Chapter 113
"...What do you, ugh! ...What do you mean?"
"Including the forces stationed in the rear, there are only about 5,000 soldiers left in the 5th Corps."
"5,000? 5,000, you say?"
Volker instinctively tensed his upper body, then groaned in pain and lay back down.
Watching him with sympathetic eyes, Axel continued his explanation.
"In the engagement at Vitabeya Plains, Baron Kai Schuh moved troops independently and suffered great losses. Currently, the remaining forces are temporarily organized under the Red Dragon Corps stationed at the Ceres Gate."
"Temporary organization... No, more than that. You say Baron Schuh did that?"
Remembering Kai as an always diligent officer to him,
Volker couldn't believe the words that he had committed such an independent act as to disintegrate the army.
"Yes. He refused my control and charged towards the enemy lines with officers who agreed with him."
However, this was an undeniable truth, and Axel answered with some emotion towards those who had caused this situation.
"...Hah. Where are Baron Schuh and the officers who agreed with him?"
Volker tried to call the officers involved in that incident to ask about it, but.
"That's..."
"I know."
Instead of Axel, who was hesitating to answer, not knowing how to explain, Viktor approached Volker while rummaging through his pocket.
"Was it here? Hmm... Ah. Here it is."
In Viktor's hand that came out of his pocket was a pistol with dark stains stuck in various places.
"Do you know what this is? You probably don't. This is called a pistol, you can think of it as a smaller version of the guns our corps uses."
"A weapon... Are you trying to threaten me?"
"To a sick person? Well, I'm not trying to threaten you..."
Viktor removed the stains on the gun, rubbed them with his fingers to turn them into powder, then.
"Here, I brought it."
"...?"
He took Volker's hand, who hadn't grasped the situation, and placed the powder on his hand.
"It might be difficult to hear the answer, but wouldn't you feel better just asking?"
Feeling ominous at Viktor's difficult-to-understand words, Volker hurriedly examined the powder placed on his hand.
"..."
The powder he thought was black had a reddish tinge, and the texture seemed strangely sticky.
Trembling, he brought the powder to his nose.
Along with a pungent metallic smell,
"...Blood?"
A familiar fishy smell wafted faintly.
"Oh, was there still a smell left?"
"Viktor."
"Hmm?"
Volker's voice trembled as he called Viktor's name.
"What on earth have you done?"
"Yes, that's what I was hoping you'd ask."
Viktor nodded once, with a smile on his face.
"Kai Schuh, Kurt Brönner, Wolf Rieben..."
"..."
He recited several names familiar to Volker, and,
"...and so on. They committed serious violations during the battle. As Deputy Corps Commander Axel explained, they led about half of the 5th Corps forces in a reckless attack, and other imperial forces were also caught up in that offensive."
"...It can't be."
"The battle was naturally lost. Immediately after the battle, a trial was held, and immediate execution was decided."
Along with a gesture like pulling a trigger, he calmly conveyed the fact that they had been executed.
"Execution..."
"You're not unaware that insubordination during battle is a serious crime, are you?"
Volker was confused.
Why those officers had disobeyed Axel in the first place.
Why Viktor's gun was stained, and why Viktor claimed those stains were the blood of the executed officers.
Although he could predict the development, he desperately hoped his predictions were wrong.
"...No. That can't be. Even if the insubordination is true, why is that gun..."
"With the defeat in battle, the 5th Corps suffered losses that could be described as annihilation. Yet, the enemy was still glaring at us from nearby."
"..."
"In the end, the remaining officers of the 5th Corps, including Deputy Corps Commander Axel, agreed to be under my control. A corps commander directly carrying out Her Majesty's orders and a corps that had lost its core and suffered a major defeat. You know how it would turn out, so why are you like this?"
"Deputy Corps Commander Lübeck."
"..."
At Volker's gaze that seemed to be asking if it was true, Axel just bowed his head.
The silence was essentially equivalent to affirmation.
Volker's complexion turned pale as he realized the meaning of the temporary organization Axel had mentioned.
And he could also tell that he was next in line.
"...What are you planning to do with me?"
Volker asked in a powerless voice.
The 5th Corps he had carefully nurtured was crumbling in the blink of an eye.
"What to do?"
