Chapter 238 - Twisted Love



Three days had passed since Alfonso received an urgent order to go to the battlefield.

Raphael waited at the garrison, but there was no sign of Alfonso's troops returning.

“Your Excellency, today is already the last day of the year.”

The Bocanegro merchant urged Raphael cautiously.

“It took longer than expected to get inland.”

“...”

“If we don’t leave now, it will be difficult to reach Valianti before our trading ships return.”

Bocanegro's trading ships dropped them off at the port of Valianti and went further south to procure supplies from the Moorish Empire.

They had promised to stop at Valianti again on the appointed date on their way back and take Raphael and his party back to Etruscan.

Sir Elko said a word.

“Please go back, Your Excellency.”

While Alfonso's entire force was mobilized, only Sir Elko, who had lost an arm and an eye, remained in the garrison.

At Sir Elko's remark, Raphael looked at Sir Elko with complicated feelings.

Among the Prince's group of friends when they were young, Elko and Raphael were like oil and water.

Elko was six years older, so normally there would have been no reason for them to fight, but Raphael was an aristocrat who couldn't stand sharing a table with commoners, and although he had learned to hide his feelings now, at the time he was a brat who would insist that he was wrong.

Since he was a former playmate of the Prince, no one dared give Raphael a hint.

Sir Alko's temper was also quite severe.

If he had just bowed down to Raphael and complied, things would have passed without a hitch, but Elko, who was older than he was, never used honorifics or treated Raphael with respect.

At that time, he had not even been knighted, so he was a true commoner. Raphael would not have tolerated this.

The two of them growled at each other the whole time.

Raphael, being the man who kept the line, did not gang up on Elko or ask Alfonso to kick Elko out, but he never spoke to Elko, who was extremely rude.

“...”

However, when he saw Sir Elko again after a long time, his spirits were completely dampened.

Elko was the one who held on with only pride in his swordsmanship.

Now he was one-armed and one-eyed, and he had put down the sword he had cherished so much and was holding a pen he was not used to.

Sir Elko naturally used formality and honorifics to Raphael, who was awkward with him due to not having interacted with him for several years.

This made Raphael feel strange too.

“...Is there no telling when His Highness will return?”

“It looks like a chase has broken out.”

At first, the enemy appeared near the garrison and the entire main force came out, but the battle itself ended in a bland manner and the enemy was defeated.

“Among the fleeing group, there is a commander whom His Highness was after.”

Elko added.

“It happened often. Now that the military funds have arrived, you can stop trading in prisoners of war...”

Raphael handed over the gold coins to Sir Elko, and Sir Elko showed a neat and transparent handling of affairs.

After counting the total amount with Raphael and recording it neatly in Alfonso's unit's ledger, he made the necessary external payments.

He looked relieved, having been able to pay off all his outstanding debts.

Raphael thought that Sir Elko was a complete housekeeper, but he felt it would be too disrespectful to say it out loud, so he didn't bother to say it.

Sir Elko continued.

“It is really difficult to find a reliable ship on the Latgalin Peninsula.”

Many pirate ships were sailing towards the Moorish Empire, and even merchant ships would turn into pirate ships when the opportunity to make a lot of money arose.

“That’s why we couldn’t return to our hometown in the beginning.”

For Prince Alfonso, who would be the most valuable hostage in the Central Continent if captured, it was not easy to choose a ship to return home.

Although the Bocanegro Company's ships had the disadvantage of lacking fighting power, they were at least reliable.

If they don't encounter pirates, that is, if they hide the fact that the Prince is on board and return home secretly with a small group, they might be able to return safely.

Raphael, whose thoughts had reached that point, suddenly asked.

“His Highness has no intention of returning now, does he?”

Sir Elko laughed bitterly.

“He won’t go. There are more mouths to feed.”

Now, nearly 200 new faces were joining Alfonso's force.

They were all nobles or knights.

They were people who could not return unless they achieved some visible results in this war.

Young knights who have no land or title to inherit, and who flock to the lower ranks of noble families hoping to achieve fame and fortune by establishing themselves.

“Given the Prince’s personality, he won’t come back unless he can provide something for them.”

“...That’s Alfonso’s answer. That’s an advantage for a monarch.”

Raphael felt a little relieved.

“He is so virtuous. Thanks to him, I feel like I could die.”

A deep sigh escaped the person in charge of the household.

“Anyway, I am relieved that the Marquis brought us military funds. I guess His Highness will now increase the number of personnel.”

“More here?”

“Yes, there were some desirable talents... There were many who he wanted to accept more, but had to be kicked out for financial reasons.”

