Episode 83: The Perfect Trap

The battle between Siegfried von Kreving and Suneiras unfolded right after the sun had set.

Some time after that, Douglas and Robert delivered the report of Siegfried von Kreving’s death to the Eastern Front Army headquarters around midnight.

As more time passed—and the hour had already ticked past 2 a.m.—Bertram continued to tilt his wine glass.

After all, the scheme he had set in motion had succeeded brilliantly. There was no drink more exhilarating than this. He felt like he could keep going forever.

In the midst of that, a voice called out from outside the room.

“Pardon the intrusion, Commander Bertram. I’ve come with an urgent report. Are you resting…?”

“What is it, at this late hour?”

Bertram, annoyed that his delightful time had been interrupted, responded with a voice laced with irritation.

The soldier outside the room replied apologetically.

“Sir… My apologies. There’s been a fire in the northern warehouse district.”

In the Eastern Front Army’s encampment, there was an area densely packed with wooden warehouses. Flames had risen there, apparently.

“What…!?”

“The exact cause is unknown, but it seems the flames from a bonfire were fanned by the wind and ignited the warehouse.”

Bonfires were always lit in the encampment for nighttime vigilance. The soldier explained that the fire had been carried by the wind and spread to the warehouse.

“Tch… And what’s the status of the damage!?”

“Y-yes! Fortunately, there are no fatalities.”

“That’s not what I mean! I’m asking about the warehouses! …Which warehouse exactly caught fire!?”

For Bertram, whether soldiers burned to death or not was of no concern to him.

What worried him more was the warehouses.

Among the Eastern Front Army’s cluster of warehouses, besides food stores and armories, there were also ones hiding the goods Bertram had smuggled in. If those burned, the losses would be anything but small.

“Y-yes, sir… The one that’s ablaze is an unused vacant warehouse!”

“…I see!”

Bertram let out a sigh of relief, stroking his chest.

“However, extinguishing the fire is proving difficult. Right now, we’re focused on containing the spread.”

“Alright… In that case, I’ll entrust the subsequent response to Vice Commander Almants. Tell him to lead the headquarters troops and hurry the evacuation of important supplies. Remember, evacuating the important assets takes top priority—now go, deliver the order!”

“Sir!”

The soldier accepted Bertram’s command and quickly left the scene.

The ‘evacuation of important supplies’ he had ordered to be relayed meant nothing less than moving the smuggled goods to a safe location.

“Phew…”

Bertram leaned his weight against the back of the chair.

“Well, Vice Commander Almants will handle it flawlessly.”

Almants fully understood the reality of Bertram’s smuggling operations.

He wouldn’t do anything careless like mishandling the valuable items and damaging them.

The reason he’d specifically ordered the headquarters soldiers to move was also to prioritize the safety of the smuggled goods above all.

“Really… They just had to spoil my good mood.”

Bertram took the golden cup in hand and once again brought the wine to his lips.

Going to the fire scene himself wasn’t even a thought from the beginning. Such tasks were fine to leave to his subordinates.

—Some time passed after that.

Bertram, who had been in a foul mood from the interruption of his fine wine, was finally starting to regain his spirits.

“Commander Bertram.”

A voice came from beyond the door.

It was low—and cold. Bertram recognized this voice. But he couldn’t immediately recall whose it was.

That said, the people who could approach this close to his bedroom were limited. It had to be either a soldier directly under the headquarters or one of Bertram’s close aides.

“…What is it?”

“I have a confidential matter to discuss. May I enter?”

“Confidential…?”

Was it about relations with the Serodonia Kingdom, or perhaps the smuggling—…

He hadn’t locked the door when he returned to the room earlier, so it was unlocked.

“The door’s open. Come in.”

“Then—excuse me.”

With those words, a man appeared.

He was clad in a black hooded military coat, his face hidden by the deeply pulled hood.

For some reason, Bertram got an ominous impression from the man, like that of the Grim Reaper.

And then… the man who stepped into the room removed his hood in front of Bertram.

“Wha…!”

Bertram’s expression froze.

The one standing before him wasn’t a headquarters soldier. Nor was it one of his close aides. However, he recognized the face.

“S-Siegfried…!”

Siegfried von Kreving.

Silver hair reminiscent of moonlight. Blue eyes like the abyss. The man who was supposed to be dead—was standing right there.

“I-It’s a lie…! Th-this is impossible! Y-you should be dead!”

Bertram tumbled out of his chair, pulling back as he screamed.

“H-hey! Someone! Aren’t there any guards!? Get in here right now!”

“—Unfortunately, the headquarters soldiers seem to be tied up with the fire response. Only a handful remained here. Thanks to that, I was able to get here without issue.”

“Urgh…!”

That’s right. Upon receiving the fire report, Bertram himself had instructed the headquarters soldiers to head to the scene.

Of course, a minimal number would have stayed behind. But soldiers of that level wouldn’t last a moment against Siegfried’s surprise attack.

“Hah! Hah…!”

Bertram’s breathing grew ragged

The fire outbreak itself had been a trap set by Siegfried—that fact finally dawned on him.

Likely, his underlings had set the warehouse ablaze. And they’d even foreseen that he’d move the guards to protect the smuggled goods.

In other words… he’d been maneuvered into isolation at headquarters.

But there was still something that didn’t add up.

“Y-you…! H-how on earth did you survive!? From my… my perfect trap!?”

“A perfect trap—yes, it might have been. Completely grasping the enemy’s movements and launching a surprise attack at the most effective point. As a tactic, it was impeccable. Truly, an ideal operation.”

Siegfried smiled thinly. It was a smile tinged with sarcasm.

“However, precisely because of that… it was easy to turn the tables. Since we knew the opponent would make the ideal moves, all we had to do was prepare countermeasures accordingly. —Thank you, Commander Bertram.”

“Wh-what…?”

“For devising the perfect plan just so I could take you down—I am truly grateful.”