Chapter 70

I mulled over the prediction results again.

“[It depends on the will of the heavens],” huh?

I’d seen this prediction before.

This wasn’t literally about the heavens but rather meant that the outcome would change depending not on something else, but on my own actions.

But… what did it mean that the victory or defeat in this war depended not on someone else, but on me?

I had high divinity but ridiculously low combat stats. My leadership was probably low too. Those were traits of a general, not a strategist.

Of course, it’s not strange for a strategist to win battles with clever tactics, but I was only nominally a strategist – in reality, I was close to being a complete novice when it came to tactics.

And yet, they were saying the outcome of this battle depended on my choices?

Plus, there was some connection to retreating after getting somewhat close?

I was completely flabbergasted by these two predictions – which seemed unrelated yet both certain – when…

“Swoen?”

Epinal had no way of knowing I was confused and urged me for an answer once more.

Only then was I able to respond in a somewhat calm tone.

“Yes? Ah… I believe you’re right, Lady Epinal.”

Though the response was delayed, it seemed the situation was handled well enough.

“Everyone, listen up! Since we’ve decided to hold out at the fortress, prepare for battle. Museil, Jaden, and Iren. I’m counting on the three of you greatly.”

“We understand!”

Thus, instead of Ginoru’s suggestion to retreat, Epinal’s stance to hold ground was decided.

“Then let’s all return to our respective positions.”

With those words from Epinal, people dispersed, leaving only Iren and me in the now-empty meeting room.

“Swoen? Is something wrong?”

“Lady Iren.”

Iren, one of the key forces.

In a situation where even a couple of generals were lacking, her destiny was to fight on the battlefield.

If I couldn’t find the “optimal move” here… she would be the one in danger.

“If you have concerns, you can tell me.”

“No, I’m just a bit tense with the battle approaching.”

“I see.”

Iren smiled faintly as she spoke.

“Don’t worry, Swoen. Even if it means betraying the Aishias Army, I’ll protect you.”

“You shouldn’t say such reckless things that could cause trouble if overheard.”

“It doesn’t matter. What’s important to me isn’t others but you, Swoen. Haven’t I said I’ll live for you?”

Iren’s words were surely sincere, not boastful.

Even earlier, when Epinal asked me to perform a ritual, Iren tried to intervene despite knowing it would make her unpopular for speaking out strongly so soon after joining and potentially being blamed for Brance Army’s invasion.

The reason was easy to guess.

She believed that whenever I performed actions like rituals to invoke miracles, I was risking my life.

If the only way we could win was for me to summon another meteor, she’d likely choose defeat instead.

For Iren’s sake, I absolutely had to find the correct answer.

“I shall do the same, Lady Iren.”

“Yeah… I know.”

As she smiled and said that, I found her incredibly endearing.

That’s why…

I approached Iren and gently embraced her. It was an impulsive action, and I could feel her body slightly stiffen.

But soon, she opened her arms and placed her hands around my waist, accepting me into her world without rejecting me.

The warmth I felt from her embrace…

It made me feel alive and gave me the strength to keep going.

After sharing this silent moment of embrace…

“Swoen. I’ll go down and take care of what I need to do. If you need anything, feel free to come find me anytime.”

“Understood.”

After Iren left the meeting room, I was alone in the now-silent space.

Sitting down, I quietly muttered to myself.

“Alright. Shall we try this one more time?”

An ordinary modern person who could only make predictions that turned out 100% correct and knew nothing about strategy or tactics had to struggle to survive.

The moment had come again to engage in a kind of “deduction.”

Eliminating all impossibilities.

And whatever remained, however improbable, was the truth.

It would definitely be the case this time too.

Calmly, I began to think.

I had been given two absolute truths.

First, defeating the enemy and retreating meant “getting somewhat close.”

Second, the victory or defeat in this battle depended on “the will of the heavens,” meaning my choices.

Let’s organize this step by step.

At first, I got confused because I wasn’t thinking clearly.

When considering that my divinity 100 brain makes predictions not from my perspective but from the standpoint of the current faction I belong to – the Aishias Army – then…

Rather than referring to myself as Swoen, it means that if our army makes the right choice in this situation, we can win.

After calmly thinking it through, that’s how it settled.

So if our army does something…

“Maybe doing something first… or preparing against the enemy’s actions… one of these two?”

I slowly pulled out the paper hidden in my clothes.

This place was west of Falaharte Castle. In other words, it was east of Raclaine Castle, the easternmost point of the Brance Army.

That meant this area was included in the “map of the border regions of Brance” that I had drawn earlier.

If we needed to prepare for something, we could surely find hints in the terrain.

I spread out the map and carefully checked the terrain from Raclaine Castle to Falaharte Castle and the surrounding fortresses.

