Chapter 35

“Kyuu…”

The woman let out a strange little cry and collapsed forward. In the corridor of the royal capital’s castle—completely deserted—papers she had been holding scattered everywhere.

I stood there, stunned, unable to make sense of the situation. The next thing I did was grip my sword tightly.

“…An ambush?”

It’s not like I attacked her or anything. At most, I just glared at her a bit.

So then why did she suddenly faint? Could this be a surprise attack from the Demon Lord’s army that infiltrated the castle? Or maybe it’s an assassination attempt by someone who holds a grudge against her.

Either way, I needed to stay on alert. That’s what I decided.

“…”

Sharpening my senses, I scanned the surroundings for any signs of life. Just in case it was a zombie-type enemy with no presence, I carefully checked in every direction.

“…No one’s around… right?”

Sure enough, I didn’t sense anyone nearby. All the soldiers should’ve been dispatched to deal with the aftermath of the outside attack. Aside from Mino here, I felt no other human presence.

…Then why did this woman suddenly collapse?

“…Hey, General Mino.”

“Kyuu.”

Still on guard, I called out to her. But as before, she was completely passed out. …So, what should I do with her?

Right now, I could kill her and no one would ever know.

But judging by how things looked during the day, if this woman dies, the royal capital might seriously be in trouble. Even Emma said, “She’s vicious, but someone the capital can’t do without.”

And besides, I’m not exactly comfortable with the idea of killing someone—even if they’re a bad person.

…In that case, maybe I should do her a favor. I don’t know if this woman’s even capable of feeling things like gratitude or conscience, but the least I could do is carry her somewhere she can rest.

Gathering up her scattered documents, I picked up the unconscious Mino and started walking. I remembered there was a medic room for soldiers near the training grounds—I figured I’d borrow a bed there.

With the light weight of Mino slung across my back and the haphazard bundle of documents dragging along beside me, I made my way forward.

---

──── When was it again?

Before her stood a heavily armed force. They were a miserable band of conscripts, driven by the ambition of a neighboring king. And this—this was their pitiful end.

“There’s no need to take such measures. The volunteer corps under General Penny is exceptionally strong—their discipline and morale are unmatched. …We should hold the line here with just our forces.”

The young official bowed her head deeply, almost in plea, to the silent old man seated on the throne set within the command tent.

“We must not pull back our troops.”

She could see it clearly: the path to victory, and the most effective formation to achieve it.

A month had passed since the kingdom’s army left the capital to intercept the invading force. The tide of war was already turning in their favor.

Mino, who had risen to the rank of grand general not through strength but through sheer intellect, was in her element. Her brilliant strategies were leading the kingdom toward a decisive victory.

“Indeed, it does seem our victory is all but certain.”

The invading enemy had already been split apart by her tactics, their supply lines severed. All that remained was to crush them one by one before they could regroup.

There was no way the enemy could turn things around now.

Naturally, no sane commander would order an attack in this situation. They would be desperate to retreat and return to their homeland.

“That’s why there’s no need for soldiers to remain at the main camp.”

So even with a massive enemy force looming before her, Mino stationed only a minimum number of troops at headquarters. It was all a ruse—to make it look like the command post was well-defended while diverting soldiers to block the enemy’s escape routes.

“Please trust me. Have faith, Your Majesty. We’ve already won. We must not pull back our troops—not if we want to prevent the fleeing enemy from pillaging the villages in their retreat.”

“But what if the enemy loses their minds and launches a surprise attack on our headquarters?”

“I doubt that would ever happen. From their perspective, it would be suicide. …Please understand—if we thoroughly crush the enemy here and now, our kingdom could enjoy a century of peace. But if we let them escape, they’ll regroup and invade again within ten years.”

“Fool! Don’t downplay the threat before your eyes just because you're dreaming of the next hundred years! Even if we’ve cut off their retreat, the enemy is still right in front of us.”

