Unlike the original plan, where I was hoping Anna would hold out in the kingdom and the emperor would cling to me, this new "willful betrayal" plan was more about retrieving the traps I’d set in motion.

Details would change depending on the circumstances, but the goal remained clear.

I had to provoke the nobles of the Ruth Kingdom into giving me a perfect excuse—a justification that I could seize and use to my advantage.

This plan was only possible because I had spent a long time living in the Ruth Kingdom, observing the nobles, and witnessing their actions once the war began.

-Clip, clop, clip, clop.

The most critical part was arriving in Zavinsk at the right time—not too early and not too late.

The Ruth Kingdom had a decentralized power structure, with authority scattered among the nobles, which meant that decision-making took a long time. While Vladimir Savinkov served as their leader, he didn’t have the authority to force decisions upon the other nobles.

Before the Northern War began, when the Imperial vassals were gathering troops at the borders, the responses from nobles close to the border and those in the capital or rear were mixed.

When the Imperial forces remained inactive for a few days, the debates among the nobles grew more intense. Some called for an immediate mobilization of troops, while others urged caution or negotiations.

It took more than a week for the nobles to finally unite behind a decision to resist. By then, the Imperial army had already decimated the Ruth forces that had acted independently.

This is where I got the idea for my plan. The moment it was decided that I would return to the kingdom, the official letter must have been dispatched.

"If it’s fast, a week. If slow, ten days."

It would take at least a week for a courier to carry the message from Rainesberg to Zavinsk.

The nobles, feeling threatened enough to give up territory and sell me off to the Empire, wouldn’t have missed the opportunity to unite. Arriving before the letter would be dangerous.

If I suddenly appeared in Zavinsk, the nobles would quickly band together instead of quarreling. Even incompetent nobles could be formidable if united, making them difficult to break apart.

On the other hand, arriving too late wouldn’t be ideal either. I had to arrive before they reached a consensus.

I also needed to give my subordinates enough time to react.

That’s why I planned to arrive within three days of the kingdom receiving the letter. It wouldn’t be enough time for them to unite their opinions, but they could still try to come up with a response.

I would storm in before they could finalize their plans, forcing them into rash decisions or causing them to act independently. Given my reputation as Viktor, the nobles would panic on their own.

After that, it would be easy. I would choose the most appropriate excuse, rally the army, and rise up.

"...The Phlegethon seems to be worth its price."

Originally, I had intended to ride day and night to catch up with the courier, but thanks to the emperor allowing me to use the Phlegethon, I had more leeway.

I traveled toward Zavinsk at a pace that didn’t wear me out.

"Stop! Who—oh?"

A week later, I arrived at the first garrison I had been captured at.

The soldiers seemed suspicious of me, dressed as I was in the uniform of a Ruth Kingdom officer, and bound me in ropes before taking me to the garrison commander.

"...Hah."

The familiar tent, the familiar bald head, and the familiar stout figure greeted me.

It was none other than General Josef Steiner, whom I had met on my way to the Empire.

"You're in luck. The document announcing your arrival only arrived two days ago."

Josef approached me and untied the ropes. Perhaps it was the emperor’s badge I carried, or maybe he figured I was already a dead man walking, but he was far more cooperative than our last meeting.

The document had arrived two days ago, huh?

"When did that letter reach the kingdom?"

"...I’m not sure why you’re asking, but the courier entered Zavinsk yesterday."

Perfect. Just as planned.

The nobles must be in chaos by now.

"What will you do?"

"I’ll leave at dawn tomorrow."

"Suit yourself."

Afterward, I had a brief chat with Josef, and the now surprisingly generous general provided me with an open carriage, a white flag, an archer to send a signal, and some writing supplies.

---

The emperor’s letter arrived in the Ruth Kingdom yesterday, simply stating that Viktor was en route to Zavinsk.

It hadn’t even been a month since the nobles had handed me over to the Empire.

"Viktor is coming back?"

