Ch.382Chapter 382. The Clearest Sincerity

* * *

Turning back time a bit, to when the main force of Lunarian’s army departed to occupy Raclaine Castle.

Tifa was setting up camp and regrouping at a fortress located near Anel Castle.

“Tomorrow! Train as if you’ll cross swords with the Brans army tomorrow! Understand, you brats!”

“Yes!!!”

“Your voices are too weak!!”

“Yeees!!!!”

“You bastards, trying to slack off again?! I’ll make you run ten more laps! Got it?!”

“Yeeeees!!!!”

Tifa’s training was unbearably harsh, but at the same time, it was the most reliable foundation for soldiers who put their lives on the line on the battlefield.

That’s why the soldiers willingly pushed their bodies to the limit again and again. It was better than dying on the battlefield.

“General Tifa.”

“Huh? What is it, Violet?! Want to train too?”

Violet shook her head skillfully, as if she was used to this by now.

“That’s not it… It seems that as of today, our main force has engaged in battle with Serpina’s army stationed at Raclaine Castle.”

“Oh, really?! Are you sure?”

“It’s been cross-verified, so it should be certain. But why did you ask me to find this out?”

“Because it’s important! What about Metz? Did he do everything I asked?”

“Preparations for deployment were completed yesterday. I believe I told you this yesterday…”

“Ah, right. I did, didn’t I? Sorry. I forgot!”

Violet merely sighed lightly at Tifa, who was laughing awkwardly.

No matter how close they were, Tifa was essentially the second-in-command of the Lunarian army with power second only to Luna.

After Cain’s death and Swen’s departure, she was the only remaining founding contributor.

For a subordinate to sigh in front of someone of her status would normally be unforgivable—but fortunately for Violet, Tifa wasn’t one to obsess over hierarchy except during battle.

“Please try to remember that much, General. You always throw away the notes I write for you, saying they’re too bothersome to read.”

“I didn’t throw them away!”

“Don’t lie. Did you think I wouldn’t notice my carefully written notes crumpled up and rolling around?”

“…Sorry.”

Violet shook her head lightly and asked in a noticeably more serious tone:

“So, what is Tifa’s purpose?”

“Huh? What?”

“Playing innocent won’t work. Your obsession with knowing when Luna will engage in battle, and constantly giving various minor orders to General Metz… It looks like you’re plotting something.”

“What plot! Do you think I’m that inappropriate?!”

“Yes.”

“…Tsk.”

Tifa let out a few laughs and then:

“No. I’m just getting antsy sitting around doing nothing.”

“…That’s what I thought.”

“Is that not allowed?”

“Of course it’s not. Luna’s orders were to wait here and monitor the situation.”

“She said to monitor the situation! That means I have the discretion to decide whether to wait or not based on the situation!”

“You know joining the Lunarian main force now would be meaningless! Trust Luna! What if forces from Anel Castle come while you’re gone?!”

“Huh? Hahaha, Violet. What are you talking about?”

“What’s so funny?!”

After laughing for a while, Tifa wiped away her tears and said:

“When did I say I was going to where Luna is fighting?”

“What? But there’s nowhere else for us to deploy except Raclaine Castle—”

“There’s above too, you know.”

“…!!!”

Violet’s eyes widened as she finally understood what Tifa meant.

“General Tifa, you don’t mean—”

—You’re planning to direct the troops toward Anel Castle?

“How can I achieve merit by following Luna around? Anyone who could outperform that monster on the battlefield would be rumored to be a god of war just for that alone. I’m not at that level.”

“To achieve merit… I need to rampage where she isn’t.”

“That’s reckless! Absolutely not! It’s even worse than sending troops to Raclaine Castle! We can’t breach Anel Castle’s walls with our remaining forces!”

Anel Castle, known as a natural fortress.

There were numerous disadvantages to invading from this direction.

The biggest issue was that due to terrain problems, they likely wouldn’t be able to properly utilize siege weapons, which were essential for castle warfare.

“The idea that Anel Castle is invincible is just an outdated record from bygone days. Don’t you know? Since Reika appeared, the basic methods of battle have been distorted.”

“Apart from that— wait. Reika… you mean the magician from Serpina’s army?”

“Yes.”

After saying that, Tifa approached her with a grin.

Tifa’s body scent tickled Violet’s nose.

