Chapter 589
Chapter 589: Now That We’ve Eaten Everything. (1)
Claude stared at the captured spy and casually asked Ghislaine, “How did you know he was a spy?”
“Hmm.”
Ghislaine crossed her arms and pondered for a moment.
In her past life, Duke Linster of the Kingdom of Atrode led quite a strong faction within the Allied Forces.
Looking back now, it made perfect sense. The nobles causing the rebellion on the continent were all in cahoots with the Salvation Society.
Those guys must have supported Duke Linster within the Allied Forces back then.
But at that time, the Salvation Society was merely a cult, so no one could tell who the enemies were.
“I wasn’t sure at first either. There were a few suspicious characters, though.”
Among the nobles currently participating in the Allied Forces, there were quite a few who had been affiliated with Duke Linster in her past life.
It couldn’t be said that they were all spies. Given the strength of the faction, it was natural for many nobles to follow Duke Linster.
The duke himself was charming, so some might have followed him regardless of the Salvation Society.
The problem was that there was no way to distinguish whether they had allied with the Salvation Society or simply followed the trend.
Thus, Ghislaine kept a close watch on the nobles who held military power and wielded considerable authority.
“Initially, everyone fought hard, right? Whether dealing with the rifts or combating the rebels.”
Despite being part of the same faction as Duke Linster in their past lives, many had died in this war. As a result, the pool of suspects was shrinking.
However, one individual stood out as having conducted decidedly strange military operations.
“That guy, when Helgenik first appeared, didn’t give the order to retreat to the Forward Fortress but instead commanded everyone to fight to the death.”
His intent seemed to be to gather remaining forces near the capital for battle quickly. But that was highly suspicious.
It was clear that the troops at the Forward Fortress wouldn’t last even a day.
If so, retreating to regroup would have been the better option. Yet, the order was never rescinded.
“Thanks to Jerome, we could withdraw at all. Otherwise, everyone would have died there. I started to suspect him from that moment.”
It was unlikely that he had issued such orders out of stupidity. The Supreme Commander wasn’t that dim-witted.
Before Helgenik appeared, that kingdom had already dealt with most of the rifts and rebels. They had been faster than the other kingdoms.
With such experience and skills, it was suspicious to give such nonsensical orders.
“I continued to monitor further since I still wasn’t confident. But that guy kept acting weird. He left Jerome completely on his own.”
No matter how powerful Jerome was, he couldn’t handle the undead army led by Helgenik alone. He was merely buying time with powerful spells.
Of course, that operation itself wasn’t wrong, but there was no need for Jerome to stall by himself.
They kept getting pushed back and fled. Supporting Jerome with even a few troops would have made it much easier.
“If he had provided even a small amount of troops, he could have held out longer and easier. But Jerome kept fighting alone. No one helped him. He just pretended to hold the position and kept on losing and retreating, despite having the army gathered in the rear.”
They had countless methods at their disposal, yet he used none. All he did was thank Jerome.
Ghislaine’s suspicion about that man deepened.
“Decisively, he kept throwing a wrench into my plans during this battle. He insisted on just securing the supply routes. I’m the one specialized in mobile warfare, you know. Look, if we had only followed his advice, we’d have all been wiped out.”
“Ah, he was just sabotaging my operations to cover his tracks.”
Claude easily understood. It sounded like he took issue with the opposing plan just to make things challenging.
However, Ghislaine couldn’t immediately pinpoint a traitor. Although one stood out as the most suspicious, coincidentally, the other legion commander had also been part of Duke Linster’s faction in their past lives.
So ultimately, only after the three legions sent initially had suffered losses could she be certain.
“The two legions were hit right away. Thankfully, I had given a prior command to retreat at the first sign of trouble for the other legion.”
The commanders of the Allied Forces found it difficult to just recklessly replace their leaders.
After all, they were commanders who led the armies of their respective kingdoms, and to prevent internal discord, the opinions of each nation’s alliance had to be considered.
Still, since Ghislaine had the strongest voice, she was able to push through her strategy.
But if there was a spy, it was better for him to be within the command structure. If it were lower down the line, it would have been even more difficult to catch him.
With a smile directed at the kneeling man before her, Ghislaine said, “So, how about it? Did I guess right? Marquis of Supork. I never would have thought you were a devout member of the Salvation Society. It turns out all that effort to drive away the rebels was just a ruse to stab the Allied Forces in the back.”
“…….”
Kneeling before Ghislaine was the Marquis of Supork from the Parsali Kingdom.
The supreme commander of the Parsali Kingdom, who continuously supplied undead materials to Helgenik and never even thought to assist Jerome when he fought alone.
He looked like he had endured severe torture, with his disheveled hair and wounds all over.
