I didn’t leave immediately, as I intended to enter the castle at the height of the chaos. Additionally, I wanted to send word to my subordinates to ensure they could prepare in advance. To safely convey the message, I opted to use an arrow.

“...So, you're supposed to be executed, but you want some company?”

“As long as you follow me, you'll be fine.”

From the garrison to Zavinsk Castle, it was roughly a four-hour ride at a leisurely pace.

Josef had carefully chosen the archer accompanying me, marked as a neutral gray dot on the minimap. We approached the castle together. Since I wasn’t aiming to harm anyone, I fired the arrow from a safe distance, ensuring it would only deliver the message.

I confirmed through the minimap that the arrow had been retrieved. I also checked the soldiers on the castle walls, noting the green dots moving around.

I watched two green dots approach the arrow’s location and swiftly retreat after retrieving it. With that confirmed, I returned to the garrison to prepare my horse.

The preparations were simple. I securely attached the white flag signifying non-hostility, removed the Imperial insignia, and stripped away the horse’s armor.

The jet-black horse Josef had provided was large, like a proper war steed, but surprisingly docile, obeying my commands without fuss.

By evening, I had finished all preparations and retreated to my temporary tent. Now, I had to plan for the next steps to ensure the success of my mission.

---

Before dawn, I left the tent. Though it was a distance I could cover in two hours at full speed, I planned to take my time, so I left early.

I made one last check of my preparations. I attached the saddle to the horse and filled its pouch with snacks for the journey. After making sure I was well-fed, I tidied up my uniform to present myself as someone treated well by the Empire.

The goal wasn’t just to ensure my men's safety but to bring those loyal to me back to the Empire. For that to happen, I needed to lower the resistance of those I intended to persuade, and the easiest way to start was by making a good impression.

As long as I arrived in an intact, dignified state, they would see that the Empire hadn't treated me poorly.

Mounted on the warhorse, I left the garrison.

I considered taking a carriage but decided against it, as riding a horse would make me appear more confident and at ease.

---

I guided the horse at a slow pace, taking care not to disturb my appearance. Unless there was an immediate threat to my safety, I didn’t expect any surprises. I kept an eye on the minimap as I progressed.

There were, indeed, some red dots indicating patrols near Zavinsk. However, they were small groups of three to four people, and their lack of coordination meant they posed no real threat.

This was a good sign.

When hunting, you don’t provoke the prey until you’re certain of the kill. These nobles, with their experience in purges, surely knew that.

The scattered, disorganized attempts to patrol suggested that any efforts to deal with me weren’t unified. Had the nobles decided as a whole to eliminate me, they would’ve used more effective methods.

-Crunch. Crunch.

"...You're eating well."

I fed the horse snacks periodically, keeping it cooperative.

In a few hours, the outline of Zavinsk Castle came into view in the distance.

“Let’s go.”

By now, those in the castle should have spotted me as well. I adjusted my posture.

I straightened my back and lifted my gaze slightly upward, placing my right hand lightly on my thigh while holding the reins casually. I made sure to look completely at ease.

At the same time, I channeled the persona of Viktor, the loyal general, eager to reunite with his soldiers. I allowed a small, wistful smile to curve my lips and occasionally wiped my eyes with my left hand, as though overwhelmed by emotion.

I kept monitoring the minimap. Depending on who was on the castle walls, my approach might change.

Soon, Zavinsk Castle came within the minimap’s range.

"Perfect."

The map was filled with green dots. Soldiers were gathered on the walls and behind the castle gates.

I didn’t even need the minimap to see the soldiers standing shoulder to shoulder on the battlements. The flag of the 1st Corps, my old unit, was flying high.

The 1st Corps had always guarded the main gate, but the fact they had gathered so openly meant the nobles hadn’t yet managed to assert full control over the army. The nobles, afraid of my influence over the 1st Corps, wouldn’t have ordered them to welcome me so warmly.

The soldiers seemed to have spotted me, and the dots on the minimap began moving rapidly. Some soldiers on the walls rushed down, while others took their place on the battlements.

“Viktor! Viktor! Viktor!”

“General!”

As I drew close enough for them to recognize me, shouts erupted from the soldiers. Their enthusiasm worked to my advantage, so I raised my left hand to acknowledge them.

They were chanting my name.

If they knew what I truly intended, they wouldn’t be cheering. But their fervor only strengthened my resolve that my plan was sound.