Viktor put the pistol back in his pocket and shrugged.
"Well. When I asked your subordinates about the cause of the 5th Corps' non-cooperation, they all said it was your orders. Isn't that right?"
"...Yes."
Although Axel felt uncomfortable participating in the persecution of his former superior, he wasn't so inclined as to think it would be better to be persecuted together.
Pressed by Viktor's sharp gaze, Axel answered quietly.
"That can't be... Baron Pfalz! Did you kill him too!"
Volker tried to believe in Florian until the end, shouting while enduring the pain, but,
"No, he's alive and well. He was pleading his innocence, showing strong loyalty to Her Majesty, saying he had no choice because it was the corps commander's orders."
Viktor smiled slightly as he talked about his recent situation, and,
"..."
Axel's devastated expression upon hearing this showed that Viktor's words were true.
Feeling an extreme sense of betrayal to the point where he felt Kai, who had died in insubordination, was better, Volker gritted his teeth.
"You pressured your subordinates to refuse Her Majesty's orders, so it will depend on how Her Majesty feels about it."
"And you'll be the one to report to Her Majesty."
Familiar with this kind of interrogation, Volker sensed his fate and added one more word.
"That's right. But there were eyes watching, so I intend to report transparently without adding or subtracting anything."
Viktor's words about reporting transparently did not reassure Volker at all, as he intended.
The veins on Volker's neck bulged.
Volker couldn't accept the result of his hasty judgment, misfortune, and underestimation of Viktor combined.
"Viktor...!"
"We have to leave tomorrow, so take care of yourself. Deputy Corps Commander Axel. Let's go."
Leaving Volker shouting, Viktor got up first, and.
"...Yes."
Axel followed behind him, avoiding Volker's gaze as he tried to suppress the bitter guilt rising up.
"Ugh, ugh..."
Left alone, Volker groaned softly.
But even he didn't know whether those groans were due to the pain from his injuries or because of the bleak future ahead.
---
There was some emotion mixed in, and it actually felt more refreshing than when I went in.
But it wasn't just venting anger on someone who had only recently regained consciousness.
-Swish.
Coming out of the tent, I checked the faces of the 5th Corps soldiers guarding the surroundings.
The atmosphere was cold, and there was a deeper tension in their expressions as they saluted me than before.
They must have heard my conversation with Volker well.
If they have any thoughts.
Until that tension disappears, they won't be able to refuse my orders.
"The conversation is over. Could you call the doctor back?"
"Yes, Corps Commander Viktor."
"Ah, make sure to watch carefully so that Count Rommel doesn't wander around carelessly."
"Understood."
I gave them a warning, and they immediately accepted the instructions.
If these soldiers spread our conversation, everyone will know that Volker no longer has authority as a corps commander.
We plan to leave within tomorrow, so this much is enough for the soldiers.
"..."
So, now it's time to comfort Axel a bit, who can't hide his gloominess.
He had been looking unhappy from the middle of the conversation until now.
The situation is already too clear for his cooperation to be essential, but,
His cooperation helps prevent nobles from making unnecessary noise.
As he seems to still have a lingering attachment to Volker, it shouldn't be difficult to comfort him.
"As Count Rommel's recovery seems slow, we should prepare a carriage."
Instead of mentioning complicated feelings, it seems enough to provide some convenience to him using Volker's poor physical condition as an excuse.
Although time is pressing, a simple two-wheeled carriage can move without much speed reduction if we change horses frequently.
It's just better than riding a horse together, but being loaded onto a fast-moving carriage won't be comfortable either.
"...Yes."
Axel hesitated before nodding.
He might have been worried about putting Volker, who was still seriously injured, on a horse, as his expression clearly brightened at the insignificant words about preparing a carriage.
Perhaps Axel was more loyal than other officers like Florian or Kai.
He was just a realistic person with weak stubbornness, so he had succumbed to an unavoidable situation.
It could be seen as a pitiful situation, but Volker and the officers' responsibility was too great to sympathize with this.
"...!"
"We plan to leave tomorrow morning, so please prepare."
"Yes."
I turned my head to look at Volker's tent for a moment, then left to prepare for the move.
Most likely, Volker's treatment will be decided according to my report.
Unless he suddenly dies during the move, there was no reason for me to keep paying attention to him.