Running Away From The Hero! (Remake)

274

Side Story – Memories of a Princess (47)

#62 Their Situation: The Situation of Certain Soldiers

No matter how I think about it, this isn’t right.

The smile of the officer looking at us was like a nightmare.

“Well, everyone’s gathered, right?”

Everyone had indeed gathered.

We didn’t want to, but could we refuse a royal command?

No. Not showing up meant defying the royal decree.

Immediate execution was one thing, but our families could also be punished severely.

So, we had no choice.

“Guys, His Highness has prepared a feast for us to show his appreciation!”

We were invited to a feast in hell, and there was no way to escape.

“Come on, eat up!”

And the host of this hellish feast was happily tearing into a roasted chicken leg.

“Ugh…”

I felt something rise from my stomach.

If I had eaten breakfast, it would’ve come out.

But my stomach had been empty for days, so there was nothing left to throw up.

“What’s wrong? Not eating? There’s plenty of good food!”

It was a feast fit for a king.

The steaming hot dishes were so fragrant that they could make anyone’s mouth water.

Such a meal wouldn’t come around again on the battlefield.

Even in normal times, such a feast would be rare.

The food was exceptional.

But I had no appetite.

“Sir, do we really have to eat?”

Maref, the newly appointed personal butler by the princess, trembled as he spoke. He was also the junior of the demon-like Ast.

“I don’t have an appetite…”

Maref averted his gaze, rolling his eyes nervously.

“It’s a royal command. Eat.”

“Ah…”

Despite Maref’s desperate expression, Ast coldly insisted he eat.

Ast then offered Maref a piece of bread topped with dark red jam as an alternative.

At the same time,

*Crunch!* “Aaaagh!”

Right on cue, the video magic device behind Ast began showing a person’s head exploding from the previous battle.

“I’ll eat it!”

Somehow, the dark red jam looked like human blood.

So Maref’s only option was to tearfully bite into the chicken leg.

He looked pitiful, but I couldn’t focus on his suffering.

“Seems like it’s tasty. Everyone, enjoy your food. Remember, these dishes were sent by His Majesty the Emperor at the princess’s request. Let’s be grateful and eat well!”

Was it just my imagination?

Ast emphasized the emperor’s generosity as he poured grape juice into his glass.

“We can’t drink alcohol on the front lines, but non-alcoholic grape juice should be fine.”

I wished I could drink. I wanted to get so drunk that I’d lose consciousness.

Otherwise, I couldn’t stay sane.

But the glass was filled with non-alcoholic dark red grape juice.

It looked like blood.

“Oh, God…”

Why are you putting us through this, Your Highness?

What did Ast say to make you permit this?

What did we do to deserve this?

“What are you doing? Eat up. It’s a royal command.”

Ast’s cold voice snapped us out of our daze.

“Yes, sir.”

Unable to refuse the royal command, we shakily picked up our food and forced it into our mouths.

Closing my eyes tightly made it a little more bearable.

“How is it? Tasty?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Come on, drink some grape juice too. Look at this deep red color. It’s top quality.”

“Yes, sir…”

I took the dark red grape juice and closed my eyes tightly, drinking it.

It was sweet and rich.

“How is it?”

“Delicious…”

Drinking the thick, blood-like grape juice, we began our tearful feast.

“Why so gloomy? This is a gift from His Majesty and the princess! You should enjoy it!”

At that moment, Ast’s stern voice made us realize.

We weren’t even allowed to cry.

#63 Their Situation: The Astonishment of a Certain General

Reading the report gave me chills.

“Ha… ha… ha…”

Turning each page took my breath away.

I was terrified. I didn’t want to fight these people.

And I didn’t want to read any more of this report.

But I had no choice.

I had to read this information gathered by those risking their lives in the Empire.

Even though all officers had been purged before the war began, some soldiers had survived.

Their mission was to collect rumors and gauge the atmosphere within the army.

They couldn’t get high-level intel, but they provided a sense of the army’s state and mood.

“Ah…”

And this report described the Empire’s forces in just two words: madness and evil.

It was an army that could be called the army of an evil god.

