Chapter 37

Setting off from Kelshtain Castle and riding northward, the fortress wasn’t too far away. It looked newly completed, sturdy enough, but I couldn’t help but face a fundamental question—why build it here?

“Why the heck would they construct a fortress in such a place?”

No matter how much I thought about it, it didn’t seem to hold much strategic value. The surrounding area was just an open plain. Sure, it could serve as a forward base; Kelshtain Castle and Serpina Army’s southernmost Cherryen Castle were quite distant from each other. But wouldn’t it have been better to spend less time and resources building a simple camp or watchtower instead? After all, once captured, fortresses often become the enemy’s.

And speaking of capture…

From the perspective of the Serpina Army rather than the Brance Army, this fortress seemed like it could be incredibly useful if obtained. Considering the significant amount of gold, labor, and time spent constructing it, the Brance Army might end up giving away their hard work for nothing.

“Guess they must have had some reason.”

Reflecting on my gaming experience, CPUs usually built fortresses and watchtowers wherever there was available space without much strategic planning. There was no need to overthink it.

Once inside the fortress, we easily met Lin Brance’s older brother, Kalintz Brance, who was both the commander and ruler of this place—a handsome man with blue hair exuding freshness. Beside him stood a middle-aged man with brown hair whose face I didn’t recognize.

“Irene, by order of our lord, I’ve arrived with 10,000 troops.”

Kalintz greeted Irene, who bowed lightly, with evident warmth.

“Oh, General Irene! You’ve arrived! Sooner than expected.”

Then he glanced at those behind her.

“Brance Army’s Jack.”

“Brance Army’s Silin.”

“Brance Army’s Swoen.”

After acknowledging our introductions, Kalintz lingered his gaze on me for a while.

“Hmm… Haven’t we met somewhere before?”

Yeah, sure. Kalintz was the first adversary I encountered when I came into this world. Without the mercenaries’ help, he probably would’ve already seized Jeilrant Castle.

But…

“Perhaps I appear too ordinary, General. It seems you’re confusing me with someone else.”

“Hmm… While I don’t entirely agree with ‘ordinary,’ well, I guess I can’t be certain either.”

Somehow, we managed to move past that. There was no need to shout out “I used to belong to the Lunarien Army” to this guy. Even if Lin heard about it later, it wasn’t something I needed to bring up now.

“So, 10,000 men… what about the garrison soldiers?”

“There are none. I only brought the additional troops dispatched by our lord.”

“Huh? That Rashion… What’s he hesitating about? How often do opportunities like this come around!”

With a frustrated punch, Kalintz lightly struck the desk. The sound echoed through the room.

“By the way… 10,000 men? Did Lord Lin dispatch 10,000 troops to Kelshtain Castle?”

“That’s correct.”

“Arriving at such a good timing is helpful, but it would’ve been ideal if more troops were sent. It’s unfortunate.”

Kalintz Brance had skipped the regular meetings to oversee the construction of this fortress. During these meetings, only decisions were shared, not the process. Unlike Rashion, who discussed things with Parphale in private, Kalintz was unaware of the situation. Thus, thinking it was “good timing” made sense.

At that moment, Irene cautiously asked Kalintz,

“Lord Kalintz, by saying we could seize the opportunity…”

“Aah. We’re going to gather these forces and immediately attack Ian’s recently rebelled Cherryen Castle.”

“…What?”

Currently, with the fortress holding 28,000 troops and the 10,000 we brought, that makes 38,000. According to recent intel, the enemy has 40,000 troops, possibly more. Even taking this force, it’d be tough to win, and at least 3,000 should remain in the fortress for emergencies. In the game that formed the basis of this world, even though strategy/tactics lacked realism and S-class generals could mow down masses, for a siege, you’d still need around 70,000 troops to ensure victory.

‘Ah.’

Then it hit me—I understood Kalintz’s plan. He’s targeting the confusion right after the rebellion began, isn’t he?

“Lord Kalintz, what does His Excellency think?”

The middle-aged man beside him asked, to which Kalintz replied as if questioning why such a thing was asked.

“I, along with my elder brother, have the authority to independently conduct operations without consulting our lord.”

“But for deploying such large forces…”

“Moreover, now is the time for a surprise attack. Reporting and waiting for a response will only make us miss the chance. Can you take responsibility for that?”

Cut off by Kalintz, the man could only apologize with a remorseful expression.

“No, my apologies.”

Kalintz patted the man’s shoulder.