“You know what? The central continent has an incomparably greater amount of mana than the southern continent.”

“…!”

“I want to test that out. It’s troublesome with Luna around. We need to capture Anel Castle anyway, right?”

“…However…”

“Violet!”

Tifa placed her large hand on Violet’s shoulder and said cheerfully:

“You know about Swen now, right?”

“I do. But why bring that up suddenly—”

“Luna trusted Swen. No matter what he said, she trusted him. And Swen trusted Luna too. He trusted her so much that he sacrificed himself. That’s the relationship between a strategist and a ruler. A relationship of mutual trust!”

“…!”

“I’m not a ruler, and you’re not a national strategist. But well, the relationship between a general and a clever minister is pretty similar to that between a ruler and a strategist, right? So trust me a little! Just like I trust you!”

“…Like you trust me…”

As Tifa said, she usually accepted most of Violet’s suggestions.

Violet couldn’t deny that she had been able to achieve meaningful military accomplishments and make a name for herself in the Lunarian army without being overshadowed by National Strategist Ginor, largely because Tifa had kept her close and utilized her talents.

“Don’t worry. I won’t die. And everyone will probably be surprised.”

After saying that, Tifa looked up at the sky and said:

“That a being rivaling the great magician Reika has been hiding her claws under the Red-Eyed Dragon!”

* * *

“Huff, huff…”

How far south had I ridden after leaving Serpina’s main force?

Having galloped without proper rest, my body was under tremendous strain.

It would have been a difficult journey even in my normal condition, but right now, my physical state was far from perfect.

Honestly, I felt like I was about to faint. I wanted to stop the horse and lie down anywhere to close my eyes.

But…

‘There’s no time for that!’

Serpina’s army absolutely cannot defeat the Lunarian army at Raclaine Castle.

My prediction was absolute. They would probably lose in an unimaginably bizarre way that ordinary people couldn’t even imagine.

Currently, Irene is in charge of defense at Raclaine Castle. From her letter, it was confirmed that war was breaking out.

Luna hated Serpina. And because Luna had been separated from me for a long time, there was a possibility she didn’t know how specially I regarded Irene.

So…

‘I have to run!’

I… took out the pen I was carrying.

It was a sharp fountain pen I always used for drawing maps.

And with it… I stabbed my thigh.

Thunk!

“…!!!”

It hurts a bit, but it’s not a serious wound, so the bleeding will stop soon.

Thanks to that, my consciousness, which had been on the verge of fainting, temporarily returned to normal.

As I continued south, pushing my body to its limits—

‘That…!’

What caught my eye were soldiers on horseback heading somewhere.

They were from Serpina’s army. The emblem on their worn armor was that of Serpina’s army.

The direction they were coming from was… opposite to mine, where Raclaine Castle was located.

“Please stop for a moment!”

“Huh? What is it? I’m sorry, but we don’t have time to—”

“W-wait! Are you perhaps Strategist Swen?!”

Thanks to the soldier recognizing the distinct emblem on my cloak and my hair color, I was able to converse without difficulty.

“I am.”

“Strategist Swen…?! I-I apologize for my rudeness!”

“It’s fine. More importantly… what happened?”

“Well…”

The soldier bowed his head and spoke in a mournful tone.

“We were defeated at Raclaine Castle… and are now fleeing.”

“!!!”

Defeat… no, I knew they would be defeated.

That wasn’t what was important.

“Can you explain in detail what happened?!”

“Well… the Lunarian army’s approach was expected, but suddenly an earthquake occurred around Raclaine Castle… and the castle walls… simply collapsed.”

“!!!”

Was that it?

Was that the reason why our army couldn’t win against the Lunarian army even if we killed them all?

…That didn’t matter now. I asked urgently:

“What about the commander… what happened to Irene?”

“The corps commander had departed with a separate unit to deal with siege weapons in the early stages of the battle… but after that, I’m not sure…”

“!!!!!!”

My heart sank at the mention of a separate unit.

In a situation where the castle had fallen, what were the chances of a separate unit that had deeply penetrated enemy lines escaping safely?

Unless the opposing side made a foolish mistake, it was impossible, and there was no one in the Lunarian army who would make such a stupid error…

‘No.’

I need to stay calm.

I tried my best to hide my trembling voice.

“…I understand. Where were you retreating to?”

“Hisfil Castle.”

