Ch.369Chapter 369. A Future Where Numbers Don’t Matter

Just as Belut safely returned to Lynn’s arms, the two captured generals from the Lunarian army also safely returned to their sovereign.

“Lady Charlotte, Duke Genus. I’m truly relieved that you’ve returned safely.”

“……”

Though Charlotte was released as a prisoner, she couldn’t simply express gratitude.

“I apologize, my lord. Because I was captured by the enemy……”

“We achieved a splendid victory in battle. It’s because Lady Charlotte held out as long as possible. Rather, I wonder if I placed too heavy a burden on Lady Charlotte.”

“However……”

“Lady Charlotte.”

Luna cut off Charlotte’s words.

“I didn’t bring Lady Charlotte back to hear apologies.”

“……!!”

“What I want is victory. Defeating the Brans army in the central continent. And ultimately—saving the territory’s people suffering under the villainess Serpina.”

“So, instead of apologizing, I hope you’ll continue fighting for our cause. I don’t consider there to be any debt regarding this matter—but even if there were, this would settle it completely.”

Charlotte bowed her head and spoke with a choked voice.

“Understood, my lord! I… seem to have shown too much weakness. I will certainly achieve merit worthy of your grace in saving me.”

Only then did Luna draw a fine arc on her lips, seemingly satisfied.

Beside her stood Genus, originally a minor general belonging to the Karelia army.

Even a minor general was quite a valuable resource for the Lunarian army, which suffered from an absolute shortage of commanders.

“The same goes for Duke Genus. Being captured means you fought valiantly against more enemies than others in the deepest part of enemy territory. If you continue to maintain that courage, I—our nation—promise to never abandon Duke Genus.”

“Yes, my lord! I declare that I will fight for the Lunarian army with my life!”

After receiving their greetings, Luna closed her eyes and fell into thought.

Yes. The Brans army was just the beginning—no, not even the beginning. Just a process.

It was nothing more than a stepping stone for establishing the unified empire—the path she inevitably had to take.

So naturally, she had to resolve it quickly by any means necessary. Just as she had decided to quickly deal with the Hesna army by allying with the Ohana army—the Brans army held no more significance than a stone on the roadside.

She had one goal.

The defeat of Serpina von Einhart, and the rescue of Swen who was captured by her for some reason.

For that alone, she could do anything.

No matter how much she had to dirty her hands, no matter how many people’s blood stained her Adina Sword… she could do it all.

The goal that once seemed impossible to reach was now materializing as she finally planted her flag in the central continent again.

She couldn’t stop. Now was the time to move forward, leaving everything else behind.

‘Please wait a little longer, Lord Swen.’

I will save you.

From the clutches of that wicked and terrible witch… definitely…!

* * *

“Is the name of your true lord… Lunarian Iniang?”

“……”

I couldn’t say anything in response to Serpina’s question.

“Just answer honestly. As I said earlier, if you say no, I promise to believe you without questioning further.”

“…May I first ask why you think so?”

At my question, Serpina briefly turned her head to look out the window—

Then, she looked back at me.

My image was reflected like a lake in her sparkling golden eyes.

“You serve a lord other than me. This is a fact you’ve admitted. Then, it might be reasonable to think it’s one of the rulers you’re known to have served. But that’s not it. At least, none of the rulers you’re known to have served are your true lord.”

“First would be Lynn Brans. But this part is easy to rule out since you betrayed her by taking Irene, who was Lynn’s confidant. Even without that reason, given that your borders touch, the fact that you didn’t go to her side and instead divided the country into three parts makes this a non-issue.”

“Next would be Baranga Yurie Aeshus. …This is an even simpler matter. Yurie abandoned you and chose Anima. No matter how loyal a servant you are, you wouldn’t still deeply serve someone who made such a decision, so I can easily eliminate her.”

“Next is… me? Yes. This is… a somewhat sad story, but since you brought it up yourself, it might be the most certain.”

Serpina cleared her throat a few times, seemingly bothered by her slightly choked voice, and continued her explanation.

“You may not know this, but I roughly knew how you entered the Brans army.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. There’s information that reaches me. Your entry into the Brans army was largely because Lynn had her eye on you as the strategist of a small nation and destroyed that country, wasn’t it?”

