Chapter 240 - Darkmtl
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Chapter 240

And so, after shaking off a few more soldiers, Emma continued to dash forward.

Finally, the doors of the Audience Chamber came into view, and Emma roughly threw them open.

“Ah…”

The moment she arrived, Emma’s gaze fell upon her eternal comrades—

Epinal, Anima, and Yuri. But one person was missing. The man who always seemed like he’d steadfastly guard us from his position was nowhere to be found.

“…Yuri.”

Emma asked in a trembling voice.

“Where’s Ern… where did he go?”

“…”

“Of course… it isn’t… true, is it?”

As Emma slowly approached Yuri,

“Ern… Ern is… dead… right?”

The moment the word “dead” left her lips, she could feel the emotions she had been suppressing start to boil over.

Her voice didn’t just tremble; tears began streaming down her eyes.

Neither Epinal, nor Anima, nor Yuri could properly answer Emma’s lost question.

“Why won’t anyone answer me…?”

Thud, thud.

Emma silently approached Lord Yuri even closer.

She was now so close that if she leaned forward, her nose would almost touch his.

Even though such behavior might be considered disrespectful for a vassal, at this moment their relationship wasn’t simply that of master and subordinate.

“…Answer me, Yuri! Is it true that Ern is dead!!!”

Emma grabbed Yuri by the collar.

Despite all the absurd events unfolding, Yuri didn’t get angry but simply allowed himself to be held without a word.

“Em, Emma! Calm down…!”

Anima and Epinal tried to intervene, watching sadly from the side, but Yuri stopped them with a gesture.

It was a silent plea: Let me handle this, please.

“Emma.”

Towards Emma, who unleashed her unfiltered anger towards him, Yuri responded softly.

“…I’m really sorry.”

“Aaah… Aaaah…”

With those words, Emma’s strength gave out, and she collapsed onto the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.

“Why… why… why did this happen!!!”

Among the five of them, they had an exceptionally close bond, but there were especially close relationships within that group as well.

For instance, Yuri and Anima, who had shared hardships since their academy days like sisters, and Emma and Erhandorf, who had always trusted and relied on each other as comrades serving under Yuri.

They had always believed they’d continue together forever, even when serving the Aishias family and later joining the Aishias Army formed by Yuri, the sole survivor of the clan.

The battlefield was both unfair and fair. Anyone could become a hero, and anyone could lose their life in an instant.

Thinking about Erhandorf’s battle style of always being at the forefront, it struck her now—his very survival until this moment might have been a miracle.

“AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!”

Yuri watched silently as Emma cried, closing his eyes and waiting until she calmed down.

Epinal turned his head away, while Anima discreetly wiped her tears with her sleeve.

Erhandorf is gone. That towering symbol of willpower is no longer with us.

Anima glanced at Yuri’s expression.

Seeing the deep shadows under his eyes, she was certain. Likely, the one suffering the most right now was the monarch, Yuri.

After all, it was she who made the decision to send Erhandorf to the frontlines and appoint Anima as the general to swiftly capture the castle with minimal troops.

Even if she hadn’t made that decision, as the ruler, she bore the responsibility—it was her duty.

How much time passed?

When Emma’s crying finally subsided, Yuri slowly opened his eyes.

“Emma… wait just a little longer. We’ll avenge our enemy, your enemy… I promise.”

Two differently colored irises burned fiercely, as if ready to devour someone at any moment.

“Hold on.”

Interrupting the talk of vengeance, Anima, who had silently wiped her tears, spoke up.

“Are you thinking about engaging the Chel Army in a full-scale war?”

“What else can we do besides that?”

“…”

Anima hesitated, wanting to say something to Yuri, who seemed to barely maintain her composure, but swallowed her words.

Yes, she understood Yuri’s feelings. She herself was furious.

However, the most appropriate action right now wasn’t to engage in a full-scale war with Chel but, as previously mentioned, to redirect their efforts and fight against the Hesna Army instead.

“Well, do you have anything to say, Anima?”

Her tone was low and cold—nothing like the usual gentle Yuri. It felt like a blade that could slice through anything.

Anima couldn’t say anything.

In truth, she could have spoken. It wasn’t fear that kept her silent. Rather, her own guilt was desperately preventing her from speaking.

After all, it was Yuri who sacrificed everything, accounting for massive losses, to save her life.

If not for Yuri, there was no guarantee that Serpina wouldn’t have taken her head. That woman was capricious and despicable beyond measure, and she likely would’ve used Anima like a chess piece to strike at Yuri.

The only reason she escaped that fate was because Yuri discarded her own dignity and sold out her commander, and the beneficiary of that sacrifice… was none other than Anima herself.

No matter how much Anima might not have wanted it, as long as she was alive and breathing in this moment, how could she possibly ignore such a favor?

