I Won’t Let the Execution Battalion Die, ~Even If the Empire Falls, We Want to Survive~ - Chapter 7: The Hanged Woman ②

Between the heavy, overcast sky and the hazy landscape stood a small lord’s castle. Not the lord of the entire region, of course.

Second Lieutenant Makaran pointed from horseback.

“That’s the castle of Lord Fumazov, who governs the settlements in this area.”

“What kind of person is he?”

“His attitude is ambiguous, and I have absolutely no idea what he’s thinking. We’re cooperating to capture the rebellion’s ringleader, yet he just drags things out…”

I smiled wryly at the young second lieutenant’s bitter expression.

“Dealing with such people is also part of our job. We’re useless on the battlefield, but we excel at negotiations and such.”

“Please do.”

Lieutenant Makaran, now completely earnest in his attitude, bowed his head lightly. A well-bred young master type. He had the aura of someone raised surrounded by goodwill.

I hoped Lord Fumazov would be the same.

“Young master, let’s go.”

As the leading cavalrymen were about to pass through the castle gate, I said to Lieutenant Makaran:

“Please order them to wait.”

“Eh? Hey, wait!”

The cavalrymen only listened to their platoon leader’s orders, but when commanded, they responded instantly. They stopped precisely, as if the horses themselves had heard the order. How do they do that?

“What’s the matter, young master?”

“Well…”

Since Lieutenant Makaran was looking at me, I pointed at the gate.

“This gate is built quite low, isn’t it?”

“Hmm? Ah, yes it is. It’s a pain to get through.”

Since the cavalrymen nodded, I explained:

“When structures are built in such an unnatural way, there’s usually some intention behind it. Most likely it’s designed to make visitors dismount.”

“Why would they do that?”

The cavalrymen looked puzzled. These guys aren’t very perceptive.

“Minor lords tend to be looked down upon. You were about to pass through without dismounting, but could you do the same at the imperial palace’s main gate in the capital?”

“Absolutely not.”

The bearded, intimidating cavalrymen shook their heads vigorously, so I smiled wryly.

“Within his domain, the lord is the supreme authority. He should be shown respect as a sovereign. That’s why the gate is deliberately built low—to force visitors to dismount.”

The cavalrymen looked at each other.

“I see…”

“I could get through at a gallop easy enough.”

“Me too. Don’t underestimate imperial cavalry.”

What troublesome fellows…

I chose my words carefully.

“Yes, for elite cavalrymen like yourselves, it’s completely meaningless. But if they made it any lower, it would lose its dignity as a gate. Understanding the intention and dismounting is what distinguishes excellent soldiers. Isn’t that right, Second Lieutenant?”

When I deferred to Lieutenant Makaran, the direct superior of the cavalrymen, he nodded with some confusion.

“Y-yes. You men, show respect to His Lordship. All dismount!”

“Yes sir!”

The order was executed immediately, and the cavalrymen dismounted and took their beloved horses’ reins.

I called out to Second Lieutenant Crimine.

“We should dismount too.”

“Y-yes, understood.”

She dismounted with awkward movements and stumbled greatly from the landing impact.

I gently extended my hand to support her back, then whispered to Second Lieutenant Crimine:

“It seems negotiations really are better suited to us desk workers. Let’s do our best.”

“Yes!”

Her voice cracked. Was she unexpectedly timid?

* * *

The lord didn’t appear immediately, so Second Lieutenant Crimine, Lieutenant Makaran, and I were made to wait in a reception room.

Second Lieutenant Crimine kept glancing up at me while nervously sipping her tea. Was she still affected by the poisoned tea incident from the other day?

“Um, Lieutenant.”

“What?”

“You knew about that gate earlier.”

“No.”

I shook my head.

“It was just imagination.”

“Wasn’t it delusion?”

This girl was quite rude.

I sighed and took a sip of tea. The fact that warm drinks other than hot water were being served probably meant we were officially being welcomed. It was reasonably expensive stuff.

“There’s a similar story from a foreign country. Another house’s army was passing through a minor lord’s castle town, showing no respect to the lord and crossing bridges with their spears raised. What would you do?”

“I’d blow up the bridge while they were crossing.”

“You should show more respect for engineers’ work. Of course that’s wrong.”

I sighed again.

“They planted a pine tree beside the bridge. One with large branches spreading horizontally.”

“Ah, then they couldn’t pass without lowering their spears.”

I’d heard the anecdote of the “spear-toppling pine” when traveling in my previous life. Regardless of its truth, I was impressed and remembered it, and perhaps it had come in handy.

“Thanks to that one pine tree, the lord’s dignity was preserved. Interesting, don’t you think?”

“Yes!”

Since Second Lieutenant Crimine was showing a rare cheerful expression, I was happy too. This girl hardly ever smiles in front of me. I hoped she’d open up to me a little.

When I glanced to the side with that thought, Second Lieutenant Makaran’s eyes were sparkling.

“Lieutenant, you’re well-informed.”

“In return, my horsemanship and courage fall far short of yours. It’s simply a difference in specialization.”

“Thank you!”

For some reason, he saluted me.

An elderly man in fur-lined traditional garb entered the reception room. He was a well-built man who gave the overall impression of a wild Santa Claus. Was he the lord?

Lieutenant Makaran stood up and saluted.

“Lord Fumazov.”

“Ah, Lieutenant Makaran. I heard a new officer came from the capital.”

Being watched by the old man, I also saluted. Even though he was a minor lord, he was this land’s sovereign.

Normally I should kneel and bow my head to such a person, but we soldiers weren’t allowed to show that courtesy to anyone except the emperor and God. We were the emperor’s army, after all.

“I am Lieutenant Fonkt, deputy commander of the 3rd Company, Imperial Ceremonial Battalion.”

“Oh, company deputy commander?”

In the Ceremonial Battalion’s case, all the lieutenants were deputy commanders of their assigned companies. Deputy commanders everywhere.

It was arranged that way because it somehow looked more important. I’d seen this fairly often in my previous life too, and apparently it had been effective.

Now, which “side” was this person on? I was on the side of letting the rebellion’s ringleader escape.

As a lord, having a rebellion in his territory should be troublesome, so maybe he was on the side of wanting to execute the ringleader.

Then Lord Fumazov stroked his beard and said gently:

“The letter addressed to your battalion commander—the characters weren’t blurred, were they? Around here, the winter cold freezes the ink.”

Oh?

I noticed something unusual but gave a noncommittal answer.

“No, I haven’t read it myself.”

“Hmm, I see. But the capital must surely have good ‘ink dealers.’ I’d like to obtain ink that won’t freeze ‘at all costs.’ Perhaps I’ll visit ‘next summer.'”

Ah… this person was on “this side.” He was using both code phrases conveyed by the battalion commander, and “Ink Dealer” was the battalion commander’s nickname. It was probably certain.

And he had that look like he wanted to say something.

“I also know of a good ‘ink dealer.’ If it’s ‘next summer,’ my schedule is free, so by all means…”

Lord Fumazov’s face brightened.

“Oh, is that so? Visitors from afar bring good fortune.”

The old man nodded, then turned back to Lieutenant Makaran.

“Thank you for the escort. Your horses must be tired from traveling in an unfamiliar territory. My veterinarian said he’d like to examine them. How about it?”

“That would be helpful. I’ll attend as well.”

He subtly cleared the room. Without showing any suspicion, Lieutenant Makaran left happily.

Now, what kind of conversation awaited us?