Chapter 248: The Final Persuasion

Now I can proceed with the evaluation of Lord Faust von Polydoro.

I smirked quietly to myself.

“You’re in quite the good mood, Your Majesty,”

remarked one of my attendants beside me.

Apparently, my delight had become evident enough for even her to notice.

“You know my purpose, don’t you?”

I want to confirm whether Lord Polydoro is a suitable man to bear my child.

I’ve heard the rumors about him.

Recently, he deflected a cannonball fired by Duke Temeraire.

Few know this, but he once took the lead against the 6,000-strong army of Eugen von Mainz, and with just 200 soldiers, crushed them single-handedly.

And then—most significantly—he defeated the demonic superhuman Claudia von Reckenber in single combat.

That last one is especially important. Yes, indeed.

There’s likely no other superhuman in the world who could surpass him.

Still…

“I must see for myself just how strong Lord Polydoro truly is.”

“And for that, this Colosseum, is it?”

“Precisely.”

The stage is already set.

The Colosseum, capable of accommodating thousands, is filled to the brim with Landsknechts.

The atmosphere is so feverish that it feels like a riot could erupt at any moment, but the soldiers under Duke Temeraire’s command are keeping it all under control.

I addressed the duke, who had left her subordinates to manage the crowd and now sat beside me.

“Do you intend to douse the Landsknechts with cold water through this?”

“Once he defeats fifty of their most seasoned veterans—no, once he crushes Baumann—they’ll lose their fire, as if a torrential rain had extinguished their blaze. They will become like lost girls with no direction. These rootless men will lose everything they once prided themselves on and will finally face reality.”

Her crystal-framed glasses glinted as she replied.

Everything was proceeding according to Duke Temeraire’s designs.

I had no complaints, as it suited me just fine.

“By witnessing Faust’s strength firsthand, the Landsknechts will understand. Yes, Claudia von Reckenber is truly gone. This is a ritual for them to accept that reality.”

The duke, who had once defied Lord Polydoro and been utterly humiliated, spoke from experience.

Perhaps it was precisely because she had experienced it herself that she knew what was coming.

“A ritual, is it? Yes, a ritual indeed,”

I muttered, as if trying to convince myself.

Yes, a ritual.

This is a ceremony to awaken the Landsknechts by presenting Lord Polydoro—the executioner—before their very eyes.

Claudia von Reckenber is gone.

That monster was slain.

Therefore, they must follow a new leader.

That leader is Claudia von Reckenber’s daughter, Nina von Reckenber.

To make them accept that, the fifty elite veterans will serve as sacrifices.

“…It does feel a bit melancholic, though. Must it really come to this?”

“It must. You wouldn’t understand, Your Majesty. After all, you were never that close to Claudia von Reckenber.”

Duke Temeraire gazed off into the distance.

“She was a demon. And because of that, she captivated everyone. Undoubtedly, she was the protagonist of a knightly tale. Even now, I believe that, and I’ll never forget it as long as I live.”

“A protagonist, you say?”

But that protagonist is dead.

She’s gone, nowhere to be found.

And so, the supporting cast—the Landsknechts—won’t know what to do.

That’s understandable.

However, as long as Nina and Virendorf are deciding their future course, it’s fine.

As for me, the Emperor, I’ll lose the Landsknechts as a military force.

But I don’t mind.

To flee this country, I don’t need mercenaries weighing me down.

“I suppose I must decide what to do with this country.”

I murmured vaguely about my future as Emperor.

Anastasia, Katarina, and Eugen, the three Electors, probably desire that.

I’ve guessed as much, and I don’t particularly mind.

I have no attachment to the Emperor’s throne.

“There’s that matter, but it can wait for later.”

If it were the old Duke Temeraire, she might have even declared her intention to become Emperor herself.

But now, she seemed more subdued, as though the thorn in her demeanor had been plucked, as she gazed at her surroundings.

Ah, she must be mourning the absence of someone who should have been here.

“Where is Lady Valiere?”

Duke Temeraire spoke plainly, her tone cutting to the heart of the matter.

She was referring to the one who ought to be seated beside me.

I answered with a calm demeanor.

“She went to persuade the fifty veteran Landsknechts. After learning everything, she came to pity them.”

“…What a futile endeavor. There are less than thirty minutes until the start of the imperial exhibition match.”

Duke Temeraire shook her head quietly.

“They have no choice but to die. That is their salvation.”

Ah, that much is true.

I nodded, agreeing with her.

Even Lord Polydoro’s fiancée, Lady Valiere, must understand that fully.

Yet, she cannot help but act, driven by her nature.

A foolish, yet kind soul.

“Have you made peace with your deaths? Dying is not enough—you must die bravely.”

I declared this openly.

As a double-pay soldier and an officer, I spoke with clarity about death.

No one replied.

The fifty veterans of the Landsknechts answered with their eyes alone.

Every one of them had a resolute gaze.

They were already prepared, leaving no room for confirmation.

I checked my attire.

The upper half of my body was clad in armor, while my boots were polished to a mirror-like shine, and my trousers were without a single wrinkle.

It was my usual appearance.

In my hands, I held a Zweihänder.

Yes, this was my usual self.

