Chapter 60
Although I had seen Antoine a few times in the game, this was my first time meeting him in person.
Antoine was a thin, elderly man.
He was probably around the same age as Gerhart, but looked younger compared to Gerhart, who had been active on battlefields.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Viktor, Deputy Commander of the imperial army."
"...You? Huh. I'm Antoine Clavière."
Although Antoine was essentially imprisoned in isolation like Guillaume, unlike Guillaume, he hadn't lost his composure.
He let out a dry laugh and adjusted his posture.
"You seem younger than His Majesty. If it's not rude, may I ask your age?"
"I'm twenty-seven now."
"...27 years old?"
His tone and expression contained subtle disbelief.
"Yes."
As if trying to determine the truth, Antoine stared at me with narrowed eyes.
"...Deputy Commander at that age, impressive. No, wait. Weren't you the Commander-in-Chief in the Rus Kingdom?"
"I was, until the traitors sold me out."
"Traitors?"
"They later attempted rebellion and assassinated the king."
Antoine's eyebrows raised slightly.
"...Extraordinary."
"Didn't you know?"
"No, I did not."
After briefly exchanging some trivial conversation,
"So, what business brings you here?"
"Antoine Clavière, the chancellor who led the Brotan Kingdom for decades. I came because there's something I want to show you. Ah, there's also one important matter I need to inform you about."
"..."
We returned to the main topic with the question I had been waiting for.
He closed his eyes in thought, then,
"...Hmm. Are you trying to negotiate with the kingdom?"
He deduced part of my purpose without any particular clues.
"Why do you think that?"
"There aren't many reasons why you would suddenly visit with such a polite appearance after not showing your face for almost two weeks. The war is over, and now it's time for negotiations, isn't it?"
"Hmm..."
When I widened my eyes as if surprised by his question, he spoke his thoughts in a firm voice.
Although his tone contained confidence, his gaze was trembling slightly.
"But the fact that you came to see me means you need my voice, my influence, right? Because the negotiations aren't going well."
To me, Antoine's appearance looked like the confirmation bias typical of a person isolated in anxiety, so,
"If what you say is true, what will you do?"
To make him feel a little more relieved, I went along with his statement of hope.
"I'm sorry, but I have no intention of helping the empire."
He focused only on the content of my question, deliberately ignoring the strange atmosphere of my question so that his expectations wouldn't crumble.
"I've worked as an official of the kingdom for over 40 years. Go back. Whatever proposal you make, I won't accept it."
"Is that so?"
I smiled with satisfaction at Antoine's firm rejection, which seemed to have gained strength from my attitude.
"...What is it?"
"..."
"Why are you smiling like that...!"
"What did I say at the beginning?"
Just as he was about to flare up, I took out a handwritten copy of the treaty from my bosom.
"Please read this."
"..."
Antoine snatched the paper from my hand.
"...Huh. Huh, huh... Well, well."
He quickly skimmed through the contents and,
-Thud!
"It's all nonsense. What's your intention in giving this to me?"
He threw it on the floor before even reading half of it.
His voice still maintained calmness.
"It's the Agreement for Peace Maintenance and Cooperation between the Dragonian Empire and the Brotan Kingdom, abbreviated as the Saint-Toire Agreement."
"...What?"
I enunciated each word clearly without erasing my smile.
"What do you mean..."
"Do you need more explanation? Or would you like to read it again?"
"..."
He picked up the treaty text again with trembling hands and read through it at a noticeably slower pace than before.
I sat across from him, leisurely waiting for his reaction.
"Huh, haha. Huh..."
A moment later.
Antoine put down the paper and let out a dry laugh.
"Have you finished reading? This is what I wanted to show you."
"Do you think you can shake me with something like this? This is ridiculous, ridiculous!"
He stood up abruptly from his seat and pointed at me.
"Shake you?"
"Are you saying that such a matter was decided without me, the chancellor of the Brotan Kingdom? Doesn't that make no sense?"
"What are you saying? Isn't the decision-maker for the Brotan Kingdom's opinion the legitimate ruler, His Majesty Guillaume Chatillon?"
"...No way?"
He, who had been expressing anger while fluttering his beard, stopped his movement when Guillaume's name came up.
"His Majesty Guillaume couldn't have...? No, that's impossible. No matter what..."
As he was muttering to himself for a while, clutching his head,
"His Majesty does not wish for your return. This is something His Majesty confirmed to me several times."
I drove the nail in.
"...Ha."
"You will be heading to Rainesberg, the capital of the empire, together. You will discuss with imperial officials as a representative of the kingdom for its stabilization."
"..."
"How many people know the internal affairs of the kingdom as well as you do? It's rare to find a better personnel selection than this."
He seemed shocked by the mention of Guillaume's will and listened to my words, sinking weakly into his seat.
"As you'll be representing the kingdom nobles cooperating with the empire, you'll receive good treatment in a good house. Servants? Wealth? They will be provided at a sufficient level. However."
Seeing his anguished appearance reminded me of my past self who was betrayed when I thought I would bury my bones in the Rus Kingdom, but,
"You will never set foot on Brotan Kingdom soil again."
I didn't stop explaining.
I just kept speaking in a polite tone.
"As you live in Rainesberg, you may experience various things. You might return from an outing to find the arrangement of items in your room changed, or you might feel like you're constantly being watched from somewhere. But, does that matter?"
