Chapter 151 - Death and Honor Are Not the Same (14)
Everything happened in an instant.
The moment Ernest saw Estelle flying toward him, he threw his body over Bertrand, collapsing his own center of gravity.
If he just stood there, Estelle's Balt would no doubt shatter him to pieces.
Biting her lip in frustration at Ernest's astounding situational awareness and reflexes, Estelle was forced to lessen the output of her Balt.
If she wasn't careful, she could have killed Bertrand as well as Ernest.
The Royal Guard's shield wall fell apart; 2nd Company members surged in; Jade crawled across the ground, desperate to grab hold of Ernest; Ernest threw himself over Bertrand and grabbed his helmet, about to press a sword to his face—
Wham!
Estelle, suppressing the Balt Shield as much as she dared, tackled Ernest with her entire body.
'This monster of a man!'
Estelle slammed into Ernest, driving him away, and the two of them flew off together, crashing through the Royal Guard's shield wall on the opposite side, tangled up as they tumbled far away.
And throughout it all, Ernest kept his eyes fixed straight on Estelle. Even as he braced with his dagger to absorb the impact, he subtly drew her barrier toward his cuirass to cushion the blow.
If he'd taken that hit head-on, his organs might have ruptured or his neck could have been broken by the whiplash.
Yet somehow, he managed to meet the speed even Estelle herself could barely control, softening the crash and protecting himself.
Thud!
Just as Estelle was about to unleash Balt again and tear Ernest apart, Ernest kicked off her barrier with all his strength, hurling himself away from Estelle and creating distance.
Estelle reached out, intending to crush his ankle if she could—but her fingers only scraped across the surface of his boot, sending shredded leather fluttering through the air.
Ernest rolled three times across the rough forest floor, then—almost unnaturally—sprang to his feet in a single bound.
Backing up to lessen the impact, he finally stopped when his back slammed into a tree.
"Shhh! Haa!"
Ernest sucked in a painful breath.
He'd done his best to absorb the impact, but he couldn't completely stop the force of Estelle plummeting down like a meteor.
It felt as if he'd been hit head-on by a cavalry charge—his vision spun wildly, and his hands and feet trembled.
"Die!"
Estelle, determined not to give Ernest even a moment to recover, twisted her body and lunged straight at him—finally unleashing the murderous intent she'd tried so hard to suppress until now.
Despite his spinning vision, Ernest managed to distinguish everything with clarity.
By checking the ground and the sky in the distorted scene, he oriented himself, rearranging the twisted images into their correct places, and saw the world as it truly was, even as everything spun around him.
In his broad field of view, he saw 2nd Company members racing past the shattered Royal Guard, swarming over Jade and bringing him down.
And one of them—Robert—reached Bertrand.
"Robert!" Ernest cried out desperately when he saw Robert, barely alive from dehydration and fever, thrusting his bayonet at Bertrand.
Estelle, realizing that Ernest's focus wasn't entirely on her, glanced over at Bertrand as well.
"Gah!"
"Haah!"
Thud.
Robert, summoning every ounce of strength he had, drove the bayonet forward.
But Bertrand reflexively shielded himself with his armored arm, causing the weapon to slide off and bury itself in the ground right beside Bertrand's face.
Robert lost his balance and fell on top of Bertrand, and the two of them tumbled across the ground, grappling fiercely.
Robert wasn't exactly a skilled fighter, but he'd picked up some brawling skills after all the times he'd ended up on the losing side against Ernest at the Military Academy.
Normally, if this were any other day, that initial bayonet thrust would have been enough for Robert to kill or incapacitate Bertrand.
But now Robert was suffering from dehydration and a fever, and after running through the forest and fighting in the battle, he'd burned through what little strength he had left.
Right now, Robert was the perfect match for Bertrand—who, at this point, would probably lose a wrestling match against a ten-year-old.
"No! Robert! Fall back!" cried Ernest, desperate.
For a brief moment, countless thoughts raced through Ernest's mind as he shouted frantically.
It sounded like a simple plea born out of concern for a friend.
But even that simple shout brought a measure of order and discipline to the chaotic battle.
"Charge!"
"Uraaaah!"
"Stop them! Protect His Excellency!"
