Free Web NovelChapter 3: I’ll Go³
"The Supreme Court claimed,... during our army’s advance northwards, our Fifth Army veered eastwards and clashed with Count Verena’s forces in the Cerelia Forest... Count’s reconnaissance corps of a thousand soldiers and one hundred knights was wiped out, and his second son was killed in the operation. ... - Count Verena is one of the First Prince’s men. With the First Prince’s support, the Count brought the matter before the Supreme Court in the capital, and His Majesty the Emperor himself intervened to pass judgement."
Everyone looked towards Duke second son— Lucien who stood with a sullen expression and his head bowed, so I followed their gaze and looked at him.
Even if I am a loner and the outcast son who knows nothing, that does not mean I am a fool who understands nothing.
It seems that the commander of the Fifth Army was my foolish brother Lucien, and for some reason he entered the Cerelia Forest and clashed with allied forces, slaughtering them whilst boasting of his black dragon to such an extent that no one could deny the Duchy’s involvement or evade responsibility.
And now that all eyes were upon him, he knelt before the Duke and spoke in a stern tone, explaining what had happened that day, adhering to protocol so that everyone might understand how he had committed such folly
"I apologise, my lord, for my grave wrong. On the seventh of decimus, I, Lucien Askelund, under the orders of General of Third Army- Aries Askelund, I led the second Brigade of the fourth Division-Ninth Corps . through the Cerelia Forest to flank the Alban Mountains in order to hunt down the Mountain Tyrant and relieve the pressure on the Fourth and First Brigade and Third Brigade of the fourth Division-Ninth Corps. but as we passed the seventh base of the Northern Army’s march route in the Cerelia Forest on the riverbank, we were ambushed by unknown forces. We engaged them and killed most of them, but we did not wipe them out; the survivors suddenly committed suicide as they faced defeat."
It seems we have fallen into a political trap rather than committing a foolish military blunder...
and it seems we were slow to respond, which has left our ducal house open to blame, and we have already been judged as the aggressors. This is particularly so because, although the Cerelia Forest is a transit area for our army, as Count Verena’s estate lies directly in front of it, their presence cannot be questioned, for clearing the forest from monsters is Count Verena’s duty, and he has every justification for sending patrols into the forest area.
Well, despite it being a clear trap, the Duchy lost in the Supreme Court for one reason:
Count Verena is a vassal of Duke Estella, who was the current Emperor’s main supporter in his ascent to the throne. Naturally, the Emperor will prioritise Duke Estella’s interests over those of the Duchy of Askelund in any conflict. Furthermore, Count Verena, a follower of Duke Estella, is one of the First Prince’s close associates
and the First Prince is Emperor’s favourite son, whilst the Duchy of Askelund supported the Second Prince because the Second Prince’s mother is the daughter of Marquis of Gaius, one of Askelund’s followers.
Thanks to the full support of Askelund, the second prince become the Crown Prince, whilst the first prince lost the battle for the Crown and was humiliated. freewebnoveℓ.com
In short, the current Emperor was not on good terms with Askelund, so the result was that the Emperor blatantly ignored Askelund, despite the fact that thousands of imperial soldiers and hundreds of knights had died simply because of the will of the one who set this trap, who was either Duke Estella or the First Prince.
The Duke, who appeared to have been fully aware of the events of this dramatic tale, did not even comment on the matter and said nothing
Instead, he looked at his foolish son with pity and continued, citing the ruling of the Supreme Court
"The court has ruled that a thousand soldiers, a hundred knights, and one of the direct bloodline descendants of Askelund are to be sent on an exploratory expedition to the Black Snow City of Vhaldr and resume the north-western campaign, which has been suspended for some three decades following the catastrophe that befell the north-western lands." "
Well... the north-western campaign was halted for a reason
Simply put, following the great disaster that befell the north-west beyond the frozen sea, no matter what the Empire did or what kind of armies it sent, none ever returned after passing through the gates of Vhaldr City ; indeed, no one knows their fate.
Quite simply, the Court ruled against the Duchy of Askelund, sentencing a thousand of its soldiers and one hundred knights, and one of the Duke’s sons, to death.
But instead of staging a bloody spectacle in the execution square, The Emperor ordered them to be sent to die far from the eyes, in an unknown manner
No one spoke for a moment, but I couldn’t take my eyes off my brother Lucien, kneeling before the Duke, his body trembling with rage and frustration... or perhaps just fear?
I don’t know, for I cannot see his face, only his clenched fist on the ground, bleeding, whilst his body shakes pitifully
But it seems he has finally mustered his courage. Well, considering that all this chaos happened because of him and his carelessness, it seems he has decided to take responsibility.
"Your Grace... I am ready to..."
"I will go..."
Like a heroic outcast, I’ve decided to stick my nose into matters that are none of my business.
I mean, why would I miss such an opportunity for adventure and to escape this terrifying palace?
Also, according to folk tales, didn’t the duke found the duchess on the frozen North Sea three decades ago? Who knows, perhaps I’ll find my destined love there too, just like the duke...
Or who knows, perhaps my mother is a legendary figure and the north-west region was prepared for our little Evelyne to flee there later, after our ducal home collapses, to take refuge and inherit whatever legacy our mother left there, and grow into a strong figure to avenge us
Wait a moment, why does it seem more logical the more I think about it?
Also, for a beautiful woman like my mum, it’s impossible for her to be commoner as she claimed. Look, I’m not racist, but to produce beauty like my mother’s, ordinary people simply don’t have that opportunity.
Because to produce such beauty, you have to be beautiful yourself, and if you’re beautiful, believe me, the nobility will snap you up before you know it, without caring whether you’re a peasant or even a mythical ape. freewebnøvel.coɱ
Look at her daughters; even her daughters have inherited only half her beauty. Well, Evelyne has inherited more than half, but she is still somewhat lacking compared to our mother.
So I’ve decided: I’ll go there, whatever the cost.
