Chapter 212
The story continues off the page
The Last Dance Before Midnight
A masked dragon asks the lanternwright for one slow dance
It was a sad night in Duke Yurei’s domain, one that made the joyful news of its lord’s return pale in comparison.
The homes of able-bodied men with children echoed with the wails of women who would lose their husbands.
Some soldiers even tried to desert with their families, but they merely became examples.
They were not the only ones going to their deaths while leaving their poor families behind.
Duke Yurei’s room was quiet.
He no longer had a wife to wail for him, nor children to avenge their father’s death in a new land.
He had thought having nothing left would make things easier, but his heart was heavier than anyone’s.
It made him think again and again whether he was dragging innocent people into this, or whether there was another way he had failed to see because his perspective was too narrow.
But what meaning was there in that?
The die had already been cast.
Duke Yurei repeatedly inspected his weapons, trying to empty his mind.
Knock, knock—.
“Come in.”
Thinking it was the officer on duty coming to give the roll-call report, he let him in, but to his surprise, it was William.
Duke Yurei asked in a cynical tone.
“Why are you here?”
He gripped the scabbard at his waist tightly, then finally dropped to his knees.
“……Your Grace.”
“Who are you calling ‘Your Grace’? I’m not so idle that I have time to listen to that from you, so get out.”
“I will join the war.”
“You insulted the man who was to be your lord, and now you pretend to be a knight?”
“I was foolish. I thought Your Grace’s judgment had become clouded and that was why you made such a foolish decision. But I was the one with the narrow view and shallow thoughts.”
“We are going to throw away the lives of countless soldiers. What could be more foolish than this?”
“Then please permit me. What difference would it make if one more life were added to the many?”
“……”
“I was once a man of the Duchy of Yurei as well. So I, too, would like to die honorably here—.”
“William.”
Duke Yurei cut him off.
“Yes.”
“I am going to die as Duke Yurei. And the knights are going to die as the duke’s knights.”
“……”
“You betrayed your lord to save dozens of commoners. That is your conviction, isn’t it? Will you betray that conviction?”
“What difference would it make if a man who betrayed once betrayed again?”
“William.”
William was at a loss for words.
The contempt Duke Yurei had shown the last time they spoke was no longer there.
“You came here because you heard what I discussed with Regent Ferda, didn’t you?”
“Yes.”
“What did he say?”
“He asked me to look after the old people, children, and women who would become refugees. Regent Ferda promised to take them to his domain.”
“Yes. I made that promise.”
Duke Yurei said with a bitter expression.
“There are children, women, and old people beneath this castle. If they fall into enemy hands, they will become slaves or playthings, and if they fall into the demonfolk’s hands, they will become monsters or Sigmund’s puppets.”
“……”
“Regent Ferda may be the damnedest liar under heaven, but…… I do not think him a shameless man who knows nothing of a noble’s honor. He will surely keep his promise. But he has no reason to take responsibility for tens of thousands of refugees.”
Duke Yurei placed a hand on his shoulder.
“If we all die, someone will have to take responsibility for them.”
That hand felt terribly heavy.
It carried the weight of the lives he had borne responsibility for all this time.
“And you are the only person in this castle who has experience leading refugees.”
“Your Grace…….”
“I lived as a subject of the Kingdom of Heinkel and as the lord of the Duchy of Yurei, so I will go in search of a death befitting that. You have become a knight of the common folk, so live for the common folk and die for the common folk.”
William could no longer be stubborn.
The responsibility Duke Yurei had borne now rested on his shoulders.
William remained motionless in that spot, head bowed.
“William.”
“Yes.”
“Do me one small favor.”
“Please, tell me.”
“There is no one left to continue the Yurei family line. The Kingdom of Heinkel will disappear as well, so it will vanish forever without even leaving a trace in history.”
Disappearing from history was the greatest humiliation for a noble.
“So take this with you.”
Duke Yurei placed the items he had prepared before him.
A sword and a case.
“This sword has been passed down through the family for generations. Since it is a ceremonial piece, it has little practical use, so do not think of fighting with it.”
“Yes…….”
“Inside are the family heirlooms passed down through the generations, along with the genealogy.”
“……Yes.”
“You may sell the heirlooms. They won’t fetch much, but…… if you find yourself in urgent need, sell them. But keep the genealogy with you until the very end. As the last witness to the Yurei family. Can you do that?”
“I will obey your command.”
William lowered his head once again, clutching the items he had received.
Leaving William there, Yurei turned his gaze out the window.
He could see nothing but pitch-black darkness.
“You said there was a place called Hestia Village in the Domain of Valdrova?”
“……Yes.”
“Is it a place fit to live? I have never been there, so I wouldn’t know.”
“It is a new village, so there are still many rough edges, but the people are kind, so there have been no problems.”
“Do they serve good meals?”
“They do. Regent Ferda and Administrator Isabella take great care of the refugees.”
“That’s good. At least they won’t go hungry.”
Duke Yurei smiled bitterly.
* * *
When morning broke, two groups left the castle.
One headed for the capital of the Kingdom of Heinkel, while the other headed for Hestia Village.
As they watched someone’s father, someone’s husband, and someone’s child disappear into the distance, the echoes of a sad farewell rang out once more.
Ferda stood at the head of the procession heading for Hestia Village.
They had hoped they could make the journey without incident, but danger arrived before the wailing had even faded.
“Regent.”
Zed, who had been serving as a scout, returned and called out to Ferda.
“An army is approaching along the road we need to take. What shall we do?”
“Whose army is it?”
“It appears to be King Hudret’s army.”
