Chapter 18
While Erika was heading somewhere with a maid, several maids approached me as well.
They surrounded me very carefully .
"We will escort you to the guest room."
The maid who looked the oldest spoke politely.
A guest room, not a prison.
It felt a bit bitter that the Dragonian Empire, which had been an enemy country, seemed to welcome me more than the Rus Kingdom.
Although I intended it to some extent, I certainly did my best in the kingdom.
I moved my feet, trying not to show my regret outwardly.
"Please rest. When you need anything, ring this bell and we will assist you."
After arriving at the guest room, the maids left a small hand bell and disappeared.
-Plop.
Lacking strength in my body since leaving the dimensional gate, I threw myself onto the soft chair without even thinking of taking off my outer clothes.
After leaving the encampment near Zabinsk, we moved the carriage while reducing sleep due to Erika's frantic urging.
We even made do with meals of hardtack and jerky.
Although the expensive carriage was very comfortable when moving slowly, when it started running at full speed, it wasn't much different from riding a cart.
On top of that, crossing the dimensional gate seemed to be the final nail, and terrible fatigue rushed in.
I was about to fall asleep with my eyes closed like that, but,
-Knock knock knock.
I hurriedly shook off the drowsiness at the sound of knocking.
"Lord Viktor? I'm coming in."
"..."
As if waiting for my answer, a maid opened the door and entered after about thirty seconds.
"Her Majesty said she will visit tomorrow morning."
She only stated her business and quickly left the guest room.
Is the Empress planning to visit tomorrow after meeting Erika today and hearing her story?
It's not bad to be given a day's leeway.
They didn't tie me up separately, and there's no one watching, plus I needed some time to think.
I guess this can be considered the real final stage now.
My goal is to sweet-talk the Empress and set the starting point as high as possible.
My main field is naturally war-related strategy and tactics, but having played the empire a lot, I have things to say about internal affairs, diplomacy, and politics as well.
If this world really progresses exactly like the 'Great War' game, it's difficult to deal with 'crises' by slowly building up.
Since I'm starting about two years late, I need to develop faster.
Sitting in the chair to avoid falling asleep, I slowly drew the future in my mind.
***
I thought I was tired, but once I started pondering, the drowsiness quickly disappeared.
I thought about many things throughout the night.
How those left in the Rus Kingdom might be doing.
How I should proceed from now on.
Recalling events related to the Empress, I also tried to imagine the type of person she might like.
No matter how much I thought about it, nothing came to mind except that she prefers capable people.
I did decide on a course of action.
The Empress will surely conduct some kind of 'test'.
Dealing with it isn't difficult.
The dignity shown before both the Rus Kingdom and the imperial army.
The loyalty that Erika surely reported.
The hostility that a general of the Rus Kingdom should naturally show when facing the Empress.
Gathering these elements one by one, I just need to face the Empress as 'Viktor, the betrayed great general'.
-Knock. Knock. Knock.
The small sound of knocking on the door echoed throughout the room, signaling that it was time to confirm everything I had built up until now.
I prepared for this moment.
To raise my value, I trudged through battlefields with the poor soldiers of the Rus Kingdom.
To build my reputation, I maintained a polite attitude even when there were no other eyes watching.
To show off my loyalty, I knelt at the king's feet.
To prove my strength, I dealt with any crisis confidently.
"Phew..."
I don't think everything will be decided by today's conversation.
We'll both know it's strange to try to understand everything in one conversation.
But it will decide many things.
Not as a weak person who only thinks of running away, but as Viktor, the commander-in-chief of the Rus Kingdom.
Now I just need to confront it.
The opponent is on a different level from those I've met so far.
All those things about being the Empress of the Dragonian Empire are just a disguise.
The daughter of the Red Dragon Vulcanus who appears in the founding myth of the Dragonian Empire.
One of the candidates for the 'late-game crisis' that makes the latter half of 'The Great War' not boring.
The culprit who makes you look for gods even with a lot of power when destroying the Dragonian Empire.
One of only two dragons appearing in 'The Great War'.
Called 'Human-like' in the community for openly liking humans.
Despite being a long-lived species, extremely capricious and impulsive.
Louise Zainburg.
No,
-Click.
Red Dragon, Woraticus.
She revealed herself.
A maid followed her in, but I had neither the leisure nor reason to pay attention to that side.
