Chapter 58

*

After parting ways with Swoen, who said he’d “join soon.”

Iren arrived at Raclaine Castle, located at the far eastern border, and just in time encountered Parphale, who was about to leave the castle.

“General Iren?”

“It’s been a while, Strategist. Are you on a mission?”

“I was just about to head back… but what brings you here, General?”

Upon hearing Parphale’s question, Iren slightly bowed her head and replied.

“I’ve been assigned here by Lord Lin. I’ll be carrying out my duties from Raclaine Castle moving forward.”

“Is that so…?”

Parphale tilted her head in thought after hearing this.

Lin assigning Iren to the eastern borderline?

Being stationed at the borderline meant trusting the general’s Ability enough to place them in an important position. After all, many of the generals stationed along the borders were far more capable than those stationed within castles.

But Lin had always despised Iren.

No matter how much advice Parphale gave, Lin refused to value her as a commander.

Even though Parphale had tried countless times to persuade Lin, she’d long since given up hope.

So why would Lin herself assign Iren to the most crucial frontline in Brance Army?

Parphale hadn’t had a chance to offer counsel recently since she’d been stationed in the east.

‘What could have happened…?’

Was it her strategist’s intuition?

Parphale began to suspect something unexpected might be unfolding.

At that moment, Iren casually greeted her.

“Well then, I shall take my leave, Strategist.”

“Ah… understood.”

After Iren left, Parphale pulled out a letter from her pocket.

This letter… was sent by Swoen.

[To Parphale. Something unusual seems to be happening along the southern borderline. I’d like to investigate personally, but I need Lord Lin’s approval, and there are matters I must attend to. Since you have the authority to act without needing Lord Lin’s consent, I humbly request you investigate as quickly as possible.]

Initially, Parphale wondered why Swoen didn’t approach Lord Lin directly and instead sent her this letter.

But considering her long tenure serving Lin within Brance Army, she couldn’t say she didn’t understand.

Lin was notoriously difficult. Having suffered a major defeat in the north, she was likely in a foul mood.

For a newcomer like Swoen, expressing his opinions freely to such a lord would be challenging.

Of course, Swoen had performed miracles no one believed possible, and he possessed keen insight into Aishias Army’s strategies—

Yet, the ruler of a nation is the Monarch, not the Strategist or Commander. Just because someone excels doesn’t mean they automatically gain their ruler’s trust.

When she first received the letter, Parphale planned to ignore it and return to Anel Castle to assess the situation before heading south.

However, due to recent events in the east, she had come to deeply trust Swoen.

‘It’s not too far away, so it wouldn’t hurt to check briefly.’

Besides, Chel Brance, Brance’s greatest swordsman, was stationed in the south.

If anything did happen, as long as she could provide a solution, resolving the issue wouldn’t take too long.

Alright.

A quick visit should be fine.

Her trust in Swoen, cultivated through strategy and foresight, was now guiding her actions according to his wishes.

*

Not long after being assigned,

as expected, Iren received orders to construct a fortress.

The fortress was built incredibly fast.

Unlike the meticulously constructed northern fortresses made of bricks, this one was hastily erected using wood frames with makeshift roofs—barely qualifying as a proper structure.

Calling it a fortress might even be generous; labeling it a ‘fort’ would be more accurate.

Of course, none of this mattered to Iren.

There were no significant issues housing soldiers, and the longer construction took, the higher the risk of complications.

“All troops, rest until further orders.”

“Yes! Understood!!”

The soldiers’ loud cheers echoed skyward.

Typically, building fortresses fell to the soldiers.

Commanders merely supervised, never handling materials themselves.

But Iren worked alongside her soldiers throughout the construction process, eating and sleeping almost identically to them.

This surely boosted morale among the soldiers, especially considering how easily commanders were dismissed elsewhere.

On the day the fortress was completed,

a soldier on horseback approached the area.

The emblem of Brance Army confirmed him as an ally.

‘A Messenger…?’

Iren felt a sudden unease.

Had Lin noticed something?

As she pondered whether Lin might order her return—and how she should respond—

the soldier approached and removed his helmet.

Iren immediately recognized him.

“…Swoen?”

* * *

I arrived before a startled Iren, slowly dismounting my horse and speaking.

“General Iren. I see you’ve successfully constructed your fortress… well, more like a fort, but still impressive.”

Upon hearing my words, she smiled warmly and responded.

“I wondered when you’d join us… though I didn’t expect you to arrive as a soldier.”

“In case anyone notices my absence, it might cause trouble. They probably think I’m meditating somewhere inside a cave, communing with the heavens.”

