“I…I didn’t mean it…” Alexa broke down sobbing on her knees in front of Wilhelm. “I was just…protecting Phoebe. And I burned him! I burned him with a powerful fireball spell! What’s wrong with me? He was injured, and it wasn’t like he would be able to even harm her.”

  Alexa tried desperately to wipe her tears, but they kept coming out.

  “He was screaming while he was on fire. He screamed, Wilhelm! He kept screaming, and I just stood there, watching, until he became nothing but ashes. I can’t believe it…I—”

  Suddenly, she was forced to stand up. Wilhelm still had that concerned look on his face, but it already morphed into impassive neutrality. He held her shoulders, forcing her to stand firm and face him.

  “This is war, Alexa,” Wilhelm said, his tone final. “All you did was protect her, as you should do. Nothing more, nothing less. The enemy chose to fight, even when you did everything in your power to avoid killing them.”

  “But Wilhelm!”

  “No buts. I am not letting you beat yourself down or blame yourself. If you want someone to blame, then blame it on me. This was my plan, my idea. Sure, you changed some details, but it was I who wanted you two as bait.”

  Wilhelm continued, refusing to let Alexa argue. “I command everyone in this battle. This is my job and my sole responsibility. I killed that man by sending you there. All of the blood spilled in these fields is in my hands. Now stand tall, and continue doing what you do best.”

  Wilhelm turned to Phoebe, who watched the two, frozen.

  “I say the same to you. We need both of you right now at your best if we want to save lives. Alexa, I need you to start making speeches to make the enemy surrender. Phoebe, I need you to prepare for healing thousands of injured soldiers.”

  Alexa calmed down as Wilhelm stood back. He sighed before looking back at the battlefield, his hands on his back.

  “...This is why I want this to end fast. I love war. I was born in it. I was molded by it. Matter of fact, I don’t feel an ounce of shame that I sent so many to be butchered for your cause.”

  “Wilhelm…”

  “But, when I see you like that, all afraid and ashamed because you partook in this uncivilized mess, I feel shame. That’s why I want to end this now. I want victory, fast. Because…I don’t want to keep seeing you like that.”

  He looked back at Alexa. “You deserve to be a peacetime leader. That’s where you’ll shine best. Not here.”

  “I thought…all you wanted was to win…” Alexa mumbled.

  Wilhelm’s eyes widened, and he suddenly looked away. “I suppose, once, it was like that. Not anymore, though.”

  He groaned.

  “Whatever. Get a move on, you two. We still have work to do. There is no place in the battlefield for sentimental nonsense. Shit happens. Keep moving if you want to save lives. That’s what matters. That’s what you two will do.”

  “I…” Phoebe was on the verge of tears earlier, but she stood firm. “Alright. How many people do I need to save?”

  “We’ll find out later. Alexa, do the task I gave you. I expect it to be ready before this hour is over.”

  Alexa breathed in and out deeply as she fully calmed down. “I’ll be on it then. Just, give me some time.”

  “That’s that now.” Wilhelm then walked to the group of soldiers standing on the sidelines, before looking down at Horatio’s unconscious form. He was already tied up. “Bring him to my tent. I need to talk to this man.”

  “Aye, sir.”

  And with that, all of them moved on. Somehow, by the time Alexa walked into the tent she was using, the shame she felt was already gone, and when she looked at her gloved hands, the blood she imagined that was on them was gone, as if it was transferred to someone else.

  Why?

  Why does he always bear the burden of doing evil for us?

  +++

  “Ah…so that’s how it is then…” Horatio looked at Wilhelm with glazed eyes. “I’ve been beaten by two brats.”

  Wilhelm coldly analyzed the man. He was tied up, but otherwise, he sat calmly and properly on his chair. They were separated by a table, and the tent they were in was dimly lit. No one else was in here, except for Wilhelm and Horatio. Due to the loud explosions outside, no one would even be able to hear the conversation between the two.

  Unless one of them shouts. But of course, that wouldn’t happen. Horatio seemed like a broken man, as instead of keeping his head high as a general should, he was barely hanging it between his shoulders.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  “Heh…heh…” Horatio continued cackling. “Were you there too? Were you watching from behind while those girls manhandled us? Don’t laugh too much at me, though. That isn’t very manly of you either.”

  He scoffed at Wilhelm. “Sending girls of their age to the battlefield, no matter their powers, is abominable. Absolutely abominable. What can you say for yourself, huh? That you won against me by being a scumbag? Great. Take it. Please take it.”

  “General, you don’t seem very well…” Wilhelm leaned forward, grabbing a bottle of wine on the table. There were two glasses set before them, and gently, Wilhelm uncorked the bottle and then poured some into the two glasses. As Horatio watched Wilhelm, a smile crept up on the general’s face, amused.

  Then, Wilhelm placed a glass in front of Horatio. “Here’s yours. Here’s mine. There. A good place to start, don’t you think?”

  “...Sure,” Horatio laughed, his hands still tied. “What is that you want from me?”

