Chapter 141

Pushing open the door and approaching her with a slightly more heartfelt greeting than usual, I paid my respects.

“Swoen, I’ve come here at the summon of our Lord.”

She smiled with apparent satisfaction upon seeing me bow and spoke.

“Well done, Swoen. All is unfolding as I foresaw.”

“Another alliance proposal, perhaps?”

“It’s an envoy from the Hesna Army. They wish to form an alliance with us for nine months.”

The Hesna Army…

The nation that had taken the lead in disrupting the balance of the Southern Continent. Though we hadn’t yet received news about what happened to Elgaim Castle—likely because the envoy arrived here first.

So, having made their move first, they’re trying to team up with us to dominate the Southern Continent before anyone else interferes?

To prevent any trouble later on, it seems they also need to keep us restrained.

“So, what are the terms?”

“They say they’ll give us 20,000 gold.”

20,000 gold.

That’s 28,000 gold over 12 months, but this time it’s 20,000 gold for 9 months.

If you only consider the amount, this deal feels a bit disappointing, but when you factor in the shorter duration, it might actually be a reasonable offer… or so I thought.

“That’s not all.”

“Huh?”

“Swoen, are you knowledgeable about treasures?”

Treasures? You mean items, right?

Well, considering I’ve played this game for ten thousand hours, there isn’t an item I don’t know about…

“Yes. To some extent.”

“If that’s the case, then you must know about the Sacred Sword Rashhtar, correct?”

“…What?”

The Sacred Sword Rashhtar.

It was the best sword in this game. Its effect was extremely simple: +12 Might.

Just increasing Might by itself, but with a value of 12, it was the ultimate weapon-grade treasure.

After all, the truly powerful ones often have deceptively simple descriptions, don’t they?

Sword A: Reduces the chance of falling for enemy strategies by 30%. Increases attack power against enemy units during snow-covered battlefields. Blah blah blah.

And then there’s the Sacred Sword Rashhtar: +12 Might.

Comparing them like this makes it feel even more overwhelmingly impressive.

An item that spawns randomly each time, this one ended up in the hands of the Hesna Army in this timeline, didn’t it?

No, wait. Could it be…

“Are they offering the Sacred Sword Rashhtar?”

“Yes.”

Really??

If that’s true, this is a trade we absolutely can’t pass up.

In this game, Might equals strength. The higher your Might, the stronger you are. The lower your Might, the less likely you are to defeat someone with higher Might.

Of course, since this world now resembles reality, the numbers won’t work exactly like mine do—but as long as the rules still apply, it’s undeniably a powerful weapon.

‘Divinity 100 prediction, huh?’

This sword would be especially useful to the Serpina Army.

Their biggest weakness was the lack of S-class warriors, but this sword could help A-class warriors perform close to S-class levels.

But if we blindly accepted Roland Army’s offer of 28,000 gold without thinking, we wouldn’t have gotten this opportunity.

‘The future loss they mentioned probably refers to almost losing the Sacred Sword Rashhtar.’

Serpina extended her pale hand toward me and said.

Her graceful movement had a mesmerizing charm that made people lose themselves just staring at her.

“20,000 gold and the Sacred Sword Rashhtar. A nine-month alliance with the Hesna Army. What do you think, Swoen?”

I was about to answer carelessly—”This alliance seems fine. Nine months isn’t too long, and getting the Sacred Sword Rashhtar will be very helpful”—but decided to input a question into my mind just in case.

‘Would forming an alliance with the Hesna Army be efficient for our army?’

Surely, the answer would be yes, I thought absentmindedly.

[This alliance will not yield significant benefits in the long term.]

‘Wha…?’

What?

What did you say?

You’re telling me that 20,000 gold and the Sacred Sword aren’t worth it?!

‘Why???’

While it’s not a decision that would result in a loss, the fact that it’s “not particularly beneficial” suggests there’s definitely a better option for us.

Even though it’s just a nine-month alliance, it’s not profitable?

Is another proposal coming soon?

If no other offers were coming, the conclusion wouldn’t have been vague like “not particularly beneficial.” Instead, it would have clearly said “yes.” This prediction was absolute.

Should I just let this one slide?

“Swoen.”

“Yes… My Lord.”

“I see a change in your expression.”

Did I fail to hide my emotions?

I bowed my head lightly and replied in a seemingly serious tone.

“Not at all. I was just… thinking.”

“Hooh. So even with the Sacred Sword Rashhtar and 20,000 gold on the table, you still need to think about it?”

“…”

Before I even voiced any objections…

Somehow, she seemed to read my thoughts as if I had already decided against the alliance.

Sometimes, Serpina says things that make me wonder if she can actually read minds.

Is it her sharp intuition or her ability to read people’s expressions well…?

‘Anyway.’

How should I explain this?

Honestly, I wanted to just accept the Sacred Sword Rashhtar.

Of course, it’s not the optimal answer—but avoiding another bizarre prediction that claims “this is the best choice,” along with the hassle of finding justification, made it easier. Plus, even if there’s something better out there, the Sacred Sword Rashhtar will genuinely be quite helpful. With this much benefit, I shouldn’t feel guilty lying to her, right?

But.

Two reasons held me back.

“Hmm…”

First, there was Serpina, who silently watched me with a charming smile.

Would she really believe me if I blurted out “this is the best method” like some fool?