The Marquis of Supork let out a hollow laugh.
“Is that all it took for you to deduce my identity? Were there not plenty of incompetent commanders?”
“No matter how incompetent someone is, they wouldn’t toss the last glimmer of hope into the battlefield alone.”
Of course, that wasn’t the only reason. Knowing he had been affiliated with Duke Linster in their past life provided further conviction.
Whether the Marquis of Supork and Claude were aware of the details was another matter.
Jerome, sitting in a disheveled state, had a slightly sad expression. Back then, he had thought Supork was simply struggling, continually pulling his army back.
After all, he believed they needed a large army to confront Helgenik in the final showdown.
“I see……”
It hurt to realize that someone he thought was an ally had tried to kill him. He had nearly been killed outright.
The Marquis of Supork bit his lips a few times before saying, “I suppose there’s no way to survive now. Just kill me.”
Behind him were others also captured, kneeling down. They were his subordinates who had been collaborating as spies.
Ghislaine nodded and took out her hand axe.
“Death is natural. Jerome, do you want to do it?”
The feeling of betrayal would be greatest for Jerome. However, Jerome shook his head with a sulky expression.
“Honestly, you have such a soft heart.”
Ghislaine chuckled softly and raised the hand axe.
Thunk!
“Gah!”
With a swift strike, the Marquis of Supork fell to the ground, his breath leaving him. He had already endured enough torture at the hands of experts, so there was no need to prolong his suffering.
The others were also dragged away to be executed. They had caused significant damage to the Allied Forces as spies, and none could be spared.
After dealing with the spies, Ghislaine spoke to Parniel.
“Good job. Thanks to you, this went smoothly.”
“It wasn’t difficult.”
The Marquis of Supork had been commanding the Parsali Kingdom’s army. While other kingdom troops were part of the same legion, his force was the largest.
Trying to forcibly capture him would only result in significant casualties.
So, it was after the battle with the Army of Atrode concluded that the Ruthania Army, led by Tenant and Parniel, moved to capture the Marquis of Supork.
Parniel’s status as a Saint was incredibly powerful in such cases.
— “I’ve come for an inquisition. Anyone who interferes will be labeled heretical.”
When a Saint made such a declaration in a situation like this while fighting the Salvation Society, no one could oppose it. Thus, the Marquis of Supork was captured in such an absurd manner.
The experts who interrogated the Marquis of Supork were from the Ruthania Army led by Tenant.
Ghislaine, patting the shoulder of one who stood at the front, said, “Thanks for your hard work. I knew you’d do well. You got promoted this time, right?”
“Yes, yes…”
The man, sweating profusely and nodding repeatedly, was Harrison, who had been a Company Commander in the Ruthania Army.
He was someone who had previously operated as a spy leader under Desmond before switching over to Penris. Of course, that was also a pseudonym.
Then, during this battle, he had suddenly been promoted to inspection officer and tasked with the interrogation of the Marquis of Supork.
While it was good to be promoted, it felt like he was walking on thin ice more and more.
‘What’s going on? Out of so many people, why was I assigned this task?’
Even while interrogating the Marquis of Supork as ordered, he felt uneasy. What was even stranger was that two of his former subordinates were also assigned directly under him.
There couldn’t possibly be a coincidence like this. Three former spies becoming inspectors to interrogate a spy!
Feeling a familiar fear for the first time in a while, they did their utmost to interrogate the Marquis of Supork. They utilized every piece of knowledge they had on torture.
So, they were able to extract even the names of the Marquis’s subordinates from him.
Ghislaine looked at Harrison with a meaningful gaze and said, “You can still work hard in the future, right? Isn’t it great to get promoted? Don’t forget that I’m always watching over you.”
“Yes, yes, yes, yes!”
“Why are you so tense?”
“B-because it’s such an honor to be alone with Your Highness the Duke…”
Even while nervous, flattery slipped out. Truly, a tongue honed by espionage.
Ghislaine chuckled and continued, “Well, we caught the big one, but there might still be knights or soldiers related to the Salvation Society among our ranks. There’s plenty of time to thoroughly investigate and catch them. Request any needed personnel from the commanders of each kingdom or Claude.”
“Understood!”
The three shouted loudly. Although the Salvation Society had been toppled, there would still be plenty of spies planted everywhere.
But the three were inspectors of the Ruthania Army. Wherever they asked, cooperation would be inevitable. They had been granted that level of authority.
There was an unspoken pressure to catch at least one more. To survive, they had to find some way.
‘We will give it our all.’
‘After all, we’re veteran spies.’
‘We’ve never been caught even in Penris… Ah, I think I might have been found out…’
Still, they had confidence. The minds of spies are known only by spies themselves.
