It had been about 10 years since I arrived in this world.

"General Viktor," someone called.

"Hmm."

I had become a general of the Ruth Kingdom. Not just any general either—I had risen to the position of Acting Supreme Commander. The Ruth Kingdom was so short on officers at the start of the war that they even recalled retired soldiers, which led to me being summoned. That’s how it all began.

Thanks to my mini-map, the tactical advantage it provided, and the well-trained soldiers I brought up with me, I was able to rack up impressive achievements. Of course, I hadn’t forgotten the lessons I learned at the military academy, so I always remained cautious in my conduct. This led to the previous commander, who had been injured, recommending me as his successor.

Although my current title was temporary due to the ongoing war, I was entrusted with command of all forces except the royal guards, and I was treated accordingly. It was clear that if we lost, I’d be made the scapegoat—but if we won, that wouldn’t be a problem. Even the nobles who once raged about how a commoner could be a Supreme Commander had fallen silent lately, allowing me to focus on crushing the imperial army without concern.

The only problem was that my position had become too burdensome to simply slip away as I originally planned.

“It’s time to turn in for the night,” came a voice.

“Oh, is it?”

Anna, my adjutant, poked her head through the tent flap at the entrance. She handled all the tasks that didn’t make it to me, which might explain why dark circles had formed under her eyes, despite the faint smile on her face. When she first became my adjutant, she didn’t trust me at all. Now, however, she took on the toughest jobs, and I was genuinely grateful for her.

“You should get some rest before me.”

“You too, General…”

“Tsk.”

“...Thank you.”

Anna bowed her head slightly and left the tent slowly.

The Ruth Kingdom had now been at war with the Dragonnia Empire for two years. When I played as the empire, conquering Ruth took only three months, but here we were, still defending the capital after all this time.

"Hmm."

Looking back, I had somewhat achieved my initial goal. In a kingdom where generals were executed for the smallest mistakes, I had climbed to the position of Acting Supreme Commander. Most people, except the nobles obsessed with power, were on my side now. Even Anna, my adjutant, had changed her attitude toward me since our first meeting, which I took as a sign that I had been doing well.

Of course, had I started in the empire, I wouldn’t have had to struggle this much just to survive. The kingdom’s inferior technology, lack of resources, and the constant interference from the nobles were wearing me down. I was now fully experiencing why Ruth was a locked nation in the game.

Having to explain my every move to the fickle nobles before deploying troops and constantly persuading them that the situation was in our favor exhausted me. Each time I was summoned to the palace, I felt like I was debating against dozens of people all at once, draining my energy every time.

"Sigh..."

I let out a deep breath of frustration and focused on the towering pile of documents in front of me.

I still wanted to defect to the empire, but there was a major issue with my plan to do it "naturally"—I needed a justifiable reason. It wasn’t enough that we were at war with the empire. The troops attacking us were from the noble faction, which was in opposition to the emperor. If I hoped to be recruited by the emperor, it would actually be better for me to defeat these noble faction forces.

The key was that if I surrendered, it had to be seen as a decision made to save the lives of my soldiers, not a betrayal. History shows that how someone surrenders is crucial to how they are later judged, and that wasn’t easy to manage.

I couldn’t sacrifice my men just for my own benefit. There had to be a situation where I did everything I could but was still forced to surrender. But such an ideal situation had yet to present itself.

Perhaps it was because the imperial army, made up of these rebellious nobles, was so simplistic and predictable that even without the mini-map, I could easily anticipate their attacks. Losing to such an army would only tarnish my reputation. The best chance to surrender would have been early in the war, when we were severely outnumbered, but at that time, there wasn’t much I could do.

In the end, would I have to bury my bones in the Ruth Kingdom? Maybe I should forget about defecting and instead seize imperial territory through this war, using that strength to conquer the world.

It wouldn’t be easy, but it wasn’t impossible. After all, in the game, I had managed to conquer the world with countries much weaker than Ruth.

As much as I disliked it, I had few other choices left.

"Sigh, alright then."

For now, I decided to focus on the tasks at hand. Relying on the dim light from the lamp, I continued to wrestle with the documents when—

"Hmm?"

The edge of my mini-map flashed red several times. It was an intuitive warning of danger, and I instinctively grabbed the sword resting by my side.

Checking the mini-map, I saw a group of red dots heading straight for my location.

"Assassins?"

