Chapter 219

This place is the manor where I and Lady Iren reside.

Apart from Ms. Reika, who hasn’t returned yet due to library duties, it was quite a rare occasion for just the two of us to face each other while having a meal.

“Hmm… If you have any worries, perhaps you could share them with me?”

If I had been in a situation where I had to handle my troubles alone, I might’ve felt quite lonely.

Still, being with Iren made me feel somewhat at ease.

“Considering your insight, Lady Iren, surely something must be on your mind? What do you think?”

Upon hearing this, Iren gave a wry smile before replying.

“…”

A brief silence followed, then she broke it.

“Lady Lunarien has apparently raised an army in the Southern Continent.”

“…”

“While I don’t know all the details, it seems she betrayed her former allies… though I don’t really care about that. Such is the nature of chaotic times.”

Serpina mentioned that Lady Luna’s uprising took the form of rebellion.

I don’t know much about the Karelian Army’s situation, but including their leader Karelia, everyone there values loyalty highly, so the chances of the rebellion succeeding were extremely slim… Yet, for some reason, many armed members of the Karelian Army ended up under Lady Luna’s command.

“Speaking of which, I never expected her to have been part of the Karelian Army… Is this all part of your grand plan, Swoen?”

“My plan…”

All I ever said was: “Seek refuge with Karelia.”

Anything beyond that—like starting a rebellion or doing anything else—was entirely unrelated to me. It was Lady Luna’s decision, not guided by the brilliant mind of someone with Divinity 100.

Thinking back, all I could do was figure out how things would turn out. Actually influencing the results was basically impossible.

Of course, I did manage to change outcomes somewhat by altering actions beforehand… But turning impossibilities into possibilities like magic? That was beyond my reach.

That day…

When I instructed Tifa to focus on commerce, she somehow came back with a treasure chest full of gold coins.

When I assigned Cain as the vanguard, mercenary units appeared and blocked Kalintz’s attack.

Luna credited all these events solely to my advice…

But truthfully, I merely suggested what seemed most efficient based on my game knowledge. I didn’t even anticipate such outcomes.

At first, I didn’t notice anything odd.

But as time passed in the Brance Army, Aishias Army, and finally here in Serpina Army, I began to realize just how strange this all was.

“It wasn’t my plan. I merely…”

“Mere-ly?”

“That it might be the destiny of my lord… Lady Luna. That’s all I can guess.”

Yeah. Destiny.

Just like how Serpina, hindered by some past karmic force or evil will of the world, keeps getting held back every time she tries to do something, successfully leading the remarkable Serpina Army but never becoming the unifying ruler…

Lady Luna, on the other hand, is destined to become the unifying ruler. No matter what she does, her will prevails. Every decision leads to favorable situations for her.

If the goddess of luck exists, one could say she’s living a life drenched in divine favor.

So, she managed to start a rebellion with justification within the honor-valuing Karelian Army—something that would’ve surely failed otherwise.

Then, what should I do?

Should I return to Lady Luna immediately as planned?

Am I… supposed to abandon her—the unfortunate woman seemingly forsaken by fortune—Serpina?

“Swoen.”

“Ahh…”

I was snapped back to reality by Lady Iren’s voice, who had moved next to me without me noticing.

“I may look this way, but I’ve been traveling between three countries with you. I can sense what you’re thinking and why you’re troubled…”

After saying that, Iren firmly held my hand with both of hers.

The hand of a warrior, naturally rough and calloused, but to me, it felt softer and warmer than any holy maiden’s touch.

“Swoen, whatever decision you make doesn’t matter to me. Take all the time you need to deliberate deeply. Think it over again and again, then decide. Whatever the outcome, I… will always remain by your side.”

“Lady Iren…”

I slowly nodded, placing my other hand atop hers.

“Thank you, Lady Iren.”

No matter what decision I make, this woman will always be by my side. Thanks to her encouragement, the turmoil in my heart began to settle.

Even if things get complicated, as long as Lady Iren stays by me, that’s enough to bring clarity.

Afterward, we spent quite some time holding hands.

Lady Iren… she’s an irreplaceable source of peace in my life.

* * *

Time flowed relentlessly.

Though Swoen hadn’t shown up, the one fortunate thing for Luna was that nothing significant happened during his absence.

