Ch.150Chapter 150. An Unexpected Reunion (2)

* * *

“You’re too slow! Faster!”

“Yes!”

“Don’t just rely on your allies’ backs. It’s better to think that no one will protect you on the battlefield. If you want to depend on someone, you must first become someone others can depend on. Understand?”

“Yes, ma’am!”

In the barracks of Einhart Castle.

Irene, who had become the deputy commander of the occupation forces, was training the soldiers under her command.

The level of training Irene demanded was quite high, but all the soldiers were following her curriculum without anyone dropping out.

As they were occupation forces, all the soldiers gathered here were elites who stood out even within Serpina’s army, and they had accumulated combat experience through suppressing rebellions in the northern continent and advancing into the central continent, which allowed them to handle her demanding training without much difficulty.

And.

Someone was watching this entire process from afar.

The blonde-haired ruler with unique hairpins, Serpina von Einhart, and her loyal advisor, Jenna.

“How is it going?”

“It’s amazing. After conducting mock battles to compare with untrained occupation forces, the soldiers’ combat effectiveness appears to have increased by about twofold.”

“Is that so? I thought a general who distinguished herself on the front lines might not be accustomed to training troops in the rear… but it seems that’s not necessarily the case.”

What they didn’t know was that before joining Serpina’s army, what Irene had done most was training soldiers.

They couldn’t imagine that a female general who had distinguished herself by conquering the central continent alongside Chel Brans in the early days of the Brans army, continuously expanding territories, would have spent the longest time in barracks where relatively less important commanders were stationed.

In fact, her assignment to the barracks was her own request.

She had said that since the occupation forces weren’t active yet, she had nothing special to do, so she would like to help with training.

‘She’s more impressive than her reputation suggests.’

“I see. You must have many things to attend to, so you may leave first.”

“My… lord.”

“What is it?”

Jenna, who had been looking at her as if wanting to say something, eventually bowed her head deeply.

“…It’s nothing. I’ll take my leave then.”

Serpina didn’t press her for details.

She thought that when Jenna wanted to talk, she would do so.

After sending Jenna away, she quietly waited until Irene’s training was over.

And when time passed and the training ended—

“My lord…?”

Irene, who was wiping her sweat and about to change clothes, met her gaze.

“You’ve worked hard, Irene.”

“Not at all. I’m merely doing what needs to be done. But… what brings you here?”

“I have business with you.”

“With me…? Has there been a rebellion perhaps?”

“Nothing like that, and if I had to say… it’s more related to you than to me.”

When Irene tilted her head slightly, not having any idea what this was about, Serpina smiled at the sight.

“You’re much more feminine than you appear.”

“What…?”

“Never mind. You don’t need to respond to every bit of women’s idle talk.”

Irene stared at Serpina with a dumbfounded expression and had two thoughts.

First, she looks pretty when she smiles.

Second, Lady Serpina seems to enjoy joking more than I expected.

At that moment.

Just as suddenly as she had appeared at the barracks—

Serpina abruptly brought up the main point.

“I’m planning to form an alliance with the Brans army.”

“…!!”

The Brans army.

The nation where Irene had once served and to which she had devoted everything.

She had endured difficult and unfair tasks, hoping only that Lynn would acknowledge her—but until the end, Lynn had refused to look at her.

In conclusion, if it weren’t for Swen, she probably wouldn’t even be alive now.

“You seem lost in memories, Irene.”

“…!!”

Feeling as if her inner thoughts had been exposed, Irene quickly bowed her head in apology.

“I’m sorry. It’s just—”

“There’s nothing to apologize for. Speak freely.”

Irene kept her head bowed and spoke in a deliberately solemn tone.

“…Currently, I belong to the Serpina army. If this is my lord’s will, I will simply follow it.”

“Well, I didn’t come all this way just to tell you that we’re forming an alliance.”

“Then…?”

Serpina smiled and moved closer to Irene.

A fresh citron scent tickled Irene’s nose.

“She will be coming here.”

“…?”

“She… the woman who abandoned you, Lynn Brans.”

“!!!”

Lynn Brans is—

That woman is coming here?

“May I… ask why?”

“That was the condition I set for the alliance. She will come here, having cast aside all her pride, to join hands with me. With me, Serpina von Einhart, whom everyone on the continent rightfully despises.”

As soon as she heard those words, Irene could easily read Serpina’s intentions.

‘It seems my lord plans to use her image as a tyrant to isolate Lynn from the rest of the continent.’

Even Irene herself had a negative impression of Serpina before meeting her in person, so if a third party who didn’t know the circumstances were to see this, they would certainly reconsider their opinion of Lynn.

At that moment.

“Irene.”

“Yes?”

“You said you were abandoned by Lynn Brans.”

“…That’s correct.”

“May I ask what happened?”

Irene hesitated briefly, then nodded and briefly explained what had happened to her.

From being demoted after distinguishing herself in battle, to being continuously ostracized until she met Swen and together they defected to the Aeshus army…

Serpina simply listened quietly to her story.

After the story ended.

Serpina was the first to speak.

“This would be a good opportunity, Irene. How about showing your face to Lynn this time?”

“Me…?”

“Yes.”

Serpina smiled with satisfaction and said.

“She needs to clearly understand what she has done. Don’t you think so? Hehehe…”

“…”

Irene recalled her former lord.

The woman who had driven her to the brink of death after she had given her complete loyalty.

Although it felt a bit uncomfortable, it was a thing of the past that no longer mattered—

Nevertheless, if her current lord, Serpina, wanted her company, she wanted to oblige.

