Chapter 3

Hold it.

Let’s keep our cool.

Once again, I mulled over the question she had asked me in my mind—

“Can I, Lunarien Iniyan, not unify this world?” The result remained unchanged.

[That is incorrect.]

No matter how many times I thought about it, the conclusion was always the same.

“The meaning of ‘it’s not that you can’t’ is… wait a moment.”

Meaning ‘not impossible’ implies that it is possible.

Then… could the ruler who unifies the continent be none other than Lunarien Iniyan?

Unaware that I had fallen into some kind of panic state, she wiped away her tears and apologized repeatedly, saying:

“I’m sorry… I’ve shown you an unsightly side of myself… I won’t bother Sir Swoen anymore from now on. But, may I ask one last question…?”

“…Please, proceed with your question.”

I replied in as calm a tone as I could manage.

But I could feel it.

Without realizing, I had trembled slightly due to the sudden situation.

Fortunately, Luna didn’t seem to notice, and looked at me with an extremely serious expression as she spoke.

“Could you tell me who comes closest to being the ruler who can unify the continent?”

“The ruler who can unify the continent, you say?”

“Yes.”

Nod.

Her determined gaze showed no signs of giving up on her dream of unification despite the harsh words she’d received from me. After all, if she were someone to give up just because someone said, “You probably can’t do it,” then she wouldn’t have raised an army in the first place.

“Perhaps, as Sir Swoen says, I might not be the right vessel to become a unifying ruler. However, I cannot turn a blind eye to people suffering and struggling. So please, grant me your wisdom. According to Sir Swoen, what kind of ruler should I aim to become?”

“What kind of ruler…”

None of her words were registering in my ears.

All I kept doing was repeatedly asking myself: “Can Lunarien Iniyan unify the world?”

The answer remained the same every time, but…

At that moment.

“Hold on.”

Who would make the best ruler? Hmm… maybe this is a question I can actually use.

“Luna, before answering your question, may I say a few words?”

“Huh? Ah… it’s fine, go ahead.”

She answered while breaking out in cold sweat.

Despite pretending to be resolute, she was clearly very tense.

After hearing such harsh words and having her recruitment offer rejected, her mental state must’ve been affected.

Still… she was trying her best not to show it and was attempting to extract any helpful information from me.

Having only played the game, there were things about her I couldn’t have known.

That Lunarien Iniyan was this strong-willed.

That’s fine though.

Right now, it was my turn to ask the questions.

“Luna, surely there are a few leaders you think could potentially be ideal unifying rulers. There must be some names already making waves in this Era of Chaos.”

“…Yes.”

“If you could, please tell me which leaders come to mind when thinking about who might be suitable for unification?”

The blind spot of my ability.

I could only predict outcomes based on questions asked by others.

I was confident my Divinity was 100.

But even so, it was hard to fully trust my brain for constantly concluding that Lunarien Iniyan would unify the world.

So then?

There was no choice but to verify, wasn’t there?

Fortunately, Luna seemed to understand what I meant. She nodded a few times, fell into deep thought, and carefully posed a question to me.

“…Lin Brance, the leader of the Brance Army… Could she not be the person capable of becoming the ruler who unifies the world?”

Question input.

“Can Lin Brance unify the world?”

The answer came easily.

She cannot unify it.

“…Lin Brance is undoubtedly talented, but she has moments of indecision during critical times. Moreover, her inferiority complex regarding her brothers is a flaw. It’s difficult to guarantee she’ll achieve unification.”

I added some plausible-sounding reasons.

All I could predict was either [Yes] or [No].

There was no way for me to know [Why] it was or wasn’t possible.

Luna nodded after listening to me and opened her mouth again.

“…Then, what about Baranga Yuri Aishias, who commands the loyalty of many? Could he possibly unify the world?”

“Baranga Yuri Aishias, can he unify the world?”

Conclusion: He cannot unify it.

“While she excels at leadership, drawing many followers, her foundation is lacking, and she doesn’t have much luck during crucial moments. It seems unlikely.”

“Then, does that mean the tyrant Serpina von Einhardt… will ultimately devour this continent?”

Luna’s expression twisted as she mentioned the last leader.

Tyrant Serpina.

With the legitimacy of being from the fallen Unified Einhardt Empire’s royal family, an impressive pool of talents, and territories that bordered on cheating along with absurd abilities.