“Are there more soldiers behind you?”

“I’m not certain, but we’re probably the last. We barely escaped from the burning castle…”

Hisfil Castle. A place above Raclaine Castle, and somewhere I had some connection to.

If Irene was alive, perhaps I could meet her there?

“…I’ll join you. I’ll head to Hisfil Castle.”

“Yes, sir!”

I immediately turned my horse around and headed to Hisfil Castle with the soldiers.

* * *

Fortunately, Hisfil Castle wasn’t too far away.

Upon arriving at the castle, I immediately headed to the royal castle, forgetting my fatigue.

“S-Strategist! What brings you here—”

“Is Corps Commander Irene here?”

The castle lord bowed his head awkwardly and said:

“The Corps Commander? I’ve heard news that she was defeated by the Lunarian army at Raclaine Castle, but still…”

“…!!!”

“I’m sorry. I haven’t heard any news about the corps commander or other officers.”

For a moment, everything went dark, but—

‘…No!’

There’s no way Irene would have been defeated so easily. She’s such a strong person. She always came back alive.

Even if she was captured, Luna isn’t someone who would carelessly kill an enemy officer—at that thought.

‘The Red-Eyed Dragon of the South…’

My heart started pounding again because of that strange nickname given to Luna.

No.

Without even properly responding to the castle lord, I ran to the castle wall.

* * *

Climbing up to the castle wall, I gazed endlessly toward where Raclaine Castle was located.

Soldiers were joining one by one, carrying yellow flags. They appeared to be defeated troops.

Several officers who seemed to have been in charge of internal affairs at Raclaine Castle also returned safely.

But…

No matter how long I waited, I couldn’t see Irene.

‘She must have been… captured.’

I tried to reassure myself with trembling heart.

Yes. If she was captured, we could negotiate. If she’s alive, anything is possible. If I go as an envoy, it wouldn’t be difficult to talk with Luna.

Being Luna, she wouldn’t mistreat prisoners.

…But what if Luna never had the chance to capture her?

She had gone out as a separate unit and fought deep in enemy territory.

If the castle walls collapsed and the forces guarding the siege weapons charged directly at Irene?

Irene was a strong general. However, that didn’t mean she was invincible.

She was human. In the end, she would inevitably be defeated if confronted by hundreds of soldiers—

‘No way…!!!!’

As such anxious feelings crept in.

“…!!!”

—Far away, very small.

Someone… was approaching on horseback.

* * *

“…”

Arriving in front of Hisfil Castle, Irene was pondering Luna’s words.

—You are being deceived by Serpina.

Help open Swen’s eyes to the malicious Serpina—

And the words that she was waiting, asking her to return anytime.

‘Lady Serpina…’

Is Serpina truly evil?

That person who seemed so fragile yet spoke firmly and warmly to the territory’s people—was she really acting to deceive us all?

As she struggled to find an answer.

“Lady Irene.”

“…!!”

A very familiar voice reached her ears.

The voice of a man she had wanted to hear many times.

“Swen…?!”

Irene quickly dismounted and approached Swen, who was looking at her while panting.

“What brings you here? Weren’t you supposed to be joining Lady Serpina’s main force and heading south?”

“…”

“S-say something! And why do you look so haggard… What happened—”

—Whoosh.

“…!!”

Irene couldn’t finish her sentence.

Because Swen had pulled her into an embrace.

“S-Swen…?! S-suddenly, this is, um, that…”

Her face turned bright red and she didn’t know what to do.

“…Swen?”

He was trembling as he held her in his arms.

The man who always showed the right path.

Who acted nonchalant even when they were left alone in the fortress, saying there was nothing to worry about.

Who would throw away his life without a second thought… was crying.

“Damn it, Lady Irene… Lady Irene… I’m so glad, so glad you’re safe…”

“I’m sorry… I took, took too long a detour. I made you wait too long. I’m sorry…”

“So… I don’t understand what you’re saying…”

Swen slowly pulled away.

Then, looking directly into the eyes of Irene, who was too shocked by seeing him cry to give a proper response—

“Lady Irene… will you, will you—”

——Will you marry me?

“!!!!!!”

“Will you marry me, Lady Irene? Become my wife while you’re alive…”

“I won’t run away anymore… please.”

“Please… become my family…”

—At that moment, he collides with the clearest truth burning in his heart.