Chapter 210

* * *

This memory was a fragment of time that Luna always cherished deep within her heart.

One day during the brief period of peace she spent with Swoen after achieving what seemed impossible at Jeilrant Castle, it all came rushing back.

“Swoen-sama!”

Making her way past the Audience Chamber to the Study tucked away in a quiet corner of the small Royal Palace, there she found Swoen—the sole intellectual of the Lunarien Army, who had been practically serving as the Nation’s Strategist since being first recruited. The silver-haired young man was sketching something with his quill.

“You’ve arrived, my Lord.”

“What are you doing right now?”

“I was drawing a map.”

Upon hearing this, Luna stealthily approached and peeked over to see a rather detailed map of the terrain surrounding Jeilrant Castle.

“Wow… Swoen-sama, did you originally work as a cartographer?”

“Not exactly. I’ve just traveled around quite a bit.”

Though his skin was surprisingly clean for someone who claimed to have wandered the continent extensively, Luna didn’t question him further. She trusted Swoen—after all, who else would believe in her if not the one person who chose her?

Indeed, ever since he arrived, the Lunarien Army began brimming with vitality. Tifa, her childhood friend, was one thing, but Cain, who had suddenly sought refuge under her banner, was initially nothing more than a lackluster commander who merely carried out orders half-heartedly. However, thanks to Swoen’s guidance, which yielded impressive results, even Cain seemed to have developed a newfound enthusiasm for managing the internal affairs of the nation.

Truthfully, Luna herself had changed too. It was indeed a joy to claim her small territory and raise her own flag, but as she continually faced harsh realities, she feared her little kingdom would eventually fall victim to the Brance Army like so many others around her. That is, until he arrived, giving her hope—a belief that perhaps she really could achieve greatness.

All of this happened because of Swoen’s arrival. Thus, Luna couldn’t help but repeat those words once again.

“Swoen-sama, you’re truly remarkable.”

“…”

Upon hearing this, Swoen paused mid-stroke with his quill before turning to face Luna and letting out a short sigh.

While such casual behavior might be inappropriate for a subordinate addressing their sovereign, Luna wasn’t the type to dwell on such formalities.

“My Lord, as I mentioned last time… wouldn’t it be better if we spoke informally when we’re alone?”

“But I find this way more comfortable.”

“While your comfort is important, to become the future ruler of the unified continent, you must command respect from your subordinates. As your subordinate, I am merely here to serve Lady Lunarien. Using honorifics in front of me does not set a good example.”

“I understand your point… but our country is still small. When the time comes, I’ll make an effort to speak informally as you suggested!”

“…”

Swoen stared at Luna for a moment before looking away again. This prompted a sudden curiosity within her.

“Swoen-sama, may I ask you something?”

“Speak your mind, my Lord.”

“Do you really think I can become the ruler who unifies the continent?”

At this, Swoen’s hand froze mid-motion. He slowly turned his head and asked,

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well, you often tell me things like ‘You must cultivate the dignity of a unifying ruler’ or ‘A future ruler of the continent shouldn’t act like this.’ And though it’s embarrassing for me to say… well…”

Luna blushed deeply, lowering her head while nervously tapping her fingers together.

“The truth is, I feel our nation lacks so much compared to others capable of unifying the continent. Sure, I’m managing Jeilrant Castle fairly well, and we’ve successfully repelled the Brance Army multiple times, but… somehow, you seem so confident about it…”

“I trust your determination and potential because these are my words and your aspirations. But… uhh… ahaha, it’s hard to put into words…”

Luna knew herself well enough—she admitted she wasn’t very clever. Even Tifa had scolded her numerous times for being too soft-hearted to be a proper ruler.

But…

Swoen continued issuing instructions with the assumption that she would become the “unifying ruler.” Though everything he’d said thus far had proven correct, Luna couldn’t help but wonder why he placed such unwavering faith in her.

Being earnest by nature, she felt compelled to understand.

After gazing off into the distance for a moment, Swoen finally met her gaze and replied,

“Well, there is a condition under which Lady Lunarien could certainly become the unifying ruler.”

“A condition?”

“If you promise not to laugh, I’ll gladly explain.”

Hearing this, Luna flailed her hands frantically, startled.