  “It’s simple.” Wilhelm took a brief sip of his wine, feeling its fine fruitiness and the slight, mostly subtle acidity. When he was done, he set the glass to his side and leaned back on the chair, a relaxed smile on his face. “Let me lay down the situation to you. As of this moment, the eastern flank of your army has been broken.”

  “...”

  “Meanwhile, the central assault you launched failed to make headway. Not that it matters, as your objective to capture the saintess and the crown princess was turned on you.”

  A chortle. “Yeah, right. Pisses me off, I tell ya.”

  “Finally, that little battlegroup you and your buddies faced at the Rutherford Mountain Range just reached the rear of your army. They’re cutting your supply lines as we speak.”

  “Tsk.”

  “That means the rest of your scattered, confused, and leaderless boys are now forming a desperate defense line around Fort Henderson. They are surrounded, fatigued, and morale is in short supply.”

  “I know that already. There’s absolutely no point for you to tell me all of this. I’ve known where this was going the moment I saw those…”

  Horatio struggled as he gritted his teeth. “Those damned brats.”

  “Feels like ass, doesn’t it?”

  “Thanks for pointing out the obvious.”

  Then, Horatio grinned. “Must be why you’re her little lapdog now. A knight, you say? What, is it your job now to follow her orders and bark at whoever looks at her wrong? I must say, you’re doing fine work in that case.”

  “What can I say? I make for a pretty good knight. Never thought of myself that way, but life is full of surprises.”

  Horatio glowered at Wilhelm. “Give me the damn terms and be done with it, you cheeky bastard. You’re wasting time, and my boys are bleeding and dying.”

  “Huh…so you do care?”

  “Give me the terms.”

  “Right, right. Here’s the deal,” Wilhelm said. “Of course, the Second Continental Army will surrender; that’s already a done thing. That’s not something you will negotiate out of; in fact, we’re not negotiating. I’m just offering a sweet deal, and you will accept and love it.”

  “Of course.”

  “Second, you will cooperate with Her Highness in disseminating your orders about a full surrender. She will be using her ability to amplify your voice, so you’ll have one last chance to bark some words to your little guys. And finally…”

  Wilhelm smiled. “You should thank Alexa for this. Not a single one of your soldiers will be charged with crimes or be forced into imprisonment. Well, except for you and your high-ranking officer buddies, but even you will have a chance to stand trial after this. Of course, you’ll all be disarmed, but, otherwise, the Second Continental Army will be allowed to return to their lives as free men.”

  Horatio looked at Wilhelm blankly.

  “Not even temporary forced labor punishment.”

  “I’ll have a day of her moral lecturing if I even suggest that. That’s beyond abhorrent…in her eyes at least. Quite frankly, I’d like to do that, though, now that you’ve said—”

  “Deal. I’m surrendering the Second Continental Army to you. I want this stupid affair done.”

  “Good, good. I knew I could talk to you nicely. Well, since you’ve been behaved.”

  Wilhelm snapped his fingers. Immediately, the bindings on General Horatio’s hands fell off. The man checked the conditions of his hand briefly before nodding in relief.

  “Can’t believe I have not a single scratch on me after all that…”

  “You should also thank one of the ‘brats’ for that.”

  “Tch.”

  Wilhelm then took the glass of wine on his side of the table. Then, he raised it.

  “Cheers?”

  “Fine. Cheers.”

  And with a clink of their glasses, the two drank wine fully, with an agreement to end the battle struck.

  +++

  “So that’s him…” Alexa crossed her arms as she looked up at the revolutionary general. “You’ve said quite a lot of mean words to me earlier.”

  “...You were my enemy.”

  “Were. Unless it’s still an ‘are’.”

  Wilhelm immediately stood in between Alexa and Horatio, trying to defuse things. “Alright, enough of that. No need for any needless bickering. Alexa, he already agreed to the terms of surrender.”

  “Is that so? Then why is there still fighting going on?”

  “My lower-ranking officers are still leading my men,” Horatio said, his tone low and dead. “Even if I am gone, and even if the chain of command is knocked out, the rest are still functioning; they’re going to fight bitterly and even attempt a breakout. I presume that they already have someone new over there leading them in my place.”

  “Exactly,” Wilhelm nodded. “The enemy’s defenses collapsed earlier, but now, they’re regrouping and reestablishing new ones. Not that it matters, they already lost their supply lines, and they’re in disarray, so all their efforts will lead to nothing by the day’s end. But, if they fight it out until they’ve exhausted everything…”

  “Many more people will die.”

  “That’s why I ordered you to prepare a speech for them. Have you finished that?”

  “Yes.”

  “Also,” Wilhelm pointed at Horatio. “This knucklehead is going to be helping you out at convincing his boys to lay down their arms.”

  Alexa eyed Horatio with suspicion.

  “What if he tells them to fight on instead?”

  Then Wilhelm laughed. “Alexa, even losers can use their brain to understand that they already lost.”