Ch.18Chapter 18. Zeilant Defense (5)

After successfully concluding the agreement with Lynn, I left the royal palace, looked around to make sure no one was there, and let out a short sigh.

‘I survived…’

I could feel cold sweat running down my back.

I had been confident in my prediction.

Once the outcome of a “ceasefire agreement” was determined, I knew the treaty would definitely be established.

Nevertheless, I was terrified in the moment when the blade was at my neck.

There was a huge difference between imagining death approaching and actually facing it.

Even so, I absolutely couldn’t let my momentum falter.

If I lost my composure, I would lose control of the negotiation.

Having already placed my bet, I desperately maintained my composure with the spirit of “go all in,” which seemed to have worked well.

‘Envoys work under more tremendous pressure than I thought.’

In the game, it was a simple mechanism of diplomatic button -> execute button.

But each envoy is like a home team player thrown alone into an away team’s territory.

Moreover, an envoy to an enemy nation during wartime would face even greater pressure. Just like now.

At that moment.

A soldier approached me.

“Are you the envoy from the Lunarian army?”

“Yes, I am.”

The soldier handed me a pouch he was holding.

It felt quite heavy.

It wasn’t difficult to tell that this was three thousand gold.

“Normally we would transport this by carriage… but since both you and I need to deliver news as quickly as possible, would it be acceptable to travel by horse?”

“Acceptable? That’s exactly what I was hoping for.”

I needed to return as quickly as possible too.

“Then, follow me this way. We’ll depart immediately.”

I followed behind the soldier.

‘Everyone, please wait just a little longer. I’ll be there soon.’

Now was the time to end the war.

*

Zeilant Castle.

At the east gate, Tifa and Irene were engaged in a fierce battle.

Of course, by this point, the winner was already clear.

“Huff… hah…!”

Tifa was bleeding profusely from various parts of her body, somehow managing to stand on the ground by leaning on her axe that was stuck in the earth.

She had already fallen from her horse. It would have been better if she had retreated, realizing she was fortunate not to be seriously injured—but she stubbornly insisted on facing Irene to the end.

Of course, Irene showed no mercy to such a Tifa.

She conducted a one-sided battle from atop her horse.

Irene had the advantage in both skill and positioning.

Looking down at Tifa from her saddle, Irene said:

“Listen. I’m saying this for your own good, but if you don’t want to die, you’d better give up soon.”

“…Shut up… you bitch…!”

Despite Tifa’s cursing, Irene didn’t seem particularly offended and didn’t even flinch.

She just shook her head slowly and uttered a single sentence.

“Recklessness is not courage, my friend. What a shame. If you had been on my side, I could have taught you so much more.”

Tifa exhaled rough breaths, somehow quickly catching her breath—

After spitting blood harshly to the side, she barely managed to regain her balance and pointed her axe at Irene, squeezing out the words:

“Why… are you… so talkative…? Come at me, you bastard…!”

Irene looked around.

Arrows were still raining down from the enemy walls, and although one catapult had been destroyed—

It seemed the soldiers who had come out with Tifa for the interception had mostly been dealt with.

‘The battle situation is in our favor.’

Even if she spent time on this duel, it didn’t seem like the Lunarian forces could turn the situation around.

So, to crush the enemy’s morale—taking the head of their commander would be important.

With that in mind, Irene looked at Tifa and spoke in a solemn tone:

“…I’ll face you with my best until the end.”

“Come on…!”

Just as Tifa was about to charge forward.

“…?!”

Sensing a presence, Irene quickly turned her horse’s head and blocked the incoming attack.

Clang!

‘…Strong!’

Just from the clash of their swords, she could quickly assess.

This person was strong.

Realizing that someone stronger than Tifa, with whom she had been exchanging blows until just now, had charged at her, Irene quickly checked who had attacked her.

Before her eyes—

Short cream-colored hair and vivid red eyes.

The lord of Zeilant Castle and ruler of the small nation of Lunarian—

Luna was on horseback, pointing her sword.

Irene easily recognized that she was Luna.

She had heard rumors, but seeing those ruby-red eyes sparkling in person made it real.

“So you are Lady Lunarian Ineanne?”

“Lu…na…!”

“…Tifa. Flee into the castle. I’m sorry I’m late. I wanted to come sooner, but the situation didn’t allow it.”

“But—”

“This is an order! Quickly!”

“…!”

After sending Tifa away, Luna slowly turned her head to look at Irene.

Irene, looking at Luna, said:

“My name is Irene Juliette. Duke of Lunarian. As a leader yourself, you must know that sometimes there comes a moment when you must lower the flag you’ve raised to prevent greater damage. You wouldn’t want to go down in history as an incompetent ruler who let Zeilant Castle be trampled by the flames of war, would you?”

“Zeilant Castle will not fall. You cannot defeat us.”

“Oh? I acknowledge that such baseless bravado is a virtue of leadership. But don’t you think it’s time to consider other virtues?”

Irene said this in a very serious tone.

“Surrender to us. Then the damage your subjects will suffer will be minimized. If you are a leader, make your decision.”

A call for surrender.

This was Irene’s sincere intention, without any trace of mockery.

Irene was not the type of general who would trample a clearly defeated opponent to the end.

She didn’t enjoy continuing to torment the weak.

