Chapter 187

General Iren calmed their startled expression and, once again glancing around furtively, approached me closely to whisper.

“…Is that really true?”

“Yes. As I mentioned, it’s not entirely certain, but… currently, it seems most likely.”

The cleanest explanation fitting this situation was assassination.

At least compared to natural disasters, it had much more credibility.

Firstly, the number of people who hated Lady Serpina was far greater than one might imagine, even just within this country.

One proof of this was the continuous rebellions. Clearly, despite a rebellion having occurred not long ago, another one arose so quickly, indicating just how intense the sentiment against Serpina was.

Serpina wasn’t unaware of this either—she must have quickly realized that ‘if staying still is the right choice, rebellion will arise.’

Speaking of which, until the moment she could say that being hated was something she was used to…

Just how much of others’ hatred did she have to endure?

Secondly, when Serpina briefly leaves her post, assassination has a higher probability than natural calamities.

Of course, there’s always the possibility they’ll attempt an assassination when she returns to Einhardt Castle, but if that were the case, my prediction wouldn’t have changed. This means we successfully preserved Serpina’s life.

Certainly, I’d need to keep feeding her relevant questions, but it would be meaningful to consider this as overcoming a significant hurdle.

After hearing my words, General Iren asked me very seriously,

“What should I do?”

“Please continue accompanying your lord as usual, but just be aware of this fact.”

“Does Lord Serpina not yet know of this danger?”

“For now, yes. Though she may suspect something, at least I haven’t told her.”

Even if she believed in my ability called the ‘Mind’s Eye,’ I myself wasn’t completely confident.

With insufficient material to explain an absolutely correct result, it would only ruin things to speak unnecessarily. Thus, I needed to be extra cautious.

“I understand. Anyway, after suppressing the rebel forces and returning to Einhardt Castle… I’ll conduct my own investigation.”

“Is that possible for you?”

Iren smiled and replied to my question.

“Quite a few people have come to follow me.”

Having many comrades who trust and follow her words…

How desperately lonely must Iren have been before? How much she must have needed someone who trusted her!

Seeing her achieve this goal within Serpina’s army made me feel inexplicably proud.

“I believe you’ll handle it well, but if possible, please proceed secretly.”

“Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. Without showing any sign of looking for assassins, I’ll approach the matter through other means.”

Iren wasn’t the type to exaggerate or boast.

Thus, I could trust her assurance that I didn’t need to worry.

After all, if I didn’t trust her, who else would?

“Then, see you later.”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, right. Reika sends her regards.”

Without saying a word, Iren nodded and walked away to attend to her duties.

After watching her leave, I looked up at the sky.

The sky was clear and blue without a single cloud.

Though I didn’t feel the air of this world to be particularly heavy, Serpina surely felt differently. She said she detected hostility and murderous intent every day.

While I couldn’t confirm it yet—if this was true, perhaps this was why Serpina couldn’t achieve unification.

“If that’s the case, Lady Serpina has quite the pitiful fate.”

I shook off the sentimental thoughts.

Let’s suppress the rebellion first.

Ironically, thanks to the rebels uprising, Serpina managed to survive. If there hadn’t been a rebellion, we might never have discovered this chance, and Serpina would have simply drifted along with the flow of history, eventually succumbing to her unseen dangers.

The flag raised to overthrow Serpina ended up protecting her instead.

“How ironic…”

I decided to take a deeper step into her tragic fate.

As long as I remained by her side, I wanted to fully support her.

And gradually—

My attraction to Lady Serpina grew stronger.

* * *

After the army departed from Roze Castle to suppress the rebel forces…

What was I doing during this time?

I was spending time close to Serpina, discussing various topics with her.

Most of our conversations revolved around my ability, which she knew as the ‘Mind’s Eye.’

“You can only perceive the result, not the process?”

“That’s correct. And it doesn’t happen every time; sometimes, depending on the situation, I can’t predict anything at all. However, regarding state affairs, I can usually foresee the outcome.”

“And it only works when asked specific questions?”

“Yes.”

“What about if you ask yourself?”

“In that case, I can’t predict anything. That’s why I asked you to provide the questions.”

“Hmm… truly fascinating ability.”

