Chapter 42

* * *

I returned to the door of the meeting room, bringing Iren back after she’d regained her composure.

Of course, aside from the guards posted nearby, there was no one around the meeting room.

“Much obliged.”

At my greeting, the guard jumped in surprise and flustered before responding.

“A… Yes, yes! So, uh…”

“My name’s Swoen.”

“Yes, Sir Swoen. Um… Are you staying here to defend the fortress?”

“Yes. Along with General Iren.”

“I see…”

The soldier paused for a moment, then bowed deeply toward Iren.

“…General Iren. We’ll do our best until the very end. Thank you for staying and fighting alongside us.”

“‘For staying and fighting alongside us, thank you’… huh.”

Though they’re just numerical values of 1 in the game…

In this world where the game has become reality, they too live and breathe. Each one possesses their own universe. They must know that they’ve been thrown into mortal danger. No matter how much it’s an order, what thoughts would they have seeing their superiors flee this place?

Thinking about that, I could understand why this soldier felt the need to express gratitude.

Iren had always been a commander who stayed with her soldiers. Whether it was taking watch or doing various tasks during movement, she’d always followed the same standards as her soldiers.

Even though she’d been abandoned by Lin Brance, she surely retained the trust of the footsoldiers who upheld Brance from the lowest ranks. After all, the people in this world weren’t just data.

After receiving the soldier’s salute, Iren responded in a very solemn tone.

“Hmm. I will fight alongside you until the end. And I will never let you die.”

“Yes!”

The soldier answered loudly. Apparently, his morale had risen. Well, higher morale isn’t bad, so there’s no need to add anything more.

Thus, we entered the meeting room.

An empty room greeted us two.

“They left pretty quickly.”

True, if you want to preserve your life, moving fast is the wise choice. There’s no point in harboring resentment now.

“Um… Swoen.”

“Yes?”

“What should we do from here?”

Seeing the worried expression on her face, I suddenly felt like teasing her.

“Are you asking me? Lady Iren, didn’t you just promise those soldiers that you wouldn’t let them die?”

She probably would’ve reacted with something like, “W-Well… Hmm… Are you making jokes even in this situation?”

But.

Her response was different from what I expected.

“I trust you, Swoen.”

“…What?”

“I trust you.”

Iren said this while smiling faintly. The sunlight streaming through the window illuminated her cheeks brightly.

“So, don’t worry. Since you said you’ll protect the fortress, I believe you can save everyone. That’s what I think.”

“…”

Feeling somewhat awkward, I sighed briefly and sat down on an empty chair in the meeting room.

“Well, as you say… We will win.”

“Do you have any kind of plan?”

A plan.

Right. A plan.

Considering how the situation has escalated so rapidly, I’m only starting to think about it now… but there is still a way.

[Take up position where the enemy is visible and hold out.]

Since the prediction says ‘hold out,’ this must be the correct answer. In other words, there is a method.

The problem is…

“Why does ‘holding out’ make sense?”

I only know the answer, not why it’s the right one. Still, it’s fortunate that I’ve spent 10,000 hours on this terrible old game. And my word is ‘always correct.’

With these two premises, there must be a way to find the solution.

I took out the paper I drew earlier at Iren’s house, showing the terrain around the fortress. It’s good I prepared it just in case; it’s proving useful now.

“What’s that?”

“It’s a map. I’m trying to figure out what to do next. I have a vague idea in my head… but I’m not quite sure yet.”

If I were an ordinary person, saying something like ‘It’s time to build some merit’ and then giving such a vague answer when asked for a method would probably make someone angry. But Iren nodded without saying a word.

“Understood. Is there anything I can help with?”

“Not particularly.”

“In that case, I’ll go check on the wounded soldiers. Is that alright?”

“Yes, that’s fine. Actually, if you do that, it would be a huge help.”

Holding out isn’t something I do alone. It’s something we do together with all the soldiers in the fortress. If a respected general like Iren shows that she hasn’t fled and is still fighting, the morale of the soldiers remaining in the fortress will surely rise. In a situation where we don’t know what will happen next, boosting morale can only help, not hurt.

“Understood. Swoen.”

“?”

“If anything happens… feel free to call me anytime. I’ll come running immediately.”

After saying this, she smiled faintly. Her violet eyes, which had been aimlessly wavering until just moments ago—

were now sharp and clear, as if she had decisively chosen her path.

