Episode 99: The False Supreme Commander
“Us nobles being treated the same as common soldiers from peasant backgrounds!? Th-That’s ridiculous…! I’ve never heard of such a thing!”
Pebrio’s face twists in anger and confusion.
“E-Excuse me for asking, but… is this something that His Majesty King Luverios is aware of!?”
“No. His Majesty the King has no involvement in this matter.”
“Th-That doesn’t make sense! Isn’t His Majesty Luverios the supreme commander of this expeditionary force!?”
“Why do you think that?”
“Why…? Well…”
Pebrio spreads his arms wide, shouting as if it’s the most obvious thing.
“His Majesty King Luverios led 30,000 troops to join this expedition, didn’t he! In that case, it’s only natural that His Majesty Luverios is the supreme commander!”
“Did you see it?”
“Huh?”
“Pebrio. Did you confirm with your own eyes His Majesty King Luverios, or the army he leads?”
“N-No… I haven’t seen it. I was too busy with commanding the battle…”
This is a lie.
At the start of the battle, Pebrio was stationed at headquarters and was supposed to accompany Volfirio’s escape.
However, just before the escape, desire sprouted within him.
Pebrio knew about the smuggling that Volfirio was conducting. He also knew where those goods were stored.
Therefore, he tried to use his subordinates to recover those items that Volfirio left behind, taking advantage of the chaos.
As a result—he was late in escaping and got captured. That’s the truth.
Siegfried, of course, is fully aware of the circumstances.
“Oh… So for you, ‘battle’ means plundering smuggled goods.”
“Ugh…”
Pebrio’s face turns pale, and he averts his gaze.
“Well, whatever. I have no intention of pursuing that matter right here and now.”
Siegfried says this with a cold smile.
Condemning Pebrio would be easy.
However, he judges that there are other ways to make him shine as a villain.
“Let’s get back to the topic. So, in the end, you haven’t seen His Majesty Luverios. Then, why can you assert that His Majesty appeared on the battlefield leading 30,000 troops?”
“Th-That’s because…”
With sweat dripping from his pale face, Pebrio answers.
“‘30,000 reinforcements’—that’s what the smoke signal from Forssa Fort indicated. And right after that, the soldiers cheered that ‘The royal army led by His Majesty King Luverios has arrived,’ didn’t they?”
“That was all a lie.”
Siegfried declares nonchalantly.
“A lie…?”
Not just Pebrio, but all three Serodonia army commanders gape in shock.
“Forssa Fort was already occupied by our army last night. In other words, the ‘30,000 reinforcements’ was a fake smoke signal we forced them to send.”
“Wh-What… That’s impossible…!”
Pebrio shouts, and the other commanders join in.
“Th-That can’t be! If Forssa Fort was attacked by the enemy, there are rules to report that to the Western Legion!”
If Forssa Fort were to be taken by the enemy, there’s a risk of false information being sent—that was something the Serodonia Kingdom’s army was well aware of.
Therefore, rules were established to immediately notify the Western Legion in case of an enemy attack.
During the day, smoke would rise simultaneously from all smoke platforms.
At night, a large fire would be lit on top of the fort. That was the signal indicating an attack.
“B-But… We never received any report that the fort was under attack!”
“Of course not. We suppressed the fort without giving them time to send that signal.”
Many of the soldiers stationed at Forssa Fort had left their original defense duties and were mobilized for the ambush on Siegfried led by Suneiras.
However, that ambush was seen through, and the soldiers under Suneiras were annihilated.
By the time Siegfried and his group attacked Forssa Fort, the remaining defensive forces had decreased to about a quarter of the original.
If the full force had been present, they might have at least managed to send the signal of an enemy attack.
But, as a result of their ambush plan being turned against them—the fort fell without even that leeway.
“And naturally, the story of His Majesty King Luverios appearing with the royal army—is nothing but fiction.”
“Th-That can’t be…”
If it was just the information that ‘His Majesty Luverios has come,’ it might have been dismissed as a bluff.
But because right before that, a smoke signal announcing ‘Arrival of 30,000 reinforcements’ rose from the allied Forssa Fort, it gained overwhelming credibility.
“S-So… The Western Legion was intimidated by a non-existent royal army led by King Luverios… and was destroyed…?”
Pebrio mutters in a daze.
He can’t believe it. It’s absurd. But if that’s the case—everything that was inexplicable makes sense.
Pebrio was stunned for a while, but suddenly snapped back to reality.
This isn’t the time to be spacing out. Right now, protecting his own position is the top priority.
“I-I understand… So, His Majesty King Luverios did not participate in this expedition. Th-Then, what about Lord Bertram? The commander of the Eastern Front Army should have been Lord Bertram! P-Please, I wish to have an audience with Lord Bertram!”
Even though he’s from an enemy nation, he’s one of the ‘Five Great Nobles’ representing the Kirchhen Kingdom. Pebrio had heard rumors about him multiple times.
He has an unusual obsession with collecting art, and accordingly, he’s greedy for money—such is his reputation.
But if he’s someone who can negotiate with using money, then there’s a way out.
However, Siegfried declares in a cold tone.
“Lord Bertram is dead.”
“What!?”
“That’s why I’m here, entrusted with the overall command of the entire army. Do you understand? If you do… let’s move on to the interrogation. Tell me everything you know.”
