Chapter 217

In a trembling voice, Vanessa bowed her head before Karelia who was questioning her.

Anyway, it was bound to happen sooner or later.

There were two ways for her to go: tell the truth, or lie.

If she told the truth, Karelia, who valued integrity above all else, would be shocked beyond belief. No matter what, Lunarien Iniyan chose betrayal, but Karelia was too pure to accept that they were the ones who incited it.

Perhaps there was even a chance that they’d lose morale and, in the worst-case scenario, surrender.

Thus, from Vanessa’s perspective, dreaming of ruling under Karelia’s banner, there was only one option left—telling a lie.

But…

Instead of lying, Vanessa made an even more shocking proposal, presenting it as if it were nothing.

“That’s right.”

“What…?”

“I incited Mets. Whether Lunarien Iniyan betrayed us or not, I wanted her gone one way or another. It was all my unilateral plan.”

“Eh… E, eh, how could you… Vanessa… What is this…!?”

If Mets’ words are true, Lady Luna wasn’t trying to betray me until the very end…!! How could you do such a despicable thing to her who sought to uphold integrity!!”

“She’s a threat to our nation, to you, Karelia-sama. Even if it’s a despicable method, my resolve to remove her hasn’t changed one bit. So—”

—Execute me.

“What…?”

At the word “execution,” Karelia’s eyes widened in shock and stammered out a response. Meanwhile, Vanessa, who was pleading for death, wore an expression of utter calm.

“I’ll take responsibility for everything. Cut off my head, expose all the crimes, and hang them in the square. I’ll take full responsibility for going against your politics without your approval and for inciting Lunarien Iniyan’s betrayal. And then, you can offer the rebels another chance to reconsider.”

Her choice was exactly as expected—throwing away her life.

After all, when everything is settled, isn’t life something that will be discarded anyway?

If only Lunarien Iniyan could be safely removed, Vanessa would do anything.

Without changing her expression, she stared straight into Karelia’s eyes and said,

“Vanessa… What are you saying…?”

“After executing me publicly, if you adopt a conciliatory gesture, our army will gain much. Not only will we regain the support of the territorial people lost during war preparations, but most importantly, we can reclaim legitimacy from Lunarien Iniyan herself. Although Lunarien Iniyan has shown ambition since the betrayal, making her unlikely to return to our side, the commanders under her are different. Since Karelia’s generals value integrity and legitimacy, this will undoubtedly give us a significant advantage in battle.”

“What did you just say?!?”

“Failing to fully understand Lunarien Iniyan caused this mess, which is entirely my fault. Thus, please punish me severely for acting recklessly without your consent and ruining things. This is the moment to show decisiveness as a ruler.”

“…Vanessa Trinity!!”

“…Karelia-sama!!!!!!”

Their voices rose, but Vanessa’s cry drowned out Karelia’s plea.

“…Please, Karelia-sama. Don’t throw away the dream of your rule like this. This is an opportunity. Eliminate Lunarien Iniyan, the greatest threat to you, and use it as a foundation to pacify the Southern Continent… Remove the wicked Serpina with your own hands and bring peace to the continent. Isn’t Karelia-sama the only one who can do this?”

Minutes passed without any response.

“…I…”

“…”

“…Can’t kill you… You.”

Vanessa slowly looked up at her lord.

Karelia was crying.

“For me, you’ve dirtied your hands countless times… I can’t kill you like this, using you for such purposes… carrying all this on your shoulders.”

“My lord…”

Vanessa closed her eyes slowly.

The intelligent Vanessa knew.

This was a decisive turning point for Karelia’s forces.

If Karelia had decided to kill her…

Lunarien’s army, losing their cause for rebellion, would quickly fall into chaos and collapse. Except for those like Kyle or Tifa who have been with Lunarien from the start, the commanders originally part of our army would surely waver. According to Mets’ words, all the legitimacy stems from what I’ve given them, so after removing the cause, our lord can persuade the soldiers.

The anger of the territorial people would also subside somewhat once the root cause disappears.

Within Karelia’s army, showing that Karelia isn’t swayed by Vanessa would maintain the charisma of a ruler.

From Vanessa’s perspective, apart from her own death, there was no more efficient choice for Karelia’s current army.

Besides, ordinary people wouldn’t think to stake their lives on a strategy. If Karelia kept quiet, everything could remain her secret forever.

However…

Being smart, Vanessa understood.

Karelia wouldn’t use her like that.

Even faced with an opportunity she shouldn’t miss…

She was the type who couldn’t seize it to uphold integrity.

“Hoever…”

“Don’t want to hear it… Vanessa. Stop talking. No matter what happens, I won’t abandon you. You’re precious to me too… You’re no different from others, Vanessa. There’s a place for you in the world I’m building…”

And this breaking point—

was why Karelia couldn’t catch up with someone like Lunarien, who might betray them.

That’s why attempts were made to eliminate Lunarien.

