Chapter 113

*

Upon hearing those words, I asked Serpina over and over if it was really true.

I had thought it might be possible, but now that it was actually happening, it was hard to believe.

“Would I gain anything by lying to you?”

Serpina said this while smiling again.

It didn’t seem like she was testing my reaction with a lie…

“You look like a discarded hunting dog.”

“Hunting dog…”

When I heard that, an even deeper sigh escaped me.

“I’ve never been Lord Yuri’s hunting dog in the first place.”

Because she never used me in the first place.

Though I wasn’t there for long, I spent more time teaching Reika than on any missions.

In fact, I felt I had more free time under Lin’s command.

With no reply from Serpina, I began to sort out the situation.

So, Yuri ultimately chose Anima over me, huh?

I don’t know if she knows Reika is with me, but she must at least know Iren is accompanying her as an armed guard.

Even so, she made that decision—

Both me and Iren… we were obviously less important to her than Anima.

It wasn’t entirely incomprehensible.

The brotherhood of Aishias’ Five was unbreakable, unmatched by anyone.

Yuri, Anima, Emma, Epinal, Erhandorf.

From the start, everything in the Aishias Army was decided by those five.

Let me be honest here.

I wasn’t planning to say things like how shocked I am or why would my lord do this to me.

Because frankly, I’ve never truly served her as my lord.

She was just someone I passed through under, while my heart has always been with Lunarien.

And now, I don’t want to play the tragic victim. If I acted too shamelessly, something inside me would surely break.

Same goes for Iren, so I have no regrets there.

During our service, we’ve done enough to pay off any debts of gratitude.

But one thing does worry me—Reika.

Unlike me and Iren, she isn’t an armed warrior; she’s just an ordinary woman who knows magic.

While using magic makes her extraordinary, she doesn’t serve the state, so she has no reason to be stuck here with me.

If she wishes… it would be best to let her go safely.

As Zinor’s adopted daughter, they wouldn’t dare touch her anyway.

While I was assessing the situation, Serpina’s voice reached my ears once more.

“Well then, what will you do?”

“What do you mean, ‘what will I do’?”

“That’s right.”

Could she possibly want to hear a direct declaration of defeat from me?

Though it seems distasteful, rulers like Serpina sometimes obsess over trivial matters.

Still, I lived comfortably enough under Lin, so I can probably manage.

“I already told you, didn’t I? I lost the contest I proposed. As promised, from now on, I shall be your loyal servant, Lady Serpina.”

Is this answer sufficient?

While thinking that the word “loyal servant” might be a bit exaggerated, I heard something unexpected.

“What I asked you was not that.”

“…?”

“I’m asking about your intentions, Swen.”

When I asked if she meant my intentions regarding serving under Lady Serpina,

“Didn’t you tell me yourself? You said I shouldn’t force you into submission.”

“Yes, that’s true, but…”

“I’ve said it many times. I want you. I wish for you to see me as a ruler worthy of your deep loyalty. Forcing you under me after winning a contest would be meaningless, wouldn’t it?”

Hearing this, how did it make me feel?

Simply put, I was just astonished.

For someone rumored to be a tyrant, her attitude toward her vassals was surprisingly straightforward.

At her position, she could act more self-indulgently without much consequence.

Out of curiosity, I blurted out my question.

“If I change my mind here and say I cannot serve Lady Serpina, what would you do?”

“I’d send you back to Falaharte Castle.”

“In that case, what happens to Lady Anima?”

“I’ll release her. I said I would when I won the contest.”

“If you do that, wouldn’t you lose all benefit from capturing prisoners?”

At that, Serpina approached me again.

Her perfume assaulted my nose once more.

Ah, now I get it—it’s yuzu scent.

“Foolish talk. Haven’t you understood everything by now?”

What’s so amusing about it, I wonder? She smiled enchantingly again.

“Didn’t you witness every decision I made during this contest with your own eyes? To me… Swen, your gaze remains. The way you look at me.”

“!!!”

“That gaze will be imprinted with the echoes of today’s contest. No matter where you go, you’ll recall this moment. That alone is enough gain for me, don’t you think?”

…

Wow.

This is dizzying.

I genuinely thought, “Maybe someone like Serpina would be worth serving.”

Her strikingly refined beauty, the Einhardt bloodline flowing through her veins, her background, the title of ‘tyrant’…

All those aside, the most fitting title for her right now is—Absolute Ruler.

I couldn’t help but acknowledge it.

Among all the rulers I’ve met, the one closest to being an Absolute Ruler is undoubtedly Serpina standing before me.

Not someone like Lin Brance, who controls people with charisma and madness.

Nor someone like Baranga Yuri Aishias, who would abandon everything for a blood oath with a brother.

Who else but Serpina can bear the weight of such a crown, casually saying things like that?

She’s undeniably an astonishing woman.

An ordinary person might have fallen for her and sworn allegiance right here—

But I understood why she could act so effortlessly composed.

“Remarkable, Lady Serpina. With such treatment for talents, anyone would want to wholeheartedly serve you.”

“So, you’re saying ‘would’?”

“Well, technically, I don’t have much choice right now.”

“Didn’t I give you a choice?”

