Ch.312Chapter 312. Red-Eyed Dragon of the South (2)

* * *

The armed men who went out to explore the territory brought back nothing but extraordinary items.

First among them was a handwritten copy of a strategy manual written by a famous strategist of the old Einhart Empire, said to have been lost hundreds of years ago.

At first, its authenticity was doubted—but after hiring experts skilled in deciphering ancient documents, it was confirmed to be a genuine copy of the original.

A supreme military text that any strategist would be compelled to read had unexpectedly surfaced in the southern part of the continent!

“This is not all we have brought back.”

Next, the armed man beside him knelt down and raised a sword with both hands toward Lunarian.

The golden hilt that had not lost its luster, the clearly engraved eagle emblem, and the blade that had not forgotten its sharpness at all.

What proved the value of this weapon was the eagle emblem and the distinctive shape of the blade. Anyone who had walked the path of the sword even for a moment could easily recognize what this weapon was from these two features.

Like the strategy book mentioned above, it was the legendary sword of General Adin von Einhart—the Adina Sword—a founding contributor to the Einhart Empire who was said to have shown exceptional talent in battle and military strategy, also believed to have been lost.

“Thank you both for your hard work.”

Lunarian slowly stood up, picked up the military manual, and without any hesitation approached Ginor who was standing by her side.

“Lord Ginor. I believe this item is more necessary for you than for me. Please accept it.”

“I accept with gratitude.”

Ginor bowed respectfully but did not feign modesty. He too had known about the existence of this military manual.

While he generally didn’t have much desire for other possessions, his craving for books was something that was difficult to suppress even at his age.

“And as for this sword… I, Lunarian Ineanne, shall keep it.”

Lunarian slowly took the sword and—

raised the Adina Sword high toward the sky as she spoke.

‘…!’

It felt as if she was proclaiming to the entire continent that she would be the ruler of a new era—

Though it was just a simple action, it evoked a sense of exaltation in those watching.

At the same time, everyone present could intuitively sense:

That they would never forget this sight for the rest of their lives. And that this person was truly the rightful lord they should serve!

Ginor was struck by an eerie feeling as he watched Lunarian.

‘If even this was part of her plan, her showmanship is better than I thought.’

Lunarian, who had seemed somewhat naive, was changing just as Violet had said.

The change in her character wasn’t the only significant thing.

Ginor carefully recalled Lunarian’s recent activities.

It all began at the mountain behind Madlan Castle.

There, a gold mine of unbelievable scale was discovered. And it was extremely pure gold with no signs of having been touched!

The scale was so vast that it would be fair to say no one could understand how the Karelia forces had failed to discover this gold mine for such a long period.

Gold was an extremely valuable mineral. The gold coins used as military funds were made of gold. A nation possessing a gold mine would gain national power and could easily overwhelm other countries financially. That’s why there was a saying that “it’s good to have a large territory first.”

In such a situation, the sudden discovery of a massive gold mine.

This exquisitely timed discovery—as if a space that hadn’t existed before was created just by planting Lunarian’s flag—was enough to draw the attention of many, including the territory’s residents.

And so, rumors spread among the common people—

“This is a miracle. Heaven has acknowledged Lady Luna.”

“If this isn’t a miracle, what is?”

Indeed. For people, miracles weren’t limited to magic alone. The series of events provided sufficient grounds for people to feel that all of this was due to Luna’s virtue.

For example, if Luna said, “I think it would be good to explore that area,” treasures would actually emerge, or at the very least, gold would be found hidden in unexpected places.

If she said, “We need to eliminate the bandits,” the act of eliminating bandits would often win the hearts of the territory’s residents in ways no one had anticipated.

Even without intention, the best results always occurred. Witnessing this, one couldn’t help but recall how she had been consuming Karelia even during times when the military power difference was overwhelming.

Everything Luna sought to do worked in her favor as luck. And not just any luck—extraordinary luck that others might taste only two or three times in their entire lives!

Even Ginor, who typically thought rationally, couldn’t help but think:

That it seemed as if ‘the entire world was straining to make Lunarian Ineanne the material for a unifying ruler.’

Though Ginor didn’t know it, this was the exact opposite of what Swen felt about Serpina’s army—’as if the whole world hates Serpina von Einhart.’

