Volume 2 Chapter 24 (2/2)
Duke Gerhardt kept complaining as he read through the report.
”Yes, fortunately, because the horse I was riding was able to swim, I managed to survive...”
”Hou..., and here I thought that you had abandoned everyone else just so you could make it back alive. ”
The Duke ridiculed Kyle harshly.
Kyle gritted his teeth as he endured Duke Gerhardt's insult.
There was nothing else he could do.
The fact that Kyle managed to get out alive was down to pure luck.
Having decided that he would proceed to the frontline himself, he made his way through the dry moat.
Then, a huge wave of water came cras.h.i.+ng down.
At that time, he was surrounded by knights in every direction, blocking all the escape routes.
The water immediately swallowed Kyle, who was wearing plate armor just like the other knights, and he should have died there.
It was because the horse he rode has changed his fate.
Kyle’s quick judgement of removing some of the heavy part of the armour also influenced his survival greatly..
Regardless of whether it was down to luck or not,
The horse he rode was able to swim out of the muddy water current.
And Kyle narrowly survived.
”Fine..., I will postpone your punishment verdict. ”
Hearing Gerhardt's decision, Kyle let out a sigh of relief.
It wouldn’t be strange for Duke Gerhardt to hand him a capital punishment.
In fact, it was strange that he did not receive it right away.
After all, the damage Kyle has caused was worthy of one.
”What are you looking relieved for? I never said that I would forgive you? ”
Kyle’s body froze up almost immediately.
”Oh well, you are dismissed for today. ”
Duke Gerhardt waved his hand signalling Kyle to leave.
”T-Then, please excuse me. ”
After lowering his head, Kyle went out from the office quickly.
It was as if he was trying to flee from his mistake.
”Fuuh..., Useless!”
After Kyle had left the room, Duke Gerhardt let out his anger.
The was a short insult, but it packed a lot of rage.
”Are you sure? Leaving it like that. ”
”Are you suggesting that I should get rid of Kyle now?”
The aide nodded his head.
”Fool! Do you think that this damage can be offset by his life alone?!”
Kyle has long been out of Duke Gerhardt’s plans.
The reason that Kyle is not yet dead is not because Duke Gerhardt wants him to redeem himself..
Rather, the Duke spared Kyle’s life solely because having one more soldier is better than having one less.
That is the only reason he puts the execution on hold.
”The peasant recruits were dispensable..., But to think he wasted the elite Knights too..., that fool!”
Losing this battle does not mean that the n.o.ble faction has lost the war.
But regardless of how insignificant of a battle it was, a loss is still a loss.
Gerhardt couldn’t help but be angry at this, despite understanding the situation.
(The timing is bad..., Hodram had just joined us, and I don't want to show him a weakness that he can exploit...)
The result of this battle could be a huge problem for Duke Gerhardt who's currently in the middle of negotiation with General Hodram as to who should lead.
Hodram himself has been a military commander of Rozeria Kingdom for the past ten years.
Gerhardt, on the other hand, has been dealing with mostly internal affairs.
It would be logical to entrust the command to General Hodram.
Even if most of the soldiers belong to the n.o.bles faction.
Gerhardt perfectly understood that.
But then, there is a risk that Hodram might deprive everything from him.
(That guy is a quite an ambitious person after all. He will definitely aim for my neck if I make a bad move. He is that kind of person. At the very least, his ambition is smaller compared to mine, that's why I can entrust the command of the security unit with confidence.)
For Gerhardt, a person of Holdram’s calibre is hard to come by.
That's why he accepted Hodram, who had lost his previous standings.
However, after taking in Hodram and seeing the actual person, he realized that Hodram’s ambition has not changed from before.
Gerhardt found out that from the beginning, ever since he served Princess Lupis as the Knight faction’s leader, Holdram has been hiding his real intention all along.
He could feel the pressure from Holdram, as if being looked at by a hungry wolf preying on its target.
(I should've never listened to Sudou's advice..., as expected, it was a mistake to take in Hodram, huh?)
A figure of a man appeared in Gerhardt's mind.
The man who has always been standing next to Princess Ladine. The man who suggested that Gerhardt should take in Holdram as an ally..
In fact, he is the man who introduced Gerhardt to Princess Ladine..
With a mediocre face that can be found anywhere and an average body build and height, there was nothing particularly outstanding about him.
The only features worth mentioning are his black eyes and black hair.
His existence is only known to a small group of people, even among the aristocrats of the n.o.ble faction, since he has never left Princess Ladine’s side.
(No..., like Sudou had mentioned, Hodram is a valuable fighting force..., considering the number of knights lost in battle, his value should increase even more..., but the big problem is his ambition....)
Just for the sake of argument, Gerhardt actually has no problem handingHodram the military power.
Because he understands that it would be very difficult for him to run the entire kingdom by himself.
As long as Gerhardt’s interests are not disrupted, he would not mind.
Simple as that.
(But right now, time is not on our side..., once Princess Lupis main force arrives, the momentum of the battle would swing to their side immediately... )
A peasant might be weak individually, but in a group, they can pose real threat.
The reason why the other n.o.bles decided to join Gerhardt is because he has a large advantage against Princess Lupis in term of sheer soldiers number.
But would that reason remain valid if Gerhardt was unable to crush a small unit of Princess Lupis’ troops that only have 2.000 in numbers?
Chance is, the peasants and the n.o.bles would start to doubt his ability..
Even worse, from the candidacy point of view, Princess Lupis is ahead of Princess Ladine in term of legitimacy. If the Duke’s ability were to be doubted, it would only cause his followers to lose faith and turn their back away from him.
Taking all of these into consideration, Kyle's failure this time cannot be described as anything but a disaster.
(This is very much a catastrophe, huh?..., But, no! The war is not yet over! )
Gerhardt shook off all the negative thoughts in his head and regained his composure.
(I will deal with Kyle's matter later... Curse that enemy's commander! If I could quickly dispose of that man, will our chance of winning increase?)
Despite Kyle’s recent error in judgement, Gerhardt had previously acknowledged Kyle’s leaders.h.i.+p skills. Thus, he had not antic.i.p.ated this outcome at all. The bottom line is that the enemy’s commander has far exceeded his expectation.
Gerhardt knew that without a smart leader, there was no way their soldiers could execute the flood plan this well. Killing that leader would surely put him back in the driving seat.
(Previously, the report mentioned that the a.s.sa.s.sination attempt has failed... But if I recall correctly, we still have some a.s.sa.s.sins among the enemy’s mercenary group... A couple of skilled ones too..., Is it possible to a.s.sa.s.sinate the enemy's commander with this, I wonder?)
An evil smile finally appeared on the Duke’s face
From the start, a.s.sa.s.sins are disposable weapons. It is perfectly fine if they die after the a.s.sa.s.sination attempt.
Moreover, the enemy should let their guard down after winning their first battle.
(If I want to do it, I should do it now huh?)
”Order the spies to kill the enemy's commander! Now!”
”U-Understood!”
His aide immediately rushed out of the office.
”Kukukuku! I'll teach you a lesson!”
Evil laughter resonated within the room.
His ambition and confidence have not wavered.
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