The NTR Knight Commander has Decided to Desert

Chapter 4

Edward Cromwell,

His reputation was already well-known even among the rebels.

For the past two years, he had shown brilliant achievements as the Commander of the knights of the Imperial Army,

And from the perspective of the colonial rebels, he was considered a nightmare on the battlefield.

He had led to dozens of victories, both large and small, and even if they hadn't seen his face, there wasn't a single person among the rebels who didn't know his name.

To the rebels, he was a figure who inspired not just fear, but reverence.

But at this very moment,

Those present here, including General Franklin,

Couldn't help but feel genuine compassion as they looked at the man standing before them.

It was a well-known fact that the military was inherently rife with absurdities and all sorts of incidents.

However, the stories coming from Cromwell's mouth had clearly crossed a line, even taking that into consideration.

The so-called Supreme Commander had been cheating with his fiancée,

His subordinates, blinded by ambition, had betrayed the superior who had guided them,

And on top of that, a purge had already been planned to cover up these facts once the war ended.

Hearing of the utterly miserable circumstances of the man who, just a few hours ago, had been regarded as the Grim Reaper of the battlefield,

The rebel soldiers couldn't help but be swept up in a wave of human outrage.

"How could something so outrageous..."

"No, are you saying someone actually did that to Sir Cromwell of all people?"

"I knew that General Neto wasn't right in the head, but to do something so beastly..."

"That Clara woman is the real problem! How could she betray the man who had been so devoted to her and shake her hips in front of another man? If it were me, I would've drawn my sword the moment I found out!"

The soldiers, having heard a story that evoked instinctive disgust as human beings,

Reacted with fierce emotion, one after another.

Even though this was a battlefield where lives were taken, there were still certain lines that should never be crossed as fellow humans.

And yet, the Imperial officers had committed such disgraceful acts not against the enemy, but against one of their own—a man worthy of being called a hero.

Because of this, the rebel soldiers couldn't help but feel a deep sense of sympathy for Cromwell, who stood before them with a pained expression.

And so, after the painfully recounted story came to an end,

Cromwell, tears welling in his eyes, spoke in a voice filled with agony.

"That is why... I had no choice but to turn my back on the Empire and come here. I couldn't die like this, not while feeling so wronged... At the very least, I want revenge on those filthy scum who repaid kindness with betrayal."

Cromwell clenched his trembling fists, expressing his bitter resentment.

In response, General Franklin let out a small sigh and spoke in a quiet voice.

"...I understand what you mean. If I had gone through something like that... I wouldn't have stayed quiet either."

General Franklin spoke with a bitter tone as she responded to the man before her.

Then, as she comforted the man who had just poured out his sorrow, she continued, her voice filled with sincerity.

"I understand your situation and I accept it. As the one in charge of this place, I hereby formally accept your surrender. And if things go well, you may even get your chance at revenge."

"Th-Thank you, General Franklin."

At a glance, Franklin spoke with little emotional fluctuation, almost in a businesslike manner.

But in this moment,

Despite her seemingly composed exterior,

Within her heart raged a fury far deeper than that of the soldiers around her,

A rage that surpassed even the feeling of being personally insulted.

'Those damn Imperial bastards... Even I, their enemy, respect that man, and they did that to him? And what? His fiancée ran into another man's arms? How could anyone do something so insane...'

Overwhelmed with emotion to the point of being ashamed to be a woman herself, Franklin struggled to suppress her boiling inner thoughts.

Is that Clara woman even sane? How could she abandon someone like Sir Cromwell? If it were me, I wouldn't even be capable of such a thought... I-I mean, if I were his fiancée... I'd want to be with him every day...! Ahem ahem...

And so, suppressing the thoughts that suddenly surged forth, separate from her anger, Franklin barely managed to maintain her expression.

Meanwhile,

Seeing the rebels, whether in great or small measure, empathize with the tragedy he had experienced,

And accept him despite it all,

Cromwell let out a deep sigh of relief in his heart.

*

General Franklin, showing a slightly softened attitude, formally acknowledged my surrender.

