Chapter 256

* * *

This was the grand manor where Lunarien resided.

In one corner of the small reception room, Tifa and Violet sat facing each other across a desk.

“Thank you so much for taking the time today, Lady Tifa.”

“Oh, don’t mention it. It’s not like you’re just anyone—when Violet comes looking for me, I can’t help but come out of sheer curiosity. You don’t even use swords or anything, right? Or are you finally thinking about walking the path of warriors like your brother and sister?”

“It’s not that… there’s something I’d like to ask you.”

Violet said this while skillfully brewing tea.

Tifa drank the hot beverage heartily before making a subtle face and muttering,

“Ugh… too hot! Honestly, I have no idea what tea tastes like. Next time, maybe you could prepare beer instead—it’d be fine!”

“You’ll get scolded by Lady Luna if you start serving alcohol in the morning.”

“Aha!”

After exchanging a few trivial remarks like these…

“Um… this might sound random, but could you tell me about someone who served as a strategist at Jeilrant Castle back in the day?”

“Huh? You mean Swoen?”

“Yes.”

Tifa was one of only three people—alongside Luna and Cain-Kyle—who truly understood Sir Swoen. While Jinoru also had some acquaintance with him, it felt far more comfortable for Violet to ask Tifa, given how long they’d known each other.

“Why would you bring this up all of a sudden? Is something wrong?”

Violet briefly considered saying outright, “Lady Luna seems overly fixated on Sir Swoen,” but instinctively realized that bringing it up openly now wouldn’t be wise, even at her young age.

“Well… after hearing Lady Luna talk about it, I realized that Sir Swoen must have been an extremely important figure within our Lunarien Army. But my understanding feels fragmented, so I thought learning more beforehand could serve as useful study.”

If someone slightly sharper were here, they might’ve asked why knowing about a vassal rather than their own monarch would constitute “study”—but Tifa wasn’t exactly the type to overthink things. She took Violet’s words at face value without hesitation.

“Swoen… hmm, how do I put this? He was incredible. A guy who could make everything he said come true.”

“Everything he said came true?”

“Yeah. For example… let’s say Brance Army is marching toward us with enough troops to easily capture our castle. And then he just says, ‘Let me negotiate; hold out until then.’ And guess what—he actually returns with a successful negotiation. Oh yeah, and you know what’s really amazing?”

Tifa’s face lit up as she spoke about Swoen. In truth, this happened to everyone who knew him—they always seemed excited and passionate when talking about him, as if they’d encountered someone extraordinary.

“He managed to extract gold from the Brance Army during the treaty process.”

“…What?”

“I’m serious! We prepared gold for the negotiations because we figured we’d need to beg for peace. But Swoen somehow got them to pay *us*. Instead of giving them money, we ended up receiving payment for the agreement!”

If that was true, it sounded almost too good to believe—but considering Tifa wasn’t the kind to exaggerate, it probably was.

“Thinking back on those days, I used to think brute strength was all that mattered in war. But clearly, in actual warfare, having someone who knows how to use their brain is crucial.”

“That’s right…”

“I wish we could’ve kept working together longer. I bet we’d have seen even greater accomplishments. But now, I don’t even know where he is or what he’s doing…”

“Isn’t Sir Swoen supposedly under Serpina Army?”

Because of Luna’s reaction earlier, Violet cautiously probed the topic, but Tifa didn’t react as strongly as Luna had.

“Eh, that’s just rumors, right? I’ve decided never to believe anything unless I see it with my own eyes.”

“Is that so…”

Violet slowly lowered her head, gauging Tifa’s expression. This seemed safe enough. Though Tifa clearly held positive feelings towards Swoen, she didn’t display the same level of obsession as Luna did.

For a moment, Violet considered asking about Luna herself, but quickly dismissed the idea. As friendly as Tifa was, she didn’t feel like the right person to discuss such delicate matters with.

“Oh yeah, speaking of which—I almost forgot something important.”

“What is it?”

“You know… about Swoen.”

Tifa suddenly grew serious, causing Violet to nervously swallow dry throat.

But then, surprisingly, what came out of her mouth was—

“He was insanely handsome.”

“…”

“Seriously! When Luna first brought him around claiming he was some brilliant strategist, I initially thought she might’ve been swayed by his looks alone!”

Feeling slightly deflated, Violet gave a small laugh and replied,

“To that extent?”

“To that extent! Hey, isn’t your older brother Francis supposed to be pretty good-looking? I heard all the Einhardt royal family guys are handsome, and sure enough, he looked decent. But you know what? Even your brother would pale in comparison to Swoen. No joke.”

“…”

Even Violet couldn’t help but take notice this time. She knew her brother was attractive, but being told someone surpassed him was surprising.

“Believe me!”

Though studying to become a strategist, Violet was still a teenage girl who had entered the academy during adolescence, so naturally, she found herself intrigued—for a brief moment.

“…I suppose.”

But in times when people were dying every day, how important was someone’s appearance, really?

Still, Violet enjoyed conversing with Tifa. Despite being a fearsome warrior wielding massive axes on the battlefield, Tifa turned out to be quite entertaining in casual conversation—and in these trying times, lighthearted banter carried its own value.

Afterward, Violet continued listening to various stories about Swoen from Tifa. Except for Luna’s apparent excessive fixation on him, he seemed like a genuinely good person.

* * *

Everyone had braced themselves for the fact that peace couldn’t last forever in the face of rebellion—but witnessing its end firsthand was undeniably shocking.

“The Karelia Army… has moved?”

“Yes. Their estimated total troop count is approximately 203,000.”

The soldier wearing a vivid red badge on one arm reported grimly.

An army mobilizing nearly every available soldier—a force so large it dwarfed any expectations. To securely capture Tevelo Castle, which housed barely over 90,000 defenders, they’d only needed about twice that number.

Luna sighed softly and turned her gaze toward Jinoru standing beside her.

“It appears the rumors of Roland Army signing a non-aggression pact were true.”

“Indeed. With such a massive deployment, their remaining territories must essentially be left undefended.”

As Jinoru pointed out, it was inevitable that the Karelia Army had struck some form of non-aggression agreement with Roland Army. While there might’ve been costs involved, nothing else could explain their strategy for wiping out the Lunarien Army so efficiently.

“Is there any chance they didn’t sign a treaty with Roland Army?”

“It’s best to assume otherwise. Karelia is a cautious individual.”

“And what about the possibility that Roland breaks the treaty and tries to seize Karelia’s territory?”

“That likelihood is also minimal. From Roland’s perspective, their best move is to maximize gains through diplomacy with Karelia. Moving troops directly risks losing their homeland to Hesna Army, leaving them with neither advantage nor disadvantage—an ambiguous decision at best.”

“Of course…”

Luna quickly agreed with Jinoru’s assessment. If she were in Roland’s position, she’d likely prefer securing reasonable agreements rather than rashly pursuing Karelia’s lands.

Regardless, battle was imminent. The first conflict signaling the end of prolonged southern peace loomed ahead.

“Lord Jinoru.”

“Yes, milady?”

“Do you believe our army stands a chance in this fight?”

“…”

Jinoru hesitated momentarily before meeting Luna’s eyes squarely.

“Would you allow me to speak frankly?”

“My reason for temporarily appointing you as our strategist is precisely because I seek honest answers.”

“…”

Jinoru closed his eyes briefly, maintaining silence, then resolved to deliver the brutal truth.

“Based solely on the information I currently possess, our chances of winning this battle… are nonexistent.”