My Disfigured Duke Husband Helps Me Plot My Revenge
Chapter 47: The Misery of War

Chapter 47: The Misery of War

From the moment Valerio endured life on the front lines of battle, he tried to find a silver lining in all things. If he could put his head down and listen without defiance, he would be favored by those giving commands.

As he told Leonor in the brief note he gave her, he was going to climb the ranks and come back worthy to be by her side. There was only so much he could do without a strong family background, but it didn’t mean he wasn’t going to try.

Each morning he woke up in miserable conditions but he thought of giving her his love and finally having a family with her. It made it easier to go forward.

The cloak she had given him would be a placeholder for the hugs he wanted from her. He always kept it close to him.

There was a pocketbook he kept in his breast pocket with a ribbon he had stolen on the day he delivered the lilacs. She would likely not notice something so insignificant was missing but Valerio pulled it out and pressed it to his lips each time he was longing for the girl, now woman, he had left behind.

Action would resume and he would tuck away the ribbon so carefully. After a while, it had lost its pinkish color and started to fray.

He was ready for anything in his path as long as he focused on returning to Burien.

Luckily the weapons were sufficient and given to anyone willing to wield them. The King’s extravagant military budget was clear from the uniforms to the weaponry.

For the first couple of weeks, Valerio didn’t understand why they were there. However, when monsters came from the mist of the mountains, he understood right away that the foot soldiers he was a part of were no better than meat shields to Coeurvalle further south.

He thought that they were in a valley because it was the smartest place to stay hidden but he found quickly that it was simply the closest they could get to the monster hot spot.

Monsters weren’t unheard of.

Humans had changed their tactics in the past few hundred years and monsters were becoming rare. Goblins and ogres were a thing of lore, but in this hot spot, they were alive and well. Even older, dragons supposedly reigned the lands but they were completely extinct by that point.

Along with monsters from history, there were new variations of monsters. Some seemed almost human yet with deformities and grey skin. Their language was nonexistent and they seemed to move in a unified body with only one purpose: escape.

From what? No one was quite sure.

After getting used to the initial queasy feeling that came with slicing a mass of bodies down and watching grey blood cover the already soaked ground, Valerio couldn’t help noticing the absolute fear on the monsters’ almost human faces. That in itself kept him up at night oftentimes.

Were they intelligent enough to fear something? From the other side, were the humans the monsters?

The monster’s weapons were old and dull, but the sheer number of them was enough to cause harm. Their lack of care about what was in their path and the debate of whether or not they were truly living didn’t matter. For Valerio to live, he had to kill them whether or not they had emotions in their brains or otherwise.

Valerio knew he only survived there for so long because he was good with a sword, but it was hard to watch people he got close to succumbing to the weapons of monsters after facing exhaustion from constant battle. If he hadn’t kept up with training all those years in the orphanage, he would certainly be one of the ones lost.

He soon realized it was better not to form tight-knit bonds with the other soldiers. It became a heavier weight to bear each time one of them was slaughtered. Being cold wasn’t his preference but it was for the sake of his heart and mind.

It didn’t take long for Valerio to realize the reason for so many casualties was the lack of formal military training for all of the men being sent blindly to the front lines in Letum.

The men chosen to be officers were there because of family ties and not merit. They were as useful as sheepdogs leading a herd off the edge of the cliff because they weren’t willing to go in front, only barking orders from the back.

Despite his disagreement with how things were run, Valerio chose to keep his head down and do what was told of him. It was slowly starting to work and gain his favor. If they needed something done, they went to him. Everyone knew he was one of the most skilled and took orders without question.

Eventually, they did put him in a position with a few men under him. He was able to lead men into battle since the officers were too cowardly.

His position as a meat shield became more obvious but he didn’t care.

Valerio only had a brief respite when word passed through the camps that Prince Stephano had ascended to the throne. The kingdom was due for a new dawn.

Days were starting to blend most miserably. He clung to the thoughts of Leonor to get him through. Each time he looked at the calendar in his tent, he would realize how many times he had marked that month before.

There were four marks and he added another. Five. It had been five years.

He was 22 and Leonor was 20.

It didn’t feel like he had changed. However, each time he was able to wash himself off, Valerio would look down at his body. He was marred with scars and skinnier than before.

Would Leonor still worship him for his beauty or would she shut her mouth and accept him just because of the promise they made all those years ago?

His hope was waning. Things felt unbelievably heavy.

The smallest noise had him on edge.

Night and day were starting to feel the same and he would stay up all night only realizing the day had changed when someone tapped on his shoulder.

On one particular night, Valerio was sitting by a fire, his body slightly swaying as he stared into the flame with wide eyes. There was a tinge of desire to put his hand in the flame to see if he could still feel anything at all. His mind was always rushing but it felt like nothing could externally affect him any longer.

However, there was a rushing wind that made him realize he was still very much alive.

Except the wind became hot and hot became scalding.

There were men in the tent behind him and Valerio was only reacting.

He started sprinting in the opposite direction, realizing that whatever was coming out of the mist was targeting him. He was at the edge of the tent camp, after all.

The ground he ran to was already scorched but at least it was away from the other men who were sleeping. Anyone up for guard duty was on the other side of the camp.

In moments, the world around him seemed to be made of flames that were so bright it could be mistaken for daytime. Only then did he see golden and dark red scales that moved through the fire with ease.

His final thought as he drew his sword was an apology for Leonor and a prayer that they would meet again in the next life.

Tears fell onto his face that immediately evaporated due to the heat. His throat felt cauterized as he breathed in such hot air.

Valerio finally saw the dragon’s head and golden eyes peering down at him. Before it could put forth another flame, he sprinted forward and stabbed relentlessly into the lizard’s soft chest. He knew it was the only chance the other soldiers would have.

The man’s movements only ceased when the mana stone of the animal fell to the ground. His body was burnt so badly that he was completely unrecognizable when they found what was left of him.