Chapter 212: The Knight of the Common People

The night in Duke Yurei's territory was filled with sorrow, making the joyous news of the lord's return seem meaningless.

From every household with able-bodied men and children came the cries of women destined to lose their husbands.

Some soldiers even tried to desert with their families, but they merely became examples for the rest.

After all, they were not the only ones marching toward certain death, leaving behind helpless loved ones.

Perry Yurei's room was silent.

He no longer had a wife who would weep for him, nor a child who would one day avenge his father in a new land.

He thought having nothing left would make things easier, but his heart weighed heavier than anyone else's.

Was he dragging innocent people to their deaths?

Was there another way that he simply could not see because of his own narrow perspective?

Those questions kept returning to him again and again.

But what was the point?

The dice had already been cast.

Duke Yurei repeatedly inspected his armor and weapons, trying to empty his mind.

Knock. Knock.

"Come in."

Thinking it was the officer of the watch reporting for roll call, he allowed the visitor inside.

To his surprise, it was William.

Duke Yurei asked in a cold, sarcastic voice,

"What brings you here?"

William gripped the sword at his waist tightly before finally dropping to one knee.

"...Your Grace."

"Who gave you the right to call me that? I'm in no mood to hear such words from the likes of you. Leave."

"I wish to join the battle as well."

"The man who insulted the one who was to become his lord now wishes to play at being a knight?"

"I was a fool. I believed Your Grace's judgment had become clouded and that you were making a foolish decision. But the one with the narrow vision and shallow thinking... was me."

"We're marching to throw away the lives of countless soldiers. What could be more foolish than that?"

"Then please allow me to go. What difference will one more life among so many make?"

"..."

"I, too, once belonged to the Duchy of Yurei. So let me also die honorably here—"

"William."

Duke Yurei cut him off.

"Yes."

"I am going to die as the Duke of Yurei. And my knights will die as the Duke's knights."

"..."

"You betrayed your lord to save dozens of common people. That is your conviction, is it not?"

"..."

"Will you now betray that conviction as well?"

"I've already betrayed once. What difference does betraying it again make?"

"William."

William found himself speechless.

The contempt Duke Yurei had shown during their last conversation was gone.

"You came because you overheard my conversation with Regent Ferda, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"And what did he say?"

"He asked me to look after the elderly, the women, and the children who would become refugees. Regent Ferda promised to take them into his own territory."

"Yes. He made that promise."

Duke Yurei spoke with a bitter smile.

"Beneath this castle are children, women, and the elderly. If they fall into enemy hands, they'll become slaves or playthings. If they fall into the hands of the Demon Race, they'll become monsters... or Sigmund's puppets."

"..."

"Regent Ferda may be the greatest damned liar in the world... but I don't believe he's a scoundrel who knows nothing of a noble's honor."

"He'll keep his promise."

"But he has no obligation to take responsibility for tens of thousands of refugees."

Duke Yurei placed a hand on William's shoulder.

"If all of us die... someone must take responsibility for them."

That hand felt incredibly heavy.

It carried the weight of every life he had borne until now.

"And you're the only person in this castle who has ever led refugees."

"Your Grace..."

"I have lived as a servant of the Heinkel Kingdom and as the lord of the Duchy of Yurei. I will go and meet the death befitting such a man."

"You have become a knight of the common people."

"So live for the common people... and die for the common people."

William could no longer insist.

The responsibility Duke Yurei had carried now rested upon his shoulders.

With his head lowered, he remained kneeling in silence.

"William."

"Yes."

"I have one small favor to ask."

"Please tell me."

"There is no one left to carry on the Yurei bloodline. The Heinkel Kingdom will soon disappear as well. Neither will remain in history. They'll vanish forever."

To disappear from history...

For a noble, there was no greater humiliation.

"So... take these."

Duke Yurei placed two items before him.

A sword.

And a box.

"This sword has been passed down through our family for generations. It's a ceremonial heirloom, so it's not particularly useful. Don't think of fighting with it."

"Yes..."

"Inside the box are our family's treasures and genealogy."

"...Yes."

"You may sell the treasures. They won't fetch much, but if you ever find yourself in desperate need, don't hesitate."

"But... keep the genealogy until the very end."

"As the last witness of House Yurei."

"Can you do that for me?"

"I swear I will."

William clutched the items in silence, lowering his head once more.

Leaving him there, Duke Yurei turned his gaze toward the window.

Beyond it lay nothing but pitch-black darkness.

"The place in Valdrova Territory... was it called Hestia Village?"

"...Yes."

"Is it a good place to live? I've never been there."

"It's still a newly established village, so there are plenty of rough edges. But the people are kind, so there haven't been any real problems."

"Do they provide enough food?"

"They do. Regent Ferda and Administrator Isabella take great care of the refugees."

"That's good."

"At least they won't have to starve."

Duke Yurei smiled bitterly.

***

Morning came.

Two groups departed from the castle.

One headed toward the capital of the Heinkel Kingdom.

The other set out for Hestia Village.

Watching fathers, husbands, and sons disappear into the distance, another wave of sorrowful farewells echoed through the air.

At the head of the refugee column bound for Hestia Village rode Ferda.

He had hoped they would make the journey without incident.

But before the sound of mourning had even faded, trouble arrived.

"Regent."

Zed, who had gone ahead as a scout, returned and addressed Ferda.

"An army is approaching along the road we need to take. What should we do?"

"Whose army?"

"I believe it's King Hudret's army."

Ferda was still within Duke Yurei's territory.

It was undeniably an illegal intrusion.

But what did it matter?

