Chapter 589
Now That We've Eaten Everything. (1)
Claude glanced at the captured spy being dragged in and then discreetly asked Ghislain,
"How did you know he was a spy?"
"Hmm."
Ghislain folded his arms and pondered for a moment.
In his past life, Duke Leinster of the Kingdom of Atrode had led a fairly powerful faction within the allied forces.
Looking back now, it was only natural. After all, every noble who had rebelled against the continent was in league with the Salvation Church.
Those bastards must have supported Duke Leinster within the allied forces in his past life as well.
But back then, the Salvation Church had merely been dismissed as a cult, so it had been impossible to tell who the real enemies were.
"I wasn't entirely sure at first either. There were a few suspicious figures, though."
Among the nobles who had joined the allied forces, quite a few had been aligned with Duke Leinster in his past life.
But that didn't mean they were all spies. Given the strength of Duke Leinster's faction, it was natural for many nobles to follow him.
Duke Leinster himself was known to be a good man, so it was possible that some had followed him regardless of any ties to the Salvation Church.
The problem was that there was no clear way to distinguish whether they had sided with the Salvation Church or had simply gone along with the dominant faction.
So Ghislain kept an eye on the nobles who held military authority and wielded considerable power.
"At first, they all fought hard, right? Whether it was dealing with the rifts or battling the rebels."
Many nobles who had been part of Duke Leinster’s faction in his past life had died in this war. That meant the list of potential spies had gradually narrowed down.
And then, one of them started displaying particularly strange military tactics.
"That bastard, when Helgenik first appeared, didn't issue a retreat order at the frontline fortress instead, he ordered the troops to fight to the death."
His supposed intent was to consolidate the remaining forces near the capital and fight from there. But it was incredibly suspicious.
After all, the frontline fortress' troops wouldn’t have lasted a single day.
A tactical withdrawal to merge with the main forces would have been the smarter choice. Yet the order had never been retracted.
"Thanks to Jerome, they were able to retreat. Otherwise, they would’ve all died there. That’s when I started suspecting him."
It wasn’t just stupidity. The Supreme Commander wasn’t an idiot.
Before Helgenik appeared, that kingdom had already dealt with most of the rifts and rebel forces faster than any other kingdom.
With that level of experience and skill, issuing such an absurd order was more than enough to raise suspicion.
"I still wasn’t completely certain, so I kept watching him. And then, he did something even stranger, he kept leaving Jerome completely on his own."
No matter how powerful Jerome was, he couldn’t possibly handle the undying army led by Helgenik all on his own. All he could do was buy time with his powerful magic.
Of course, the strategy itself wasn’t necessarily wrong, but there was no reason for Jerome to be fighting alone.
They had done nothing but retreat, constantly being pushed back. If they had at least provided Jerome with some support mages or archers, for instance the battle would have been far easier.
"If they had sent him even a small force, he could have held out longer and more effectively. But instead, Jerome kept fighting alone. No one helped him. The others just made a show of holding the strongholds before conveniently losing and retreating, over and over. And this was despite having plenty of reserves stationed at the rear."
There had been plenty of ways to assist, yet none were utilized. The only thing that man had done was offer Jerome some empty words of gratitude.
Ghislain grew increasingly suspicious of him.
"And to top it off, during this battle, he kept interfering with my plans insisting that we should just defend the supply routes. But maneuver warfare is my specialty. Look, if we had done things his way and only focused on defense, we’d all be wiped out by now."
‘Ah, so he just singled the guy out for disagreeing with him.’
Claude interpreted it in the simplest way possible. It sounded to him like Ghislain had targeted someone just for opposing his strategy and by sheer coincidence, it turned out to be the right call.
Of course, even Ghislain hadn’t been able to pinpoint the traitor immediately. There was one particularly suspicious figure, but the problem was that other legion commanders had also been part of Duke Leinster’s faction in his past life.
In the end, it wasn’t until the first three legions Ghislain deployed suffered significant casualties that he was able to confirm his suspicions.
"Two of the legions were wiped out almost instantly. Fortunately, I had at least given advance orders to the third legion to retreat immediately if things went south."
Replacing a legion commander in the allied forces wasn’t something Ghislain could do on a whim.
Each commander led the troops of their own respective kingdom, and to prevent internal strife, the allied nations needed to have their voices heard.
The only reason Ghislain had been able to push his strategies through was because he held the strongest influence in the coalition.
Still, if there had to be a spy, it was better that he was someone with command authority, a legion commander. If he had been buried somewhere lower in the chain of command, rooting him out would have been even harder.
Ghislain looked down at the kneeling man before him and smiled.
"So? My guess was right, wasn’t it? Marquis Suffolk who would’ve thought you were a devout believer of the Salvation Church? You went through all that trouble to drive out the rebels, just so you could stab the allied forces in the back."
"……."
The man kneeling before Ghislain was Marquis Suffolk of the Kingdom of Parsali.
