SWNOVELXO Chapter 131 - Betrayal (2)
Chapter 131. Betrayal (2)
The 3rd Squad, to which Schleiman belonged, completed their mission and returned to their base for a shift change.
What greeted them was an unusual atmosphere hanging over the base.
‘What’s going on?’
It was a distinctly different vibe compared to before they left for the mission changeover.
There was a sense of restlessness in some areas, and in others, a strangely tense feeling lingered.
Just as the 3rd Squad stepped into the base—
“That’s enough! We’re leaving this alliance!”
A furious voice rang out from somewhere, causing Schleiman to stop in his tracks.
‘What was that?’
With a bewildered expression, Schleiman quickly moved in the direction of the voice.
The other squad leaders from the 3rd Squad followed in succession, and soon, they spotted several individuals locked in a standoff.
Schleiman approached them.
“What’s going on here?”
A group suddenly confronted him, and as many realized that the person who spoke was Schleiman, they flinched.
It was as if they were trying to gauge the situation.
Then, one squad member shouted with an angry face.
“This is all your fault, isn’t it?”
“What?”
Schleiman was taken aback. He had just completed his assigned mission, so what was this all about?
But what he found even more absurd was only just beginning.
“With you colluding with Yuri Holland, we’re pulling out of this alliance.”
“…?”
A question mark practically floated above Schleiman’s head.
‘Colluding? What collusion?’
Seeing Schleiman freeze, some people wore expressions that suggested they believed a reckless fool had finally caused trouble.
‘Idiot! To say that to Schleiman!’
However, others seemed rather relieved.
The information that someone was colluding with Yuri Holland, and that Schleiman was the prime suspect, had been circulating primarily among the squad leaders.
Some of the leaders argued that they should keep this to themselves to avoid chaos.
Others insisted that even the squad members should be informed.
If the current squads were functioning as actual units following strict command structures, there would have been no need to inform the members.
But the current squads, made up of the 50th batch, had a different dynamic.
The squad leaders were not true superiors; they merely represented their members.
Thus, some squad leaders shared the information with their members, and it quickly spread to everyone.
As a result, heated debates erupted everywhere about this issue, and opinions among the squad members became sharply divided.
Many questioned whether there was any point in maintaining the alliance when trust had already been broken.
Some wondered if there might be other colluders besides Schleiman.
And then, there were those who believed they shouldn’t be swayed by unverified information.
With all these debates happening so quickly, the squads, now leaning toward distrust, were even considering breaking the alliance altogether.
And it was in this tense situation that Schleiman and the 3rd Squad returned.
Facing the dozens of eyes on him, Schleiman, still unsure of what was happening, asked with a firm expression.
“What’s this all about?”
Those who suggested observing the situation before jumping to conclusions explained what had happened.
They spoke of Gilbert from the 2nd Squad, who had returned from a mission.
As the 3rd Squad’s leaders listened to the explanation, their expressions shifted moment by moment.
However, none changed their expression as quickly as Schleiman.
“So, you’re saying… I was singled out as the one who might be colluding with that bastard—no, with Yuri Holland?”
“Well… it’s not like you’re the only one being accused, but there are many opinions pointing to you as the colluder.”
“Hah?”
A deep sigh escaped Schleiman’s lips, conveying his disbelief.
Looking into the eyes fixed on him, he answered firmly.
“It’s not me.”
A rebuttal immediately followed.
“You need to prove that you’re not colluding.”
“What proof!”
Schleiman found the situation absurd and frustrating.
How was he supposed to prove that he hadn’t done something he never did in the first place?
Frustrated, he shouted.
“What would I possibly gain from colluding with Yuri Holland?”
To that, someone else shot back, echoing what had been said among the squad leaders.
“But forming this alliance doesn’t particularly benefit you either, does it?”
“……”
“Let’s clear this up while we’re at it. Why did you form this alliance?”
“That was to oppose Yuri Holland…”
“So, was this alliance only formed to deal with Yuri Holland and then disband?”