Ferdinand gave the charge order at Bertrand and the Royal Flag, his own gun in hand as he dashed forward.
The soldiers of the 1st Battalion, making their final stand, all surged in the same direction.
And to block them, the Belliang Army abandoned their formation and rushed forward, frantically hurling themselves into the path of the 1st Battalion.
The lines of soldiers devolved into utter chaos.
No one had time to reload, so everyone resorted to bayonets and daggers, fighting to kill the enemy in brutal close-quarters combat.
Estelle hesitated, torn between killing Ernest and protecting Bertrand. But upon seeing Robert and Bertrand clumsily wrestling—so pitiful it was almost embarrassing—and hearing Ernest shout at Robert to fall back, she quickly made up her mind.
There was no way Robert could kill Bertrand, who was safely armored.
After a bit of scuffling, he'd probably just get subdued or killed.
So, instead of protecting Bertrand, Estelle decided to kill Ernest, who was right before her.
Even knowing that protecting Bertrand was enough to win this battle, and even knowing that this would likely lead to Ernest's death in the end, she still made that choice.
Because of this, Robert wasn't killed by Estelle right away, and the chaos of battle resolved into a kind of order—just as Ernest had wanted.
Now, it all depended on what Ernest did next.
"Surrender!"
Ernest immediately declared his surrender.
He knew there was no way to win, so rather than keep fighting and die for nothing, it was smarter to surrender and at least increase his chances of survival.
Estelle, charging in to kill him, hadn't expected Ernest to surrender here—and for a split second, she was so surprised she almost stopped.
"Die!"
But Estelle, having abandoned the task of guarding Bertrand just to kill Ernest, didn't stop.
She barreled forward, single-minded in her attack.
With all of Baltracher and the 1st Battalion neutralized at this point, Estelle was practically the god of this battlefield.
She alone could slaughter every last Imperial soldier if she wished.
With Estelle determined to kill, there seemed no way Ernest would survive.
With his back pressed firmly against a tree, Ernest aimed his dagger at Estelle.
It was an even more hopeless resistance than trying to stop a charging heavy cavalryman with your bare hands.
I can't die here like this.
In a moment where time seemed to slow, Ernest muttered to himself.
Blinded by hatred and resentment.
Ernest knew just how irrational Estelle was right now—and how irrational Bertrand was, too.
There was no reason to fight, yet both sides had been dragged into senseless violence and loss.
Given that, would they really let anyone from the 1st Battalion survive after this battle ended?
Georg, who was dying of sepsis; Baumann, who was on the verge of collapse for fear of losing his friend; Ferdinand, who had staked everything on Ernest; and his closest friend Robert, along with Robert's subordinates.
All of their lives hung in the balance at this very moment.
And Ernest had to make it back alive, no matter what.
Father.
Even for the sake of his father, who was now completely out of contact—he really had to survive, no matter what.
Estelle reached out to kill Ernest, her Balt swirling with ferocious fury, slashing down like a blade.
Ernest thrust his dagger into the Balt.
It was the best move he could make under the circumstances.
The dagger shattered, splintered like rotten wood.
As Ernest ducked to avoid the blow, a pale burst of Balt Light rained down toward his head.
Ernest threw his arms over his head to shield himself.
But in the face of Estelle's Balt, which could tear through even Steel Armor, that resistance was meaningless.
I'm going to die.
…No, I can't die here.
I have to survive.
Thud!
"…Huh?"
Estelle's Balt, which had been tearing through Ernest's military uniform, vanished like a mirage.
The Barrier she had kept up to protect herself flickered and wavered, almost disappearing, and ended up striking Ernest's arm instead.
Estelle's voice was hollow with confusion.
Caught off guard by the unexpected turn, both Ernest and Estelle froze and stared at each other.
As Estelle's Balt faded, she collided with Ernest, losing her momentum, and then began to fall from midair.
It really was by the narrowest margin.
No one but the two of them could have known who moved faster.
Almost at the same moment, but just a hair quicker, Ernest made his move first.
Crack!
His left hand scraped at Estelle's Balt Shield with his fingertips just as it flickered out, snapping and ripping his nails in the process.
