The NTR Knight Commander has Decided to Desert

Chapter 16

The rebel commander standing before her.

The man who introduced himself as Cromwell,

Tall and fairly handsome, he calmly made a proposal to Jane.

"What do you think? Personally, I believe this is far more meaningful than dying helplessly on the battlefield as a warrior."

"..."

From the perspective of someone who had come here prepared to die, his words could have sounded slightly offensive.

However, knowing her own limits,

Jane couldn't help but admit that his words made a lot of sense.

Honestly, she didn't even know how to shoot a gun, and it was unclear how useful she would be on the battlefield. The same applied to the others who had come with her.

On the other hand, what Cromwell was proposing—though it didn't involve shedding blood on the battlefield—could, if successful, inflict serious damage on the Empire.

'Besides... it would surely be meaningful in preventing others from suffering the same misfortune as us. Rather than dying aimlessly consumed by vengeance...'

Having made her decision in her heart, Jane looked at the rebel commanders before her and spoke with a voice full of resolve.

"Understood. As I said, I swore to follow any order for the sake of revenge. I will abide by that vow."

"Excellent."

At Jane's reply, Cromwell began to show a faint smile on his lips.

*

"What do you mean, you can't punish them?!"

A blonde-haired, golden-eyed warrior woman shouted in anger.

Formerly Cromwell's adjutant, she had become the new commander of the knights after Cromwell's desertion.

Olivier Hendrick,

Spoke with a trembling voice to General Neto, who was arrogantly polishing his cane before her.

"Why?! They mercilessly massacred civilians! Isn't it standard to enforce military law and restore discipline?!"

"Stop making a fuss. Why are you being so noisy over such a trivial matter?"

"They slaughtered Imperial citizens! The Imperial Army, which is supposed to protect the people, killed them and stole their property!"

"They didn't disobey orders. It all happened while resupplying logistics—are you saying we should punish a commander for that?"

"Yes! Of course you should! The public sentiment in this colony is already unstable, and rumors that the Imperial Army killed residents could make it worse!"

"Tsk. Even if such rumors spread, how far could they possibly go... Don't make a fuss over the deaths of a few dozen people."

"General!"

"If we mishandle this, all we'll do is worsen relations with the native warriors. I've already heard from the High Chieftain that the natives' mood has been sour lately. If we punish Gand, a native-born commander, now, it's obvious what will happen."

"..."

Supreme Commander Neto's words carried a chilling warning.

At that, Olivier was momentarily at a loss for words.

"Ever since you became commander of the knights, you've been acting like you're someone important, but your perspective is still too narrow. A few dead peasants versus hundreds or thousands of native warriors—surely you know which is the right choice without me saying it!"

"General!"

"This is war. Only after we win and gain breathing room can we care for the people. Stop whining and go manage your knights properly!"

"..."

"Answer me."

"...Yes... General..."

Olivier could only answer reluctantly to her superior's words.

As she walked out of the command tent, powerless,

Tears began to well up in her eyes, along with a sense of despair.

'Why... Why did things end up like this? What... what went so wrong...?'

It was—

Tears born of despair over the thoughtless actions she had taken until now.

On the surface, she had acted under the pretense of serving the Imperial Army...

But in truth,

It was remorse over the things she had done out of personal desire.

'If only... if only I hadn't betrayed him... things wouldn't have turned out this way... This kind of horror would never have happened...'

The Imperial Army's defeat in a battle they had been sure they would win.

That alone might've been bearable.

War, after all, comes with both victories and defeats.

But the atrocity that followed afterward—

Even if it had been carried out by a violent native-born general, the fact that the very Imperial Army, meant to protect the people, had massacred them—

It was enough to shake even the convictions she had upheld as a soldier of the Empire.

'If only he were still here... if only Commander Cromwell were still here...'

*

From the moment she entered the military, Olivier had served as Cromwell's adjutant.

To her, Cromwell was more than just a superior officer.

He was the one who had guided her life, someone she respected more than anyone—like a mentor.

And at the same time... the one she had held in her heart from the moment she first saw him.

With admiration, longing, and affection, Olivier looked at that man.

And in the process, she came to hold a single goal in her heart.

With his incredible competence, handsome appearance, and noble character—

A man who, aside from his status, lacked nothing—

She would make him hers, no matter what...

Her goal was to make him a man who looked only at her.

She knew it wouldn't be easy.

He already had someone closer than her—Clara—and there was also "that person," her senior, Richard's replacement, who had been transferred to another unit.

Surrounded by formidable rivals, he was someone she could never give up on.

The one and only man worth staking her entire life on.

To claim him for herself, she had always been waiting for the right moment.

And one day, that moment finally came.

She discovered by chance the affair between Clara and General Neto.

And the conspiracy they were planning to oust Cromwell.

At first, Olivier thought she should simply inform Cromwell of the affair, but she soon decided otherwise.

She would use this opportunity to get rid of not just Clara, but all the pests buzzing around Cromwell.

To that end, she pretended to support their scheme and helped orchestrate Cromwell's removal.

At the same time, she diligently gathered evidence against those involved in the plot.

Once Cromwell was ousted, she would immediately reveal the evidence she had collected, rescue him, and then comfort his wounded heart—becoming the only woman in his life.

However,

Her plan failed miserably due to an unexpected development during its execution.

Cromwell sensed something was off and defected to the rebels.

From her perspective, it was like the fish she thought was already in her grasp had slipped away.

And things didn't stop there—it soon led to a devastating blow to the Imperial Army and, worse, shook the very foundation of her beliefs.

Overwhelmed by the total collapse of everything,

She began to writhe in agony over the horrific consequences her fleeting ambition had brought about.

*

Watching the recent events unfold,

Franklin couldn't help but feel a deep sense of admiration.

'So that's what it was... As expected of Commander Cromwell. What he said yesterday about "an opportunity"—this is what he meant. Which means... he knew from the start that all of this would happen.'

Looking back, the food shortage meant the Imperial Army had no choice but to resort to desperate measures to survive.

And the simplest method was to steal from the nearby defenseless residents.

Of course, doing such a thing would inevitably provoke massive public outrage, but starving soldiers could quickly turn into armed rioters, so it wasn't like they had much choice.

However, this was nothing more than a desperate measure.

Once public sentiment soured, it could become a massive variable in a rapidly changing situation.

Though the crowd may seem powerless, history has already proven that the power of the masses is the most terrifying of all.

Like a single spark setting a mountain ablaze, this "small" mistake by the Imperial Army began to produce consequences they could never have imagined.