What’s the point of hiding anything now?

I slowly nodded.

“That’s correct.”

“I couldn’t know who the ruler of that small nation was. In those days, there were more than ten small nations scattered throughout the western continent. The Brans army cleared all those countries. So just knowing you were ‘a general who served a ruler defeated by the Brans army’ wasn’t enough to identify your true lord. If we ask whether they were renowned—apart from Walnut who was already somewhat known—none of them particularly were.”

“But now, sufficient time has passed. All those chaff who raised flags merely due to momentum have been cleared away, and those who remain have at least a slight possibility of grasping the world. And—”

—Swen, you have not once uttered words like ‘my lord has disappeared’ or ‘it no longer has meaning.’

‘……!’

“So I naturally had to notice. That the lord you serve still exists somewhere on the continent. With that, I could find the answer all too easily.”

“The first step was to exclude the fallen armies of Aeshus, Rolland, and Karelia. Then, based on the truth that ‘you first served a ruler defeated by the Brans army,’ exclude the two nations that originally existed in the south, the Hesna army and the Ohana army. Among the countries remaining in the central region, exclude the Brans army which you’ve betrayed once. That leaves only one country—”

—The Lunarian army.

If you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.

“You told me yourself, Swen.”

“……”

“I personally investigated Lunarian’s background. She was not originally from the southern continent. For some reason, she became a fugitive and was taken in and employed by Makana Karelia, but she rebelled and established herself as the head of a new nation. This means she is a being with ambition. With ambition, she could have easily established a country even if it was a small one. It was a time when even the leader of a bandit group would prepare an impressive flag and call themselves a lord.”

Having said that, Serpina looked at me directly again and spoke.

“So, tell me honestly. As I just said, if you say no, I will believe it.”

……Yes.

In fact, that was what bothered me the most.

“Why do you say you’ll believe me if I say no?”

Serpina was an intelligent woman. In fact, she was presenting the clear answer right before my eyes.

My lord was Lady Luna. Her reasoning was flawless.

Yet—I was curious about her intention to believe me if I said no.

“That’s obvious.”

“Obvious?”

“I’ve said it many times—I believe in you.”

Serpina smiled a remarkably beautiful smile.

For the first time since Jenna’s death, a lovely and warm smile that could never be attributed to a witch.

“For me, the most important basis for judgment is you, Swen.”

“……”

I slowly closed my eyes.

I couldn’t escape, but that didn’t mean I hadn’t decided what to do.

So.

I just needed to take one step forward.

For some reason.

A chill ran down my spine with the thought that if I took this step, something major—something terribly wrong—might happen.

This wasn’t the first time I’d felt this sensation. I felt something similar when considering whether to make Iolene my fourth wife.

It was fear at an instinctive level. A powerful feeling that my survival might be at stake.

But back then, I could vaguely avoid answering.

While Iolene was certainly an impressive person, she wasn’t necessarily extremely precious to me.

But Serpina is different.

To me, Serpina is a precious person. No, beyond that… I felt like we might have known each other originally.

So, I move forward.

“My lord is indeed Lunarian Iniang.”

“……!”

Serpina was slightly surprised by my words, but soon regained her composure.

“I see. So… it was as I thought.”

“However.”

Thump, thump.

My heart was beating fiercely.

This wasn’t the bittersweet something of youth.

It was closer to the heartbeat that comes from anxiety—as if someone was constantly chasing after me, asking if I would really go forward, if I would really take that path.

I took Serpina’s hand.

Looking at her as her pupils dilated slightly in surprise… I make up my mind again.

I’m going to move forward.

I, with my Intelligence 100, toward the Lunarian army—the “nation destined to become the unifying monarch” with guaranteed unification…

“I have no intention of leaving you and returning to the Lunarian army.”

“Swen…?”

“Because…”

I don’t know what consequences this decision will bring, but I will never yield.

After fighting the anxiety in my heart several times—

“I like you, Serpina.”

“——!!!”

“I like you, Lady Serpina. So, I will… never leave your side, no matter what happens.”

—I move toward a future that even Intelligence 100 could never predict.