The Barrier shifted ever so slightly, and it nudged Estelle's center of gravity as she fell.
Estelle had tried to kick Ernest away to create distance, but because her balance was off, her foot merely grazed the side of Ernest's head as it passed by.
Ernest, now without his helmet, felt his skin scratched and a bead of blood appeared.
That was the end of it.
Ernest didn't even blink.
Naturally, Estelle couldn't regain any momentum, and so, helplessly, she plummeted from the air.
Gak!
Estelle swiftly drew her dagger and swung it, but it was blocked by the broken dagger Ernest was holding in his right hand.
He didn't parry with the blade or the hilt; instead, he stopped her blow using the jagged, rough edge where his dagger had snapped, which had been worn down by Estelle's Balt.
The broken edge was actually longer than the remaining blade, so it worked.
From Estelle's perspective, it was a maddeningly unfair situation.
No normal person should be able to block a blade like this.
Thud!
"Ah!"
Estelle landed flat on her back.
She bounced off the ground and rolled away, quickly pulling back.
"Stop!"
Jade's voice rang out, booming across the field.
In his panic, he shouted in Belliang.
Still, Ernest could easily understand at least that much of the Belliang language.
Ernest didn't even move his eyes, but thanks to his wide field of vision, he could see what was happening.
Robert, in the end, had failed to capture or kill Bertrand.
Because Bertrand was armored up, Robert's weakened body simply couldn't overpower him so easily.
Jade had kicked Robert away, sending him sprawling to the ground, and now Jade was aiming a Balt Gun at Robert's head.
Lying on the ground and gasping for breath, Robert looked like he was about to lunge at Bertrand again, but there was nothing more he could do.
The muzzle of the gun was pointed right at Robert's head If Jade so much as twitched his finger, Robert would die.
His head would be pierced, leaving him no chance for any last words.
Ernest fixed the sight of Robert's face in his memory.
Robert didn't even seem to realize there was a gun muzzle aimed at his head.
All he was focused on was somehow capturing Bertrand, starting negotiations, and getting his friends safely out of this damned forest.
Watching death aimed at his friend's head, Ernest made his decision.
He didn't stop. Instead, like a stray dog who hadn't eaten in three days, Ernest threw himself at Estelle with every bit of strength he had.
"W-Why don't you stop!"
Jade was completely thrown off.
Thud!
Gasp!
As Estelle rolled backward to put distance between them and tried to get up, Ernest hurled himself forward and seized her ankle.
Still lying prone, Ernest twisted his body, curling up with all his might and pulling Estelle toward him.
He was using Estelle's body as cover, thinking Jade might turn his gun away from Robert and aim at him instead.
Estelle, much lighter than Ernest, was yanked forcefully by his weight and strength, and she crashed back to the ground.
Thump!
Startled, Estelle stabbed her dagger into the ground.
Ernest had let go of her ankle right after pulling her in.
Estelle tried rolling away to escape, but Ernest wouldn't let the chance slip once she was within his reach.
"Ahhhhh!"
Ernest grabbed Estelle's ankle again and yanked her back.
Estelle screamed and swung her dagger, but her wrist was caught in Ernest's left hand.
With his left hand—its nails broken, torn out, and slick with blood—Ernest clamped down on Estelle's wrist as if to crush it.
In one swift move, he twisted his body, mounted her back, and pinned her down.
"Aaagh!"
Twisting Estelle's arm, Ernest snatched the dagger away and pinned her right arm with his right leg, subduing her.
Then, lying atop her, he shoved his right forearm roughly into her gaping mouth, gagging her, and yanked her head back tight.
The broken dagger he gripped in his right hand pressed against the side of Estelle's neck.
"All right, I stopped."
"..."
Breathing hard, Ernest spoke in a calm, steady voice, as if returning the favor.
Jade was stunned into silence.
Ernest's closest friend, Robert, was in Jade's grasp.
Estelle Pouarrié, the Hero of Belliang and the Star of Summer, was in Ernest's hands.
"This… crazy bastard…"
Noble Knight Jade, bodyguard to Count Bertrand Belliang Lafayette, nephew of the King, spat out a curse, his face contorted with rage.
Ernest had made it perfectly clear just how much he cared for Robert.
