Duchess Mecklen’s Elegant Revolt - Chapter 33 Part 1

33. Ernst’s Despair

As soon as the decision was made, the troops to surround Caroline’s plantation began to move.

For an operation targeting nothing more than a small plantation, the dispatched force was considerable.

A total of around 300 soldiers, including both knights and infantry.

‘That’s quite a lot.’

Mounted on horseback, Eleanor surveyed the surroundings.

At first, she had thought that sending only a portion of the knight order would suffice, but Lennoch had been adamant.

“There is a possibility that we will encounter Duke Mecklen at the plantation. He is the empire’s greatest swordsman, so we must not be careless. And since there may be a need for a search operation, it’s best to bring ample forces just in case.”

The military commander assigned to this operation was Huger, Captain of the Third Knight Order.

Huger had recently been personally appointed by Lennoch.

Due to the emperor’s direct orders, he was brimming with resolve.

“We’ll be arriving soon. That mountain ahead is North Mountain.”

Huger pointed toward the towering peak in the distance.

The troops swiftly advanced toward their meeting point.

As previously arranged, Childe was there to greet them.

“Lady Eleanor!”

“Lord Childe.”

Dismounting from her horse, Eleanor stood face to face with Childe.

Childe looked at Eleanor curiously—she was dressed quite differently from the elegant gowns she wore at the palace. Instead, she wore a practical riding outfit.

Noticing the sheer size of the forces accompanying Eleanor, Childe let out a stunned chuckle. “Surely this many soldiers aren’t necessary just to raid a plantation of barely five people…?”

“There’s concern that Duke Mecklen might attack the plantation. His Majesty explained that to face him, we would need this many troops.”

“Duke Mecklen?”

Childe’s face shifted in understanding.

If Duke Mecklen decided to act, he could easily handle dozens of knights alone.

Though Childe did not know the details of why the duke would personally raid the plantation, he had no intention of disobeying orders.

Childe pulled out a map he had prepared in advance from his bag.

Together with Captain Huger, they held a brief strategy meeting.

“The plantation is located here. According to the child, there is a crippled old man, a retired soldier, and a mute man present.”

“We need to block their escape routes, so we’ll position infantry here in advance.”

Huger suggested designating multiple safe zones.

This was to prepare for any unforeseen dangers.

Eleanor listened carefully to Huger’s suggestions.

“Besides the plantation, are there any other inhabitants in the mountains?”

“No. There’s a reason Caroline chose this place. The terrain is not too rugged, making it an ideal hiding spot where one can cultivate fields while remaining undetected. Occasionally, outsiders pass through, but locals who know the area well avoid this place entirely.”

“You’ve done well gathering this information.”

Eleanor looked at Childe with approval.

When had he become capable of handling such responsibilities?

Noticing her expression, Childe scratched the back of his neck and chuckled sheepishly.

He still wasn’t used to receiving praise.

‘Well, I did live like a piece of trash for a long time.’

With that thought, Childe stole a glance at Eleanor.

She looked even better than before.

How should he put it?

She radiated a sense of stability he had never seen in her before.

“Then let’s head out quickly.”

“Understood.”

Huger remained stationed at the mountain entrance while Eleanor and Childe led the advance party up the mountain.

They were accompanied by about twenty knights and soldiers.

The incline was steep but not impossible to traverse.

Childe, leading the way, had a bow strapped to his back, prepared for any unexpected threats.

Watching him from behind, Eleanor clenched her fists tightly.

‘Please, let everything be okay.’

She hoped her suspicions were wrong.

That her prediction of Ernst heading to the plantation was merely an unfounded fear.

She prayed fervently.

***

“W-who are you?”

The child Lennoch’s eyes widened.

He had been diligently tending to his assigned duties ever since being caught trying to pull out the plants.

Then, suddenly, a dark shadow loomed over him.

When he lifted his head, he found an incredibly tall man standing before him.

The man before him was unlike anyone he had encountered before.

Sleek, neatly combed black hair.

A pristine, impeccably tailored uniform.

‘Where have I seen that face before?’

