NOVEL WEB Chapter 13-1
Condor, who had executed his most loyal Knigt, Alan. Waged a series of maneuvers and guerrilla campaigns to recapture the Orth estate, but the defenses of Orth were strong.
None of Condor’s schemes worked.
As a result, Condor grew more and more exhausted.
And the embers of suspicion grew and grew, becoming a roaring inferno.
No matter what plans he carried out, he was always discovered as if information had been leaked beforehand, which only deepened his suspicions.
“You despicable traitor!”
Condor executed his men on a daily basis.
“Even you betrayed me?”
“N-no, not me, my lord, I’m clean… Argh!”
“You won’t get away with it!”
The reason for Condor’s deepening suspicion was very simple.
‘How many traitors are there, how many moles have you planted?’
Condor refused to admit that Otto was able to foresee his actions, and that he did this all by himself.
He didn’t think Otto was brilliant, either.
So naturally, he was suspicious of those around him.
In fact, Otto wasn’t brilliant. He just knew all of Condor’s behavioral patterns from years of experience, but Condor wouldn’t know that.
So, day after day, Condor repeats the taboo behavior of a monarch: Suspecting, Executing, and Scolding his subordinates.
The more he did so, the less loyal his knights and soldiers became.
‘Damn it, it’s been a whole two days, he’s executing everyone he suspects…!’
‘Why does he suspect us of a failed mission?’
‘I don’t know whose head he’s out to slice off today.’
The dissatisfaction began to accumulate.
‘He can’t possibly be suspecting me, can he?’
‘Holy s**t, what if he’s suspicious of me?’
And the anxiety grew.
‘What if he’s a mole for the Iota estate?’
‘He’s been acting suspiciously. Why is he so nervous?’
Distrust spread like a plague.
‘It can’t be.’
Unaware that his suspicions were causing infighting, Condor prepared his next move.
“Since the enemy’s forces are concentrated in our territory, we will take a detour and strike at Iota’s territory, which will force them to withdraw from our territory.”
“Understood, my lord!”
Condor was confident.
“Will you continue to stand in my territory, Otto de Scuderia? Let me slaughter all your people.”
With that, Condor led his troops to the Iota estate.
Then.
“There they are! An enemy attack!”
“Ambush! Everyone prepare to defend!”
As if they’d been waiting for it, Iota’s army charged at Condor and his men.
It wasn’t a large force.
However, thanks to their ambush from a strategic position, the Condor army was forced to suffer heavy losses.
“Yi… Yi…! Hu, retreat! Retreat!”
The raid ended in a crushing defeat, and Condor was forced to lead his defeated troops back to their temporary camp.
‘Who the hell are these people? Where are they getting their information from? How many moles has he planted?’
Suspicion was all he could think about.
But an event was about to happen that would put all his doubts to rest once and for all: ….
Fire! Fire! Fire!
The encampment was burning.
The place where the food, war supplies, and military funds of Condor’s army were stored was engulfed in flames and reduced to ashes.
“Oh, no…!”
Condor’s face turned pale as he looked at the burning camp.
It was bad enough that they had suffered so much damage in the battle earlier, but now they had lost their base of operations…….
“S-stop the fire! Now! Stop the fire!”
Condor shouted in a desperate voice.
“Throw water on it!”
“Quickly put out the fire!”
The men rushed to stop the fire, but it was too late.
The flames had grown so large that no amount of water could stop them.
The temporary encampment was quickly reduced to a pile of charcoal.
“Otto000… Otto, you son of a b**ch, aaaaaaaaaaah!!!”
A bloody scream erupted from the condor’s mouth.
Same time.
“Hey, it’s burning, baby.”
Otto stood atop the Orth estate’s tower, watching the flames in the distance.
Otto’s table was filled with a variety of desserts and wine.
He feasted on the treats and drank the wine as he watched the burning encampment in the middle of the night.
The Condor must be vomiting blood….
‘It’s a Devil. He must be possessed by a Devil.’
Camille shuddered at the sight of Otto.
Thinking about how Otto had been tormenting Condor for the past month, it sent shivers down his spine.
And now he’d ambushed them while they were out on a detour, and burned their temporary encampment to the ground.
At this point, it felt like he was intentionally playing with him, and it was almost diabolical.
“My lord.”
Camille spoke to Otto.
“Mmmm, mmmm.”
Otto replied, his mouth full of food.
“May I ask you a question?”
“Bite. Bite gently. It doesn’t hurt. Squish.”
“… Ah.”
Camille’s expression twisted.
“What’s that expression?”
Otto narrowed his eyes.
“Aren’t you going to let go of your expression?”
“…….”
“The lord tells you a joke, and you don’t laugh?”
“Isn’t this cruelty?”
“What cruelty! I have been a good lord!”
“Are you really?”
Camille replied, narrowing his eyes.
“But what is it that you want to know?”
“Why didn’t you kill him? You could have killed him any number of times.”
“That’s what you were wondering?”
“Yes.”
“I can kill him if I want to.”
Otto smiled.
“But it’s more profitable not to kill him.”
“Why do you think so?”
“I told you, people get uglier when they’re thrown together. He must be very suspicious of his men by now, and the stress of constant failure has made him very sensitive. He’ll be harsher on them, and in times like these, it’s important to maintain loyalty.”
“You want them to lose their loyalty?”
“They’ve already lost it.”
Otto assured him.
“And I’m sure Condor’s men have realized it by now. That he’s not as capable a monarch as they thought he was. That he’s a sinking ship.”
“I suspect so.”
“In a few days, the less loyal knights and soldiers will begin to desert, and some of them will come to me.”
“So much for… predicting….”
“Eventually, he will be so cornered that he will be forced to take an even bigger risk, and then he will not only lose the loyalty of his men, but also the public trust of his people.”
“Doomed… then?”
“Thorough.”
Otto smiled.
“That way, the people of Orth will see me as a more capable lord than they thought I was, and Condor as a cowardly, slothful incompetent. That way, there’s no turning back.”
“Where in the world do you get such ideas?”
Camille asked, honestly.
“I don’t know.”
Otto shrugged.
“It’s like a vibe that comes from …..”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well, something like that.”
“What’s that …?”
“Sleepy. I gotta sleep. Ha.”
Otto yawned loudly, then made his way down the tower.
“Ah. So high. How am I going to get down this thing..”
And then.
Bam!
“Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!”
Stumbling, Otto tumbled down the stairs.
He lost his footing as he slid down the narrow staircase in his armor.
“Really… how can you fall down on the stairs?”
Camille shook his head.