Ch.348Chapter 348. Battle of Eingart Castle (3)

* * *

Turning back time, this was during the meeting at Castle Rose.

“General Ian.”

“Yes, Advisor. Please speak.”

“Could you bring me a map?”

At my words, Ian handed me a clean map without any questions.

After receiving the map, I quickly formed a battle formation. To be precise, I placed the armed soldiers in appropriate positions.

In truth, the other details weren’t that important. The most crucial element was the person who would determine the outcome of this battle while being in mortal danger—Ms. Reika.

Without a moment’s hesitation, I positioned Ms. Reika at the very back.

Whether we win or lose the battle, I couldn’t lose Ms. Reika. It was regrettable for Lady Serpina, but I believed she would understand my feelings.

Anyway, if my “hypothesis” worked… this would yield a somewhat different answer.

After completing the arrangement, I handed the map back to Ian.

“Please check it.”

“This is…”

Ian stared at the map for a while, then looked at me with surprise and asked.

“Are you saying that you, Advisor, will stand in the front right flank of the interception unit rather than in the rear?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“I, I deeply apologize… I don’t mean to belittle you, but given your limited combat abilities, taking a position at the front seems extremely dangerous.”

The fact that I had limited combat abilities was true, so I wasn’t offended.

More importantly, what I wanted was for him to ask questions.

Once I received a question, I could determine whether my thinking was correct or not.

“Nevertheless, this is what I want to do. It’s the best option right now.”

“Are you saying that you believe this formation is the correct answer, Advisor?”

Sigh.

It was a bit subtle, but I managed to elicit a question-like sentence.

I quickly entered the question.

[It depends on heaven’s will.]

‘…!!!!’

My prediction was right.

This was related to magic. And I, though somewhat unorthodox, was someone who could use magic.

The rapier.

With this, I could become a makeshift magician.

This fact was known only to those very close to me, including Ms. Reika and myself.

And my ‘prediction’ had changed from ‘will suffer great losses’ to ‘depends on heaven’s will.’

The meaning was clear—the outcome would vary depending on my actions.

When Ms. Reika is present, she cannot escape death—but I can survive.

If I were to die as well, the prediction wouldn’t have changed to ‘depends on heaven’s will’ but would have remained as suffering great losses.

Yes, it’s certain. To save Ms. Reika, what I needed to do was to act as a magician in her place, even if in an improvised manner.

And if there was something that even she, called a great magician, couldn’t do but only I could—it was a simple matter that required no backward calculation.

“Um… Advisor?”

“I apologize. I was just thinking for a moment.”

“No, it’s fine. However, if this plan is truly the ‘best’… I don’t intend to go against your wishes, but I would appreciate a satisfactory result.”

I looked around.

This place was crowded. Though it was only filled with armed soldiers, what I was about to do was better kept from as many people as possible.

“I think I need to consider this a bit more. I’ll give you an answer as soon as possible, but for now, could you please proceed with the initial plan of placing Ms. Reika at the front and me at the rear?”

“Understood. If there are any changes, I would appreciate it if you could inform me by the end of today.”

After finishing my conversation with Ian and gathering a few more opinions, the meeting concluded.

“Then we will proceed with the operation as discussed today. If there are any changes, they will be communicated, so prepare yourselves for battle!”

I immediately took Ms. Reika to a quiet place.

“S-Swen!”

“Ms. Reika. Ah…”

I should have brought the map.

In my haste to explain things to her, I had forgotten to ask Ian for the map.

I was about to quickly draw one since I had the layout in my head when—

“H-here it is…!”

Surprisingly, Ms. Reika pulled something out from her chest and handed it to me.

It was the map.

“How did you think to bring this?”

“Somehow… when I saw your eyes, when you said we needed to switch positions… I thought you might want to talk to me. So, I thought you might need this to explain things to me…!”

Ms. Reika has become quite good at reading my thoughts.

Having spent a long time together, it was inevitable that we would understand each other’s actions.

Moreover, we had shared intimate moments. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say we were much closer than ordinary people.

“Anyway, Ms. Reika. Now—”

At that moment.