More ruthless tactics should have been used long ago to cut her life short.

During the time working under Karelia, admiring her…

Maybe she had become a little like her.

Regardless.

If she can’t make the decision, then there’s still work piled up for her to do.

* * *

After the official declaration of revolt, Cain Nerkis and Kyle von Einhardt’s support flowed smoothly, and according to Mets’ secret orders, the flag of Tevelo Castle swapped its deep green for a radiant lime green.

All the knights stationed at Tevelo Castle pledged allegiance to Lunarien’s army, which marked an excellent start for them.

But.

No matter how many supplies they managed to siphon off.

No matter how impressive the preparation of 90,000 troops—

it didn’t mean they could immediately overwhelm Karelia’s army, which was several times stronger in national power.

“Are you saying troops have been deployed along the border?”

“Yes. Roughly 110,000 troops seem prepared.”

Forced conscription was predictable, but training conscripts into capable soldiers takes time. The current influx is probably scraping together the existing defense troops within the territory.

90,000 versus 110,000. Defending this side naturally gave them an advantage, but the bigger issue was that this wasn’t the end.

“Moreover, movements indicating the construction of fortresses around us have been detected.”

“Is that so…”

With restricted activity range, finding the perfect ‘moment’ to move first was no easy task. Moreover, from Lunarien’s perspective, this wasn’t the only problem.

“How about negotiations with Ohana’s army?”

“They don’t even seem interested in coming to the negotiating table. Giving them anything seems futile.”

It was clear that the Ohana army behind us wasn’t even considering talking.

“The general of Ohana’s army appears quite transparent. They likely intend to wait until we weaken ourselves fighting Karelia’s army before seeking profit.”

“Do you think Vanessa will let that happen?”

Upon hearing this, Violet hesitated slightly before carefully speaking.

“Purely speculative…”

“Go on.”

“Perhaps… Maybe allowing Ohana to harbor such thoughts is part of Vanessa’s strategy.”

“You mean guiding them to attack us while hoping for profits?”

“Given their mindset, perhaps they believe it’s more advantageous to borrow the hand of a potential enemy than to pour all their resources into destroying us… That’s what I suspect.”

“But then, from Karelia’s perspective, wouldn’t that risk losing this territory to Ohana’s army?”

“Maybe they consider it acceptable even if they lose a castle. As long as they can potentially eliminate Lunarien, giving up a single castle to Ohana might be fine.”

Luna’s eyes widened slightly at this.

“If we both have equal strength, even someone inexperienced like me knows Lunarien-sama is scarier. Someone like Vanessa wouldn’t fail to recognize this. It’s unlikely Ohana’s army would employ Lunarien-sama, already branded as a traitor… We’d probably all be executed.”

“…”

“In that context, although Vanessa’s scheme may be necessary, it doesn’t conflict with their interests. Recovering this castle would be ideal for them, but if circumstances prevent it…”

Violet’s story made Luna ponder.

Then…

Should they continue waiting here to wither away?

Once the first wave of attacks is adequately repelled, swiftly capturing a fief under Karelia’s control is crucial.

But if Ohana’s army comes rushing here during that time… If they fail to secure a fief in the interim, their dreams will crumble to dust. Everyone who trusted and followed her would be hung, and they’d be remembered in history solely as cowardly traitors.

“What will you do, my lord?”

At Violet’s question, Luna thought for a moment.

Despite starting the uprising with good momentum, they found themselves in an unfavorable situation. Still, Luna wasn’t overly worried.

Swoen-sama will come soon.

‘Swoen-sama will arrive. He promised he would. Once news of the uprising spreads across the continent, he’ll definitely come.’

If Swoen-sama were here now.

He’d surely present an unforeseen solution, saying, “This is the most efficient way.”

So, Luna waits.

Firmly believing in his promise to return to her side.

“Now, there’s no need to rush. Let’s simply wait for the right moment.”

“Understood.”

Though Violet seemed uneasy, she didn’t argue with her lord’s opinion. Breaking through 90,000 defenders with 110,000 troops wasn’t enough; they needed a significantly larger force.

Given the strategic materials nearly plundered by their army, it would be a heavy burden for Karelia’s army to invade immediately.

Considering the high defenses of Tevelo Castle, they weren’t short on time.

Ohana’s army wouldn’t mobilize large forces either, fearing sudden aggression from Hesna’s army.

Of course.

In Violet’s view, holding out until the end would disadvantage them.

As time passes and resources accumulate proportionally with their vast territories, they’d surely overpower their smaller counterpart—but she, barely beginning as a strategist, couldn’t devise a brilliant idea to reverse the situation.

‘It’s fine. Lady Luna must have everything figured out. She’s a prudent person.’

Thus, each harboring slightly different thoughts—

Time flows aimlessly, endlessly.

* * *

Days turned into weeks.

Weeks became longer periods.

Yet, no matter how long they waited…

The white-haired strategist Swoen never appeared before Luna.