Exactly.

Why did I regularly spend hours—or sometimes entire days—in that cave?

To cultivate the image of ‘Swoen, the man who retreats to the cave to meditate.’

Sure, it’d eventually come to light, but even a little extra time was valuable for our plan.

The key was buying time.

I sent Parphale a letter to mislead her into making a wasted trip, and used the delay to stay hidden in the cave.

We needed to surrender to Aishias Army as quickly as possible before Lin caught on.

“Have there been any other developments yet?”

“Not yet. We haven’t even received orders to advance. But I expect a messenger soon.”

“Good. Let’s make contact with Aishias Army swiftly.”

“Aye. But first, there’s something we need to do.”

“Something?”

Iren nodded.

“We need to inform the soldiers. From now on, I intend to change our Lord. If anyone disagrees with this decision, I’ll send them away.”

“Huh…?”

Caught off guard by her unexpected statement, I looked at her as she spoke firmly.

“Isn’t it obvious? The right to choose our Lord shouldn’t belong solely to you and me.”

‘Wait…’

In the system, if a commanding general surrendered, the soldiers under them automatically changed allegiance.

This had already been proven during Ian Army’s rebellion, so wasn’t it unnecessary to go through all this trouble?

Or so I thought… until I realized how naive that line of thinking was.

Consider Iren’s perspective.

Through the game, we couldn’t truly grasp the thoughts and humiliations she endured while serving under Lin.

This was her pride.

The pride of a commander who treated her soldiers with respect.

‘Perhaps I should trust General Iren here.’

While giving soldiers a choice might lead to some desertions, ultimately this world operated on Divinity 100 predictions, which consistently came true.

Here, I wanted to prioritize respecting her pride over efficiency.

“Understood. Then let’s allow those who wish to stay to remain, and send those who want to leave.”

“Hmm.”

With that, she started walking.

I followed behind her.

*

Atop the highest point of the fortress—

which wasn’t very high since it was only a small two-story building—it was perfectly positioned to capture the soldiers’ attention. Iren stood tall and began her speech.

“My loyal soldiers, listen!”

All eyes were on her.

Though initially quiet, murmurs began spreading as her next words sank in.

“I intend to change our Lord!”

The soldiers reacted with varying degrees of confusion: some looked at each other, others stared blankly at Iren.

Undeterred, she continued confidently.

“There are reasons, but ultimately, this is nothing more than a traitor’s excuse. I’m not asking for your understanding. I know this decision may be hard for those who’ve served Brance faithfully. Therefore, anyone who doesn’t wish to follow me is free to leave the fortress!”

“…”

“Feel free to leave immediately! No need to hesitate!”

“…”

Surprisingly,

not a single soldier moved. They simply gazed up at her in admiration.

Iren hesitated for a moment but regained composure when…

“General Iren.”

I placed a hand on her shoulder, prompting her to raise her voice again.

“Those who remain will be considered willing to follow me. Is there any objection?”

And finally,

the soldiers broke their silence.

“No objections!”

“Our Lord is General Iren!”

“We will follow General Iren!”

“Please accept us into your ranks!”

“…”

I thought to myself:

Was this the result of ‘systemic’ coercion?

Definitely not.

Though this world was based on a game, it was still reality.

Just as James had his own universe, these soldiers had the right to choose their rightful superior.

Iren had clearly won their hearts.

Having traveled long distances with her, I knew firsthand how much the soldiers trusted and followed her.

Her journey and the soldiers’ desire to follow her weren’t dictated by any ‘system.’

Thus, the speech concluded.

Ultimately, not a single soldier defected, securing a total of 38,000 troops.

Now, only one task remained:

Meeting Baranga Yuri Aishias.

* * *

On the same day as the speech,

a soldier departed with a letter declaring our intention to surrender, riding toward Falaharte Castle.

A few days later,

“An Aishias Army soldier approaches!”

A lone rider bearing the red flag of Aishias Army galloped toward us.

Arriving at the fortress, he effortlessly passed through the gates and reached Iren.

His uniform distinctly differed from Brance Army’s, though he wore a familiar red badge.

He appeared to be a Messenger dispatched as an envoy to convey Aishias Army’s stance.

“Are you General Iren?”

“That’s correct.”

“Our Lord, Baranga Yuri Aishias, wishes to speak with you. He has set up a temporary camp nearby with his troops. Shall we escort you there?”

“Hmm.”

Great.

It seemed they were willing to hear us out.

If they listened, surely we could find common ground.

‘Let’s meet this new Lord.’

Accompanied by a small group of soldiers, I followed the Aishias Army envoy.