It didn’t make sense, considering I was in the middle of a military encampment. I had encountered assassins before who used magic or enchanted items to hide their presence, but those kinds of people usually didn’t march straight through an entire army.

*Sching.*

The red dots were moving fast, so I stood up and drew my sword.

Friendly green dots began to appear around the red ones, but the red dots didn’t slow down. For some reason, my allies were just being pushed aside rather than engaging with the red dots.

My mini-map had never lied to me, so the situation was perplexing. These people were my enemies, yet my soldiers weren’t fighting them. A riddle.

And then…

"Move aside! By order of the king!"

"Ah."

An all-too-familiar voice shouting from the distance cleared up the mystery. Whoever it was, they weren’t here to assassinate or spy on me. They didn’t seem capable of handling such a critical mission anyway.

I sheathed my sword and sat back down as the voice’s owner threw open the tent flap and barged in.

"Ah, Viktor, it’s good to see you."

"Andrei, Captain of the Royal Guard. What brings you here?"

The unwelcome visitor was none other than Andrei, captain of the Ruth Royal Guard. He was one of the nobles who had always felt uncomfortable about my rise in rank. He was the embodiment of noble arrogance and incompetence, someone who was more at home in social circles than on the battlefield.

He had the refined features of a golden-haired, blue-eyed noble, which apparently made him quite popular at court. Today, he wasn’t wearing his usual formal uniform but was clad in gleaming new armor, with a jewel-encrusted sword hanging at his left hip.

Andrei approached my desk with a sinister smile. This was the same man who used to rant about executing me every time I ordered a retreat. Seeing that slimy grin on his face now sent a bad feeling through me.

"Come in!"

The royal guards following Andrei entered awkwardly, wearing stiff, unused leather armor and carrying coils of rope instead of weapons. They looked nervous, likely inexperienced in actual operations, but their equipment was undeniably top-tier, crafted by master artisans.

I wondered if they boasted about their “heroic deeds” when meeting women.

"I don’t think I’ve ever been this happy to see you, Viktor. Do you know what this is?"

Suppressing the disgust rising within me, I glanced at the scroll he held out. The paper alone looked expensive, and the golden string binding it—the symbol of royal authority—hinted at something serious.

"Curious? I bet you are."

Andrei unfurled the scroll and shoved it in my face. Its contents were as ominous as I expected.

"An arrest warrant?"

"That’s right. His Majesty has ordered your arrest."

The scroll contained a simple command: arrest Viktor, the Acting Supreme Commander of Ruth. It didn’t mention any reason for my arrest—just the order itself.

Though it claimed to be the king’s order, it was hard to believe that the 14-year-old king would suddenly decide to arrest a general in the middle of a war.

Clearly, this was the work of the nobles who had been trying to keep me in check.

But this? No matter how precious power is, ordering the arrest of the kingdom’s military commander in the middle of a war was beyond reason.

"Do you understand what this means?"

"I understand it better than you."

Andrei leaned in close, his face hovering uncomfortably near mine.

As much as I wanted to punch that smirk off his face, I couldn’t. He had come with an official royal decree, and if I made a move, the royal guards, who were still standing by, would jump on me at his command.

"You might not know, but this isn’t just a simple arrest."

"Then what is it?"

With a smug look, Andrei grabbed one of the ropes from a nearby guard and personally began tying up my arms and legs.

"It’s classified information, but I’ll tell you since you look so pitiful. You’re going to be sacrificed for peace."

He whispered something shocking in my ear as he tied me up.

"Peace?"

Hearing a man who usually lounged around the palace with a club in his

 hand talk about peace irritated me, but I held my tongue and pressed him for more information instead.

"In exchange for handing you over to the empire, we’ll have a one-year truce. Peace, isn’t that wonderful?"

"A truce, you say."

"That’s right. Your life buys us a year of peace, so it’s quite the deal."

Andrei was gleefully telling me that the kingdom I had served for the past few years had decided to throw me away.

But I lowered my head to hide the smile creeping onto my face.

This was an opportunity.

A chance to escape from this hopeless place.

_____________________

TL NOTE:
Ruth Kingdom represents one of the primary political entities in the narrative, and it plays a central role in the events surrounding the protagonist, Viktor. The kingdom appears to be embroiled in a conflict with the Empire, and its nobles, king, and military are key figures who influence the plot. Viktor, originally a general serving Ruth Kingdom, becomes disillusioned due to betrayal by its leadership, particularly the king and nobles.