I was on the right path.

The gates swung open, and soldiers bearing the insignia of the 1st Corps swarmed out to meet me.

---

After entering the castle and dismounting, I was immediately surrounded by soldiers. They kept a respectful distance, but their eyes were filled with hope and anticipation as they quietly waited for me to speak.

"...It’s been a while."

"Waaaaaaah!"

As if they had been waiting for my words, a roar of cheers erupted from the soldiers. Through the crowd, I spotted a familiar face approaching me.

“General Viktor...!”

“Boris.”

Boris was one of the soldiers who had accompanied me to the capital and had risen through the ranks alongside me, earning his position as an officer. He seemed surprised that I remembered his name.

"I... I’ll guide you to the barracks, General."

"Lead the way."

I should have gone directly to the royal palace, but I wasn’t about to walk into danger alone. I followed Boris into the barracks instead, knowing that speaking with my men would further unsettle the nobles.

Boris led the way, and the soldiers around me formed a protective escort. A few red dots trailed us at a distance, but I pretended not to notice.

The barracks hadn’t changed much since I left. The soldiers were still living in temporary shelters built for the war effort, a clear sign that the army remained largely unchanged.

As we approached the general’s tent, more soldiers joined our procession. By the time we reached our destination, hundreds of soldiers were following me.

"...We’ve been waiting."

Boris pulled back the tent’s entrance flap and gestured for me to enter.

I stepped inside slowly.

“Ah.”

Inside, Anna sat at her desk, waiting.

“Anna. It’s been quite some time.”

“...”

She remained frozen in place, her lips twitching slightly, her eyes flickering. Anna had always been reserved with her emotions, so unlike the other soldiers, she didn’t shout or express excitement.

But it was clear from the state of the tent that she had been waiting for me.

Despite my long absence, none of my belongings were dusty, and the documents on the desk were neatly stacked, just as they had been when I was the general.

"...Thank you, Anna."

"...Yes."

I noticed her eyes starting to redden, so I averted my gaze, giving her some privacy.

"General Viktor..."

After a moment, Anna composed herself and gestured for me to sit in the seat she had kept so meticulously clean.

But now wasn’t the time.

“My apologies...”

I pulled over a nearby chair and sat down instead.

“I didn’t return as the general of Ruth Kingdom. I’ve only been granted a short stay.”

“...What?”

“The Emperor of the Empire granted my request. At most, I have three to five days before I must return.”

“Oh...”

Of course, I had no intention of returning.

For now, I was still technically an Imperial prisoner. The nobles were bound to pressure me into making a "decision," but I needed to maintain the appearance that my visit was innocent—a man simply wanting to see his homeland one last time.

After I explained the situation, Anna nodded with a grave expression. She seemed to accept it, but I knew her too well. When she truly gave up, her reactions were different.

Her nod meant she was ready to act as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

Seeing that everything was going according to plan, I allowed a small, genuine smile to appear as I spoke.

“Anna, how have you been?”

"...There haven’t been any major issues."

"I see. I met Boris earlier—he looks well. How about the others?"

She began explaining the current state of the unit, and I listened carefully.

"That’s all."

"Hmm."

Morale had dropped for various reasons, but there hadn’t been any major changes. The nobles, after all, were too afraid to tamper with the army during the fragile ceasefire.

"I’d like to see their faces again."

Now, it was time to provoke the nobles more openly. Under the pretext of wanting to reconnect with my former soldiers, I would tour the 1st Corps.

To the nobles, it would look like I was testing my power.

"I may not be your commander anymore, but could I ask you to show me around?"

“You will always be our general!”

Though I had asked casually, Anna’s voice rose at my words, as if something had struck a nerve.

"...You will always

 be our general. Please, give any command you wish.”

"Then I’ll rely on you."

"Understood."

She quickly lowered her voice again, perhaps realizing her outburst. But I simply nodded, pleased.

We then spent the rest of the day walking through the barracks together, greeting the soldiers.

The conversations I had with my former men were innocent on the surface.

"...Good."

“Sir?”

"No, nothing."

But to the nobles watching from the shadows, they would seem much more ominous.

I kept an eye on the red dots on the minimap as they lingered nearby, coming closer and then retreating as I greeted the soldiers.

“General!”

“General Viktor!”

