Chapter 56

“Aishias Army cleanup? Suddenly?”

“Indeed.”

I closed my eyes.

Then, I slowly put on the ‘extremely wise strategist’s expression’ that I’d practiced many times and said:

“After the strategies with Alepel Army and Charan Army failed, the atmosphere within Aishias Army has become restless. Some of the subordinate commanders seem to doubt Baranga Yuri Aishias’ leadership. Overall, in this chaotic state, Yuri appears to be planning to tidy up the rear minor countries this time to make up for past mistakes.”

“Huh? How do you know all that?”

“I sent out some intelligence a while ago.”

Of course, everything I said was a lie.

But I could feel her mind being strongly shaken by my ridiculous reasoning that had turned out to be true so far.

“This is precisely the moment. Quickly construct a small fortress near Falaharte Castle as an advanced base and advance. You must build the fortress. The spot right next to the mountain range seems good. Since Aishias Army hasn’t fully dealt with Charan Army and Alepel Army yet, now is the opportunity. Troops… the current level deployed in the east should suffice.”

“Why the fortress?”

“We need to build it there so that favorable fortune gathers to our army.”

She took my nonsense very seriously, resting her chin on her hand in deep thought.

Around 40,000 troops. It was a bit insufficient to attack Falaharte Castle, but… she wouldn’t easily ignore my words now.

Still, I didn’t rule out the possibility that she might not listen to me. Since I started working under her in Brance Army, I vividly felt one fact through giving her advice over several days: Lin basically doesn’t trust others. Therefore, no matter how much it’s my word, it would be hard for her to easily believe such absurd talk about ‘gathering favorable fortune.’

Yeah.

What I was about to say wasn’t all of it.

Falaharte Castle was just fake bait to hide the ‘real requirement.’

Let’s throw out some bait here that she’s bound to fall for.

“The vanguard… let’s see, General Chel would be good.”

“Chel? The one in the south?”

“That’s correct. Alternatively, giving an opportunity to General Kalintz who’s currently under house arrest might also be good since the momentum is completely on our side.”

“Chel is kind of hard to pull away, and Kalintz isn’t reliable enough. Anyone else?”

Right now.

I formed the bait with my tongue and spat it out.

“Actually, anyone should be fine… except General Iren.”

“…”

“Huh?”

Lin caught the name that came out of Swoen’s mouth.

Anyone but Iren?

Lin tilted her head in surprise and asked curiously.

“Iren? Why her?”

“Ah… well…”

At her words, Swoen broke into a slight cold sweat, looking at a loss as he spoke.

“I don’t know exactly, but I sense bad vibes.”

“Bad vibes?”

“Yes. Though I haven’t mentioned it before, I often try to communicate with the heavens. It’s essential to consult them daily for proper responses during crucial moments like last time.”

Lin immediately understood his words.

He actually meditated with soldiers lined up in strange caves whenever he had free time.

Even though the lord herself could have dragged him out if she wanted, since he didn’t seem to be doing anything dangerous, they just left him alone.

‘So inside that cave, he’s communicating with the heavens or something?’

It was a completely absurd story.

But coming from anyone else but him, it seemed incredibly plausible.

She already acknowledged his abilities by now.

While she still didn’t trust him completely, his peculiar focus on self-preservation made her loosen her vigilance slightly, thinking he might not be such a big deal after all.

Swoen then dramatically gestured, closing his eyes and looking up to the sky.

“This is how… I sincerely converse with the heavens. What should we do from here? What is the most efficient path we should decide?”

“…”

Of course.

There couldn’t be more nonsense.

Unless the storyteller was Swoen, the one who summoned a meteor from the heavens.

He had truly performed miracles.

Accurately reading international situations like a ghost and continuously spouting only correct predictions.

His track record made this madman’s nonsense sound extremely plausible.

Swoen continued, “Regarding this operation, I did consider ‘the siege specialist’ General Iren… but strangely, her compatibility with this operation is poor. It’s too dangerous. So…”

Swoen slowly opened his eyes and spoke in a trembling voice.

“It seems General Iren’s life may be in danger.”

“!!!”

“Therefore, it would be better to appoint someone other than General Iren. She’s a pillar of our army. Even if sending her won’t guarantee failure, it’s inefficient to risk her life when another general could handle this adequately.”

“…I see.”

After saying that, Lin immediately fell into thought.

The re-invasion of Aishias Army.

Though Swoen claimed he personally sent intelligence, it was indeed unsettling not having heard it directly.

No matter how many miracles he performed and how accurate his words were…

Moving troops again and suffering losses would likely put them in real danger. All spare troops except those guarding the border were already wasted by Kalintz.

