NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 3 - Opportunity in Crisis (2)
✦ Chapter 3 – Opportunity in Crisis (2) ✦
「Translator – Creator」
𒋝𒋝𒋝𒋝𒋝
Viktor, an orphaned youth with nothing to his name, couldn’t escape to the Empire.
It wasn’t just the lack of the many necessities for travel — luggage, money, and the physical strength — but more importantly, he had no means of escaping the clutches of bandits and robbers that awaited outside the city.
Even with the help of the mini-map, he had no confidence in outrunning thugs wielding knives.
And after enrolling in the Royal Military Academy, it became even more difficult to even speak favorably about the Empire.
The Dragoria Empire and the Kingdom of Rus had been on bad terms long before Viktor arrived in this world.
To be precise, the nobles of the Kingdom of Rus held a one-sided hatred for the Empire, and the academy was filled with these nobles’ progeny.
If he had mentioned the Empire, it wouldn’t have been strange if he had suffered even worse treatment.
Once he was commissioned as an officer, he completely lost the opportunity to escape.
Desertion was a grave sin; this was common knowledge in any military.
Furthermore, as his achievements on the battlefield piled up, the number of Imperial generals who would relentlessly pursue him with fiery eyes grew. If he surrendered, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t just cut off his head on the spot.
Therefore…
The words ‘hand you over to the Empire’ sounded like a lifeline thrown down from the heavens.
“Hehehe.”
“Are you seriously crazy? Laughing in this situation?”
“Hahahaha…”
Andrei’s crude insults didn’t bother him in the least.
Every problem that had stood in his way was about to be solved.
He could already glean a lot from Andrei’s behavior.
The fact that he only brought a rope meant they needed him alive. And judging by how he was just yapping beside him without resorting to violence, it was highly likely he’d been ordered not to use force by his superiors.
If there had been no such orders, Andrei would have punched him the moment he thought he had him securely bound.
“If they drag you away, who knows what fate awaits you…”
Andrei’s free flow of information didn’t stop.
According to his incessant chatter, the Kingdom of Russ was the one who proposed the ceasefire; the Emperor of the Empire specifically demanded Viktor be handed over to them, and the Kingdom conceded.
The fact that the Emperor himself made the demand was crucial.
As the old saying went, ‘The enemy of my enemy is my friend.’
There was no reason for the Emperor to harbor any particular ill will towards him, especially after he significantly weakened the noble faction.
In fact, the current Emperor of the Empire was keen on recruiting talented individuals — even from enemy nations — often going as far as to stage special recruitment events; the probability of the Emperor wanting him for his abilities was extremely high.
In that case, what Viktor had to do was simple.
“Let’s go, Andrei.”
“…Ha.”
All he had to do was go along quietly.
It seemed like things were going exactly as he wanted after all.
🪦
I lay my weary body on the now-familiar camp bed.
“Phew…”
It had already been a year and a half since I became General Viktor’s personal aide.
At first, I thought it was a demotion.
Being assigned as a mere secretary to a commoner officer in a military dominated by high-ranking nobles wasn’t exactly a good sign.
Moreover, since I wasn’t of noble birth either, my suspicions ran deep.
I had experienced the aristocrats’ clique mentality numerous times, even in the military academy, where commoners were expected to stick together.
At the time, he had only been a junior officer, having graduated from the academy just four years prior, so I worried whether following him might lead to an early grave.
The reckless ambition of a newly commissioned officer… It was something I never wanted to experience again.
But Viktor was different.
Some viewed him as incompetent because he often retreated despite winning battles. Others, the more discerning commanders, admired his strategic withdrawals and counterattacks.
Yet, both assessments missed the core of who he was, in my opinion.
While it was true that he consistently retreated and that his strategies and tactics were exceptional, his true strength lay in the charisma with which he led his soldiers.
This was something one could only understand by serving under his command.
No matter how far away you were, his orders would reach you, and your body would move instinctively, as if bewitched.
Once you experienced his command, it became impossible to be satisfied with the slow, clumsy commands of ordinary commanders.
Whether he was handling tens, hundreds, or even thousands upon thousands of soldiers, there was never a single flaw in his command.
Moreover, unlike those other bastards who saw their soldiers as mere numbers to be thrown into the meat grinder, casualties under Viktor’s meticulous command were remarkably low.
The morale of the soldiers would visibly soar whenever they heard General Viktor would lead them.
It was no wonder that he rose through the ranks at such a breakneck pace. Anyone who wasn’t completely oblivious knew that the war was only dragging on because of him, so his rapid advancement was anything but surprising.
