Duke, Please Fail! - Side Story 1 (Part 3)

Side Story 1: Part 3

“I seem to treat him quite rudely. It’s impolite.”

“I don’t care about jokes like that. There shouldn’t be something to laugh about.”

“But still, he’s just a commoner.”

A cold disdain flickered from Leonel’s lips and disappeared in an instant.

“Don’t worry. Nobility or commoner, we all end up the same when we die.”

The atmosphere quickly sobered. Leonel deliberately erased his pessimistic tone and changed the subject.

“How did you end up on the battlefield?”

Even though he had lived in Attenu for almost his entire life after exile and avoided contact with the outside world, Tatiasun’s Desatellian blood was not easily concealed.

The queen, of all people, couldn’t overlook this fact.

Tatiasun understood the implication immediately.

“I underwent quite rigorous ideological scrutiny.”

It wouldn’t have been easy for someone who was once a citizen of Desatell to join the war against Desatell. Proving the absence of any remaining affection for the homeland was not done through humanitarian means.

As if demonstrating that, Tatiasun’s hand trembled. Imagining the pain he had endured, Leonel’s expression involuntarily wrinkled.

However, Tatiasun, with a nonchalant smile, spoke lightly.

“I was too young when I came here, and I don’t remember what Desatell is like. Besides, my family is in the capital, so I assume Your Majesty can rest easy.”

Perhaps due to exile and a lack of external contact for a while, Tatiasun’s family was particularly close-knit.

If Tatiasun caused trouble on the battlefield, his family in the capital would become hostages. Despite knowing this, he still came to the battlefield.

“Why go to such lengths… What good is there in coming to the battlefield?”

“The last time I saw you, you seemed a bit precarious.”

It was an unexpected response. Leonel didn’t know that Tatiasun cared and thought about him so much.

Tatiasun faced Leonel, whose expression was twisted as if smiling and crying at the same time.

“You’ve been through a lot. We’re friends; how can I just leave you be?”

Not knowing what to say, Leonel felt lost.

Despite growing up like brothers, they were still different individuals. The reason he didn’t reveal the details of the tragedy to Tatiasun was because of this.

Having lost his parents and enduring emptiness and fear for the past few years, there was no way to soothe the pain.

He had comrades, but this was a battlefield. People died too easily and were quickly replaced. They were nothing more than expendable pawns, no different from himself.

So, asking him to share the weight of his life was an impossible task.

Leonel felt like he was the only one left in the world.

However, the moment he heard Tatiasun’s words, the suffocating loneliness faded away.

‘Why did I think I was alone?’

He has a friend who came to the battlefield for him.

For the first time in a long while, Leonel genuinely smiled.

* * *

Leonel gritted his teeth and hastily wrapped a makeshift bandage around his injured forearm. Outside, screams were still audible.

As he stepped out of the tent, Gerald, who had been tending to the wounded, approached.

“Captain, please rest a bit more.”

Even in his words, Gerald exuded concern.

Leonel pushed Gerald aside and walked through the injured soldiers. The air was thick with the mingling stench of blood, burning flesh, and the pungent bitterness of herbs. Even with cloth covering his mouth and nose, the smell infiltrated with each breath.

The sight was nauseating to the point of being unbearable.

However, what was even more unbearable was the feeling that all of this was his fault.

Leonel closed his eyes tightly.

A heavy hand rested on his shoulders, adding more weight to the burden of guilt that pressed on him.

“Leo.”

“How on earth did they find our camp?”

It was already the second attack. The first one had caused relatively minor damage, but this time was different. There were many casualties, both injured and dead.

Tom lay unconscious with three arrows protruding from his back, his face showing no signs of waking. Sophie, trapped under a fallen beam, had various injuries all over her body.

Faust and Arette were gathering the bodies of their fallen comrades in one place.

Leonel could only watch helplessly. Tatiasun, whom he hadn’t seen before, pushed Leonel back into the tent.

He sat Leonel on a cot and gently patted his shoulder.

“It’s okay, Leo. Just be more careful next time.”

Leonel’s arm shivered, and his fingertips grew cold. Unable to bear the sight of his friend, he closed his eyes tightly.

‘Next time…’

In war, a single mistake can cost dozens of lives. It wasn’t a trivial matter to speak lightly of the next test as if anticipating failure. Especially if that negligence resulted in the loss of allied lives. Unconsciously, such words couldn’t be uttered.

After the first attack, and sometime later, Levance began to suspect Tatiasun because of such an attitude. Suspicions spread like a contagion, but Leonel managed to bury his suspicion as deeply as possible.

However, no matter how deep it was buried, when the heart soaked in sorrow, trust crumbled like soil swept away by rain. The suspicion that had been buried inevitably surfaced.

Not long ago, Faust’s outburst of anger suddenly came to mind.

‘That bastard must have leaked our location!’