“How could humans…”

This was war.

Thousands, tens of thousands of lives were lost daily.

In war, any method to gain an advantage was justified.

But this was different.

“They laughed like madmen and feasted while watching our soldiers die. Drinking grape juice that looked like our blood.”

This wasn’t during a battle.

They watched the footage of our soldiers dying and enjoyed a bloody feast.

Not as a means to win, but for their own pleasure, they watched our soldiers die.

“God, how can such people exist?”

Our fallen soldiers couldn’t rest in peace.

It was already tragic that they died, but to have their deaths celebrated by the enemy!

It was an atrocity. Even in war, this shouldn’t happen.

“What should we do…”

I wanted to gather all our forces and kill them all.

To avenge our soldiers.

But we couldn’t. We didn’t have the strength.

“If only Duke Laisha were alive…”

We had suffered a major defeat.

Our forces were overwhelmed by a magic they couldn’t defend against, and our pillar, Duke Laisha, was killed.

Our morale was already low, but losing our leader crushed it.

“Demonic magic…”

Our soldiers believed the Empire had sold their souls to demons to learn this magic.

It was a ridiculous rumor.

Just the fear of the soldiers had created it.

In defeated units, rumors spread like wildfire.

I knew that as someone who managed information.

At least, I thought I did before reading this report.

“Could it be…”

Was it really demonic magic?

The enemy’s actions were so insane that it seemed possible.

“It’s… possible…”

The bloody feast was shocking enough, but other things in the report couldn’t be ignored.

<Strange cries are heard from some tents at night.>

<Weak lights show figures that look like humans being eaten in some tents.>

<Officers sometimes mention “demons.”>

<[Additional Information] Some high-ranking officials believe there are demons. It’s suspected that the enemy can summon demons.>

“Is it really demonic magic…”

Our Kingdom had no choice but to adopt a defensive stance.

We couldn’t make any moves until we understood this magic.

In the face of the unknown, acting recklessly was foolish.

No one would…

“…do that.”

I got chills again. This time, for a different reason.

I was terrified. Extremely scared.

I wanted to use every word that meant fear.

The Empire had been evaluated the same way.

But the content was entirely different.

“They did it again.”

Reading another report, I grabbed my head in frustration.

How many times had this happened?

“How do they keep losing with such a numerical advantage?”

If they were defending behind walls, I could understand.

A sudden ambush could explain it.

But,

“They initiated the ambush and still lost. How?”

This was a terrifying level of incompetence.

Ignoring orders to stay defensive, they launched an attack.

They caught the enemy off guard but still lost.

They inflicted over 4,000 casualties on the enemy but suffered nearly 10,000 themselves.

“And they call this an achievement…”

Submitting this as an accomplishment was absurd.

“How did such a person end up in the House of Laisha…”

It was frustrating.

Our Kingdom was smaller than the Empire. Less territory, fewer people, fewer soldiers.

Despite having a high soldier-to-population ratio, we couldn’t match the Empire’s vast resources.

Yet, we were considered a military power due to our capabilities.

But our pillar, Duke Laisha, was dead. After just one defeat.

“How is this person still alive…”

After nearly ten defeats, the Duke Laisha was still alive.

A person who was said to be respected even by the late Duke Laisha.

A being whose talents were questionable, filled with greed and desire.

Yet, he always returned alive.

“If they lose again, this front will collapse.”

The defensive line was already thin from multiple defeats.

If Laisha seized command again, the road to the capital could open.

“We have no choice.”

If the enemy reached the capital, our Kingdom was finished.

So, Laisha’s forces needed to be sent to another front…

“Laisha must have some sense. He won’t charge into a magic he can’t counter.”

Even he would know about the magic he couldn’t defend against.

He wouldn’t be foolish enough to charge into that.

“Right?”

I doubted for a moment but trusted that he was human.

So I sent the recommendation to deploy his forces to confront the First Princess.

Laisha’s forces were top-notch.

They should handle it well.

…A month later.

“Urgent report from command! Duke Laisha engaged the First Princess of the Empire in battle!”

“Ah… damn it.”

I realized Laisha’s head was purely decorative.