Accusation

Issei awoke, frozen, his face in the mud. Stripped of his armor and information. Next to him lay his war comrade Fukō, lifeless in a sea of ​​blood. Issei was confused.
Why did they spare me?

<Damn, what do I do now?>
<Boy, they killed you, huh? I'm sorry, you only wanted to save your family.>
<I have to abandon you, I'm sorry. I must notify the commander as soon as possible. Rest in peace.>

The unarmored knight looked around: the battlefield was empty. Then he broke into a mad dash toward the mountain, with the aim of warning of the arrival of enemies at the secret passage.
As he ran, the knight peered down at the ground where he saw many corpses. There were enemies and comrades all in one place, forced to die side by side. All abandoned by the world.

When he reached the mountain, a torrent of air hit him. The flow came from a huge hole in the mountain, where the blue moss that covered the secret entrance had once been.
Issei stood still, his eyes wide, in disbelief at the sight before him.

Inside the hole in the mountain, the cave that connected the Wohlstand kingdom to the outside world was filled with corpses. The corpses of his battle comrades.
He had arrived too late. The enemy's surprise attack on the secret passage had a devastating impact.

Wohlstand was enormous, yet a gigantic mountain range cut east from west on the map. This discrepancy in the world divided the continents as if they were two separate worlds. In fact, each side had its own map with the opposite continent cut away.

Issei was worried about seeing beyond the cave, but he had no other choice. He summoned his enormous courage and walked into the dark cave. The darkness sent shivers down the spine of the fearless warrior. The smell of blood, the smell of corpses, and the buzzing of flies exponentially multiplied the fear emanating from the dark cave.

After a quarter of an hour spent walking among the dead, Issei reached the other side of the mountain. The village, previously used as a military base, had been completely razed to the ground. Fortunately, there were no civilians; they had emigrated elsewhere before the war began.

<The village... I have to move!>

Issei entered a house, kicking in the door; the place had been crammed with weapons. The knight grabbed some clothes, chain mail, and light armor, perfect for the run he would have to make to reach the city. He searched for a sword but found none. All the weapons had been taken. Only armor remained.

Without wasting time, the large knight Issei ran again; he couldn't let the enemies reach the city.
Before reaching the town of Leistung, however, there was still a small village to cross. It was bisected by a small river from which the people drank. That river began in the mountains and ran through the whole of Wohlstand.

I hope they haven't poisoned the river; it wouldn't be convenient for them. First, if I want to take over the kingdom, they can't take away its water, or it would be a lifeless and therefore useless place. Second, I'd get very angry!

Issei crossed a long expanse of wheat and began to hear hammering metal.

<They're here.>

But even without his sword, Issei wasn't unarmed. His strength was a deadly weapon.
He ran toward the civilians to protect them, but there were too many enemies. He stood in front of the civilians, arms outstretched. In front of him was an archer ready to shoot an arrow at him. Issei closed his eyes unconsciously. Then, before his eyes, an arrow pierced the head of the villager he was trying to protect.

Blood spurted onto Issei's face. He was used to war, but that scene took his breath away. He hadn't been able to protect a single person.

Issei stopped focusing on what was in front of him, turned around, and saw the chaos unfolding. Desperate screams, warriors being thrown in all directions, showers of arrows, boulders flying into the sky. Issei felt like an ant.

However, the enemy was slowly being defeated. The royal knights were there. They were the best of the best in the Wohlstand Kingdom. Issei breathed a sigh of relief.
His gaze was one of admiration. Seeing a kingdom move like this was something spectacular.

Distracted, Issei was caught off guard by an enemy who crept closer. Issei grabbed him by the neck with one hand and lifted him off the ground, then tossed him away like a sack of potatoes. Then he turned to some villagers to check on them.

<Are you okay?>

He asked the panicked civilians. But they couldn't speak; they had never seen a war unfold. So Issei didn't insist, he picked up the two villagers and carried them away.

An armored carriage signaled Issei to let the civilians board.
Issei did as ordered, carrying the villagers onto the carriage and then recomposed himself ready for battle.

Two royal soldiers on horseback pointed at him. They had serious, almost disgusted looks.

<Is your name Issei?>

<Yes, sir!>

Issei answered without hesitation, standing to attention. The two royal knights looked at each other, then dismounted from their horses. The beasts were tall, muscular, purebred white horses: swift mountains on legs. The knights picked Issei up and carried him onto a carriage. One knight held him down while the other tied his hands.

<Hey, what are you doing?>

The knights didn't respond and tightened the knot tightly.

Issei was confused and wondered why he was being treated this way.

What do they want from me?

It all happened so quickly. Issei thought back to when he arrived at the village, ready to defend it with his life. Instead, he was forcibly taken away, for a reason still unknown.
The carriage headed toward the city of Leistung.
The journey was long and eventful. Luckily, Issei had a strong stomach.

After passing through dozens of forests and plains, they arrived in Leistung. The vitality of that place rejoiced Issei, unaware of what was about to happen to him.
Finally, they arrived at the castle. With a loud metallic screech, the gigantic gate lowered via a simple mechanism of chains and pulleys. The carriage passed over the gate and entered the castle garden.

It was kept in perfect condition by several expert gardeners. A trainer was training purebred dogs, and many others were diligently doing their work. There was a lot of activity, the entire castle in motion.

Issei was escorted like a prisoner to the throne room, where the King of Wohlstand sat.

<My king, I have brought the traitor.>

Issei turned to the knight who had spoken.

Me, a traitor? They've got the wrong person. The traitor...

Issei knew everything, but in front of the king, there wasn't much he could do. The armor on the sides of the room seemed to be pointing toward him. He felt cornered.

<can I say one thing...>

<Don't say a word, traitor.>

The knight immediately silenced him. Issei knew he couldn't speak in front of the king, but he tried anyway, even with dismal results.

<Take him to the consultation room and call the wise men.>

The young king ordered. He laid down the law; Issei could do nothing.
At that moment, he was a traitor in the eyes of others.