Chapter 46
The Morte Knights continued through the Orange Desert.
They walked past the unique wood and copper brick walls that surrounded the Black Mountains.
They never gave up.
They fought so hard that the black magic of the East was cut off.
Even the magic-enhanced knights, who were several times as powerful as a normal knight, were shocked by their duel.
More stories spread about them than from the Southern Kingdom.
They were all about the blood-loving Grand Duke in the black cloak.
As the knights' reputation spread throughout the continent, wandering knights wanted to join.
Average knightly orders accepted only nobles, but the Knights of Morte welcomed anyone qualified.
Potential knights were tested in a simple match, and those who were strong enough were recruited.
The powerful knights Raoul of Radan and Jeanne of Chevre were recruited at this time.
Everyone was happy to see an increase in allies, even in the midst of war.
Victor also felt a little more comfortable.
But his nightmares didn't stop.
No, they've gotten worse.
He couldn't sleep outdoors anymore, and his sleeping hours were getting shorter and shorter.
No doctor knew the cause.
Maybe it was because he was back on the battlefield, because he was constantly fighting mages, or both.
Regardless, Victor's insomnia got worse, until it gradually turned into another illness.
It wasn't that bad at first.
He would suddenly draw his sword while sleeping, or wake up at dawn and wander around his tent.
However, as the war continued, his illness rapidly deteriorated.
Every time he closed his eyes, he returned to that hot island.
He felt the southern air stifling and humid, and felt afraid of being deprived of sound and sight.
He swung his sword recklessly.
He really thought he was about to die.
He failed to keep them alive.
And his brother...
...Mortheon's face, which was always smiling.
Victor's face hardened.
"...Your Highness, Your Highness! Victor!"
Victor woke up to screams.
For a moment, nothing made sense.
He was planning tomorrow's operation and then returned to his tent to take a short nap.
But for some reason, he was outside his tent with his sword raised, and Leonard, who was extremely pale, was stopping him.
He lowered his sword with difficulty.
"Sir, are you awake?"
"Leonard, what is this...?"
“Your Highness… Your Highness, while you were sleeping, I attacked. I managed to avoid it, but they couldn’t deal with it, and they screamed...”
Victor looked around frantically.
He spotted several knights sitting around him.
The knights with their swords showed signs of surprise.
They probably saved their comrades, and was stopped by Leonard, who could handle Victor.
The Grand Duke asked quickly.
"Are there any injuries?"
"We are fine, my lord."
The fallen knights struggled to smile.
But they couldn't hide their trembling hands.
Victor's face contorted.
He felt like he was suffocating.
He knew his strength and skill level well.
He was completely different from ordinary people.
His sword could easily cut through both rock and steel, and his mastery was so great that he was considered a god to some.
It was very easy for him to kill people.
It didn't matter whether his opponent was a great knight or a villager who had never even seen a sword.
His sword could take someone's life in an instant.
As soon as the realization hit, a shiver ran down his spine.
He almost killed his knights.
As rumors said, he went crazy and went after his people...
"Calm down."
Leonard grabbed his master's shoulder.
"I don't know much about the disease, but it's not the first time something like this has happened. It will be okay."
Calm down his deputy knight.
He had such a friendly tone that it was hard to believe that Leonard was avoiding him.
But Victor knew.
It will never be okay.
***
The Imperial Army doctors did their best.
They diagnosed him with sleepwalking disease, where he would sometimes carry his sword while sleeping.
They prescribed different medications to help him sleep without symptoms.
But the medications didn't work at all.
It was because of his terrible nightmares and the stress of war.
So, Victor just avoided sleeping.
Even at night, he forced his eyes to stay open and survived by mental strength alone.
His knights were extremely worried.
They urged him to sleep, saying they would manage somehow but he didn't listen.
As his sleep deprivation worsened, he lost his voice.
Maybe it was because he did not sleep properly, but the Grand Duke woke up faster and faster, becoming stronger and stronger.
Leonard had to enlist the help of several other knights to subdue him.
When Victor went to bed every few days, knights took turns guarding his tent in groups of dozens.
Charles took the rest of the Knight's Order to a secluded place, far from the Duke's tent.
This was at Victor's request. He was afraid he might hurt them.
Things were going well, but they had trouble with distribution.
"Our food depot is half a day away from here. We won't be able to get our rations on time."
“For now, let's stick to dry food after that, we'll receive support.”
“We are the deepest unit in the Eastern Kingdom at the moment. Who will carry the supplies here?”
The knights closed their mouths.
Victor frowned painfully.
Fatigue and guilt were weighing heavily on him.
His knights had no reason to suffer this way.
Because of his weakness, they lost their comrades and their master, and were taking unnecessary risks.
No one criticized him, but Victor suffered a lot.
After that, Karls opened his mouth.
“In fact, there are a few nobles who are willing to help us.”
"from?"
“Duke Welsh said his knights will help distribute in the middle.”
Victor frowned.
The Duke of Welsh was their ally, but he was not close enough to be willing to do so.
The Welsh farm is located in the capital, and the Morty family has not been involved in the capital's social circle for a long time.
Besides, the Duke of Welsh was probably an arithmetic figure who only worked for profit.
"What did they ask for?"
Karls answered succinctly.
“The marriage of their daughter to His Highness.”
Then Victor remembered that there was a daughter in the house.
Nanael? It was a name he had never heard, even when he was in the midst of marriage negotiations.
He couldn't even remember her picture.
Victor gave a crooked smile.
“This is funny, saying you love your daughter so much, and then arranging her marriage without knowing what her partner is like.”
He sighed.
“Okay, tell him I will do it later. If I change my mind, I will compensate them with gold.”
"Yes, my lord."
Karls bowed his head.
***
That night, Victor sat in front of the campfire, deep in thought.
His memories scratched inside him like the claws of a chimera.
His white skin turned copper, and countless people around him died, like sand swept away by a high tide.
The feeling of helplessness and loss continued to eat away at him.
He felt like he was being punished every day when he couldn't sleep.
He wanted it to stop.
To let everything go and feel comfortable.
Victor spoke to the knight sitting next to him.
"Leonard."
"Yes."
“If I really hurt anyone, then-”
Leonard immediately understood the meaning of the words.
He cut him off firmly.
“Don't think about it, Your Highness. Knights never abandon their masters...”
“You are eight times stronger than us. If it were not for His Highness, the Southern War would have lasted another five years.”
"Carls!"
Leonard stared at him, but Carls just shrugged.
He couldn't believe what he was saying was wrong.
The Chief of Staff spoke.
He had stayed at the command center longer than anyone else in the knight's garrison.
“Do you know what people call His Highness these days? Death Walker.”
He smiled.
“Nothing can kill death so, just think about ending the war and then you can get the proper treatment.”
After he finished his last sentence, he took out a piece of meat and chewed it quietly.
Leonard bit his lip.
He knew it was Carl's special consolation.
Victor knew that his friends and colleagues wished him happiness.
That no one wanted him to die or get hurt.
But he wanted something else implicitly.
Someone who can end it all.
Someone who could put him to sleep or even kill him.
Someone who was so powerful that he could hold death in his hands, which could give him true comfort.
Victor wanted such a person.
***
• End of chapter •
To be continued •••
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