Of course, the reason they were able to make a living during that time was thanks to the salary given by the Count… but.

It wasn’t a lot of money to the original Count anyway.

After paying compensation to the King, the salary was cut in half, and it was even delayed. He even told them to take care of their own meals.

The thought that the Count was truly not a monarch worth following slowly blossomed among the soldiers.

In fact, it was a rather extravagant thought for those who had been working lazily. But hadn’t they lived in a way unbefitting of warriors for too long? Their mindset couldn’t change all at once.

Knowing this, Bruno just scraped together the little remaining respect for the Count and gathered it to himself, and then added a little fire to it by following the young lady’s words.

Then, the soldiers began to follow him and slowly despise the Count, their actual lord.

Bruno led the soldiers at the very front, while the commander rode at the very back, encouraging the exhausted infantry.

And so, the soldiers soon arrived at the lord’s castle. It was only half a day’s distance from the capital.

Upon arrival, they became even more heated. They despised their lord who had stubbornly remained in the capital even though it was such a close distance.

Anyway, the lord’s castle they arrived at was located on a relatively high hill, looking difficult to capture. It seemed advantageous to defend as a fortress.

“At least that’s fortunate.”

The commander muttered to Bruno. Bruno let out a small sigh and said,

“Even an iron-blooded fortress may not fare well if the enemy charges in with determination.”

“…That’s true.”

The two savored the feeling of being driven into a deathtrap and entered the lord’s castle.

Just then, the lord’s representatives came out to greet the arriving soldiers.

“Excuse me, the quarters are over there. If you let us know about meals, we will prepare them. Since there are so many people, please inform us at least an hour in advance.”

However, it was evident that the representatives were annoyed by them. They absolutely couldn’t have acted this way if Count Cromwell had come with them!

The soldiers’ inner discontent grew even more.

It was worse after seeing the quarters.

Of course, the soldiers’ quarters at Count Cromwell’s residence in the capital weren’t that great either, but this was even worse.

It was almost like a stable.

It might be unavoidable to accommodate fifteen hundred people. But the lord’s castle looked very large, so were there really no rooms to put them in?

Everyone frowned with the same thought, sighing deeply as they began to unpack their luggage on the straw-built beds.

Meanwhile, Bruno was silent. So at least complaints didn’t spill out.

That great knight was always composed. Even in this situation where there were no separate quarters for the commanders, he neatly organized his place and delivered a message to the commander and the captains of each unit.

“The battle is just around the corner. Even if your mind is in turmoil, you must get a grip and each of you should start maintenance. Probably around sunrise, they will start provoking us from over there.”

“Tomorrow, you mean?”

“Yes. The situation is more urgent than we thought.”

When Bruno spoke in a serious voice, everyone’s faces darkened.

Their equipment was neat, but they also knew. Could they, who had difficulty even with physical training, possibly win this territorial battle?

A sense of unease dominated the military camp.

“…But. How did this territorial battle come to take place in the first place? I know… I shouldn’t ask, but.”

Most soldiers move without knowing the reason. That’s why loyalty to the lord is important.

Because soldiers are beings who have to carry out even absurd orders with just loyalty.

So asking for a reason was quite ridiculous. But they were already a mess. They had thrown away any loyal attitude.

As the young lady had instructed in advance, Bruno did not emphasize or teach the soldiers the proper attitude as warriors.

He had only built up their ‘strength to run away’.

Anyway, it could be unfair to be driven to death without knowing the reason.

Bruno carefully chose a question that seemed to understand the subordinate’s feelings and slowly opened his mouth.

“Do you feel wronged? That you came here?”

Bruno asked with emphasis.

The eyes of the captain who had asked the question slightly moistened.

“I just… want to know the reason at least…”

Bruno looked at the captain with sympathetic eyes. Of course, his expression didn’t change.

It was truly amazing acting. Even with a blank expression, it felt like he was dearly caring for the soldiers.

Then Bruno hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth.

“Originally, you should just be loyal to His Excellency the Count and fight the territorial battle. Without even asking the reason, you should exert authority for him. But I believe you also have the right to know. He didn’t even come here with you.”

Bruno spoke in a slightly contemptuous voice.

“…Sir.”

Then, the captains gathered by his side had eyes filled with emotion.

Bruno lowered his eyes without softening his stiff face.

He seemed to be in a bad mood somewhere, as if he was worried about the soldiers more than anyone else. Indeed, he was like the perfect commander who had melted their sloppy hearts in less than ten days.

“The territorial battle is the work of His Majesty the King. He provoked and provoked the opposition to the heir he wants, making them cross the line.”

The King was a greedy person, but he knew how to control it. With his political skills, he went through quite a lot of manipulation to hold a territorial battle.

