Ch.3Chapter 3. Appointed as the Strategist of the Lunarien Army

Wait a moment.

Let me stay calm.

Once more, I pondered the question she had asked in my mind—

‘Is it impossible for me, Lunarian Ineanne, to unify this world?’

The result is the same.

[No, it is not]

No matter how many times I think about it, I arrive at the same conclusion.

‘If it doesn’t mean I can’t do it… wait.’

If it doesn’t mean I can’t, then it means I can.

So… the monarch who will unify the continent is none other than Lunarian Ineanne?

Unaware that I was in a state of panic, she wiped her tears and bowed her head apologetically several times before speaking.

“I’m sorry… I’ve shown you something unsightly… I won’t bother you anymore, Swen. However, may I ask one last question…?”

“…Go ahead.”

I replied in the most composed tone I could manage.

But I could feel it.

In this sudden situation, I was trembling slightly without realizing it.

Fortunately, Luna didn’t seem to notice as she looked at me and spoke in a very serious tone.

“Could you tell me… who is closest to being the monarch capable of unification?”

“A monarch capable of unification, you say?”

“Yes.”

Nod.

She nodded with determined eyes.

Even after hearing harsh words from me, she apparently had no intention of giving up her dream of unification.

Well, if she were the type to give up after being told “you can’t do it,” she wouldn’t have raised an army in the first place.

“As you said, Swen, perhaps I am not fit to be a unifying monarch. However, that doesn’t mean I can turn a blind eye to people suffering in pain. So please, share your wisdom with me. In your opinion, what kind of monarch should I aim to become?”

“What kind of monarch… huh.”

I couldn’t hear a word she was saying.

All I was doing was repeatedly asking myself the question [Can Lunarian Ineanne achieve unification?]

The answer remained the same no matter how many times I asked.

Then.

‘Wait a minute.’

What kind of monarch would be best?

This… might be a question I could use.

“Lady Luna. Before answering your question, may I say a few words?”

“Huh? Oh… s-sure.”

She answered while breaking into a cold sweat.

Though she was pretending to be resolute, she must be extremely nervous.

The harsh words and rejection of her recruitment offer must have affected her mental state.

Nevertheless… she was trying her best not to show it while attempting to extract any helpful information from me.

This was information I couldn’t have known from just playing the game.

The fact that Lunarian Ineanne was such a strong-willed person.

But that’s fine.

Now was the time for me to receive her question.

“I imagine you have several leaders in mind who show potential as ideal unification monarchs. There must be people who have already made names for themselves in these chaotic times.”

“…Yes.”

“What kind of leader would be suitable… would you tell me which leaders come to mind?”

The blind spot in my ability.

I could only make predictions if I received questions from others.

I was confident that my intelligence was 100.

But I found it hard to believe my brain, which kept concluding that none other than Lunarian Ineanne would unify the world.

So what could I do?

I had no choice but to verify it.

Fortunately, Luna seemed to understand what I meant. She nodded several times, then carefully posed a question after some contemplation.

“…The leader of the Brans Army, Lynn Brans… isn’t she someone who could become a monarch capable of unifying the world?”

Question input.

‘Can Lynn Brans unify the world?’

The answer comes easily.

She cannot unify it.

“…Lynn Brans is certainly talented, but she can be indecisive at critical moments. Moreover, her inferiority complex toward her brothers is a flaw. I cannot guarantee she could achieve unification.”

I added a plausible reason.

All I could predict was [Yes] or [No].

I had no way of knowing [Why] something wouldn’t happen, or [Why] it would.

Luna nodded at my words and then spoke again.

“…Then what about Baranga Yurie Aeshus, who has earned the trust of many? Couldn’t she unify the world?”

‘Can Baranga Yurie Aeshus unify the world?’

Conclusion: She cannot unify it.

“She has excellent leadership that makes many people follow her, but she lacks foundation and tends to be unlucky at critical moments. It would be difficult for her.”

“Then, will the tyrant Serpina von Einhart, who currently has the most powerful forces… eventually devour this continent…?”

Luna’s expression distorted as she mentioned the last leader.

Tyrant Serpina.

With the legitimacy of being from the imperial family of the fallen unified Einhart Empire, an excellent pool of talent, a territory close to being a cheat, and absurdly outstanding abilities.

Except for her oppressive politics, she was actually the closest to achieving unification.