Excluding her oppressive politics, she was actually the one closest to achieving unification.

In the game, if I let the CPU handle everything and ran ten simulations, six or seven of them ended with her achieving unification.

The remaining two were the Brance Army.

However, the nickname ‘tyrant’ wasn’t given to her for nothing.

She was extremely belligerent and showed no mercy to her enemies.

She didn’t maintain particularly close relationships with those around her, and when playing as her, there were no personal events outside of war.

While most leaders had small events—like Lin Brance having events with her brothers or Baranga Yuri Aishias having team-building events with his subordinates—she was the only named ruler without such occurrences.

Of course.

One reason I ended up in this world was because of her.

She had specifically rejected me, even though I had a Divinity of 99, and then proceeded to cut off my head.

Judging from Luna’s shocked expression, it seemed she detested Serpina.

It wasn’t hard to figure out why.

She had spoken of wanting to become a leader because she couldn’t bear to see everyone suffer, and expressed her desire to bring peace to this world.

Serpina was a woman who would unify the continent in blood.

Many people would die miserably.

Even after unification, considering her distrustful nature, there would likely be continuous bloody purges, leading to decades of chaos.

This explained Luna’s reaction.

I slowly refreshed the question she had given me within my own mind.

“Can Serpina von Einhardt unify this world?”

My Divinity 100 brain quickly provided a clear conclusion.

[She cannot unify it.]

“…”

Here, I too lost my words.

For the other rulers, I could attach plausible reasoning, but I couldn’t find any reason why Serpina wouldn’t be able to unify the world.

The biggest reason she couldn’t was actually the player.

Without player intervention, she was practically indestructible.

Unable to find a plausible sentence to justify my silence, Luna seemed to interpret it positively—

Her face darkened noticeably.

“That’s… right. In the end, it seems only a ruler like Serpina can complete the unification of this continent…”

And then, trembling all over—

She took a deep breath, seemingly resolving herself, and spoke with eyes as red as rubies.

“…Sir Swoen, thank you very much for sharing your invaluable insights today.”

For a fleeting moment, she wore a heartbreakingly sad expression—

Then forced a pitiful smile onto her face.

“Perhaps, as Sir Swoen said, I am insufficient to become the unifying ruler. But when I think of the people who will tremble in fear under Serpina’s tyranny… I cannot simply collapse here and give up. Nor can I become someone like Serpina. I… will try to forge my own path forward.”

Lunarien Iniyan.

In the game, she was summarized as someone who just wanted to play the ‘King Return’ concept.

The ideals and beliefs she harbored, the trembling voice she used when speaking to me right now… all of these were things I couldn’t fully grasp.

And my Divinity 100 brain continued to insist—

At least for now.

She was the only ruler who could unify this world.

“Then, I have inconvenienced you greatly five times today. I only hope you remain healthy.”

As she rose to leave, I—without realizing—

“Hold on!”

Caught her.

“Wha…?!”

Clearly not expecting me to stop her, Luna stared at me wide-eyed.

I…

Why did I want to join the Brance Army?

Because I wanted to survive.

The Brance Army seemed like a safe bet where I could live peacefully.

There was no guarantee unification would happen while I was alive, so I just wanted to live quietly in obscurity.

But—

If unification happened, we might escape this Era of Chaos and return to our original world.

Then?

Isn’t the logical choice to serve under Luna, the ruler destined to unify?

Besides, unification also means never falling.

In a sense, it fulfills the condition of [safety].

Of course, serving under the Luna Army doesn’t necessarily mean [I won’t die], but—

As long as I don’t go to the front lines, the chances of danger to my life are low.

With a ruler like Lunarien Iniyan, I was confident I could manipulate her as her strategist to bend her to my will. She seemed likely to listen to me most of the time.

Decisively, my Divinity was 100. If a battle seems like a loss, I can avoid it.

So—

“Are you prepared to become the unifying ruler?”

“Y-yes…?”

“To employ me means to trust me. Can you promise me your unwavering trust?”

“Does that mean… surely…!”

Realizing why I had stopped her, she stared at me with widened eyes. Yes.

The best position for me is undoubtedly beside the unifying ruler.

And if Lunarien Iniyan is the one destined to become that ruler—

“I will enlist in the Lunarien Army.”

There was no reason for me not to serve her.