The first thing I checked when I stepped into the main hall was the minimap.  
It usually displays the locations of both allies and enemies, but it’s also useful for gauging how others feel about me.  

On the minimap, those who see me as an ally are marked in green, those who want me dead are red, and everyone else is gray.  
The color changes automatically without the need for direct conversation, so by comparing the location and color of the dots, I can roughly estimate someone's attitude toward me.  

As always, the red dots representing the kingdom’s nobles didn’t matter to me. What was important was the delegation from the Empire, standing a bit away from them.  
There were only two members in the delegation, a man and a woman, marked in red and gray respectively.  

The older man was wearing the formal military attire of the Empire’s generals. Since he was marked in red, I assumed he was a soldier I had fought directly in the past. The woman, dressed like a typical noble lady, was likely a diplomat.  
I could easily disregard the man and focus on persuading the woman, who probably had no personal grudge against me.  

The group of gray dots is often large, and persuading one of them is usually easier than expected. If the woman was truly sent by the Emperor, as I anticipated, she would likely escort me to the Emperor’s court without much trouble, as long as I didn’t present any serious problems.  

Of course, I didn’t intend to appear as just anyone.  
I would put in my best effort.  

As I walked here, I imagined the scenario.  
If I were truly a loyal and competent general, who had led victorious campaigns only to have everything ruined by nobles who had never seen war, how would I feel?  

I would have obeyed the King’s orders, but after being locked in solitary confinement for days and emerging to find that a disadvantageous negotiation was being carried out by selling me off…  

What would I be feeling right now?  

I would be enraged by the incompetent and disgusting nobles.  
I would be frustrated with a King who was manipulated by those nobles.  
And I would be saddened, knowing that this country wouldn’t last much longer.  

I poured all those emotions into my gaze, looking at the King as though I were someone with a deep passion for the country, someone who still held hope.  

"...Speak."  
"Your Highness, victory is within our grasp."  

When I was first dragged away, I had shown Anna and the soldiers a composed face, pretending not to be bothered.  
A commander who values peace wins the favor of the Ruth Kingdom’s soldiers, most of whom are conscripts, regardless of what I personally think.  

But now wasn’t the time for passivity.  
After being imprisoned on orders, locked in solitary confinement, and learning that negotiations to hand me over to the Empire had already been sealed, it would be disgraceful to meekly allow myself to be bound and dragged away.  

That would make me nothing more than a tool, not someone seen as competent.  
Especially in the Empire, where merit is everything, passivity is a major flaw in a high-ranking commander.  
To win the Emperor’s favor, one must know when to speak up.  

Now is the time to show the passion fitting my role.  

"The enemy that invaded is starving, trembling in the cold. In the past two weeks, they have received no successful supplies, and lacking proper winter gear, they are wrapping themselves in the canvas meant for their tents.  
On the other hand, while our numbers are fewer, our supply lines are intact, and our morale is soaring. The reinforcements haven’t arrived, and they have no choice but to flee. All that remains for us is to chase them down and wipe them out."  

Even when someone tried to interrupt, I kept speaking without pause.  
I had to appear as though I was brimming with emotion. If I stopped at every interruption, it would ruin the effect.  

Sure, I could lash out at the noble who tried to intervene, but showing aggression toward an ally, no matter the situation, is never a good look, so I ignored them completely.  

"The youth of this kingdom have shed far too much blood. To ensure their sacrifice isn’t in vain, this war must end in victory for the Ruth Kingdom."  

I pointed toward the members of the Empire's delegation, who had been watching me with interest.  

At least until this negotiation was over and I was handed over to the Empire, I had to appear as Viktor, the loyal general of the Ruth Kingdom.  
It would seem strange if I softened my stance toward the enemy’s delegation just to curry favor with the Empire.  

"They should not be holding their heads high, but crawling on the ground, begging for our mercy."  
"General..."  
"The kingdom has no need to retreat, no reason to compromise. The kingdom!"  

I suddenly stopped, as if my emotions had overwhelmed me, closing my mouth and wiping my eyes as if wiping away tears.  

“We can still fight…” I stretched my arms out in appeal and knelt again before the King.  

Throughout all of this, I kept my gaze fixed on the King.  
I knew that the true power lay with Count Vladimir Sabinkov, the King's father-in-law, and the nobles who controlled policy decisions.  

But I had to make it clear that my loyalty lay with the King.  
After all, if the Empire were to hire me, it would be the Emperor himself who would be my patron.  

"Just give me one week. If our brave soldiers strike at the Empire’s weak defenses, we will..."  
"Enough. The negotiations have already concluded."  

