Finally, I can Retire, Or so I Thought

A short while later, Haruto brought Sheila and Dion to meet Dhorga, who was being held at a house in the western city of Mageford. The meeting came at Dhorga’s explicit request to speak face-to-face with Sheila and Dion, the ruler of the territory he had attacked. Luna, Aria, Cleo, and Mei explored the Palace of Xandor alongside Gina, Faramir, and several researchers from the eastern city of Treevalley and the western sector on Olga’s orders.

Meanwhile, Olga stayed behind at the medical facility with Astrid to tend to Johan and Nala, who were still unconscious. Upon arriving at the house, specially configured as a makeshift prison to house the barbarian forces and their commanders, guarded by Evelyn, her knights, and members of the Shadow Hand, Sheila and Dion stepped into a private room while Haruto waited outside.

Inside, they found Dhorga seated in a chair, bound in chains before a table. Dhorga’s head hung low, gazing down at the floor, until Sheila and Dion took their seats across from him. Once both were seated, Dhorga raised his head to look at them, a cynical smile spreading across his face.

”Greetings, Princess Sheila. So you’ve finally come to visit me,” Dhorga said.

Dhorga glanced over at Dion, who looked distinctly uninterested in being there. He scrutinized Dion’s face from top to bottom before locking eyes with him, his smirk widening.

”So you’re the one... the son of Derian von Oswald, the man who caught wind of the regime change back in Northgard,” Dhorga remarked, staring at Dion.

Surprised that the general recognized him, Dion turned to meet his gaze.

”You knew my father?” Dion asked.

”Who didn’t know Baron Derian? He was a close friend of King Bord and the man who saved Princess Sheila from being assassinated during the rebellion back then,” Dhorga replied.

Hearing Dhorga’s words, not only Dion stood stunned, Sheila was equally shocked. She slammed her hands onto the table, springing to her feet.

”What do you mean, General? Explain yourself right now!” Sheila barked at Dhorga.

Dhorga looked at Sheila, observing her enraged, glaring expression. Then his face turned dead serious, his eyes calculating as he looked between Sheila and Dion before leaning back against his chair.

”Sit down, Princess. There’s something I must tell you and your future husband. But before I begin, I need you two to promise me one thing,” Dhorga said.

”You think you’re in a position to negotiate with us? Don’t forget, your life is in our hands right now!” Sheila shouted, pointing a finger in Dhorga’s face.

Dion, who had remained quiet, reached out and caught Sheila’s forearm. She turned to look at him, and Dion gave a firm nod, silently requesting that she sit back down. Sheila obliged, though she sat down heavily, crossing her arms with a pouty frown. Dion then turned his attention back to Dhorga.

”What is your condition for telling us the truth, General?” Dion asked.

”Leave Gred out of this. If you want to take back the throne, let him go. Gred is my son. Everything I did was solely to protect him, and he knows nothing about any of this,” Dhorga answered.

Dion went quiet, glancing over at Sheila, who was glaring back at him with a sullen pout. Turning back to Dhorga, Dion spoke up.

”Very well. But if he ever makes a move against this domain again, I won’t hesitate to erase him from this world. Do you understand?” Dion warned.

”I can guarantee he won’t have any interest in attacking your territory,” Dhorga replied.

”Alright. Go ahead and tell your story. I will spare Gred as long as he doesn’t cross me,” Dion stated.

Dhorga remained silent for a moment, raising his chained hands onto the table. Then he began to speak. He recounted everything that had transpired years ago. As it turned out, Helga was the daughter of a tribal chief whose tribe had been slaughtered by King Bord. She had assassinated Bord’s wife, Sheila’s mother, during the rebellion, then seduced Bord until he became smitten with her and took her as his queen.

At that time, Helga was actually already married to Dhorga and had a one-year-old son named Gred, who was a year younger than Princess Sheila. When Bord took Helga as his wife, Dhorga was consumed with rage at King Bord, a man he had considered a brother and abandoned the palace. From then on, Dhorga remained completely ignorant of palace affairs until rumors began circulating that the woman who had seduced Bord was his own wife, Helga. He investigated, only to discover that it was all part of his wife’s grand scheme to exact her revenge.

He intended to confront his wife and rescue his son, but it was already too late. Bord had officially recognized Gred as his rightful heir. Upon probing further, Dhorga discovered that Princess Sheila had been banished from the palace to the academy to keep her from interfering with the court, and King Bord’s close advisor, the one who constantly counseled him, had been murdered by bandits. Dhorga continued investigating the truth behind the scenes until Sheila eventually returned, Bord fell ill and passed away, Sheila fled the palace, and Gred assumed the throne.

As an influential figure in the Kingdom of Northgard, Dhorga had been powerless to intervene, forced to watch his wife Helga tear down the kingdom he served. Then, one day, he received a letter from Helga claiming that Gred’s life was in grave danger because Princess Sheila had formed an alliance outside the kingdom. It was only a matter of time before she returned to destroy Gred and execute their son. In the letter, Helga pleaded with Dhorga, as Gred’s father and her husband, to defend their family, which was why he had launched the attack on Dion’s territory.

Listening to Dhorga finish his story, Dion and Sheila sat speechless, staring at the chained general across the table.

”Why are you telling us all of this?” Sheila asked softly.

”Because it is high time you knew the truth, Princess. I was King Bord’s right-hand man, your father’s right hand. And I was too late to save him... No, not too late. I was immobilized because the person behind it all was my wife... now my ex-wife,” Dhorga answered.

Having experienced betrayal in his past life, Dion understood exactly what Dhorga had gone through. He knew the agonizing conflict between loyalty to an organization and loyalty to family, even when a spouse turns on you, aligns with a rival, and strips away everything you worked for, leaving you powerless to fight back for the sake of children who weren’t even your own flesh and blood.

Without realizing it, Dion saw Dhorga as a man who had suffered a similar fate, finding himself in the exact same position Dion had once occupied. A surge of solidarity welled up within him. He stood up and placed a hand on General Dhorga’s shoulder, startling the general, who looked up at Dion in surprise.

”Your parents weren’t just killed by random bandits... Those bandits were sent to murder your father on my wife’s orders,” Dhorga added quietly.

Dion remained silent. He had already suspected that something of that nature had befallen his parents, though he now had official confirmation of who was behind it. He sat back down in silence, staring at Dhorga.

”So, what do you plan to do now?” Dion asked the general.

”Why are you asking him that, Dion? He should be executed! He even dragged Nala into this, a national treasure of our kingdom and nearly destroyed this city!” Sheila protested.

”But he’s told us the whole story now, hasn’t he? Besides, regarding my plan after this, it seems we need to focus on your kingdom so we don’t run into further trouble down the line,” Dion replied calmly.

Hearing Dion’s words and catching his serene gaze, Sheila opened her mouth to argue, but closed it almost immediately as no words came out. She sat back up straight, looking toward the general.

”Do whatever you want. I’m your future wife, and I’ll follow your lead, that’s the rule of my tribe,” Sheila said quietly, though a trace of frustration lingered in her voice.

Dion turned back to face the general, studying his expressionless face. Dhorga was staring right back at him, his eyes filled with a mixture of respect and quiet admiration.

”So, General, I’ll ask you one more time: what do you plan to do now? Return to Northgard and become our enemy? Die here? Or, option three: work with us to overthrow your wife and save your son,” Dion said with a calm, gentle smile.

Dhorga flinched slightly at Dion’s proposition. He didn’t answer right away, but stared intently at Dion, studying the young man before him, a youth who appeared entirely composed and unreadable, yet whose eyes carried the weight of profound experience, as though he had walked through hell itself and returned to the living world.