#71 The Phantom Dauphin (15) – Touch My Little Guardsman

It began, assuredly, as a petty squabble of pride between two lords.

If only one had yielded even a little.

Or, if the state of the kingdom had been even marginally better, with someone to mediate, it would have ended easily, a minor dispute.

But once the blood started flowing, it demanded more, and as pride, vested interests, old grudges, all became tangled together, the two lords ran rampant, as if they knew no brake.

Young men were forcefully conscripted, taxes increased drastically under the guise of war levies, and the already precarious food situation, barely enough to sustain a family, became so dire that they were forced to consider abandoning one of their own.

The young men of two neighboring villages, merely because they were governed by different lords, stood on opposite sides, forced to point spears at those with whom they had laughed and joked; those who protested, asking why they even had to fight, were beaten into silence by the lords’ personal guards, or worse, simply killed.

Weary and tormented, unable to bear living this way, the people, grasping at straws, approached ‘him’, kneeling and begging.

The Knight of the Lowest.

The true knight, fighting for the people.

Please, deliver us.

Please, put an end to this senseless, inexplicable conflict.

The knight could not turn a blind eye to their disheveled clothes, their emaciated forms, their tear-streaked faces, bowed low.

News that the knight of the people had risen to save them spread, and the lords’ subjects, one by one, turned against their rulers. The lords, as they always did, attempted to suppress this with violence, but failed due to the knight’s powerful presence.

Of course, it wasn’t as if the subjects suffered no losses.

No matter how strong the knight’s force, he was but one man, and in the places he wasn’t, the subjects shed much blood.

However, unlike before, the subjects did not give in easily, even when struck down.

In the past, if one out of ten was made an example of, the other nine would bow their heads; now, they chose to fight back instead of surrender.

Because there was a knight.

Because he had shown them that they *could* stand against the nobles, against the rulers.

Because they realized that they were not invincible, unstoppable beings, but merely people who possessed power.

The knight declared to the two lords:

It is because of your reckless rule that the people suffer so.

So please, cease this strife and fulfill your duty as lord, caring for your people.

But the lords, instead of heeding the knight’s counsel, chose to draw in other noble houses, enraging the populace who cried out to the knight:

“Knight of the lowest!

Knight of the people, who fights beside us!

They have rejected the hand we offered, so naught remains but to sever heads.

To those wicked oppressors, we must return the pain they have inflicted.

In this wretched land, there are so many who suffer as we do, yet know not how to fight back, enduring in silence. If we but share our resolve and our triumphs, surely we can change this land itself.

Rather than live out our days in the torment of the past, we will gladly wager our lives for this noble cause!”

The knight was taken aback.

Only now did he realize the spark his actions had ignited in the hearts of the people—his wielding of the sword to aid the weak, his aligning with the common folk against the nobles.

If he had been a crueler soul…

Or one capable of accepting small sacrifices for a grander vision…

He could have led the people he guided into a war that would engulf the land.

But the knight, who had spent his life fighting for the downtrodden, could not choose a path that would drown countless souls in a pool of blood, even for a just cause.

Yet, neither could he abandon those who trusted him, to flee with his daughter alone.

As the knight agonized, a messenger arrived from the aged king, who had not yet lost all his faculties.

He offered that if the knight would but surrender his own life before even greater conflict and bloodshed could erupt, no blame would be placed on any of those involved. This, he swore in the name of the Crown.

Ignoring his daughter’s anguished cries, the knight raised his sword…

*

“Dahlia, Commander of the 8th Platoon. You are hereby arrested for conspiring with the bandit Dauphin!”

The Sarnos Knights.

At the declaration of their vice-commander, chaos instantly erupted within the guard post.

“What? Conspiring? The commander of the 8th?”

“That’s absurd!”

*Klang!*

As a dozen knights simultaneously slammed their armored feet into the ground, a massive, resonating impact silenced the guard’s clamor.

As if a colossal stone had fallen from the sky, everyone instinctively flinched.

Dahlia, while frowning slightly, strove to maintain her composure as she retorted,

“Conspiring? That’s preposterous. I have done no such thing.”

“Denial is futile. We are aware of your plot: leaking internal guard information to Dauphin to aid his crimes, while he, in turn, would feign defeat to elevate your standing.”

“So, on what grounds are you making such accusations?!”

“Testimony from within the guard.”

“Pardon?”

At the adjutant’s gesture, a few guardsmen from the corner stepped forward and spoke.

“I witnessed the 8th squad leader intentionally let Dofin get away when she had the chance to finish him!”

“I saw Dofin, who attacks everyone else relentlessly, ease up only when fighting the 8th squad leader!”

“Even after the knights arrived, I saw the 8th squad leader talking to a man resembling Dofin late at night!”

When one is utterly dumbfounded, one is rendered speechless.

In place of the momentarily stunned Dahlia, the 8th squad’s adjutant raised his voice.

“Don’t spout such nonsense!! You lot, after fawning over the company commander, have you found a new master now?!”

Only then did Dahlia realize the true nature of these guardsmen.

Originally, Dahlia was something of an outsider within the guard. But after Dofin appeared and Dahlia distinguished herself, many within the guard began to show her favor, turning on a dime.

However, there were those who stubbornly refused to acknowledge Dahlia and showed hostility, and it was they who were now siding with the knights, spewing fabricated testimony.

“There’s no need to listen to them, Captain!! It’s obvious they’re trying to smear you and pass the blame because their own reputations are on the line!!”

“Such crude speech, as one might expect from commoners.”

The vice-commander’s brow furrowed, and one of the knights stepped forward, reaching for the adjutant.

A sneer played on the knight’s lips as the adjutant didn’t even realize the attack coming his way.

