Chapter 212

Chapter 212: Knight of the Commoners

The Territory of Duke Urey lived a night of mourning, so profound that the joyous news of the lord’s return paled in comparison.
In households with able-bodied men who had children, the lament of women who would lose their husbands resonated.
There were soldiers who tried to desert with their families, but they only served as an example.
After all, they were not the only ones marching toward death leaving wretched families behind.
Duke Urey’s room was silent.
He no longer had a wife to mourn his departure, nor a son to avenge his father in a new land.
One might think that having nothing would bring him peace of mind, but his heart weighed heavier than anyone’s.
Was he dragging innocent people into this? Was there another way out that his limited vision failed to see? Over and over again, these questions assailed him.
But what would be the point of that?
The die was already cast.
Duke Urey checked his equipment over and over again, emptying his mind.
Knock, knock—.
“Come in.”
Thinking it was the duty officer coming to report the roll call, he let them in, but, to his surprise, the one who entered was William.
Duke Urey asked with a cynical tone.
“Why have you come here?”
He tightly gripped the scabbard at his waist, and then knelt.
“…Your Grace.”
“Who is Your Grace? I don’t have time to hear that from someone like you, so get out of here.”
“I will also participate in the war.”
“You insulted the man who would be your lord, and now you play at being a knight?”
“I was a fool. I thought only Your Grace the Duke’s judgment was clouded, leading you to foolish decisions. But the one with narrow vision and shallow thoughts was me.”
“We are going to throw away the lives of countless soldiers. Where could there be a more foolish act than this?”
“Then, please, grant me permission. Among so many lives, what difference would it make if mine were added?”
“…..”
“I was also someone who served in the Duchy of Urey. So allow me to die honorably here as well…”
“William.”
Duke Urey interrupted his words.
“Yes.”
“I am going to die as the Duke of Urey. And the knights die as the Duke’s knights.”
“…..”
“You betrayed your lord to save a few dozen commoners. That is your conviction. Will you betray that conviction?”
“What difference does it make if a traitor betrays once more?”
“William.”
William was left speechless.
The contempt he had exhaled during their last conversation could no longer be perceived.
“You came here like this… because you heard the story you shared with Regent Ferda. Isn’t that so?”
“That’s right.”
“What did he say?”
“He asked me to take care of the elderly, the children, and the women who would become refugees. Regent Ferda promised to take them to his territory.”
“True. He made such a promise.”
Duke Urey spoke with a bitter expression.
“Beneath this castle there are children, women, and the elderly. If they fall into the hands of an enemy nation, they will become slaves or toys; if they fall into the hands of demons, they will become fodder for monsters or Sigmund’s puppets.”
“…..”
“Regent Ferda may be a damn liar under the heavens… but I do not believe he is a shameless person who knows nothing of noble honor. He will surely keep his promise. But he has no reason to take responsibility for tens of thousands of refugees.”
Duke Urey placed his hand on William’s shoulder.
“If we all die, someone needs to take responsibility for them.”
That hand was immensely heavy.
It contained the weight of the lives he had taken responsibility for until now.
“And the only one in this castle who has led refugees is you.”
“Your Grace the Duke…”
“I lived as a subject of the Heinckel Kingdom, as lord of the Duchy of Urey, so I will go find a death befitting that. You have become the Knight of the Commoners, so live for the commoners and die for the commoners.”
William could no longer insist.
Duke Urey’s responsibility now rested on his shoulders.
William bowed his head and remained motionless in that spot.
“William.”
“Yes.”
“Do me a small favor.”
“Speak.”
“There is no one left to continue the lineage of the Urey family. The Heinckel Kingdom will also disappear, so it will vanish forever without leaving a trace in history.”
Disappearing from history was the most humiliating thing for a noble.
“So take this with you.”
Duke Urey placed the items he had organized in front of William.
A sword and a box.
“This sword has been passed down in the family for generations. As it is a ceremonial piece, it has no practical use, so don’t think about fighting with it.”
“Yes…”
“Inside are the family heirloom and the genealogy passed down through the generations.”
“…Yes.”
“You can sell the heirloom. It won’t be worth much… but if there is an urgent matter, sell it. But keep the genealogy until the end. As the last witness of the Urey family. Can you do that?”
“I will obey your order.”
William bowed his head again, grasping the items he had received.
Urey left William and turned his gaze toward the window.
Nothing but total darkness was visible.
“The place in the Valdrova Territory was called Hestia Village?”
“…Yes.”
“Is it a livable place? I have never been there, so I wouldn’t know.”
“It is a newly established village, so there are still many things to adjust, but the people are good, so there were no problems.”
“Is food well produced?”
“It is well produced. Regent Ferda and Administrator Isabella pay close attention to the refugees.”
“Good. At least they won’t go hungry.”
Duke Urey smiled bitterly.
When dawn broke, two groups left the castle.
One headed to the capital of the Heinckel Kingdom, the other to Hestia Village.
While they watched someone’s father, someone’s husband, someone’s son disappear in the distance, the sad echoes of farewell resonated once more.
At the head of the procession heading to Hestia Village was Ferda.
He hoped they could go without incident, but before the laments had ceased, a crisis arrived.
“Regent-nim.”
Jed, who should have been scouting, returned and called Ferda.
“An army is approaching on the road we must take. What shall we do?”
“Whose army is it?”
“It seems to be King Hudret’s army.”
Ferda was still in the territory of Duke Urey.
It was a clear case of illegal intrusion.
