The sun had long set, and the area was enveloped in darkness when they returned to the royal capital. As they approached, they spotted an illumination of thousands of torches erected outside the city’s walls. The faint flickering light of the torches revealed the presence of tens of thousands of armed soldiers lurking in the area. How could someone have marched such a large number of soldiers to the royal capital while being monitored by scouts? A sense of discomfort crept into him as if he were chewing a bitter bug. How could they have overlooked these men? Was there a path that no one was aware of? Alas, he could only think about these things after the crisis at hand had been resolved. The massive city gate, which had been tightly closed, was probably hit by catapults since there were several holes on the city’s walls. Fortunately, it appeared that the enemy’s assault on the royal capital had not yet concluded.
From a distance, Yuichiro observed the torches that surrounded the city at a specific vantage point. Goat stood behind him, followed by his panting platoon commanders and Temeraire, whose face was almost entirely pale. On the contrary, the increased number of Giselle’s private troops could not keep up with Yuichiro and his men, so they were probably in the midst of running at a distance from them.
“The capital is under siege, but it doesn’t appear to have sustained much damage yet,” Goat replied nonchalantly to Yuichiro’s monologue.
“Well, I guess the first prince and his group would hate it if the royal capital turned into a pile of rubble when he becomes king,” Yuichiro said.
“They’re probably being cautious overtaking the caste with as little damage as possible,” Goat continued.
“And by ‘minimal damage’, do you mean killing the kid?” Yuichiro asked in return.
Goat nodded in agreement and spoke,” I’m sure you’re right. Perhaps the main purpose of this conspicuous siege is to exert psychological pressure on Noah-sama. I believe they are slowly cornering him and urging him to surrender himself. Having said that, the traitors in the castle are most likely desperately looking for Noah-sama right now.”
“The fact that the siege hasn’t been lifted means that kid is still alive. He’s surprisingly tenacious,” Yuichiro muttered with a laugh, while Temeraire, standing nearby, retorted angrily with a raised voice, “Once Noah-sama is gone, you will never be able to return to your original world! You will be branded a traitor and pursued to the very edges of this land.”
Yuichiro frowned disapprovingly at Temeraire’s questioning attitude that seemed to be asking him if he was fine with the situation. He had been wondering for some time what Temeraire’s overprotectiveness toward Noah was all about. It appeared too exaggerated for a servant to a king.
“Are you his mother or something?”
Temeraire’s eyes widened briefly at Yuichiro’s sarcasm, followed by his raised eyebrows in genuine displeasure.
“I am not his mother.”
Yuichiro could clearly see the man’s lower lip which was tightly pursed. Later, Temeraire fell into silence, not a single more word came out of his mouth.
“Captain Ogami, what should we do?”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Yuichiro shook his head slowly to the left and right as he answered Goat, who was asking him regardless of his conversation with Temeraire. Yuichiro then inquired, “When do you expect the frontier army you called for to arrive?”
“Probably four-eights at the earliest.”
Yuichiro immediately calculated in his head that it would take approximately two hours for them to arrive. If he decided to wait for them to come, he would never make it in time.
“We’ll finish this before the sun comes up. Send a message to the reinforcements. As soon as they arrive, I want them to disperse, light more than twice as many torches as they would, and surround the royal capital.”
“Understood.”
Afterward, Goat beckoned Tyet to him, and after a few words, Tyet snapped his finger swiftly. Moments later, a pure white bird descended down from the black sky. At one point, it looked like a bright white falling star. Yuichiro fixed his gaze on the bird that landed on Tyet’s left arm which Tyet was currently speaking to it, informing the bird something. A while later, the bird soared into the sky once again. Once the bird was out of sight, Yuichiro turned to face the platoon commanders.
“Capture any enemy soldiers or a small number of troops who have left their group and take their clothes. Take five at least, and as many as you can.”
