Ch.241Chapter 241. Retreating to Border, Aftermath (6)

After that day.

Yurie entered into a full-scale war with Chel’s army.

All the forces that had been gathered to seize the key to continental unification were, naturally, deployed in the war against Chel’s army.

Chel, too, had no choice but to expend all the forces he had accumulated for the unification of the Brans army on defensive battles.

The first round was a decision victory for the Aeshus army.

The Aeshus army was, literally, achieving remarkable results. Not only had they captured Alcanwood Castle, but they had also succeeded in occupying Rambow Castle, which was located west of Alcanwood Castle and had been Chel’s territory.

Although Chel’s army was known to have gathered the most excellent generals in the Brans army… in reality, there was no one in the country more skilled than Chel, and there were no generals capable of stopping Emma and Epinel of the Aeshus army, let alone Chel himself.

Hearing the repeated news of defeat, Chel sighed deeply and thought.

‘Perhaps I’ve done something unnecessary.’

He had heard rumors about the “internal unity” of the Aeshus army being remarkable, but he hadn’t expected them to be this persistent.

He had judged that their decision to fight to the death with his army wouldn’t be particularly beneficial to them, and that should have been the case—but now Yurie seemed more like an avenger than a monarch with a broad perspective.

An ordinary monarch—even if it were Kalintz, might have gone beyond regretting this decision and proposed a humiliating peace treaty.

“…Ha!”

Chel was a born fighter.

To be honest, this was far more stimulating and made his blood boil more than the protracted siege warfare with Kalintz.

‘Throwing everything away and charging at our army over the death of just one founding contributor, that’s such a pure thing, unsuited for this era. Yes, I acknowledge that.’

That day not long ago, when Erinandorf’s head was displayed on the castle wall.

Having gained some insight from seeing the look in his eyes just before death, Chel began training his body again, just like in his days as a general.

Although it was still lacking compared to his prime, he was confident that he could perform like before if he returned to the battlefield now.

At this rate, our side, with its relatively inferior national power, would only be pushed back by the Aeshus army.

To face a stronger country, this kind of all-out war was insufficient.

If there was one thing he regretted, it was the lineup of generals.

‘Unless a general like Irene backs me up… there’s no one in our army with that level of skill, so I’d better create a breakthrough on my own.’

Back then, when he was expanding Brans territory with Irene.

Chel, a born warrior, was perceptive enough to notice how significant Irene’s role had been.

On the other side were Epinel and Emma. They were worthy opponents for him, but a 2:1 situation would be disadvantageous for someone past his prime.

‘…Enough.’

Thinking unnecessarily about various things like this was something his sister Lynn or advisors like Farfalle would do.

Chel had his own strengths. Going to the battlefield and clashing swords.

Chel immediately began preparing for deployment.

The commander-in-chief was himself, the ruler… Chel Brans.

The man once called the First Sword of Brans began to thrust his blade in earnest toward the Aeshus army.

* * *

Perhaps thanks to Chel’s direct involvement, the battlefield dynamics began to shift noticeably.

Chel’s first action was to boldly abandon Rambow Castle and launch a surprise attack on Alcanwood Castle.

It wasn’t just Rambow Castle he was abandoning. He was essentially giving up Jog Castle as well, which the Aeshus army had immediately charged toward.

Abandoning Jog Castle was quite a significant decision. If they succeeded in conquering that place, they could advance unhindered to Hazel Castle, the capital of Chel’s forces.

As a result, Chel’s strategy was successful.

With Alcanwood Castle falling into Chel’s hands, the Aeshus army’s supply line from their main base was cut off, and naturally, their rapid advance began to slow down.

Even after that, small-scale local battles between the two countries continued to occur.

Every other day, if soldiers died, more were conscripted… battles continued to happen over and over.

The blood that flowed from Erinandorf’s neck formed a pool, and the central continent began to reek of blood.

Both Chel’s army and the Aeshus army continued their protracted battles… without gaining anything significant.

* * *

“Then, good luck to both of you today.”

“Hmm, Swen. Let’s meet in the evening.”

“I-I’ll see you in the evening…!”

After parting with the two, I headed straight to the office.

The one who greeted me was not Serpina but Jenna.

“Lord Swen, you’ve arrived.”

“Advisor…? Where is my lord?”

“I was about to tell you about that… but before that, I’d like to ask you a question.”

Jenna said this as she approached me, looked straight into my eyes, and asked.

“Is it your will to appoint Lord Ian as castle lord, and to issue the blockade order along with a series of other actions?”

“……”

Momentarily taken aback by such a direct question, I considered deflecting it somehow, but—

‘A national advisor of her caliber would find out eventually anyway.’

Instead of covering up the situation with lies, I chose to be honest with her.

“Yes, it was my advice.”

“…I see. Then, Lord Swen, you believe that is the correct answer?”

As a timely question came in, I carefully input it.

‘Is appointing Ian as castle lord and issuing a blockade order the most efficient method?’

And the answer was somewhat strange.

[I can’t tell that far.]

‘…???’

What?

Not “I don’t know,” but “I can’t tell that far”?