So she genuinely hoped that Luna would surrender here. Continuing to fight would only increase the number of casualties, while the outcome—the occupation of Zeilant Castle and the fall of Lunarian—would remain unchanged.

She was offering what she considered a rational decision.

But.

“Lady Irene. I appreciate your words, but I absolutely cannot give up.”

“May I ask why?”

Luna answered with an extremely grave expression.

“…Because I believe Serpina von Einhart cannot be entrusted with the world.”

“Oh?”

“And.”

Luna looked straight into Irene’s eyes.

“I also believe that Lynn Brans cannot be entrusted with the world either.”

“…!”

Irene was momentarily surprised.

From this small frame—an overwhelming aura could be sensed.

The aura of a ruler that only those who had reached a certain level of strength could notice.

The same aura that existed in her own ruler, Lynn Brans—

Did it also exist in the ruler of this small nation?

“The same goes for others. I cannot entrust this world to any ruler… I will bring peace to the continent. And that… is something only I must do.”

It was strange.

The woman standing before her certainly possessed powerful martial strength despite her small frame—

But in the end, she was just the leader of a small nation making a last stand in a clearly losing situation.

Yet somehow.

There was no sense of arrogance in this woman making such a declaration.

As if her conquering the continent and taking the world into her hands was somehow “predetermined”… she spoke in such a confident tone.

Irene almost felt overwhelmed by her aura for a moment—

But quickly shook it off, then drew her sword and pointed it at Luna, saying:

“…I admire that spirit. However, the world belongs to our lord, Lynn Brans. It doesn’t seem to be your concern.”

“…”

After a very brief silence.

Irene was the first to charge forward with her sword pointed.

“…!!!”

Clang!

Their blades clashed once.

Just as their decisive battle was about to begin—

“Lady Irene!!!!!!”

In the distance, a soldier on horseback was rapidly approaching Irene.

“It’s dangerous here! Retreat!”

Despite Irene’s shout, the soldier did not back down.

A cruel general might have become angry and held the allied soldier responsible at this point.

But instead, she checked the surrounding situation, wondering if something had happened that forced the soldier to disobey her order.

The number of enemy soldiers had visibly decreased.

While they had also taken some damage, they were still in an overwhelmingly advantageous position.

‘The battle… our army is clearly winning. Just a little more time and Zeilant Castle will be ours.’

Then why?

Why was this soldier rushing toward her so desperately in this situation?

“What’s happening!”

As soon as the soldier reached Irene, with a face turned pale white, he shouted:

“Retreat, General! The entire army must retreat!”

“…What?”

“!!”

Both Irene and Luna were startled to hear the word “retreat” and looked at the soldier.

The gazes of the two women might have been intimidating, but for the soldier who had rushed all the way from Anel Castle to deliver this important information, he needed to inform her of the new orders as quickly as possible.

“Orders from our lord! The war with the Lunarian forces is to be completely halted as of this moment! We must move our forces to Kelstein Castle in the north as soon as possible!”

“Kelstein Castle?”

Is Kelstein Castle in danger?

‘Could it be…!’

Irene deduced the entire situation from that one sentence.

There was only one nation that bordered Kelstein Castle.

‘Has Serpina’s army… moved?!’

“General! Please order the retreat immediately!”

‘…Damn it!’

Just a few more days.

No, even just one more day… they could have captured the castle!

But she also knew well that if there was a problem in the north, they couldn’t waste any more time here.

Irene looked at Luna and said:

“…Duke Luna, you’re quite fortunate.”

“…!”

Irene didn’t wait for a response and immediately turned her horse around.

Soon after—the seemingly unstoppable offensive of the Brans army suddenly ceased.

Luna dismounted from her horse and slowly assessed the situation.

“Is it over?”

“Those Brans guys seem to be retreating?”

Soldiers of Luna’s army were murmuring here and there as they detected the change.

And only then did the sentence delivered by the Brans soldier come to mind.

‘Wait. If the war has been halted…!’

At that moment.

From the same direction the soldier had come from—a man on horseback was approaching.

A white-haired man in shabby clothes.

The one who had first responded to the recruitment offer that no one else had accepted.

The man who had promised to stop this war and asked her to hold on—Swen was approaching.

“Lord Swen…!!”

Swen, arriving in front of Luna, dismounted and approached her.

Then, with a serious expression, he said to Luna:

“My lord. There is no need to organize pursuit troops. Let them all retreat without interference. They will not bother us further either.”

“L-Lord Swen… does that mean…!”

“Yes.”

Swen nodded and then—

With a proud smile, he said:

“I have successfully negotiated a ceasefire agreement.”

“…!!”

“Didn’t I tell you? That I would definitely stop the war, so please hold on a little longer.”

Hearing those words, tears streamed down Luna’s eyes.

And then—

“…!”

She threw herself into Swen’s arms with force.

“…Thank you… thank you, Lord Swen… thank you so much…”

“…”

The position of a leader might not have originally suited her temperament.

But nevertheless, she wanted to bring peace to the continent. So somehow, standing in this position, she would not turn her back on the task given to her—

That was Luna’s thinking, but she still needed someone to lean on.

Whether understanding her circumstances or simply out of compassion.

Swen silently looked down at her who had embraced him—

Then slowly placed his hand on her back.

“This is our victory, Lady Luna.”