“Of course.”
“Would you go to this extent for an alliance that’s just meant to oppose Yuri Holland and then disband?”
“…Does that matter?”
Seeing the skeptical gazes still cast upon him despite his explanations, Schleiman realized.
‘Sigh… I’ve already missed the moment to clear my name.’
No matter how much he tried to explain, they wouldn’t believe him.
Distrust had already taken root deeply within them.
‘I was only gone for a few hours… What on earth happened in that time? Where did it all go wrong?’
The spark that Yuri had thrown had already grown into a wildfire too large for the belated Schleiman to extinguish.
And so, on that day—
The first group of defectors emerged from the alliance of the 13 squads.
* * *
Step, step—
The 14th Squad, once part of the 1st Squad, left the base and ventured into the forest.
How long did they wander through the woods?
One of the squad members muttered.
“Did we make the right choice… leaving?”
At first, they were swept up in the flow and agreed to withdraw from the alliance, but now that they had actually left, unease set in.
Even though it was a temporary alliance, having dozens of comrades versus being reduced to only about seven members made a significant psychological difference.
Hearing the anxious voice, the leader of the 14th Squad scoffed.
“So what? Are you saying we should go back now? I clearly stated that we should observe from a neutral stance, but it was you all who decided to withdraw.”
“Yeah, yeah, we know.”
“We’re not necessarily saying we should go back.”
Watching the hesitant squad members, the 14th Squad leader clicked his tongue internally.
‘Tsk, should I have just insisted we stay?’
But even if he had insisted, the squad members, caught up in the mood, would have pressured to leave the alliance anyway.
And it was this impulsive decision of theirs that led to the current situation.
“Sigh…”
Letting out a deep sigh, the squad leader stopped and addressed the members.
“Any ideas on what we should do next?”
The issue of their future course of action.
Deciding that was now the most pressing matter.
Once they had left, they found themselves without a clear plan, unlike before, when they had a definite purpose of capturing Yuri Holland.
The squad members looked at each other, hesitant to voice any opinions.
Then, it happened.
“I, I have an idea!”
A cheerful voice broke the silence among the squad members.
The voice continued.
“How about we just join Yuri Holland’s side?”
The leader of the 14th Squad tilted his head in confusion.
“With Yuri Holland?”
“Think about it. Right now, there are still many people left on that side, and they’re moving with the goal of defeating Yuri Holland.”
“That’s true.”
“But will it stay that way?”
“…What do you mean?”
A gentle voice responded to the 14th Squad leader’s question.
“There’s now another objective aside from just defeating Yuri Holland.”
“Another objective?”
“A new enemy.”
“…?!”
Realizing who that new enemy was, the 14th Squad leader’s eyes widened.
“You mean… we’re the new enemy?”
“Of course. In a situation where it’s either ‘with us or against us,’ any squad that breaks away from the alliance becomes the enemy.”
“Well, that’s true.”
“Now, they have two options: either they handle Yuri Holland first and then deal with the defectors, or they deal with the defectors first and then take on Yuri Holland.”
“Ah…!”
It was a scenario that seemed highly plausible.
As the 14th Squad leader and his members’ faces hardened at that realization, the voice continued.
“So, we should join Yuri Holland.”
“The enemy of my enemy… could be a friend?”
“Exactly! Hey, we used to get along pretty well, right?”
Hearing the cheerful voice, the 14th Squad leader nodded.
He then smiled in the direction of the voice.
“That’s a good suggestion.”
As he offered this praise, his smile faded.
‘But… whose voice is that?’
Only then did the squad leader realize something was off, and he started counting the heads of the squad members.
‘One, two, three… seven?’
The 14th Squad had seven members, including himself.
However, there were only seven heads visible before him.
Alarmed, the squad leader quickly scanned the faces of the members and noticed an unfamiliar head.
A head with pitch-black hair.
‘Wait… black hair?’
The 14th Squad leader’s pupils widened as he quickly assessed the situation.