Even in the game, if you ran about ten simulations letting the CPU handle everything, she would achieve unification in six or seven of them.

The remaining two would be the Brans Army.

But her epithet “Tyrant” wasn’t given without reason.

She had an extremely aggressive personality and showed no mercy to enemies.

She didn’t maintain particularly close relationships even with those near her, which is why there were no personal events outside of war when playing as her.

While choosing Lynn Brans would give you events with her brothers, and choosing Baranga Yurie Aeshus would give you simple team-building events with her subordinates, almost every leader had at least one or two minor events. She was the only named monarch without such events.

Of course.

In a way, she was also the reason I was dragged into this world.

After all, she deliberately rejected me despite my intelligence of 99 and then cut off my head.

Seeing Luna’s horrified expression, it seemed she hated Serpina.

Thinking about it, it wasn’t hard to figure out why.

She had said she “decided to become a leader because she couldn’t bear to see everyone suffering” and that she “wanted to bring peace to this world.”

Serpina was a woman who would unify this continent with blood.

Truly, many people would die miserably.

Even after unification, given her inability to trust people, there would inevitably be bloody purges, leading to decades of chaos. Understanding this, Luna’s reaction made sense.

I slowly repeat to myself once more the question she asked me.

‘Can Serpina von Einhart unify this world?’

My brain, with its intelligence of 100, gives me a clear conclusion at an incredibly fast pace.

[She cannot unify it].

“……”

Here, even I was at a loss for words.

For the other leaders, I could at least add plausible reasons, but I couldn’t find any reason why Serpina couldn’t achieve unification.

The biggest reason she couldn’t unify was, in fact, the player.

Unless the player intervened, she was an entity that wouldn’t easily fall.

Unable to find a plausible explanation, I couldn’t answer, which Luna seemed to interpret as affirmation—

Her face visibly darkened.

“I… see. So in the end… one must become a monarch like Serpina to achieve the unification of this continent…”

Then, after shuddering—

She took a deep breath as if she had made some resolution.

Looking at me with two ruby-red eyes, she said:

“…Swen. Thank you very much for your valuable insights today.”

And for just a fleeting moment, she wore an incredibly sad expression that looked like it would shatter if touched—

Then, she forced a pitiful smile.

“As you said, I might be inadequate to become a unifying monarch. But when I think of the people who will tremble in fear due to Serpina’s tyranny… I cannot sit here and give up. Nor can I become someone like Serpina. I… I will forge my own path.”

Lunarian Ineanne.

In the game, she was just a character summarized as [Play her if you want a vampire concept].

Her ideals, beliefs, and her trembling voice as she stood before me looking like she might collapse at any moment… all of these were things I couldn’t have known.

And my brain, with its intelligence of 100, kept insisting—

At least at this moment.

She alone was the monarch who could unify this world.

“Well then, I’ve been very rude to you five times now. I wish you good health.”

As she stood up to leave—

“Wait!”

I grabbed her without thinking.

“…?!”

Luna, clearly not expecting me to stop her, looked at my face in surprise.

I.

Why did I want to join the Brans Army?

It was because I wanted to survive.

The Brans Army seemed like a safe enough place to survive.

There was no guarantee that unification would happen during my lifetime, so honestly, I just wanted to live quietly in obscurity for as long as I lived.

But—

If unification happens, I could escape this chaotic world and return to my original world.

So then?

Wouldn’t the correct answer be to serve under Luna, the monarch who will achieve unification?

Moreover, achieving unification also meant never being destroyed.

In a way, it could even fulfill the condition of [safety].

Of course, [Luna’s army achieving unification] didn’t necessarily mean [I won’t die while serving under Luna]—

But as long as I didn’t go to dangerous places, the possibility of my life being in danger was low.

With a monarch like Lunarian Ineanne, I was confident I could manipulate her as her strategist.

She seemed like she would listen to most of what I said.

Crucially, my intelligence was 100. I simply wouldn’t engage in battles I thought I might lose.

So—

“Are you prepared to become a unifying monarch?”

“Y-yes…? …I am, but…”

“Using me means trusting me. Can you promise me unlimited trust?”

“That means… could it be…!”

She seemed to realize why I had stopped her, looking at my face with a pale expression.

Yes.

For me, the best position would clearly be beside the unifying monarch.

And if Lunarian Ineanne was to be that monarch—

“I will join the Lunarian Army.”

There was no reason not to serve her.