Ch.366Chapter 366. The Path of Hegemony

“What do you mean?! Ohana’s army… is carrying the flag of Lunarian forces?”

“I don’t know the details… but it seems Ohana’s territory has already fallen to the Lunarian army!”

“What nonsense! Didn’t you clearly see the flag symbolizing Ohana’s army flying from the border tower?!”

“T-that’s…”

Alfonso questioned the soldier, but there was no way he could provide a clear answer.

‘What kind of disaster is this?!’

A battle that began with the firm belief that Ohana’s army would not move.

But Ohana’s army did move. And Ohana’s army is actually the Lunarian army?

Ohana’s army surrendered to the Lunarian forces?

And they… didn’t announce it?!

‘!!!’

Alfonso, as if struck by lightning, finally looked toward the Lunarian camp.

Lunarian Ineanne… does this mean that woman completely disregarded the fundamental premise of diplomacy?!

“What will you do?”

“What can I do? If that side breaks through, our Hesna forces are finished! There’s no guarantee for our future! So—”

—Retreat! All forces, retreat immediately!

As Hesna’s reinforcements withdrew, cracks began to form in the tightly organized Brans/Hesna allied front.

“…!!”

Lunarian, in the midst of wielding her sword in battle, sensed it.

That Ohana’s army had moved!

“Everyone! Over there! Chase after the retreating soldiers and create confusion from within! I will lead the charge!”

—Waaaaaaah!!!

The Lunarian army’s ultimate weapon entered without bloodshed through the breach in the defensive line.

For the Brans army, it was like a nightmare.

* * *

“The Lunarian army invaded Hesna forces?!”

“Yes. It seems they used deception…”

“Lunarian…?!”

Lynn trembled, her face pale with disbelief despite hearing Farfalle’s words.

“Such… an action only someone like Serpina would do… she committed this?”

“Yes…!”

Lynn bit her fingernail.

Though it was a cowardly method—in reality, their allied Hesna forces had also attacked Lunarian’s main force without a declaration of war.

Yes. There weren’t many countries left on the continent. And history is written by the victors.

She knew well that in this brutal world, anything could be justified as long as you won.

And yet… she couldn’t help but wonder.

Was the lord Swen so desperately wanted to serve someone who abandoned righteousness and sought to achieve everything through scheming—a woman walking the path of tyranny?

For such a woman… did you look at me with such clear eyes?

Lynn knew all too well that she had no right to criticize this.

After all, the Brans army was also a group that chose tyranny over righteousness.

If ending the war quickly aligned with everyone’s happiness from a utilitarian perspective, what meaning was there in maintaining righteousness in the process? That thought remained unchanged.

Nevertheless… Swen and Irene who followed him were extremely complicated figures for Lynn.

She had thought they would pursue far better values than the former Brans army…

But of course, she wasn’t easily given time for such lofty and comfortable contemplation.

“The Hesna army is retreating!”

“I-if they retreat now—!”

“I understand, but we cannot calm them down!”

Lynn knew about the southern continent from what she had heard.

Ohana’s army had amassed a massive force of 310,000 troops. If they broke through without resistance, the Hesna army would inevitably perish, regardless of future plans.

“…How’s the battle situation?”

“We thought we could win if we pushed a little more… but given the circumstances, the damage we’ll suffer and the time it will take will increase exponentially. Moreover…”

Farfalle, with eyes full of despair, spoke frankly to his lord.

“If it’s true that Lunarian joined hands with Ohana to cloud our vision, it means all 310,000 troops have been incorporated into the Lunarian army. Once they finish with the Hesna army and come up… it’s only a matter of time before our army is also in danger.”

“…!!!”

Bang!

Lynn struck the armrest with her fist, but nothing happened.

Just one step.

They were just one step away from subduing Lunarian and writing a new history for the Brans army…!

“We might win if we continue fighting. However, without outstanding generals, to compensate with numbers, we inevitably need to prepare a certain ratio more troops than the enemy… but with Hesna’s reinforcements gone, that becomes impossible.”

“…What do you think we should do?”

“We must retreat and regroup. Sacrifice one territory as bait. That’s the best option now. Even if we win here, we won’t be able to plan for the future. We can’t rule out the possibility that our army might need to send reinforcements to the Hesna forces.”

…Right.

Don’t be stubborn.

If there had been even one instance where her stubbornness had resolved something well, she would be stubborn, but looking at it coldly, that wasn’t the case.