“You’re trying to sneak inside again?” Goat asked with a smirk. In response, Yuichiro returned Goat’s with a cold gaze, lightly lifting his chin to answer, “If you want to get rid of pests, you have to destroy them from within their burrows. , That’s the quickest way, right?” while slightly cocking his head. Goat raised his arms lightly as if to surrender, as he watched Yuichiro’s reaction. Later, Yuichiro motioned to the platoon commanders to get moving with a wave of his hand. When the platoon commanders disappeared into the darkness, Temeraire approached him at a quick pace.
“I’m coming with you.”
“How many times have I told you? If you can’t kill people, you’re a liability.”
“—Look at that,” Yuichiro’s words were interrupted by Temeraire pointing in the direction of the enemy camp. “That flag belongs to the 2nd prince, Rondo-sama.
When Yuichiro examined the area, there were flags with embroidered crests in gold on a red background all over the enemy camp.
“I recognize Rondo-sama’s face. I also have a good grasp of his military tactics, and how he organizes his camp, so I think I can guide you to the heart of the camp in the shortest distance. There is no harm in bringing me along.”
In such a short time, Temeraire became a talker who knew exactly how to seduce him. Yuichiro stared at Temeraire in annoyance and asked, “How do you know all this?” Putting Rondo’s face aside, it was unusual for him to be knowledgeable about military tactics and military operations as well. It was at that time that Yuichiro realized he knew nothing about Temeraire. What was Temeraire doing prior to being chosen to serve and devote himself to him? How had he lived before that?
as if caught off guard by Yuichiro’s question. Reluctantly, he opened his lips, “My… My father was originally the secretary of this country. Therefore, I was already involved in his work from a very young age. After he passed away, I took over his job. That is why I have a general understanding of the affairs concerning this country.”
It is an oddly roundabout way of putting it, unlike the usual Temeraire. He could have simply stated, “I used to work as a secretary.” Perhaps his articulation was poor because he was agitated. Yuichiro continued staring at Temeraire as if studying him.
“How did your father die?”
If they were of a race with a lifespan close to 200 years, Temeraire’s father’s life seemed a little too short to Yuichiro. Was it due to an illness or some kind of accident? Temeraire grimaced in response to Yuichiro’s direct question. The man quickly turned his face away, biting his lower lip as if enduring something.
“Why are you asking me that?” ‘Why now, at this time, in this place?’ The man’s voice sounded as if he was about to yell such words. Temeraire’s eyes were filled with resentment as he looked at Yuichiro, “You have no interest in me.”
The statement sounded exactly like a woman’s resentment. Yuichiro smirked and gently pulled back his lower jaw, returning his gaze to Temeraire’s.
“Don’t you want me to take an interest in you?” he spoke with a soothing whisper as if luring the man into his sweet trap. At the sight of Yuichiro’s smug face, Temeraire’s eyes displayed clear hatred. For Yuichiro, this kind of expression was much more comforting. Rather than having love being directed at him, he felt much more at ease if hatred was directed at him instead. Yuichiro thought that this situation suited him more.
Following that, he continued whispering into Temeraire’s ear who was currently silent and clenching his teeth, “You claim you want to touch my heart, but you’re hiding yours instead? Don’t you think you’re a coward for trying to unveil someone else’s secrets while harboring secrets of your own? Hey, Temeraire?” Yuichiro silently extended his hand and pressed it against Temeraire’s left chest. Within that moment, Temeraire’s heartbeat transmitted onto his palm. It was deafeningly loud and trembling.
Temeraire jerked unsteadily and glanced down at Yuichiro’s palm, which was pressed against his chest. He then placed his hand on top of Yuichiro’s hand slowly. His fingertips were ice cold.
“You are a cruel person. You enjoy hurting others.”
“And you, you’re terrible at listening to people.”
“Is it wrong to do so?” Temeraire responded by tightly clutching Yuichiro’s hand. The man’s nails sunk into Yuichiro’s hand, causing numbing pain. “You’re a lonely man.”
“I’ve heard that before.”
“Unless you hurt someone, you can’t even remember your own pain. By making them sad, grieve, and groan in agony, that was all so that you could overlap your own heart with theirs. Truly, you are a pathetic person. You are far more pathetic than I am,” Temeraire’s detached voice echoed, causing a strange tingling sensation on Yuichiro’s skin.