“One could see it that way, but please hear me out.”

Though it may seem obvious in this situation.

After already being abandoned, I can’t choose to go back.

Even if I were released here with Anima and returned to the Aishias Army—

Would Yuri be happy to see me again?

Could I live peacefully day by day there?

The ruler Yuri might sincerely apologize, but I’d constantly feel awkward around them.

Once they’ve sold me out so thoroughly, my existence itself would only hinder them.

Just being there would remind everyone of that situation.

There’s also a high possibility that people like Epinal might cover up the mess by spreading lies like “Swen is already dead.”

They might justify their decision to cut ties with grand speeches, but my presence would only complicate the cleanup process further.

Naturally, they’d try to deal with me somehow.

Thus, I practically have no other option but to serve under Serpina.

Ironically, this is the only way to preserve my life.

Retiring is an option, but as a mere envoy, I lack living expenses apart from the gold I brought for diplomacy, and I have nowhere immediate to stay.

Including myself, there are three mouths to feed. It’s a perfectly targeted attack on my situation.

And—

“Lady Serpina must surely realize that.”

It’s not just for that reason either.

I merely predict issues within the scope of national and war-related questions accurately.

Unlike what Jinor thinks, I can neither use magic nor foresee the future.

Would I be able to counter Epinal’s schemes? Absolutely not.

Even if Strategist Jinor protects me, my life could still be in danger at any moment.

In the end, my conclusion is clear.

Of course, she couldn’t possibly know all these details about my situation—

But she must have realized that going back would put me in a difficult position.

“…This is what I think, but what do you think?”

“So, you’re saying that though it appears I’m granting mercy, it’s not quite so, right?”

“Yes.”

After hearing my explanation, she smiled again, clearly amused.

Every time she looked at me and smiled, I felt as if her golden eyes drenched my entire body.

“I understand why Yuri couldn’t use you as a hunting dog, Swen.”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s no owner in this world who would cherish a dog that might eat them instead of protecting them. Deep insight often points the blade at the master.”

She interprets it this way?

Acknowledging my abilities while simultaneously revealing that I’m an unchosen existence, ensuring she never loses control of the conversation.

Even after exposing her inner thoughts, she remains completely unfazed—I couldn’t help but recognize her greatness.

Had it not been for the prediction that ‘Lunarien is the ruler destined to unify the continent.’

And if I hadn’t possessed game knowledge but lacked the ability to predict with 100% accuracy—

Without hesitation, I would definitely bet everything on her.

“Swen.”

She lifted my chin slightly with two fingers.

An action that could feel extremely humiliating depending on the person—but hers was different.

Her beauty, the yuzu scent wafting from her, her aura—all softened the blow and calmed my feelings.

“Someone like Yuri can’t use you as a hunting dog, but I am different. I can contain your talent. I have the confidence to do so. Come to me. I’ll infuse your body and soul with the hue of gold. Let me ask again: What will you do? Can you become my hunting dog?”

Actually,

I’d never considered joining the Serpina Army.

Until the tide turned, I planned to spend my time with the Brance Army, and after learning Luna was destined to become the unifying ruler, I stopped caring about my current affiliation.

However, if this move to join Serpina’s army aligns with the outcome predicted by my Divinity 100 brain—

“Understood.”

Looking directly into Serpina’s eyes, I said:

“As of today, I, Swen, pledge to become my lord’s faithful hunting dog.”

Having been recommended to Luna, witnessing the fall of my country and entering the Brance Army,

betraying Lin and joining the Aishias Army, only to eventually be cast aside and sold to Serpina—

A commander who keeps switching rulers.

No matter how you look at it, my life story is tragically absurd.

*

Walking out of the room and strolling down the corridor of the side wing,

I suddenly felt the urge to ask her something.

“My lord.”

“Speak.”

“This may be presumptuous, but… I’m curious, so I ask.”

She stopped walking without turning around, signaling she was listening.

“Have we… ever met somewhere before?”

There was no response, but I continued.

“Not necessarily face-to-face, but maybe we’ve seen each other somehow. For example, in dreams… something like that.”

To an outsider, it might sound like an incredibly strange question, but what could I do? This was the only way to ask.

Since Serpina appeared in my dreams, I wondered if I showed up in hers. Would she be even a little surprised if that were the case?

At least from her outward appearance, she didn’t seem surprised at all while facing away from me.

“I’ve heard rumors. About a white-haired man causing mysterious wonders against our army. Even I found it hard to believe until I saw it with my own eyes.”

Then, she turned around and locked eyes with me.

“But this is the first time I’ve seen your face.”

“Is that so.”

“Did that answer your question?”

“Yes,” I replied, and she resumed walking silently ahead.

‘So, she only appeared in my dreams, huh?’

Yet, I thought she knew something because she called me by name from the start…

Judging by her reaction, it seems there’s nothing special going on.

Perhaps the name just became famous through rumors.

Of course, there’s a chance she’s lying, but since she has no intention of telling me, there’s no point in pressing further.

‘Maybe if I spend more time by her side, I’ll naturally learn the truth.’

There must be a reason behind my prediction that led me here.

With that thought in mind, I followed my new golden-haired lord down the corridor.

*