...Whatever was going to happen, it would unfold at night. Until then, I continued chatting with my men, preparing for what was to come.

---

That evening, in a small meeting room at the Royal Guard headquarters...

"He’s entered the city, after all."

Count Mikhail Kapayev, Commander of the Guard Andrei Komarov, and a few others who had grown frustrated with the nobles’ indecision had gathered to discuss their next move.

“It’s all those cowardly nobles’ fault. If we had mobilized just a bit more force, we could have kept him out entirely.”

“They say he’s already stirring up the men, acting like he’s still their general.”

They had tried to block Viktor's approach by deploying troops, but with many nobles opposing the plan, they had only been able to station a small force. Mikhail blamed those cowardly nobles for letting Viktor into Zavinsk.

“Damn it!”

-Bang!

Mikhail slammed his fist on the table, sending papers flying.

“I told you! Bureaucrats are useless in times like these!”

Andrei, who had experienced the humiliation of Viktor's capture firsthand, was the most furious.

Unable to forget the shame, he wanted to personally decapitate Viktor.

"If you don’t want to see him rise as commander again, we need to strike now! Don’t you know the phrase ‘attack first, win first’?”

Some nobles flinched at the mention of moving the Royal Guard, but...

"...Andrei, are you confident?"

Mikhail, torn between the fear Viktor inspired and his frustration with the nobles, quickly responded.

Viktor’s influence wasn’t limited to the 1st Corps. The only force that could move without drawing Viktor’s attention was the Royal Guard.

In the end, Andrei’s role was crucial, and his influence within the group was second only to Mikhail’s.

“Confident? The Royal Guard has never failed. Not before, not now.”

Andrei ran a hand through his glossy hair, speaking with confidence.

“We’re ready. We can move as early as tonight.”

“...Good.”

With Mikhail and Andrei pushing forward, the others had no choice but to follow, even though they sensed something was wrong. They feared Viktor’s growing influence, and now that an operation had been discussed, it was too late to back out.

They reassured themselves that Andrei’s confidence must have had a solid foundation.

"Fortunately, Viktor is staying in the barracks’ outskirts."

"I hear the 1st Corps changes shifts at 1 a.m. every night. How about we strike then?"

Using the intelligence they had, they began to finalize their plan.

“We need to decide where to hold him afterward.”

“Hold him? I thought we were going to... Never mind.”

Andrei wasn’t satisfied with Mikhail’s plan to imprison Viktor and eventually return him to the Empire, but he pretended to agree.

Since he would be leading the operation, "accidents" could easily happen on the ground.

"The operation will begin tomorrow at 1 a.m."

Thus, the plan was set.

The operation to kidnap Viktor, codenamed "Return," was scheduled for 1 a.m., led by Andrei and a select few Royal Guard soldiers.

---

Meanwhile, Nikolai Similov had been quietly converting his wealth into gold and gems ever since the North War had broken out.

At the negotiation table, his fingers had been adorned with rings, part of his efforts to conceal his preparations.

Having sold off those rings out of fear that the memories would return, he was immediately filled with dread upon hearing that Viktor had arrived in Zavinsk. He quickly convened a secret meeting with a few other nobles who had earned Viktor's ire.

None of them had the courage to stand up to Viktor, even though they feared him.

Their conclusion was simple.

"You too?"

"...There’s nothing more important than my life."

Escape.

These nobles had no grand ambitions or troublesome families to worry about—they only cared about living lavishly. They planned to flee Ruth Kingdom with their riches in tow.

"What’s the plan?"

"I have connections with the 4th Corps commander. I can convince him to open the rear gate briefly."

"Ooh!"

"My family has a caravan we use for trade. We can use that to carry us and our valuables."

The plan was swiftly devised.

They would gather at Nikolai’s estate, which was conveniently close to the palace, and use his caravan to leave through the rear gate.

"When?"

"I’ll need to ask Aleksandrov, but it’s best to leave late at night to avoid suspicion."

Shortly after, they received word from Aleksandrov.

"The 4th Corps shifts guards at 1:20 a.m., so he’ll open the rear gate briefly."

“Perfect.”

The nobles, thinking they had found the ideal escape plan, prepared to gather at Nikolai’s estate at 1 a.m. the following night.

With their wealth packed and ready, they set the wheels in motion for their midnight flight, unaware that Viktor’s own plans would soon change everything.