Chapter 169

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One day, while Lin had lost all proper judgment and Parphale was managing the general affairs of the state in her stead…

Lady Lin received an urgent summons, and Parphale hurriedly made her way to the Jeilrant Castle Royal Palace.

“What is the matter?”

“I… Strategist-sama. Just now, such an imperial decree arrived…!”

“Huh? …An imperial decree?”

With the throne currently vacant, who on earth could have sent this imperial decree?

Parphale’s heart sank as she thought this far.

“Surely not…!!!”

“I-I don’t quite understand what’s happening either, but first, please take a look at this…!”

Parphale took the paper handed to her by Lin.

Stripping away all the unnecessary formalities and summarizing only the key points, it roughly read as follows:

[We can no longer entrust the future of the Brance Army to Lin Brance.

Not only has she lost most of our territories in Central Continent due to extravagant management, but how can it be acceptable that she conspired with Serpina, our sworn enemy?

Therefore, I, Kalintz Brance, declare my ascension to the throne of the Brance Army to preserve its legacy passed down from our ancestors.

Lords who will follow me, respond promptly.

Territories of those who do not respond will be treated as enemy lands, and we shall reclaim them through war if necessary.

The 2nd Monarch of the Brance Army, Kalintz Brance.]

Kalintz’s rebellion.

Parphale was shocked for entirely different reasons after reading the decree.

‘What? Could this really be Kalintz Brance’s doing…?’

Kalintz was currently the acting Lady of Anel Castle.

While he wasn’t fully aware of Lin’s current condition, he did know that she needed rest.

The sole reason Parphale chose Kalintz over Chel to manage things was because she believed he didn’t possess the ambition to plot rebellion.

Moreover, unlike Chel, who had gained much military glory and had many followers due to his obsession with battle, Kalintz lacked both accomplishments and popularity.

Even though he carried the bloodline of the Brance Clan, surely there weren’t many people willing to join him in rebellion without significant influence.

That’s why Parphale trusted him with Anel Castle, confident he wouldn’t cause trouble.

Yet… a rebellion?

From Kalintz Brance himself?

As she massaged her aching head amidst this incomprehensible situation, Miss Lin cautiously asked her.

“Um… What should we do?”

“How should we do anything? This is clearly an act of rebellion! It goes without saying that we must not reply. With our Lord still alive, tolerating such actions would be absurd.”

“But… still…”

Miss Lin lowered her head, deeply worried about Lin’s current condition.

Unable to snap at her, Parphale instead pressed her temple, thinking.

Why now of all times?

She had believed she had successfully hidden Lin’s unstable mental state, but could the information have leaked?

Given Kalintz’s lack of resolve to choose rebellion, it seemed reasonable to assume the information had indeed leaked out.

Once a secret is spoken aloud, it can no longer remain a secret.

She cursed the heavens alone.

Why were such incidents continuously befalling our army?

No—

Upon further reflection, something else was troubling her more.

‘Could that prideful Chel really have submitted to someone like Kalintz, who accomplishes nothing?’

Chel followed Lin for a very simple reason: Lin was far superior to him politically.

Chel had a clear understanding of his own capabilities outside of combat. He saw Lin, his younger sister, as a worthy ruler and followed her without complaint.

But Kalintz was different.

Whether in battle or politics—there was nothing remarkable about him compared to Chel.

Kalintz wasn’t necessarily incompetent, but it was undeniable that he lacked any notable advantages when compared to Chel.

And yet, he stood idly by while Kalintz ascended to the throne?

Considering the decree had reached Jeilrant Castle, it was almost impossible that Chel, stationed near the capital, hadn’t heard of this news.

Overwhelmed by discomfort, Parphale paused briefly in thought.

“Se-Señora!”

A soldier rushed into the Audience Chamber in a panic.

“What is the matter?”

“It’s… Haizel Castle… The rebel forces…!!”

“!!!”

“We’ve already heard about the rebels. Our castle will not participate.”

Unlike Rem, who answered calmly, Parphale froze upon hearing the soldier’s words.

Haizel Castle.

A nearby stronghold of great strategic importance.

And… Kalintz, who sent this decree, wasn’t located at Haizel Castle.

“Excuse me… Did you say Haizel Castle?”

“Yes, that’s correct…!”

In response to Parphale’s question, the soldier hesitantly replied with a strained voice.

“From Haizel Castle… General Chel has risen in rebellion…!!”

“Ahhh…!!”

Thud.

“S-Strategist-sama…!!”

Rem supported Parphale, who had collapsed onto the spot.

