Chapter 32

“An invasion of the north… is that what you’re suggesting?”

For the first time, Parphale didn’t bother to hide her startled expression.

As if she’d heard something completely unexpected.

“Yes.”

At my words, the vassals who had been quietly listening to the discussion began to murmur.

Iren, too, looked at me in surprise.

She clearly hadn’t expected me to go this far.

And why would she? I hadn’t expected myself to say such a thing either.

“But… Sir Swoen, do you even realize what you’re suggesting?”

I could see sweat trickling down Parphale’s forehead.

There was no trace of the woman who usually dominated with authority.

Instead, she seemed flustered by the absurd topic I had brought up.

Right then.

‘Ah, maybe I can use this.’

I chose the most natural words possible and casually asked,

“What exactly are you talking about?”

“The best course of action would be to send troops to attack Serpina Army’s territory in the north, wouldn’t it?”

How convenient, providing me with such a perfect example.

I quickly inputted Parphale’s question.

‘Sending troops to the north to attack Serpina Army’s territory—is this the most efficient option at this moment?’

The question was set.

All that remained was for the conclusion to appear.

[Yes.]

‘Of course.’

Given that I had already trimmed away all unnecessary elements through deduction after deduction, I had anticipated this result.

Still, without relying on predictions, my personal guess based on experience left me somewhat lacking in confidence.

Now that we have the seal of approval from a Divinity 100 brain, there’s no more hesitation needed.

This month’s best move for Brance Army was undoubtedly an attack on Serpina’s territory in the north.

Though I don’t know why yet.

Whether Parphale realized I was thinking this or not, she spoke faster than before, almost firing off her words.

“With our current national strength, we cannot invade any castle in the northern continent. Not only are we outnumbered compared to Serpina Army’s vast territories and total number of soldiers, but their troops have gained immense experience swiftly conquering the north and suppressing scattered rebellions. While our army has also gained experience through many battles, Serpina’s troops, having aggressively expanded their conquests, are undoubtedly more skilled.”

Moreover, they’ve likely recruited every mercenary unit stationed in the northern continent by now.

Though she doesn’t seem to know that yet.

“Besides, let’s assume we sortie from Kelshtain Castle. The closest, and perhaps only viable target, would be Cherryen Castle to the northeast. It currently houses around forty thousand troops. Considering the scale of a siege, we’d need at least seventy to eighty thousand men. If we gather more forces and combine them with smaller fortresses near the northern front, it might not be impossible. However, doing so would inevitably leave Kelshtain Castle empty, and the forts and castles to the northwest, like Chorrel Castle, won’t just sit idly by watching.”

After saying that, she took a deep breath.

My suggestion must have really thrown her off.

“To prevent that, we could withdraw troops from other borders. Though peace agreements still exist with neighboring countries, those will likely end soon. And invading northern castles—considering both distance and troop numbers—simply isn’t something we can accomplish within such a short period. Serpina Army isn’t a weak nation.”

Having said that much, she looked directly into my eyes and continued.

“So, I don’t understand why you made such a suggestion, Sir Swoen. If there’s any basis for it, I’d like to hear it. Why did you come to this conclusion?”

Basis?

There’s none.

It’s simply because my prediction told me so.

But…

Luna isn’t here.

Lin Brance won’t blindly trust me like that.

In fact, realistically speaking, aside from Luna, there’s probably no one who would blindly believe my wild claims.

So, I need to explain something.

If I had time to think carefully while considering the verified prediction, I might have come up with a plausible story—but right now, there’s too little information available.

What should I say?

While pondering this while maintaining eye contact with her, that very moment—

“That’s enough.”

A voice came from behind.

Looking back, Lin was already approaching us.

Neither Parphale nor I had noticed her coming closer as we were so engrossed in our conversation.

“I’ll cut it here since the discussion is getting too long. Are you both okay with that?”

Stopping the debate here?

I easily understood Lin’s intentions.

‘She doesn’t want to be convinced by my argument.’

Because the topic I raised was so radical, the upcoming discussion would likely revolve around me.

Since she tends to overestimate me, she probably thought I’d propose some brilliant strategy.

If that happened, the vassals would likely be persuaded as well.

Then, my idea—meaning Iren’s suggestion—might become the monthly guideline.

And Lin seems to want to prevent that.

Though it’s a rather petty move for a ruler, given her previous attitude towards Iren, it’s understandable.

However…

The assumption itself—that I’d propose something convincing—is entirely wrong.

I’ve just recently gained confidence; I haven’t even thought about why yet.

But, I can’t let her misunderstanding go unused.

“I… ”

“My lord’s decision is fine with me.”

I preemptively answered.

Parphale hesitated for a moment while looking at me but eventually nodded.

“…I’m fine with it too.”

“Yeah, that’s good.”

Lin was quite arrogant as a ruler.

Someone who rarely tolerates anything that goes against her mood.

You could tell just by observing how she treated Iren when she wasn’t pleased.

Probably, Parphale, who serves her closely, understands this better than anyone.

“Alright, let’s take a vote. Those who think Parphale’s opinion is better, raise your hands.”

Following her words, the crowd unanimously raised their hands.

Not much different from before.

“Next, those who think we should switch to Iren’s suggestion, raise your hands.”

This time, no one raised their hand.

Considering the discussion ended here, it was a predictable outcome.