"...Hey."
As I hadn't finished speaking, I deliberately ignored his call.
"You will become a symbol of exchange between the kingdom and the empire. We will have you attend regular meetings and carefully review your proposals each time. You will live receiving treatment so luxurious that everyone will envy you. Forever, until the day you die, in Rainesberg."
"..."
"This was the important matter I mentioned earlier. Do you have any questions?"
He slowly raised his head, which had been deeply bowed.
"Viktor, Deputy Commander."
"Yes."
A thin, trembling voice befitting a weak old man, with no trace of firmness visible.
It seems the preparations are roughly complete.
"...Why are you doing this to me?"
"..."
"Did, did you have to corner me like this? Did you have to make me a miserable servant abandoned by my lord, a puppet of a ruined country?"
Now,
"Well then, why did you struggle so hard to lead the Brotan Kingdom?"
"...What?"
It's time to get a glimpse of what kind of person Antoine really is.
10,489 casualties from Lake Apitello.
782 casualties from the siege processes of Anyac, Montfieu, and Saint-Toire.
9,966 casualties from the Battle of Baldua.
I have no intention of avoiding responsibility for this.
I won't rationalize it by saying they were going to die anyway, nor will I take it for granted that death is honorable for soldiers.
Just because it's already in the past.
I will whip myself to remember those sacrifices and make the best choices in the future, but.
"Weren't you the only person who could have stopped the king's wrong decisions, who could have made the decision to prevent the blood of young people from flowing like a river? Even if the king couldn't help it, you could have."
I wondered what Antoine, who played the role of the kingdom's helmsman, was thinking.
I'm just curious if he knows that he must take responsibility for his decisions.
Will he be different from Guillaume, who spoke of resentment saying he had no choice?
Will Antoine consider the sacrifices of others resulting from his choices?
"In the Battle of Baldua, 30,000 young people of the Brotan Kingdom died, and 15,000 were injured. Weren't you in a position to prevent this? You should have demanded an agreement at least when Montfieu, Anyac, and Saint-Toire fell."
I recognized that my speech was getting faster, but I have no intention of calming down.
Although it's true that emotion is involved, this is also intended to confirm what kind of person Antoine is.
"If that was impossible, you should have at least stopped Guillaume's expedition. Wasn't it your role to usually restrain his eccentricities? Why did someone who knows everything push the soldiers to their deaths?"
Because I hoped he was someone who, like me, always pondered what the best choice was and what consequences his decisions would bring.
"What are you..."
"Can't you see?"
I grabbed both his hands and raised them to eye level.
"Can't you feel these hands, red with their blood, this sticky sensation?"
"Wh-What...!"
His gaze didn't lower.
"Can't you hear in your ears the screams of young people calling out the names of their mothers left behind in their hometowns, the names of their comrades?"
"Suddenly, what are you saying...!"
He didn't ponder.
Sadly, I could only feel bewilderment and resentment from him.
There was no sign of guilt or regret at all.
"Don't you know? Why on earth? Are you forcibly ignoring it? Do you know but neglect them because they're commoners? Do you think it's not really related to you?"
"I didn't command the soldiers, so why are you..."
This was similar in many ways to Guillaume's reaction when he heard similar words, although the direction was slightly different.
They might consider profits and losses.
But human casualties in the process were not in their minds at all.
His words, close to excuses, didn't reach my ears.
"...Hah."
My head cooled down.
If he were a person who met even a little of my standards, I would have considered lessening the harshness a bit.
But it always comes back in a form that gives me confidence in my decisions.
"As expected, is that so?"
I put down his hands and moved away.
In fact, I knew this would happen.
"...As expected?"
"It means I confirmed that my choice wasn't excessive."
"What does that mean?"
"Let me tell you one more thing. It was I who made the plan to decide the contents of the Saint-Toire Agreement and your treatment. I worked hard to make sure you and His Majesty Guillaume would suffer as much as possible, so I'm really glad to see you looking distressed."
"...Viktor...!"
"I'll see you later in Rainesberg."
The officers and rulers I've seen so far.
Especially those of noble origin.
Most of them have never thought like this.
Although I had a little hope because he was described as a person of integrity in the game.
If he had shown even a little sign of feeling guilty, I would have tried to arrange for Antoine to spend the rest of his life a little more comfortably.
-Thud!
"Maintain Antoine Clavière's treatment as it is. He's scheduled to move to Rainesberg later, so guard him thoroughly to prevent escape."
"Understood!"
Now I felt confident to be endlessly cruel towards the Brotan Kingdom and Antoine.
I left the guest room and moved my steps.
"...Hah."
I felt somewhat unburdened.
Thanks to that,
"Deputy Commander. You're really not late."
"He returned so close to the time that I had to urge him earnestly."
"Ah, was that so?"
"Haha, I'm always grateful to Anna."
Putting aside uncomfortable thoughts, I was able to attend the banquet with a lightened heart for the first time in a long while.
"Deputy Commander. As expected, you came!"
"If you didn't come, Deputy Commander, I was going to just leave!"
"Really?"
"Ah, Commander. Ahem, that's not..."
"Hahaha! It's alright. If the Deputy Commander hadn't come, I would have gone to find him and dragged him here myself."
Looking at the officers chatting happily without any shadows on their faces, I realized that only triumph remained from this war.