Ch.357Chapter 357. Being Alive

“Self-governance, you say…!”

“It means exactly what it sounds like. In establishing a unified nation, I will bestow the title of Grand Duke upon you, Lord Ohana. I will also permit the establishment of a principality as a vassal state.”

Indeed.

It was certainly a better proposal than either being destroyed by her hands or surrendering unconditionally.

Perhaps it was an offer that required no deliberation!

Ohana wasn’t the only one thinking this way; Rufio, who had served his lord since their days leading the bandits, was giving his master meaningful glances.

“…My lord.”

Accept the negotiation and take the deal.

We cannot defeat the Lunarian army anyway.

This is an opportunity. A chance to secure overwhelming practical benefits! There’s no need to hesitate—

Even without words, Rufio’s intentions were perfectly clear.

How many years had they spent together, after all?

But still!

Ohana couldn’t stop deliberating.

Because this deal seemed too favorable.

Yes. It was too good for our side.

From Lunarian’s perspective, what was the point of creating a vassal state after unification?

It sounded nice to call it a vassal state, but considering it would reduce their territory of governance, it made even less sense.

And thinking coldly, as objectively as possible.

A vassal state proposal was something you’d consider when you were “barely superior but still had the upper hand.”

The Lunarian army would likely defeat our forces. Even if our army managed to subdue the Lunarian forces and block off Tepelo Castle, there would be nothing we could do afterward. From the beginning, that strategy was based on an overly optimistic view of the future—that “while the Brans army fights the Lunarian army, we’ll build up our strength”!

That’s right.

What does Lunarian gain from this decision?

Are they simply granting self-governance to reduce the time spent on war?

For Ohana, who always sought maximum profit in any situation, this conclusion was impossible to accept.

If they just invested enough time, they could devour our army without needing to establish a vassal state—so why?

At that moment.

“Lord Ohana. It seems you’re suspicious of my proposal.”

“…!”

Luna stared piercingly into Ohana’s eyes as she spoke.

“Please be honest with me, Lord Ohana. This might be the last conversation we have while both of us are still alive.”

“That… is.”

Damn it, damn it…!

This woman is the real deal. A true Red-Eyed Dragon!

Ohana felt like a weak human before a dragon, with a heavy weight pressing down on his shoulders—but still, without collapsing, he managed to answer.

“…Let me be frank. What do you gain by making us a vassal state?”

“Isn’t ending this without bloodshed enough?”

“No, I simply cannot accept that. Especially coming from you, who backstabbed Karelia!”

The moment the word “Karelia” left Ohana’s mouth—

“…!”

A chilling sensation ran up Ohana’s spine, as if the entire space had frozen.

And then he realized. …A fatal mistake!

Bringing this up was clearly an error!

“No, what I meant was…”

Luna said nothing, just stared at Ohana, and then—

Eventually, she quietly nodded.

“Lord Ohana. I understand your feelings.”

“You understand?”

“When someone offers help without apparent gain, it’s natural to be suspicious first. Especially in times like these.”

“…I’m glad you understand. Yes. You must have something specific you want from us, which is why you’re making such an offer, right?”

At those words, Luna gave a neat, pristine smile.

“Of course. Lord Ohana will need to do something very important for us.”

“Something important…?”

“But before that.”

Luna caressed the handle of the Adina Sword with her fingertips.

A clear act of provocation. However, Ohana could only break out in cold sweat, unable to even properly protest.

“Let me ask you one last time. Surrender. Shouldn’t we avoid the needless bloodshed of your territory’s people and soldiers? After all, it will essentially become your ‘territory’ in the future anyway.”

“…”

“If you surrender, I’ll tell you what I want to ask of you. If not, that’s the end of it. Of course, I promise on my honor that what I ask will not be disadvantageous to you, Lord Ohana.”

“H-how can you say such things so easily…”

“—No. You may even behead me if you wish.”

“…!!”

“If my proposal feels like an unconditional loss to you, then behead me.”

She speaks so boldly… but doesn’t mention anything about the consequences.

If I were to inflict even a scratch on that neck, that day would become our army’s memorial day… she knows this all too well…!

Ohana bowed his head, unable to respond.

Luna’s words just now made it clear.

The protagonist of this era was not someone like himself who merely ruled as a local lord, but the Red-Eyed Dragon before him—a woman like Luna who exuded killing intent even in the heart of enemy territory.

“What will you do, Lord Ohana? Will you surrender?”