“That’s precisely why, given their current state, it’s impossible they would launch an assault on our headquarters.”

“Are you absolutely certain? Not even one in a thousand—one in a billion?”

Of course not, Mino scoffed inwardly at the king’s ignorance. What kind of commander, out of supplies and with no escape route, would still choose to go on the offensive?

Even in defeat, a general’s duty is to protect the remaining troops and retreat safely. And just in case, Mino had deliberately left a few gaps in their encirclement—small exits through which the enemy could flee.

They would definitely try to escape that way. Then, all she’d have to do is ambush them and wipe them out.

“So no matter what, you’re saying that could never happen?”

────But even then, Mino couldn’t confidently answer “never” to the king’s question.

She knew. No matter how airtight a strategy seemed, there was always a flaw somewhere. Even as she was nearly certain her plan would succeed, the thought crept into her mind—What if the enemy has a strategist smarter than me?

She never let herself grow arrogant. She acknowledged and feared the existence of someone more brilliant. That’s why she couldn’t answer the king’s question right away.

“Recall the troops stationed at the frontier. The main camp, where I am, must be the most heavily guarded.”

“Forgive me, Your Majesty, but that would mean abandoning the frontier villages. It’s obvious the defeated enemy soldiers will plunder those settlements as they flee.”

“But you admitted it yourself—there’s still a chance, however small. I understand your plan, but making the command center the weakest point is madness.”

“Please trust me. We will win. No—we’ve already won.”

“No. I will not allow it.”

Even if the battle was nearly won, there was always a risk. And since Mino admitted that, the king made his decision.

“Recall the deployed troops. Fortify the headquarters. …Our villagers are brave. They can handle a few scattered enemy soldiers on their own.”

“Is it not a king’s duty to protect his people?”

“Silence!! Foolish girl!”

Mino pleaded with all her heart. The battle was as good as won. All that remained was to minimize the damage. But the king, fearing a sliver of risk, was willingly accepting massive losses.

…But in truth, Mino and the king had completely different understandings of what “the people” meant.

“It is not the king’s duty to protect the people—it is the country’s. The king’s duty is to protect the country, and the people’s duty is to protect their king.”

“…”

“Will you disobey your king’s command?”

“…No, Your Majesty. As you wish.”

Mino believed the foundation of a nation was its people. Without them, a king was just another man. She believed a king should be the most noble among the people—one who leads them toward prosperity.

But to this king, the people were merely a shield to protect himself. That was the fundamental rift between them.

“Now go and reorganize the formation. And never again propose such foolish deployments, Mino.”

“…Understood.”

And so the king abandoned the frontier villages.

---

“...Why!?”

Rex, who had earned the title of Sword Saint directly from the king after being recognized as the strongest swordsman, was meant to be appointed into the national army with the highest honors. Yet on the very day of that ceremony, he cornered a single woman.

“Why did you pull the troops back!? Someone as brilliant as you—there’s no way you couldn’t have foreseen the looting by the defeated army!”

“It’s simple, Rex-kun.”

Despite being confronted, the woman showed not the slightest change in her expression. Brushing her pink hair back with her hand, she gave a quiet smile.

“This is what it means to govern a country.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean!?”

“It's a problem when people build settlements way out in the sticks. They cost extra to defend and barely bring in any tax revenue.”

The bureaucrat’s face twisted into an ugly grin. Even as she stood before the Sword Saint, a man who had just lost his homeland, her smirk remained.

“Thinning out the weeds—that’s part of my job as a strategist. There’s only so much nourishment in the soil. If we don’t cut off the unnecessary settlements, they’ll just drain us.”

“...You… You abandoned them on purpose.”

“Oh, what a surprise. I had no idea that backwater place was your hometown. If I’d known, I might have valued you more and spared it.”

“My father! My mother! My brothers, my sisters—everyone I cared about—you just threw them away!?”

“Ahaha. That was my biggest mistake this time, wasn’t it? I’m sorry, Rex-kun.”