"Impossible!"

The nobles of the Ruth Kingdom had been in heated discussions for two days. They gathered in haste, with the king seated to the side like an afterthought, as they desperately brainstormed solutions.

"Should we protest to the Empire?"

"Protest? If they were the type to listen, they wouldn’t have simply notified us like this!"

The letter also mentioned that Viktor would return to the Empire afterward, but that wasn’t important. The mere thought of Viktor setting foot in Zavinsk again was a nightmare for the nobles.

"We haven’t even touched the military yet..."

"We have to stop him! Somehow!"

"How?!"

The bloated military was something the nobles couldn’t tamper with freely. Even though Andrei had fumed about Anna and Viktor’s subordinates plotting rebellion, he had no evidence to act on, so the matter had been shelved.

During the war, it had been easy to execute purges under the guise of blaming military defeats. But with the war momentarily paused, it was too risky for the nobles to dismantle the famous 1st Corps.

Moreover, the temporary ceasefire was set to last only a year. Most of the private soldiers and mercenaries the nobles had prepared were already wiped out in the early stages of the war.

Currently, over 90% of the Ruth Kingdom’s military consisted of hastily conscripted soldiers. With half the kingdom’s territory lost, the Ruth Kingdom had no means to replenish its forces.

In this precarious situation, the news of Viktor’s return divided the nobles into two camps.

"We should kill him, no matter the cost!"

"Seal the gates and start purging now!"

Some argued that Viktor must be dealt with immediately, fearing what might happen the moment he stepped into the castle.

"Let’s wait and see. He’ll only be in Zavinsk for a few days at most. What harm could it do?"

"Exactly. Without his rank, Viktor is nothing more than a common orphan."

Others, who had prepared for escape or felt they had nothing to lose, advocated for waiting and watching.

"What do you mean ‘what harm’? Have you forgotten how he glared at us in the royal palace, as if he wanted to kill us?"

"That was when he was still a commander. Now, he’s been stripped of his rank and authority. Do you really think the soldiers will follow a commoner?"

The nobles were sharply divided, and the debate dragged on for another day without resolution.

Vladimir, who usually mediated such disputes among the nobles, stood by watching them scream at each other. He now realized the kingdom’s end was near.

Whether they decided to kill Viktor or wait, more arguments would follow. If they chose to kill him, there would be debates about how to do it. If they chose to wait, they would argue over what to do in the meantime.

And Viktor could arrive at any moment.

Watching the king tremble amidst the bickering nobles, Vladimir regretted his past decisions.

A single general with overwhelming power or a group of nobles maintaining a balance of power by keeping each other in check.

He had placed his trust in the latter, refusing to believe in the existence of a superhuman.

"Hah, this is ridiculous. We’ll handle it ourselves."

"…Handle it yourself? Are you planning an assassination?"

"Why not? Coward."

"You’ve lost your mind! Go ahead, see how well it works out for you!"

As the chaos raged on, Vladimir clutched his head, overwhelmed by a pounding headache.

By the time the pain subsided and he looked up, the room was empty.

---

"Ha..."

Sergei, a soldier stationed at the main gate of Zavinsk Castle, let out a heavy sigh as he gazed out at the distant horizon.

His hometown, Garogorod, had fallen into Imperial hands.

Though he knew surviving was a blessing in itself, the man he once owed his life to—Viktor—had been sold off to the Empire.

"I wish I could just run away."

"Yeah, same here."

Sergei no longer felt any attachment to the Ruth Kingdom. He even thought that surrendering to the Empire might allow him to return to his homeland. His comrade, Dmitri, felt similarly.

"What will you do if you go back?"

"Who knows..."

Leaning against the castle gate, Sergei exchanged idle chatter with Dmitri.

This sense of apathy wasn’t unique to the two of them. The soldiers of Ruth Kingdom were merely going through the motions, having lost all hope they once held while serving under Viktor.

