Ch.318Chapter 318. Making Allies

The moment when the war between the Rolland Army and the Lunarian Army was about to officially begin in the southern continent coincided exactly with the time when Swen was moving with Iolline to the Aeshus Army for espionage purposes in the central continent.

Serpina, spending a rare day without Swen by her side, was handling overdue work in the fortress office near the front line.

‘If we clean up the Aeshus Army and take over Laclaine Castle, we’ll finally be facing the southern continent at our border.’

What she was looking at was a continental map drawn by Swen.

He was incredibly versatile, but this map was so intricate that she thought he could make a living from cartography alone.

‘The first country we’ll meet is the Hesna Army.’

Next to the Hesna Army led by Aski Hesna was the Rolland Army led by Seta Rolland.

Both were people whose names she had heard in her childhood. Rolland was a promising young rookie in the Imperial Knights, and he had disappeared during the period when his Third Knight Division was entangled with and decimated by Sidmid von Einhart.

Hesna was originally a lord who managed territory in the southern continent. She remembered that Hesna had also declared independence during the period when numerous lords broke away, triggered by Orlando Brans.

Below them was the Ohana Army. She had no information about them except that they were a nation established by a band of thieves.

And beside them… the rebel army that had devoured the Karelia Army, the very nation that was shaking up the once peaceful southern continent.

‘…Lunarian Ineanne.’

Serpina pondered the word “Ineanne” for a long time.

The image of the woman named Aria Ineanne was still vivid in her memory.

How could she forget those ruby-colored eyes that remained calm until the end despite losing both legs, pleading for peace to be brought to the continent?

Aria had mentioned having a younger sister about Serpina’s age.

‘If Lunarian is Aria’s sister…’

Did Kyle von Einhart, who had approached her, know about the existence of Aria Ineanne, who was merely Algot von Einhart’s mistress?

What possibility did he see in her? Was the appearance of a mage from her country just a coincidence?

After ascending to the position of imperial successor that she never wanted and spending quite a long time as a ruler, what had grown was her intuition as a sovereign.

And that intuition was strongly whispering to Serpina—that the Lunarian Army was a nation that could never be ignored.

This was a sensation she had never felt even during the Brans Army’s peak or when the Aeshus Army had declared war.

Moreover, she clearly noticed Irene’s eyes trembling slightly when talking about the Lunarian Army.

‘It seems there’s still much I don’t know.’

After organizing her thoughts, Serpina finished all her pending work and summoned a soldier who had come from Einhart Castle.

“You’ve waited long.”

“Not at all!”

“Take this. You just need to deliver it to Jenna.”

“Yes, understood!”

“While I’ve been busy, is there any news I should know about?”

“Ah, come to think of it… the strategist, I mean, Lady Jenna asked me to deliver this to you.”

Serpina received the letter from the soldier and nodded, commending him.

“Good. You’ve worked hard. I’ve prepared a separate envoy to send to Einhart Castle, so you may return to your nearby territory and take sufficient rest.”

“Thank you very much for your kindness, my lord!”

After sending the soldier away, Serpina slowly read the letter from Jenna.

Excluding the ceremonial greetings and words maintaining the proper lord-vassal relationship, the core message was—that ominous signs were detected in the northwest of the continent.

It seemed that the bizarre rumor, once raised by Yurie and then subsided, claiming that the plague spreading in the central continent was Serpina’s doing, was inexplicably circulating again among the residents of the northwestern territories.

Serpina sighed briefly at the rumor that instilled fear by suggesting that anyone could become its target.

‘This is a problem I cannot handle on my own…’

Rumors that had already spread, and an image already tarnished.

She knew better than anyone that it was nearly impossible to completely erase stories that had already spread, no matter how much she tried to remedy it through her actions.

‘There are no signs of rebellion, but it still requires attention… is that so?’

Jenna, as the temporary lord of Einhart Castle, was in charge of the internal affairs of the northern continent.

It was no exaggeration to say that it was all thanks to Jenna that she, as the ruler, could be away at the front lines for such a long time.

‘…’

Serpina recalled once more the conversation she had with Jenna the night before departing as commander-in-chief.

* * *

“The position of castle lord, you say?”

“Yes. Jenna, I never once thought of entrusting Einhart Castle to anyone but you.”

