Chapter 71: Ceremony of Triumphant Return (4)

“Ohh I see…”

Milton awkwardly laughed. It was somewhat embarrassing, but at the same time, he was grateful for Kerber who was sincerely happy to see him. 

‘We’re not comrades, but enemies now… but still, he’s a really great guy.’

Since they’ve unexpectedly met after such a long time, Milton decided to spend some time with him and catch up. They sat facing each other while drinking hot tea in a nearby barrack. 

“Whoooo… this is pretty great. All of a sudden, I’m remembering the cold air of the Grey Mountains.

Milton gave him a broad smile.

“Wasn’t it better to drink alcohol than tea to warm up in the Grey Mountains?”

“Ohhh… So you do know things. Do you have anything good?”

“Wait a bit.”

Soon, Rick carefully entered the barracks where the two of them were waiting. 

“My Lord, here is the item you ordered me to bring.”

“Thank you.”

Milton smiled as he took the item from Rick.

“This here is a ‘50 Vallon Walker.”

“Huh? By Vallon Walker, you mean…”

“Yeup, exactly, that Vallon Walker.”

Vallon Walker was considered the king of brandy. Aged through a special process, its scent was so fascinating that brandy lovers would enthusiastically cheer if it was offered. Moreover, the price of a ‘50 Vallon Walker was out of the world.

“No way. Did you really buy that expensive bottle of alcohol yourself?”

“No, I got it as a gift.”

As Milton had emerged as a person of influence, countless nobles had been showering him with gifts. And one of them had sent Milton something that he had been treasuring for a very long time. But unfortunately, Milton had already forgotten the name of that nobleman.

“After I got it, I’ve been debating when I should open it. But there’s no better excuse to open it than a reunion with a comrade.”

And with that, Milton uncorked the bottle.

Pop!

The bottle had just been uncorked, but the rich and sweet scent was already stimulating the two of them. 

“Hooo… this is really….”

“To be honest, this is my first time, so I’m really looking forward to it.”

Filled with anticipation, they poured the Vallon Walker into transparent glasses. The smooth amber color seemed to have come from melted jewels. 

“For the reunion of comrades…”

“And for this excellent alcohol…”

The two lightly clinked their glasses and took a small sip. And the very moment they swallowed…

“Wooow…”

“Wooaahh…”

Praise just poured out of their mouths.

It’s said that when expectations are too high, you may be greatly disappointed instead once you experience it, but…

This alcohol, this king of all brandy, didn’t betray their expectations. Enchanting scent, subtle sweetness, and that smooth burn as it goes down. All of that was perfectly in harmony…

“There’s no need for words.”

“I agree. I have no words for this.”

It was exactly as they said. It was surprising that a single sip could enchant a person like this. As the atmosphere relaxed as they continued to drink, Milton spoke.

“I never thought I would see Sir Francis here.”

“Hahahaha… that’s just life, isn't it? Something unexpected always happens.”

“That’s true. But, Sir Francis. If you don’t mind my asking, would it be alright to ask you a couple questions?”

“Of course. What difficulties and troublesome matters could there be between the two of us?”

“That’s um… I told my superiors that it was all a misunderstanding, but they wouldn’t believe me.”

Pretending to be reluctant, Milton began to talk in a low voice. 

“Is there any chance that this army will attack us?

Kerber’s face turned serious.

“You’re saying that, there’s such a serious misunderstanding?”

“No, well… It’s just a bit of anxiety. As you know, we’ve been through a rough civil war recently, and there’s those damn Republican bastards stationed up in the North.”

“Hm…”

‘The best way to build a connection is to create a common enemy.’

Fundamentally, the people of Strabus Kingdom hated Republicanism. That’s why Milton was subtly appealing to Kerber’s subconscious by cursing out the Northern Republic; Milton was implanting the idea that they were ‘on the same side.’

“Things are a bit difficult right now, so the people are anxious.”

“I see… that does seem understandable.”

Innately good natured, Kerber nodded in agreement.

Then, he quickly looked around before whispering to Milton.

“To the best of my knowledge, there’s no such intention.”

“You truly mean that?”  

“Yes. As far as I know, the Lester Kingdom requested reinforcements after being invaded by the Republic. We were told that we came here to get rid of the Republicans.”

“Ah… I see.”

“Well, since it’s a matter between nations, I’m sure the higher ups will try to profit during the negotiations. But I don’t think there’s any kind of intention to conquer the Lester Kingdom.”

According to Kerber’s words, Strabus Kingdom really came to do what they said; there were no hidden intentions. But there was something that didn’t sit right.

“But aren't there too many men for just reinforcements? Strabus Kingdom also recently went through a big war, but to send 50,000 men? And Master Duke Brans also came.”

Crossing his arms, Milton tilted his head as though he couldn’t understand it. 

“Isn’t this a little too much power?”

