Chapter 112
As only a few people were moving immediately, preparations were quickly finished.
"...I don't know how many times I've asked this."
"This is also part of my duties, so don't worry about it."
"Ah. You need to control the 5th Corps officers, including Florian, to prevent them from doing anything foolish."
"I'll keep that in mind."
It was decided that Alexandrov would take charge of the Red Dragon Corps again.
As Volker had regained consciousness, there was also a need to continue controlling the 5th Corps forces.
These troops were to be temporarily stationed in the west until forces sent from the central government arrived, and after the handover was complete, they would join the southern front.
"Can you ride a horse?"
"Yes. Although it might be difficult to go very fast..."
As Erika said she could ride horses too, they could quickly reach Mannzheim by riding horses.
"Do we have to take all of this?"
"Yes! Anna, could you help me a little?"
"...Give it here."
"Thank you!"
So, Viktor, Erika, and Anna sorted out the luggage they absolutely had to take, and,
"...Corps Commander Viktor."
As they were loading the last of the luggage onto the saddle, Axel Lübeck, who was to travel with them, approached Viktor hesitantly.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes. But... I wanted to ask one thing."
"What is it?"
Although he asked out of courtesy, just looking at Axel's expression full of lingering attachment, Viktor could guess what he was going to ask.
"What will happen to... His Excellency Volker Rommel?"
His cautious question was indeed as expected.
"Well..."
Viktor stroked his chin as if pondering, then,
"He'll be heading to the capital with us too, so you'll find out soon."
"Is that so?"
"Ah. Let me tell you one thing,"
Viktor approached Axel, putting strength into his eyes.
"From now on, I recommend not addressing that person with honorifics like 'His Excellency'."
"..."
Although he wasn't unaware of Axel's complicated feelings, Viktor had no intention of leaving Volker alone, as he could become a recurring problem.
To prevent Axel, who was a fairly good general in peacetime, from getting involved, Viktor warned him directly.
"You probably won't have many occasions to call him, but it won't hurt to be careful."
"...Understood."
As Viktor hadn't said anything difficult, Axel quickly understood and nodded.
Although his expression hardened, it was better than unnecessarily escalating things due to unimportant lingering attachments.
"Let's depart."
The party of four, including Viktor, set out from the Ceres Gate on horseback.
---
"Ugh..."
Although Volker had regained consciousness a few days ago, he hadn't completely recovered from the aftermath of the accident.
He lay in his sickbed, stretching out his left arm, searching for the water glass on the nearby table with a trembling hand.
-Thud.
"Ugh, hah..."
Pulling the tray caught by his fingertips, he raised his upper body to swallow water and medicine, then lay back down on the sickbed.
"...You shouldn't overexert yourself."
"Hah..."
Although Volker felt terrible pain every time he moved, it was Volker himself who had instructed not to help with such basic movements.
The doctor standing nearby quietly watched these uneasy movements.
A few minutes later, as the medicine took effect, Volker's expression became a bit more peaceful.
"Count Rommel. How are you feeling?"
"Ugh... Dizzy."
When he first opened his eyes, he had grabbed the collar of the doctor standing nearby and demanded to know the war situation, but since hearing that the siege of La Leon had long been concluded, he had been quietly following the doctor's instructions.
"Is there any particular area where you feel pain?"
"Pain? My whole body hurts, my whole body..."
"Bones in various places including your shoulder, arm, and chest are broken. The more you move, the slower your recovery will be."
"...Tsk. But I'm alive, aren't I? I have to move."
"That may be true, but..."
After lying down and taking deep breaths for a moment, Volker turned his head towards the doctor.
"So, what happened with the war?"
"..."
At Volker's question, the doctor kept his mouth shut.
As there had been separate instructions from Viktor, he had been postponing giving detailed war situation reports, making excuses such as that emotions often become agitated and wounds reopen, but,
"Isn't it alright to tell me now? It's more anxious not knowing anything and just waiting."
"..."
"If you keep hiding it to the end like this... I'll have no choice but to ask for your name. Answer quickly."
Today's Volker seemed determined to press until the doctor answered, pulling at the doctor's collar.
Having heard Viktor's explanation, the doctor wasn't afraid of Volker, but it was inevitably burdensome to keep refusing the words of someone who was still a noble.
"...I don't know exactly either."
"Come now. You must know better than I do."
"I'll prepare a meal, so for a moment..."
As the doctor was trying to leave, watching for an opportunity,
-Thud.
Axel pushed open the tent flap and entered.
