Gasi

Part 4His face was noticeably covered with wrinkles and almost all of his hair had turned white, but his splendid physique that had been trained in the tumult of wars hadn't withered at the slightest.

While he had entered the old age of 70, Ramillies's dignity as a general felt as though it had heightened even more instead.

Welkin knew that even a flock of sheep would fight like wolves if they were led by this old man.

It was also clear when looking at the distinguished reputations of the subordinates that this person had raised that he was the one who had advanced through battlefields and accumulated experience the most in Mauricia Kingdom.

The only commoner that Welkin had be considerate to this degree was Ramillies alone.

「I have arrived just as your majesty commanded.」

His veteran dignity wasn't marred at all even while he was courteously kneeling and bowing like this.

Rather with his large body it felt like that his pressure was increasing.

Of course Welkin wasn't someone who would flinch just from something to that degree, but he couldn't help himself from naturally using polite wording.

「Umu, forgive me for summoning you like this so suddenly.」

Welkin was well aware of this old man's honest disposition and solemn personality that wasn't greedy for honor.

The trust of his subordinates was incomparably high compared to the other nobles.

That was exactly why Welkin was still unable to fully believe that Ramillies was hiding his relationship with Princess Marguerite.

「There is a matter that I wish to talk with you good sir. My subordinates had given me a report. It mentioned that you Sir Ramillies was the guard of Princess Marguerite. Is this true?」

Ramillies answered indifferently without showing any surprise or regret outwardly.

「It's true.」

Ramillies's answer was short.

Welkin realized that his word was true because of how short it was.

Because Welkin wouldn't promote Ramillies to be a general if he was someone who would make excuses incoherently.

「I won't question why you decided to keep it a secret until now. However let me ask you where is Princess Marguerite's whereabouts right now?」

Welkin was feeling resentful that Ramillies had been keeping quiet about such serious matter that shook the palace greatly like that, but Ramillies's value as general was too valuable to be discarded just because of that.

Welkin had a simple thought that perhaps this old man merely disliked for his background to be known.

However that thought was splendidly betrayed.

「Your majesty, there I have nothing to speak about this from my mouth.」

「What...did you say?」

It was a clear rejection without the slightest hesitation. As expected, even Welkin was speechless from being struck dumb.

Harold came to his senses slightly earlier and shouted toward Ramillies with a strong tone.

「Know your place as a retainer! That's not an attitude that you should take toward his majesty who not only promoted you to be general but also granted you the rank of baron!」

「Isn't it my lord who has forgotten? Far from being a baron, I'm not even a knight.」

「That's...」

After being told that, both Harold and even Welkin realized for the first time that Ramillies wasn't even a formal knight of the kingdom.

As a matter of fact, Ramillies's status as a knight wasn't any different from a mercenary who received battlefield commission.

His position as a general was just a job in the end while actually he didn't have any official rank.

At present Ramillies had already let go of his general rank to work as the knight academy's headmaster.

The hero originally should be appointed to a high rank of baron, so they couldn't possibly confer decorations to him as knight after this late. Ramillies's position so to speak was just a provisional knight.

「I have never doubted your loyalty until now. You had always fulfilled my order and answered my expectation. Were all those just a lie?」

「I too have always thought of your majesty as a good employer. However, pardon my rudeness, although your majesty is very good in gauging someone's capability, your majesty is third rate when it comes to seeing through feeling.」

Welkin only evaluated Ramillies's ability highly and granted him tasks that were worthy of his skill.

He saw his subordinate moving like he planned and thought that subordinate was loyal to him. He was correct if it was only based on the result.

However there wasn't any causal relationship between loyalty and producing result that was appropriate for one's capability.

Welkin and Harold displayed their anger at Ramillies's blunt words. Baron Abel Simpson had his hand on his sword's handle, ready to behead Ramillies immediately if he was ordered to do so.

「You sir are saying, that I'm you're your employer?」

「Yes. Before talking about baron rank and the like, your majesty would immediately realize this if only I was asked whether I would offer my sword to your majesty.」

Now that Ramillies mentioned it, it was clearly an oversight from the kingdom's side.

Although it was just a formality, the ceremony of noble or knight offering their sword to the king and swore their loyalty was something essential.

Ramillies had never done that, so in effect Ramillies's position wasn't any different from a mercenary.

Of course the salary and treatment that he received were better compared to the average noble, but at the very least it was clear that the king wasn't in the position to demand Ramillies's loyalty.

「Then, to whom you sir offer your sword and loyalty to?」

Welkin was sensing a shapeless shadow behind every single word of Ramillies.

Ramillies said that it was impossible for him to offer his sword to Welkin. It wasn't because he simply disliked doing so, but because there was already someone who he offered his sword to.

Welkin still believed that it wasn't Ramillies's nature to maliciously deceive other.

「A knight offer their sword only to one person for their whole life. For me it's none other than Count Pazarov, Viktor-sama. He is my one and only master.」

「...Count Pazarov...he was the grandfather of Princess Margaret wasn't he?」

「As expected from your excellency, you possess extensive knowledge.」

「I only heard that name for the first time after investigating the matter of Princess Marguerite.」

Pazarov House was already exterminated and forgotten when Harol became prime minister.

He would never hear about this name if not for the case this time.

「──I see, so you protected Princess Marguerite because of that link.」

「I'm just a fool who abandoned even that duty midway.」

Ramillies smiled self-depreciatingly.

.

Several years ago after he left those mother and daughter, Ramillies who had immediately distinguished himself as a mercenary returned back to Cardiff bringing with him so many souvenirs.