“I appreciate your concern. But trust me; I have everything under control.”

At that moment, Irene tentatively raised her hand and spoke.

“General Kalintz, attacking under these circumstances seems reckless.”

“Hmm? Why?”

Irene began explaining to Kalintz as politely as possible.

“Before a siege, the attacking force generally needs to outnumber the defenders. Attacking with fewer troops than the defending force is considered very difficult.”

Kalintz nodded slightly at Irene’s words but soon wore an expression as if she didn’t fully understand.

“In normal situations, Irene, everything you say is correct. Attacking a castle with fewer troops against a larger force is almost impossible. However, the current situation isn’t normal.”

“What do you mean by ‘not normal’?”

“Ian’s forces just rebelled, so the order within the castle must be in chaos. Soldiers stationed there serving Serpina woke up to find their lord changed overnight. In such a situation, morale will inevitably drop. No matter how many troops they have, soldiers who’ve lost the will to fight aren’t worth fearing, even if their numbers triple. If we can quickly deal with the low-morale interception team wielding siege weapons amidst the chaos, I believe we have a good chance of success.”

‘Of course.’

In this game, soldiers’ morale drastically drops when rebelling to seize a castle. Thinking logically, it’s natural to feel confused when your lord suddenly changes.

Moreover, morale plays a significant role in battles in this game. A high-morale SS-class general leading 10,000 troops could defeat 30,000 low-morale soldiers—something I’ve seen countless times during my 10,000 hours of gameplay.

However…

‘Unfortunately, that won’t apply this time.’

There were two points suggesting that Kalintz’s assumption about the morale drop in Cherryen Castle’s Ian Army might not hold true.

Firstly, considering the world’s lore, Ian Rasupalt wasn’t just any random noble. He was one of the independent lords in the northern region known as the ‘Ian Army’ in the game’s storyline. From what I recall, he was fanatically devoted to Algod von Einhardt, whom Serpina von Einhardt killed. Though reasons for his allegiance to Serpina’s army in this timeline remain unclear, it indicates he had proper foundations. Soldiers working alongside him likely wouldn’t experience a significant morale drop.

Secondly, from a purely systemic standpoint, in the original game, the only case where morale didn’t drop despite rebellion was when designated rulers initiated the uprising. My divinity 100 prediction rarely fails, hinting at possible system influences here too.

Kalintz wouldn’t know Ian was originally a ruler; he was merely living this timeline.

Regardless of my thoughts or statements…

Kalintz enthusiastically reaffirmed his expectations as if they were near-certainties.

“If that’s the case, a 5,000 troop difference can be overcome. Ideally, with 28,000 troops, it wouldn’t have been risky, but 38,000 is doable. Leaving 3,000 behind, I’ll lead 35,000 troops in a swift attack. We’ll strike before the Serpina Army even understands the situation.”

‘That’s how it turned out.’

If Lin hadn’t sent any troops, Kalintz wouldn’t have embarked on this obviously losing battle. But due to the ambiguous reinforcement, he now believes it’s worth trying.

While in the game-based world, capturing a castle with 35,000 troops against 40,000 wasn’t impossible. Hiring the specialized siege mercenary unit ‘Jerome Mercenary Unit’, gathering at least three siege-specialized generals, and stacking siege weapons led by high-charisma SS-class generals could make it as easy as eating cake.

But that wasn’t the current scenario.

“Besides, we’re lucky to have you here, a specialist in sieges.”

Kalintz praised Irene, but even with her siege skills, she couldn’t turn the tide alone.

“But…”

“Stop arguing. I’ve made my decision. This is an opportunity! An opportunity to invade Cherryen Castle and earn merit!”

Watching Kalintz passionately argue, I sighed.

“He’s obsessed with earning merit, it seems.”

Thinking about it, I could also guess why they built this fortress here.

Was it simply to show they were doing something?

Kalintz Brance, the second of the Brance siblings between Lin Brance, the heir of the Brance family, and Chel Brance, known as the First Sword of Brance. Calm and easier to manage compared to his reckless elder brother, he was an S-class general. But objectively, he lagged behind his elder brother in military prowess and his younger sister in leadership. Among the three, he was relatively the most average, albeit still exceptional.

A solid character in the player’s eyes, resistant to scheming, yet seeing him so anxious reminded me again how characters in games cannot fully encapsulate the complexity of real human beings. Could even someone known as “calm” react this way when cornered?

