Barcas, who had been looking around the camp with his veins bulging and gripping the reins tightly, finally spurred his horse.
As he sprinted down the slope, the shabby outline of the military camp became even more distinct.
The wooden palisade loosely lining the outer edge of the basin was so severely damaged that it was difficult to find an intact spot, and the scattered tents were filled with a considerable number of wounded soldiers. It was a scene that suggested, at first glance, that a battle of significant scale had taken place.
He dismounted from his saddle a nd took a long stride toward the fence.
The sentry, who had been watching from a distance as they approached, hurriedly moved the fence aside to clear a path.
Barcas stepped inside and spat it out without beating around the bush.
"Where is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince?"
The soldiers lined up on both sides of the entrance stiffened in surprise instead of answering, and just glanced at each other.
Reading the devastating terror in their silence, Barcas gritted his teeth and walked straight to the central barracks where the command was staying.
Meanwhile, upon hearing the report that the main force of the Imperial Alliance had arrived, knights of the Imperial Army rushed out in a rush. Most of them were familiar faces.
Barcas, scanning the faces of his former subordinates with a cold gaze, stepped straight into the large tent. Then, the sight of Kailias rising from his bed with the help of a servant came into view.
"I greet Your Excellency, the Grand Duke."
The man sat on the edge of the bed with a stern expression and paid a perfunctory bow.
Barcas, who had been looking coldly at the man with his shoulder heavily bandaged as if injured, immediately got to the point.
"Explain what happened."
"...We were ambushed."
The man answered, grinding his teeth.
"If we travel northeast from here for about half a day, we reach the enemy's stronghold. It is an impregnable fortress situated halfway up a mountain slope that is close to a cliff. To lure the enemy out, we cut off their water supply and detoured to the north to completely block the access route to the fortress. However, there were traps dug by the enemy there..."
"I'm not asking you to go on and on with excuses right now."
A low groan burst from the mouth of the knight.
It was only after hearing that sound that he realized Barcas was grabbing the man by the hair. It seemed that at some point, he had become unable to restrain his aggressive behavior in the slightest. He began to think that everything he had done to cut out his innate nature might have been nothing more than a futile effort.
Barcas roughly snapped the man's head upward and coldly whispered into his distorted face.
"Did you not receive the order to withdraw to the rear and stand by? Explain to me in a convincing way why you dared to disobey my command and launch a reckless attack."
"I could not... disobey His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's command."
The man spat out fiercely through his teeth.
"He is the one who will become the next Emperor. We, the Roem Knights, have sworn allegiance to him...!"
"Loyalty isn't just about running in the direction your master points, like a tamed dog."
Barcas retorted coldly.
"It is the true duty of a subject to stop their master from heading towards death, even if it means biting off his leg."
"We do not believe that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince's judgment was entirely wrong."
The man glared at him with wide eyes and said.
"Countless loyal subjects of the Empire lost their lives due to the rebellion in the North. Among them were comrades who have stood by us for a long time. Yet, to appoint a daughter of a family rightfully responsible for their deaths as the Crown Princess! This shakes the very foundations of the Empire's order. We fully support His Highness's judgment that showing indiscriminate leniency toward those who have rebelled against the Imperial Family will only invite further calamity!"
A twisted sneer crossed the corners of Barcas's lips as he quietly looked down at the man with an expressionless face.
"So, where is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, whom you fully support, right now?"
The man's face immediately turned ashen.
He bit his bruised lip and avoided eye contact.
"...He was taken captive by Heimdall."
Barcas did not say anything for a while.
Unable to bear his silence any longer, the man nervously added.
"It appears Heimdall had been targeting His Highness from the very beginning. His scheme was to intentionally leak information about the rebels' location to lure us into a trap, and then use the Crown Prince as a hostage to neutralize the Imperial forces."
"To summarize, you are saying that you handed the entire heir to the throne into the enemy's grasp."
The man, who had opened his mouth wide as if to refute something, gritted his teeth. He seemed to realize that whatever he said would be nothing more than a pathetic excuse.
Barcas, who had been looking down at the man's flushed face with a cold gaze, let go of his hand as if throwing it.
"From now on, I hold control of not only the Roem Knights but also the Imperial elite forces. As soon as the Allied wizards heal all the wounded, assemble all troops at Heimdall's Fortress."
The man sprang to his feet with a surprised look on his face.
"Did you really hear me? Didn't I tell you that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is being held hostage! If we attack now, His Royal Highness's safety might be in grave danger. As of now, we have no choice but to comply with Heimdall's demands...!"
"The moment we comply with his demands, the Empire will be on the road to division."
The knight's neck stiffened at the assertive remark.
"He will demand Balto's autonomy and massive war reparations. Even if we somehow manage to settle the negotiations by paying a ransom, the prestige of the Imperial Household will plummet to rock bottom. On the other hand, Heimdall will be revered as a hero of the North, and Balto's independence will become an inevitable outcome."
"It's not always the case that things have to turn out that way...!"
"Now that even the Blesston family has turned their backs on the Imperial Household, do you really think the Northerners will meekly accept Imperial rule?"
"..."
"If Baltos gains independence from the Empire, the other feudal lords will not sit idly by either. Within a few years, the entire continent of Robiden will revert to the ancient Age of Warring States, plunging into a vortex of endless war and slaughter."
The knight's complexion had now turned so pale that he was practically a corpse. Barcas, who had been quietly watching the light of fear spreading across the man's face, continued speaking calmly.
"Therefore, there can be no negotiation."
"So... are you saying that you intend to sacrifice His Royal Highness the Crown Prince right now?"
Barca did not give any answer.
The man suddenly stood up from his seat and staggered toward him.
"This is not a matter that can be decided at the Grand Duke's sole discretion! At the very least, you must report to His Majesty first...!"
"His Imperial Majesty's decision would not be much different. If asked to choose between the safety of the Empire and the successor, the answer is practically already decided."
Barcas ruthlessly drove the wedge.
"Furthermore, His Majesty has another heir. Isn't there another heir to the throne, born through legitimate procedures, rightfully residing in the Imperial Palace?"
The man looked up at him with shocked eyes.
Barcas left the frozen man behind and stepped out of the tent. Knights with stiff expressions, as if they had overheard the argument inside, were surrounding the entrance.
Barcas looked around at them carefully and gave an order in a low voice.
"Tomorrow, as soon as day breaks, we will advance toward Heimdall's Fortress. Make sure everyone is fully prepared."
It was around the time the sun had completely set over the mountain ridge that the main force of the Imperial Alliance joined the campsite.
The soldiers, having pushed through the deepening darkness, immediately reinforced the woefully lax defenses while preparing for the march scheduled for the following day. Most commanders raised no significant objections to his decision. They immediately gathered at the central barracks and began a strategic meeting.
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