“You just need to stand by my side. That alone will give her much to think about… whether she can overcome that or not is entirely up to her. And—”

Serpina spoke in a very serious tone.

“She abandoned a general under her command in such a cruel manner. I simply cannot let that pass.”

“My lord…”

Irene could feel the sincerity in Serpina’s words.

She had to admit it.

Among all the lords she had served, Serpina was taking the best care of her.

“I understand. I will do as you wish.”

“Good. And there’s one more thing I’d like to ask.”

Serpina placed her hand on Irene’s shoulder and casually brought up that name.

“What is Swen to you?”

“…Pardon?”

As soon as she heard Swen’s name, Irene’s eyes began to tremble violently.

Seeing this, Serpina thought to herself that she was truly a woman whose thoughts were easy to read, and asked.

“Literally, what kind of existence is Swen to you?”

“Swen is… well, um… my comrade… that’s all.”

“A comrade, you say?”

“Yes.”

“…”

Serpina made no further comment, then placed her hand on Irene’s shoulder again and—

“Irene, you and I could become good comrades.”

After saying that, she gradually disappeared from her sight.

Irene stared blankly at Serpina’s retreating back and then—

She pondered the conversation they had just had.

‘…Honestly, I never thought I’d meet her again.’

Irene closed her eyes and recalled her former lord.

Although it had ended up looking like she had fled in haste… in the end, she hadn’t been able to say goodbye while looking at that face.

‘It wouldn’t be bad to think of this as a final farewell.’

She no longer harbored any lingering attachment to Lynn.

Her heart was already occupied by someone else.

So, this would truly be the last time.

With that thought, she headed to her quarters to wash her sweat-soaked body.

…Although she couldn’t help but be bothered by Serpina’s final words about “becoming good comrades”—

She didn’t particularly focus on that aspect.

* * *

For Lynn, heading to Einhart Castle was not a pleasant experience.

It was partly because she hadn’t traveled such a long distance since becoming a ruler.

But above all, what was most difficult was the indescribable feeling of regret that welled up deep in her chest whenever she passed through places that had once belonged to the Brans army but were no longer under their control.

This feeling was most intense when passing through Kelstein Castle, which had been considered the gateway to the north.

It was nothing short of torture for Lynn to see the yellow flags of Serpina’s army, rather than the sky-blue flags of the Brans army, flying from the high spires of Kelstein Castle, which she had believed would never fall.

All these misfortunes had occurred because of her own stubbornness.

If only she hadn’t decided to kill Irene back then.

‘It’s painful…’

When she was tossing and turning at night, unable to sleep, Farfalle would approach and comfort her.

“My lord. You must steel your heart. You cannot show weakness. Although we are in a position to request an alliance now, if we wait, an opportunity will surely come.”

“I know…”

And so, she reluctantly made her way to the northern continent.

How had it come to this?

She had come all this way to plant her army’s flag here.

The opportunity had been right in front of her.

At that moment.

If she had listened to Swen… she could have advanced into the north.

She had ruined the opportunity that was within her grasp with her wrong decision.

And the Brans army, once called the ruler of the central region and Serpina’s only rival, had ended up losing territory to the Hesna army.

Although she now acknowledged that everything was her fault, revisiting these mistakes with her own eyes was undeniably detrimental to her mental health.

If Serpina had called her here with all this in mind…

‘Damn that woman…!’

Lynn bit her lip hard, tasting blood, and thought over and over again.

Although she was enduring all this humiliation now for the benefit of her army—

Someday, when another opportunity came to the Brans army, then…

‘Serpina von Einhart… I’ll personally take your head with these hands…!’

After traveling for several more days.

“My lord. We’ve arrived.”

They finally reached Einhart Castle.

As soon as they arrived, a soldier from Serpina’s army approached.

“Are you Lynn Brans of the Brans army?”

In a situation where the ruler of another country had come to form an alliance.

The soldier should have shown proper respect—but deliberately chose not to.

The difference in power.

The composure of those who knew that the other side was the one in need.

Lynn swallowed the rage boiling inside her, forced a smile on her face, and replied in a relaxed tone.

“…Yes, that’s right. Where is Lady Serpina?”

“Wait. You must be searched before entering.”

“What? What are you—!”

A Brans army officer behind her, unable to contain himself, was about to protest—

When Farfalle extended his hand firmly to stop him.

“Control yourself. Do you want to render our lord’s efforts futile?”

“…Kuk…”

Lynn nodded and silently submitted to the soldier’s body search.

A few minutes later.

“Is the inspection complete?”

From a distance, a woman’s voice was heard.

“Yes!”

‘…Huh?’

Lynn, who had just finished being searched, froze at the sound of a woman’s voice that was somehow very familiar.

‘This voice… I know this voice?’

Beyond, walking between the soldiers, came a woman.

A female general with red hair wearing a silver circlet.

The emblem of House Einhart was engraved on her armor.

Her purple eyes were filled with loyalty to the one she served.

‘!!!!!!’

And.

Lynn… immediately realized why that voice had been familiar as soon as she saw the woman’s face.

“No… it can’t be.”

“This is impossible…!”

It wasn’t just Lynn.

The officers on the Brans army side, including Farfalle, also froze in place when they saw the approaching female general.

“Ire…ne…!!!”

The red-haired female knight, Irene.

The woman who had once pledged to devote her life to Lynn… was now wearing armor engraved with the emblem of House Einhart, looking at her.