Chapter 153

When did it all begin?

The hatred I felt for you…

<'Have you heard of Iren? At such a young age, she's already sparring with adult soldiers. She'll be the shield to protect you in the future – make sure to grow close to her.'>

<'Lin, have you heard? Iren is said to be the most talented individual in the history of the Juliet family, no, among all families serving ours. Isn't it fortunate for our generation to have her?'>

<'Since you were born with the bloodline to command Iren, isn't it only natural that you must surpass her?'>

Back when Lin was still young,

just as he began to understand how the world worked,

he had already heard the name “Iren” far more often than his own.

She truly was an extraordinary girl.

Even Lin couldn’t deny that much.

Showcasing brilliant talent in swordsmanship,

mastering military strategy books at a young age,

and what stood out most about her as a bodyguard was how obvious it was that she harbored no ambitions.

“I, Lord Lin, am both the sword and shield protecting the Brance family. This has been my purpose since birth and will never change.”

Iren would always say this while looking at Lin.

Even as a child, Lin could tell she meant every word.

So…

Wouldn’t it be normal to feel some affection toward someone who bows down and swears loyalty to you simply because of your lineage?

But young Lin didn’t find her particularly agreeable.

To be honest, he disliked her.

“What gives you the right?”

Why did Father and Brother care more about her future, which only supports the Brance family, than mine, which shapes the Brance destiny?

Though childish thoughts at the time, they only grew stronger with age.

The only thing keeping him sane was knowing his status surpassed hers.

No matter what, she should be beneath him, and he above her – as natural as heaven and earth.

This fact alone comforted Lin whenever seeing Iren stirred unpleasant emotions he couldn’t quite articulate.

Then came the day

when even her sincere devotion to the family started irritating him.

If only she were hypocritical, he could’ve openly hated her, but since there was no sign of insincerity, hating Iren made Lin feel like a strange person himself.

Still, it was fine back then. He wasn’t the heir yet, so avoiding her was easy enough.

As time passed and their heads grew larger,

following Emperor’s death, the Aingart Empire descended into chaos with succession battles between crown princes – ultimately collapsing.

Our Brance Army, having secured the valuable Anel Castle beforehand, gained the most advantageous starting position among the many feuding lords in Central Continent.

Years of bloody civil war had devastated the entire continent.

Surprisingly, neither the powerful Algord nor his rival Sidemid claimed the throne; instead, the youngest and least prominent Serpina emerged victorious.

It was said Serpina brutally purged her brothers with extreme cruelty and cunning, leaving the empire’s citizens suffering in her wake.

Watching this, Lin thought:

As inheritors of the Brance bloodline, it’s our responsibility to resolve this situation.

This wasn’t about bringing justice to the empire’s people or peace to the continent –

purely driven by pride.

The ambition stemmed from wanting to become a worthy “Brance”.

Fortunately or unfortunately, his older brothers – Chel focused on combat over politics, Kalintz prioritized self-preservation – so the crown naturally fell to Lin without much trouble.

It was here Lin believed:

Finally, the moment to make a name for myself has arrived.

Prove myself as an exceptional leader by removing the tyrant Serpina, unlike Iren –

With a somewhat excited heart, he answered his dying father’s call.

However…

“Lin, Iren will be by your side. She has the makings of an extraordinary knight. She’ll surely protect you as a monarch. Just as her father protected mine… If she remains by your side… Continental supremacy… will belong to our Brance Army…”

Even in death, his father mentioned her name.

Not saying Lin would be an excellent ruler,

but rather that Iren would become greater than any knight.

Mentioning her name even in his final moments.

That was the moment.

When Lin’s rational facade finally shattered, despite outwardly maintaining a decent relationship while secretly disliking her.

After ascending the Brance throne,

the coronation ceremony went smoothly without incident, requiring no reorganization of ranks.

Lin immediately chose aggressive expansion policies.

With Chel, soon to be known as the First Sword of Brance, and Iren, destined to become a siege specialist,

leading the occupying forces, they achieved unprecedented speed warfare unmatched by any army.

Thus, the Brance Army quickly became the dominant power in Central Continent.

And right at that point,

Lin let go of Iren’s hand.

On the surface, it was giving her rest after leading the occupation forces,

but compared to deploying Chel to the southern front with full authority,

this move clearly differed.

Her new position: overseeing the second barracks at Anel Castle.

An obvious demotion,

yet no one in the Brance Army dared oppose Lin Brance, who had brilliantly secured continental dominance by utilizing talents.

Instead, Lin began obsessively collecting hidden talents across the continent.

Iren may be great, but she’s not unparalleled.

In combat, her skills are surpassed by elder brother Chel, and though skilled in military strategy, she’s not better than renowned strategists.

Lin believed replacements could be found.

He continuously recruited talents, testing each one to see if they’d submit willingly under him like Iren, lacking ambition.

None passed the test.

Some chose death over surrender.

Still, Lin couldn’t give up – he must eventually find someone to replace Iren.

Then finally –

a white-haired young man named Swoen appeared.

A spine-tingling first meeting.

His unimaginably bold proposals later proved entirely correct.

After several tests, Lin became confident this man would truly remain loyal.

Finally!

I’ve found someone who can support me through anything, someone far greater than Iren!

Moreover, Swoen excelled beyond just passing tests.

He showed no displeasure when given courtesans as gifts, revealing no trace of ambition, only seeking fame and fortune.

Swoen… You’re exactly what I’ve been waiting for all this time… Swoen…

Now, there’s only one thing left to do – remove the annoying presence obstructing my view.

While contemplating this, an impeccable opportunity presented itself…

* * *

“…Master! Master!”

“Mmm… ugh…”

“Master, can you hear me?!”

“Parphale…?”

Opening his eyes revealed Parphale staring worriedly at him.

Was it a memory… a dream…?

Regaining sensation throughout his body, he realized he was lying somewhere.

Gradually regaining vision and awareness,

he remembered what he was doing,

and most importantly… who he last saw.

“Aaaah…”

Recalling who it was –

his head pounds violently.

It feels like someone’s repeatedly stabbing and tearing apart his heart.

“No… Swoen… Why… Why on earth… Why…”

“Master, please regain focus! We must sign these documents now. Retreat and prepare for another chance.”

“Swoen… Swoen… You… You weren’t… someone who would support me…?”

How could you lie to me… deceive me…

Ah…

At that moment, Lin realized a terrifying truth.

The reason Swoen followed him without resistance no matter how poorly treated…

It wasn’t out of infinite loyalty like Iren’s, but simply because…

He never truly regarded me as his master from the start.

That’s what it was.

That’s what it was.

You… from the moment you came to me from Lunarien, never once…

Realizing this, Lin wanted to sob uncontrollably, but detected he lacked even the strength to shed tears.

So I’ve… lost everything.

Both Iren and Swoen.

The talent I envied and the new talent I discovered.

All because of my own hands…

“…Master…?”

Thus, time stopped for Lin Brance.

* * *

After Lin lost consciousness, several attendants, including Parphale, supported him.

Apparently, Serpina had provided a place for him to rest until he recovered.

How much time passed?

Walking here to sign the document, Lin’s eyes… were lifeless.

There was no trace of the once vibrant Lin Brance who gleefully declared the destruction of our army to claim me as his own, oppressive and charismatic.

Before him stood merely a puppet signing the alliance papers, seemingly controlled by strings above.

Though still impossible to fully deduce why allying with the Brance Army benefits ours,

watching this completely broken Lin makes the advantageous result feel justified.

‘The Brance Army is finished.’

Even without Divinity 100 intellect, that much was clear.