*Crack.*

“─Do not touch my subordinate.”

Before the knight’s hand could reach the adjutant, Dahlia’s grip clamped down on the knight’s wrist.

The knight flinched and tried to wrench free, but no matter how violently he struggled, Dahlia didn’t budge.

“W-what!?”

A beat late, the adjutant finally registered the attack, startling back, and the vice-commander’s eyebrows twitched.

“Are you defying orders, is that it?”

“In the first place, the knight order isn’t even the guard’s direct superior, and even if they were, there’s no law that says a superior can inflict unwarranted violence on a subordinate.”

“Nonsense. I was merely correcting a disrespectful dog who dared to interrupt his superiors. It is a crime worthy of execution.”

“That’s…!!”

Not proper law.

At least, it was worlds away from the laws of the world she had discussed with ‘him’.

But Dahlia couldn’t bring herself to say those words.

Even if Dahlia was constructing her own sense of justice and order within the confines of her heart, such things held no consequence in the harsh reality before them.

The Vice-Commander declared,

“Whether the suspicions are true or not, that will be revealed through investigation. Will you obey the order peacefully, or resist to the very end? Squad Leader Dahlia.”

Dahlia hesitated.

Even for someone as steadfast as she was, she wasn’t so naive as to believe a pleasant outcome awaited her if she were to be dragged away without a fight.

But, what if she refused?

Dahlia glanced at her comrades in the 8th Squad.

Each of them gripped the shafts of their spears tightly, their gazes resolute as they bore down upon her.

As if to say they would fight alongside her if she chose to.

And at the same moment, Dahlia noticed.

The subtle trembling of legs, the slow beading of cold sweat, the ragged breaths.

Regardless of their will, their bodies were already consumed by fear.

It was only to be expected.

The guards of the 8th Squad boasted considerable skill within the garrison, but few amongst them could properly wield mana.

The difference in physical ability between those who had strengthened their bodies through proper cultivation techniques and those who hadn’t was akin to that between a wild beast and a common man. Furthermore, their opponents were human weapons clad in proper armor, skilled in swordsmanship, capable of scattering sword energy freely.

Once a battle erupted, regardless of what happened to Dahlia herself, there was no possibility that her squad members would escape unscathed.

And that, Dahlia could not allow.

With a short sigh, Dahlia released the knight’s arm that she held.

The knight, nimble in his movements, retreated backward, glaring at Dahlia, evidently humiliated that a mere guard had managed to obstruct his advance.

Dahlia turned her gaze toward the Knight Order’s Vice-Commander.

“I have never engaged in any form of collusion, but I will cooperate with the investigation.”

“A wise choice.”

“However, there are conditions.”

“…Conditions?”

“You must declare here, before everyone in the garrison, that you will not lay a hand on the other members of the guard. And I must be granted a daily visitation with one member of the 8th Squad at a time.”

The Vice-Commander’s face twisted in open displeasure.

“Do you, a criminal, seriously believe that such a request is permissible?”

“I believe you stated earlier, Vice-Commander, ‘Whether the suspicions are true or not, that will be revealed through investigation.’ To prejudge me as a criminal before the investigation is even concluded seems premature. Unless, of course, you have already determined my guilt and are merely fabricating the evidence to suit your conclusions.”

“You wench!! Are you daring to mock me?!”

“It wasn’t my intention, but if that is how you perceived it, I offer my apologies.”

Watching the Vice-Captain’s face morph through a kaleidoscope of colors, Dahlia found herself wondering:

*Since when did I become so silver-tongued?*

The answer needed little deliberation, really.

It was obviously the result of conversing day in and day out with that slippery eel of a man.

Even in this dismal situation, the mere thought of *him* seemed to lift her spirits, and Dahlia offered a wry smile.

“You little–!”

The Vice-Captain appeared deeply tormented.

To meekly concede to Dahlia’s demands was an affront to his pride.

But to overpower her by force, after the display she’d given against the knight earlier, gave him pause.

Finally, he clicked his tongue and spat out the words as if they were a bitter insect.

“Fine! I’ll grant your paltry demands, so just cooperate with the investigation!”

Dahlia extended her hands, and the knights bound her wrists before leading her away.

The members of the 8th Platoon protested.

“Captain!”

“It’s alright. Just come visit me regularly. Need to know what’s happening out there.”

The troopers looked as if they had a mountain of grievances to express, but seeing Dahlia’s unexpected composure, they reluctantly nodded.

That afternoon.

A peculiar rumor began to circulate through Lebrück.

“Did you hear? The 8th Platoon Captain from the Guard has been taken into custody.”

“What? Why?”

“Turns out, the only reason the Captain of the 8th Platoon could achieve so much was because she was secretly colluding with Dopein!”

“Come on, that’s a bit much, don’t you think?”

“When you think about it, it’s always been a little strange, hasn’t it? How could a mere guard possibly accomplish so much against Dopein, when even the Knights couldn’t? It makes perfect sense that she was in league with him, building her reputation, then leaking information from the inside to sabotage the Knights when they showed up.”

“Hmm, hmmm.”

“I always suspected her, to be honest. I mean, if she was really that skilled, why didn’t she make a name for herself earlier, instead of suddenly becoming a hero after Dopein appeared?”

The rumors were excessively biased towards the Knights and twisted the facts surrounding Dahlia, but the way conspiracy theories blossomed with such alarming speed in different places, people began to eye her with suspicion, to varying degrees.

And hearing this news, one man murmured,

“Well now. How amusing. Such a novel jest.”

Despite the words, the man’s lips remained utterly devoid of a smile.

Observing this from the shadows, the Great Demon thought:

Ah, damn it. This is infuriating.