TOPWL 215

Yudit gazed silently at the walls that had collapsed in ruin. Even the most sturdy fortifications could not withstand the force of nature. How anxiously he had waited for this day. It was a relief that everything had unfolded as intended. Darion approached him.

“All the captured soldiers have been rescued.”

“What about casualties?”

“Eight injured from torture, no fatalities.”

Only after hearing this report did Yudit breathe a sigh of relief.

“Well done.”

Darion bowed his head at his words. He had excelled at the most difficult task: rescuing the prisoners. That alone made him feel he had done right to spare his life that day.

After uncovering Markel as a spy, Yudit prioritized exploiting him over capturing him. His first tactic was to turn the tables on the strategy proposed in the meeting.

Markel had cunningly elevated Darion to bring his own plan to the surface, but Yudit had intended to adopt his strategy from the start. Swapping the ballot box midway to adopt Markel’s plan, Yudit sent the prisoners away with a heavy heart. Most were knights of the Duke’s order, men who knew they faced capture, death, or torture.

Though alternatives existed, sending them away became an unavoidable sacrifice once he learned of communication between Lord Saintra and Markel. Though he sent them with several safeguards, the prisoners’ lives remained precarious, liable to vanish at any moment if things went awry. That moment of sending them away proved the most agonizing part of Yudit’s plan. Perhaps sensing his anguish, they departed with smiles on their faces.

Afterward, taking advantage of the gaps in the canal defenses, they began building an embankment along the riverbank beyond the mountains. The sandbag-reinforced dike functioned admirably as a dam. Simultaneously, they dug a straight channel. Merely tidying the waterway gradually allowed the water to carve its own path, making the task relatively straightforward. The only difficulty was the time-consuming, stealthy nature of the work, undertaken with utmost caution to avoid detection. It wasn’t enough to merely pretend to await the captured soldiers; Yudit had to fake his own death.

Since Markel was the one who poisoned him, he harbored not a shred of doubt about Yudit’s demise. This allowed everything to proceed smoothly. Even meeting Darion, who awaited his own death.

Noban was tasked with carrying out his execution. The moment Darion saw him, his throat tightened. It felt like he had betrayed the only person who had ever trusted him. As Noban stared at Darion and bit his lip, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepened. Darion felt compelled to tell Norban everything honestly.

‘I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but it wasn’t me. The spy is Markel.’

‘Begging for your life?’

‘No. Even if deceived, my complicity in the commander’s death remains unchanged. I will pay for that sin with my life. But I fear others may be endangered. Please be wary of him.’

‘Nothing more to say?’

‘…I’m sorry.’

A frown creased Noban’s brow at the sincere apology. Darion adjusted the fabric around his neck to make it easier to strike, then closed his eyes. Sssshhh. The sound of Noban drawing his blade echoed. Darion kept his eyes shut, awaiting the approaching edge.

Squeak.

“……?”

He distinctly heard something being cut, yet felt no pain. Several seconds passed before Darion opened his eyes. His hair lay scattered across the floor.

‘If you had the chance to atone to the Commander while still alive, would you do it?’

‘Yes…?’

‘It might be a path so agonizing and painful that dying here now would be preferable. You might spend your entire life living in the shadows, never able to lead an ordinary existence. Even so, would you choose that path?”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Darion replied.

“If there is a way to atone to him, I will dedicate even my worthless life to the task.”

Noban, who had been staring intently at Darion, let out a long sigh. He tossed a robe before Darion and said.

“Follow me.”

Draped in the robe, Darion headed toward the lord’s chambers. He expected to see Yudit’s corpse, but instead, he was confronted by Yudit himself, alive.

“How…?”

Darion murmured, his expression dazed. Yudit, reading a book by the thickly curtained window, offered a smile.

“Long time no see.”

There, Darion learned the whole truth. He realized his own foolishness, but felt a surge of respect for Yudit. He had thought he could follow him for life simply out of a desire to atone, but following him out of respect was another matter entirely. Darion resolved to dedicate everything he had to Yudit.

The very first mission entrusted to such a Darion was to rescue prisoners. Darion successfully completed that mission.

“Is there something you want to say?”

Yudit asked, noticing Darion lingering around him. After a moment’s hesitation, Darion spoke.

“Um… What happened to Markel?”

“Are you still thinking about him?”

“No. Not at all. I just asked out of curiosity. Sorry for troubling you.”

Even the usually taciturn Darion blurted out a flurry of words, perhaps flustered. Yudit smiled faintly and replied.

“I locked him up in prison. He’ll live for a while yet. His role as a prisoner still has work to do.”

“…Ah.”

Markel was a spy Reginald had planted. There was much yet to uncover from him.

“I’ll write you a visitation pass. If you’re curious, why not go see him?”

At Yudit’s words, Darion shook his head.

“No. All conversation with Markel is finished. I only asked because, as he was once a friend, I wished to see him off myself if possible.”

At the words “see him off,” Yudit looked at Darion. His gaze held the resolve of one who had already made up his mind.

“Can you bring yourself to take the head of one who was your friend? Don’t push yourself too hard.”

“It’s no strain. I simply believe it’s time to tie up all loose ends and move forward.”

“Very well. I don’t know when his execution date will be, but if the timing is right, I’ll entrust it to you.”

“Thank you for granting this difficult request. And… I’m sorry.”

After concluding the conversation, Darion bowed and withdrew. From afar, someone called out for Yudit.

“Commander. There you are.”

Noban stood before Yudit, panting heavily. Yudit looked at him with pity, as he seemed to have aged drastically these past few days due to the matters involving Darion and Markel.

“I was just having a conversation. What’s the matter?”

Noban seemed delighted as he thrust something toward Yudit. It was a flag bearing the symbol of the Empire.

“You must raise the flag atop the tower. You didn’t do it at Breda Castle, did you?”

After the storm of war swept through, the morale of Saintra Castle was shattered. Facing the Empire’s relentless assault, they declared defeat within half a day.

Hoisting the flag atop the highest tower after conquering a domain was traditionally the commander’s duty. Last time, Yudit had fainted from poison, so Noban had taken on the task instead.

Yudit received the flag from Noban. The pole, towering well above an adult man’s height, felt heavier than expected. As Yudit advanced bearing the flag, soldiers scrambled to clear a path. Allied casualties in this battle had been minimal. Thanks to this, every soldier’s face beamed with joy. Applause erupted spontaneously as someone looked at Yudit and began clapping. As he advanced bearing the flag, Yudit realized anew the significance of this act.

Like a procession, soldiers fell into step behind him. He felt as if he had become the Pied Piper. The flag, which had felt heavy, now seemed lightened by the encouragement and cheers.

Climbing the tower, Yudit planted the flag in its designated spot. Once more, applause and whistles resounded loudly. Yudit waved to the crowd as he looked out at them. The people gazed back at him, their cheers rising endlessly. By then, the rain clouds had retreated from the sky, and sunlight streamed down. The rays piercing beneath the clouds softly illuminated the puddles scattered across the estate.