"...Hmm."
Dressed in imperial formal wear, she possessed a beauty beyond human standards.
If I hadn't been prepared, I might have been captivated by that appearance, but I steeled my heart by recalling the process that brought me here.
"It's nice to meet you."
I responded to Woraticus's languid smile with a hardened expression.
She's the culprit who made me be dragged to the empire, and she should know it too.
-Swoosh.
As expected, she shrugged her shoulders once and then sat in the chair opposite me.
"I am Louise Zainburg, Empress of the Dragonian Empire."
"..."
"Viktor, was it? I've heard a lot about you. Invincible, immortal. You were called by such grand titles."
"..."
"Angelkorod, Serkurk, Garogorod... Hmm. Hmm."
Perhaps because I didn't answer, Woraticus kept scanning my reactions with her eyes while asking questions.
Especially when mentioning the battle sites, her gaze was so blatant that it felt like an illusion that I could sense a gleam in those half-open bright red eyes.
I tried not to react, but seeing her utter strange exclamations, she might have seen something.
"Well, alright. Enough of that."
Contrary to my expectation that we would be staring at each other like this for a while, she closed her eyes and leaned slightly back in her chair.
"I was told that you were informed to call a maid if you needed anything, but you didn't call even once."
Woraticus asked as if she was really curious.
"I heard you didn't even touch the meal placed inside."
A meal, huh.
Now that I look, there's a bowl of stew that seems to have gone cold on the table.
They must have left it while I was pondering, but I probably wouldn't have eaten it even if I had seen it.
Looking at the stew full of chunks doesn't make me feel good.
"Were you not satisfied with the treatment? It seemed sufficient for a prisoner."
"..."
"Viktor."
After muttering a few more words to herself, she suddenly called my name and faced me with wide eyes.
"You are a prisoner. A prisoner who can be killed at any time."
Then, keeping her gaze fixed, she slowly got up from her chair and walked towards me.
As if intending to look down on me, her expression had a faint sneer.
Perhaps because of those eyes, my body completely froze for a moment.
However, if I remain still after such provocation, that's not 'Viktor'.
Giving in because my body feels a bit heavy is not the appearance 'Viktor' would show.
I forcibly raised my body from the chair with all my strength.
Since I was slightly taller than Woraticus, I naturally ended up looking down at her again.
"Oh ho. You dare..."
When I met her vertically slit pupils, my hands were about to tremble with terrible fear, but…
"...I am."
I gritted my teeth and spat out the words.
Fear?
There are plenty of things in the world more frightening than these mere eyes.
"Viktor, Commander-in-Chief of the Rus Kingdom."
More than this forced fear, I'm more afraid of failure.
I'm more afraid of not overcoming the 'crisis' and world conquest becoming just a dream.
"Except for His Majesty the King, no one else."
I felt my body getting heavier as I got closer to Woraticus, but I took one big step forward and stood right in front of her.
Proudly, strongly, confidently.
I hide my trembling hands in my pockets.
I don't show the cold sweat running down my back.
I stand my legs straight as they try to give way.
"Dares to look down on me."
Because 'Viktor, Commander-in-Chief of the Rus Kingdom' always did so.
"Hmm."
Woraticus made a small nasal sound, then,
"Are you not afraid of death?"
She asked in a low voice, setting the mood heavily.
"...Huk."
As if the fear coming towards me had reached her, the maid standing apart collapsed.
It must have become stronger since it was fine until just now.
I don't feel it at all.
Rather, I felt at ease.
It was a truly absurd question for 'Viktor'.
I could answer so easily without needing to think about what answer to give.
"My death has never been feared, not even once."
Because 'Viktor' had never feared his own death.
Woraticus looked at me for a long time after hearing my answer, then,
"...Is that so?"
She lowered her head for a moment as if realizing something.
When she raised her face again, her eyes were half-closed like when she first came in.
The pressure surrounding the area had completely disappeared.
"I apologize for the rudeness. I'm sorry."
She left an apology and turned around first, walking towards the door.
The maid who had collapsed hurriedly got up and opened the door.
"...I'll come back later."
Woraticus left those words and departed from the guest room.
After the door closed, I waited until the dots representing them disappeared from the mini-map.
"Hah..."
Not resisting gravity, I slumped back into the chair.