Episode 68: The March of Evil

　Upon receiving Siegfried’s orders, preparations for dispatching troops were immediately set in motion.

　Having anticipated deployment to the battlefield, Siegfried had already arranged for provisions and supplies. The preparations for departure were wrapped up in no time at all.

　And then――led by Siegfried, they began their march toward the eastern front.

　The season was spring. Amidst blooming grasses and flowers, with butterflies fluttering about, the group headed east, ever eastward.

　At present, the regular army strength of Siegfried’s forces, combining knights and infantry, exceeded 600.

　This was thanks to the original 300, plus soldiers selected from within the dormitory, and the former students from Slade Dorm who had joined.

　However, they couldn’t mobilize every single soldier.

　Since they’d be away from the territory for an extended period, they had to leave guards behind in the domain, and among the students from Slade Dorm, many were still too green to stand on the front lines.

　In the end, the number of Siegfried’s regular army soldiers heading to the eastern front came to 300.

　For an army led by a count’s house, this was a standard scale.

　Soaking in the mild spring sunlight, they steadily pressed on toward the battlefield.

　Along the way, if rain fell, they’d pitch tents for rest, and when they approached a major city, they’d negotiate to rent out vacant houses or the like to give the soldiers a proper place to sleep――it was a careful and methodical march.

　One day, in a certain city where they’d rented a massive empty warehouse and the soldiers were taking a break.

　Out of nowhere, one of the soldiers muttered.

“Count von Kreving is… pretty kind, isn’t he?”

　The one who said it was a young man who’d only recently joined Siegfried’s army. He looked to be in his mid-twenties.

“I always figured marching meant pushing on without rest, even through rain or wind. But… in this army, they make sure we get regular breaks, and whenever we hit a city, they let us rest inside buildings whenever possible. …I really feel like I made the right choice becoming a soldier for the von Kreving house.”

　He had once served the von Arving house.

　But one day, after making nothing more than a minor suggestion to his superior, the knight captain Ludre… he was forcibly ordered to retire from the von Arving house’s knight order.

　Though he was a commoner by birth, he had been an outstanding soldier, yet he was left with no choice but to return to his hometown and take up life as a farmer.

　He hadn’t voiced any complaints to Ludre. He’d simply offered a bit of input, suggesting, “Wouldn’t it be better to handle it this way?”

　But even that wasn’t permitted.

　That’s the sort of organization the von Arving house was.

　If you so much as offered the slightest bit of unwelcome advice to the higher-ups like Patrick or Ludre, you’d be ousted on the spot.

　As a result, the only ones left around them were yes-men who excelled at sucking up.

　――Which, in the end, led straight to their ruin.

“Back when I was with the von Arving house, we never got treatment like this.”

　During the time he served under Patrick, he’d been deployed to the battlefield just once.

　Naturally, Patrick never spared a single thought for someone like him, a mere foot soldier at the bottom of the ranks.

　If anything… it felt like Patrick was deliberately issuing brutal marching orders, almost as if he took pleasure in watching the commoner soldiers suffer.

　Consequently, by the time they arrived at the battlefield, nearly all of Patrick’s soldiers were utterly worn out and in no shape to fight effectively.

　Meanwhile, the knights under Ludre, who had advanced at a leisurely pace on horseback, managed to put up a decent showing in battle.

　Having witnessed that firsthand, Patrick had sneered and said:

　――See? The knights who’ve served our house for generations are truly superior. But these commoner soldiers? Worthless. They’re just lowborn trash after all.

　Something along those lines.

“Man, Lord Siegfried really is a great guy…”

　Those words, murmured to no one in particular but directed at the soldiers around him, drew a response.

“Hmm… so I’m a good guy, am I…”

　There was a faint hint of sarcasm in the voice. And the one who spoke was none other than――.

“S-Siegfried-sama!”

　The soldier whipped around toward the voice in a panic. Standing there was the very man they’d been discussing… Siegfried himself.

“S-Sorry! Talking behind the lord’s back like that…!”

　Even if the comments were positive, speaking about the lord in a way that could be seen as judgmental was strictly off-limits.

　At least, that’s how things worked in the von Arving house.

　But Siegfried didn’t scold him; instead, he just stated it plainly.

“What you think of me is none of my concern. But I’ll give you one word of warning――I’m not the benevolent sort you’re imagining.”

　Siegfried went on, his tone bordering on detached coolness.

“The only reason I’m letting you all rest like this right now is to keep your energy depletion to a minimum. Squandering your strength here would be utterly pointless.”

　The dispatch to the eastern front wasn’t the kind of thing that demanded immediate haste.

　In that case, it made sense to conserve their stamina thoroughly and arrive at the battlefield in peak condition. That was Siegfried’s approach.

“――And you’ll put that conserved energy to use on the battlefield. Even if your breath is ragged or your legs are faltering, you’ll charge in like your life depends on it, clashing with enemy soldiers wielding spears and swords.”

　A touch of edge crept into Siegfried’s voice.

“Anyone who can’t pull their weight when it counts――won’t have a place in this army.”

　He wouldn’t engage in pointless excesses like forcing a grueling march when there was no urgency. He paid attention to preserving the soldiers’ stamina. But in exchange――anyone who failed to deliver in the heat of battle had no business being one of his subordinates.

“If there’s anyone clinging to some naive notion like ‘We probably won’t even have to fight on the eastern front’――that soldier will become dead weight in no time. But on the flip side, if you prove your worth――I’ll elevate you to a position that matches it.”

　Cut out the waste, and assign fitting ranks based on merit.

　Whether you saw that as ‘practical’ or ‘heartless’ was up to each individual… but Siegfried had no plans to turn his army into some ‘irrational evil horde built on nepotism and bootlicking.’

“Just make sure you remember that.”

　With those parting words, Siegfried turned on his heel.

　Toward his retreating back――a voice called out on impulse.

“U-Um! Siegfried-sama… I-I… I’ll do my best!”

　The words had burst out of him before he knew it.

　They took sensible steps to prepare for combat on the battlefield, and if you shone there, you’d be promoted to a deserving role――for a young man like him, dreaming of making something of himself, it was the perfect setup.

　Siegfried didn’t seem particularly stirred by it, offering a casual reply.

“I see. In that case… show me what you’ve got, Robert.”

“Huh…!”

　He was stunned. Robert――yes, that was his name.

“S-Siegfried-sama… you… you know my name…!”

　For Siegfried to remember the name of an ordinary, unremarkable soldier like him.

　It was beyond anything Robert could have imagined.

“What’s there to be surprised about? It’s only natural to know the names of every one of my subordinates.”

　With that curt remark, Siegfried strode away.