His attire was similar to the knights he had once glimpsed in Hadum, but more extravagant.

The medals pinned to his chest stood out prominently.

The sharp gaze in the man’s eyes made the child instinctively wary.

There was no warmth in his expression.

Frightened, the child curled his dirt-covered hands inward.

‘Could this be one of the people Lady Eleanor sent, as Brother Childe had mentioned?’

The knights were supposed to come together.

The man in front of him seemed to be a knight as well.

The child glanced at the sword hanging from the man’s waist.

Click.

At that moment, as he stepped out of the house, Vito spotted the child standing with the man.

The child turned to look at him.

“Brother Vito!”

“……!”

“Huh…?”

Even the child was startled after calling his name.

Then he looked back and forth between the man and Vito.

The atmosphere between them was so different that they seemed like completely different people.

“You look alike.”

It was strange.

If they had been standing separately, he might not have noticed, but seeing them face to face like this—

It felt as if he were looking at twins.

The reason they appeared different despite their similar features was due to their completely opposite auras.

Vito’s facial features were slightly softer, with gently slanted eyes that gave him a warm impression.

The man in front of him, however—

“Vito?”

The man, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke his name.

Vito’s shoulders flinched.

‘Who is he?’

The man was a stranger, yet he looked so much like him.

Black hair. Blue eyes.

A sharp gaze without double eyelids and a high nose.

If he erased all traces of warmth from his face and filled it with anger, would he look like this?

Vito gestured to the child.

He was telling him to get away from the unfamiliar man and hide inside the house.

“……”

Ernst silently observed Vito signing to the child.

It seemed he was unable to speak.

Should he consider that fortunate?

“You do resemble Father quite a bit.”

A first meeting between half-brothers.

Rather than feeling pleased, he found it more unpleasant.

If their faces had been completely different, perhaps he wouldn’t have felt so disturbed.

‘But that doesn’t change anything.’

Ernst unsheathed his sword.

“B-brother……!”

The child cried out in alarm.

As the unfamiliar man approached, Vito was too startled to move.

Before Ernst’s sword could strike, the child lunged forward, crashing into him.

Ernst hadn’t expected the child to charge at him.

He turned slightly to the side in surprise.

But that was all.

His body barely wavered as he lightly pushed the child away.

As Ernst stepped toward the fallen child—

“A guest has arrived.”

The retired soldier who had warned the child not to uproot plants appeared.

His expression was calm, as if such ambushes were nothing new to him.

He was already holding a weapon—a uniquely curved blade.

Ernst’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“You’re not from Baden.”

“Who sent you?”

“Caroline.”

“……!”

A limp old man appeared behind the startled retired soldier.

The old man recognized Ernst’s face.

“The order is for everyone to take their own lives.”

Caroline, who had ultimately lost to Ernst, had revealed the plantation’s location and added one more instruction.

She had originally intended to write a letter commanding everyone at the plantation to kill themselves.

She had said that if she entrusted it to the village chief, he would take care of it properly.

But Ernst did not trust her words.

Caroline had already lost all credibility.

That was why he had left her behind and come to the plantation himself.

Upon hearing Ernst’s command, the retired soldier let out a short laugh.

“I have no intention of dying.”

He was serious about fighting.

The retired soldier shouted at the trembling child, “Why are you just standing there? Hurry up and run!”

“……!”

“I can’t protect you, so get out of here.”

Snapped out of his daze by the shout, the child quickly scanned his surroundings.

Then, he sprinted toward Vito.

“Brother!”

“Where do you think—!”

Ernst reached out to grab the child, but the retired soldier’s blade moved faster.

As the two weapons clashed, a sharp metallic sound filled the air.

“Brother, what are you doing? We need to run!”

“……!”

Vito clumsily moved his hands.

He meant that they couldn’t leave the crippled old man—the village chief—behind.

The flustered child glanced toward the chief.

Unlike the retired soldier, who was engaged in a fierce battle with Ernst, the chief remained still, simply watching them.

“W-we have to save ourselves first. The chief can run away on his own. We need to get out of here before it’s too late!”