The Supreme Commander of Parsali’s forces, the one who had constantly supplied undead materials to Helgenik while doing nothing but running away, and who had refused to lend Jerome a single ounce of support when he fought alone.
He looked as if he had undergone severe torture his hair disheveled, his body covered in wounds.
Marquis Suffolk let out a hollow laugh.
“So… you’re saying you deduced my identity from something like that? There have been plenty of incompetent commanders.”
“No matter how incompetent someone is, they wouldn’t abandon their last remaining hope alone on the battlefield.”
Of course, that wasn’t the only reason. Knowing from his past life that Marquis Suffolk had been part of Duke Leinster’s faction only strengthened his certainty.
Marquis Suffolk and Claude had no way of understanding that.
Sitting there in his wretched state, Jerome’s expression turned a little sorrowful. At the time, he had simply thought that Suffolk had been retreating the army because the situation was too dire.
After all, they had needed a large force to fight their final battle against Helgenik.
“…I see.”
It hurt to know that someone he had thought was on his side had tried to kill him. He had actually almost died.
Marquis Suffolk bit his lips a few times before speaking.
“There’s no way out of this, is there? Just kill me.”
Behind him, several others were kneeling, having been captured. They were his subordinates, the ones who had acted as spies under his command.
Ghislain nodded as he stood up and pulled out his hand axe.
“Dying is the obvious consequence. Jerome, do you want to do it?”
Of all of them, Jerome must have felt the greatest sense of betrayal. But he only shook his head with a sullen expression.
“You really are too soft-hearted.”
Ghislain let out a chuckle before raising his axe.
Thud!
“Guh…”
Marquis Suffolk collapsed as his severed neck bled out. Having already endured extensive torture at the hands of professionals, there was no need to make him suffer any further.
The others were also dragged away and executed. As spies, they had caused immense damage to the allied forces, there was no reason to spare a single one of them.
Once the spies had been dealt with, Ghislain turned to Parniel.
“Good work. Thanks to you, this was easy.”
“It wasn’t a difficult task.”
Marquis Suffolk had been leading the Parsali Kingdom’s forces. Though troops from other kingdoms were also part of the same legion, his army had been the largest.
Trying to capture him by force would have caused heavy losses.
So, once the battle against the Atrodean army had concluded, Tennant and Parniel had led the Ritania forces to capture him instead.
In situations like this, the title of Saintess was an immensely powerful tool.
"I am here to conduct an inquisition. Anyone who interferes will be deemed a heretic."
Given the ongoing war against the Salvation Church, no one could oppose such a declaration from the Saintess. And so, Marquis Suffolk was captured without much resistance.
The ones who interrogated him were professionals. Specifically, they were individuals within the Ritania forces under Tennant’s command.
Ghislain patted the shoulder of the man standing at the front as their representative.
"Good work. I knew you’d do a great job. Feels good to get promoted, right?"
"Y-Yes…"
The man, sweating profusely and nodding repeatedly, was Harrison, the cavalry company commander of the Ritania army.
He had previously worked as Desmond’s chief spy before defecting to Fenris. Naturally, even his name was an alias.
Then, in this battle, he had suddenly been promoted to an inspector officer and tasked with interrogating Marquis Suffolk.
A promotion was nice, but it felt like he was walking on thin ice.
‘What the hell? Of all the people, why did they assign this job to me?’
Even as he interrogated Marquis Suffolk as ordered, something felt off. What was even more unsettling was that the two subordinates who had defected with him had been assigned as his direct aides.
What kind of ridiculous coincidence was this? Three former spies being made inspectors and assigned to interrogate another spy?
Terrified for the first time in a long while, they had done their absolute best in Suffolk’s interrogation. They had used every torture technique they knew.
That was how they managed to extract every name of Suffolk’s subordinates from him.
Ghislain gave Harrison a meaningful look and said,
"You’ll keep working hard, right? Feels good to be promoted, doesn’t it? Don’t forget I’m always watching you guys."
"Y-Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!"
"Why are you so tense?"
"I-It’s just such a great honor to be meeting with Your Highness the Grand Duke one-on-one…"
Even in his nervous state, flattery came naturally to him. That tongue of his had truly been trained as a spy.
Ghislain smirked and continued,
"We managed to catch the big fish, but there could still be knights or soldiers connected to the Salvation Church. We have plenty of time now, so make sure to conduct a thorough investigation and root them out. If you need more personnel, request them from the commanders of each kingdom or from Claude."
"Understood!"
The three men responded loudly.
The Salvation Church had collapsed, but they had planted spies all over the place.
However, the three of them were inspectors in the Ritania army. Wherever they requested cooperation, it would have to be granted. That was the extent of their authority.
The unspoken pressure to capture even one more spy was clear. If they wanted to survive, they had to find them.
‘We’ll give it our all.’
‘We’re veteran spies ourselves, after all.’
‘We never got caught in Fenris… Damn it, he definitely knows…’
Either way, they were confident. A spy knew best how to catch another spy.