Attempting forced conscription would surely lower public morale.

Under normal circumstances, she would have thought more carefully.

‘Iren’s life… could be in danger?’

Just with that premise, Lin’s thought process flipped too easily.

The Swoen she had observed until now, though overly ambitious despite enduring humiliation with a smile – was undeniably a capable strategist.

His advice was always correct. Initially, it seemed almost supernatural, but recent suggestions had valid grounds.

Of course, his claim of ‘communicating with the heavens’ was utterly absurd… but he had already proven himself capable of conversing with some great existence through results.

Rumors of him being a mage were circulating, but in her view, magic probably didn’t exist. Plus, historical records showed ‘mages’ didn’t perform rituals to communicate with the heavens.

In other words…

Could this mean removing Iren without any risk?

Honestly.

She disliked Iren.

From their first meeting when she was the daughter of a bodyguard, she never liked her.

There was no particular reason. Thinking back now, it was probably because Iren excelled in every aspect compared to herself, but ultimately, she was the monarch and Iren the vassal.

But executing Iren outright just because she disliked her?

While technically possible with an appropriate excuse, it was definitely a high-risk move.

If rumors spread that she was a tyrant like Serpina, it would cause various problems down the line.

Unless she possessed overwhelming power like Serpina, Brance Army wasn’t at that level yet.

She was cunning but not stupid. Handling Iren ideally required a battlefield. Death in battle looked most natural.

Honestly, hadn’t she later realized her judgment of leaving Iren behind to defend the fortress last time was a serious misjudgment? It was obvious she sent her to die.

Fortunately, Swoen managed to cover it up somehow.

And now.

One of her subordinates, who appeared to always give correct advice, was saying Iren’s life might be in danger.

Lin looked around.

Parphale wasn’t here.

Only two guards standing watch heard the conversation between Swoen and herself.

This was sufficient.

She could deal with her without any rumors spreading.

Swoen was more of a villain type. She was confident she could manipulate him by giving him what he wanted.

She thought.

Finally, the real opportunity had arrived.

The moment to eliminate the ‘real thorn in her side’ had come!

Moreover, according to this, fighting and retaking the castle could simultaneously result in Iren’s death.

Of course, she might survive, but with Swoen, there was a high possibility of finding another opportunity through ‘communication with the heavens.’

Under normal circumstances, she would have thought more carefully… but faced with such tempting bait, she was quickly turning her happiness circuit on like any ordinary human.

“…Alright, Swoen. Since it’s your suggestion, I’ll consider it positively. Of course, the content might change a bit in the end, but it’s fine.”

* * *

I watched Lin, who was lost in thought after hearing my words.

Think, and think more.

Decide yourself how to use my strategy.

Please think and think more.

You’ve got a chance to use my advice.

Falaharte Castle doesn’t really matter, right?

Isn’t that what you want?

Do you want to kill Iren Julieat?

Don’t you want to remove her without any risk?

Pretend to be generous.

Soon, you’ll call her with a benevolent smile, pretending to offer an opportunity.

Build a small fortress in front of Falaharte Castle and order her to use it as a base for the attack.

You’ll need to follow my advice exactly since even one mistake could twist the fate I’ve foreseen.

Ultimately, you’ll certainly smile and tell her to “expect great achievements.”

Conclusively, after building the fortress, you’ll hand over full authority to her.

You will definitely do that, Lin Brance.

Your actions are crystal clear to me…!!

“Alright, Swoen. Since it’s your suggestion, I’ll consider it positively. Of course, the content might change a bit in the end, but it’s fine.”

‘Got it!’

With confidence, I bowed deeply and told her.

“I understand. However, if we delay further, everything might go awry again, so please act as soon as possible.”

“If we really acquire Falaharte Castle this way… I’ll appoint you as the new nation’s strategist of our army.”

“…!!!”

I made the most shocked expression I could manage.

Then, I trembled slightly and said,

“T-Thank you so much. If you do that, I promise to serve Lady Lin faithfully forever.”

“Yeah. Still, don’t get your hopes up too much. Changing the national strategist isn’t as simple as you think.”

I knew that much.

That statement was her way of keeping me in check.

She must see me as someone obsessed with fame and willing to endure humiliation for it.

But.

For that reason, I was grateful to her.

Thank you, Lord. For staying unpleasant until the end.

For moving exactly as I planned.

“Then, I’ll take my leave.”

“Yeah. Anyway, you’ve worked hard until now. You can rest until I assign you a new mission tomorrow.”

“I look forward to that day.”

I slowly left the royal palace.

Of course, I had no intention of seeing her again.

This was our final private meeting.

‘So, I guess I should prepare too.’

I hurriedly headed home.