Chapter 87

“Has Hisfil Castle truly fallen?”

“That’s correct.”

At Vanessa’s words, Karelia stroked her chin and said, “It feels like Serpina’s army is right at our doorstep…”

Though above them were still the armies of Roland and Hesna, they remained outside the influence of Serpina’s forces. However, the collapse of Brance’s army, which was supposed to block the center like a sturdy wall, came as nothing short of a shock from Karelia’s perspective.

“An incredible blitzkrieg. As soon as Kelshtain Castle fell, it seems they’re advancing like lightning.”

“We need to start preparing ourselves too.”

“Preparing for what?”

Vanessa nodded.

“Even if Brance’s army hasn’t been pushed back yet, with this momentum, Serpina’s forces will soon be bordering Roland and Hesna’s territories. We must seize that timing and strike.”

“Vanessa, I understand your meaning… but even Serpina’s army can’t handle such an extended front line. Moreover, we have Aishias’ army to the east who’ve already consolidated their neighboring countries. And Lord Roland Jenis isn’t a fool; he won’t move first while Hesna’s army is nearby.”

Currently, the four southern nations maintained a perfect balance, walking parallel paths where none could attack first nor propose alliances without creating awkward situations. This delicate equilibrium among the continent’s vassals was now being shaken by Serpina’s invasion into the Central Continent.

“An opportunity will surely come. Serpina is quite aggressive after all.”

“Hmm… But even if we somehow time our attack on Roland’s army perfectly, doing so would mean we’d directly face Serpina’s forces, stretching our frontlines further… Can our current strength handle that?”

Currently, Karelia’s army bordered two nations: Roland’s army to the north and Ohana’s army to the east. To the left stretched treacherous mountains leading to the Western Continent, while the south touched the sea. Attacking any nation under siege by Serpina would inevitably pit them against Roland’s forces.

However…

When Vanessa shook her head in response, she said, “My lord, you’re mistaken.”

“Mistaken?”

“We shouldn’t attack Roland’s army.”

“…What did you say?”

Vanessa emphasized strongly, “When Serpina’s army invades Roland’s and Hesna’s territories, the place we should attack is not them but the Ohana army beside us.”

“…!”

Karelia stared at Vanessa in surprise before nodding as if realizing something.

“…Is that so.”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

Vanessa bowed deeply and explained politely, “Roland’s army will be too preoccupied dealing with Serpina to worry about us. While attacking such a distracted Roland wouldn’t be a bad decision, it would inevitably bring us into direct conflict with Serpina. Thus, we must take advantage of the moment when both Roland and Hesna are occupied with Serpina to attack Ohana instead.”

If Karelia’s army could occupy Ohana’s territory without interference from the two northern nations, it would end the long-standing stalemate among the four countries, likely making themselves the victors in the south.

“So, finally, the time has come…”

Karelia fell silent in thought. The most crucial point for attacking Ohana would undoubtedly be Tevelo Castle, their forward base.

“My lord, may I have full responsibility for this?”

“Full responsibility?”

“Yes. To prepare for war efficiently, I request temporary absolute authority as your ruler.”

In Karelia’s army, power concentrated around its monarch, Makana Karelia. This wasn’t due to her nature but rather because Vanessa, trusted by Karelia and granted significant autonomy as the nation’s strategist, had structured the power dynamics this way.

In essence, receiving full authority from Makana Karelia meant becoming the de facto leader of the country.

Karelia hesitated briefly but quickly realized there was no real dilemma here.

‘…Objectively speaking, Vanessa knows far more about war than I do.’

Her principle was simple: use talented commanders effectively regardless of rank. That’s why she appointed Lunaarien, someone new to Tevelo Castle, and continued operating under the same rules today.

“Alright. Vanessa, I’ll leave it to you.”

“I’ll make sure to bring good news.”

Vanessa bowed respectfully. It was the first time anyone besides Karelia held power within the army.

…

“Are you saying we should conscript soldiers?”

“That’s correct.”

Tevelo Castle’s Lady Luna frowned.

“But as you know, we recently experienced an epidemic within the castle walls. Recruiting soldiers at this time would mean many territorial people losing their breadwinners.”

Including Tevelo Castle, several territories near Ohana’s side suffered from a severe epidemic. Though thankfully it had mostly subsided, the scars remained deep across the land. Conscription would inevitably pull away able-bodied men, placing a heavy burden on the remaining population.

The commander delivering the order spoke firmly, “The lord’s command is clear: we must expand our fighting force to a certain scale.”

“The lord’s command? Is that true?”

Upon hearing this, Luna couldn’t believe it. Could the same Karelia who cared deeply about her people’s livelihoods issue such a cold-hearted order?

Then,

The commander casually mentioned something odd.

“In practical terms, it’s practically the lord’s command. Please act accordingly.”

“What? What does that mean?”

