NOVEL WEB Chapter 2 - Opportunity in Crisis (1)
✦ Chapter 2 – Opportunity in Crisis (1) ✦
「Translator – Creator」
𒋝𒋝𒋝𒋝𒋝
About ten years after I landed in this world…
“General Viktor.”
“Hmm.”
…I became a general in the Kingdom of Rus.
Not just any general, but the acting Supreme Commander.
With the Kingdom of Rus facing a dire shortage of officers just before the outbreak of war, they even called back retired officers. Eventually, their call reached me, marking the beginning of everything.
Thanks to the cheat-like capabilities of the mini-map and tactical map, along with the well-trained soldiers who had risen through the ranks with me, I was able to achieve notable military success.
Of course, I never forgot the lessons from the military academy, consistently conducting myself carefully. This behavior paid off when the previous supreme commander stepped down due to injury and recommended me as his successor.
Although my current position was temporary, granted due to the ongoing war, I was given the authority to command all troops except the Royal Guard, along with appropriate treatment; there were hints that I was meant to be a scapegoat if we lost, but that wouldn’t happen as long as we won.
The nobles, who initially raged about a commoner like me holding the position of Supreme Commander, had recently quieted down, allowing me to crush the imperial forces without worry.
…The problem, however, was that my responsibilities had become too heavy to simply abandon my post and flee as originally planned.
“It’s time to turn in for the night.”
“Ah, right.”
Anna, my adjutant, peeked her head through the opening of the tent flap.
She handled everything I couldn’t attend to, which was probably why dark circles had settled under her faintly smiling eyes.
She had been distrustful of me when she first became my adjutant, but now she was one of the people I was grateful to, taking on the burden of grueling tasks.
“My adjutant should be the one resting first.”
“But General…”
“Hmph.”
“…Thank you.”
Anna bowed her head and slowly exited the tent.
Currently, the Kingdom of Rus was in its second year of war against the Dragoria Empire.
When I played as the empire, conquering Rus took only three months. But here we were, still fighting a siege in the Rus capital.
“Hmm.”
Looking back, I had achieved my initial goals.
I had risen to the position of Supreme Commander in the Kingdom of Rus, where generals were beheaded for minor mistakes. Most people, except for the nobles obsessed with power, were friendly towards me.
Even Anna’s attitude towards me has changed significantly since our first meeting, so I must have been doing something right.
Of course, if I had started in the empire, I wouldn’t have had to struggle for survival every single day like this.
The Kingdom of Rus… its lackluster technology, meager resources, and obstructive nobles. I was experiencing firsthand why it was intentionally excluded as a playable nation in the game.
Explaining every troop movement to the capricious nobles was tiresome, and convincing them of our favorable position was exhausting. Every time I was summoned to the royal palace, it felt like I was debating one against dozens, leaving me utterly drained.
“Sigh…”
I let out a sigh of frustration and focused on the mountain of documents still piled high on my desk. The desire to defect to the empire lingered, but my initial plan of a “natural” transition faced a significant obstacle — Justification.
It doesn’t matter that my opponent in the war so far has been the empire.
The troops bearing the imperial banner were forces of the noble faction, which opposed the Emperor. For someone like me, who hopes to be employed by the emperor, letting these forces go free might actually be more advantageous.
The key was to make my surrender appear not as a betrayal but as an ‘unavoidable decision to save the lives of my soldiers.’ Historical precedents show that the process of surrender plays a significant role in how one is evaluated afterward. This was becoming one difficult feat.
I cannot simply endanger my soldiers for my own benefit. It must appear that we did our best and still faced inevitable defeat.
And regrettably, such an ideal scenario had never presented itself.
Perhaps it was because the imperial forces I faced were merely a collection of vassals, lacking the emperor’s direct command. Their attacks were so predictable and clumsy, even without the minimap, that losing to them would severely damage my reputation.
The early days of the war, when we were hopelessly outnumbered, would have been my last chance to surrender convincingly. But back then, I had limited influence.
Am I destined to bury my bones here in the Kingdom of Rus?
Perhaps I could seize some imperial territory in this war and use that as a foundation to conquer the world. It would be challenging, but not impossible. After all, I had conquered the world with nations far weaker than Rus in the game.
I may not be happy about it, but there are few options left for me now.
“Well, whatever.”
I decided to focus on the task at hand for now.
As I spent hours poring over documents by the flickering candlelight…
“Hmm?”