Rations were shrinking, and the quality of the supplies they received was steadily declining. Their morale had hit rock bottom.

The two guards stationed at the gate were no exception, content to let time pass without much thought for their duty.

Then, suddenly—

-Thwack!

"…Huh?"

"Did you hear that?"

"Yeah."

Startled by the sound of something hitting the ground, Sergei and Dmitri quickly scanned their surroundings.

It didn’t take long to find the source of the noise, given that it was still daylight.

"Is that it?"

A

 few dozen meters away, an arrow with a note tied to it was stuck in the ground.

Sergei picked it up and unfolded the paper out of curiosity.

"What does it say?... Oh no."

"What is it? What’s written?"

Sergei, wide-eyed, handed the note to Dmitri. As Dmitri read it, his jaw dropped in disbelief.

The two soldiers exchanged glances for a moment, then—

"Aaaaaah!"

They screamed and bolted toward the castle gates, shouting at their comrades inside.

"The general is coming back!"

The note, written in handwriting they recognized, read: "Viktor. I will return at 9 a.m. tomorrow through the main gate."

---

Sergei rushed toward the commander's tent of the 1st Corps, clutching the note.

-Rustle.

"Lady Anna!"

"…Ah."

Inside the tent was Anna, alone. Startled by his sudden entrance, she quickly hid the feather duster she’d been holding behind her back and cautiously stepped away from Viktor’s desk.

"What’s going on?"

Remaining calm, Anna approached Sergei.

"It’s news about General Viktor!"

When he handed her the note with Viktor’s name, she practically snatched it from him and began reading.

"Hmm."

Without hesitation, she returned to her desk and began comparing the note with Viktor’s previously recorded documents.

-Gulp.

As Anna carefully examined the handwriting, Sergei anxiously waited for her judgment. After all the commotion he’d caused bringing the note, if it turned out to be a prank, his fellow soldiers would likely beat him to death.

"The handwriting matches the general’s."

"Then...? Oh my god!"

With Anna’s confirmation, Sergei darted out of the tent, eager to spread the news.

"Haah..."

Anna, too, wanted to cheer aloud, but she maintained her composure.

Despite the matching handwriting, all they had was a single short note. As much as Anna desperately hoped for Viktor’s safe return, she was more afraid of having her hopes shattered.

To truly believe, she needed more evidence. More proof that Viktor was indeed coming back.

"…"

"Lady Anna! A message from the 4th Corps commander!"

As she pondered her next steps, another soldier approached her.

The current 4th Corps commander, Aleksandrov Kalichin, was a nobleman who had been saved by Viktor multiple times, making him cooperative. Though he couldn’t openly support Anna, he provided indirect help by keeping her informed of the nobles’ movements.

"Today, the nobles held an emergency meeting."

"Is that so."

"After the meeting, Count Mikhail Kapayev ordered heightened vigilance and all troops to be on standby."

"…Count Kapayev?"

Anna immediately found this suspicious.

Up until now, when nobles relayed orders to the military, the source of those orders had always been Count Vladimir Savinkov. There had never been an instance where another noble specifically gave commands to a particular corps.

And the nature of the orders was also peculiar.

Increasing vigilance meant deploying more troops, and keeping forces on standby meant that even the soldiers not deployed were ready to move at any moment.

The 4th Corps was responsible for guarding the rear gate of Zavinsk.

Why would they need to reinforce the rear gate's defenses? The war hadn’t resumed, yet they were preparing thousands of soldiers for potential deployment?

Nothing like this had occurred since Viktor was taken to the Empire. If these commands came immediately after the emergency meeting, then...

"…Increase the number of guards in the 1st Corps as well. Relay the order immediately."

"Understood!"

Whatever was about to happen, the 1st Corps needed to be ready. After issuing the command, Anna returned to her seat.

Deep in thought, she finally made a decision.

-Rustle. Rustle. Thud.

With trembling hands, she carefully organized the paperwork on her desk and placed it atop Viktor’s old desk.