Ch.39Chapter 39. Battle in the North (3)

Time turned forward to when Swen’s group had just arrived at Kelstein Castle in the north.

In the royal castle of Raclaine Castle, located at the easternmost point of the Brans Army, Farfalle, the national advisor of the Brans Army, and Nate, the lord of Raclaine Castle, were having a conversation.

“Are you saying that His Lordship has sent 46,000 soldiers?”

“Yes, Advisor.”

That was exactly 10,000 short of the 56,000 she had requested.

The 56,000 was the maximum number of troops that Farfalle had calculated could be deployed immediately, excluding border guards.

This meant that 10,000 troops would remain as surplus.

It might not be enough to face the Aeshus Army under normal circumstances, but they were about to attack the Allepel Army soon.

Having 56,000 troops would have been more certain and quicker to finish in between, but it wasn’t so few that they couldn’t manage.

“Are there any troops deployed elsewhere besides here?”

“I heard that 10,000 troops were sent to the north.”

At Nate’s words, Farfalle inwardly slapped her knee.

‘So they ended up listening to him after all?’

Swen.

The man who had strangely seen through her plans.

Her lord, Lynn, had valued him highly from the beginning.

As a result of the meeting, her proposal had been approved, but—in the end, from Lynn’s perspective, it was as if she was saying “I can’t help but be concerned.”

Of course, she was surprised that he had figured out the entire plan.

But because he had made such an absurd claim afterward, Farfalle herself had quickly lost interest.

How many subordinates had there been who were brought in with high expectations from her lord but failed to meet them?

However.

At the same time, there weren’t many subordinates her lord had paid this much attention to.

Moreover, although Swen had slightly changed his opinion, he essentially agreed with Irene’s view.

For Lynn, who strangely avoided Irene, to go this far meant that she trusted Swen considerably in her own way.

It wasn’t exactly according to the approved plan, but it was somewhat divided.

Rather, this made her curious in reverse.

Lynn, whom she served, was somewhat willful and critically unable to make decisive decisions, but she wasn’t simply stupid.

Then, could it be that Swen, whom Lynn valued so highly, might be right?

The secret agreement proposed by the Charam Army.

Whether it was, in itself, a blade aimed at their army.

If that were true, continuing with this operation would be extremely dangerous.

‘…My lord must have her own thoughts. So, I shouldn’t ignore the possibility that his words are correct. It’s worth keeping in mind.’

If the Aeshus Army was really colluding with both the Charam Army and the Allepel Army to deceive them—

Shouldn’t they turn this scheme against them?

But if they had no intention of betrayal, her actions might ruin this joint operation, so she had to be careful.

Charam was an ignorant fellow, but he was a simple person who wouldn’t make a fuss as long as he got his share.

“Has there been any additional envoy from the Charam Army?”

“Yes, there has.”

She had already discussed the secret plan established with the Charam Army with Nate, the lord of the castle.

Farfalle spoke in a cautious tone.

“If an envoy comes… could you call me before responding to them?”

“You, Advisor? Well, of course I’ll grant your request, but… is there any particular reason?”

“There’s something I need to confirm.”

“I see?”

Farfalle nodded.

Nate didn’t pry further and simply nodded to indicate his agreement.

After all, Farfalle was trusted by many people within the Brans Army.

After confirming his answer, she left the royal castle and fell into thought.

After much deliberation, uncharacteristic for someone known for her straightforward decisions, she finally decided to let go of her unnecessary stubbornness.

‘…It would be better not to trust them completely.’

Farfalle.

The woman who had made a name for herself through various achievements as part of the Brans Army was, for the first time in years, taking someone else’s opinion into consideration.

* * *

After that.

I spent most of my time following Irene around and treating the wounded for quite a long period.

When I woke up each day, only a few of the people I had seen the day before had recovered, and most of the soldiers had breathed their last at their posts.

It was very difficult to watch soldiers who wept bitterly while looking at Irene’s face before their flame of life was extinguished.

In the game, they were just numbers, a value of 1, gathered by pressing the “conscription” button.

But could this person, who was dragged into a hopeless battle, fought bravely, and was now suffering vividly, be explained as just a number 1?

For some reason, James’s face appeared in my mind.

What did these people do wrong to meet such an end?

‘Should I… have somehow persuaded Kalintz to stop?’

Of course, I knew that realistically, there was nothing I could have done.

No matter how much I tried to persuade him, Kalintz was stubborn.

And coldly speaking, if I had meddled unnecessarily trying to stop him, it was highly likely that my life, not someone else’s, would have been in danger.

Not every commander loves an advisor who speaks the truth.

Besides, persuasion itself… what could I, who only knew the outcome, have done?

If my intelligence were 100, my brain might have developed remarkably, but all I could do was make predictions that were always correct.

