Chapter 41
The sun in the South Island was blazing hot.
It was even worse for the Morte Knights, most of whom were from the North.
The knights washed themselves with spring water and applied a cool mint ointment every morning, but it was not enough to beat the heat.
It was difficult to fight the southern army that was constantly attacking them.
But Victor felt more surprised than tired.
Their enemies were very weak indeed.
To him, who regularly fought with the Morte Knights, everyone was like a scarecrow.
As he held out his sword, corpses piled up around him in an instant.
So Victor instinctively suppressed his strength.
He wanted revenge, and he hated his enemies, but in the corner of his heart was Mortheon, who lectured him about the value of life and chivalry. He didn't want to seem like a monster to his older brother.
Fortunately, his knights were able to deal with the incoming enemies with ease.
So Victor spent every day defeating the enemy moderately.
However, the situation on other islands was not so good.
Morthion, who received a message from the command, could not bear it and exploded in anger.
“You idiots, why did you expect this?”
"What did they say?"
“They said our allies are being defeated individually. They have fewer numbers than us, but we are all isolated. They are concentrating their strength and attacking a few places a day.”
The knights groaned.
The strength of the Imperial Army was to have many soldiers, but at the moment it was not possible to take advantage of that. Instead, their strength was dispersed, making it easier to be attacked. Morthion finished reading the letter.
“So they want reinforcements to come to send the Morty Knights to the island where there is the most damage.”
“When will we advance to the mainland of the Southern Kingdom?”
"I don't know. It seems the damage to our allies is greater than we thought."
Victor frowned.
He knew that the planned operation would not go well, but this exceeded his expectations.
He was terribly incompetent.
The knights were upset, as if they were thinking the same thing.
“I can't believe it, Your Highness. How could they say such a thing?”
“This is a complete waste of time. We should go back to the mainland now.”
"I think the same thing."
Morthion sighed deeply.
He looked more exhausted than he had at their father's funeral.
There was a feeling of helplessness in his slouched shoulders.
He and his knights were lost in a useless place.
But the Grand Duke was not easily discouraged.
Morthion folded the letter.
“We may be able to convince the command when the situation improves, divide our knights into three groups. One unit remains here with me, the other two units will be sent to other islands to support our allies. One of the support units is with Victor...”
"This is not possible."
Suddenly, his chief of staff intervened.
Mortheon asked in surprise.
"What do you mean?"
“You cannot send him. The Young Duke must stay here with His Highness.”
Morthion stared at him with a frown.
He couldn't understand why they wanted to leave Victor behind.
However, the other knights quickly agreed.
"That's right, my lord. Keep the little duke by your side."
“We have enough strength even if we go alone of course, it will be difficult without either of you.”
"It's better than worrying though."
The old knight smiled lightly.
“If the Little Duke is with you, no one will get hurt, right?”
"Show."
Then Victor realized their intentions.
They lost their master recently.
The death of their master, who had been with them for many years, left a burden on the knights. They wanted to protect Morthion.
Victor completely understood their hearts.
He never wanted to lose Morthion.
“Yes, brother, I will stay.”
After hesitating, Morthion eventually agreed with his men.
A few experienced knights and Victor remained on the island with Morthion, and the relatively young knights were divided into two support units.
At midnight, a ship carrying knights left the island.
Victor stood next to Mortheon and wished his comrades good luck.
***
The sent knights performed their duties perfectly.
A message from command informed them that they were moving from one island to another, rescuing the allies.
The remaining knights also did well.
Morthion, along with his men, sank several warships off the coast of the Southern Kingdom.
When they approached in the middle of the night and cut the anchor line or blew a hole in the hull, the enemies showed signs of surprise.
Victor and the other knights easily defeated the soldiers invading the island.
They had more numbers than before, but to Victor, he was nothing more than a nuisance.
The Knights of Morte were victorious day after day.
After several weeks had passed, the knights' victory was widely known among the imperial army.
It was to the point where he wrote them directly to thank them.
The Knights complained that the operation had been cancelled, and the Chief of Staff sent a response expressing these concerns.
However, the message sent was very strange.
[...It is easy to be arrogant with some gain. Although the Knights of Morte are brave, they cannot change the war alone. Wait for the next order of the Order.]
“Can I cut off the head of the man who wrote this?”
Someone asked in an angry voice.
Morthion smiled.
"They should even know that they have unnecessarily high noses."
“Isn’t that enough? If it weren’t for us, the empire would have already been defeated.”
"Hold on a little longer. I don't want to further reduce the number of allies."
They were all gathered around the fire.
This was the time when they used to cool their burned skin and dine on dried bread and fruits.
There was no alcohol, but those nights alone alleviated some of the fatigue from the battle.
another knight joked.
"So what if we don't have any of these men? We have the young Duke on our side."
“I know the little duke is invincible.”
The knights laughed loudly.
Victor smiled softly.
It was rewarding to have the trust of his teammates, even on a harsh battlefield.
Under the vast southern night sky, the knights talked a lot
They talked of wanting to drink wine, longing for the winter of Morte, and hoping that the Knights of the Support Unit would bring back some delicious food.
“Think about it, Leonard and Karls will be back tomorrow.”
"They're probably fighting over something stupid right now."
Victor smiled inwardly and swallowed a piece of fruit.
After their meal, the knights said goodnight and headed to bed.
Only those who stood guard overnight were left behind.
Before entering his camp, Morthion called out to Victor.
"Shall we go to the beach for a moment?"
Victor nodded and followed his brother.
***
The island's geography is now familiar.
It was a small island, half covered in sand.
Among the empty houses and guard posts, the native trees of the south formed a forest.
The two brothers walked silently along the dark beach, listening to the gentle waves.
Morthion suddenly spoke.
“The day I dueled you… I was honestly a bit upset.”
Victor looked at him in surprise.
Mortheon was talking about him a few years ago, when Victor defeated him and became a great knight.
“Why are you telling this story all of a sudden?”
He knew that it would probably be painful for him to be defeated, but he didn't know that he would hold a grudge for so long.
However, what followed was completely different from what he expected.
“Because it means I can't protect you anymore. I'm your big brother, and I promised to protect you, I can't do that anymore.”
Victor was speechless.
He never thought of it that way.
Mortheon added that Mortheon had always been his strong support, but before he could say anything.
“But now, I feel lucky.”
Warm brown eyes stared at Victor calmly.
“No matter what happens to me, you will survive. Even in a situation where I can do nothing, the thought of you surviving gives me comfort.”
He felt his chest tighten.
It reminded him of the time when his mother died, his father left the castle, and he was alone.
It was Mortheon who saved him.
His older brother saved him and taught him about the world.
Duel, friendship, family and love.
He was the one who taught him all that.
A world without Morthion was unthinkable.
Victor said firmly.
"I will not live alone. I have been training my whole life for this. I will protect you no matter what."
He said it like an oath.
Morthion looked a little surprised.
But soon a bright smile spread across his face as he looked at his little brother.
"Thank you, Victor."
Victor nodded sheepishly.
"It's embarrassing to say something like that."
He and Mortheon returned to their lodgings after walking silently along the beach for some time.
• End of chapter •
To be continued •••
My Instagram account [@I.n.w.4].