“……”

“This is why it’s not unreasonable for our nobles to feel anxious.”

When Milton responded like this, Kerber hesitated, then spoke with great difficulty. 

“Since you’re not a stranger, and we’re comrades who fought together, I’ll trust you and tell you the truth.”

“Please, continue.”

Feeling that this was the true reason, Milton focused on Kerber and out of his mouth came one name.

“Have you ever heard of the name Siegfried?”

“Siegfried? That name… Oh!”

At first, Milton didn’t recognize it. Then, he recalled a memory. While he had been leading the Southern Army to fight against the Second Prince’s rebels, the Republic had tried to violently attack the Capital. Ultimately, the attempt failed because Princess Leila had already thought of the possibility and had ordered Duke Palan to stand by just in case.

‘Undoubtedly, the commander who was leading the Republican Army at that time was called Siegfried.’

Having recalled the memory, Milton turned towards Kerber.

“I remember. That’s the name of the one who led the Hildes Republican Army and invaded our country.”

“Sure enough, he’s here. That damn bastard…”

Usually gentle and polite, Kerber ground his teeth while exuding a murderous vibe. 

Seeing Kerber so unlike himself, Milton questioned him.

“Did something happen?”

“Whew… where to do I start explaining. Well, you might have already heard this, Sir Forrest. I’m talking about how Strabus Kingdom failed in our great offensive attempt. 

“Ah, yes. Well…”

Of course Milton knew about this. He had heard about the Strabus Kingdom’s failed attempt to attack the Hildes Republic. Although they had mobilized 70,000 troops, they had still failed without any achievements or results. In fact, the only reason the Strabus Kingdom had been able to make such an attempt was because Milton had secured Pratinos, a supply city, in the Grey Mountains. So it wasn’t something Milton could be indifferent about and had observed with great interest. 

“It’s said that the Strabus Kingdom pulled back from the front line and concentrated their forces as much as possible and managed to survive. And from what I know, your attempt failed because the Hanovirtue Republic and Kobrook Republic joined and attacked together.”

“So you do know what happened. That’s the information given to the outsiders, but…”

“Is there something else?”

Kerber let out a sigh as he talked about his personal experience. He was someone who had been sent to the frontline of that war. 

“Because we chased the enemy in too deeply as they retreated, our supply lines got longer. And from the Grey Mountains that we thought were secure, Hildes Republic’s mountain forces ate away at our supply lines.”

“Hm…”

“With our supply lines cut, the 70,000 men became something that dragged us down instead. So, we had to get our supplies locally.

“……”

During a war,  especially when an army has entered enemy territory, getting supplies locally basically meant looting. Although Kerber was a knight who took chivalry seriously, he could not go against the orders of his superiors on the battlefield. But when Kerber and his men searched out a village to loot, the only thing they found were ruins. 

“You mean they destroyed the whole village themselves?”

“Yes. They thoroughly destroyed their own village. They all evacuated so that not a single person would be left behind. On their way out, they poisoned their wells and burnt all the wheat fields they couldn’t harvest. 

“That thoroughly?”

“Yes, they were determined.”

With their supply lines cut, the military situation gradually got worse. And during this time, they got news that Hanovirtue Republic and Kobrook Republic had allied with each other to invade their homeland. The soldiers became agitated as they worried about their hometown. And while the commanders tried their best to bolster them, the soldiers’ morale fell to the ground. Just as the commanders felt that it was impossible to continue to fight, they were ordered to return. But retreating wasn’t an easy process.

“Truly… it was like hell trying to retreat.”

Kerber ground his teeth as though he was fed up just remembering that moment.

“They persistently pursued us as we were retreating. More than half of Hildes Republic’s land is mountainous. They took advantage of the topography to constantly ambush us. It was like a living nightmare. 

Kerber still remembered. The soldiers who wanted to be killed instead of being constantly scared of when the mountain troops’ attacks the moment night fell. With the possibility of an ambush at any moment in time, there hadn’t been even one second of rest.  

“In the end, less than 20,000 of the original 70,000 men returned. It was a complete defeat.”

“I see.”

“We recently got intelligence on the man who commanded the entire Hildes Republic Army at the time and put us through that hell.”

“You’re saying that was Siegfried?”

“Yes. Not only that, but it’s said that it was his plan to unite Hanovirture Republic and Kobrook Republic to form an alliance. 

“……”

Milton’s face turned serious. If all this was true, then it was extraordinary news. 

“In my country, Siegfried has been placed on the most dangerous person list. That is one of the reasons that Duke Brans and 50,000 men were sent to this war.”

“You mean they’re all here to catch the man named Siegfried?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Milton began to think with Kerber’s words in mind. 

‘Siegfried…’

Siegfried was a person that the Strabus Kingdom, evaluated as the continent’s second most powerful country, viewed as dangerous.  It was at this moment that Siegfried was branded into Milton’s brain.