Moreover, he had failed to capture Jeilrant Castle with 8,000 troops against barely 3,000. Perhaps my presence made him uneasy. Still, overcoming such feelings is his responsibility.

Confronting him with “It’s dangerous; you shouldn’t advance” wouldn’t be wise. Unnecessarily offending him could put my life at risk unexpectedly. Unless someone trusted me unconditionally like Luna, staying silent was the safest option.

“We must act before the Serpina Army moves. Opportunities like this don’t come often. I’ll give you 10,000 troops; prepare quickly for departure. I’ll follow shortly.”

Judging by Kalintz’s attitude, it seemed he intended to place her at the forefront. Defeat was not my concern if soldiers were expendable, but I couldn’t let Irene be placed in a doomed battle where she’d bear all the blame. This was my moment to step in.

“Excuse me, General Kalintz.”

“What is it?”

“If you allow, I’d like to share a brief opinion.”

“Speak.”

“I believe sending troops under General Irene’s command now is not the right choice.”

Upon hearing my words, Kalintz raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

“Ho? What’s your name again?”

“Swoen.”

“Ah. Swoen. Are you saying this plan of mine, to attack Cherryen Castle, is not the right choice?”

Under normal circumstances, I might have wondered why he was reacting so strongly, but in this moment, I was extremely grateful.

‘Is attacking Cherryen Castle the wrong choice?’

[Yes.]

‘That’s what you’re saying.’

Though I couldn’t outright say it, I adopted an apologetic expression.

“Not at all. Given the difficulty of the battle, it seems more efficient for you, General Kalintz, who have extensive knowledge of the northern situation from continuous battles, to lead instead of General Irene, who lacks experience.”

“Hmm… Is that so?”

“Yes. As someone who benefits from the Brance Army, I’ve consistently heard of your achievements in the north. Now seems like a great opportunity to earn merit.”

Kalintz, evidently pleased with my words, dropped his earlier sharp tone.

“Well then, since this is an important battle, I’ll take the lead.”

Indeed, it worked. While Lin Brance certainly had talent, she was somewhat arrogant and indecisive, harboring deep-seated inferiority complexes. Her elder brother Chel Brance was a powerful general but acted recklessly due to arrogance, sometimes ruining plans.

Their common trait: arrogance. It wasn’t hard to infer that even someone sharing their bloodline, however calm, might carry a hint of arrogance. Such people were easy to handle—just flatter them a bit.

Moreover, he was currently restless. With a high sense of pride, he probably wanted to quickly demonstrate that he wasn’t inferior to his siblings.

“Swoen, would you like to join me in earning merit?”

“No, given my frail constitution… I doubt I’d be of much use in battle.”

“I see.”

Kalintz turned away without further questioning me.

“I’ll prepare for departure immediately. Meanwhile, I’ll leave the fortress in Park’s care.”

“Understood!”

The brown-haired man finally spoke up. So his name was Park. Knowing little about him, he didn’t seem particularly important.

“As for you who accompanied Irene, you can stay and guard the fortress. And Irene, I’m sorry to ask, but could you handle the rear this time? Please assist General Miguel.”

“Yes sir!”

Jack and Silin weren’t being dragged along either. After Kalintz left the fortress, I leaned close to Irene and whispered:

“Irene. Please ensure at least 5,000 troops are positioned in the rear to secure a retreat route. More wouldn’t hurt.”

“Swoen…”

Upon hearing my words, Irene glanced around cautiously before quietly asking:

“Do you think we won’t win?”

“Yes.”

I wasn’t just thinking it—I was certain, having predicted it. Irene, too, seemed skeptical, nodding slowly without asking why.

“If that’s the case, regarding the discussion about leading the vanguard…”

She started to ask me something but paused, closing her eyes briefly before responding.

“…Understood. I’ll try persuading General Miguel. Directly approaching General Kalintz would be futile.”

“Thank you. And one more thing—an even more crucial request.”

I spoke with utmost seriousness.

“No matter what happens, please promise me you’ll return alive, Irene.”

“…”

The failures of the Brance Army or the deaths of other generals were burdens Lin, not I, had to bear. What I wanted to protect in this nation wasn’t Lin Brance’s unattainable dreams but Irene’s unwavering resolve, standing firm even when negating herself.

Upon hearing my words, Irene remained frozen for a moment before slowly nodding.

“I promise.”

“I trust you, Irene.”

With that, she silently turned and walked away. Though she said nothing, I clearly saw it—she was smiling faintly.