Elko added.

“That’s why His Highness always fights with Sir Manfredi. Sir Manfredi wanted to accept only the capable ones, but His Highness accepted those who had nowhere to go first.”

“Tsk tsk.”

Raphael clicked his tongue. Even without looking, the situation was picture-perfect.

“If the unit’s capabilities are insufficient and they die in battle, it’s a waste of time. We need to gather the best we can.”

“You must trust me. Prince Alfonso is known around here as the ‘Undefeated Knight.’”

Sir Elko's voice was slightly excited.

“Undefeated knight?”

“He returns from every battle he goes into with distinction. There is no commander like him in the entire Crusades, or even in the Moorish Empire. He always wins the battles he should win, and sometimes he wins the ones he shouldn’t.”

Sir Elko said with excitement.

“There are situations where it is absolutely impossible. In those cases, he can capture the enemy commander.”

“That’s amazing.”

“He doesn’t seem human. When he held a sword, I was proud that he was stronger than anyone else.”

He looked down at his right arm with a slightly dark expression.

“When I look at the Prince these days, it’s funny how absurd that idea was. Even if I had two more arms, I wouldn’t be able to match the Prince’s strength.”

Sir Elko was not a talkative person by nature, but when the topic of Alfonso came up, he couldn't stop talking like a mother proud of her child.

It seemed that Sir Elko's respect and affection for Alfonso had taken over much of his daily life.

Raphael stood up from his seat.

“It’s a shame I won’t be able to see that guy, Manfredi.”

“Are you going back?”

“Go?”

Raphael laughed.

“Since we’re already leaving, it might be better to go straight away. It’s not too late yet, so if we leave after lunch, we’ll be able to go quite far by dinnertime.”

Sir Elko nodded.

“Understood. Do you have any message for the Prince?”

“Ah. I have something to give him.”

Raphael took out a thick envelope from his bosom. It was a letter from Ariadne to Alfonso.

For the past three days, Raphael had been internally berating himself for not being able to convey this to Alfonso right away.

In the end, it was his own selfishness and dishonest behavior to want to steal the letter for fear of losing the love fight.

If asked if he wanted to push Alfonso away and take Ariadne's hand, Raphael could only say yes.

He couldn't just give up without even trying.

But it had to be his choice.

Victory achieved by lying, sowing discord, and stabbing one's friend in the back is but a castle built on sand.

It could have collapsed at any moment. That was Raphael's conclusion over the past few days.

So he was able to readily deliver Ariadne's letter to Alfonso.

“Please pass this on to the Prince.”

“What is this?”

“Knitting tax.”

Sir Elko was asking with his eyes who the letter was from. Raphael answered lightly without thinking too deeply.

No matter what anyone says, the current Sir Elko was Alfonso's closest confidant, the one who had been entrusted with managing the vault while he was away.

“This is a letter from the Prince’s lover. If Alfonso heard that it had arrived, he would run barefoot from the garrison gate to the barracks.”

Raphael felt relieved after delivering the letter.

'I did everything that had to be done.'

He has fought and won against the negative thoughts in his mind. Victory, if it can be achieved, will be won through a head-on confrontation.

Raphael, absorbed in his own thoughts, did not notice the strange gaze in Sir Elko's eyes.

“When you say lover, are you talking about Lady de Mare?”

"Yes."

"Yes."

Sir Elko took the thick envelope and packed it away.

“I will make sure to take good care of it and deliver it to the Prince.”

“Please.”

“What else?”

“Tell this to Alfonso.”

Raphael cleared his throat and said.

“Do your best. I wish you good luck and good health.”

Because Raphael was going to do his best too. It was a little bit of a grudge to wish for 'good luck and health' instead of 'good fortune'.

***

That evening, after confirming that Raphael de Baldessar had left and finishing his day's work, Sir Elko sat in his barracks and opened the envelope Raphael had left behind.

Indeed, it was a letter from Ariadne de Mare. Sir Elko's hands opened the letter without hesitation.

"To A, whom I miss the most in the world."

Sir Elko's one remaining eye narrowed in disapproval. He continued reading the parchment.

The letter contained her deep longing and concern for her lover Alfonso, the reason she had sent 10,000 ducats, and her frustration over the situation in San Carlo and the lack of contact.

“You’re such a fucking woman.”

Sir Elko's hands trembled.

“What if the Prince asks to return home after receiving something like this?”

Sir Elko told Raphael that the idea of ​​'selecting only the best among the applicants' was Sir Manfredi's, but in fact, it was his strongest argument.