Just hours ago, he had seemed like an ordinary village elder. But now, his presence felt different.

The child urged Vito to move.

In the end, unable to resist the child’s insistence, Vito took a reluctant step forward.

The old man’s gaze remained fixed on the direction the two were fleeing.

***

…―!!

“What’s that sound?”

“Someone’s fighting.”

Midway up the mountain, Childe and Eleanor turned to look at each other.

The distant noise grew louder as they ascended.

The direction was clear—the plantation.

Eleanor, who had been following behind Childe, suddenly stopped in her tracks.

“Send the others ahead to the plantation first. We’ll take a different route.”

“Here?”

“Something’s wrong. Our forces haven’t arrived at the plantation yet. There was no enemy there before, so someone from outside must have appeared. Judging from the situation, it’s highly likely to be Ernst or someone he sent.”

“Then shouldn’t we all rush in and launch an immediate assault?”

Eleanor shook her head. “Listen to the sounds carefully. There aren’t multiple clashing noises—it’s just one on one. If someone at the plantation is fighting, what do you think the others are doing?”

“Could they be running away?”

“That’s highly likely, especially for Vito and the child Lennoch.”

Childe sucked in a sharp breath. “Incredible. You deduced all this from just a small clue. Where did you learn this?”

“Liberal arts classes.”

“…They teach this in Hartmann’s liberal arts classes?”

“I begged to take them.”

Though, she had quickly dropped out later.

With no time to explain further, Eleanor divided the soldiers and sent them ahead to the plantation.

“Where did you first meet the child? Take me there.”

He would surely head that way.

Childe, sensing her certainty, asked while running, “How do you know?”

“Because I did the same.”

“What?”

“When people face death, their instincts drive them to seek out the familiar.”

Whether it be a place, a person—

Or something tied to a significant memory.

A brief thought of her past life crossed Eleanor’s mind, but there was no time for sentimentality.

She continued as she ran, “Vito and the child don’t know the layout of the plantation well. If they did, they would’ve escaped long ago. But the child has met you in secret before. His instincts will lead him to a place he knows.”

“Ah.”

Unconsciously, Childe had built trust with the child.

“And since Vito is close to him, he would have moved with him in the chaos. Of course, this is all speculation, but I hope I’m right.”

“No, it’s an excellent deduction. You could be mistaken for a fortune teller.”

Perhaps a crisis sharpens judgment.

Even while sprinting at full speed, Childe couldn’t help but express admiration.

The quiver on his back rattled noisily as he ran.

“Just beyond that ridge!”

Childe pointed to a steep path ahead.

However, the passage was narrow, forcing them to move in a single file line.

Leading the charge, Childe spotted a faint figure in the distance.

“Lennoch!”

“Brother Childe!”

A response rang out from afar.

The guess had been correct.

For a fleeting moment, relief spread across Eleanor and Childe’s faces.

Then, another figure appeared behind the fleeing child and Vito.

A crippled old man.

“Get down!”

Childe, sprinting at the front, shouted loudly.

At once, the child lunged at Vito, dragging him down with him.

A blade slashed through the empty air above them with a piercing sound.

“Who is that old man?”

No one could answer Childe’s question.

The child and Vito, having rolled roughly to the ground, struggled to their feet.

By then, the old man had already closed the distance.

There was no time.

Breaking away from the narrow path, Eleanor extended her hand toward Childe.

“Give me your bow.”

She was panting from the run, but her gaze remained unwaveringly calm.

Without hesitation, Childe handed her the bow and an arrow.

“You know how to use a bow?”

“Cover me.”

Eleanor swiftly pulled back the bowstring.

It had been a long time since she last held a bow, but the feeling came naturally.

It was another skill she had learned in Hartmann’s liberal arts courses.

However, her older brother, Adler, had hated it.

He had despised the thought of his younger sister being better than him at anything.

In those lessons, she had never shot at a living target.

But now—

‘If a time comes when I wish for someone’s death…’

That time was now.

Eleanor aimed directly at the crippled old man and released the arrow.