Involuntarily, Yuichiro attempted to shake Temeraire’s hand off. However, Temeraire gripped Yuichiro’s hand tightly, refusing to let it go, and continued, “But someone else’s pain is not your pain. The loss of others is different from your loss. No matter how much you take from others, what you have lost will never be replaced.”
Instinctively, Yuichiro nearly punched Temeraire away. Yet, he remained motionless, since if he did hit the man, he would be outrightly admitting that Temeraire was right. In the end, he endured, glaring at Temeraire.
In the next moment, Temeraire gazed at Yuichiro, saying in a hushed voice, “If you let me go with you to this battle, I will tell you everything. I will not hide anything, and tell you the truth,” while pressing Yuichiro’s palm against his own chest. Soon after, like a believer waiting for an oracle, he lowered his eyelids and waited for Yuichiro’s words.
Yuichiro locked his gaze on Temeraire’s downcast eyelids for a few moments. Even in the dim light, he could see the thin blood vessels beneath the thin skin. The thought that even the man’s eyelids were beautiful made him terribly angry. He moved his hand, and this time, Temeraire’s hand quietly moved away. Looking at the back of his hand, there was a slight indentation where Temeraire’s fingernail had left a mark.
“If you die, you won’t be able to speak.”
Soon, Temeraire’s eyes opened upon hearing the words he muttered as if to himself. Yuichiro took one look at Temeraire, who was staring at him as if in desperate prayer, and turned away from the man.
“Suit yourself.”
Yuichiro believed that the others could do whatever they wanted. He was absolutely certain that they had nothing to do with him. Whoever lives or dies in this world had nothing to do with Yuichiro. As he was thinking this in frustration, he experienced a sudden sharp pain in his stomach.
At that same moment, the uniforms of the enemy camp were lined up in front of him in less than half an hour. Yuichiro glanced at the uniforms, which he could not count on one hand, and threw a glance at Goat.
“Your men are certainly living up to my expectations correctly, aren’t they?”
“They are not my men now, but yours. Captain Ogami,” Goat replied flatly, expressing no joy at Yuichiro’s rare compliment. Yuichiro then noticed the platoon commanders, who were kneeling on one knee with their heads bowed in front of him.
An excellent subordinate brings a sense of pride and omnipotence to the superior. When Yuichiro used to be a subordinate, he wondered if he was able to make his superiors feel this way. He used to be excellent himself and incredibly obedient to his superiors. He never doubted his superiors’ orders and only focused on completing them. As a result, Yuichiro lost everything. Immediately, he shook his head loosely from side to side as if to shake off the meaningless sentimentality.
Although not visible to the naked eye, it was enough to remind him of the fate of the man who had worn the uniform. With his thumb, he traced the smeared blood and glanced at the kneeling platoon commanders.
“Are any of these ‘contents’ alive?”
“Some of them are alive,” answered Tyet, while looking up at Yuichiro and smiling, his freckled cheeks barely visible. It was a childish smile that looked both innocent and cruel. Yuichiro shrugged, not bothering to ask any further questions. Just then, he noticed Giselle’s private army, which had been trailing them, charging toward them. As he observed a large amount of gunpowder being brought in, Yuichiro stretched out one arm, pointing at the enemy camp.
“We’ll split into two groups. The first group will search for the enemy’s main camp along with me and launch a surprise attack. As for the second unit, Giselle’s private troop must plant as much gunpowder as possible across a wide range of enemy lines. The timing of the ignition will be left to Lieutenant Goat. Don’t miss your chances. Even if my men and I remain behind the enemy lines, never hesitate,” Yuichiro said as he looked toward Goat, secretly seeking confirmation.
In return, Goat grinned and replied lightheartedly, “Of course,” while wearing an excited expression, as if anticipating this moment.
thanks for the chapter
Urwc!
Lots of interesting characters in the story.
Love them.
To be honest I was interested in the criteria needed for ‘goddess’ to be selected. Surely there is some bad one for not everyone looking up on them?
I was thinking the same. Some previous goddess must have failed miserably, which caused many people to lose faith in them.
thanks for the chapter!