Since losing his eyes and right arm, Sir Elko has had only one purpose in life.

Making Prince Alfonso de Carlo the greatest monarch in the Central Continent.

His fame spread throughout the entire Central Continent, no, the entire world including the Moorish Empire, and he became the true King of the Etruscans, creating the Great Etruscan Nation and wiping out the garbage of Gallico.

No, what else would be satisfying about being a King? If he were to become the victor of the holy war that took over Yesak, then becoming Emperor would not be a joke.

Of course, the commander-in-chief, the Grand Duke of Yuldenburg, was the most likely candidate, but in terms of the nobility of blood, no one could compare to Prince Alfonso.

Moreover, Alfonso's specialty was growing by the day.

With these 10,000 ducats, the size of the unit could be increased to something incomparable to what it is now.

It will be possible to go beyond operating like a special force and confidently take the lead or even to demand that the central forces take charge of the left or right wing, even if it is difficult.

“You can’t do as you please. You’re like a devil in disguise.”

He ground his teeth in animosity toward Ariadne.

That woman had already lured Prince Alfonso once, putting him in a desperate situation.

At that time, to save Prince Alfonso, Sir Elko himself sacrificed his left eye and right arm.

Never again, never again will I fall into that trap.

The anger of the opposite sex makes us lose our reason. It is an evil that must be rejected.

Without hesitation, Sir Elko threw Ariadne's letter into the burning brazier in front of the barracks.

Hururuk!

The parchment was instantly engulfed in flames and then turned into a pile of ash.

It swallowed the new food and stared at the flickering flames for a long time.

While Sir Elko was staring intently at the fire in the hearth, a commotion arose at the entrance to the camp.

"Hehehe!"

"Slowly, slowly."

Sir Elko was startled and looked towards the source of the sound. A group of men were approaching in the darkness.

“Hey, how have you been, Elko?”

“We’re back after another blast!”

“Where is the guest?”

The knights of the Prince who had gone on a campaign have returned.

Sir Elko quickly wiped his hands on the cuffs of his trousers to wipe away any soot that might have been from the fire.

“His Highness?”

Sir Elko asked about Alfonso's location.

“He’ll stop by the Commander-in-Chief and come right back.”

Sir Elko's mind was preoccupied. There were still some things he had not yet done.

“I’m going to go inside for a bit...”

“Ah! The Prince is coming! Say hello and go!”

Prince Alfonso, wearing an ash-grey armor with even more armor on it, was walking slowly towards the barracks, his helmet hugging his chest.

“Your Highness, have you finished reporting to the Commander-in-Chief?”

Sir Elko asked with difficulty, trying to suppress a smile.

“It’s getting late. I stopped by the tent and saw that you looked very tired, so I decided to give you some tomorrow morning. Where is Raphael?”

The Prince immediately looked for Raphael. Sir Elko answered calmly.

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. Marquis Raphael went at lunchtime today.”

“Ah...”

Alfonso's expression darkened.

“We didn’t get to talk much...”

Sir Elko hoped Alfonso would give up and turn his attention here, but Alfonso asked again.

“Sir Elko, is there anything Raphael left for me? A letter or something?”

Sir Elko answered without moving an inch.

"No."

Alfonso looked very disappointed.

“I see...”

“He has something to say.”

"What?"

“He wished you good luck and good health, and told you to do your best and come back.”

Alfonso laughed.

“Thank you for your kind words.”

But his expression looked a little empty.

It was certainly welcome news, but it wasn't what he wanted to hear.

Sir Manfredi, who had stopped by the commander-in-chief's barracks, intervened.

“Sir Elko, where is the letter from the Prince? I heard that a letter from the Prince arrived at the commander-in-chief’s barracks a while ago!”

“Oh, yes.”

This was exactly the topic Sir Elko wanted to avoid.

Suppressing his irritation at Sir Manfredi for insisting on bringing it up, he answered faithfully.

“There are two.”

One of them was a certificate of funds with the Holy See's seal, which Raphael had given to the Grand Duke of Yuldenburg.

The Grand Duke had it and later handed it over to Alfonso.

The other letter was one whose sender, Sir Elko, had not yet been able to confirm.

'That can't be a letter from San Carlo...'

If another letter from Ariadne de Mare arrives, and it says something like, 'Did you get the letter I sent you last time through Raphael?', Sir Elko will be in shock.

“First, wash up...”

“No, look right now. Can you bring it to me?”

Sir Elko felt sweat forming on his palms, but there was no way to refuse.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“No, it’s inside. I’ll go in and take a look.”


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