The Karelia Army gathered troops but remained inactive.

Negotiations with the Ohana Army were sluggish but were still ongoing thanks to Violet’s mediation.

Fortunately, we learned that the Ohana Army hadn’t conspired with the Karelian Army beforehand.

While it was odd for the honor-bound Karelia to ally with Ohana, known as the most despicable among the four southern vassals, Karelia had already lost much of its moral standing due to Vanessa’s influence.

With the rebellion happening, they no longer had a reason to avoid making alliances.

Yet, the lack of rumors suggested that Karelia couldn’t secure either justification or practical benefits.

This was undoubtedly good news for us, but Luna’s heart had been growing restless since that day.

Why… hasn’t he come yet?

Swoen was most likely in the neighboring Aishias Army rather than the Brance Army.

If Violet’s rumor was somewhat true and Swoen belonged to the Serpina Army, by now he should’ve heard the news and arrived.

Enough time has passed for him to ride here.

Given the circumstances of the Northern Continent, regardless of location, he should’ve reached here by now if he rode at full speed…

To Luna, it was unimaginable that Swoen knew about the uprising and still didn’t come.

Naturally, her thoughts led to—

“Could he be in a situation where he can’t receive the news?”

If he can’t receive the news, many things would make sense.

Perhaps, he’s being detained by Serpina?

If we assume he’s being held captive by Serpina for some reason, then reports of him being seen in the northern region wouldn’t be surprising.

Moreover, if Aishias sold him out, it explained why he’d end up imprisoned underground.

Given Swoen’s extraordinary talents, Serpina might want to use him.

Even if not, if something happened to him that prevented him from hearing our uprising…

Or worse, if something happened to him personally?

At that moment, an overwhelming chill ran down Luna’s spine, colder than any winter wind.

“Have I… waited too long?”

It was an era of chaos.

A time when faith, trust, and human lives were treated carelessly.

The disappearance of a wandering soldier wasn’t surprising at all.

As she thought this, a suffocating feeling overwhelmed her again.

I’ve only been waiting for opportunities.

Waiting to seize a justification…

Believing blindly that persistence would lead to victory, irresponsibly dragging out time…

Have I waited too long?

“Don’t tell me…”

The moment those dreaded thoughts crossed her mind…

A soldier approached the Audience Chamber.

“Lord, a man wishes to join our ranks.”

“!!!!!!”

Hearing this, Luna’s face lit up as she sprang from her throne.

“Is that really true?!”

“Uh… Y-yes! Th-the…”

“Hurry! Bring him to me immediately! Please hurry!”

Caught off guard, the soldier couldn’t respond properly and left hurriedly to fetch the visitor under Luna’s pressing urgency.

“Swoen…”

Ah…

Of course!

I trusted you, Swoen.

You’ve come.

I’ve been waiting for this moment.

I believed you’d definitely come…

I’ve never forgotten the promise we made back then, not even for a second.

I sensed my heart pounding harder than ever before.

Yes.

I needed him.

True, I needed him as a strategist, because of the promise, and to repay a debt of gratitude—but…

Now I realize…

I needed Swoen simply as a person.

The first person who acknowledged my potential when no one else did, when I was mocked and dismissed.

The one who called me, a weak and insignificant ruler, capable of unifying the continent.

The one who constantly performed miracles beyond words.

As a human, as a woman, Luna needed him.

When we meet again, the first thing I’ll say is thank you for waiting.

And I’m sorry for making you wait.

Thank you for surviving and coming back… There’s so much I want to say, it might take days to express everything.

But it’s fine.

Because we’ve met.

Being by your side means we can keep talking.

Until this point, Luna hadn’t considered the possibility that the man seeking enlistment might not be Swoen.

However…

“This is the man, Lord.”

“Eh…?”

The soldier brought forth a white-haired man.

Indeed, he had white hair like Swoen, but that was where the similarities ended.

Clearly much older, resembling Cain’s age group rather than Swoen’s, the man knelt before Luna.

“Greetings, Lady Lunarien.”

“…”

“My name is Jinoru Nachtardt. Though it was long ago, I once served as the Chancellor of the Empire. Would you allow this old man to join your ranks?”

—

The situation took an unexpected turn from what Luna anticipated.