episode_0039

*

Turning time forward, Swen and his party had just arrived at Kelstein Castle in the north.

In the royal castle of Lacline Castle, located in the easternmost part of Brans County, Farfalle, the national envoy of Brans County, and Nate, the owner of Lacline Castle, were talking.

“Are you saying that the lord sent 46,000 soldiers?”

“That’s right, Master.”

The figure is just 10,000 people empty from the requested 56,000 people.

56,000 people, according to Farfalle’s own calculations, was the maximum number of troops that could be deployed right now, excluding border guards.

In other words, 10,000 people would remain as surplus troops.

The usual Aethus army would not have enough troops to deal with, but they were planning to attack the Alefel army soon.

In order to finish it quickly in the meantime, 56,000 men would have been more reliable and faster, but it was not such a small number of troops that it could not be done anyway.

“Are there troops deployed elsewhere besides here?”

“I heard that 10,000 troops were sent to the north.”

Farfalle hit her knee inwardly at Nate’s words.

‘In the end, did you listen to what he said?’

Swen.

A man who strangely could see through his own plan.

Lord Lin had thought very highly of him from the beginning.

As a result of the meeting, his agenda was passed – but ultimately, from Lin’s perspective, it was the same as saying to himself, ‘I can’t not care.’

Of course, I was surprised that everyone figured out the plan.

Afterwards, the claims were so absurd that Farfalle himself quickly lost interest.

There were one or two subjects that the lord brought in with high expectations, but did not live up to those expectations.

but.

At the same time, there were few subjects to whom her master cared so much.

Moreover, although Swen changed his opinion slightly, he essentially agreed with Irene’s opinion.

For Rin, who was strangely reluctant to meet Irene, the fact that she did this meant that she trusted Swen a lot in her own way.

It wasn’t as per the agenda that was passed, but there was some division legislation.

On the contrary, doing this made me curious.

Although Rin, the lord he served, was somewhat self-indulgent and had trouble making crucial decisions, he was not a completely stupid person.

In that case, isn’t it possible that the words of Swen, a man whom Lin holds in such high esteem, are right?

A secret agreement proposed by Mr. Charam.

Whether that in itself is a blade aimed at our military.

If that was true, continuing this operation was extremely dangerous.

‘… … The lord must also have thoughts. So, we shouldn’t ignore the possibility that he’s right. It might be worth keeping in mind.’

If it is really true that the Aethus army is trying to trick us by conniving with the two countries, the Charam army and the Alefel army –

Shouldn’t we use this strategy in reverse?

However, if they were not planning to betray, they had to be careful because their actions could ruin this joint attack.

Although Charam was an ignorant guy, he was a simple person who didn’t mess around when he got his share of the money.

“Didn’t you say that an additional envoy from Charam County had arrived?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Nate, the castle owner, had already discussed the plan he had secretly made with Charam.

Farfalle spoke in a cautious tone.

“If the messenger comes… … Could you call me before responding?”

“Are you talking about Mr. Chaeksa? Well, if it’s a request from the inspector, of course I’ll grant it… … Is there any special reason?”

“There’s something I need to check.”

“Is that so?”

Farfalle nodded.

Nate did not bother to ask, but expressed his agreement by nodding his head.

Speaking of Farfalle, at least within Brans County, she was trusted by many people.

After confirming the answer, she left the royal castle and fell into thought.

After much deliberation, which was unusual for a woman with a reputation for refreshing decisions, she finally decided to let go of her useless stubbornness.

‘… … It would be better not to trust them at all.’

Farfalle.

A woman who had made a name for herself through various activities as a member of the Brans Army was consulting someone else’s opinion for the first time in several years.

* * *

after that.

I followed Irene for quite a long time and spent most of my time treating injured soldiers.

When I woke up, only a few of the people I saw yesterday were okay, and most of the soldiers died on the spot, giving up their lives.

It was very difficult to see the soldiers crying sadly while looking at Irene’s face, and then seeing the spark of life go out.

In the game, people who gather by simply pressing the ‘conscription’ button are number 1.

However, can this person, who was dragged into an unwinnable fight and is fighting bravely and suffering vividly, be explained by just the number 1?

For some reason, James’ face appeared in my mind.

What on earth did these people do to end up like this?

‘I… … Should I have somehow persuaded Kalinz to stop him?’

Of course, I knew that realistically there was nothing I could do.

No matter how much I tried to persuade him, Kalinz was stubborn.

And when I cold-heartedly went out of my way to stop him, and got caught, there was a high possibility that my life, not anyone else’s, would be in danger.

Even if you are a tactician who says the right things, you will not be loved by all commanders.

Moreover, persuasion itself… … What can I do when I only know the outcome?

If my intelligence was 100, it would have been nice if my brain had developed dramatically, but all I could do was make predictions that were unconditionally correct.