That was why Jade and the rest of the Belliang Army had chosen to capture Robert rather than kill him—to try to force Ernest to stop.
But Ernest was ready to sacrifice himself to save Robert, no matter what.
Yet, with Estelle's sudden disappearance of Balt, the situation had completely changed.
Without Balt, Estelle was just a small and delicate woman.
Of course, she was so quick and fierce—enough to send a chill even down Ernest's spine—that any ordinary soldier would have likely lost their life to her dagger.
But Ernest was far more skilled in martial arts than Estelle, and physically, he was overwhelmingly superior.
To save Estelle, Jade tried to stop Ernest by holding a gun to Robert's head.
However, Ernest didn't stop.
Rolling across the ground with Estelle, he finally subdued her and took control.
"Cease fighting!"
Ernest shouted, his voice like a thunderclap.
In the heat of the battlefield, everyone was startled and turned to look at him—only to discover Estelle, held captive.
"Hold!"
Ferdie, who had been fighting in close quarters himself, saw what was happening and ordered his men to hold their positions.
The 1st Battalion soldiers hesitated, then slowly pulled back.
"Stop fighting."
Ernest spoke firmly to Bertrand, who was struggling to get up, showing him the broken dagger pressed tightly to Estelle's neck as she thrashed desperately to escape.
"..."
Bertrand stared at Ernest and Estelle in shock and disbelief.
Bertrand, who had been too busy wrestling with Robert to make sense of anything, couldn't understand how things had suddenly come to this.
After all, it had taken less than twenty seconds from the moment Estelle pulled Ernest off Bertrand to when Ernest subdued Estelle.
"Count Lafayette, call off the fighting."
Ernest repeated his demand.
This time, he spoke in the Belliang language.
"Will you lose your hero over this pointless battle?"
At his words, not just the Belliang soldiers but even the officers faltered.
Since the fighting in the Bertagne Forest, Estelle had been called the Star of Summer and revered as a hero of Belliang.
In the end, the Bertagne Forest had been breached, but the soldiers who witnessed Estelle's bravery had been able to keep fighting thanks to her.
To be completely objective, Estelle was merely a Baltracher who fought exceptionally well.
But Belliang had attached much greater significance to her, and Ernest was now using that to his advantage with striking effectiveness.
Struggling wildly, Estelle bit down hard on Ernest's forearm as it came within reach of her mouth.
She wanted to shout at him to just kill her so he would die too, but she couldn't say a word; she would rather have bitten her own tongue and died, but even that wasn't possible now.
"Company Commander."
The tension lingered in the air, but now that the fighting had paused, Kol approached and called out to Ernest.
"Hold her."
"Yes, sir."
Kol signaled to the other soldiers, and including Kol himself, a total of five soldiers pinned Estelle's limbs, holding her firmly in place.
Then Kol took a bandage from his pouch, pressed down hard on Estelle's swollen cheek to force her mouth open, and stuffed the bandage inside.
"Mmmph! Mmmm!"
To prevent her from taking her own life, they tightly wrapped the bandage over her mouth as well.
Only then did Ernest stand up, and Kol pressed a dagger to Estelle's neck in his place.
"What are you doing!"
Then, Ernest began to search Estelle's body.
Jade and all the Belliang soldiers went wild and tried to leap at him, but Ernest didn't even flinch.
Without hesitation, he slipped his hand inside her clothing, pulled out the Balt Battery, and tossed it away.
He didn't care in the slightest that she was a woman.
That simply didn't matter now—he couldn't afford for it to matter.
The soldiers holding Estelle down were so terrified, they felt as if they were restraining a man-eating Beast, throwing all their strength into keeping her subdued by fear alone, and Ernest was no different.
He thought Balt was probably depleted, but there was no way to be sure.
If even the smallest spark of Balt remained in the Battery, Estelle could tear apart the soldiers restraining her and erase Ernest from existence without a trace.
"Hoo…"
Ernest stood, looking a mess, and glanced up at the sky.
Through the branches and leaves, he could see the clear early summer sky.
"Count Lafayette, you must realize that none of us have much time left."
Ernest spoke in the Imperial language to Bertrand.
