Ch.40Chapter 40. Battle in the North (4)

I quickly assessed the current situation.

Our army currently has 8,000 soldiers available for deployment.

If we selected those in decent condition among troops just returning from battle, we could probably utilize about 2,000 more.

A total of 10,000 men. Under normal circumstances, this might not be such a desperate number, but—

Right now, the enemy was approaching with an army exceeding 30,000 troops.

Moreover, this wasn’t a castle but a fortress. Its defenses were weaker than a castle’s, meaning it would collapse much faster under siege weapons.

And they want us to hold out here??

Why on earth???

And what did they mean by “position yourselves where enemy troops are visible”?

If that was the prediction, there must be a reason behind it. That’s how it’s always been.

I would have liked to carefully consider all possibilities.

But since everyone else was already discussing potential solutions among themselves, I needed to stop thinking and focus on not missing any of the conversation.

“I believe we should withdraw from here.”

Miguel nodded at Park’s words.

“Hmm… what about approval from our lord?”

“I’ve already sent a messenger. Based on timing, we should be receiving the next instructions soon…”

“What did you report?”

“I informed them of our defeat, that General Kalintz has been taken prisoner, and that we have few troops remaining and may soon face invasion.”

“…So the question is whether to wait for the messenger’s return or act independently.”

Not long after Miguel pondered this.

Right on cue, a soldier entered the meeting room.

He wore a bright red armband on his forearm.

The person we needed right now—a messenger.

“Messenger, just arrived! A message from our lord, Lynn Brans!”

“Oh! Speak of the devil! Welcome. So, what does our lord command?”

“…It’s right here.”

The soldier handed over a paper bearing Lynn’s handwriting with a somewhat tense expression.

As Miguel read it, his expression gradually darkened.

“Um… General Miguel. What does it say?”

“Hmm… huh.”

Making a disgruntled sound without answering Park’s question, Miguel eventually looked at the messenger and asked:

“Is this certain?”

“…Yes. It matches exactly what I heard directly from our lord.”

Everyone was staring at Miguel’s face, wondering what the message could possibly contain.

After a long silence… he finally spoke with careful, heavy words.

“…Our lord has ordered us to defend the fortress.”

“T-that’s…! Ah. Perhaps she’s sending reinforcements…?”

Miguel slowly nodded at Park’s words.

“They’ve… departed from Anel Castle, it says.”

“What…? Did you say Anel Castle…?”

Even departing from Kelshtein Castle would make timing tight.

If they were coming from Anel Castle, there was no way to defend this fortress against Serpina’s army.

‘What is that woman thinking?’

Unless she wants all of us to be captured or killed in battle, why would she issue such an order?

And then.

Miguel answered my question more quickly than expected.

“…However.”

After saying that, he continued in a dejected tone.

“Some commanders are to be reassigned for new missions, and upon hearing this message, they are to leave the fortress immediately and proceed to their assigned locations to carry out their duties.”

“What?”

‘…No way.’

My bad premonition soon became reality before my eyes.

“…Miguel Brown, Park, Lilia, Jayden. These four are to go to Kelshtein Castle. And Jack, Silin, Swen. These three are to return to Anel Castle to attend to new duties… so she says.”

“…!!”

“The remaining commanders… are ordered to defend the fortress until reinforcements arrive. She says she expects them to achieve merit.”

Everyone finally realized why Miguel had been hesitating, and they all turned to look at the only person in the room who hadn’t been named.

Irene Juliette.

Lynn was, once again, trying to extinguish her flame of life in this world line too.

* * *

Rewinding time a bit.

Around when Park’s messenger arrived at Lynn’s location.

“Kalintz Brans… has become a prisoner of Ian’s army…?”

The messenger could only bow his head without answering as he watched Lynn turn pale with shock.

‘No… how could this…?’

Soon enough, she too could understand the truth of the war.

The rebellion at Cherien Castle. Ian’s army rising up.

The reckless battle entered with 35,000 men.

Even without her strategist Farfalle, it wasn’t difficult to figure out why such a reckless battle had occurred.

Did my brother… think he ‘had a chance’?

Because I reinforced him with 10,000 troops?

‘Such a fool… little brother…!’

Ever since his defeat by Lunarian’s army, he had seemed desperate to achieve merit.

And now it seemed he had caused an incident.

Thinking he was a reliable general, she had given him full authority to act without her approval, and in reality, he had been much more trustworthy than the impulsive Chel. But it seemed he had misjudged after seeing the troop reinforcements.