And with that, Iren slowly exited the meeting room. Now it was my turn to act, since I had already spoken to her.

Though it might seem daunting at first glance, ultimately, all I have to do is repeat what I’ve done so far: consider all variables and eliminate the impossible options.

“Let’s start with the terrain.”

I carefully examined the terrain around the fortress.

First of all.

The possibility of winning in battle is close to zero. Actually, calling it zero wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

Iren excels in siege warfare but is an average commander in defensive battles. Even though her stats are S-rank, it would be extremely difficult to defeat 30,000 troops with 10,000 poorly led soldiers and a fortress with weak defenses.

If the enemy brings siege weapons, we’d have to intercept them regardless of whether we want to or not, which would contradict the prediction to ‘hold out.’

So, battle is out. If nothing happens, this battle is one we’re guaranteed to lose.

Then let’s consider other possibilities.

Actually, the first thing that came to mind was a landslide.

This game is full of random encounters and unexpected events. A sudden famine caused by locusts attacking wheat fields, an epidemic breaking out without warning, and various natural disasters that somehow fit within the game’s world—among these, the most plausible scenario would be a sudden landslide wiping out the advancing enemy forces.

However…

There wasn’t a single mountain range near the fortress capable of causing a landslide. All I could see were gentle hills or vast plains. You could ride a horse across them and feel like you’re cruising down a highway.

“Landslide is out.”

No matter how much I examined the route from Chorrel Castle, where the Serpina Army likely set out, to this fortress, there was no indication of any mountain ranges. So, let’s discard that possibility.

Next.

What if something unexpected happens within the Serpina Army, causing the advancing soldiers to retreat?

There are countless scenarios. Another rebellion could break out, or perhaps this time, something unusual happens to their ruler, Serpina herself.

While it might seem unrealistic for another rebellion to occur so soon after the last one, considering the prediction, something will definitely happen, even if it seems unbelievable.

However…

There was a sentence nagging at me.

The answer derived from my Divinity 100 brain wasn’t simply [Hold Out]. It was [Take up position where the enemy is visible and hold out].

Every sentence in the prediction exists for a reason. This becomes even clearer when considering the prediction that the enemy is “almost within sight.”

“If the enemy retreats due to internal issues, is there really a need to take up a position where they’re clearly visible?”

If that hypothesis were true, wouldn’t it have simply said ‘Hold out’? Thinking about it, the possibility of something happening within the Serpina Army quickly faded.

And once that’s ruled out… only one option remains.

“…A natural disaster will occur.”

I don’t know exactly what kind of disaster it will be, but something so unfortunate for the Serpina Army will actually happen.

No matter how low the probability, no matter how unlikely the situation may seem—eliminating all impossibilities leaves only the truth.

“A natural disaster occurs, forcing the Serpina Army to retreat due to severe damage.”

The most likely candidate is lightning. If the weather turns ominous as the enemy approaches, we could assume almost a 99% chance. Earthquakes were the most frequent disasters, but judging that staying inside the fortress would be the wrong decision if an earthquake strikes, I decided to put that on hold. Besides, to take up a position where the enemy is visible, we’d need to be on the fortress walls anyway.

But…

Thinking about it further brought me to a very fundamental question.

Why is there a necessity to “take up a position where the enemy is visible”?

If a natural disaster occurs, wouldn’t it suffice to simply stay holed up inside the fortress?

It’s the same flawed logic that I dismissed earlier.

I temporarily set aside the two hypotheses—”Something happens within the Serpina Army causing them to retreat” and “A natural disaster occurs”—and focused on the essence of the sentence.

Take up a position where the enemy is visible.

Let’s think solely about this sentence, ignoring everything else.

“The terrain around the fortress is mostly flat with gentle hills… if we’re holding out and assuming we need to be inside the fortress, wouldn’t the best spot be atop the fortress walls facing the direction the enemy is expected to approach, possibly the northwest?”

What would happen if I stood in such a place where the enemy is visible?

The path from Chorrel Castle to here consists of gentle downhill slopes. Meaning, if they get close enough to this location, they’ll also be able to see me.

“Is there a need for me to be seen by them…?”

The pieces of thought began to connect.

An unexpected natural disaster.

The necessity for me to be seen by the enemy.

“!!!”

BOOM!

Without realizing it, I slammed my hand on the empty table in the meeting room.