The fact that the territorial battle was pulled forward like this was probably greatly influenced by Count Cromwell going against the King’s temper.

Bruno was also a bit perplexed.

It was fortunate that the Emperor’s informants did their job well, otherwise he wouldn’t have known that he had to prepare to leave here in just one day.

Bruno once again put the escape route in his mind and made a firm face.

“So this is no different from a political fight.”

And he began to leak the information that Mercedes had deliberately told him to leak.

Information that soldiers would find unjust, that they would lose their lives just by being involved in a mere political fight.

‘She’s really… a wise person.’

This would make the territorial battle a mess. The morale of the army would hit rock bottom.

“…I see.”

It’s not that they’re sacrificing their lives for the country, nor are they being given any honor.

Everyone gave an empty laugh. The atmosphere became even more gloomy.

Well, it had nothing to do with Bruno. In his heart, the promise with the young lady was firmly in place.

And it was quite enjoyable to act all this time when he couldn’t let his guard down even for a moment. It seemed that he couldn’t give up his dream of being an actor after all.

Even if he died on the way back, it was his choice, and he was happy to be someone needed. How delightful it was to embody all the orders and scenarios given by the young lady.

He was amazed every time he received a letter.

The young lady’s head was overflowing with schemes. It was more intense and impressive than any play script.

Bruno solemnly got up and patted the captains’ shoulders one by one.

“After finishing the inspection, go to sleep early. Give a glass of alcohol to those who can’t sleep.”

“Yes, sir.”

And so the night passed.

Only tension, unease, and discontent lingered in the military camp.

Bruno and the captains comforted the soldiers, saying that since tomorrow was the battle, they should replenish their strength and sleep somehow.

On the night when everyone was deeply asleep.

Bruno carefully got up from his place, took his military bag, and went outside.

It was late dawn, just before daybreak, when the moon was the brightest.

He moved to the stable to take out his military horse.

Although it was dawn, the security was strict and the atmosphere was ominous, so the guards who originally resided in the lord’s castle went back and forth everywhere. There were people around.

But it was okay.

Bruno calmly took out his military horse.

“Argos… Sir? Where are you going?”

Then, a familiar voice was heard. Turning around, a soldier was seen.

Bruno was not surprised. Didn’t the young lady tell him a countermeasure in case he got caught?

Saying that he really couldn’t sneak out of this large castle full of people.

“What brings you here at this late hour?”

He calmly asked back, soothing his horse that seemed annoyed as if it was disturbed in the early morning.

“Ah. I was just going to the restroom for a moment… But sir, aren’t you going to sleep? You said we need to replenish our strength.”

“I’m thinking of looking around.”

“Pardon?”

“We will depart at dawn, right? I wonder what they might have done before that.”

“That’s… true. But what are you going to do about it?”

“I’ll move quickly and check for risk factors.”

“What? Are you going alone, sir? It’s dangerous.”

“There’s no one in our army as mobile as me. Experience is the same. Checking the surrounding conditions in advance is an essential task before a war.”

“But going alone is really not it.”

The soldier approached him with surprised eyes and grabbed his hand.

“I’d rather accompany you. No, you should rather have someone else do it—.”

“Mobility decreases as the number of people increases. It’s better for me to go alone than for you to come along. And I’m… the one in charge.”

“Sir, how on earth… are you more than His Excellency the Count…?”

The soldier sobbed a little.

This was it.

He had been doing and was doing as Mercedes ordered, but how did such strong trust form?

The lies he uttered using that trust were very effective.

While inwardly admiring the young lady, Bruno held the soldier’s hand without changing his expression at all.

He still had the appearance of a blunt knight, but solemnity overflowed.

“Do you remember what I said?”

“Pardon?”

“Don’t serve a lord who doesn’t appreciate honor.”

“…”

“I find it unfortunate and regrettable for your youth and lives to be wasted.”

“…Sir Argos…”

“I’ll be back soon after a quick look, so don’t worry. I don’t want to ignore the shame, but my experience on the battlefield was more intense than any battle in this peaceful country, so I’ll return safely.”

“Yes, yes…”

The soldier was now sniffling.

“You should go and sleep since you have to wake up and prepare at dawn.”

“Yes. I understand.”

The soldier gave him a respectful salute and withdrew.

Bruno clicked his tongue as he watched the soldier leave. He had to move as confidently as possible to avoid suspicion… He was worried that if he experienced this a few more times, it would delay him.

For now, he moved quickly.

Fortunately, he didn’t encounter any other soldiers.

Since the excuse was clear, the gate of the lord’s castle naturally opened. Bruno got on his horse.

And so, the fake knight who had been the center of Count Cromwell’s soldiers left.