Serpina looked at me with sparkling eyes.

Instead of her usual charismatic aura as an absolute ruler, her golden eyes reflected the curiosity of a young girl eager to learn.

“Now I understand why you give such peculiar advice. But, I still have some lingering questions.”

“I’ll answer everything I can within reason.”

Since saving Serpina required standing on the same boat as her, there was no reason to withhold information unnecessarily while still taking precautions.

“Do you remember when the rebellion claiming to carry on Sidemid’s legacy erupted? The one led by Raherven?”

“Yes, I remember.”

“You mentioned then that there was a possibility of Aishias Army invading here. Was that something you foresaw with your ability?”

“No, it wasn’t. It was more of a reasoned hypothesis based on imagination rather than something I discovered.”

“A hypothesis?”

Upon hearing this, Serpina nodded, seemingly amused.

…Though it might be disrespectful to think this way, seeing Serpina react with joy to each of my words made her look rather adorable.

“It’s simple. I received a ‘result.’ Then I work backward, eliminating impossible scenarios one by one to figure out why this result occurred. That’s how I advise you. In that particular case, I thought that the reason ‘unnecessary troops were stationed at an insignificant castle’ might be because there was a possibility of invasion.”

“I see. But… since such an absurd conclusion came out, the story changed drastically from what was said and unsaid?”

Indeed, Serpina accurately grasped my internal struggles just by listening to my words.

“Yes. No matter what, imagining such detailed scenarios in my head was somewhat challenging.”

“Using the same logic, was the falling rock from the sky also based on a similar reasoning?”

“Yes. At that time, the result I obtained was ‘our army’s victory.’ I reverse-engineered the methods for our army to win.”

“Ah, so that’s how it was…”

I gave a wry smile to Serpina, who was nodding thoughtfully.

“It’s nothing more than that. It’s not about talent or insight; I merely perceive results. People might think of me as a legendary white-robed mage, but all that fame is closer to illusion.”

After hearing my words, Serpina paused in thought before speaking with a firm tone.

“I cannot agree with that, Swoen.”

“May I ask why?”

“Without talent or insight, wouldn’t back-calculating itself have been impossible? Even with the ability to foresee outcomes through the ‘Mind’s Eye,’ deducing why those outcomes occur requires extensive knowledge. I’m confident that even without the Mind’s Eye, you’d have become an excellent strategist.”

The unexpected compliment made me feel awkward and embarrassed.

“…I don’t think I’m that great.”

“You need to recognize your own worth more. Excessive modesty is tiresome. Hehehe…”

After laughing happily for a few minutes, Serpina suddenly blushed and grabbed my hand with both of hers.

“Lin… and Yuri failed to properly utilize an extraordinary talent like you and handed you over to me. How foolish. Truly foolish. In fact, Lin lost not only you but General Iren as well. To me, this entire situation feels like destiny, Swoen.”

As Serpina spoke, she licked her lips, making her desire for me almost comically obvious.

Well, in games too, a ruler with Divinity 100 is incredibly valuable. They always give the perfect answers, solving problems effortlessly.

Of course, there are limits—even if you’re beaten to death repeatedly, some things just won’t work—but being able to perfectly predict outcomes is undeniably helpful.

From Serpina’s perspective, I must be someone she wants to keep by her side no matter what.

But I…

“Swoen.”

Before I could continue my thoughts, Serpina interrupted me.

“Yes, my lord?”

“There’s an issue I’d like your advice on.”

“Not everything is possible, but…”

“It’s fine. If you can’t foresee it, just say so. Also, I won’t blindly follow your words, so there’s no need to feel pressured.”

Serpina looked at me brightly as she spoke.

I hesitated slightly but decided a few pieces of advice wouldn’t hurt. After all, I couldn’t change fate with my abilities alone, and occasionally, my responses were reasonably acceptable to the listener. For example, “It’s efficient to assign high-powered generals to repair castle walls.” Most of my predictions fell within this kind of range, except for a few perplexing ones that troubled me.

Thinking lightly about it…

Serpina threw me a fastball straight from deep within her arsenal.

“Me, Serpina von Einhardt… can I unify the continent and rebuild the Einhardt Empire?”