A sudden sense of dissonance struck my mind, which had only been thinking about switching places with her.

Wait.

Is simply switching places really the right answer?

The prediction that appeared when I positioned myself at the front wasn’t ‘most efficient.’ It was ‘depends on heaven’s will.’

Since the outcome depends on my actions, I need to give this decision the utmost consideration.

It was certain that Reika would be in danger. Then why would she be in danger?

The answer I came up with was that the enemy was targeting the magician.

This brought two more ‘clarified facts’:

When Reika is at the front, she dies but we win.

When Reika is at the rear, she lives but we lose the battle.

In other words, when Reika is at the front, the enemy applies their strategy to the magician ‘Reika’—

But when Reika is at the rear, they don’t use that strategy on the magician and do something else.

That’s why I naturally thought they would use ‘magic’ to attack Ms. Reika.

Why would Ms. Reika be safe at the rear? Range issues, probably. This reasoning was nearly 99% perfect.

However, let’s say I’m the enemy.

If I’m trying to use some extremely dangerous ‘magic’ on Ms. Reika, but instead of her, there’s just some advisor at the front?

Rather than using magic specifically on the advisor… I’m not sure what would happen, but wouldn’t they take different actions similar to the scenario where our army ‘loses’?

Their target was Ms. Reika, not me.

So, simply switching places isn’t the answer.

This would just be our army’s second recipe for defeat, nothing more, nothing less.

‘At first, I thought the answer was simply for me to become a ‘makeshift magician’ and do something…’

No. That’s not it… there must be something I’m missing.

But to think about this, I need more time.

Ms. Reika must be wondering why I stopped mid-sentence.

As I turned to look at her expression to say something—

‘Oh?’

Reika, who had been looking up at me with a very calm expression, smiled as soon as our eyes met and said:

“You’re thinking, aren’t you…? Take your time, calmly… after you’ve reached a conclusion, tell me…! I can wait…!”

“…Thank you.”

Was I embarrassed because she read my thoughts, or was it something else?

Anyway, one thing was certain—I would never sacrifice Ms. Reika, no matter what.

‘There must be something else.’

It’s certain that magic is what puts Ms. Reika in danger. However, if I’m there instead, they probably won’t use magic. This is practically proven by the fact that the prediction changes when Ms. Reika goes to the rear.

Then why?

Why did I get the conclusion ‘depends on heaven’s will’?

‘…Huh?’

Let me organize my thoughts once more.

I need to go. If I don’t go, we lose. That means there’s something only I can do. That much is clear.

Then…!

I checked that object at my waist once more.

The rapier could absorb magic. Even when Ms. Reika created a fireball… the rapier, regardless of my will, absorbed it and released it.

I still vividly remembered that moment when Ms. Reika and I held hands, stabbed the rapier into the ground, and directly applied mana to the earth to cause an earthquake.

—Wait a minute.

‘…!!!’

I began to see a breakthrough.

A way out of the two terrible outcomes—either losing or losing Ms. Reika.

An escape route that only I could take.

‘When the magic comes flying, quickly guide it with the rapier and then stab it into the ground—’

—Just like we did then, scatter the mana by releasing it into the earth.

Neutralizing the enemy’s magical attack that way.

Yes.

That must be the answer.

That’s why the outcome ‘depends on my actions.’

Only if I execute this well can we win this battle!

I looked at Reika with eyes full of conviction.

“Ms. Reika.”

“Yes, please speak, Swen.”

“Your place is not at the front. I believe I should be there instead.”

Nod.

Reika nodded, seeming to understand this much.

However, regrettably for her, there were a few more things she wouldn’t easily understand.

“However, officially, we’ll say that you are going out. Meanwhile, you will hide and follow my instructions.”

“…What? So, I won’t be going out, and you’ll go instead… but I should hide? Is that what you’re saying…?”

“Exactly.”

“But wouldn’t that be immediately discovered…? If I don’t show myself during the deployment stage, everyone will surely notice…”

“That’s fine. Didn’t I say I would go instead?”

“…?”

I placed my hand on her shoulder—

And carefully revealed the first part of my grand plan to her.

“I will become you, Ms. Reika.”