It had to be this way.

The alcohol had completely worn off, and my mind was clear.

I could hear words distinctly.

My vision was sharp.

“Stop right there.”

When Lady Valiere appeared before us, I couldn’t help but widen my eyes.

At her sides stood Lady Sabine and Lady Berlichingen, both frowning deeply.

“…What brings you here, Lady Valiere?”

“Isn’t it obvious? I’ve come to stop you!”

There are less than thirty minutes until the match.

Why now?

I tried to smile at the absurdity, but Lady Valiere’s expression was grave.

Even now, she had come here to plead for us to stop.

She must have thought this was the final chance and slipped away from her seat to come here.

“This is a pointless death! Faust—my fiancé—is unbelievably strong. No matter how many fifty of you gather, you have no chance of winning!”

“…You are truly a kind person, aren’t you?”

Indeed.

There’s no chance of winning.

That much we understand.

From the beginning, we Landsknechts had no intention of victory.

The only result would be our deaths.

“But that is fine with us.”

“Why!?”

“Because we want to die. In this world without Lady Reckenber, we have no attachments left. When she tapped our shoulders with her sword, it was the first time we felt truly alive. Without her, we are as good as dead.”

It must be a bother to Lord Polydoro, who defeated Lady Reckenber in a fair one-on-one duel.

Ah, yes, it is a great nuisance.

Even now, I’m sure he finds the thought of killing us repugnant.

That is likely why he did not stop Lady Valiere’s actions either.

“If you were alive, and you followed Lady Nina von Reckenber, perhaps good things would come—”

“There are none.”

It wasn’t us who answered

It was Lady Berlichingen, one of Lady Valiere’s subordinates, who spoke.

Startled, Lady Valiere turned to look at her.

“Lady Valiere, let us return to your seat. As I have told you repeatedly, persuading them is futile. If I were in your position and lost you, I too would likely act the same way.”

“But—”

“Let them go to Valhalla. That is their greatest happiness.”

Lady Berlichingen delivered her words without a smile, her expression cold and unyielding, as though stating a simple truth.

Indeed, that is likely the most happiness we could hope for.

But Lady Valiere—she is endlessly kind.

“Valhalla doesn’t exist! That’s just a myth!”

She denies the existence of Valhalla in her desperation to stop us from dying.

Perhaps she is right.

But still—

“Your Highness, you are mistaken. Valhalla does exist. That, at least, I must affirm.”

I voiced my objection.

Not to oppose Lady Valiere, but because some truths must be spoken.

“We are unlettered fools, the third and fourth sons of paupers. Perhaps there is no place for the likes of us in Valhalla. Even if we pour all our strength into challenging your fiancé and are utterly slaughtered—”

Even if we are utterly slaughtered,

even if we lose everything,

there will be no regrets.

“Perhaps none of us will be allowed into Valhalla. Perhaps they’ll say, ‘You don’t meet the standards. Go home.’ That may very well happen. After all, we don’t trust the world enough to believe otherwise. There are surely far braver, nobler warriors than us everywhere! The true knights have likely already filled Valhalla to capacity. It might not be a place for paupers like us!”

They may turn us away, telling us Valhalla is full.

Well, we’re used to that.

There’s never been a seat for us anywhere in this world.

The first to give us a place was Lady Reckenber.

But she is no longer here.

“We are not foolish enough to believe that bravery alone will grant us entry into Valhalla. Still, Lady Reckenber was a true knight. She gave us a place to belong.”

That’s why this is enough for us now.

To die is fine.

To scatter into nothingness is fine.

“Valhalla surely exists for the sake of true knights. That cannot be denied. While the gods may have treated us cruelly, I’d like to believe they would not do the same to true knights. Lady Reckenber, the protagonist of those knightly tales, is surely waiting in the afterlife. We will reach for her, even if it means falling into hell. Even if we cannot all enter Valhalla, that truth remains unchanged. Please do not forget that.”

Perhaps we will not enter Valhalla.

We’ve polished our boots to a mirror shine, ensured there’s not a single tear in our trousers, sobered up, and steeled ourselves to die bravely.

Even so, we might not make it.

But that’s fine.

We must take responsibility for insulting Lord Polydoro,

and as veterans of the Landsknechts, we must show our defiance to him.

Unlike Virendorf, we cannot simply accept Lady Reckenber’s death with a clean duel and a light heart.

We are stubborn, muddled, and foolish.

We are so foolish that we cannot accept reality until we’ve seen our comrades die before us.

“Lead your soldiers to your real ‘paradise,’ Your Highness. But we are Lady Reckenber’s soldiers. Therefore, it is out of place for us to heed your kind persuasion. We may never reach it, but in the end, we wish to extend our hands toward the place where Lady Reckenber awaits.”

Lady Valiere seemed to give up, her expression resigned.

Perhaps she thought this final act of mercy was all she could offer us.

“…I pray that you can reach Valhalla. That is all I can do for you now.”

“That will suffice.”

We no longer stopped walking.

Even as we talked, time continued to pass.

It would soon be time to face our opponent.

“Well, time to die.”

A gust of wind blew.

Across the Colosseum,

Lord Polydoro, fully armed, stood silently, awaiting us.