If she had sent more soldiers, Kalintz might truly have been able to capture Cherien Castle.

After all, attacking a castle of Serpina’s army was different from attacking a small nation that had just risen up.

When she thought that far, his face flashed through her mind.

The face of that man—Swen—who had argued that ‘sending troops is the right choice’.

“…!!!”

Lynn’s eyes widened in shock.

This time too… it was the same as before.

He had been right.

‘Impossible…!’

Moreover, that man hadn’t argued for defense.

He had argued that they should gather as many troops as possible and then ‘attack’ the north.

In that moment, Lynn felt chills run down her entire body.

This feeling wasn’t new to her.

She had felt something similar when she first met Swen who came as an envoy, and when the messenger arrived announcing Serpina’s army’s invasion.

He had anticipated Serpina’s army attacking the Brans army.

And this time he had predicted the rebellion at Cherien Castle?

‘Swen… how… how did you know this would happen?’

But.

The opportunity had already passed.

No, her half-hearted choice had actually made things worse.

If she hadn’t sent any soldiers at all, Kalintz wouldn’t have taken such a risk no matter how impatient he was.

The reason she hadn’t fully supported but only provided modest reinforcement was very simple.

She disliked Irene Juliette, who had been the first to argue that ‘troops should be sent to the north’.

So, this was her fault…?

‘…No. It’s not my fault…!’

Irene Juliette.

That name was once again disturbing Lynn’s composure.

In Lynn’s mind, she was a strangely untrustworthy woman.

Yes. If she had to pinpoint it, she had disliked her since childhood, when her father was still alive.

In this situation, her pride—having finally been selected as successor over her brothers whom she had felt inferior to—wouldn’t allow her to admit her mistake.

Moreover, the very fact that ‘she missed an opportunity by not listening to Irene’ was violently shaking her composure.

‘…Fine. If you’re right, you need to prove it, don’t you?’

Her anger-filled mind once again raced toward a somewhat misguided judgment.

Why hadn’t she listened to Swen, whom she had personally recruited?

It was all because of Irene, wasn’t it?

If anyone but her had made that suggestion, she wouldn’t have cut off the discussion, and the result would have been different.

Therefore—the person who should ‘take responsibility’ for this matter should not be herself but the one who brought it up.

It was an extremely self-serving thought, but those in absolute power are sometimes in positions where they can be forgiven for being self-serving.

No. Even before that—who would dare to speak of forgiving or not forgiving her?

She would send reinforcements, of course.

But since the only troops available right now were those defending the capital, what could she do?

And surprisingly, after shifting the blame like this, she felt more at ease than expected.

At that moment.

Lynn heard Irene’s voice in her head, from some time she couldn’t even remember.

“My lord. Please trust me just this once. I will surely achieve merit.”

Merit, is it.

Since you put it that way, let’s give you what you want.

‘Go ahead and achieve some merit, Irene. Prove it’s not just talk, will you?’

Lynn thought this as she raised the corner of her mouth.

In the Brans army, falling out of favor with her, the ruler, was practically equivalent to death.

* * *

It was Irene who broke the silence in the meeting room where no one dared to speak.

“I understand. I, Irene Juliette, will obey my lord’s command.”

“General Irene…”

“I will devote myself fully to defending this fortress until reinforcements arrive.”

A fortress that wasn’t even strategically important from the Brans army’s perspective, established hastily by Kalintz eager to achieve merit.

She pledged her loyalty, as she always had, to the lord who was sending her to her death by ordering her to defend such a place.

It must have always been like this.

The Irene of every world line must have foolishly done everything she was told—

And even if she survived, in the end, her head would have been taken by her lord’s hand.

“Please leave the fortress as soon as possible. It will soon become dangerous.”

“…”

Miguel couldn’t say anything as he looked at her face.

As if understanding him, Irene smiled and said:

“Don’t worry. I took up my sword for Lady Lynn. I will simply serve my lord until this body burns away to nothing.”

“…”

Miguel probably knew as well.

At least how Irene was treated in the Brans army.

But there was nothing he could do.

He didn’t have the power to twist Lynn’s enormous will to push Irene away.

But.

‘I can do it.’

I instinctively realized that an opportunity had come to me.

The prediction made by my intelligence 100 brain—[Position yourself where enemy troops are visible and hold out.]

I had no idea why such a prediction had been made, but one thing was certain.

If I hold out as instructed, we will win this battle.

Without fail.

I was confident I could ‘twist’ Lynn’s persistent and gloomy will.

“…Then, I’ll leave it to you.”