Thus, Lunarian, having absorbed the Karelia forces, was rapidly winning the hearts of the territory’s residents at an unprecedented rate.

Considering that Karelia was also a person of high virtue who was loved by the territory’s residents despite his serious late-life mistakes, this was truly remarkable.

While pouring all their energy into internal affairs and enjoying a peaceful time despite the calm before the storm, news from the central continent was gradually reaching the southern continent.

“It seems war will soon break out between the Aeshus and Serpina forces.”

At Charlotte’s words, Tifa asked thoughtfully.

“Charlotte. Do you think Serpina’s forces will successfully establish themselves in the central continent this time?”

“I’m confident in wielding weapons, but my sister Violet would offer much better insights on viewing the big picture…”

“No, still. There’s something called a warrior’s intuition. You’re already telling me ‘war will break out between the Aeshus and Serpina forces.'”

“I’m sorry, but I actually heard that from my sister…”

“Pfft!”

Tifa laughed joyfully and placed her hand on Charlotte’s shoulder.

“You know, you seem to have a talent for making people laugh. Why are you just fighting here?”

“Really? Since childhood, I’ve always been told I have ‘too serious and boring a personality’…”

“No, no. You’ve got talent. You might do well as a jester. Though it still seems distant, once the continent is unified, there’s no need to keep wielding weapons. By the way, where’s your brother?”

“He seems to have gone off to train alone again today.”

“He hasn’t been around lately. That kid, has he hit puberty now that he’s grown a bit?”

Recently, the person Tifa spent the most time with was not her childhood friend Luna, who had become busy as a ruler, but Charlotte, who was practically her disciple.

Violet was more of an administrative type, so she didn’t have much in common with Tifa, and naturally, Tifa grew closer to Charlotte and Francis, who fought alongside her on the battlefield with swords.

Even then, Francis had recently been training alone rather than under Tifa, so since coming to Madlan Castle, she had been spending much more time with Charlotte.

“Should I call for him? I have an idea where he might be…”

“No, no. Leave him be. Men sometimes need time alone to sort out their thoughts.”

“Pardon…?”

Unlike Charlotte, who tilted her head in confusion, Tifa had some idea why Francis had been spending more time alone.

‘That guy, he seems to like Luna.’

He probably thought he was hiding it well, but to Tifa’s eyes, it was crystal clear.

That Francis’s feelings for Luna were not just simple loyalty.

He often declared he would protect her and frequently emphasized that he would do anything for her.

Of course, it had no effect on Luna. Being her closest friend, Tifa knew that Luna was the type who would never turn her eyes away from someone she had fallen for.

‘Come to think of it, I wonder how he’s doing.’

Her thoughts naturally shifted to the white-haired man.

Though they had been together for only a brief period, he was our army’s only strategist—unforgettable and impossible to forget.

The last news she had heard was that he was working under that vicious witch Serpina… but since she never considered herself particularly clever, she had never once tried to delve into the meaning of that.

However, if there was one thing she was certain of—it was that since the day they escaped from Zeilandt Castle, she, Luna, and Kyle essentially owed their lives to him.

Without him, she would have died. She had no intention of joining Lynn, and Lynn would never have saved Luna no matter what.

‘Well, he must have his reasons. That’s the kind of person he is.’

“Anyway, let’s do what we need to do today. Got it?”

“Yes, understood. I’ll learn from you.”

While casually sparring with Charlotte, Tifa was also focusing on learning how to control her magical power.

If no one else, she who directly used magical power knew: if she continued to use magic recklessly on every battlefield as she had been doing—she would soon be a dead person.

That’s why she devoted herself even more to training. She put effort into repeatedly reading mana to find the optimal point that wouldn’t put too much strain on her body.

‘I need to learn how to operate safely for a long, long time.’

Tifa didn’t want to die.

Not because she valued her life too much. After all, her current life was essentially just extended by Swen.

More precisely, she had no intention of dying until Luna could establish a solid foundation for unification.

* * *

And so, as each person spent their own brief time of peace—

“You seem to have made up your mind, my lord.”

“Yes. I would like to consult with you, Lord Ginor.”

In the audience chamber, Luna asked the national strategist Ginor with a more serious expression than ever before.

“In which direction do you think our forces should march now?”