Is something different?

‘Come to think of it, the question about who should be appointed as castle lord… didn’t it answer that last time?’

It definitely did when I similarly appointed Ian as castle lord before.

While it might not know whether a plague would occur, it could make inferences based on who the castle lord was.

So should I ask just that question separately?

‘Is appointing Ian as the castle lord of Kelstein Castle most efficient?’

[It is somewhat efficient.]

…I see.

It answers who should be appointed as castle lord, but not whether the blockade order is right or wrong.

Rather, “somewhat efficient” means… Ian isn’t the best answer.

I’d have to move past this point for now.

At least I’ve gotten somewhat closer to the basis of my decision to place Ian there—”a plague is spreading.”

After thinking it through, I waited for Jenna’s response.

Unexpectedly, she said:

“In that case, I will take it upon myself to persuade those who oppose. Would you convey this to our lord?”

“…Pardon? Those who oppose?”

“The public sentiment among the territory’s residents is not very favorable regarding the unexplained major blockade in Kelstein Castle. Many of Lord Serpina’s generals also claim that we are wasting administrative power on something meaningless.”

“Ah….”

Come to think of it, there have been no reports of a plague spreading in the central continent yet.

We’ve heard that Chel’s army and the Aeshus army continue to fight… but that’s not grounds for blocking exchanges between territory residents.

“However, Lord Swen, I judge that if it is your will, there must be a reason.”

“Advisor….”

Could it be that the reason we haven’t heard direct complaints against Serpina and me is because she’s been blocking them?

For some reason, she has been very cooperative with me from some point on.

“So, I will cooperate. Please don’t forget that we are on your side.”

After saying that, Jenna bowed slightly to me and began to walk away, then turned her head and said:

“My lord is in the annex. She is waiting for you.”

Then she gradually disappeared from my sight.

Half-dumbfounded, I headed toward the annex, mulling over her last words.

‘Please don’t forget that we are on your side.’

‘……’

Strangely enough, as soon as I heard those words, Luna’s face came to mind again.

…No. I’ve decided to find another path that can satisfy everyone, so there’s no need to think about it further.

I cleared my mind and headed to where Serpina was.

*

As soon as I arrived at the annex, Serpina welcomed me.

“Welcome, Swen.”

“I met the advisor on my way here. She said to leave the ‘persuasion’ to her.”

“Is that so?”

Serpina nodded without much response and changed the subject.

“You must be well aware of the situation between Chel’s army and the Aeshus army?”

“Yes. Although they seem to have entered a stalemate for now… many people are dying.”

Hearing my words, she fell into thought for a moment, then reached out her hand to me and asked:

“Swen. Is this outcome the result of your ‘divine eye’?”

“……”

“If so, I may have done something unnecessary to the territory’s residents.”

Serpina said with a bitter smile.

By “unnecessary,” she must mean the forced relocation to the barren northern continent.

If they could have stayed in their homeland without a plague spreading, they could have managed reasonably well even during the battle between Chel and Yurie. Neither Chel nor Yurie were foolish enough to directly harm territory residents who were essentially civilians during wartime.

If this were the real outcome, then she would have acted like a tyrant without purpose, as third parties might say.

Could she have read my thoughts?

Serpina spoke in a somewhat uncharacteristically urgent tone:

“Swen, I am not blaming you. All decisions were made by me. So, I hope you won’t carry this burden in your heart.”

Looking into Serpina’s eyes, I thought:

Is that really all there is to it?

This wasn’t the first time this had happened. Contrary to my expectations, things often ended up benefiting our army in completely different ways.

It’s true that if Chel’s army and the Aeshus army antagonize each other and lose strength, it would benefit our army, so she might be right, but—

‘…Something’s missing.’

To give up all the territory we had barely managed to secure in the central continent for that purpose seemed too costly to be “the most efficient answer.”

To begin with, the fact that we stopped our retreat at Kelstein Castle, which was essentially the gateway to the northern continent, was also telling.

The answer I just received from Jenna’s question also provided some evidence.

“My lord. I cannot say with absolute certainty… but in my personal judgment, I believe this is not the whole story.”

“Then…?”

“I still think—no, I am certain—that a plague will spread.”

No matter how I thought about it, nothing but a plague would fit as an answer to the question of “the most efficient solution.”

We gave up four territories, after all.

“I am not lying to reassure you, my lord. So, please trust me and give us a little more time. In the end, we will win.”

“…!!!”

Seeing Serpina’s surprised reaction to my words, I realized what I had just said.

The talk of winning in the end… it seems I hadn’t only said this to her before.

‘…No.’

Now was not the time to think about that.

I needed to focus on the Serpina army.

Whether this was the final outcome or if there was something more—the more contingency plans we had prepared for different situations, the better.

“My lord. There are a few things I’d like to discuss, if you have the time.”

“That’s an interesting question, Swen. I sit in this position to discuss state affairs with people like you. If I don’t spend time with you, what reason would I have to be in the position of ruler?”

Serpina said this, then answered with a bright smile.

“Come at me with everything you’ve got, Swen. I’ll keep you company all day.”