Having thought that far, I closed my eyes and offered a light prayer for the departed.

‘Your lord Lynn Brans will carry your soul for the rest of her life.’

Ironically, this was the only comfort I could offer.

How many days had passed like that?

A soldier recognized Irene, who was tending to the wounded, and rushed over quickly.

“Excuse me, are you General Irene?”

“I am.”

“Sir Miguel is urgently looking for you.”

“Urgently…?”

The urgency was somewhat concerning, but it’s better to face bad news quickly.

Irene and I made our way toward the fortress.

And.

As soon as we entered the fortress, Miguel greeted us both with a grim expression.

“You’ve arrived, General Irene. Now everyone is here.”

“What’s the matter?”

Miguel sighed deeply and delivered “the news” in a devastating tone.

“…Word has come that the Serpina Army is advancing on this fortress with 33,000 troops.”

They say misfortunes never come singly.

The news Miguel delivered to us was exactly that.

One misjudgment by a relatively competent commander.

That misjudgment had turned into a snowball that was rolling uncontrollably toward us.

*

The Serpina Army had launched an invasion.

They must have noticed that troops had been withdrawn from the fortress.

They wouldn’t have sent forces only in this direction; they probably sent troops to Cherien Castle as well.

Kalintz had done them a favor, so it was only a matter of time before the Serpina Army resolved the situation.

Of course, even if they hadn’t stepped in, considering the national power of the Serpina Army, Ian’s rebellion would have been suppressed quickly—but it couldn’t be denied that he had made it easier for them.

The proof was right now, at the moment they were attacking the fortress.

If we had stayed put, they might have ignored us despite finding us annoying.

But because we had depleted troops from the fortress, they moved their army to clean things up while they were at it.

So the fortress being attacked was—a kind of self-inflicted wound.

“……”

Irene lowered her head with a dark expression.

It seemed she had vaguely sensed this would happen.

Judging by how she expressed her opinion during the meeting, she was much more astute than I had thought.

Her intelligence stat wasn’t that high in the game, but—perhaps it was something like a warrior’s intuition honed through repeated battles.

Anyway.

Kalintz, who had caused this mess, was captured and not here.

It was up to Miguel, who had the highest influence in the army after Kalintz at this fortress, to resolve this.

“……”

But.

What clever solution could he, who had only been Kalintz’s adjutant, come up with in this situation?

Of course, it wasn’t that he was incompetent and couldn’t find an answer.

No matter who you put in this position, finding a solution would be nearly impossible.

Just running away would be the best option, no.

The even better option in my opinion would be—

‘To burn down this fortress and flee.’

If we burned down the newly built fortress and fled, we could at least prevent the Serpina Army from swallowing it whole.

From the beginning, this fortress would be more useful when occupied by the Serpina Army than by us, so strategically speaking, burning it down seemed like the right choice.

Of course, only someone like Kalintz could make such a bold move without the monarch’s approval.

Moreover, among the garrison troops, there would be countless people who had been involved since the construction of the fortress—how would they feel watching the fortress they had just painstakingly built being burned down so soon?

It would certainly devastate the soldiers’ morale.

However, judging by his expression, Miguel didn’t have the guts to make such a decision. Even now, he was sweating profusely, wondering what to do.

‘Anyway, reckless resistance is not an option.’

The fortunate thing in this unfortunate situation was that he didn’t seem likely to force a reckless resistance in the name of the country, even if he couldn’t come up with any solution.

It didn’t matter much if the Brans Army suffered consecutive defeats, but it would be problematic if Irene were captured or her life endangered.

I valued my own life as well.

So.

When opinions were sought, I planned to raise my hand and say, “Although losing the fortress is very regrettable, now is the time to retreat to Kelstein Castle for the future.”

And just then.

“…I ask everyone here. In this situation, is there any good solution?”

I slowly assessed the situation.

No one was raising their hand.

Well, it would be burdensome to openly suggest “abandoning the fortress” or something like that.

Then is it my turn, since I don’t plan to stay with the Brans Army for too long anyway?

‘Wait.’

Since I was asked the question anyway.

With the intention of just asking once, I entered a question into my mind.

‘In this situation, is there any good solution?’

The answer I expected was [Burn the fortress and flee].

From any angle, this was a battle that couldn’t be won.

In conclusion, Kalintz’s actions would end up being a waste, but based on my game knowledge, that seemed like the correct answer.

The answer, as always, came very quickly.

[Set up position where the enemy can see you and hold out.]

‘Hmm… set up position and hold out, is it. I see…’

I was mulling over that answer when…

Then.

‘…?’

I began to gradually comprehend what the answer meant.

Wait a minute.

What?

Hold out?

‘Holding out is the right answer???’

Once again.

The absolute compass in my mind was pointing in a direction I never expected.