He urgently drew his weapon and shouted towards the person with black hair.
“Yu… Yuri Holland!”
At his shout, the squad members around the black-haired individual jumped back in shock.
The figure of black-haired Yuri became fully visible.
He grinned and waved his hand nonchalantly.
“Hello, friends. I’m Yuri, the main character of ‘Defeat Yuri Holland.’”
Seven pairs of eyes stared at him in shock.
‘When did he get here?!’
‘He was right behind us, and we didn’t even notice?!’
‘If Yuri Holland had planned an ambush…’
If that had been the case, they would already be sprawled on the ground.
It was only then that the 14th Squad realized that Yuri’s reputation for decimating entire squads was not an exaggeration.
They shuddered.
Watching them, Yuri stopped waving and his bright smile disappeared.
Instead, his voice turned cold as he addressed the 14th Squad.
“So, are we going to be friends, or not?”
The once cheerful and bright tone was now replaced by one that carried a heavy presence, making the 14th Squad gulp nervously.
“A-and if we say no?”
“If you say no? Is that even a question? If you’re not a friend, then obviously…”
Yuri smirked as he drew his sword.
“You’re an enemy.”
The murderous intent emanating from the gleaming white blade made it clear what choice they had to make.
The entire 14th Squad gave awkward smiles and nodded.
“L-let’s be friends!”
“Being friends is great!”
“The enemy of my enemy is my friend!”
Thus, under the threat of a sword, they were forcibly enlisted into the newly formed ‘Yuri Alliance.’
And this was just the beginning.
Yuri’s threats and persuasion continued with other squads that had separated from the alliance.
His eloquent speech and chilling killing intent led many to join the ‘Yuri Alliance.’
Among those newly joining the Yuri Alliance was Clarice, the 9th Squad leader.
As she observed the newly formed faction of defectors gathering in small groups, she recalled a conversation she had with Gunther the previous day.
* * *
Clarice was watching the departing squads.
“Three squads have already defected?”
It had only been a day, but 3 out of the 13 squads had withdrawn from the alliance.
It was a significant loss of force.
Moreover, the mood among the remaining members wasn’t great.
Although they weren’t mistrusting each other like those who had left, they also didn’t seem to have full faith in the alliance as before.
As the atmosphere continued to feel like walking on thin ice, Gunther approached Clarice.
“Surprising.”
Gunther, who had suddenly appeared, said this as he looked at Clarice.
Clarice frowned.
“What is?”
“You were the first to suspect Schleiman… but here you are, still not defecting.”
Clarice met Gunther’s gaze in silence.
After a moment of quiet, Gunther asked a question.
“Have you dropped your suspicion of Schleiman?”
Clarice broke the silence and shook her head slightly.
“No, I still suspect Schleiman.”
“Then why haven’t you defected?”
“That’s a stupid question.”
“Stupid?”
“The most dangerous enemy is the one you keep closest to you, isn’t it?”
“Ah…”
Gunther nodded slightly at Clarice’s words.
“I see. I asked something far too simple.”
Clarice’s reasoning made sense.
If she was suspicious of Schleiman, then watching him closely would also be a wise choice.
Their brief conversation ended, and silence fell between them once more.
Again, Gunther was the one to break the silence.
“I’ve heard a lot about the Van Family.”
A prestigious family that cultivated barren lands in the Tabul Administrative District.
Known as a heroic family beyond just a noble house, due to their spirit of self-sacrifice which helped feed the district.
Their support within the Tabul Administrative District was absolute.
So much so that the district was often called the Van Kingdom.
Their reputation had reached even the far northern parts of the continent, so Gunther was well aware of them.
Among the many knightly families, the Van Family was uniquely renowned.
Clarice, being a descendant of that illustrious knightly lineage, was believed to uphold the honor of a knight.
Because of this, Gunther considered asking Clarice for a difficult favor.
“By any chance…”
Gunther hesitated before finally speaking.
“…Have you thought about defecting from this alliance?”