“Could it be… that I need to appear to the enemy as if I am summoning the natural disaster?”

The necessity for the enemy to see me as if I am summoning a natural disaster. That’s why there’s a specific need to “take up a position where the enemy is visible.”

Having reached this conclusion, there was one more thing I needed to clarify. What if I combine the discarded hypothesis “Something happens within the enemy camp causing them to retreat” with the concept of “being seen”?

If I were standing on the fortress walls and the enemy retreated, these two scenarios wouldn’t form a coherent narrative like “appearing to summon a natural disaster.” No matter what I did, if there’s a clear reason for the enemy’s retreat, anyone observing would never think I personally drove them off. Thus, being seen would have no meaning in this context. If it had no meaning, it wouldn’t appear in the prediction.

Therefore—it’s simple. A natural disaster will occur. That feels right. That’s the answer.

Still…

That doesn’t solve all the problems. This is likely the final question.

Why must I appear to the enemy as if I am personally summoning the natural disaster?

Why is that the most efficient action we can take at this moment?

By the time I organized my thoughts, the answer was surprisingly simple.

“If the invading enemy believes I caused the natural disaster… they’ll run away.”

For example, if lightning strikes.

They’ll undoubtedly suffer some damage, but they won’t stop advancing. In the game, thousands or sometimes ten thousand soldiers could be wiped out instantly by lightning, but assuming the same rules apply here, even if many die, there will still be soldiers left to attack this fortress. Siege weapons would remain as well.

But…

What if they perceive this not as a natural disaster, but as some trickery on my part?

If they start thinking they might get struck by lightning again and again?

Would they choose to fight against this unforeseen mysterious power, or would they flee?

Realizing this, my previously cluttered mind cleared up instantly.

“This is it.”

I smacked my knee. That’s why we win. I understood the meaning behind “taking up a visible position to hold out.”

But…

For some reason, it didn’t feel like this was the whole story.

This time, I simulated how this situation would unfold from our army’s perspective.

A new recruit in the Brance Army used magical-like powers to repel the enemy. Despite the exaggeration, too many witnesses exist for it to be dismissed as mere rumor. Right away, soldiers in the fortress, including Iren, would become vivid eyewitnesses.

So, as a third party within the Brance Army, what would I think upon hearing this rumor?

“Wow, he’s amazing. Unbelievable. This rookie accomplished something incredible…”

“Accomplished…?”

That’s when I finally recalled a fact I had momentarily set aside while thinking about Iren.

Me, that is, “Swoen,” had disobeyed Lord Lin Brance’s order to return, whether it was for Iren’s sake or to curry favor with Kalintz.

No matter how noble the intention, I acted against my lord’s command.

But…

If the generals who were cast aside by the monarch himself achieved an overwhelming victory with abilities beyond comprehension?

Moreover, it feels like quite a few generals view my actions as being for Kalintz’s benefit. Unlike Iren, Kalintz is different. He’s a man related by blood to our lord, Lin Brance. Fundamentally, someone who doesn’t harbor rebellious thoughts towards Lin, acting for Kalintz is practically equivalent to acting for the Brance Army.

So, if this rumor spreads and it becomes known that I achieved great success, and on the surface, it appears to be entirely for the benefit of the Brance Army…

Could it be that even the capricious her wouldn’t harm me simply because I violated an order?

And…

Realizing this, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“…Heheh!”

Now I get it. That’s why the Divinity 100 brain, which only speaks absolute truths, predicted “Take up a position where the enemy is visible and hold out.”

I laughed uncontrollably in the empty meeting room like a madman. It didn’t matter.

Compared to the truly insane thing I’m about to do next, this is nothing.

I stood up and repeated deep breaths three times in my mind.

“Then, shall we go?”

It’s time to perform a miracle.

* * *

Finding Iren, who was tending to the wounded, wasn’t difficult.

I approached her.

“Iren.”

“Swoen. Have you made your decision?”

“Yes. I have. By the way, there’s also a task that requires your assistance. Would that be alright?”

“That’s fine. For now, Swoen, you’re my superior. What do you need help with?”

“That’s good news.”

Because I’m about to ask you to do something absurd.

“Please gather as many bricks as possible.”

“Huh? Bricks? There are leftover bricks from building the fortress, but why do you need them suddenly?”

I addressed her with an exceptionally confident tone.

“The energy of the heavens is restless. I’m about to construct an altar to communicate with the sky.”