Chapter 134

* * *

The capital of the Brance Army, Anel Castle.

“Lord, I am truly relieved to see you again. Have you been well?”

Seated upon the throne, Lin received the kneeling obeisance of a purple-haired woman.

This was Parphale, the Nation’s Strategist, who had only recently been released from her imprisonment.

Since the day of her conversation with Chel…

Contrary to expectations of impending war, each day had passed in an uneventful monotony.

Of course, ‘uneventful’ merely meant that no battles had erupted as yet.

At the front lines, where the core troops and commanders were absent, morale had long since plummeted.

Simultaneously, the evaluation of Lin Brance as a monarch had taken a nosedive.

Only thanks to the mediation efforts of Chel and Kalintz, who still held some influence over the soldiers, had complete collapse been avoided – though it was clear that Lin no longer possessed the commanding charisma she once wielded when she ruled with an iron fist.

Until now, Lin had been revered solely for delivering results.

She unified the central region and absorbed all the minor states in the mid-west. The Serpina Army considered the Brance Army their sole remaining threat.

The dream of invading the north seemed tantalizingly within reach.

Naturally, under such circumstances, the generals venerated her.

Even if she issued somewhat authoritarian or incomprehensible orders, her authority remained unquestioned. After all, she was the one who had made their army so formidable, the true hegemon of the central plains.

When only Aishias remained among the central nations, her subordinates naturally believed they could swiftly overpower the Aishias Army.

However… ever since one warrior betrayed them and left the nation…

Everything began to unravel.

Not only did they fail to defeat the Aishias Army, but they ended up ceding a quarter of the central continent to Serpina.

And now, without any apparent solution, Lin simply frittered away her time. It was inevitable that her royal authority would hit rock bottom.

Lin understood this all too well by now.

That was why… she had no choice but to release her, despite the grave offense of defying her direct orders.

“Parphale. You look unwell. … Is it because of me?”

“No, my lord. Compared to my crimes, I’ve been treated most honorably. Allow me to express my gratitude for your consideration.”

“…”

To defy the sovereign’s command and issue independent orders as the national strategist borders on treason. No one criticized Lin for imprisoning her.

But Lin didn’t deny it either.

Because deep down, she knew Parphale had been right.

“Now what should I do…? I’ve thought hard about it alone, but I don’t know what to do…”

“My Lord, it is not over yet. The Brance Army can rise again. Do we not still hold the mid-western regions?”

The castles to the west of Anel.

It had been quite some time since they consolidated numerous minor states into a neat whole.

Some territories like Jeilrant were insignificant, while others like Estete were fertile and populous strongholds.

“Compared to before, I believe those regions have stabilized sufficiently now. If we mobilize our forces to their maximum extent and deploy them along the central border, there’s a good chance we can defend our current territory.”

“But… didn’t you say we should abandon the borderlines?”

“That was then. But time has passed, and the situation has changed. The Serpina Army shows no signs of further southern advance, nor is the Aishias Army making any significant movements. It’s already late. We must reinforce our troops immediately!”

“…”

Lin stared emptily at Parphale before bowing her head deeply.

“Did he say the same thing to you…? That man…”

“Excuse me? Which man…?”

“Swoen. Who else could it be?”

The more she thought about it, the more she regretted letting Swoen slip away.

Looking back, every piece of advice he gave turned out to be correct.

If she had accepted all his counsel without hesitation… instead of losing ground in the center, they could have planted their blue flag in the north.

What if they had sent more troops to the north?

What if they had sent a truly reliable general instead of pairing Iren with him?

No… at the very least…

What if they hadn’t pushed Iren away just to obtain him?

Yes.

It was a thought Lin had never entertained before.

For the first time in her life, Lin regretted how she had treated Iren.

“Perhaps… if I had just acknowledged Iren… just let that child be…”

Before she realized it, tears streamed down her face again.

She couldn’t forget that moment – when everything seemed within grasp, only to crumble like a sandcastle.

Her prestige as a ruler, the eastern territories of the central continent, the hope of becoming the unifying monarch – all washed away like waves.

Because Iren… had withdrawn her hand.

After that hand, which had seemed destined to reach out to her again and again, disappeared, everything unraveled.

There was no longer any denying reality.

Losing Iren had proven to be a devastating blow beyond measure.

Had she not sent Swoen to Iren’s quarters?

Had she not tested Iren’s loyalty excessively when she declared her trust?

“If only… if only Swoen had been here… giving me amazing advice by my side… continuing to work miracles for me… telling me… telling me it was alright not to be afraid… promising to grant me the world… believing we could share the same dream…”

“My Lord…”

“There it is, Parphale. I… I was afraid of him. So I wanted to suppress him somehow, thinking he’d come under my control. But… I was wrong. I shouldn’t have treated him that way…”

Parphale watched as her usually proud Lord descended into endless self-recrimination.

The mighty Lin Brance had completely collapsed.

Even imprisoned, Parphale maintained her influence and easily kept abreast of external developments. She had heard rumors of Lin’s weakening state, but not to this extent.

“To my Lord, Swoen is nothing but a traitor. A man who conspired with Iren Julieat to deceive you.”

“No… Parphale, no. I… I left Iren behind in the northern fortress. I drove her to certain death. So I…”

Now she understood.