“Alright. Is there a low chance they’ll pursue us?”

“It would be fortunate if they did pursue us. We could wear down the relatively tired Luna army troops in the central continent, which is familiar to us. But they won’t do that. Because Ginor is there.”

“Good. …Issue orders for all troops to retreat from this moment. Any nearby territory will do.”

“Yes!”

Lynn bit her lip.

Clearly, they had won the battle. Victory was right before their eyes… but she couldn’t shake the feeling that they had lost the war, not just the battle, to Luna.

‘…No.’

If they survived, there would be a way.

If they retreated now and preserved their forces, they would surely find a second method.

From that perspective, minimizing troop losses as much as possible was likely the wise choice.

Lynn recalled Luna’s face.

And thought of that moment she couldn’t bring herself to end.

‘As Irene said… I should have pursued you. And I should have killed you.’

If she had done that.

If she had, would Swen and Irene, with nowhere to go, still be by her side?

No matter how many times she thought about it, Lynn knew all too well that the situation could never be reversed.

* * *

“The enemy is fleeing!”

“Everyone, pursue them! Where do they think they’re going! Don’t let a single one escape! Until this land is soaked with the blood of the Brans—”

“—Calm down, Tifa!”

At Lunarian’s shout, Tifa finally closed her mouth.

“…Everyone, you don’t need to pursue them. Bring all the captured prisoners and regroup.”

After saying this, Luna turned her horse.

In the midst of countless corpses… a blood-stained light green flag was fluttering in the wind.

She noticed the soldiers’ gazes focused on her. She felt the aspirations of those precious people who had risked their lives for her weighing on her shoulders.

For such people, what I can do is…

Luna raised the Adina Sword high into the sky with a clenched fist.

“We have won…!!!”

—Waaaaaaaaaah!!!!!

Ginor’s advice to incorporate the Ohana army.

Luna’s choice that went beyond that advice—pursuing the path of tyranny by deceiving the continent’s lords.

That decision made it possible to achieve two goals that seemed impossible in the short term: organizing the southern continent and advancing into the central continent.

The destiny to unify the continent!

That shining destiny, which all rulers coveted but could not possess—was now pouring down solely for Luna, the woman who no longer hesitated.

* * *

Inside the infirmary of Einhart Castle.

“Strategist. How are you feeling?”

As had been the case for the past few days, I was having light conversations with the warriors from Serpina’s army who came to visit.

“I’m almost completely recovered. I think I’ll be able to return to active duty soon.”

“That’s wonderful news! We’ve all been waiting for you to recover. Please take care of your health and command us again!”

After sending off the warrior with an appropriate smile.

I turned my head toward the window.

Clouds were drifting across the clear sky… but my heart was not at all at ease.

“Ohana’s army surrendered to the Lunarian forces… and they kept it hidden until now to ambush the Hesna army?”

“That’s correct. The Hesna army fell for it and left their borders unguarded, losing nearly 2/5 of their territory in a matter of weeks.”

An extreme deception tactic that essentially meant never engaging in diplomacy with other countries again.

Neither the Ginor nor the Luna I knew seemed capable of conceiving such a thing.

…No. While that might be true for Ginor, Luna and I hadn’t actually spent that much time together.

To definitively judge what kind of person she is… might be extremely arrogant, I thought.

‘My lord…’

I recalled Lady Luna’s face.

The image of her genuinely caring for the people of Zeilandt territory.

The moment she gave all the gold that had come her way entirely for the relief of the territory’s people flashed through my mind.

Did I expect righteousness from Lady Luna?

—No. All I knew was just a vague feeling that she would become the unifying monarch.

I also knew well that if a ruler excessively values righteousness, a proper nation cannot be formed, as with the Aeshus or Karelia armies.

If I had concluded it was the most efficient method, I would have advised her to do the same.

When I myself am not perfect, isn’t it greedy to expect perfection from others?

And yet… the fact that it was Luna, of all people, who made such a decision left me deeply unsettled.

The smile she showed me as we danced hand in hand at Zeilandt Castle.

The way she lowered herself, using honorifics when addressing the territory’s people… it kept stirring my heart relentlessly.

‘Lady Luna…’

Lady Luna, for what purpose did you establish your nation?

To unify the country? Solely for that purpose?

Was it an unavoidable choice… for the noble purpose of saving the territory’s people from Serpina’s grasp?

All I could do was gather my complicated feelings while throwing unanswerable questions to the sky.