"Reinforcements will arrive soon. When they do, they'll attack fiercely to wipe you all out from this forest. And as you can see, everyone on our side is in no condition to keep fighting—honestly, we all just want to get out of these woods as quickly as possible."
"...."
"Your plan has already lost its purpose. There's nothing to be gained by fighting now—all these deaths are meaningless, and it's as if the war itself is already over."
Ernest lowered his head and looked down at the ground.
He raised his battered left hand, staring at it blankly, then rubbed the wound where his thumbnail had been torn off.
It hurt terribly.
And that made it hurt even more.
By now, Ernest had become immersed in the war so quickly that he could no longer even forget his pain in the heat of battle.
Ernest lifted his head and looked at Bertrand.
"Why don't we end this?"
"…I…"
Bertrand tried to say something, his face twisted in anguish.
But in the end, he couldn't say a word.
"It seems you need some time to think, so I'll keep the Star of Summer with me for a while."
Ernest signaled to Kol with his eyes.
Kol, together with the soldiers, carefully lifted Estelle from the ground.
Since her limbs were still being held, she had to be carried face-down, her arms and legs splayed out wide.
"Eek!"
"She—she's moving!"
When Estelle struggled, the soldiers recoiled in terror, trembling uncontrollably.
But without Balt, Estelle was weak; after her brief thrashing, she quickly ran out of strength and went limp.
The soldiers, exchanging anxious glances, began to edge cautiously in the direction of the 1st Battalion's campsite.
"D-Don't come any closer!"
"Ugh!"
The soldiers of the 1st Battalion, who had suffered so much at Estelle's hands, were so terrified that even when they saw her lying limp, unable to resist, they hurriedly retreated in fear.
"Gustav!"
"Yes!"
Ernest called out to Gustav in a loud voice. Gustav answered, and after a moment, he made his way with his men across the now-paused battlefield to join up with the 2nd Company.
"Count Lafayette, then please try to make your decision as quickly as possible and let me know."
Ernest kept his back straight as he tilted his head slightly toward Bertrand, speaking politely.
The 2nd Company members, casting wary glances, carefully merged into the ranks of the 1st Battalion.
"Hey… I…"
Robert, completely spent and slumped, spoke to Ernest.
Ernest looked at him with a touch of sympathy and replied in a calm tone.
"I can't ask you to come, too, not with things like this. Just stay as a hostage for now. We'll get you back when we negotiate later, so don't worry."
"You bastard…"
Robert was in pretty rough shape. He needed at least some water to recover, but if he stayed with the 1st Battalion, he couldn't even get that. It would be better to leave him with Bertrand as a hostage, so at least he'd be treated humanely.
And so, Ernest passed Robert off to Bertrand and rejoined the 1st Battalion.
The Belliang soldiers stepped back, hesitating as they avoided Ernest.
Fear was clearly etched on their faces, just as the soldiers of the 1st Battalion were terrified of Estelle.
Bertrand glared fiercely at Ernest, but as long as Bertrand did nothing, the Belliang Army stayed put as well. With Estelle taken hostage, everyone was simply watching and waiting for someone else to make a move.
"We will return Star of Summer safely—if you agree to negotiate with us."
As the utterly exhausted Ernest withdrew, Ferdinand stepped forward and spoke to Bertrand.
"I…"
"You, as a hostage, will serve as a symbol of our promise alongside the Star of Summer."
"You bastard too…"
After being abandoned even by Ferdinand, Robert collapsed in despair, burying his head on the ground and refusing to move. In truth, he was simply so exhausted he just lay down.
"Hand over your soldiers."
Ferdinand spoke to Bertrand once again.
...
Bertrand clenched his eyes shut.
In Estelle's gaze, he could read her intent.
Even if she died, she wanted him to kill this damn Ernest, this damn Krieger, who had destroyed everything they had.
"…We'll discuss the treatment of the prisoners."
"Agreed."
Bertrand couldn't make a decision right away.
However, by agreeing to talk about the treatment of prisoners, he signaled that he was willing to negotiate and was deliberating his next move.
"AAAAAGH!"
As soon as Ferdinand readily accepted, Estelle, who had been slumped over and gasping for breath, let out a piercing scream.