However what he found there were only a small grave and Marguerite's massage that was engraved onto the pillar of the house that had become dilapidated.

And then Ramillies realized that he had lost the thing that he should be protecting.

As he thought, he should have stayed and watched over the two until the very end no matter what they said.

Even if as the result of that he only hastened the assassins' discovery of their whereabouts or that he ended up wasting away in obscurity, he shouldn't have left them no matter what.

In the first place his thinking of wanting to retrain himself once more because he had lost against Marguerite was a mistake.

A future of being a farmer while working as bodyguard for the city and living in peace was also possible for him. If only he lived like that, then perhaps Lisha too would live longer.

When he thought that, Ramillies became unable to contain himself.

He went through many battles that brought him to the verge of death that he became called 「The suicidal Ramillies」 among the mercenaries.

During those times, he accomplished a decisive role that became the division point of the war by chance. Because of that he was kicked upstairs to become general, but Ramillies never considered it as a honor even once.

It was because Ramillies's long-cherished desire as a knight had long been lost for eternity together with Viktor's death.

At the same time, there was also a duty that he had to accomplish no matter what because of it.

There was an oath that he wanted to fulfill before he died.

If the passed down bloodline wished to inherit Viktor-sama's ideal by any chance.

.

「──Your majesty, your command?」

The one who broke the heavy silence with a monotone voice was Abel.

Welkin wasn't a ruler who rarely dealt with shady business that he couldn't understand the meaning of Abel's words.

Abel was asking if he should torture Ramillies to find out the whereabouts of Princess Marguerite.

「──It won't work.」

If they were dealing with a normal knight, Welkin would choose torture without any hesitation.

However they were dealing with Ramillies.

It was unthinkable that he would speak because of torture or the like.

Ramillies too shouldn't show any hostility if their side didn't do anything unnecessary.

「I believe that the answer will come out within several months.」

「What do you mean?」

Welkin tilted his head at Ramillies's words.

「To keep quiet and live in peace, or to speak up and fight even knowing the danger, these two are the only available choices. It won't take that much time regardless of which option will be taken.」

If they chose to live in peace, Ramillies intended to bring this secret to his grave.

She had given birth to twins recently and her son was going to marry in the near future. Perhaps it would be better to choose to keep quiet in such situation. As long as the secret was kept, a bright future that would be envied by everyone would open up to them.

However if they chose to fight──.

「I wish to make a wish to your majesty with all due respect.」

Perhaps he kept living in disgrace until now all for this chance.

「If by any chance that person choose to fight, this Ramillies wish to be allowed to relinquish his post and leave.」

At that time he would never leave anymore.

He would offer all that remained of his short life and fought for their sake. That was Ramillies's vow.

「You won't listen even if I tell you no right?」

「Yes.」

Ramillies was a valuable man for the kingdom, but he wasn't an indispensable personage now that Mauricia had emerged victorious against Haurelia. It was irritating, but Welkin thought that the best option here would be to sell favor to the other side.

「I won't stop you. I shall allow it out of respect for your contributions to this country until now.」

「My many thanks.」

「──By the way.」

Welkin changed his expression and asked Ramillies with a detached voice as though they were just having an idle talk.

「You can just tell me your own opinion. Do you think that the princess will stay in hiding? Or do you think that she will show herself to the world?」

Normally when someone had stayed in hiding for dozens of years like this, it was hard to believe that they would choose to stand on the center stage at this point.

If Welkin was in the princess's position, he could declare with absolute certainty that he wouldn't show himself.

No one could be trusted at all in this situation. Not the archduke faction and royalist faction of Trystovy, and not even Mauricia Kingdom.

If the princess didn't have any force with firm authority to act as her backer, she would only be used for all her worth before getting assassinated in the future. Welkin could only imagine such future for her.

For Welkin, he would be thankful if the princess kept hiding in the shadow like this and vanished forever. Such wish was mixed into his heart.

「Ku-ku-ku...aahahhahhahhah!」

Despite not intending to, Ramillies burst into loud laughter when he imagined Baldr and Maggot ticking their tails between their legs and spent their life quietly.

He was in the presence of Welkin, but he was still unable to suppress this impulse no matter what.

Just what was he thinking?

There were two options?

No, if those two knew the truth, then only one choice was available right from the start.

Besides there was no way the words tranquility and peace had any relation with those overly problematic mother and son.

「...What is so funny?」

「P-please pardon my rudeness. It was really stupid of me. This senile brain have completely forgotten the nature of that person.」

Ramillies wiped the tears at the corner of his eyes and answered.

That stubborn tomboy who was his favorite pupil shined the most radiantly when she was in the middle of battle. Ramillies knew that better than anyone.

And then her son Baldr had also inherited from her mother the nature of trouble magnet that drew all kind of stormy drama to himself. Though the person himself wouldn't want to admit it.

Even if those two actually decided to keep quiet and live in peace, destiny would never allow that.

The goddess of destiny would never allow hero to get away from her.

「It seems the answer has been decided.」

「Yes. That person will surely choose to stand on the grand stage and fight. It doesn't matter how small the chance of victory actually is.」

「What a troubling personality. The appearance of Trystovy's heir at this late will only become a trigger of even longer war.」

That was how it would be if the person in question was just a normal person who happened to inherit the blood of royalty.

「If that person is simply the successor of Trystovy, then I won't even need to lend my help. However, if he is the successor of Viktor-sama, then perhaps this will even become a trigger that change the world.」