"Oh, Deputy Corps Commander."
Volker greeted Axel gladly, but,
"...It's been a while."
Axel could only utter a simple greeting after his lips moved silently for a moment.
"Then I'll take my leave..."
The doctor quickly left, and Axel walked to the bedside.
"I heard you took charge of the 5th Corps after I collapsed. You really did a great job."
"...Thank you."
"Now that you're here, I should be able to hear about the war situation."
"..."
"I heard that the siege of La Leon was successful, but they absolutely wouldn't tell me anything else. What happened after that?
Even at Volker's question, Axel silently sat down in the chair next to the bed, and,
"...Deputy Corps Commander Lübeck. Did something happen?"
Volker felt an inexplicable unease at Axel's unfamiliar attitude.
"Did we perhaps suffer a major defeat? You don't need to force yourself to answer. You'll submit a report anyway, won't you?"
"...You'll find out soon."
"Hmm?"
To Volker, who was trying to lighten the mood while hiding his pain, Axel responded meaningfully.
As Volker fell silent, trying to digest that answer, a few minutes passed with an awkward silence, and.
-Flutter.
"...Corps Commander Viktor?"
"It's good to see you, Count Volker Rommel."
Viktor revealed himself, opening the tent flap.
Reminded of the time when he had stormed out of the conference room, Volker smiled slightly.
"...It seems we won the war."
"Why do you think that?"
"For you to come all the way here, we must have either won big or lost big... but your expression is too bright for us to have lost."
Although it was clearly a disrespectful attitude, he thought that an officer returning from the battlefield becoming disrespectful wasn't such an unpleasant situation.
"Haha."
Viktor, who had been waiting for Volker's slow speech to end, also grinned looking at Volker.
"That's right. We won."
"How far did you go? Al Cante? La Tredo? Ceres Gate? I'm curious."
Mentioning intermediate points, thinking that not enough time had passed for tremendous achievements, Volker asked, but,
"We are currently right in front of Ordova."
"...What?"
"We did sign a peace treaty, but you know that such treaties aren't very reliable. It's just a matter of time, shall we say. Now, if we just stretch out our arms, Esperia will collapse."
Viktor proudly declared that they had seized control right up to Ordova, the kingdom's capital.
"Ha, haha... Ugh. Don't joke too much."
"Is your body still not fully recovered?"
"...Can't you see?"
"That's unfortunate. We need to depart for Rainesberg today."
Viktor approached Volker, who seemed to regard his words as mere bluster, and put his hand on the bed.
"Rainesberg..."
"It looks like it would be difficult for you to ride a horse directly. Will you ride with me, or with Deputy Corps Commander Axel? I'll let you choose this much."
Volker frowned at Viktor's attitude.
He didn't like that Axel, who must have achieved merits leading many troops, was staying quiet, nor that Viktor was acting alone like this.
"Is the reward that urgent?"
"It is urgent, but it's not about the reward. Well, alright. If you don't mind, ride with the Deputy Corps Commander."
"...Hehe."
At the sight of Viktor now giving instructions as if dealing with a subordinate, Volker let out a dry laugh.
"I understand you're excited, but restrain yourself a bit. I am the commander of the 5th Corps and a count of the Dragonian Empire. No matter how much Her Majesty favors you..."
As Volker, annoyed by the continued disrespect, pointed this out,
"Hahahahaha!"
Viktor burst into loud laughter, as if ignoring him.
"Corps Commander Viktor..."
"Hey, Volker Rommel."
Viktor's voice was firm, but still tinged with laughter.
"What are you...!"
"Why are you so slow to grasp the situation? Ah, are you deliberately turning a blind eye?"
He turned his gaze to Axel, who was bowing his head beside them.
"Haven't you told him yet?"
"...No."
"Good. Tell him now. What happened to the 5th Corps during the war."
Axel looked alternately at Volker and Viktor with a face that couldn't quite hide his complicated feelings.
"..."
"It would be fine if I said it too, but..."
"...Yes. I'll tell him."
Axel, feeling uncomfortable seeing Volker's weakened state, carefully chose his words, thinking it would be better for him to explain rather than Viktor, who seemed to harbor ill feelings.
"The current 5th Corps..."
After hesitating for more than tens of seconds, Axel, who had been biting his lips, finally opened his mouth, and,
"...is essentially going through the process of dissolution and reorganization."
At these shocking words that followed, Volker looked at him with wide eyes.
Under the blanket, Volker's hand trembled violently, just as it had before taking the medicine.