Ferda was still within Duke Yurei’s domain.
It was an unmistakable illegal incursion.
But what could they do about it?
The Duke of Yurei, who would have held them accountable, was already walking toward his death.
“What about going around them?”
William asked, but Ferda shook his head.
“They aren’t blind, either. With more than ten thousand men, they must have a good idea of our movements.”
If they could not avoid them, they had to face them.
“We will continue on our way. That is all.”
A short while later, they encountered King Hudret’s army as planned.
The army had spread out wide, flaunting its numbers as if it had been waiting for Ferda.
King Hudret’s herald rode forward and called out.
“You who stand before the king! This proclamation is from Eugene Hudret himself, king of the Kingdom of Hudret. If you are unworthy, kneel!”
“I am Ferda Valdrova, betrothed to Valdrova, the Great Aspect of Fire. I believe that should be enough reason not to kneel. What do you think?”
The herald, who had approached so boldly, was left speechless and turned his horse around.
A short while later, a man on a white horse returned with his personal guards.
Judging by the crown, that man was undoubtedly Eugene Hudret.
“I see the herald was rude without realizing who he was addressing. Why did you not bring at least the Empire’s banner?”
“It was urgent, so I could not bring it, King Hudret.”
“It must be urgent indeed. You are taking quite a string of jewels with you.”
King Hudret smiled as he looked over the refugees.
Some were commoners with grime streaking them, but there were also noble ladies and wives.
“Did you know? The best way to raise soldiers’ morale is to grant them women. And the daughters of nobles are the best of the best.”
“These people are civilians from the Duchy of Yurei.”
“You know Duke Yurei owes me a debt, don’t you?”
“I do.”
“I think it is time I collected that debt.”
“He anticipated you would say that and told me in advance. He said he would leave the duchy’s castle intact and count that as repayment of the debt.”
“An intact castle? That isn’t bad, but…….”
King Hudret rubbed his chin as he spoke.
“What good is land alone? Without slaves to farm and labor there, it is useless.”
He looked determined to take at least some of the captives.
“I have a duty to protect and escort these people.”
“And we have a duty to collect the debt confirmed by the Grand Council.”
“Unfortunately, these people cannot serve as payment for a debt.”
“You’re being unreasonable, Regent Ferda. I trust you are not being so bold merely because you place too much faith in your betrothed.”
“This is not unreasonable. These are the families left behind by those who departed to fight the demonfolk.”
“The demonfolk……?”
King Hudret frowned as though something were strange.
“You must know better than anyone that the Kingdom of Heinkel has been occupied by the demonfolk.”
“That is what the public has been told. Someone of your stature would not naively fall for psychological warfare like this…… It seems there really are demonfolk after all.”
King Hudret wore a troubled expression.
If this was a war against the demonfolk, he could not easily lay a hand on their families even with a document from the Grand Council.
That was the respect owed to fallen heroes.
“So…… is there no room for compromise?”
“Since Your Highness appears hard of hearing, let me make this perfectly clear.”
Ferda’s eyes flashed fiercely.
A huge beast seemed to lurk beneath his cold expression.
Those who saw his expression instinctively placed their hands on their sword hilts.
“These are the families left behind by the heroes who went to fight the demonfolk, the enemies of this continent. If you wish to lay a hand on them, you will have to step over my corpse.”
They watched the two of them anxiously, worried that something might happen at any moment.
“Hahaha! Duke Yurei certainly thought this through. He was so emotional whenever we provoked him that I thought he was a fool.”
He raised a hand as though conceding defeat.
“Take them all. I do not want a curse to fall upon the kingdom for laying hands on the families of national heroes. I will content myself with the castle the duke left behind.”
“We can only thank you for saying so.”
“We are not completely without decency, you know. Let’s see.”
King Hudret beckoned an aide closer with a finger.
After giving him some instructions, the aide went to the wagons behind him and brought over three wagons.
“I’ll leave three supply wagons of food behind. I brought more than enough for a siege, but now I have no use for it. Consider this payment of the remaining balance.”
Three wagons…….
It was far too little to cover the balance, but there was no room to be choosy in a procession this large.
Ferda quietly accepted the favor King Hudret had offered.
“The road ahead will be difficult, won’t it? If you like, I can spare a few soldiers to escort you.”
“There is no need.”
“Yes, I thought as much.”
King Hudret instructed the commanders standing behind him.
“Move quickly! We must occupy the castle before those sly imperial bastards do!”
King Hudret’s vast army spurred forward, leaving the refugees behind.
Ferda’s procession began moving again as well.
Ferda glanced over at William.
He could not take his eyes off King Hudret’s procession.
Regret and anguish were mingled across his face.
“Do not cling to regrets. Even if you had stayed, it was a castle you could not have protected.”
“……I’m sorry.”
William turned his head away and lowered his eyes to the ground.
He considered closing his eyes, but thought that would only make him dwell on it more, so he stared blankly at the patch of ground where the horses’ hooves would fall.
And so William thought, and thought.
But no matter how many times he considered it, he found no answer.
“Regent.”
“What is it?”
“Do you…… still think I am qualified to be a knight?”
“There is a saying: even if a knight is qualified to do something, he may be unable to do it, while even if he is unqualified, he must do it. Do you know what that means?”
“It means that a station is not something you shoulder only when it suits you.”
They were exactly the words William needed to hear now.
To decide only now to take responsibility was shameful.
Seeing that William must have been thinking that, Ferda added one more thing.
“You have been a knight from the very beginning.”
Whether he liked it or not, that was what it meant to be a knight.