At her mocking, almost taunting apology, the Sword Saint exploded in rage and drew his blade.

He pointed the massive sword at her chest. Tears spilled from his eyes as he shouted.

“You took everything from me—everything I held dear, all of it—you!!”

“Hm. Wasn’t it the enemy army who slaughtered your family? I merely directed the troops.”

“No!! If it weren’t for you—if you hadn’t been there!!”

“If I hadn’t been there, do you think our country would’ve won so completely? The losses would’ve been far worse—absolutely.”

Tears welled in Rex’s eyes. The woman stared calmly at him, her smile never fading.

“Well, what’s done is done. Let’s get along now, Rex-kun. We’re going to be colleagues, after all.”

“Don’t… mess with me…”

“Now that you’ll be serving as a Grand General, our national defense will be more solid than ever. I’m counting on you.”

“DON’T MESS WITH MEEEEEEE!!!!”

And so, Rex rejected his commission into the national army. He abandoned the prestigious rank of Grand General and chose instead the path of an adventurer.

From that day forward, he wandered in search of companions, trying to fill the hollow emptiness carved into him.

“…This is fine.”

And elsewhere, watching Rex leave the castle with a grim expression, a woman looked on with quiet sorrow.

“I can’t let him come to hate the king. If Rex-kun were to truly turn his hatred on His Majesty, that would be the end of this nation.”

It was the masterstroke of Mino the schemer.

“If it’s me he resents… If I and the enemy nation are the ones who took his family… then he’ll reject the army, yes—but he’ll still fight for this country as an adventurer.”

A desperate, self-sacrificing plan to keep the strongest swordsman from becoming an enemy of the state.

“If I become the villain in his eyes, then Rex-kun will surely…”

After the war, General Mino’s “viciousness” became infamous throughout the nation. Branded a heartless monster who abandoned civilians for profit, “Mino the Inhuman” came to be despised like a crawling insect by the people who heard the rumors.

---

…

“If it’s me—if only I’m the villain…”

It had been nearly an hour since I laid General Mino down on the bed, but she showed no signs of waking.

Tears clung to the corners of her eyes as she tossed and turned, mumbling in anguish through her dreams.

“...Please, Rex-kun… don’t hate me…”

Her face had gone completely pale, her sleeping form trembling with fear. It was painful to watch—there was no other word for it.

And something about her sleep-talking had been bothering me for a while now. How do I put it… it feels like she’s saying a whole lot of stuff I probably shouldn’t be hearing.

“Uugh… no good, the tax revenue’s still too low… We have to prepare for the Demon Lord’s army, but there’s just not enough funds… I guess I’ll have to trap another noble with a bribe… but if they figure out I’m using the same trick again…”

Most of her mutterings were state secrets or things pretty damn close to them. And judging by her breathing, she was definitely still asleep—this wasn’t some act to mess with me.

Uh… am I gonna be okay hearing all this? I’m not gonna be eliminated later, right?

Maybe I should wake her up now?

“H-Hey…? General Mino?”

“Nooo, don’t give me more work! Just hire one more competent civil servant already! Emma-chan, hurry up and grow up!”

“Uh—General Mino? General Mino!!”

“Someone save me… I’m done with this job… I’m done being the scapegoat…”

“Hey! Wake up!! Mino!!”

Panicked, I gave her shoulder a firm shake and called out.

“…Huh!?”

She jolted, her body twitching, and then slowly opened her eyes wide.

Her gaze locked directly with mine.

“Good morning, General.”

“H-Huh? Why am I…?”

Without even acknowledging my greeting, General Mino stared at me, pale and clearly flustered.

“You were mumbling all sorts of things in your sleep… Sounds like you’ve been under a lot of pressure.”

“A-Ahh. Uwaaaaaaaaah!?”

As it turned out, General Mino had just collapsed from sheer overwork. She’d been carrying way too much on her own.