The NTR Knight Commander has Decided to Desert

Chapter 3

The darkened plains and the small fortress Stanwick located at its center.

And... the enemy's massive army stationed far in the distance.

A force of 5,000 elite troops composed of knights, mages, archers, and artillerymen.

As they looked upon that force,

The hundreds of soldiers guarding the fortress maintained a tense vigilance.

Soldiers with various wounds, large and small, feeling deep unease about the final battle to come.

As she looked upon them,

The commander leading them—a woman clad in a mage's robe.

With hair as blue and flowing as the sea, and eyes of the same hue.

A striking beauty noticeable even in military uniform, with the youthful appearance of someone in her mid-20s.

A dark shadow fell across the face of General Little T. Franklin.

'So this is... the end. I had so desperately wished to see the moment of independence... and yet, like this.'

The enemy's massive offensive, which was sure to begin soon.

They were a well-trained elite force, and their weaponry was incomparable to what this side had.

On the other hand, while this side had a few mages, most were militia, and they were overwhelmingly outnumbered.

Though they had the terrain advantage of defending from within a fortress,

Even so, holding out until their main forces arrived was, objectively speaking, a nearly impossible task.

'Three more days until the main army arrives... Unless a miracle happens, there won't be anyone left breathing by then.'

And so, sensing her own death approaching in this place.

General Franklin steeled herself to fulfill her duty to the end, gripping the staff in her hand tightly.

At that moment.

"Hm?"

"What's that? That person is..."

A figure suddenly appearing, cutting through the darkness.

Riding a black horse and galloping toward them, drawing the attention of General Franklin and the others.

A man, alone, wearing the armor of an Imperial officer.

In response, the soldiers on defense naturally raised their staffs and rifles toward him.

Then.

"Stop! I've come to surrender to you!"

"Hm?"

"Surrender?"

Instead of drawing a weapon, the man pulled out a white flag from his coat.

The soldiers, wearing puzzled expressions, naturally turned their eyes toward Franklin, who was in charge of the defense here.

And in that moment, General Franklin paused to consider how she should interpret this situation.

'Surrender... What in the world is this...'

An Imperial officer coming to surrender to a force that was practically already defeated.

It could have been a trick or trap, but the enemy's position was far too advantageous for that to make sense.

More importantly, the enemy's Supreme Commander, General Neto, was known to be simple-minded and quick-tempered.

He wasn't the type to bother with such schemes, so the claim of surrender was, surprisingly, quite plausible in her mind.

"Let him in for now. We need to hear the full story."

"Yes, General."

And so, with a mix of doubt and curiosity,

And a slight glimmer of hope,

General Franklin immediately descended from the wall and began moving to meet the man.

*

The fortress gates opened with a loud clatter.

Then, the rebel soldiers inside surrounded me on both sides and led me inward.

Even though I had declared my surrender, they were still maintaining their guard.

Regardless, as I entered the fortress with them,

A familiar guide window, visible only to me, began to appear before my eyes once more.

[You have safely entered the rebel fortress.

The enemy of your enemy is your friend; yesterday's foe can become today's ally.

Now, ease the wariness they hold toward you.

The gods bless the path of one who has forged a new destiny.

Divine Blessing (Buff) - The Holy Knight's holy power recovery rate increases by 200%. Duration: three days.]

'A 200% increase in holy power recovery... That's an insane buff. It's a shame about the three-day time limit, though.'

A reward granted upon completing the quest.

Seeing it, I couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement, and a faint smile crept across my lips.

RPG game Blue Revolution features a wide variety of classes.

Among them, the most popular by far were the powerful mages known for their firepower,

Or the warriors, who boasted excellent performance in both offense and defense.

However, back when I played, the protagonist Cromwell's class—

And perhaps due to that influence, the class I now possess as Cromwell—is not one of those common mages or warriors, but a Holy Knight.

Not magical power like that of mages or warriors,

But a stat called holy power, based on faith...

A class that uses a power commonly referred to as Aura as its cost—Holy Knight.

True to its name, the Holy Knight is specialized in healing, status recovery, and defense, and as such, its direct combat ability tends to be lower than other classes.

It's not that there are no offensive skills at all, but the class is more akin to a tank or a healer than a damage dealer.

Because of that, the Holy Knight is typically played in a supporting role, aiding party members or NPC mercenaries in battle rather than fighting on the front lines.

And,

The reason I chose this somewhat passive-feeling class was partly due to personal preference,

And also because of one other theoretical "possibility" it held.

'Anyway, the fact that I got a buff like this suggests there's a battle coming up—at least by game logic... I wonder if that means another quest will trigger?'

There's a time limit, sure, but there's no way they'd just hand out a buff this strong for nothing.