“Laugh?! No way! I would never mock anything Swoen-sama says!”

Swoen adopted a serious expression, as if steeling himself for something, then declared,

“All you need to do is follow my instructions without question.”

“…Eh?”

“In other words, simply do exactly as I say. No matter what I ask, don’t doubt and just follow my orders completely. Before you know it, you’ll naturally become the unifying ruler.”

As Luna listened to Swoen’s earnest explanation, she stood there dumbfounded for a moment before gradually breaking into a smile.

“I see… I guess I was asking something unnecessary again. Of course, I should diligently follow Swoen-sama’s advice. Sorry, I’m being silly.”

“No, I wasn’t joking. I’m deadly serious.”

“Hehe… Still, I think I understand what I did wrong.”

Naturally, if someone says, “Just do whatever I tell you,” it sounds like a joke to the listener. So why did he joke around? From Luna’s perspective, it wasn’t hard to figure out after some thought. To him, her question was essentially meaningless—it was akin to whining.

So perhaps Swoen wasn’t just giving her a casual answer; instead, he wanted her to realize that asking such questions was inappropriate. Thinking back to their first meeting, he had already asked her to place absolute trust in him. Considering that—his response made sense.

After some time passed, Swoen sighed again and continued,

“My Lord needs to become more pragmatic. A ruler must sometimes get their hands dirty. There will be times when blood must stain your hands. Noble ideals alone cannot make a ruler.”

“Can I really do that?”

“It’s not about whether you can—it’s something you must do.”

“Still… it feels so difficult… I feel apologetic for doubting myself again.”

To Luna’s dejected tone, Swoen paused briefly before responding,

“Even so, your strength lies in maintaining your noble ideals no matter what happens. If that resolve remains unchanged, you will undoubtedly shape the future of the continent as you envision.”

“Swoen-sama…”

Listening to Swoen’s words, Luna lowered her head shyly, feeling her cheeks grow warm. Sometimes, it felt like he appeared before her just to fill the void inside her—always saying exactly what she needed to hear. It gave her an inexplicable warmth in her chest.

Without saying anything further, Swoen turned back to his quill and resumed sketching, casually adding,

“Don’t worry too much, my Lord. There’s no need to rush. No matter how dire the current situation seems, in the end, we will prevail.”

“!!”

Somehow… those words wrapped around Luna like a magical spell from a legend. They carried an almost sacred certainty that everything would unfold exactly as he said.

“So don’t lose heart. Unless something extraordinary happens, I’ll be by Lady Lunarien’s side.”

The confidence radiating from him filled a gap within the Lunarien Army—a piece they lacked but desperately needed to chase their dreams. Luna smiled brightly at the man who now felt like her irreplaceable strategist.

“…Yes!”

* * *

“I remember your promise of unconditional trust. Could it have been a lie?”

Right.

“I am not offering myself as a sacrificial lamb. As your vassal, I merely chose the best course of action. We will surely survive. And we will meet again.”

Swoen-sama, please wait for me.

On the fateful day—

the very day he bore everything for us,

when he handed me the world with his silver hair,

and sacrificed himself to save me alone against the Brance Army—

“Lady Lunarien. If you trust me, I will place the world in your hands.”

Beyond mere trust—

Not for a single moment had Luna stopped thinking about that man.

――And now.

“Hold on…”

Only after hearing Tifa’s words did Luna recall the fundamental reason she was standing here today and objectively assess the current situation.

Defying opposition from Karelia, she placed unilateral trust in her. The position of Commander-in-Chief of the invading forces—a role of immense power.

With this authority, Lunarien could freely redeploy troops and even requisition additional supplies—all justified under the guise of war preparations. There would be no need to escalate matters to the Monarch.

Of course, considering Vanessa’s significant influence within the state, this power might only last momentarily.

Still…

Luna slowly opened her hands and stared at them.

If she decided to betray Karelia’s trust…

――These hands would gain control of Tevelo Castle, a strategically advantageous territory, along with over 93,000 troops and ample supplies.

Would she abandon righteousness for practical gains?

Or would she uphold her integrity, even amidst chaos?

Luna instinctively realized:

Whatever decision she made now…

It might alter everything going forward.