Ch.359Chapter 359. Lunarien vs. Brans (1)

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Declaration of War!

And against the Brans Army!

Ginor was the first to be bewildered by this shocking announcement that would inevitably cause a stir.

“Are you serious, my lord?”

“Yes, I am.”

“However—”

It was clear that if reinforcements from the Hesna Army arrived, this would not be an easy war, even with asymmetrical forces like mages and Lunarian.

In the southern continent, it would be fine. With Luna and Tifa together, they could probably defeat any nation. The problem was crossing from the south to the central region.

There was a reason the Brans Army never touched the south during their prime. When crossing rivers and traversing treacherous mountain terrain, the morale of attacking soldiers would inevitably drop.

Some soldiers would fall behind during the arduous journey, naturally delaying the advance.

Strong generals and mages were certainly important factors.

But war and battle weren’t just about that. In reality, battles were determined by the number of soldiers.

No matter how fiercely Lunarian fought on the battlefield with the strength of a hundred men, they couldn’t defeat forces that outnumbered them by more than 100 times.

From Ginor’s perspective, they needed to deal with the Hesna Army first. Although reinforcements were coming from the Brans Army, that was still a better approach than attacking the Brans Army first.

So naturally, he opened his mouth to dissuade her, but—

Why was it?

In Ginor’s mind, he recalled what Lunarian had said when she went to negotiate a surrender agreement with Ohana.

—Well, I’m not sure.

After that ambiguous answer, Lunarian publicly stated that she “did not accept the surrender agreement.”

The Ohana Army also showed no signs of lowering their flags or withdrawing troops from the fortress near Tepel Castle.

‘……’

The Lunarian that Ginor had observed from the side was initially an inexperienced novice ruler—

But lately, she had been making surprisingly efficient decisions.

Would such a person declare war on the Brans Army without any thought?

No matter how little talent she had shown for strategy before, she couldn’t possibly be unaware that attacking the Brans Army in this situation was a reckless decision. If she were that ignorant, she wouldn’t have risen to this position in the first place.

‘That means……’

At that moment.

‘……!!!!’

A conclusion flashed through Ginor’s mind like lightning.

Could it be…!

“Lord Ginor?”

“Ah….”

Coming back to his senses, he found Lunarian standing close before him.

Her expression was completely calm, without any hint of wavering.

There was no sign of the characteristic bravado of someone making an impulsive decision.

“Could you finish what you were about to say?”

“…It’s nothing.”

If.

If Ginor’s guess was correct, then Lunarian was…

Luna moved slightly away from Ginor and called out loudly to the armed officers.

“As of tomorrow, we will declare war and immediately invade the territory of the Brans Army. Our target is Basilite Castle, currently the closest to us. Starting from there, our Lunarian Army will once again advance into the central continent! …Violet.”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Please prepare for the declaration of war and our departure immediately. The formation should be arranged as I instructed recently. And lastly, I would appreciate if you could get Lord Ginor’s approval.”

“Understood.”

“Francis, Charlotte. I’ll need you to lead the vanguard again. I think you two should take charge of the flanks… You can get detailed briefings from Violet. Is that alright?”

“How could we refuse, my lord? We will certainly plant the Lunarian Army’s flag in the central continent.”

“I too will do my utmost.”

“And… Tifa.”

“Yeah.”

“Your role is important this time. …Can you rampage freely by my side?”

“Ha!”

Tifa clenched her fist and thumped her chest.

“Just don’t hold me back!”

“Of course. How could I possibly hold you back, Tifa?”

Tifa exclaimed enthusiastically, bumping her fists together.

“Finally, I can give those damn Brans bastards what they deserve!”

The humiliation of barely escaping with her life after abandoning the royal castle and the strategist.

She had never forgotten it for a single moment.

Tifa felt her heart beating more intensely than at any other time.

Luna let out a short sigh.

Then she thought.

When the war with the Brans Army ends, finally—our borders will meet. …With the Serpina Army.

Thinking about it, this battle was just a stepping stone.

As soon as possible.

I need to go to war with the Serpina Army as quickly as possible.

So that somehow, I can save the strategist… save Lord Swen who is being deceived by the wicked Serpina.

Luna slowly closed and opened her eyes.

There was definitely life in her ruby-colored eyes, but… it was somewhat sharp rather than warm.