And so, just as I was pondering this situation that practically screamed something important was about to happen—

"Is this the one who claims to be surrendering?"

"Yes, General."

The female general appeared before me, flanked by soldiers.

At the sight of her striking blue hair, I instantly recognized who she was.

'General Franklin... I never expected to meet her like this.'

Little T. Franklin.

One of the key commanders of the rebels,

Though she had never directly interacted with the protagonist character, she had frequently appeared in the story.

With her fairly beautiful appearance and a personality that was upright and precise in all things,

She was an enemy, but one with a surprisingly likable character.

And so, seeing this familiar character I had "indirectly" known so well appear here in reality, I began to feel a strange sense of familiarity.

"Then I'd like to hear your story. I'm Little T. Franklin, in charge of this place. First, tell me who you are."

Despite my emotions, General Franklin questioned me in a voice laced with suspicion.

In response, I answered her as politely as I could.

"My name is Edward Cromwell. I am the Commander of the knights of the Britannian Empire, and until recently, I served under General Neto, who is currently camped over there."

"Hmm..."

At my words, she maintained a cold expression, showing no particular reaction.

At that moment.

"! Wha... What did you say? Edward Cromwell?"

"No way... The legendary one?"

The surrounding soldiers suddenly erupted in shock and confusion.

Unlike Franklin, they reacted very sensitively to my name, which had been known in the game's story for some time.

Then, amid the sudden commotion, General Franklin's icy voice rang out.

"Silence! We are interrogating a defector. Don't make a fuss over unconfirmed claims."

"Ah..."

"S... Sorry."

Just like in the original story, Franklin displayed the resoluteness of a seasoned commander.

Then, still staring coldly at my face, she spoke in a voice that carried even more caution.

"You're saying you're Edward Cromwell? Which means... the hero of the Imperial Army has surrendered to us in this situation, but honestly, that's hard to accept. I'd like you to give us... a convincing explanation we can trust."

"...Of course. I shall do so."

With a calm voice and an icy gaze,

General Franklin demanded a clear explanation from me.

Her reaction was as strict and unyielding as I had somewhat expected, almost excessively so, which only confirmed how deeply she doubted me.

But even so, I didn't feel particularly anxious.

There was no need to overthink things here.

All I needed to do was share the 'truth' I had experienced.

With that conclusion in mind,

I began to speak in the calmest voice I could muster.

About everything that had happened to me until now,

And why I had no choice but to desert the Imperial Army...

With heartfelt anger and despair over the betrayal of a decade of faith.

*

A man began to tell his story before her eyes.

As she looked at his face...

General Franklin, the woman guarding this fortress, kept her expression firm and her face cold.

Her presence exuded the kind of pressure that said she would cut him down the moment he tried anything foolish.

And then,

In this very moment, wearing that expression,

The emotions that had begun stirring in her heart earlier—

That burning, blazing heat inside her—

The pounding heart, the thrill, and the excitement were all surging wildly.

'How, how... It's really him! It's really... really that man! The Commander himself is standing right in front of me!'

An officer of the Imperial Army who had declared his surrender.

The moment she saw his face up close after he entered the fortress, Franklin couldn't help but be startled deep inside.

Though she had never met or spoken with the man before,

Franklin still recognized him in an instant.

No—she had no choice but to recognize him.

The man standing before her was the very one who had always caught her eye on the battlefield.

The one who had led the knights from afar and rampaged fiercely across the warfront.

A seasoned war hero, a man who had singlehandedly turned the tide of countless battles.

And at the same time, a man whose appearance was like a crafted work of art, charming enough to stir the hearts of many women.

The Holy Knight, Edward Cromwell.

Of course, from the perspective of Franklin, a general of the colonial rebels, he was an enemy commander who ought to be eliminated—a source of fear.

However,

Despite that, his overwhelming and dazzling martial prowess that inspired awe, and his widely known character,

And his looks alone, capable of warming the heart just by seeing him from afar—

Had led Franklin to harbor genuine admiration, reverence, and a subtle fondness for the man she had long observed from a distance, regardless of sides.

And now, in this very moment,

Though he was an enemy, the man she had always respected so deeply was standing before her like this...

And had even come forward expressing his intention to surrender—

That fact alone was more than enough to make Franklin feel a powerful excitement, anticipation, and profound curiosity.

'B-But what on earth happened? Could it be... that Commander Cromwell really surrendered to us? Th-There must be a reason behind this, right?'

Struggling to suppress her breath that had begun to quicken from the overwhelming excitement,

General Franklin began to listen closely to Cromwell's words.

And then.

In the next moment.

When Cromwell's story came to an end.

The pleasant excitement that had filled Franklin's heart just moments ago was replaced—

By a rising wave of instinctive disgust and fury as a human being.

'Those Imperial bastards... They're even worse scum than I imagined.'