The one who could accuse him of trespassing—Duke Yurei—was already walking toward his death.

"Should we go around them?"

William asked.

Ferda shook his head.

"They're not blind. With more than ten thousand people, they'll already know where we're headed."

If you couldn't avoid it...

You had to face it.

"We'll continue on our path."

"That's all."

A short while later, they encountered King Hudret's army exactly as expected.

The army had spread out across the plain as though it had been waiting for Ferda, proudly displaying its overwhelming numbers.

A messenger from King Hudret rode forward.

"You who stand before the King! This message comes from Eugene Hudret himself! If you lack the standing to face His Majesty, kneel!"

"I am Ferda Valdrova, fiancé of the great Aspect of Flame, Lady Valdrova. I believe that gives me no reason to kneel. What do you think?"

The messenger, who had approached confidently, found himself speechless before turning his horse around.

A moment later, a man riding a white horse approached, accompanied by his royal guards.

Judging by the crown on his head...

That had to be Eugene Hudret.

"So, it seems my messenger was rude without realizing he stood before someone so distinguished. You should have brought an Imperial banner."

"It was an urgent matter. I didn't have time."

"I suppose it must have been."

He smiled as he looked over the refugee column.

"You've certainly gathered quite a collection of jewels."

Among the refugees were filthy commoners...

But there were also noble ladies and aristocratic wives.

"Do you know the best way to raise a soldier's morale?"

"Giving them women as rewards."

"And among those, noblewomen are the finest prize."

"These are civilians from the Duchy of Yurei."

"Duke Yurei owes me a debt. You know that, don't you?"

"I do."

"I think it's about time I collected."

"He anticipated that. He asked me to tell you that he would leave the ducal castle intact in settlement of that debt."

"An undamaged castle?"

"That's not a bad offer..."

King Hudret stroked his chin.

"But what good is land without slaves to farm it and work it?"

It was obvious he intended to seize at least some of the refugees.

"It is my duty to protect and escort these people."

"And it is our duty to collect the debt acknowledged by the Grand Ducal Council."

"Unfortunately, these people cannot be counted as payment."

"You're being unreasonable, Regent Ferda."

"I trust your confidence doesn't come solely from relying on your fiancée."

"I'm not being unreasonable."

"These are the families left behind by those who marched off to fight the Demon Race."

"The Demon Race... you say?"

King Hudret frowned.

"You should know better than anyone that the Heinkel Kingdom has already been occupied by the Demon Race."

"So that's what the public believes."

"A man of your standing wouldn't be naïve enough to fall for psychological warfare..."

"So the Demon Race really does exist."

King Hudret looked troubled.

If this truly involved a war against the Demon Race, then even official documents from the Grand Ducal Council would not justify touching the families of those who had gone to fight.

Such treatment was reserved for the honored spirits of fallen heroes.

"So..."

"There's really no room for negotiation?"

"It seems Your Majesty of the Hudret Kingdom is hard of hearing."

"So let me make this perfectly clear."

Ferda's eyes flashed with a fierce light.

Beneath his calm expression lurked the presence of a massive beast.

Those who saw his face instinctively rested their hands on the hilts of their swords.

"These people are the families left behind by those who marched to fight the Demon Race—the enemies of this continent."

"If you wish to lay a hand on them..."

"You'll have to step over my corpse first."

Everyone watched the two men anxiously, wondering whether a battle would break out at any moment.

"Hahaha!"

"So Duke Yurei finally used his head."

"I thought you were an emotional fool, the way you reacted to our provocations."

King Hudret raised his hand as though conceding.

"Take them all."

"I have no desire to invite a curse upon my kingdom by laying hands on the families of those who died defending the realm."

"We'll settle for the castle the Duke left behind."

"Thank you for your understanding."

"We're not completely without shame, either."

"Let's see..."

King Hudret beckoned to one of his aides.

After giving a brief order, the man returned leading three wagons.

"Leave behind three supply wagons."

"We brought plenty for a siege, but it seems we won't be needing them anymore."

"Let's consider this the remaining balance."

Three supply wagons...

It was far from enough to be called full payment.

But in a refugee convoy of this size, there was no room to be picky.

Ferda quietly accepted King Hudret's goodwill.

"The road ahead won't be easy."

"If you like, I can even assign a few soldiers to escort you."

"That won't be necessary."

"I thought you'd say that."

King Hudret turned to his commanders.

"Move out!"

"We'll seize that castle before those crafty Imperials get there first!"

King Hudret's great army thundered past, leaving the refugees behind.

Ferda's column also resumed its march.

Ferda glanced at William.

William's eyes remained fixed on King Hudret's departing army.

His face was filled with regret and bitterness.

"Don't dwell on it."

"Even if you had stayed, you couldn't have defended that castle."

"...I'm sorry."

William lowered his head.

He considered closing his eyes.

But he feared that would only bring more memories.

So instead, he stared endlessly at the ground where his horse's hooves would land.

He thought...

And thought...

But no matter how many times he searched for an answer...

None came.

"Regent."

"What is it?"

"Do you think..."

"...That I'm still worthy of being called a knight?"

"They say this about knights."

"Even when you have the right, there are things you cannot do."

"And even when you have no right, there are things you must do."

"Do you know what that means?"

"It means a position isn't something you shoulder only when it suits you."

It was exactly the words William needed to hear.

Only now was he talking about taking responsibility.

He felt ashamed of himself.

As William stood there lost in those thoughts, Ferda added one final sentence.

"You were a knight from the very beginning."

Whether one liked it or not...

That was what it meant to be a knight.