She’s incredibly perceptive. There’s a good chance she’d catch me in a lie.

Even back at Hisfil Castle, whenever we talked, Serpina always seemed to magically read my thoughts.

Besides, a few days ago, she asked me a deeply meaningful question: “Do I truly hold a place in your heart?”

And secondly… what just happened earlier.

Serpina has been siding with Iren.

Though the details are unclear, using her authority as a ruler, she’s doing her best to protect Iren, who receives somewhat unfriendly gazes from the troops.

She treats me, Iren, and Reika well… so I didn’t want to be overly ruthless and pursue maximum efficiency.

‘…No.’

Not only here, but simply out of gratitude, helping her is reason enough.

Moreover, there’s a high possibility that straightforwardly supporting her is the right choice here.

Though I was supposed to return to the Lunarien Army, there’s no set date for when she’ll rise to power.

Even though she’s destined to become the unifying ruler, they never specified exactly when.

Additionally, currently showing no signs of rebellion, Serpina was known as a tyrant.

To survive in this situation, it would be better to be helpful to her.

And most importantly…

She was predicting my response in her own way.

Going against her prediction here might lead to further questioning.

‘I don’t need to deliberately oppose her.’

Just speaking my mind would be the only way to avoid raising her suspicions. After all, whether or not to follow the strategist’s advice is ultimately the Lord’s decision.

“Perhaps waiting a little longer would be wise.”

“Do you foresee a much better offer coming?”

“Yes.”

“…”

Serpina paused for a moment, then nodded.

“I expected you to say that. Very well, Swoen, I’ll follow your advice this time. Even without the Sacred Sword, it won’t drastically change our army’s future… given your track record so far.”

‘Expected me to say that…?’

Having chosen the correct answer, I silently bowed my head.

I just hoped that when an offer that looks far less valuable comes around, the answer wouldn’t be “yes.”

*

Time passed again.

Roland Army sent another envoy.

This time, the amount dropped to 15,000 gold.

However—the duration also shortened. Only three months.

For a mere three-month alliance, we could pocket 15,000 gold.

Twelve months might seem short when viewed broadly, but it’s also surprisingly long sometimes.

And the result?

[This alliance will yield no benefits whatsoever.]

‘Hmph.’

I thought this might be the right answer since the amount was smaller but the shorter duration meant we’d be tied down for less time.

Even if rejecting the Sacred Sword felt stingy, a “beneficial” verdict might have made me reconsider—but apparently, this isn’t the right choice either.

“Understood. I’ll follow your advice this time as well.”

Serpina laughed softly, covering her mouth.

Though she usually demands justification, lately she’s been strangely receptive to my opinions, which is concerning…

Still, the final decision rests with Serpina. I’ll just do my job.

A few days later—

An envoy from Ohana Army, under Hesna Army, arrived.

People from the southern regions are all going crazy wanting to team up with the tyrant Serpina.

Once again, it became clear that loyalty and righteousness hold little value in times of chaos.

“An alliance for twelve months with 8,900 gold, correct?”

“Yes.”

There’s nothing to analyze here.

It’s the worst offer so far.

‘Wait…’

But.

Considering the pattern of my predictions so far… wouldn’t this be the moment where I get a random “[Efficient]” verdict?

Previously, I’d end up scratching my head over “why is this the most efficient?” after receiving such unpredictable results.

‘Could it happen again this time?’

A strange chill ran down my spine as Serpina looked straight at me and asked,

“Alright, Swoen. What do you think of this proposal?”

Even though this is obviously the worst offer, why is she specifically asking me?

I appreciated her asking, but I couldn’t figure out what she was thinking.

Alright, let’s input the query.

[This alliance will result in significant losses if agreed upon.]

‘…Phew.’

I sighed deeply upon seeing the conclusion in my mind.

Ah, relief. This is what prediction is all about.

What a perfectly logical conclusion!

If I claimed 12 months with 28,000 gold, 9 months with 20,000 gold and the Sacred Sword Rashhtar, and 3 months with 15,000 gold were all rejected, and then argued that 12 months with 8,900 gold was the most efficient…

Serpina would undoubtedly ask me to provide a convincing argument to justify my stance… leading me into a very difficult and awkward situation, undoubtedly forcing me to rack my brain endlessly.

‘At least it didn’t cross that line, thankfully.’

Though it’s been frustrating recently with answers being given without any explanation…

As long as it stays within common sense, there’s nothing more to ask for.

Ideally, I’d like a positive prediction that doesn’t require persuading Serpina.

For instance, something completely absurd like—”We’ll give you 4,294,967,296 gold for a 12-month alliance.”

No explanation needed. “My Lord, what’s there to hesitate about? Accept it! 4 billion 294 million 967 thousand 296 gold isn’t just some random dog’s name!” That would be an unquestionably rational explanation anyone could applaud.

‘Still… what keeps making these predictions go awry?’

It seems like all the potential vassals who could approach have already done so.

Karelia, known for his virtue, wouldn’t ally with the infamous tyrant Serpina. Neither Aishias nor Brance had good relations with our army either.

Why are Roland, Ohana, and Hesna continuously bringing proposals that keep resulting in negative predictions?

*

Exactly.

While pondering this, waiting for the next proposal…

[A highly efficient alliance presenting a great opportunity for our side.]

‘…Huh?’

Divinity 100’s prediction went rogue again, rocketing off into space.