But what could they do about the intrusion?
Duke Urey, who would hold them accountable for that crime, was already heading toward death.
“How about we take a detour?”
William asked, and Ferda shook his head.
“They are not blind either. With over ten thousand people, they have probably already caught our movements.”
If they can’t avoid it, they must face it.
“We continue on our way. That’s all.”
Shortly after, as expected, they encountered King Hudret’s army.
The army spread out widely as if they had been waiting for Ferda, flaunting their numbers.
King Hudret’s herald rode closer on horseback and spoke.
“You who present yourselves before the King! This proclamation is from Eugene Hudret of the Hudret Kingdom himself. If you lack the qualifications, kneel!”
“Aspect of the Great Fire, betrothed of Valdrova-nim, Ferda Valdrova. I believe that is reason enough not to kneel, don’t you think?”
The herald, who had arrived with such audacity, turned his horse around, speechless.
Shortly after, a man on a white horse returned there with his royal guard.
Judging by the crown, that man was undoubtedly Eugene Hudret.
“I didn’t realize it was such a noble person; my herald committed a discourtesy. Why didn’t you bring at least the Empire’s flag?”
“It was an urgent matter, so I couldn’t prepare it, King Hudret.”
“Urgent, indeed. Look at him, transporting all those jewels.”
King Hudret smiled, glancing at the group of refugees.
There were commoners with filth dripping off them, but also young ladies and noble wives.
“Did you know? The best way to raise the morale of the soldiers is to grant them women. Among them, noble descendants are the cream of the crop.”
“These are civilians of the Duchy of Urey.”
“Don’t you know that Duke Urey owes me a debt?”
“I am aware.”
“It seems I should collect that debt, shouldn’t I?”
“You say that, but you already told me beforehand. You said you would leave the duchy’s castle intact and settle the debt with that.”
“An intact castle? That’s not bad either, but…”
King Hudret stroked his chin and spoke.
“What good is land alone? If there are no slaves to cultivate it and work there, it is all in vain.”
He seemed determined to take some of the captives no matter what.
“I have a duty to protect and escort these people.”
“And we have a duty to collect the debt recognized by the Grand Council.”
“Unfortunately, these people cannot become a debt.”
“You are being unreasonable, Regent Ferda. I would like to believe you are not acting arrogantly just because you trust your fiancée too much.”
“It’s not unreasonableness. These are the families left behind by those who departed to fight the demons.”
“Demons… you say?”
King Hudret frowned as if it were strange.
“The fact that the Heinckel Kingdom was occupied by demons… you would know that better than anyone, wouldn’t you?”
“That is what is known in the world. Someone of your caliber wouldn’t naively believe in such psychological warfare… so there really are demons, huh?”
King Hudret made a face as if he had a headache.
If it was a war with demons, even with documents from the Grand Council, he couldn’t easily touch their families.
That was the treatment for heroic spirits.
“Then… is there no room for negotiation?”
“His Majesty of the Hudret Kingdom seems to have trouble hearing, so let me be perfectly clear.”
Ferda’s eyes shone fiercely.
Within his cold expression, a giant beast seemed to lurk.
Those who saw his expression reflexively reached for their scabbards.
“These are the families of heroic spirits who mobilized to fight against the demons, the enemy of this continent. If you want to touch them, you will have to step over my dead body.”
They watched the two with bated breath, wondering if something would happen at any moment.
“Hahaha! Duke Urey used his head well. He acted so emotionally at our provocation that I thought he was stupid.”
He raised his hands as if surrendering.
“Take them all. I don’t want the kingdom to be cursed for touching the families of heroic spirits. I will simply take the castle that Duke-nim left behind.”
“Thank you for your words.”
“We are not without shame either. Let’s see.”
King Hudret pointed to his aide, signaling him to approach.
He gave some instructions, and the aide went to the wagons in the back and brought three.
“I will leave three supply wagons. I brought many for a siege, but they became useless, so think of this as a settlement.”
Three wagons…
It was terribly insufficient as a settlement, but in such a large procession, there was no room to be picky.
Ferda silently accepted King Hudret’s favor.
“The road ahead will not be easy either. If you wish, I will attach some escort soldiers.”
“That will not be necessary.”
“True, I figured.”
King Hudret ordered the commanders behind him.
“Let’s mobilize quickly! Before those cunning bastards of the Empire take the castle, we will occupy it first!”
King Hudret’s grand army spurred on, leaving the refugees behind.
Ferda’s procession also began to move again.
Ferda looked at William.
He couldn’t take his eyes off King Hudret’s procession.
Regret and resentment mingled in his expression.
“Don’t dwell on that. Even if you had been there, it was a castle that couldn’t be protected anyway.”
“…I’m sorry.”
William turned his head and looked down at the ground.
He thought about closing his eyes, but then more thoughts would come to him, so he simply endlessly stared at the place where the horses’ hooves would step.
Thus, William thought and thought.
But no matter how much he thought, no answers emerged.
“Regent-nim.”
“Why?”
“Do you… still believe I have the qualifications of a knight?”
“There is a saying: even with qualifications, there are things a knight cannot do; even without qualifications, there are things a knight must do. Do you know what that means?”
“It means a position is not something one simply assumes out of convenience.”
The current William… it was something truly fitting to say to himself.
To assume responsibility now? It was a shameful thing to do.
To William, who must have been thinking that, he added one more thing.
“You were a knight from the beginning.”
Whether he wanted to be or not, that was what a knight was.