Victor Mort (5)

The sunlight on the southern island was unbearably harsh. It was even worse for the Mort Knight Order, most of whom came from the north. Every morning, the exhausted knights washed themselves in spring water and applied cooling mint ointment, but it was nowhere near enough to overcome the heat. Fighting the Southern Kingdom’s forces, which continued to attack them regularly, made it even more difficult.

But Victor felt more astonishment than fatigue.

The enemies were truly far too weak. To him, who had always held back even against the knights of Mort, everyone else was no different from a scarecrow. After swinging his sword for only a short while, corpses would pile up around him in an instant.

So Victor instinctively restrained himself. He wanted revenge, and he hated the enemy. But the image of Morteon, who had always spoken about the value of life and chivalry, remained embedded in a corner of his heart. He did not want his brother to see him as a monster.

Fortunately, the approaching enemies were at a level the other knights could handle without much difficulty. And so Victor passed each day defeating only as many enemies as necessary.

However, the situation on the other islands was not as favorable as it was here. After receiving a message from headquarters, Morteon finally erupted in anger.

“Those idiots. How could they not have anticipated this?”

“What does it say?”

“Our forces are being defeated one by one. The enemy has fewer men than we do, but we’re isolated on separate islands right now, aren’t we? So they’re concentrating their forces and sweeping through several locations each day.”

The knights let out dismayed groans.

The Imperial Army’s advantage was its superior numbers, but in their current situation, they could not make use of that advantage at all. Their forces had merely been scattered, making them easier to attack.

Morteon finished reading the letter.

“So they want reinforcements. They’re asking us to send the knights of Mort to islands where the units have suffered heavy losses.”

“When are we supposed to advance on the Southern Kingdom’s mainland?”

“I don’t know. It seems our losses are greater than expected.”

Victor frowned.

It was already painful enough to remain on land so hot that their skin burned black. He could not believe that even the original operation was failing to proceed properly. It was incompetence of an appalling degree.

The knights appeared to share his thoughts and voiced their outrage.

“I cannot believe this, Your Grace. How can they be such a disorganized rabble?”

“This is a complete waste of time. We should return to the continent even now.”

“I agree.”

Morteon let out a deep sigh. He looked even more exhausted than he had during their father’s funeral. An unavoidable sense of helplessness hung from his drooping shoulders. He and the knights were being wasted in a place where they served no purpose.

But the grand duke did not give in to despair easily. Morteon folded the letter and said,

“In any case, the situation of our allies must improve before we can persuade headquarters. Divide the knight order into three groups. One unit will remain here with me, and the other two will support our allies on other islands. Victor will command one of the support units…….”

“That cannot be allowed.”

The chief of staff suddenly interrupted. Morteon looked at him in surprise.

“What cannot?”

“We cannot send the young lord. He must remain here with Your Grace.”

Morteon looked at him with a frown, clearly unable to understand why he insisted on keeping Victor behind.

But every other knight looked as though they understood.

“He is right, Your Grace. Keep the young lord by your side.”

“We are more than capable of providing support on our own. Of course, it would be difficult if neither of you were present.”

“But that would still be better than leaving us uneasy.”

An elderly knight smiled faintly.

“If the young lord remains with you, then no matter who comes, there is no chance you will be harmed.”

‘I see.’

Only then did Victor understand their intentions.

They had recently lost their lord. The death of the ruler they had served for many years had left the knights with guilt and wounds. That was why they wanted to protect Morteon, at the very least, no matter what.

Victor understood that feeling painfully well. He also never wanted to lose Morteon.

“All right, brother. I’ll stay.”

After hesitating, Morteon eventually agreed with his subordinates.

The experienced knights and Victor remained on the island with Morteon, while the relatively younger knights split into two support units.

In the middle of the night, the ships carrying the knights left the island. Standing behind Morteon, Victor wished his comrades good fortune.

The departing knights carried out their missions flawlessly. The letters delivered by carrier pigeon informed them that they were moving between several islands and rescuing allied forces.

The knights who remained behind also performed their duties thoroughly. Together with the soldiers under his command, Morteon sank several warships along the Southern Kingdom’s coast. They approached by boat in the middle of the night, cut the anchor lines or punched holes in the hulls, then escaped, leaving the enemy visibly flustered.