“There are quite a few forests around here.”

Could these nearby forests provide some clues?

Or maybe…

“No, that’s not it.”

Let’s switch perspectives.

Now, let’s think from the enemy’s point of view.

“What would I do if I were in the Brance Army?”

If I were Chel Brance…

Parphale, the strategist of the Brance Army, what thoughts and reasoning led to the decision to send over 50,000 troops to the fortress?

I slowly cleared my mind and focused on thinking.

If I were in the Brance Army’s position…

“If I were them, I wouldn’t send troops.”

Upon reflection, the very act of suddenly mobilizing troops felt questionable.

The reason…

It might sound funny to hear, but I still have to say it.

“Because there’s me, ‘Swoen,’ on this side.”

“Because Sween’s presence can’t be ignored… they wouldn’t just send troops head-on.”

I had predicted natural disasters and acted as if I caused them while I was with the Brance Army.

There’s no way the Brance Army overlooked this fact.

Parphale, the current strategist of the Brance nation, isn’t stupid enough to miss such basic considerations.

She must have considered this.

So why did they send troops anyway?

* * *

Raclaine Castle.

There, Chel and Parphale were having a private conversation.

On the table lay a single map showing the surrounding terrain.

“Strategist, it’s truly fortunate to see you in good health.”

“I’ve heard. The lord has ordered us to capture Aishias territory, correct?”

“That’s right. With Strategist Parphale assisting, I feel much more confident.”

“I, on the other hand, feel as if I’ve gained ten thousand soldiers with General Chel leading the vanguard.”

After exchanging pleasantries,

Chel immediately brought up the main topic.

“The commander guarding the fortress is Epinal Rosenkross.”

Epinal Rosenkross.

A woman praised as the most outstanding general in the Aishias army, excelling in all aspects without any glaring weaknesses.

Parphale was well aware of her reputation – one of the renowned “Three Greats of Aishias.”

Among them, Erhandorf had the strongest combat prowess, Emma had excellent leadership and intelligence, and Epinal was the one who could lead and unify these two.

If anything happened to Baranga Yuri Aishias, Epinal would almost certainly become the next ruler – a fact that sufficiently explained her capabilities.

“Our reconnaissance confirms a force of about 48,000 troops. Given that it’s a fortress rather than a castle, equipping ample siege weapons and intercepting their advancing forces should give us a decent chance of victory. However, our lord mentioned sending additional troops once the western front stabilizes. I’m contemplating whether to wait for those reinforcements or launch an immediate attack without giving them preparation time.”

Having finished speaking, Chel looked directly at Parphale and said,

“I would like to hear your esteemed opinion, Strategist.”

“…May I share my thoughts?”

Parphale pointed at the map with her finger.

“In the current state, regardless of the strategy employed, capturing the fortress is impossible. Engaging in direct combat itself is unreasonable.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t quite follow what you mean by ‘impossible.'”

“Have you forgotten, General? What happened at the northern fortress?”

“…”

The incident at the northern fortress – within the Brance army, it had long been referred to as “the event where rocks fell from the sky.”

And upon hearing this, Chel seemed to understand what Parphale was implying.

“Ah…”

“The traitor wasn’t just Iren Julieat. There was also a commander named Swoen under her. He’s an insightful man who can see through Aishias’ strategies and is intelligent enough to predict them. According to rumors, at that fortress, he loudly conducted a ritual to communicate with the heavens and invoked such a miracle. If our army recklessly charges into the fortress, will they simply engage in regular combat? Wouldn’t he likely perform the same ritual again and appeal to the heavens?”

Chel listened intently to her serious explanation without uttering a word.

“Whether his abilities manifest through some principle or if the rumors are true that it’s magic, we don’t know. But from our army’s perspective, there’s no need to test his abilities, is there?”

“…”

“Of course, it raises questions like ‘why didn’t he use this ability to invade earlier?’ As I mentioned before, there’s no reason for us to experiment with his powers.”

“Then what should we do? Essentially, do we have no chance of winning?”

“There is a method, though not entirely absent.”

Parphale moved her finger to the location of Raclaine Castle.

“To ultimately achieve victory in this battle, we need to immediately advance towards the fortress. More precisely… the fact of launching this attack itself is necessary.”

Hearing this, Chel seemed to realize something and nodded.

“So, Strategist, you mean…”

“That’s correct.”

Parphale nodded.

“The soldiers advancing towards the fortress are -”

* * *

“…The soldiers advancing towards the fortress are a bait… to tie me down?”

Without realizing it, I muttered aloud.

After repeatedly pondering, considering “what would I do if I were in the Brance Army’s position,” this conclusion came to mind.

Bait.

The thought that the vanguard heading here now might be bait wouldn’t leave my mind.