The commander hesitated briefly before bowing and explaining, “Lady, all I can say is that this is essentially the lord’s command. Please consider that.”

“…”

Though phrased as the lord’s command, the phrase “practically the lord’s command” implied it didn’t originate from Karelia herself. This puzzled Luna— if not Karelia, then who issued this order?

After pondering this, Luna shook her head. The messenger merely relayed orders from above; pressing him for details would only make things awkward. She understood this well.

“…Understood. I shall follow the lord’s command.”

“Thank you for your understanding, my lady.”

After the commander left, Luna sat in her chair, lost in thought.

“Expand our forces…”

She didn’t want to recruit adult males from the populace immediately. But since this was an order from Karelia, who had accepted her unconditionally, she wanted to comply. Besides, as a servant, following her lord’s commands was her duty.

“Isn’t there some better way?”

As she contemplated, a man’s face appeared in her mind—the silver-haired man who always illuminated her path when she was unsure what to do.

“Sir Swoen… what should I do in a situation like this?”

Luna repeated this question silently in her mind multiple times. Was it just to seek his advice, or did she miss dancing with him at Jeilrant Castle?

For whatever reason, one thing was clear:

Luna missed Swoen—very much.

…

After discussions about Reika’s marriage…

Many events transpired since then.

Erhandorf moved to Raclaine Castle, where Anima served as Lady. Epinal and Emma were assigned to Jelstrom Castle, part of Charan’s former territory. Epinal became the castle’s Lady.

Both castles were positioned along the border with Serpina’s forces, while Falaharte Castle, though also bordering Serpina, remained relatively distant and secure thanks to the presence of their monarch, Yuri.

Essentially, Aishias’ key commanders split up to fortify the borders like an iron wall.

Initially, there was talk of quickly gathering troops to attack Brance’s castle—but with Serpina’s forces descending upon them, they no longer had the luxury.

Engaging Brance’s army might expose them to an earlier attack from Serpina, putting them at great risk.

‘Something seems off… Serpina’s advance has slowed down.’

After breaking through Kelshtain Castle, Serpina’s forces surged southward as if determined to conquer all of Brance’s territories in one fell swoop. But starting from the capture of Hisfil Castle, the front lines suddenly grew quiet. There hadn’t been reports of battles between Serpina’s and Brance’s armies either.

‘This feels unsettling.’

As they say, the calm before the storm is often the most dangerous. Just as these thoughts crossed my mind, a familiar female voice called out.

“Uh… Sir Swoen?”

“Ah.”

I turned to see who had spoken. Reika’s pink eyes gazed brightly at me.

“Um… Are you… worried about something?”

“Huh? No, it’s just…”

We were in the garden of Nachtharde Manor, meditating together. Although I considered going outside, the weather wasn’t ideal, so we decided to spend the day peacefully in the garden.

“Nothing important. You should focus on your meditation instead.”

“A-ah, sorry… It’s just… I felt like Sir Swoen was troubled…”

“How can you tell?”

“Because… I’m good at reading people…”

Reika replied softly.

Since the marriage proposal, her behavior towards me hadn’t really changed. We continued our usual training sessions, and I monitored her magic practice. She had successfully mastered ‘Ice Spear,’ which she currently viewed as simply an ice spear, marking significant progress.

Next up was ‘Thunder Storm,’ a spell that summons lightning. Together with ‘Fireball,’ these three spells formed what was considered the most basic elemental magic in this world. Though impressive now, once mages become more common, they won’t remain particularly powerful.

Still, I didn’t dwell on that. Given Reika’s capabilities, she’d naturally progress to higher-level spells. Even mastering two spells at this stage demonstrated remarkable growth.

“Anyway, don’t worry about me. Shouldn’t you be concerned about your own issues?”

“Me?”

“I mean regarding the marriage proposal.”

“Ahh…”

At my words, her face flushed bright red. She looked flustered, bowed her head, and remained silent. Was she really that embarrassed?

Considering her environment—surrounded only by female servants in the manor and seeing only her adoptive father Jinoru—it made sense she’d find men intimidating.

“You don’t need to overthink it. Just follow your heart and make a decision. Any choice is fine.”

“…Sorry…”

“There’s nothing to apologize for.”

Just as we were talking,

A maid rushed toward us from afar.

“Sir Swoen!”

“Hm?”

Assuming she sought Reika, not me, given the maid’s approach.

“There you are!”

“What’s the matter?”

“The royal palace is looking for you, Sir Swoen.”

“Me?”

She appeared extremely anxious, sweating despite the cold weather. If it were merely a summon, the maid wouldn’t look so serious.

Sure enough, shortly afterward,

She delivered troubling news.

“It’s… War!”

I gasped audibly. Reika, startled by the word ‘war,’ turned to look at me. At that moment, I had a pretty good idea what she was about to say.

“Serpina’s army… seems to have invaded our territory!”