The edges of my mini-map flickered red multiple times, signaling danger.
Instinctively, I gripped the sword I kept beside me.
The mini-map showed a cluster of red dots moving directly towards my location.
“Assassins?”
It was odd considering that I was stationed at the heart of a military base. I had encountered assassins who used magic or enchanted tools to mask their presence, but none were foolish enough to cut through the center of an army.
*Shing*
The dots were approaching quickly. I rose from my seat and drew my sword.
Green dots, representing my allies, began to appear around the cluster of red dots, but the red dots showed no signs of slowing down. For reasons unknown, my allies were merely being pushed aside.
The mini-map had never lied to me, making this situation all the more perplexing. These intruders were my enemies, but somehow not enemies to my allies—a mystery in itself.
I could think of a few scenarios…
“Make way! By order of His Majesty!”
“Ah.”
As if to answer my question, a familiar voice rang out, revealing the situation.
It wasn’t an assassin or a spy targeting me; it was someone who didn’t merit such a high-stakes role.
As I sheathed my sword and returned to my seat, the owner of the voice burst through the tent flap.
“Well, well, Viktor. Fancy meeting you here.”
“Captain Andrei of the Royal Guard. What brings you here?”
The uninvited guest was Andrei, captain of the Rus Royal Guard. He was among those who’d expressed discomfort over my rise in rank. This man was a perfect example of a high-ranking noble, overflowing with arrogance and incompetence born from a lack of field experience.
His blonde hair and blue eyes granted him popularity in social circles.
Unlike his usual attire of just a dress uniform, he was clad in gleaming new armor with a jewel-encrusted sword at his left hip.
With a nasty smile, he approached my desk.
The sight of him, who frequently ranted that I should be killed if I ever retreated, now smirking at me, filled me with a sense of foreboding.
“Come in!”
Royal guards, their stiff leather armor making them look inexperienced and tense, entered the tent, each holding a bundle of ropes instead of weapons. Despite their apparent nervousness, their high-quality gear stood out, crafted by superior artisans.
I wonder if these guys bragged about their “heroic deeds” to women as well.
“I’ve never been so glad to see you, Viktor. Do you know what this is?”
Suppressing the rising discomfort, I looked at the scroll in his outstretched hand.
The paper itself looked expensive, and even the thread binding the scroll was gold, symbolizing a royal decree, indicating that the contents were of significant importance.
“Curious? I bet you are.”
He unfurled the scroll and thrust it in front of my face. The contents were indeed alarming.
“…An arrest order?”
“That’s right. His Majesty has ordered your arrest.”
The scroll contained a concise order to arrest me, the acting supreme commander Viktor, issued by the King.
It was merely an order of arrest, with no reasons provided.
Given that the King was only 14 years old, it seemed unlikely he would suddenly command the arrest of his own commander in the midst of war.
It had to be the work of the nobles who had been trying to undermine me all along.
No matter how precious power was to them, having the arrest of a commanding officer in wartime was incomprehensible.
“Do you understand what this means?”
“I understand it better than you, that’s for sure.”
He set down the scroll and leaned in, his face uncomfortably close. I wanted to punch that smirking mouth, but I couldn’t act rashly against someone carrying a royal decree.
The guards, currently observing, would jump me at Andrei’s command.
“You don’t seem to get it; this isn’t just an arrest.”
“…Then what is it?”
With a mocking grin, he snatched a rope from one of the guards. Approaching me, he began binding my arms and legs.
“It’s confidential, but you look so pathetic, I’ll tell you. You’re going to be offered as a peace offering.”
While binding me, he whispered the shocking news in my ear.
“Peace?”
It felt ridiculous hearing someone who usually idled near the royal palace babbling about peace. Rather than reacting to that, I decided to extract more information from his blabbering.
“We’ve agreed to a one-year truce in exchange for handing you over to the empire. Peace will prevail.”
“A truce, you say.”
“That’s right. We bought a year with your life. Quite a bargain, wouldn’t you say?”
Andrei was essentially telling me that the kingdom I had served for years had abandoned me. It might have seemed like a hopeless situation…
…But I lowered my head to hide the upward curve of my lips.
This was an opportunity.
A chance to escape this forsaken place.
─── ∙ ↤ END OF CHAPTER ↦ ∙ ──
If you have liked the novel, don’t forget to rate and review the novel on ⊱• NOVEL UPDATES •̩̩͙⊰