Victor and the other knights easily repelled the soldiers who attacked the island. There were more of them than before, but to Victor they were nothing more than a nuisance. The Mort Knight Order won victory after victory.

After several weeks, word of the knight order’s victories spread throughout the front. Headquarters even sent them a personal commendation. The knights grumbled that they should spend the time canceling the operation instead of writing such letters, and the chief of staff sent a reply that softened their words as much as possible.

But the letter headquarters sent back was truly outrageous.

[……It would be troublesome if you became arrogant after a few victories. The knights of Mort may be valiant, but they cannot change the course of the war through their strength alone. Remain where you are and await further orders from headquarters.]

“May I go cut off the head of the bastard who wrote this?”

Someone asked in an enraged voice. Morteon gave a short laugh.

“You all know those people are needlessly prideful.”

“There should still be a limit. If we were not on a battlefield, I would have challenged him to a duel long ago.”

“Endure it. I don’t want to reduce the number of our allies any further.”

The knights chuckled at his words.

They were all gathered around a campfire. It was time to cool their skin, scorched during the day, with water and eat dried bread and fruit for dinner. There was no alcohol, but even that helped ease some of their battle fatigue. Another knight joked,

“What does it matter if we lose a few men like them? We have the young lord on our side.”

“Exactly. The young lord truly is invincible.”

The knights laughed noisily. Victor smiled quietly. Even on a brutal battlefield, it pleased him to have the trust of his comrades.

Beneath the vast southern night sky, the knights spoke of many things. They said they wanted wine, that they missed Mort’s winter, and that they hoped the knights in the support units returning tomorrow would bring back some delicious food.

Come to think of it, Leonard and Kaltz will return tomorrow too. They’re probably still arguing over something pathetic.

Victor smiled inwardly and swallowed a piece of fruit.

When the meal ended, the knights exchanged farewells and headed to their sleeping quarters, leaving behind only those assigned to night watch.

Before entering his quarters, Morteon called to Victor.

“Shall we take a short walk along the beach?”

Victor nodded and followed his brother.

The island’s geography had become familiar by now. It was a small island half-covered in sand, with unfamiliar southern trees forming a forest between the empty houses and guard posts.

The two brothers walked silently along the dark beach as gentle waves rolled in. Morteon suddenly said,

“About the day we last sparred.”

“Yeah.”

“To be honest, I was a little upset that day.”

Victor looked at him in surprise. Morteon was speaking about several years ago, when Victor had defeated him and become a full-fledged knight.

Why was he suddenly bringing this up? Victor had wondered whether it had hurt him, but had it truly been that painful?

However, what Morteon said next was not what Victor expected.

“Because it meant I could no longer protect you.”

“…….”

“I’m your brother, and I promised I would protect you. But now I can’t do that anymore.”

Victor stared at Morteon, at a loss for words. He had never thought about it that way. Morteon had always been his steadfast pillar of support.

But before he could say anything, Morteon added,

“Now, though, I can only feel relieved.”

Warm brown eyes quietly gazed at Victor.

“Because even if something happens to me, you’ll survive.”

“Brother.”

“Even in a situation like this, where there’s nothing I can do, that thought comforts me. That at least you will survive.”

Victor’s chest tightened painfully.

He remembered the time after his mother died and his father left the castle, when he had always lived alone in loneliness. The one who had saved him then was Morteon. His brother had brought him back to life and taught him about this world. Knowledge, swordsmanship, friendship, and the love of family. Morteon had taught him all of it. Victor could not even imagine a world without him.

Victor spoke firmly.

“I won’t survive alone. I trained my entire life to prevent that. No matter what happens, I’ll protect you.”

He spoke as though making a vow.

Morteon seemed slightly surprised. But soon, the bright smile he always wore when looking at his beloved younger brother appeared. His face, similar to Victor’s but far gentler, broke into a smile.

“All right. Thank you.”

Victor awkwardly turned his head away. Saying something like that aloud all of a sudden made him strangely embarrassed. After all, that would be his duty for the rest of his life anyway.

Victor and Morteon finished patrolling the beach before returning to their respective quarters.