He had single-handedly prolonged a war that seemed destined for defeat for two whole years, proving his capabilities time and time again.
These days, he had been instilling hope among the soldiers, saying the time for counterattacks was approaching. Even from afar, it was apparent the Empire’s military was in a dire state. Many soldiers, fueled by this visible deterioration, started to hope that victory was indeed possible.
I was grateful to him for many things.
When despairing news of entire battalions being wiped out came from other fronts, it was Viktor who kept me and my fellow soldiers alive. Even now, as he would tell me to get some rest, his tent’s lights remained on until the break of dawn.
Though I collapsed into sleep each night, I never resented him. Without him, I’d have ended up under an incompetent commander, likely finding eternal rest on the battlefield myself.
…Perhaps it was because the end was finally in sight.
Lately, as I drifted to sleep, I found myself daydreaming about spending time with him once the war was over. Imagining what Viktor, the man, was like beneath the ironclad general he always seemed to be.
My heart would pound, my body warming with each fantasy, and just as things were about to go a little too far, I would wake up.
As I was in one of those fleeting dreams, a shout jolted me awake.
“By order of His Majesty the King!”
I quickly sat up amid the commotion. Since I always slept in my uniform, I slipped into my boots, grabbed my weapon, and rushed out of the tent.
“…What’s going on?”
A group of unfamiliar soldiers had surrounded General Viktor’s tent, which was right next to mine; they wore leather armor without helmets, armed with ropes, a curious choice of equipment. The royal emblem, a red trident, was emblazoned on their chests.
“The Royal Guard?”
Our soldiers, confused and bewildered, milled around, unable to approach the tent.
Confounded by the situation, I attempted to enter the general’s tent alone, but the surrounding guards instantly reached out, blocking my path.
“Halt.”
“I am Anna, General Viktor’s aide.”
“The Captain is currently carrying out His Majesty’s orders. No one is to interfere.”
“…The Captain of the Royal Guard?”
“I suggest you watch your tongue.”
Their sternness, mingled with a hint of mockery, was evident.
Why would the Captain of the Royal Guard personally lead a squad of soldiers to a general’s tent in the middle of the night, in the middle of a war?
Something was wrong; that much was clear.
I pulled out the whistle from my pocket.
*— Peeeeeeeeeep!*
“What is the meaning of-?!”
As the shrill sound of the emergency whistle pierced the night, the panicked soldiers snapped out of their stupor. They quickly formed ranks, surrounding the general’s tent, eyes hardening as they realized their commander was in danger.
The torches held by every soldier flared, casting an intimidating glow as the fully armed men closed in.
It was clear from the looks of the stunned Royal Guards that they hadn’t expected such a reaction.
“W-What are you doing?!”
“As if we can just trust you! I need to see for myself!”
“Insolence? Just who do you think you’re—?!”
Despite how close I was, I couldn’t hear anything from inside the tent, which made me increasingly anxious.
What if they were harming General Viktor…?
*—Peep!*
At the sharp sound of the whistle, the soldiers took a collective step forward.
“You’ve got to be kidding me! How dare you defy His Majesty’s orders?!”
“Defy? Where’s the proof that such orders even exist?”
“That’s for the Captain to…”
“Like I said, I’ll see for myself!”
The guards were shaking in their boots, yet they still clung to their defiant stance. I hesitated, wondering if I should blow the whistle again.
*Flap*
“What’s all the commotion about?”
“Captain!”
The tent flap swung open, and out walked a man with a rope in his hand. It was Andrei, the Captain of the Royal Guard, as they had mentioned.
And following behind him, his entire body bound with ropes, was General Viktor.
“…General?”
The general kept his head bowed, silent.
He looked unharmed on the outside, but being tied up was already a bad sign.
“Th-This woman, she dared to…!”
“Oh?”
The terrified Royal Guards instantly swarmed Andrei, spitting out a torrent of complaints about what had transpired.
However, their behavior resembled that of spoiled children tattling to their parents, making me question if they were truly the elite Royal Guards they claimed to be.
“You tried to resist the royal decree, did you?”
“………….”
If it truly was a royal decree, then I was in danger too.
Refusing the King’s command, especially as a soldier, was a crime punishable by death under the charges of treason.
“It looks like we’ve got another one for arrest…”
Just as Andrei pointed a finger at me…
“BAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”
A loud, boisterous laughter echoed across the encampment.
↤ END OF CHAPTER ↦
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