"Chapter 10: The Refugee"

I hurried towards the royal capital. I went with Ryu, Stein, and a total of about five cavalrymen. We changed horses along the way and incredibly completed the journey to the royal capital—which normally takes two weeks—in just four days.

"I wonder what happened," I thought. What troublesome matter had occurred? It's bothersome, but I can't help it. "In any case, this is quite sudden," someone remarked. "You'll bite your tongue if you talk while riding. Let's just hurry," I replied.

Upon reaching the royal capital, we rushed to the royal castle. We galloped through the city gates and raced down the main avenue toward the castle. "The royal capital is huge," Ryu said with amazement.

When we told the guards at the main gate our purpose, the castle gate opened immediately. We dismounted, left our horses with the guards, and entered the gate on foot. The hallway leading to the King's chamber had walls made of marble on both sides, decorated with armor and sculptures. There were lamps here and there, but overall it was dimly lit. We reached the door to the King's chamber at the end of the long hallway covered with a red carpet.

"Viscount Han has arrived!" With this announcement, I entered the King's chamber. As the door opened, I went in and knelt on one knee.

"Viscount Han is here." The King of this country was seated on a distant throne. "Well done. You've come all the way from the far north. The other northern army commanders have already arrived. I have orders to give immediately. Is everyone ready?" "Yes, Your Majesty," everyone answered respectfully. "Grosser, begin."

"Then, I'll start. A few days ago, a refugee arrived from the Kingdom of Land. This person claims to be Victoria, the orphaned child of Marquis Stuart."

Everyone gasped. Marquis Stuart was a well-known general from the Kingdom of Land who died in the recent war. Why would his child seek asylum here? What could have happened? Was it related to the previous war? After losing the war and now having family members seek asylum, what on earth was happening in that country?

"Everyone, you must be confused about the situation. Let's have the person herself explain," the King said, turning and signaling.

A door opposite to the one we had entered through opened solemnly. A young girl appeared there. Behind her stood several knights who appeared to be her retainers. "I am Victoria, daughter of Marquis Stuart, a noble of the Kingdom of Land. I would like to explain why I abandoned the Kingdom of Land and sought asylum in the Kingdom of Burk."

The girl was about 12 years old, a beautiful blonde with blue eyes. However, her words had a dignified resonance. She seemed to have considerable resolve. A girl seeking asylum alone—what could possibly have happened? I was confused. Looking around, everyone seemed unable to grasp the situation and had perplexed expressions.

The girl faced forward and began speaking as if having made up her mind: "My father was opposed to this war, but I heard the King forcibly sent him to battle. This was because the King had developed feelings for my mother and intended to bring her into his harem during my father's absence."

Everyone was visibly shocked. Who would do such a thing normally? "My mother was forcibly brought into the harem, and orders came for me to enter as well. So, someone with conscience helped me escape and seek asylum here," the girl explained, clutching her handkerchief and speaking with difficulty. "Then, your mother must be in a terrible situation," Edel inquired with concern. His face had turned pale with anger.

That's right—if the daughter escaped, the mother would likely be mistreated. I hoped nothing too terrible had happened to her. However, the situation was even worse—or perhaps less severe—than expected. "My mother took her own life," the girl said, fighting back tears while tightly gripping both hands.

Everyone gasped. Ah, that King had always been called a fool, but I never thought it would go this far. To desire the wife of one's own general—how foolish could he be? No one would remain loyal to him. While I was thinking this...

A royal guard entered and handed something to Baron Grosser. Baron Grosser took it over to Victoria. "When our soldiers entered the headquarters, Marquis Stuart was already dead. We questioned all our soldiers, but none of them had struck the Marquis." Victoria listened to this with dignity.

"Here are the Marquis's hair and sword. As this was on the battlefield, we couldn't bring back more. Please forgive us," Baron Grosser said, bowing his head. "I appreciate your thoughtfulness," Victoria received them and held them to her chest. "Actually, there's one more thing," Baron Grosser signaled behind him.

A royal guard brought another item. "This is the Marquis's coat. As you can see, the fatal wound appears to be on the back. His aide also had a wound in the same place, which means..." "My father was not a warrior who would show his back to the enemy," her voice was like a scream. "Please confirm." Victoria received the coat from Baron Grosser and examined it. "It is as you say. Oh, Father..."

She had been holding herself together with great effort, but upon learning this unexpected truth, she could no longer contain herself. She clutched the coat and quietly began to shed tears. Sobs could be heard from various corners of the room.

How could anyone be so foolish? To betray and kill a powerful allied general out of desire for his wife? That's surely going too far.

Wow, Baron Edel is incredibly angry, crying while furious. He's trembling with his fists clenched. I'm angry too, but let's stay a bit calmer.

More than that, the pressure from behind is intense. Stein is fond of children—he once nearly killed a soldier who abused a child, well, maybe more than three-quarters dead.

Ryu is a devoted husband with a slightly younger daughter whom he adores. He once swiftly beheaded a man guilty of assaulting women. He must be extremely angry right now.

Baron Grosser has a terrible expression. Well, it's like a duck walking in with spring onions and a pot—a pretext and opportunity for invading the neighboring country has just fallen into our laps, so he must be suppressing laughter. But this isn't the time to smile.

The King and Lord Schwartz naturally didn't show their emotions, though Lord Schwartz has his right hand clenched.

It may be wrong to feel happy now, but everyone in our country is angry. I'm glad to be surrounded by such good people who can feel righteous anger in this situation.

"Grosser, have you made preparations to spread this story throughout the Kingdom of Land?" "Well, my people have already scattered to various places." "That's good."

Of course, once this story spreads, the common people will be outraged, and the loyalty of the nobles will waver. Relatives of Marquis Stuart might even defect. There are no disadvantages for us, only advantages. It's certainly easier when the enemy is foolish. I suppose we'll invade once winter passes and spring arrives.

"Edel, can I entrust you with taking care of Lady Victoria?" the King asked Edel. "With pleasure," he wiped his tears, went to Victoria's side, took her hand, and disappeared through the door.

I suppose there's something they don't want Victoria to hear. "We will invade the Kingdom of Land next spring. Everyone prepare accordingly." "Regarding that, I have a strategy to propose beforehand. I will submit a document later for your consideration," Schwartz said with a grin.

"Oh, interesting. Schwartz's strategy must be quite entertaining." "Yes, I'm thinking of reducing the enemy's troops a bit during winter." "Fascinating." "And I have a request for Viscount Han," Lord Schwartz suddenly turned to me, which surprised me. "Let's talk later." "I understand." What could this be about? I'm a bit anxious. Didn't he mention doing something in winter? Perhaps it's about winter equipment, which would be fine.