At Serpina’s words from the throne, Jenna bowed her head deeply and said:

“I am humbled. There are many in the Serpina Army who have served the Empire for a long time and are far more capable than I.”

“…May I speak frankly, Jenna?”

Serpina gave a bitter smile, lowering her golden eyes as she spoke:

“Those who have served our family since the days when the Empire was still intact… I simply cannot trust them.”

“My lord…”

Jenna silently watched Serpina, who had bowed her head without saying anything more.

Including Rahelven, all major rebellions had started from those who had sworn loyalty to the Empire, and thus appeared to swear loyalty to its successor, Serpina—Jenna knew this better than anyone.

“Jenna. Come to think of it, you were originally hidden away from public life.”

Jenna had been commissioned into the Serpina Army only after Serpina took the throne, and in terms of years, she wasn’t a particularly long-serving general.

“That’s correct.”

“If it weren’t for you, I would have surely been overwhelmed by the pressure from existing ministers in the early days of my rule. I have never forgotten that I was able to maintain my position thanks to you.”

“That’s not necessarily true. Both then and now, the only legitimate authority in Einhart was you, my lord. If you had stepped down, our Einhart Empire—the Serpina Army—would have lost its center and fallen into disarray.”

“Kyle von Einhart might have reappeared.”

“That seems unlikely, and besides, he is ultimately just a collateral family member.”

“You never fail to have a retort. That’s also why I’ve been able to trust you.”

Serpina laughed and made a joke, then asked in a serious tone:

“I’m curious about something.”

“Please ask.”

“Why did you join? At that time, our army was in chaos. All the heirs, including Algot and Sidmid, had disappeared, and the Empire’s loyal subjects were rising up everywhere, refusing to acknowledge me. I think you could have had an easier path.”

Jenna hesitated for a moment, then spoke as if it were nothing:

“May I speak honestly?”

“Whatever you wish. Tell me.”

“I was convinced that someone who could hide their ambition until this moment, get blood on their hands, and finally achieve what they wanted would create a world different from before.”

“Oh? So you were dissatisfied with the world as it was?”

“The high nobility were corrupt, and the territory residents were suffering under excessively high taxes. Although these may be troubled times, isn’t it enough that we no longer have to hear those tiresome talks of bloodlines?”

The class system hadn’t completely disappeared. Even now, in many people’s hearts, there existed walls of status that could never be overcome.

Nevertheless, the concepts of “nobility” and “titles” had become virtually nominal. It was a good time to rise through outstanding ability alone—in a situation where the ruler of this land kept changing, how effective could the values of the old era be?

Moreover, whether one liked it or not, most of the powerful families had been eliminated in the form of massacres between Algot and Sidmid’s power struggles, and the few remaining powerful families, including the Al Kaski family, naturally had their influence reduced.

“That’s why I followed you, my lord. I’ve committed myself to the transformation you’re trying to create. I don’t know what others might think, but I’ve always been waiting for someone like you, Serpina, to appear and change the world.”

Serpina gave no answer.

She couldn’t tell Jenna that she too had simply been swept along by the waves.

Whether Jenna knew what Serpina was thinking or not, she unexpectedly changed the subject.

“My lord. You said you couldn’t trust those who had worked for the Empire for a long time, correct?”

“Yes.”

“I won’t make the naive suggestion that you should extend trust first to those you can’t trust. However, I want to say that it’s time to start creating people who will be on your side no matter what happens.”

“People who will be on my side?”

“Yes. Rebellions are still occurring intermittently by those blinded by past glory. In this situation, it’s not efficient for you to shoulder everything in Einhart alone. Now you need to find someone who will share the symbol of Einhart with you and be on your side at any moment, in any situation.”

“…What are you trying to say, Jenna?”

“It’s simple.”

It was then that Jenna bowed deeper than ever before.

“My lord. Get married and create someone who will be on your side and someone who will succeed you. This is a necessary step to solidify the legitimacy of Serpina as a person.”

“…!!!”

Marriage?

At such a sudden word, Serpina was startled and turned pale.

“Marriage… but I’m about to go to war…”

“It’s fine. You don’t even need to look for someone. There’s already a perfect person nearby.”

“What…?”

Jenna raised her head and looked into Serpina’s golden eyes.

To her slightly flushed cheeks… she offered the advice of a lifetime.

“Marry Swen and bestow the name of Einhart upon him. The strategist is someone our army cannot afford to lose.”