“…”

After contemplating for a long while, Ohana finally raised his head and opened his mouth toward Luna—

* * *

At a temporary camp set up not far from Iekhaida Castle.

This was where the delegation that had come with Luna was staying.

Though they were concerned about sending their lord to enemy territory with only a few soldiers…

“It’s alright. Our lord will return safely, so don’t worry.”

Ginor, the national strategist, was effectively calming the soldiers.

That’s right. Ohana could never behead Lady Luna. If his caliber had been that great, the balance of the southern continent would have already been broken.

No, he had already proven himself capable of seizing opportunities by invading Tepelo Castle, the rear of the rebel forces, when the rebellion broke out.

But Ohana had proven nothing. In times of chaos, a ruler specialized only in internal affairs could never become the greatest.

“I’m back, Lord Ginor. Nothing happened, right?”

“What could possibly happen? So, how did the negotiations with Lord Ohana go?”

“…”

Luna thought for a moment, then smiled brightly and said:

“Who knows?”

“…Pardon?”

“I’m not sure.”

“…???”

What’s this?

Not “it went well” or “it didn’t go well,” but “I’m not sure”…?

An ordinary person might have asked for clarification on such a puzzling statement, but Ginor quickly turned his mind instead of asking again.

‘Is this a situation where she can’t answer now, or is it advantageous not to answer depending on the circumstances…?’

But it was just about surrender.

How could the matter of surrender become something so significant?

Did Ohana surrender willingly, did he take the bait, or perhaps surprisingly, did he maintain his resolve to the end and refuse to surrender—

Though eager to hear the story, it seemed his lord had no intention of telling him right now.

At that moment.

“Let’s go back, Lord Ginor. We’re going to be extremely busy from now on.”

“…Yes.”

Watching Luna turn her back as she spoke, he thought:

…She seems like a different person.

Someone whose thoughts were once so easy to read, now I can’t read her at all.

‘The fate of a unifying monarch… is it?’

Ginor pondered Swen’s words briefly, then boarded the carriage and returned to the capital city of Madlan with Luna.

* * *

Time flows incredibly fast.

It is something extremely fair to everyone—if you only consider that everyone is given the same amount of time.

But environments and fates are not fair. Especially in times like these, when simply surviving could be considered lucky, let alone living to old age.

Becoming elderly in such times was an achievement in itself. Wasn’t there a joke about this? It’s not that the strong survive, but that those who survive are strong.

In that sense, the life of Cain Nerkis—Kail von Einhart—was quite dramatic.

As a child, he wanted for nothing. Though a collateral branch, he was still a member of the imperial family. He never coveted or desired the emperor’s position. From the beginning, he couldn’t match his brother’s talent.

The same was true for children. While his brother had five children—Algot, Sidmid, Shtadel, Lilirose, and Serpina—Kail’s wife passed away at a young age without bearing a single child.

He began to wonder if he was somehow cursed to take innocent women’s lives when his third wife died prematurely.

Yes.

Since he wasn’t aiming for the throne anyway, perhaps there was no need to have children.

It wasn’t that Kail lacked ambition. From the moment his brother ascended to the throne, the Einhart Empire had been rapidly declining.

No power lasts forever. Kail kept his distance from power as much as possible.

That’s why, conversely, after his brother’s death, he was able to disappear safely with three children of imperial blood amid the turmoil over the crown prince position.

For the rest of his life, he wanted to spend his days doing odd jobs under a suitable lord.

That’s why he chose the Lunarian army. He only learned that she was the bloodline of Aria Iniang, Algot’s concubine, after his appointment. But he was already an old man, too old to expect anything from this connection.

Life at Zeilandt Castle was colorless, tasteless, and bland, but Kail quite liked it.

It was fine as long as he could receive a decent salary and safely care for the children who had nearly died, in the final years of his life.

Then one day.

A white-haired strategist appeared as if by fate.

The first man recommended by the unreliable ruler Lunarian.

He was a genius—no, actually, he had never shown the appearance of a genius strategist, so strictly speaking, he wasn’t a genius type. He was more like—yes. Like a man chosen by heaven.

Even his most absurd statements turned out to be right in the end. He never made wrong decisions. Looking back, everything he said proved correct.

When the Lunarian army defeated the Brans army twice, Kail became curious for the first time about what Lunarian’s world domination might look like.

It was a first experience. Being curious about something—that despite his aging body, he was still alive and breathing.

And now—

That long, long spark of life was about to be extinguished.