After thinking that far, I closed my eyes and lightly prayed for peace.

‘Your master, Lyn Brans, will carry your soul with him for the rest of his life.’

Funny enough, this was the only consolation I could give.

How many days have passed like that?

A soldier recognized Irene, who was taking care of a wounded soldier, and ran here at high speed.

“Are you really General Irene?”

“That’s right.”

“Miguel is looking for you urgently.”

“Hurry… … ?”

Although I was anxious about finding it in a hurry, it was better to get it sold quickly.

Iren and I walked towards the fortress.

and.

As soon as we entered the fortress, Miguel with a dark expression greeted the two of us.

“Good to see you here, General Irene. So this is what it all came down to.”

“What’s going on?”

After taking a deep breath, Miguel delivered ‘the news’ in a miserable tone.

“… … There is news that the Serpina army is advancing toward this fortress with about 33,000 troops.”

Did you say that bad things come one after another?

That’s exactly what Miguel told us.

Just one misjudgment by a competent commander.

That misjudgment turned into a snowball and was rolling out of control.

*

The Serpina army has launched an invasion.

They must have noticed that there were no soldiers in the fortress.

There is no way they would have sent troops only in this direction, and they probably would have sent troops to Cherien Castle as well.

Kalinz has done all the good things for others, so it’s only a matter of time before Serpina-kun takes care of the situation.

Of course, even if Serpina Army’s national power was considered, Ian’s rebellion would have been suppressed quickly – but you can’t deny that it made it easier.

The proof was right now, at the moment of attacking the fortress.

If I had stayed still, I wouldn’t have paid attention even if it was a little annoying.

Since they had exhausted their forces in the fortress, they must have moved the army at this moment to clean up the place.

So, the fortress was attacked – it was a kind of scrape.

“… … .”

Iren lowered her head with a dark expression.

It seemed like she had a vague idea that this would happen.

She had a much more astute sense than I thought, as did the way she expressed her opinions during meetings.

Although my intellect level in-game was not that high, I think it was something like the sense of a warrior honed through repeated battles.

anyway.

Kalinz, who issued this request, was taken prisoner and was not here.

It was the job of Miguel, who had the highest influence within the military in this fortress after Calintz, to take care of this.

“… … .”

but.

What clever move could he, who only served as Kalinz’s adjutant, make in this situation?

Of course, it was never because he was incompetent that he couldn’t come up with an answer.

No matter who you put in place, coming up with a solution in this situation would be close to impossible.

It’s best to just run away, no.

I think the best option is-

‘Let’s burn this fortress and run away.’

If they burned down the recently built fortress and ran away, they could at least prevent the Serpina army from swallowing up the newly built fortress.

In the first place, this fortress itself was more useful when it was occupied by the Serpina army than by us, so strategically speaking, I thought it would be right to burn it down.

Of course, it was only possible for someone at the level of Kalinz to do such a bold thing without receiving the monarch’s approval.

Moreover, among the soldiers stationed at the fortress, there must have been many people who have been with the fortress since its construction. How would it feel to see the fortress that was just built with so much effort being burned down soon after?

It was clear that the soldiers’ morale would plummet.

However, looking at his expression, it was safe to say that Miguel did not have the guts to make that level of decision. I’m still sweating profusely and thinking about what to do.

‘Anyway, you shouldn’t fight too hard.’

The good news among the misfortunes was that at least he did not seem to be putting up an unreasonable fight for the sake of the country, even if he could not come up with any answers.

It doesn’t matter if Brans’s army loses one battle after another, but it would be difficult if Irene was taken prisoner or her life was in danger.

I also felt like my life was a waste.

therefore.

When asking for opinions, I raised my hand moderately and said, ‘It is very unfortunate to lose the fortress, but now is the time to retreat to Kelstein Castle for the sake of the future.’

And just in time.

“… … I’ll ask everyone here. In this situation, is there any good way?”

I slowly looked around.

No one is raising their hand.

Well, it must be burdensome to say something like ‘let’s abandon the fortress’ out loud.

So, is it my turn here as I have no intention of staying in Brans County for very long?

‘for a moment.’

Still, this is a question I’ve been asked.

Just to see if I could ask, I entered the question in my head.

‘In this situation, is there any good way?’

The answer I expected was [Burn the fortress and run away].

No matter how you look at it, it was a battle with no angles.

In conclusion, Kalinz’s actions may have been outrageous, but based on my knowledge of the game, it seemed like the right answer.

The answer, as always, comes very quickly.

[Take a position where you can see the enemy soldiers and then sit in.]

‘hmm… … Take a seat and protest, okay? Right… … .’

I was thinking about the answer… …

Within.

‘… … ?’

Little by little, I began to recognize what the answer was.

wait for a sec.

what?

A sit-in protest?

‘A sit-in protest is the right answer???’

Again.

The absolute compass in my head was pointing in an unexpected direction.