Just as they desperately held their ground against northern enemies, striving to restore past glories, everything began to crumble.

The Brance Army, once the most dangerous rival to the Serpina Army, had fractured into three factions, effectively sealing its own doom.

All this stemmed from the alliance formed with the Serpina Army.

[A highly efficient alliance offering great opportunities for our side.]

Another prediction with Divinity 100 accuracy came true—but there was no way Parphale, a strategist from another nation, could have foreseen this.

“This… this can’t be…”

Parphale, unable to devise any countermeasures, finally had to admit the inevitable.

There was no way to return the Brance Army to its original course—not with her abilities, anyway.

Faced with this “inescapable logic,” there was nothing she could do.

‘Is this… truly the end?’

Under normal circumstances, it might not have been noticeable, but with the nation split into three factions, her ability to lead was bound to wane. Moreover, if she continued to manage the state instead of Lin during such a crisis, the generals under her command would inevitably question where their Lord was. If so, they’d have no choice but to reveal Lin’s condition, which would mean…

‘No… Oh gods…!!’

Just as Parphale plunged into an endless abyss of despair…

“Parphale!”

“…?”

Parphale looked up to see who had called her name.

This voice… it belonged to her Lord, Lin Brance.

“Sorry… I seem to have caused you quite a bit of trouble.”

Parphale looked up at her Lord Lin. She had been suffering from trauma-induced mental instability, hadn’t she?

Yet, her expression now was unmistakably different from before.

“Lord… Surely not…?”

“Yes. I remember now… Everything.”

“Lord…!!!”

Parphale knelt and wept before her.

In the direst of situations, akin to a flickering candle on the verge of extinguishing, Lord Lin Brance had dramatically regained her senses.

Though she didn’t believe in deities, was this perhaps heaven answering her prayers?

Whatever the case, it was nothing short of miraculous for Parphale.

“Oh thank heavens. Truly, truly fortunate…”

“Um… Lord, have you regained your sanity?”

To Rem’s cautious inquiry, Lin nodded in affirmation.

“Yes. Sorry for troubling you too, Rem.”

“No, it’s truly fortunate.”

Lin spoke calmly.

“In any case… I heard a rough outline on the way here. It seems there’s been a rebellion, right?”

“Lord, well…”

“It’s fine. Half of this is my fault anyway. Who is it? Brother Chel? Or someone else?”

“It’s… both General Chel and General Kalintz are part of the rebel forces.”

“What? So ultimately, they joined forces?”

“No, it seems… each of them has separately rebelled.”

“I see…”

Lin sighed deeply, bent down, and helped Parphale stand up.

“The best option available to us now is defense. Who’s at Anel Castle?”

“General Kalintz.”

“So the Capital Defense Forces are likely under Brother Kalintz’s control. If the two have divided their forces, then all the loyal commanders probably rallied under Brother Chel. Given that we’ve undoubtedly lost most of our troops and arms, retaking Anel Castle at this point would be impossible.”

“Lord…!”

Seeing Lin calmly assess the situation, Parphale recalled the spirited Lin from long ago.

“For now, we should inform the Lords that I am still alive, gather forces that haven’t joined the rebellion, and establish a defensive line. What do you think?”

“I agree. That seems to be the best course of action. Considering Generals Chel and Kalintz have split apart, they may not form an alliance. Perhaps we can hope for some benefit from their conflict. Observing the situation for a while might not be bad.”

“Understood. We’ll be busy from today onward. Sorry for putting you through so much trouble, Parphale.”

“Not at all, Lord. This Parphale will assist you until the very last moment.”

Without responding, Lin gave some basic instructions to Rem and slowly exited the Audience Chamber.

Listening to Parphale’s footsteps following behind, Lin quietly reflected.

‘Realistically speaking, even if we somehow overcome this opportunity, the possibility of the Brance Army becoming the Unified Empire is negligible now that the country is split into three. But we cannot fall like this. Even if we’re destined to perish, we must resist until the end as a nation. Otherwise…’

Lin fought back tears threatening to fall.

‘I won’t have the face to meet Iren, who sacrificed everything to protect our Brance Army.’

Thus, we cannot allow ourselves to fall like this.

Though it’s too late, she didn’t want to disappoint Iren any further.

‘Even if Iren doesn’t forgive me, I will fight for the name of Brance that Iren sought to protect until the very end. We will not collapse without a fight.’

Though Lin’s dream of unifying the continent had crumbled due to her string of foolish decisions…

Ironically, Lin Brance, freed from the burden of unification, shone brighter than ever before.

This was the potential that Lin’s father, Orlando Brance, had noticed long ago.