Thus, Anima couldn’t bring herself to say things like, “Erhandorf wouldn’t have wanted this. Instead of seeking revenge now, let’s focus on the long-term benefit of the Aishias Army. If we prepare, we’ll surely find a chance for vengeance.”

Anima’s actions became restrained, shackled by Yuri’s selfless act to save her.

“…That’s enough. This isn’t the time for a slow discussion.”

Yuri glanced at Anima, who couldn’t bring herself to speak, then slowly turned her head toward Emma, who knelt on the floor, and extended her hand.

“Emma, stand up.”

“…”

“To avenge our enemy. To avenge Erhandorf. And, Chel Brance…”

Yuri’s eyebrows twitched.

A level of anger she had never experienced before surged forth.

From this moment on, Chel Brance would inevitably become an object of hatred for her, surpassing even Serpina.

“We need to make sure he knows exactly what he has done, don’t we?”

“With our own hands, we’ll cut off his head, hang it in Falaharte Castle, and honor Erhandorf’s memory. Understand?”

After saying this, Yuri turned to Epinal.

“Epinal. Please prepare for immediate deployment.”

“Invading immediately?”

“Yeah.”

Epinal paused for a moment, then slowly nodded.

“…Understood. Leave it to me. I also have a debt to settle with that bastard.”

“That’s great. Thank you.”

Anima looked at Yuri, who forced a smile while expressing gratitude, then slowly closed her eyes and bowed her head.

――There’s nothing I can do.

Even though she knew something was wrong, the cruel reality that she could do absolutely nothing in this situation―

was tormenting Anima, the survivor, more than ever.

* * *

“So, General Erhandorf… has died?”

Upon returning home, I relayed the news I heard from Serpina to Iren and Miss Reika.

“That’s terrible… Master Erhandorf…”

Both of them must have known Erhandorf.

Miss Reika spent quite a long time in Falaharte Castle, and Lady Iren worked under Yuri alongside me.

Lady Iren probably had a closer relationship with Erhandorf than I did.

“So it seems there will be a major war between the Chel Army and the Aishias Army for the time being.”

After hearing my words, Iren poured tea into my empty cup and said.

Unintentionally, it was the same kind of leaf we often drank during our time with the Aishias Army.

“Yuri-sama has always highly valued the founding ministers. Evidence of that is Swen—you’re here, aren’t you?”

“Even if it seems like there’s nothing to gain from going up against the Chel Army, Yuri-sama isn’t the type to change sides.”

“That’s true…”

Iren must have realized that engaging in a full-scale war with Chel isn’t the best choice for them right now.

Regardless, this decision could lead the Aishias Army to waste its accumulated potential meaninglessly.

“Um…”

At that moment,

Reika, who had been quietly listening, raised her hand to interject.

“Miss Reika, is there something you’d like to say?”

“It’s just that… I had a conversation with Lady Serpina…”

“?”

“…”

After hesitating for a bit, Reika bowed her head several times and spoke.

“I’m sorry! I just… need to organize my thoughts a bit more… I’ll explain once I’ve sorted it out. When I try to verbalize it, it feels overwhelming…”

“No, it’s fine. Please explain when you’re ready.”

“Uh… I apologize…”

“Not at all, Miss Reika. If it’s not urgent, taking time to think is important.”

“Lady Iren…”

Reika said this while leaning her head on Iren’s shoulder.

Though slightly embarrassed, Iren didn’t push her away.

I was curious about what Reika wanted to say, but I already knew that she needed time when she acted like this.

Instead, something else caught my attention.

“…They’ve gotten pretty close, haven’t they?”

I wondered when they had grown this intimate, but from my perspective, it was good that these two got along so well.

Then,

“…!”

Why was it?

The figures of Lady Serpina and Lady Luna, who weren’t here, momentarily flashed before my eyes.

Their presence sitting in empty seats, mingling with these two.

I blinked my eyes several times. …Was it a hallucination?

“Swen…?”

Noticing something strange, Iren looked at me with concern.

“Ah… no, I’m just a bit tired today.”

“Is that so? Well, it’s fine if that’s the case.”

“If… if there’s anything you need help with… please let us know!”

Reika, looking flustered, assured me.

To calm her down, I put on a smile.

“Understood.”

Actually, it wasn’t troubling.

Though I don’t know why I saw those images momentarily…

If those two could truly face each other and smile, it would be a wonderful sight for me.

So, I spent some time with the two people who are currently by my side.

…There’s still so much left ahead.


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I Became a Strategist with 100 Intelligence and 100% Accuracy

I Became a Strategist with 100 Intelligence and 100% Accuracy

지력 100의 적중률 100% 책사가 되었다
Status: Ongoing
I found myself possessing a character with 100 intelligence in a classic medieval fantasy-style territorial conquest game. An intelligence stat of 100 — this meant my predictions would always be accurate without fail. But since I was a weakling without strength and didn't even understand why things turned out the way they did, I figured it was best to live quietly. However... leaders who discovered my abilities started to obsess over me.

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