Chapter 260

* * *

And so, within the now-vacated Royal Palace—

“Now, might you be able to explain things to us?”

At Luna’s words, Jinoru slowly nodded his head and began to speak.

“Assuming that Lady Luna is correct, let us start with the tale of how our army might secure victory.”

Jinoru closed his eyes, recalling Swoen’s confident assertion back at Hisfil Castle—that “our army will lose.” It was an intriguing way of thinking. He’d never encountered anyone who unraveled stories quite like that before.

The biggest reason Luna believed they would triumph? Because “Swoen said so.” And lastly, Swoen had declared that none other than Luna herself would become the unifying ruler.

So then—if it were absolutely certain that the Lunarien Army would win this battle—what exactly needed to happen for them to achieve that outcome?

Reverse-engineering a rational conclusion. Though it was a method he hadn’t tried in over sixty years, there was nothing else for him to do but mimic Swoen’s approach: deriving the process from the result.

“Explain yourself.”

“If we are victorious, it naturally follows that we have defeated an army of 200,000. You understand this much, yes?”

Luna slowly nodded. As always, her gaze remained calm and composed—not a hint of fear or worry present. She seemed utterly confident in their inevitable victory.

“Beating 200,000 soldiers is simple. Either outnumber them with more troops, or fill your ranks with highly trained elite soldiers—even if fewer in number. In both cases, the common factor is that our forces must increase. That is to say, reinforcements must join us.”

“…!!”

Even Luna, who had maintained her composure until now, showed a flicker of surprise at the word “increase.”

Jinoru seized the moment and pressed on with his question.

“Is there something specific coming to mind, my lord?”

“…”

Something *did* come to mind.

Long ago, following Swoen’s advice, Luna had transferred all the troops under her command to the Lunarien Army. Two mercenary units had sworn loyalty to her—the Chirein Mercenary Unit and the Raven Mercenary Unit. Though time had passed and immediate concerns piled up, if reinforcements were joining their side, those two units were the only logical possibilities. After all, armies don’t just fall from the sky, right?

With a resolute expression, Luna slowly nodded.

“Yes.”

Hearing this, Jinoru raised an eyebrow.

“If you’ve already figured out where the key lies, then that must indeed be the crux of the matter. Had you not, things could’ve gotten far more complicated…”

Truthfully, if things had grown even more complex, Jinoru doubted his own abilities would suffice to make even an incomplete deduction. Unlike Swoen, who possessed game knowledge, Jinoru was simply a person living in this world. Calculating natural disasters or extraordinary events wasn’t easy without the unique ‘sense’ of someone from another realm.

While he had considered natural disasters…

For one, the likelihood of a disaster benefiting only their side—where their army remains untouched while the enemy’s 200,000-strong force suffers—was so infinitesimally small as to be negligible. Thus, it made no sense to waste brainpower pondering such scenarios. Naturally, Jinoru concluded that the balance would tip in their favor.

“In any case, the first scenario—overwhelming the enemy purely through superior numbers—is highly improbable. To dominate a battle involving 200,000 troops, including a formidable commander like Sad, we’d need at least 250,000 soldiers. Suddenly increasing our numbers by 150,000 is no small feat.”

“Then…?”

“Most likely, the second scenario applies—a force slightly exceeding 200,000, or perhaps closely approaching it. Assuming elite training, 170,000 to 180,000 against 200,000 isn’t entirely unwinnable. So I ask again—are you aware of what exactly comes to mind?”

“Of course. I can explain.”

Luna proceeded to thoroughly describe the Raven Mercenary Unit and the Chirein Mercenary Unit to Jinoru. Upon hearing about these two units, Jinoru’s eyes widened dramatically as he stared at Luna in astonishment.

“So it’s true… The Raven Mercenary Unit and the Chirein Mercenary Unit swore allegiance to Lady Luna.”

“That’s correct.”

Two renowned mercenary units, pledging loyalty to the small nation of Lunarien—it was astonishing even though he had deduced it himself. If each unit contributed around 30,000 troops, they truly stood a chance at victory. The enemy would be caught off guard by unexpected reinforcements, lowering morale, and commanders like Sad and Cecile might falter in judgment. Even if Vanessa stayed calm, turning an “impossible fight” into a “worthwhile fight” was still a remarkable achievement.