“Everyone! I’ll say it once more. Our goal is to advance into the central continent! Through that, the defeat of the Serpina Army, and—”

Lady Lunarian. If you trust me, in return, I will place the world in your hands.

—Unification of the world!

“Follow me until the day we become a unified empire!!”

—Waaaaaah!!!

Quietly watching the officers burning with fighting spirit, Ginor looked at Luna speaking of war with shining eyes and thought.

If, just if, my lord’s plan is what I suspect—

‘My lord. You’ve decided to walk the path of hegemony.’

Ginor pondered. Did I expect Lunarian to follow the way of benevolent rule?

No. That’s not it. What I expected was a ruler who would establish a unified empire instead of Serpina.

Didn’t Makana Karelia demonstrate all too well what happens when one stubbornly pursues only the way of benevolent rule in chaotic times, without flexibility?

Later.

After leaving the royal castle and returning to his quarters, Ginor welcomed quite a welcome guest.

“Lord Ginor. We have returned.”

“We just got back.”

“You two…!”

They were the men Ginor had secretly sent to Swen without telling Luna.

The reason he hadn’t told Luna was simple.

When conveying information about Swen to Luna, it was necessary to filter it as much as possible.

Until now, she had shown only rational and efficient decision-making, but once Swen was involved, there was no telling how she might react, so for Ginor, not saying anything was the best choice.

The reason Ginor sent people.

It was to ask just one question—why, even though the Lunarian Army had established itself sufficiently, did he remain with the Serpina Army and even accept the position of national strategist?

Although the message was somewhat convoluted, someone of Swen’s caliber would surely understand.

“Well. What did he say?”

“He said… ‘Whatever actions I take, regardless of what they may be, are ultimately for everyone’s benefit.'”

“Was there nothing else?”

“That was all. He said if he told you just this one thing, you would understand, sir.”

Ginor stroked his beard. Should he be grateful that Swen acknowledged him, or should he be displeased that Swen was giving him puzzles to solve instead of returning in this situation?

Of course, he wasn’t seriously angry. In fact, he could understand just from hearing that message.

After giving appropriate rewards to the men who delivered the news and sending them away.

Ginor sat in his room and interpreted Swen’s message.

‘So being in the Serpina Army is directly connected to the interests of the Lunarian Army.’

Being in that position conversely benefits the Lunarian Army…

This was probably what he meant by “for everyone’s benefit.”

If he had truly betrayed Luna’s army, there would be no need to send such a reply to my message.

There was a possibility it was a deception tactic, but that wouldn’t be rational. We lose nothing from this.

If anything, my trust in Swen might be shattered, but looking at it coldly, losing one’s credibility would hardly be a blow to someone of Swen’s caliber.

Why would someone with the ability to see the future do such a thing?

So one thing could be certain. Swen’s heart was still with our Luna Army.

…Wait a minute.

‘If he says it’s for everyone…’

Ginor considered other possibilities.

What if Swen wasn’t only thinking of Lunarian alone?

Ginor knew. Swen wasn’t alone. Though they weren’t married, Irene Juliette and his adopted daughter Reika were practically inseparable from him.

In other words, the second possibility was that those two were also included in “everyone.”

Though he couldn’t know the exact reason, there was a possibility that Irene and Reika being affiliated with the Serpina Army aligned with their personal goals, benefits, or beliefs.

At least Reika was someone he could predict. She was family.

The problem was Irene. Even when they belonged to the same army, he hadn’t had many conversations with Irene. All he knew about her was that she had been abandoned by her lord, Lynn Brans.

…And.

Ginor cautiously considered a third possibility.

A third possibility he didn’t want to think about but couldn’t ignore.

‘If the scope of “everyone” Swen speaks of includes not just Luna, General Irene, and Reika, but—’

—Serpina von Einhart as well?

So, if he was there for Serpina’s sake?

‘………’

Ginor couldn’t continue his train of thought for a while, as adding just one sentence so neatly explained why Irene didn’t betray them when she became a corps commander.

Embracing both Serpina and Lunarian simultaneously—no matter how he thought about it, it was a foolish idea.

But why.

Why am I considering this possibility so seriously?

Why do I feel my instincts stirring at this possibility?

‘Lord Swen…!’

What on earth are you thinking?