After wrapping up the spy-related matters and waiting a few more days, Julien finally arrived.
With news that the enemy legions had been completely wiped out and that the Revolutionary Commander had been killed, the soldiers erupted in cheers once again.
"As expected of Lord Julien!"
"I heard he's on par with the Duke of Fenris."
"Some even say he's stronger!"
Alongside Ghislain, Julien’s fame continued to soar. The same was true for the other superhumans who had participated in the war.
With victory secured, the Allied Forces now prepared to move toward the Kingdom of Sardina.
The reinforcements and mercenaries had all already returned there. From the beginning, Ghislain had no intention of stalling until they arrived.
Even though a critical war had ended, they still had to move swiftly.
Several kingdoms, like the Kingdom of Grimwell, had suffered the collapse of their royal families, while many smaller nations were still engaged in battles against remaining rebel forces.
Now, they had to discuss and decide how to support them.
Before the retreat, Ghislain brought forward the white horse that Aiden had once ridden and addressed everyone.
"This horse is one of the rarest and finest on the continent. I'll give it as a gift to whoever manages to tame it. However, you must not use mana to force it into submission."
The white horse Aiden had ridden was a living work of art.
Its pristine coat gleamed like a pearl under the sunlight, and its slender legs, reminiscent of marble columns, exuded both elegance and strength.
The muscles beneath its hide were perfectly sculpted, as if chiseled by a master sculptor.
Aiden, a man who accepted nothing but the finest, had personally chosen this horse not merely as a means of transportation but as a living symbol of his status and refined taste.
Its appearance, reminiscent of the legendary steeds ridden by mythical heroes, was enough to captivate everyone around.
"Wow, this is incredible!"
"I’ve never seen such a beautiful horse in my life."
"So, whoever manages to ride it gets to keep it?"
Greed flickered in their eyes. Owning such a horse was no different from possessing wealth and prestige.
The lower-ranked individuals knew better than to try, but some knights, unable to suppress their desire, rushed forward in a hurry.
"I’ll be the first to ride it!"
Thud!
Gordon was sent flying by the horse’s powerful kick.
"This must be my horse!"
Thud!
Lucas was also struck and rolled across the ground.
"Shibara, you're so damn annoying that you can’t ride it anymore. If I see you again, you’re dead."
Thud!
Ascon, failing to persuade the horse, was carried away with his chest caved in.
"I am a superhuman!"
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Kaor had only taken a beating and had not even managed to ride the white horse.
"Everyone move! That horse is perfect for a future noblewoman like me! I'm sure it can handle my hammer, too!"
Elena really needed a good horse. Since most couldn't withstand the weight of her hammer, she had to take three with her at all times, which was just too much of a hassle.
That white horse, in particular, caught her eye - it was proud and elegant, exactly the kind of steed befitting a noblewoman!
Thwack!
"You little bastard?"
Rejected, Elena immediately grabbed her massive hammer and tried to smack the white horse. If the people around her hadn't stopped her, the horse's head would have been smashed to bits.
Anyway, thanks to her older brother, the princess had become quite the hothead.
Many others attempted to ride the white horse, but no one succeeded.
Prrr!
The white horse surveyed its surroundings with an expression full of arrogance, as if to say, How dare you lot even think of riding me?
Truly, it was just as proud and spirited as one would expect from a horse Aiden had ridden.
Julien, Gillian, Belinda, Vanessa, and a few others didn’t even try. Either they were already attached to the horses they had been riding or they simply had no interest in horses.
Even the skilled cavalrymen of the Ritania army had all failed. Just as Ghislain was contemplating whether he should try persuading the horse with Lumina, Dark suddenly spoke up.
"Julien! Let Julien try!"
The others quickly joined in.
"That’s right! Give it a shot!"
"I bet even that horse will listen to you!"
"Let’s have a prince on a white horse!"
Julien initially tried to refuse, but with everyone cheering him on so enthusiastically, he eventually stepped forward.
Prrr…
The white horse glared fiercely at Julien. He, however, simply looked back at it without doing anything.
Then, after a few moments, the horse’s eyes slowly lowered. Before long, it bent its knees and knelt down.
It had surrendered, completely overwhelmed by Julien’s presence.
As he climbed onto its back, the white horse slowly stood up. Julien, seated atop the pure white steed, looked like something straight out of a painting.
If ever there was a true prince on a white horse, it was him.
"Uwaaaah!"
"He’s found his true master!"
"That horse actually submitted!"
The onlookers erupted into cheers. It was such a perfect fit that no one could argue otherwise.
That white horse belonged to Julien, though, ironically, Julien himself didn’t seem all that interested.
Ghislain chuckled and spoke up.
"Anyone else want to try? If not, then the horse belongs to Julien "
"Wait! We agreed to give everyone a fair chance! I’m going too!"
A voice suddenly rang out, leaving the crowd stunned.
It was Alfoi, boldly stepping forward.