Dungeon Defense (WN)

probably be pointless to hide secrets here.
Your Excellency Baronet, I actually have a close relationship with the Republic of Batavia.”

“……I see.
I expected as much.”

Baronet Bercy nodded.

“Oh? You already knew?”

“I did not.
However, I heard rumors about your venture even after your departure.
I did not think that a normal person could have rallied the northern nobles of Frankia in order to retaliate against Brittany while also getting Batavia involved…….”

Baronet Bercy rocked his wine glass.

“Priest Jean Bole, it, however, becomes believable if you were the one behind it.
You undoubtedly have the ability to shake the northern region.
Do you perhaps remember the words you said to me before you left Bercy?”

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“Of course.”

I smiled.

“If Your Excellency does not believe in the Gods, then you must not believe in status since people claim that it was the Gods who determined people’s ranks.”

“Exactly.
I am unsure if you are aware, but I fell into great contemplation about the state of affairs within Frankia after your group’s departure…….”

Bingo.

I cheered in my mind.
Baronet Bercy was, in other words, one of the people I had sown a seed in four years ago during the civil war.
The name of the seed was republicanism.
The murkier the world became, the more the seed was able to grow by using that dark fog as fertilizer.

Baronet Bercy was a capable lord.
He considered the act of protecting his people as his lifelong pride.
What would a person like that think while watching the Emperor of Frankia?

He brought in a foreign power without any hesitation to protect his authority and he even sinned against heaven by confining his own mother.
Was it fine for him to swear his loyalty to a person like that? Was it fine to leave the fate of the country and the safety of the people to the existence known as the emperor……?

The seed that I had sown had successfully bloomed into a flower.

I wanted to let out a shout of joy, but I held it back.
If I immediately try to pry further, then it would reveal my intentions too much.
Let’s change the subject for a moment.

“If it is not rude of me to ask, how did you end up here?”

“The Emperor issued a draft.
All of the eastern lords of Frankia were convened with their armies.
On a side note, I became a baron three years ago.
I was able to bring a lot of people out to war thanks to that…….”

Baronet Bercy gulped down his wine.
Going up in rank must’ve not been a very honorable thing for him.
He went up in rank when the emperor had become a puppet and the Empress Dowager was confined.
Therefore, it happened because of Brittany.

“Was that the price of neutrality……? I understand why you have been grieving.”

During the previous civil war, a majority of the nobles in the north participated in the revolt.
Despite being in the northeast, Baronet Bercy firmly maintained his neutrality.
He didn’t do anything.
This contrarily put him in a good eye.

Baronet Bercy scorned himself.

“While my compatriots were falling for the sake of the nation, I did not budge an inch due to my resolve to protect my people.”

“That is a natural choice as a lord.”

“No, I was foolish.
I never would have imagined that the Queen of Brittany would get this big.
My countrymen saw a future that I failed to see…….
I foolishly acted selfishly.”

We clinked our glasses together quietly.
The sound rang clearly.

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“Was her name Daisy? I was surprised when I saw her step out for the duel.
I thought that you might also be here.
You are not someone who would leave your adopted daughter alone, after all.
I slipped out from the retreat of our defeated army.”

“…….”

I took a sip of wine and carefully observed Baronet Bercy’s eyes.

“Your Excellency, you can stop the act now.”

“……Act?”

“You said that I would not leave my adopted daughter, but I would like to return those words back to you.
You must have participated in this battle while leading your people.
If Your Excellency’s desertion is revealed, then there is no way your people would be safe.”

Their leader had deserted them.
His people would be treated horrendously.

“I personally cannot believe that you would abandon your people solely for the sake of meeting me.
You are a role model lord who treats his duty as a noble more sacredly than anyone else.”

“…….”

“Your Excellency most likely persuaded the other commanders.
You must have stated that I may be present and that you could negotiate with me.
The other commanders must have allowed this temporary desertion because of your claim.”

They’re an army of Frankia, not Brittany.

They must be struggling to understand why they were fighting for the Queen of Brittany.
If we were simply troops from the Demon Lord army, then even if they were fighting for the Queen of Brittany, it would be possible for them to at least fight under the cause of ‘protecting mankind as a whole’.

However, due to the battle yesterday, our side had gained a fair bit of weight in being an army of mankind.
The generals of Frankia must have started contemplating.
If they keep fighting like this, then they would be fighting their fellow man for the sake of the Queen of Brittany.
What other meaning could this have……?

In this situation, Baronet Bercy volunteered to act as an envoy.
Considering Baronet Bercy’s usual conduct, he must have built a fair bit of trust among his allies.
His comrades trusted him and sent him here…….

“In other words, Your Excellency is not a surrendering soldier but a special envoy from Frankia? Am I correct?”

“……I really cannot beat you, Priest.”

Baronet Bercy gave a weak laugh.

He put his wine glass down and grabbed my hands.
Baronet Bercy’s eyes were cold but also ablaze with passion.

“Frankia is in a desperate crisis.
If things continue like this, we will end up disappearing from history without being able to even scream once.
If that were all, then I could gladly see Frankia off.
However, history has always requested the blood of the people.”

“…….”

“Priest Jean Bole, please cooperate with us.
Please help us chase out Brittany’s lunatic queen and return Frankia to its people.”

This was the offer that I had been waiting for.