Seeing her, I felt relieved to know that I had just overcome another dangerous hurdle.

'Thank goodness. Looks like this all worked out fairly well...'

The reputation that the character Edward Cromwell had built up in the game.

And the natural sympathy evoked by experiencing in reality something that, even in a game, would've been enough to enrage anyone who wasn't a total NTR maniac.

Thanks to the combination of all that, my surrender had gone through without any major issues.

And immediately after that.

A new notification window, visible only to me, began to appear before my eyes.

[You have escaped the traitors and officially joined the colonial rebels.

They welcome your surrender after hearing your story.

However, doubt toward you still lingers in their hearts.

Earn their favor and be recognized as a true comrade.

It won't be too difficult if you exploit the weaknesses of those filthy traitors.

Quest Objective: Earn the rebels' trust.

Reward: New allies. Secret route unlocked.]

A new quest that appeared as if it had been waiting for this moment.

Seeing it, I finally understood why I had been granted such a strong buff earlier.

'So in the end, they're giving me power and telling me to fight hard... Well, I was planning to do that from the start anyway.'

Since I had already chosen to break away from the Empire, it only made sense to commit fully.

And the best way to do that was to follow the hint clearly laid out in the quest window.

*

- —Clatter!

"W-What are you... saying? W-Who... who did what now?"

A woman drops the teacup she was holding to the floor.

A female warrior with short blonde hair and blue eyes—Richard.

Seeing her face, her companion, the black-haired mage William, calmly sipped his tea and said,

"Our former Commander of the knights, Cromwell, deserted. Word is he ran off to join the rebels."

"W-What are you... N-No way... That can't be. T-This is a joke, right? You're joking, right?"

"Why would I waste our precious tea time with a joke that isn't even funny? I'm telling you, he's gone. The entire 2nd Knight Division is in chaos over it."

Richard spoke in a trembling voice.

But William replied with an expression that clearly showed he couldn't believe her reaction.

"That... can't be..."

At William's confirmation, Richard's face went blank.

'Commander Cromwell left?... He's... our enemy now, on the battlefield?'

It was something she simply couldn't accept,

And didn't want to accept.

The realization began to send a chilling sensation through Richard's heart.

Shock and fear...

And a creeping, bone-chilling sense of despair.

Caught in a feeling that was both instinctive and utterly horrifying—unlike anything she had ever experienced before—

She began to feel her entire body tremble uncontrollably.

Meanwhile, watching her like that, William spoke in a completely indifferent tone.

"Hey, why are you making such a fuss? It's not our problem anymore. We've already sucked him dry. Honestly, it's a good thing that annoying guy went off to die on his own."

With their overwhelming advantage in numbers,

William and the other Imperial commanders believed that once preparations were complete, they could take the Stanwick fortress within half a day.

The fact that their former superior, Cromwell—now a thorn in their side after his recent betrayal—had joined the rebels,

Made William think the man had basically walked into his own grave.

"The rebels are just a few hundred holed up in that tiny fortress anyway. Let's just steamroll the place and take his head while we're at it."

William emptied his teacup with a relaxed air.

But... even in front of such a composed companion, Richard began to mutter in a voice heavy with dread.

"No..."

"...What?"

"You... don't understand... You're a mage... You don't know what kind of person he really is..."

"What nonsense are you spouting? Don't act like I don't know that guy. I was right there with you, leeching off him for a whole year... Sure, he's impressive, but what can a guy without even a knight order possibly do on his own..."

"Kgh..."

At that moment, Richard didn't respond to William's words and instead sprang to his feet in a panic.

Without hesitation, Richard rushed off somewhere in a hurry.

Watching her act like that, William muttered under his breath in disbelief.

"What the hell is her problem? Don't tell me... even though she betrayed him, she actually liked Cromwell or something? Seriously... unbelievable."

With not a single worry about what lay ahead, William calmly poured himself another cup of tea.

Meanwhile, leaving the clueless William behind,

Richard began sprinting toward the place where the Supreme Commander Neto was located.

'N-No time... I have to come up with a countermeasure somehow... Damn it! How did things spiral this far...'