Anyway, it didn’t matter. Even if Brance Army didn’t make the optimal choice, it wouldn’t change my life.

Their regrets were theirs, not mine.

“…That settles it, Swoen. There was no clear winner in the debate, but it seems Parphale had the upper hand. You couldn’t persuade the people, it seems.”

I bowed deeply, trying to look as humble as possible, and replied in the politest tone I could muster.

“How could I possibly win a debate against Lady Parphale? I consider this a learning experience.”

“…”

Parphale’s gaze on me was far from ordinary…

But somehow, I managed to navigate this situation well.

After all, gaining Iren’s favor is all I need.

With that, the debate concluded.

I slowly returned to my usual seat behind Iren.

She was looking at me with evident concern.

You don’t have to worry so much.

Lin loudly announced to liven up the atmosphere.

“Our army’s guideline for this month is ‘the assault on Falaharte Castle.’ Everyone, give your best effort in your respective roles.”

“Understood!”

The subordinates’ voices echoed throughout the royal palace.

Lin then raised her hand and spoke.

“Next, let’s assign everyone their roles. I’ve posted what needs to be done on the castle walls, so check accordingly. With that, I’ll conclude this monthly meeting. Everyone, thank you for your hard work.”

With that—

My first monthly meeting with Brance Army was over.

* * *

After the subordinates left, the royal palace became slightly quieter, except for the guards.

There, Parphale paced back and forth with a serious expression.

“Swoen… How does he know everything?”

Despite trying not to show it during the debate, everything he said in the early stages was correct.

The secret pact proposal from Charan Army.

The envoy who visited some time ago with gold for improving relations subtly mentioned a grand plan to me.

The ruler being present made it difficult to discuss openly, so he whispered it only to me.

That’s when I learned about Aishias Army’s plan to invade Alepel Army.

And indeed…

Listening to Swoen, his arguments were somewhat convincing.

Why hasn’t Aishias Army occupied such a small country until now?

Rather than not occupying, it feels more natural to say they couldn’t occupy.

If that’s the case, what’s the reason?

Up to that point, I was genuinely impressed by Swoen.

I started to understand why Lin paid so much attention to him.

Until he suggested attacking Serpina’s territory in the north.

“That’s absurd.”

During debates, throwing out ridiculous suggestions to shake the opponent’s mindset isn’t unheard of.

I’m not sure how he detected my reaction to his absurd proposal, but his words felt exaggerated.

Then.

“Parphale.”

“Yes?”

Lin, seated on the throne, spoke.

“What do you think? About Swoen’s opinion.”

“Regarding the opinion to attack Serpina’s territory in the north?”

“Yeah.”

Without hesitation, Parphale answered immediately.

“It’s a highly impractical suggestion. Didn’t you interrupt the debate precisely because you thought so, my lord?”

“…Hmm…”

Her answer wasn’t entirely satisfying, but she had no intention of changing her mind.

“The north isn’t a concern for now. This Parphale promises to secure Falaharte Castle for you, my lord.”

“…”

Lin fell silent, lost in thought.

‘Why did I cut the debate short?’

Lin knew Swoen wasn’t an ordinary man.

He had hinted at knowing that Serpina Army in the north might attack Brance Army.

Could he have connections in the north?

Perhaps he somehow gathered intelligence about the situation or trends there and based his statements on that?

After all, without performing some kind of ‘miracle,’ the humiliating ceasefire agreement wouldn’t have been achieved back then.

Thus, despite its absurdity, she secretly wondered if his suggestion might actually be feasible.

However…

Swoen wasn’t presenting his own opinion.

What Swoen advocated was, strictly speaking, Iren’s opinion.

If Swoen had won the debate and convinced everyone, Brance Army would have adopted Iren’s proposal as the monthly guideline.

She didn’t want that.

Even the normally cold-headed ruler, when it came to Iren Julieat, lost her judgment.

Swoen’s prediction proved accurate.

Of course.

Regardless of her personal feelings toward Iren—if Swoen’s words were trustworthy, she would reconsider.

But wasn’t her initial speculation about him somehow gathering intelligence just a far-fetched tale?

No matter how much she recommended Swoen, she couldn’t blindly trust him without solid evidence.

She had other advisors besides Swoen, including several strategists like Parphale.

Still, since these were Swoen’s words, which seemed strangely insightful, she couldn’t completely ignore them.

‘Perhaps it would be wise to station some troops in the north, anticipating any incidents.’

Unlike Iren’s suggestion, she wouldn’t send a large force—

but detaching a few troops from those meant for the Aishias Army invasion seemed reasonable.

By the way, Swoen lives in the same house as Iren, doesn’t he?

They both seem to get along well since neither complains.

If Iren comes to apologize or Swoen says he’s uncomfortable, I’ll arrange something then—

but if they don’t approach me, what can I do?

‘…That’s settled.’

Lin was a stubborn woman.

If two people were content, she wouldn’t bother changing things.

This inflexible nature sometimes enhanced her charisma as a leader but also led to rigid decisions.

And regarding Swoen, whose evaluations were becoming increasingly complex—

“Swoen, whether you can become mine or not… I need more time to figure that out.”

No matter how capable someone is, if they ultimately can’t belong to her…

She absentmindedly twisted her hair—a habit she had when deep in thought.

* * *