“Understood. If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to use my time from now on to tend to the wounded. May I leave first?”

“You may.”

“Then.”

Irene slowly left the meeting room saying that.

After that, when no one dared to open their mouth again.

I finally raised my hand.

“I have something to say.”

“…An opinion?”

Miguel, looking somewhat tired, asked me a question.

Why was it?

Despite the situation, I wasn’t anxious at all.

I wasn’t even angry. Rather, I felt as if I’d been relieved of the burden of having to persuade someone.

Irene will not die here.

Though sent to her death by the ruler, ironically, this place is not her death trap.

That’s because—the absolute correct answer had already appeared in my mind.

I slowly opened my mouth.

“I will remain here.”

* * *

“What did you say?”

Miguel looked at Swen with an astonished expression, then quickly regained his composure and asked:

“…Excuse me, may I ask your name?”

“I am Swen.”

“I see. Swen. One of the commanders who recently arrived with General Irene. Anyway… what do you mean you’ll stay here?”

“I’d like to help General Irene fight back.”

“What?”

The previously quiet meeting room began to stir at Swen’s words.

Miguel couldn’t help but be surprised as well.

‘Stay here and fight back?’

Fine words like “fighting back” aside, anyone who had served in the Brans army long enough could tell.

Their lord, Lynn Brans, was now… sending Irene to her death.

The fact that she was disliked by their lord Lynn was information known to anyone who had served in the Brans army for a long time.

The problem started with sending reinforcements from Anel Castle rather than Kelshtein Castle.

It was a way of showing the other commanders that ‘we did what we could.’

Not many people would be simple enough to fall for it, but there was a big difference between doing something and not doing it.

But… even after seeing this, he wanted to stay and help her?

“No… Well, I understand you might want to fight for our army. But do you… realize?”

Miguel said with a serious expression:

“Not responding when our lord has summoned you is tantamount to disobeying her orders. This is an issue that goes beyond your patriotism.”

“But isn’t this fortress one that General Kalintz personally commanded the construction of? As such, I’d rather fight to the end than abandon it.”

“Hmm…”

At that moment.

Park, who was next to Miguel, tried to think it through.

‘Come to think of it… that man has been praising Kalintz.’

If Park had been a smarter person, he might have noticed that ‘he put Kalintz in the dangerous vanguard position instead of Irene.’

But he wasn’t that impressive a person.

Therefore, he simplified the situation.

‘Is he trying to gain Kalintz’s favor?’

Kalintz Brans.

Though he was a prisoner, he would likely not die.

While executing him directly might have its uses, from Ian’s army’s perspective, they wouldn’t do so for fear of future repercussions.

Even if Serpina’s army recaptured Cherien Castle and took custody of the prisoner, using him as diplomatic material would be a much wiser course of action—so although he was a prisoner, there was a high chance he wouldn’t die.

There was also a good chance he could escape during the confusion.

If one planned to work in the Brans army for a long time, it seemed quite wise to back Kalintz rather than Lynn, who was difficult to please, or Chel, who had a somewhat oppressive personality.

If Kalintz returned alive, all the actions Swen took here would move his heart.

‘He’s throwing his life away to advance his career somehow.’

Though the probability was slim, if this became known, he would climb the ladder of success in the Brans army with Kalintz as a strong backer.

Young new commanders like him sometimes showed such spirit for success.

Park was already too old and more concerned with self-preservation.

Perhaps that’s why.

Park wanted to help this young newcomer do as he wished.

If the result was death, that was something he would have to bear on his own.

Of course, all of this was Park’s misunderstanding.

“General Miguel. I think it would be best to let him do as he wishes.”

“What…?”

“Although they’re departing from Anel Castle, it’s true that reinforcements are coming, and General Irene is very capable. He’s saying he wants to fight for our army, not for any other reason. Perhaps a miracle could happen?”

“…”

After hearing Park’s words, Miguel fell into thought for a moment, then remembered that they didn’t have much time left.

Yes.

From his perspective too, he couldn’t keep worrying about a moth throwing itself into a burning fire.

“…Very well. I’ll do my best to convey your intentions to our lord.”

* * *

Yes.

That’s what I wanted to hear.

I bowed and answered:

“I will certainly bring you good news.”

“Hmm. I look forward to it.”

He probably doesn’t really expect much, but he’ll be surprised.

This fortress definitely won’t be taken.

Whatever the case, the water has been spilled now.

It was time to do what only I could do.

‘Let’s go.’

Irene Juliette.

To prevent her flame of life from being extinguished.