SWNOVELXO Chapter 135
In front of the barracks
A magical lantern stood at the main gate,
And she remained standing before it.
Thus, we seek to meet again.
The magical lantern knows,
Your beautiful stride.
Every evening the magical lantern is lit,
But she has long forgotten me.
And if pain befalls me,
Who shall stand by the magical lantern?
With you, Lily Marlene,
With you, Lily Marlene.
—
“Hey! Damn imperial bastards!”
“What’s that? Dedorant bumpkins!”
“Turn up the music! I can barely hear it!”
—
Both sides stationed close enough that running at full force wouldn’t take ten minutes.
Yet surprisingly, they shouted such conversations instead of engaging in battle.
The songs that had been popular among the Dedorant soldiers.
As they continued to sing and hum these tunes, even the Empire found themselves caught up in it.
Now they had reached a state where instead of fighting, they hummed songs to each other.
—
Dedorants were on the defensive, anyway. If the Empire did not attack, there would be no fight.
And instead of attacking, the imperial army sang and shared those tunes.
Naturally, battles had nearly vanished, and with that, the soldiers found a sense of “leisure.”
—
“…Damn it. I want to go home.”
“I wonder if my wife is doing well? Damn it. That Victor next door has been eyeing her. I’m so anxious.”
“It was supposed to be a time to celebrate the New Year and wait for spring to come. Damn. Damn it.”
—
When one experiences leisure, it’s only natural to start thinking other thoughts.
The Dedorant soldiers, who until now had only been driven by the will to fight.
Yet, now, those thoughts had been diluted by leisure and faded away.
What remained were parents and siblings left far behind. And their lovers.
—
It is no longer “must fight.” Now, the strong urge to live has taken hold of everyone.
The more they sang. The more they heard that familiar music, the more their hearts sank.
Considering that this brief moment of leisure would soon vanish, and hellish battlefields would return, it made one feel insane.
—
That atmosphere had also reached Leonite, in charge of military discipline, and the commanders under him.
—
“Those imperial bastards! To be stifling the fighting spirit of the Deo ethnicity right before my eyes! Do you have no sense of pride at all!!”
—
The soldiers’ spirits were dulling. Their resentment toward the Empire was crumbling.
This truth only made Leonite more infuriated.
—
“If I see anyone singing that song again, they will face the gallows!”
—
In truth, a few soldiers who had been humming blissfully were turned into headless ghosts, unaware of Leonite’s presence.
The subordinate commanders were also on the lookout for such offenders.
Thus, whenever the news of their arrival spread, all soldiers clamped their mouths shut like they’ve been fed honey.
—
But even if they were numerous, they only amounted to two digits.
On the contrary, there were at least 40,000 soldiers trapped here.
No matter how watchful or restrictive they were, it was an impossible task.
—
Even the lower-ranking commanders, who had received orders to keep watch, sided with the soldiers.
They had quietly turned against Leonite and the mid-ranking commanders.
To them, those living as humans were more despised than the Empire itself.
—
She has long forgotten me.
And if pain befalls me,
Who shall stand by the magical lantern?
With you, Lily Marlene,
With you, Lily Marlene.
—
Amidst this, the Empire continued to sing and play music without rest.
Especially whenever those lyrics played, Dedorant soldiers grew gloomy.
Some even burst into tears, calling out the names of their beloved women.
—
“…This is the situation, Commander.”
—
And Paelus, who had been receiving all the reports, could not hide his despair.
—
“How are the soldiers holding up?”
“It’s the worst. Almost all of our weapons have been damaged, and there’s no chance of new supplies or even repairs. If this continues, we might end up fighting bare-handed.”
“Most of them can’t even manage one proper meal a day. Even now, there are many unable to move from hunger, Commander.”
—
Paelus suddenly felt something was off.
He knew the situation was bad, but this was worse than he had anticipated.
—
“Have all supplies been evenly distributed?”
“That….”
“What’s the problem? Speak up!”
“Geon Leonite stopped the distribution of supplies midway.”
“What?”
—
What does that even mean? Paelus urged for clarification.
—
“It’s that he said it would be dangerous to give good weapons and fill the stomachs of those who might harbor other intentions. He said he would arm his own forces with that.”
“What’s this damned human thinking? How does he treat my soldiers!”
—
Fuming Paelus immediately aimed to confront Leonite for a showdown.
But his aides barely managed to deter him, preventing such a situation.
In an already tough situation, if the two top generals were to fight, it would be uncontrollable.
—
“Ugh…”
—
“I miss smoking. The supply has been cut off, so I can’t even light one.”
Paelus, suffering from withdrawal symptoms, decided to ask for other news.
—
“What’s the situation outside the siege?”
“Nothing much has changed. Our forces seem to be hammering the siege continuously, but the Empire’s rear lines are incredibly strong, and we keep suffering defeats.”
“The Empire isn’t so foolish as to let the siege be breached carelessly.”
—
Then one of his aides, who had been assessing the atmosphere, cautiously spoke up.