There were several investigations, but no evidence was found. Leonel was placing his hope solely on that fact. Even if it wasn’t the truth, he wanted to believe that Tatiasun wouldn’t betray him.

He suppressed the agony and raised his head. At that moment, the tent entrance was pushed open, and Faust entered, drenched and rough. Levance tried to stop him, but it was futile.

He glared at Tatiasun with sharp eyes, then stood in front of Leonel.

“Captain, make a decision.”

“Faust!”

Levance blocked Faust’s way, but it was not enough. Faust easily pushed him aside and took a deep breath, suppressing his emotions. He looked straight at Tatiasun and spoke.

“There’s a spy. Otherwise, how do you explain two attacks on our camp?”

Leonel had to admit it. As he nodded, Faust’s enraged expression softened a bit.

Faust, with a calmer tone, addressed Leonel.

“There’s not much time left in the war. We need to catch the spy, push forward, and surrender them before it gets prolonged.”

He moved to Tatiasun and stood in front of him. Faust thought that this time, Leonel would listen to him.

But contrary to his expectations, Leonel went to Tatiasun.

Faust looked at Leonel with an expression of disbelief.

“Captain…”

“Faust, surely you don’t think Tatiasun is a spy.”

Faust, on the verge of bursting into tears, clenched his fist and spoke with a voice suppressing his emotions.

“Where did the Desatellian bloodline go?”

“Tatiasun has lived almost his entire life in Attenu. And even in the last investigation, no evidence came up.”

“That’s…!”

Without bursting into a shout, Faust bit down on his frustration.

“Do as you wish.”

Faust turned abruptly and left the tent with heavy steps. Levance remained silent, and Tatiasun offered a forced smile.

“Sorry, Leo. Even though I’m worried, I shouldn’t have participated in the war against Desatell….”

“Don’t worry about it.”

Leonel grabbed Tatiasun’s shoulder and turned him toward the door.

“Go rest. We’ll be moving the camp soon.”

“Yeah, you too.”

After Tatiasun left, Levance approached Leonel with a thoughtful expression.

“Captain.”

“Hush.”

Leonel gestured for Levance to be quiet and focused on the sensed presence outside. When the lingering footsteps faded, Leonel wearily walked to a chair and sat down with a thud.

Levance approached cautiously.

“Captain. Tatiasun is….”

“Suspicious?”

“…I’m sorry.”

There was nothing for him to apologize for. Leonel, with a furrowed brow, remained silent for a moment before finally speaking.

“If Tatiasun is collaborating with Desatell….”

Even just considering it brought a sense of despair. He slouched in the chair, burying his face in his palms. Simultaneously, the thought that he couldn’t afford to show weakness crossed his mind.

He straightened up and swept his hair back.

“Levance, instruct Arette to quietly monitor Tatiasun.”

“…Understood.”

As the conversation ended, Levance bowed his head and left the tent. Leonel slouched in the chair, sighed, and stood up to check the letters that had arrived from the capital.

‘As expected, nothing.’

Before the first attack, there was a report that someone had seen Tatiasun meeting a stranger late at night. Leonel pondered for a while, but he had no one to confide in. 

Even if he spoke, who could assist? Leonel, in his dilemma, decided to send a letter to Adelhardt.

[Adel, Tatia is under suspicion of being a spy. I trust him, but I don’t know how things will turn out. Nothing has happened yet, so I hope you can summon him to the capital.]

However, even after a considerable amount of time, there was no response. Leonel contemplated for a long time. If he pushed forward, actions had to be taken. However, it wouldn’t be good for news of a potential traitor among their ranks to spread. Leonel instructed Arette to secretly search Tatiasun’s tent.

Despite executing the order discreetly, fortunately, no suspicious evidence was found. Leonel warned that if rumors about a potential traitor spread, morale would plummet, and chaos would ensue.

Feeling a brief relief, Leonel’s hope was short-lived as the first attack occurred. Since then, the situation deteriorated.

‘It’s clear that there’s a spy.’

‘Tatiasun is not involved, right? He’s from the Desatell bloodline.’

‘Someone claimed to have seen him secretly meeting someone.’

Whether the story leaked or not, the atmosphere became ominous. Despite being longtime friends, Leonel had no concrete evidence of Tatiasun being a spy. Additionally, Tatiasun had gone through verification and officially became a knight. For these reasons, there were no open expressions of discontent. However, the whispers and suspicions were unavoidable.

Amidst this, the second attack happened, yet there was still no response from Adelhardt.

‘What is he doing that he hasn’t replied yet…’

Annoyance mixed with resentment raised its head like a snake. Startled, Leonel interrupted his thoughts. Adelhardt must be facing difficulties in the capital. Moreover, everything happening here had nothing to do with Adelhardt.

No matter how tired and cornered he felt, he couldn’t turn his arrows toward a friend who was working hard for him.