TOPWL 238

Instead of saying anything to the knights blocking her path, Billian offered something to Yudit.

“Here.”

“……?”

“It’s a scented sachet. Take it.”

Yudit absentmindedly accepted the sachet she offered. It had a subtle, soft, yet refreshing scent, perhaps containing something like citrus peel.

“There’s going to be a lot of stink on the battlefield, so…”

Billian couldn’t continue, and she started mumbling. She seemed to have prepared the gift in case Yudit, who was pregnant, suffered from the stink. Sha was a kind woman, after all.

“Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. Come back again. I’ll make it a better place to live.”

Billian, having been appointed acting lord, decided to stay in Calmor. It was a natural choice, as there had to be at least one person in charge. Yudit nodded. From her perspective, Yudit was a prince of the conquering empire. She must have been uncomfortable, but he was grateful that she had made him a sachet.

“All right. See you next time.”

Yudit mounted his horse. The soldiers were marching from afar, forming a line far into the distance. He remembered the first time he saw the soldiers behind him. Back then, the thought of being responsible for their lives had been terrifying. There had been many times when he wanted to run away. But now, it was different. The fear was still there, but he had learned to bear the weight.

“Hya!”

Yudit spurred his horse. The mane whipped in the wind as the horse surged ahead.

***

“Haa…”

White breath billowed from Yudit’s lips. Despite his layers of clothing, he shivered. Someone offered him a cup. It was steaming hot black tea.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, Your Highness.”

Khalid spoke with a polite tone. In front of everyone, they always used polite speech with each other.

“You should drink something.”

“Hmm…”

Yudit sipped his tea, which had quickly become lukewarm, and a displeased expression appeared on his face. He had seen deserters strung up on crosses on his way to the capital.

Desertion was essentially a death sentence on both sides, Yudit’s and Khalid’s. But their side would simply behead the offender unauthorized copy quickly, not brutally torture them. The deserters Yudit had seen today were completely skinned from head to toe. Seeing dozens of them like that left him with no appetite. Who could have committed such a brutal act? It had to be Reginald or Hiore.

“Here.”

Khalid placed a piping-hot stew in front of Yudit. The stew, which contained two large loaves of bread, was plentiful with potatoes and other vegetables, and occasionally, some unidentifiable meat. Seeing the meat floating in the red stew brought back memories of the previous scene, making him even more repulsed. It wasn’t just Yudit’s problem; even the stew that was usually finished by dawn still had leftovers today.

“I don’t have much of an appetite. Later…”

“Just three spoonfuls, please.”

Khalid held his spoon in front of Yudit’s eyes and said. Just like before, now that he knew he was pregnant, he was anxious to feed Yudit more. As a commander, he was already given more food than other soldiers. During breaks, he would quickly go out and hunt birds and fish, and when he arrived in town, he would rush to the market and scoop up all the healthy food he could find, stuffing it into Yudit’s mouth. After a quick reprimand to stop, he became more docile, but he wasn’t about to tolerate skipping meals. Finally, defeated, Yudit spoke quietly.

“Well done.”

Khalid said with a hint of pride. Though still inside the tent, Yudit snatched the bowl away, fearing someone might come in and witness this embarrassing scene.

With the warm black tea and the steaming stew, his frozen stomach cried out for more. Finally, Yudit finished the entire bowl, his constitution [stolen content]had apparently grown quite tough. His own stomach seemed to have strengthened considerably. Khalid smiled at Yudit with satisfaction.

The road became easier as they neared the capital, but the wind blew harder. The relatively gentle plains provided little protection from the wind, making it even more difficult. However, the cold didn’t dampen the soldiers’ spirits. They had achieved victory without major casualties, and the hope of returning home in triumph after conquering the capital buoyed them.

“……?”

“What’s wrong?”

“I thought I heard something…”

Is it just me? Yudit tilted his head.

“You didn’t mishear.”

Khalid stood up, sword in hand. The sound of hundreds of horses’ hooves could be heard. Yudit, too, grabbed his sword and headed outside. Thousands of mounted knights were rapidly approaching Yudit. Yudit narrowed his eyes. The others set down their bowls and began to prepare for battle. But Yudit had a different idea. An enemy army wouldn’t have approached with everything on display like this. A soldier standing guard shouted.

“The Grand Duke’s knights!”

The day before they headed to the capital, Khalid’s knights had joined Yudit’s. He’d heard that Khalid’s knights were the most numerous outside the imperial court, but seeing them in person, their numbers were staggering.

“How many are there?”

“About 20,000.”

“That’s incredible…”

Yudit exclaimed in awe, overwhelmed by the sheer number of soldiers. He seemed to understand why Khalid had made such a swift and successful advance.

“It’s more impressive to have come this far with so few.”

Khalid subtly praised Yudit, but Yudit, absorbed in the sight of his soldiers, didn’t hear. There had been much discussion about whether to meet in the capital or elsewhere, but ultimately, it was decided to meet here.

The soldiers’ morale soared upon seeing the size of the reinforcements. It was understandable, for 20,000 men was not the size of a small nation, but a force capable of threatening even the capital of an empire. The soldiers’ spirits visibly lifted, victory was assured. Some even danced and sang.

“Shall I say a word to calm them?”

Noban said worriedly. Yudit shook his head.

“It’s fine. Let it pass.”

As Yudit listened to their song, the baby suddenly kicked. It wasn’t the end. The kicks continued two, three times. Yudit’s eyes widened.

“What’s wrong?”

Khalid, keenly aware of even the slightest change, asked Yudit. He whispered in Khalid’s ear.

“Ru is excited. He must like the music.”

“Ah, he’s getting the beat from your stomach.”

Khalid chuckled. Yudit, determined to feed the soldiers, asked Noban.

“Has the hunting party returned yet?”

“They’ll be here soon. Ah, there they are.”

Unable to continue consuming only the meager rations, Yudit’s soldiers dispatched hunting parties to procure food locally. Today’s hunt was a resounding success. They had caught a bear, twelve wild boars, and thirty-seven mountain goats. Including the birds, Yudit’s soldiers had more than enough to feast all night. The leader of the hunting party, returning in high spirits, looked bewildered at the sight of the increased number of soldiers.

“We must go on another hunt.”

“Shall we join you?”

“Your Highness, stay here. I will feed you the most delicious food.”

Khalid kissed Yudit’s forehead and rode away.

***

The banquet continued late into the evening. The second hunting party had brought back more than three times the amount of game as the first. As promised, Khalid roasted the fattest and most delicious parts of a mountain goat and fed them to Yudit.

Fire pits were lit here and there, and people were crowded around them. Some sang or danced, but few were, and most were lost in thought, staring at the fire. Yudit rose from his seat. The soldiers all looked at him. Yudit cleared his throat and spoke.

“You’ve endured so much hardship on your journey here. Now, we’re only one step away from conquering the Kingdom of Gotha. I’d be lying if I said the fight wouldn’t be difficult. Your opponent will struggle to the very end. But don’t be afraid. Just do what you’ve been doing. I will be with you. Whatever it may be, I will be with you until the very end.”