—
“What does His Highness the Prince say, Commander?”
“…He tells everyone to hold on a little longer.”
“Is that so?”
—
Actually, that was a lie. Prince Georg said no such thing.
No, to begin with, he hadn’t even had a conversation with the Prince.
Through the barely connected magical communication device, only the Prince’s aide could be seen.
—
[ His Highness the Prince praised your efforts. ]
[ Show the Empire our Dedorant will. Show the fighting spirit of the Deo ethnicity. ]
—
What is this ‘effort’ and what is this ‘will’? What on earth is ‘fighting spirit’?
First, shouldn’t the soldiers fill their empty bellies and have decent weapons in hand?
Carrying soldiers who looked like they would collapse at any moment, holding nothing but a stone.
Could it be that they are genuinely being told to fight against this intimidating Empire?
—
‘Your Highness the Prince, what on earth are your intentions?’
—
Paelus didn’t know. The once passionate Georg had now changed significantly.
His former brilliance was gradually fading, and anxiety was taking deeper root.
How could a single person lead such a drastic change? He found himself screaming inside.
—
In front of the barracks
A magical lantern stood at the main gate,
And she remained standing before it.
Thus, we seek to meet again.
—
Did the Dedorant soldiers know of this dire situation?
Now the song reached even close to the command area.
A clear sign that magic was being used to amplify the sounds.
—
It was beyond absurd. Here, they were struggling with supply shortages.
And there, they waste that precious magic for such trivialities.
What on earth were the commanders thinking to continue waging war against the Empire?
—
“C-Commander! Commander!!”
—
At this moment, a frontline commander rushed into the command tent urgently.
He ran in such a hurry that, despite it still being winter, he was drenched in sweat.
—
“I just received news that an envoy from the Empire has come. They wish to propose a temporary ceasefire.”
“A ceasefire?”
“Yes! But the one who has taken position in front of our troops is none other than the Empire’s Chief of Staff, Kael Clausewitz!”
—
Kael Clausewitz? Could it be that Kael himself has come forth directly?
That news soon reached Leonite, busy instilling military discipline, and his subordinates.
—
What they brought forth to the command tent was nothing other than—
—
“We must kill him!”
“What nonsense is this?”
“He is a threat to Dedorant. For someone like him to step out without fear means he’s planning an ambush while pretending to negotiate!”
—
Upon hearing that, Paelus felt his head buzzing.
Were they in their right minds? Were they genuinely saying such things?
Had they lost their minds from hunger? Or had they secretly done drugs?
—
“Stop talking nonsense. Do you think that makes any sense? To kill someone who has come to propose a meeting?”
“In our Dedorant, he is a person who poses harm!”
“Precisely! That very Dedorant! Such acts only destroy the pride of the Deo ethnicity! We’re not mere thieves; we fight under the name of the Kingdom! How can one even suggest such a thing!”
—
Unable to endure any longer, Paelus shouted, causing the radicals next to Leonite to shrink back.
He, who had only displayed calm until now, appeared noticeably flustered.
—
“General Leonite. Do you also share such foolish thoughts?”
“Cough.”
—
“Stop with this nonsense! Even thieves and pirates wouldn’t harm someone who comes to propose a meeting! Even in the battlefield, there are things that must be upheld!”
—
Since ancient times, attacking an unarmed individual has been deemed taboo.
Those who violate this will be reviled for all of eternity, no matter how victorious they may be.
—
“Even so, he is the Empire’s Chief of Staff…”
“And? If we kill him, will the Empire surrender? That will only provoke their fury further!”
“Are you afraid of the Empire’s fury, Commander?”
“I am indeed afraid! Right now, those who maintain the line as reasonable people could be driven to madness, and the thought of defiling our families and hometowns should instill fear in us!”
—
—Crash!!
—
Unable to bear any more, Paelus slammed his fist onto the strategy table.
So hard was the hit that the table cracked in two and collapsed.
—
“I will handle this matter myself. General Leonite and the other commanders, remain silent.”
“But…”
“If you’re truly concerned about the pride of the Deo ethnicity that you’ve been clamorously discussing, then, in this moment, do not utter another word and close your mouths.”
—
Seeing Paelus’s commanding demeanor, Leonite couldn’t say another word.
In the end, he and the radical commanders nodded and exited the command tent.
Subsequently, Paelus, accompanied by several aides, headed to where the Empire awaited.
—
“Over there, Commander.”
“A truly bold person. I never thought they would set up a meeting tent closer to our lines than their own.”
“It’s no wonder His Highness the Prince has been so cautious of him.”
—
Nodding to his aide’s words, Paelus approached the tent.
He disclosed his identity and declared his intention to respond to the ceasefire proposal.
And after a brief moment—
—
“I am Paelus Gusthagen of Dedorant.”
“I am Kael Clausewitz. Welcome, Commander.”
—
Finally, Paelus stood face-to-face with the much-rumored envoy of the Empire.