After finishing up espionage matters, they waited a few more days when Yulien arrived.
With news that the enemy legion had all been suppressed and the revolutionary leader had been killed, the soldiers erupted into cheers once again.
“Truly, it’s Yulien!”
“They say he’s on par with Duke Penris!”
“Some say he’s even stronger!”
Together with Ghislaine, Yulien’s fame soared endlessly. The other superhumans who participated in the war shared the same fate.
The victorious Allied Forces began preparations to move towards the Sardina Kingdom.
Reinforcements and mercenaries had all returned to the Sardina Kingdom. From the outset, Ghislaine had no intention of stalling until their arrival.
Though an important war had ended, they still had to move briskly.
There were quite a few kingdoms like the Kingdom of Grimwell, where the royal family had fallen, and many small nations still fighting against remaining rebels.
They needed to discuss how to assist them and provide support.
Before heading back, Ghislaine brought forth the white horse that Aiden had been riding and announced to everyone, “This horse is a rare breed on the continent. We’ll gift it to the one who can tame it. However, exerting force via mana is not allowed.”
The white horse Aiden rode was like a living piece of art.
Its pure white coat sparkled like pearls under sunlight, and its elegant, muscular legs looked as strong as marble pillars.
The muscles on it were perfectly balanced, as if carved with great care by a sculptor.
This white horse, which Aiden personally chose, was not just a means of transportation but a living symbol representing his status and taste.
Its appearance was reminiscent of the legendary steeds ridden by mythological heroes, enough to capture the attention of everyone around.
“Wow, that’s incredible!”
“I’ve never seen such a beautiful horse in my life.”
“So, if I can ride it, does that mean I can take it home?”
Greed glistened in people’s eyes. Owning such a steed was equivalent to having wealth and honor.
Those of lower rank wisely stepped back, but a few knights hurriedly dashed forward, eager to be the first to ride it.
“I’m riding it first!”
Thunk!
Gordon was instantly kicked by the horse and fell to the ground.
“Indeed, it’s my horse!”
Thunk!
Lucas got knocked down as well.
“Shit, you’re so worthless that you can’t even ride it now. If you catch my eye again, you’re dead.”
Thunk!
Ascon couldn’t convince the horse and ended up being carried away with a caved-in chest.
“I am a superhuman!”
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
Kaor only got knocked down and couldn’t ride the horse either.
“Step aside! This horse is perfect for me to become a noble lady! I bet even my hammer can withstand it!”
Elena really needed a good horse. The horse couldn’t bear the weight of her hammer, so she had to bring three at a time, which was quite bothersome.
She especially loved how elegant and proud this horse was—perfect for a noble lady!
Thunk!
“What the hell?”
Elena, denied, immediately pulled out her massive hammer, ready to strike the horse. Had no one stopped her, the horse would have died from the blow.
In any case, the princess was furious due to her brother.
Many others tried their luck, but no one succeeded in riding the horse.
The horse looked around with an extraordinarily arrogant expression. How dare such peasants attempt to ride it?
Certainly, considering Aiden’s prior ownership, it was a proud and vigorous beast.
Yulien, Gillian, Belinda, and Vanessa didn’t bother trying. They had built enough affection for their original mounts or simply had no interest in horses.
Even the mounted troops of the Ruthania Army, skilled in horse riding, failed. As Ghislaine pondered whether to use Lumina to persuade the horse, Dark spoke up.
“Yulien! You should give it a try!”
At that, others joined in, clamoring together.
“That’s right! Please give it a shot!”
“That horse looks like it will behave well for you!”
“Let’s have the prince who rides the white horse!”
Initially, Yulien planned to decline, but he eventually stepped forward due to everyone’s intense encouragement.
The horse snorted as it glared menacingly at Yulien. Yulien simply stared back at it without doing anything.
However, after a little while, the horse gradually lowered its gaze and eventually knelt down.
Overwhelmed by Yulien’s aura, it submitted.
As he mounted, the horse rose slowly. Yulien perched atop the dazzling white horse looked magnificent, as if painted in a picture.
The phrase “prince on a white horse” was precisely about Yulien.
“Wow!”
“Looks like he finally found his master!”
“Did that horse just surrender?”
The gathered crowd cheered. It was stunningly well-suited, evoking admiration from all.
It was undeniable. That white horse belonged to Yulien. In reality, Yulien seemed indifferent to the horse itself.
Ghislaine smiled as she said, “Is there anyone else willing to try? Then the owner of the horse shall be Yulien…”
“Wait! We agreed to give everyone a chance! I’m going to try too!”
A voice from the side caused the crowd to express disbelief.
Alfoy appeared, boldly declaring.