Thankfully, Count Nikolai Similov, who had been standing among the nobles, stepped forward at the perfect moment.  

"Count Similov. I addressed my words to His Majesty."  
"Haha."  

Nikolai was a typical noble of the Ruth Kingdom.  
Which meant...  

"His Majesty need not speak. We chose to negotiate because of your incompetence."  
"...What?"  

Unlike Vladimir, who was knowingly involved in my exile, Nikolai genuinely believed the kingdom was in a losing position.  
He wasn’t the type to choose his words carefully, nor did he have the intelligence for it.  

Nikolai confidently approached me and looked down.  

"You might not know this as a commoner, but the Empire’s forces number in the hundreds of thousands."  

His tone was condescending, filled with class prejudice—exactly the kind of person who made for a convenient target of my anger.  

"Even in the weak defenses you mention, there are 40,000 soldiers. We can barely muster 30,000 if we gather all our forces."  

He viewed war as nothing more than a numbers game, evident in every word he said.  
Rather than argue, I clenched my fists and trembled as though I were barely containing myself.  

"And do you know how expensive war is? The cost of food and supplies is enormous, something a commoner like you wouldn’t understand..."  

As the final straw, Nikolai extended his index finger, attempting to poke my head.  
He had given me the perfect excuse. Now there was no reason not to act.  

- *Smack!*  

"Ugh!"  
"...I see."  

I stood, grabbing the hand he had reached out to me, twisting it.  

"Arghhh!"  
"Men like you have blinded His Majesty. That’s what’s been happening."  

As I twisted his wrist just enough not to break it, I noticed the rings on his fingers, adorned with rubies, sapphires, and emeralds.  
Seeing the glittering jewels gave me an idea, and I acted on it immediately.  

"You blame the cost of war and supplies..."  

I plucked several rings off his fingers and tossed him aside.  

"Your hands are full of greed. Don’t you know that just one of these rings could buy hundreds, even thousands of arrows?"  

I raised the rings, allowing the chandelier's light to reflect off them, and glanced around at the gathered nobles.  
Most of them recoiled, instinctively covering their jewelry.  

"Since I’m standing before His Majesty, I won’t take your life, but..."  
"You, you—agh!"  

Still angry, Nikolai tried to point at me again, so I threw the rings back at his face.  
Panicking, he scrambled to gather the fallen rings before fleeing into the safety of the noble crowd.  

Seeing that the weight of the situation was sinking in, I knelt once more before the King.  

"Your Majesty!"  
"Y-yes."  
"The Captain of the Guards informed me that the reason for my arrest was to send me to the Empire as a prisoner. Is this true?"  

I already knew the answer, but I asked the King deliberately, my voice trembling and my eyes welling up with tears.  

"...It is."  
"They said the condition for peace was a one-year ceasefire while the Empire holds our lands. Is that true as well?"  
"Yes."  

I gradually raised my voice, letting my emotions show.  
The King answered without hesitation, though his hands clutched the arms of his throne tightly.  

"...Your Majesty."  

Now it was time for the final blow.  
Up until now, I had shown unwavering loyalty. Now, I needed to create an opening for the Empire to exploit.  

If I were perceived as too principled, the Empire might not even consider trying to recruit me.  

"Is all of this truly Your Majesty’s will? Sending me to the Empire for a one-year ceasefire?"  
"..."  

The last question, meant to shake even the most loyal of subjects, was delivered with care

.  

"Yes, it is."  

The King, blinking nervously, answered just as I had expected.  

"...Ah."  

I let out a deep sigh.  

There was no turning back now.  
The King himself had confirmed that he was selling me out.  

Throughout history, no matter the era, a leader abandoning their subordinates is a grave offense.  

After all, the first betrayal is the hardest. Once a leader has betrayed one subordinate, it becomes easier to do it again, and they lose the trust of their men.  
If that subordinate is innocent, the leader’s competence is also called into question.  

On the other hand, the betrayed subordinate is often seen as justified in seeking revenge.  
Even if they take up arms against their former leader, no one can blame them.  

This was exactly the situation I had hoped for.  
I had proven that we were in a winning position, and I hadn’t done anything wrong.  

I was being handed over to the Empire, not just any neighboring country, but the very enemy I had been fighting just days ago.  
It was clear they wanted me dead.  

I could only imagine how a truly loyal general would feel in this situation.  
Betrayed?  
Crushed?  
Filled with resentment?  

“...”  

Sometimes, silence speaks louder than words.  

I said nothing, simply letting my head drop.  
The gray dot on the minimap began glowing green.  

As I allowed my body to go limp like a broken man, the guards cautiously approached and began tying me up.