In that final moment, Swoen had given her one last chance.

If only she had listened to him.

If only she hadn’t sent Iren but another commander…

But back then…

“I wanted to kill Iren. I tried to kill her-”

“My Lord!”

Parphale’s shout cut off Lin’s words.

In normal times, Lin would never have tolerated such an interruption, but she had grown far too weak.

“Forget about the traitors. No matter how talented Swoen may be, he remains a traitor for choosing Iren over you. The same goes for Iren. When you consider that she ultimately betrayed us and fractured the Brance Army, doesn’t that prove your decision to eliminate her was the right one?”

Parphale knew it wasn’t the right decision to try and kill Iren.

But the water had spilled.

A ruler ensnared by the past, unable to act, presented a greater problem.

Thus, divine figures needed to be discarded.

Parphale felt it necessary to deny Iren even more strongly now.

Unless they deposed Lin and installed a new ruler – which wouldn’t be easy given the lack of suitable candidates – this was the only path forward.

“My Lord, allow me to assist you in taking revenge on Iren. Let’s slowly rebuild the Brance Army together from this moment on. This Parphale will dedicate herself entirely to reconstruction.”

“Parphale…”

“Trust me. I shall ensure it happens. First, I shall immediately issue orders to the castle lords in the west-”

Then.

“At that moment.”

A soldier burst into the audience chamber.

Given Parphale’s presence, this signaled an emergency.

Parphale briefly turned her head toward the soldier.

And upon seeing “it,” she felt her heart sink.

!!

The red ribbon tied around the arm.

A messenger.

Unfortunately, it seemed they were too late.

“The Hesna Army… has dispatched an army of 68,000 troops toward Elgaim Castle!”

* * *

The capital of the Karelia Army in the southern continent, Madlen Castle.

“The Hesna Army is on the move?”

“It seems so.”

The green-eyed ruler Makana Karelia contemplated this report, her fan covering her mouth.

‘So the time is approaching?’

The delicate balance among the four southern nations – Hesna Army, Roland Army, Ohana Army, and this Karelia Army – was finally breaking, though not through mutual invasion but rather through joint attacks on the Brance Army.

‘Well, at least Vanessa’s predictions have proven accurate so far.’

Today happened to be the day of the national council meeting, where all regional lords would gather. If preparations were needed, they could be thoroughly made now.

Karelia nodded slightly and spoke politely to the soldier, treating him with respect as always.

“I’m very grateful for your report. You may return now.”

“Yes, understood!”

After dismissing the soldier and searching for Vanessa –

‘She’s stepped out.’

Though her location was unknown, the national council meeting would take place soon enough. They could discuss details then.

‘Soon, as Vanessa foresaw, great upheaval will occur.’

Though the stench of war spreading across the continent troubled her heart…

As a ruler, she must overcome for the greater cause.

Steeled with this resolve, she sat on the throne and let time pass until –

‘Hmm?’

* * *

“We’ve arrived, Lady.”

“You’ve worked hard.”

“It’s my duty.”

Upon arriving at Madlen Castle in a carriage, Lunarien looked around.

‘It’s been a while…’

Though she had once labored in the fields here, a fleeting sense of returning to where she belonged came over her before dissipating.

Her place wasn’t Madlen Castle. It was Jeilrant Castle, where she had first united with everyone.

Despite its humble domain, she had never forgotten those days there.

“So this is the capital…”

Behind her, another woman slowly disembarked from the carriage.

Violet, the youngest of the children entrusted to Kain and showing potential as a civil official.

“What do you think?”

“As you said, the signs of development are evident.”

This time, she brought Violet along after hearing about a desired military strategy book. Being the most introverted of the three children, Luna saw this as an opportunity to grow closer to her.

As their guardian, having promised Kain, she wanted these children to excel.

“Looks like we have some time left. How about visiting the market first?”

“No, thank you, Lady Luna.”

Violet performed a proper bow.

“All my business can wait until after you’ve finished yours.”

“If you insist… Very well then…”

With that response, she might as well take advantage of their early arrival to casually explore the surroundings.

Greeting the local villagers she once farmed with wouldn’t be bad either – just as she thought this and took a step forward…

‘Hmm?’

That building over there was the barracks, but something seemed off.

The soldiers’ expressions were unusually serious, suggesting some kind of trouble…

Lunarien’s party cautiously approached.

* * *

When they arrived there…

They found a familiar face they hadn’t seen in a while.

‘Cecile…?’

However, despite recognizing her old friend, it wasn’t a good time to greet her.

Cecile stood facing another woman whose face Lunarien also recognized, both locked in a tense standoff.

“Cecile, please stop your meaningless rebuttals.”

Under Vanessa’s threatening tone, a young girl behind Cecile trembled and cried.

Placing a hand on the girl’s shoulder to calm her, Cecile responded firmly.

“My position remains unchanged no matter how many times you call it meaningless, Lady Vanessa. I humbly implore you to withdraw the order.”

“That cannot be done. Under strict military law, no one can receive special privileges. Lady Cecile, I do not wish to escalate this. Please step aside.”

Hearing this, Cecile raised her voice in protest.

“Special privilege? Is stopping the punishment of guilt by association against soldiers’ families considered special privilege?!”

…What?!

* * *