No, it wasn’t merely “worthwhile.” If those two units joined as Luna claimed, this battle would undoubtedly end in victory. Luna believed it wholeheartedly—and her faith stemmed from Swoen’s assertion.

“Regardless, if reinforcements arrive, the intercepting force must eliminate the 200,000 enemies. Without knowing the scale of our reinforcements, my recommendation is to leave minimal forces behind to defend the castle, my lord.”

After listening to Jinoru’s explanation, Luna slowly nodded.

“I understand. Thank you for explaining.”

As Luna bowed respectfully, Jinoru felt a strange emotion wash over him. Though tempted to let it pass, he couldn’t ignore it, given that she was the leader he intended to serve.

“Forgive me for prying, but…”

“You may ask anything freely.”

“At first, I assumed you requested clarification to better understand my suggestions. However, looking at you now, it seems that convincing you of anything isn’t really the issue here.”

“Is that so…?”

“Yes. Not to offend—but isn’t there a possibility my advice could be wrong? Yet you haven’t questioned any part of it…”

Upon hearing this, Luna closed her eyes and placed a hand on her chest. Then, reopening her eyes, she gazed directly at Jinoru. For a fleeting moment, her ruby-colored irises seemed to flash brilliantly.

“I do not doubt your counsel, Lord Jinoru.”

“Pre…please?”

“To put it precisely—considering how you came to be here…I firmly believe your words cannot be incorrect.”

“!!!”

Only then did Jinoru grasp what Luna was implying. The reason he was here—because Swoen had sent him. And Jinoru had already disclosed this fact to gain Luna’s trust.

Seeing Jinoru’s shocked expression, Luna smiled faintly and spoke.

“I…trust you, Strategist.”

Her gaze was unwavering, devoid of any anxiety or tension. It was as if she believed everything would unfold exactly as planned. Her unshakable confidence—

* * *

“Attack!”

“Do not miss your chance! Fire together!”

The moment the two mercenary units joined the fray, it flashed through Jinoru’s mind once more.

My prediction was correct.

Or rather, Jinoru knew his prediction wasn’t solely his own—it stemmed from trusting Swoen’s claim: “Lunarien Iniang is destined to unify this land.”

“Alright!”

Jinoru quickly assessed the scale of the reinforcements. While Luna led the charge on the frontlines, overseeing troop movements from behind was his responsibility as the Nation’s Strategist.

“Report the situation accurately!”

Soon, a soldier reported back.

“And…?”

“The reinforcements consist of two mercenary units! The Raven Mercenary Unit, numbering 20,000, and the Chirein Mercenary Unit, numbering approximately 25,000!”

“…Huh?”

Here, Jinoru’s expectations were proven wrong. A total of 45,000 troops. While not insignificant, the roughly 130,000 versus 200,000 disparity remained insurmountable, even accounting for the mercenaries’ elite status.

If absolute victory was guaranteed, this number was insufficient.

“Could there be additional reinforcements?”

But Luna had mentioned both units were already present. Or was there something else he didn’t know?

* * *

Meanwhile, the Karelia Army also began assessing the situation.

“You damn rats! Hiding all this time just to serve some minor nation, huh!”

Sad quickly analyzed the battlefield.

“Archers seem to number between 15,000 and 20,000… What about the others?”

This information swiftly reached Vanessa, the strategist.

“So, roughly 40,000 altogether. This is manageable.”

Though startled by the sudden reinforcements, this number posed no serious threat.

“Everyone, stay calm! Just two mercenary units have joined them! Our advantage remains overwhelming!”

Lunarien Iniang’s deployment of a massive interception force seemed designed to catch them off guard—but only up to this point.

Just as Vanessa prepared to order a full charge—

“Aaaah!”

“Run away!”

“Wha…??”

Suddenly, several frontline soldiers began retreating rapidly.

“Halt! Where are you going?! Desertion is punishable by death under military law!”

Despite Vanessa’s warnings, countless soldiers began fleeing uncontrollably. Confused by this sudden development—

—

**BOOOOM!!**

An enormous explosion rocked the battlefield, drawing everyone’s attention—including Vanessa’s.

And the sight before her eyes—

“!!!”

Vanessa instinctively realized this moment would forever haunt the Karelia Army as their worst nightmare.

* * *