Her cry was filled with such hatred and resentment, it was terrifying enough to haunt one's dreams.
For now, Robert and Estelle would remain in the opposing camp.
They must not be subjected to any physical harm, and must receive sufficient food and water.
To prove that both sides had done everything possible to protect and care for their prisoners—and for Estelle, since she was a woman—it was agreed that each side would exchange one additional prisoner.
"See you later."
"I'm sorry."
"Forget it."
From the 1st Battalion, Baumann was selected to go.
He was Robert's friend, a member of a reputable noble house, and young.
He was considered a perfect choice as a hostage.
Ferdinand felt guilty about deciding to send Baumann, but he did not reverse his decision.
Baumann, for his part, readily accepted Ferdinand's choice.
It still needed to be discussed who would be sent from the Belliang Army.
Initially, they had intended to send Estelle's usual maid, who often assisted her, but Ferdinand refused this arrangement.
They had sent Baumann, the son of Koch, so there was no way they could accept a maid as an exchange.
They needed to receive a prisoner of equal value.
After some discussion, Bertrand agreed to send his own attendant, and Ferdinand accepted this.
This wasn't just the attendant of some country noble—it was the attendant of royalty, the son of a distinguished house.
Receiving him in exchange for Baumann was more than fair.
However, for the 1st Battalion—which, under the negotiations, was now obligated to provide Estelle with meals, water, and humane treatment—there was a problem.
If they released Estelle, there was no telling what she might do.
She might try to kill herself the moment they let her speak.
"Sir Estelle, I'm sorry, but please try to understand."
"..."
Bertrand apologized to Ferdinand and then addressed Estelle directly.
Overwhelmed by frustration, Estelle hung her head, tears streaming down her cheeks in bitter sorrow.
The pain of not being able to kill Ernest right here nearly tore her apart.
But in the end, Estelle nodded, and finally spat out the bandage that had been gagging her—she could now speak.
"One day, I will kill you."
"..."
The first words out of her mouth were a declaration of her intent to murder Ernest.
Despite the fierce glare and threat, Ernest didn't even flinch.
In truth, he was barely restraining himself from killing Estelle then and there.
Estelle had killed Yurgen herself and thrown the battle into chaos, ultimately causing Jonas's death.
Ernest did not forget losing them, and he never would.
"Give me time to think. I'll come back at noon tomorrow."
Bertrand set the next negotiation time.
He realized he was being irrational and needed a moment to sort out his thoughts and emotions.
He intended to buy time until noon tomorrow.
Deep down, he also hoped that the 1st Battalion would become even weaker from dehydration by then, tipping the negotiations in his favor.
"We'll wait until dawn tomorrow. Any longer, and we can't wait. If you don't give us an answer by then, we'll kill the prisoner."
Ferdinand also understood that Bertrand needed time.
If he forced a negotiation now, Bertrand, in his current agitated state, might lose control and resume the battle.
But he couldn't afford to wait until noon. The 1st Battalion was already in poor condition, and this battle had drained them even further.
So Ferdinand decided they would wait only until morning. He told Bertrand that if he was late, he would kill Estelle—and this was no idle threat. Even if Robert and Baumann were handed over as prisoners, Ferdinand would truly kill Estelle. If Bertrand refused the negotiation, the 1st Battalion would be doomed here anyway.
Reading Ferdinand's resolve, Bertrand realized he couldn't refuse.
"…"Fine, let's do it that way."
Ferdinand and Bertrand wrapped up the negotiation about the negotiations themselves.
Afterward, the Belliang Army pulled back to a distance.
Still, they maintained their encirclement, and until Bertrand personally agreed and cleared a path, the 1st Battalion couldn't move an inch.
Yet, compared to before today's battle, there seemed to be hope.
At least now they had an opening for negotiations, and as long as the enemy agreed, they might make it out alive.
"..."
But Lieutenant Colonel Bailey Hoffman, Commander of the 1st Battalion, who had hoped to see the 1st Battalion wiped out right here, couldn't accept this situation.
He glared at Ernest, and at the prisoners being led away under Ernest's watch—Star of Summer, and Estelle Pouarrié.
With trembling hands, Bailey caressed the grip of his pistol.