sweat flowing like rain with his sleeve.
“Living long enough, I never thought a day would come when I conduct a meeting lying down.”
“I apologize.”
“It’s not something for you to apologize for.”
To show sincerity until it can be trusted.
He wondered what relation there was between sincerity and physical pain, but it was a new experience in its own way.
Probably because trust didn’t form easily, he wanted to see at least a glimpse of sincerity.
“How was it, did he seem to trust a little at the end?”
At his question, the adjutant shook his head.
“The Young Duke seemed to still suspect.”
It was natural if natural.
If it’s the Young Duke he saw, he must know about the Royal Army’s secret order.
Even if the Royal Army, practically an enemy, enters under Moner, it was natural not to be purely happy.
“Tsk, there’s no way he wouldn’t suspect even if we ask for favor now.”
While he was relaxing his stiffened muscles, the adjutant approached and asked carefully.
“…Will it really be okay? At this rate, the Young Duke might really use the Royal Army as meat shields…….”
At that question, Garme, recalling Ian, shook his head and said.
“Don’t worry about that.”
Even among the rumors spread about the Young Duke, there was truth mixed in.
“The Young Duke is a human as greedy as I am.”
Garme was convinced Ian wouldn’t give up an army that came into his hands.
Because the Young Duke he saw was a human somewhat similar to himself.