Chapter 319

“When did you become so close with that child?”

Professor Lawrence approached me quietly, his expression grim.

He had been certain that the Crown Prince would win.

No matter what choices I made in the game, the Crown Prince always fought to the bitter end.

This was the first time I had managed to change that predetermined fate, so his reaction was to be expected.

“Professor, you’re being too vague. People might misunderstand.”

I chuckled.

“Hmm? Were you not? I thought you were talking about another close ‘female’ friend.”

“Y-Yes, well… I was about to get angry. Professor Regina is right here…”

My juniors’ reactions said it all.

There was no need to explain my reputation.

At least Regina was keeping her composure…

“I’d like to hear about ‘that child’.”

My fiancée said in her usual cold voice, draining her glass in one gulp.

…It seemed like she wasn’t keeping her composure after all.

“Sigh, what do you guys think of me? She’s a nun. Professor Lawrence’s younger sister.”

“Phew, I’m relieved, Senior.”

Annette’s face brightened.

“Wait a minute. A forbidden love… That actually suits Senior…”

Look at this guy.

“Who does it suit?”

Professor Lawrence suddenly appeared behind Camian.

“Eek?!”

Camian screamed like a child.

“Pfft.”

I burst out laughing.

Kamian’s face turned red.

“I-It was just a joke…”

“You should be careful with your jokes.”

“…Yes, sir.”

As expected of Professor Lawrence.

He had silenced Camian in an instant.

“Don’t worry, Professor Regina. It’s not like that.”

“No, I was also joking.”

You were?

“…I’m surprised you even know how to joke.”

Professor, you don’t know her well enough.

…She’s good at making people uncomfortable with her serious-sounding jokes.

I was glad that she was actually joking this time.

“Ahem, anyway.”

Professor Lawrence cleared his throat and changed the subject.

“Did you approach her intentionally?”

“Of course not.”

I replied seriously.

“I’m a devout believer, so I became acquainted with her through various church-related activities. And when this crisis erupted in the empire, she summoned me and asked for my help.”

“A devout believer?”

“You can easily confirm that by investigating how much I’ve donated to the Church.”

“…”

Professor Lawrence stared at me intently, as if trying to read my mind.

And then, he said, “So it was all her idea, and you had nothing to do with it?”

“That’s right.”

I replied immediately.

This was a secret between Sister Marianna and me.

There was no way Professor Lawrence could find out, even if he was her brother.

He didn’t press me any further.

I smiled and changed the subject.

“Today, I realized that you’re a man of your word, Professor.”

“What do you mean?”

“Didn’t you always tell us to never miss an opportunity to release the arrow? That a missed opportunity never returns?”

I wasn’t mocking him for shooting at me.

I meant it.

That’s what made him such a reliable ally.

The Lambert army, led by Professor Lawrence, would be a strong bulwark for our forces.

“You’re quite magnanimous.”

Professor Lawrence also seemed to be sincere.

“I wish you continued luck. My brother’s decision is irreversible.”

“I also wish you and Count Lambert the best of luck.”

With that, I had achieved the final goal of my southern expedition.

* * *

After securing an alliance with the Lambert family, I started heading back to my territory.

I knew that overreaching and trying to conquer too much territory would only backfire.

Still, the combined forces of the lords who had submitted to the princess’s banner numbered well over twenty-one thousand.

I said “the princess’s banner,” but they were actually the forces of the central region that I had gathered under my command.

They were my forces, the Celtrine family’s forces.

Excluding the seven thousand soldiers of the Lambert family, who were our equal allies, I had direct control over approximately fourteen thousand soldiers.

Combined with the forces in my territory, the number exceeded twenty thousand.

It was a force that no one could ignore.

There was no comparison between the influence of a six-thousand-strong force and a twenty-thousand-strong force.

‘That’s why I worked so hard.’

The result was clear. No one could deny that the Celtrine family was no longer just an ordinary lord, but one of the key players in the princess faction.

‘And…’

We also had the thirty thousand soldiers of the Ehrenbert family, our allies.

It was a small number for a grand duke from the barren north, but those thirty thousand soldiers were all elite warriors.

They were a force that was much stronger than their numbers suggested.

The fifty-thousand-strong Celtrine-Ehrenbert alliance was the core of my plan.

The remaining question was,

‘How can we continue to achieve victories without suffering heavy losses?’

If our forces were depleted with each victory, it would be a Pyrrhic victory.

That wasn’t the kind of victory I needed.

I needed near-perfect victories.

Like the ones we had achieved so far.

I returned to my territory, my mind busy planning our next move.

* * *

The Celtrine territory was in a festive mood.

News had arrived that the army, which had embarked on a perilous expedition, had achieved victories and secured surrenders wherever they went.

The final piece of good news was that they had secured an alliance with the formidable Lambert family.

Count Celtrine and his wife, who had been worried, could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

However,

There were some who felt a sense of unease amidst the celebrations.

It was the Safia siblings, who had arrived at the Celtrine territory with Princess Oscar and ten thousand soldiers as the vanguard of the grand Duke Safia’s forces.

“I-Is this a scam?”

Emily Safia said, clutching her head in disbelief.

“A scam? What do you mean?”

Her brother, Ethan Safia, blinked in confusion.

“I mean, how can they keep winning like this if it’s not a scam?”

“Well… I don’t know.”

Ethan scratched his head.

“Anyway, isn’t it a good thing? I still don’t like that guy, but…”

“Brother, are you stupid?”

Emily thumped her chest in frustration.

“W-Why? What’s wrong?”

Ethan’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Ugh, you’re such an idiot.”

Emily shook her head.

Winning the civil war?

Of course, it was important.

But it was equally important for their family, the Safia family, to be the greatest contributor to this war.

That was the only way they could become the most powerful family in the new empire under the princess’s rule.

That was the sole reason why their father, Marquis Safia, was pouring all his resources into this war.

Emily knew that.

But her idiotic brother was naively celebrating the Celtrine family’s victories.

He didn’t even realize that a powerful rival was emerging.

‘Ugh, I can’t say anything in front of the princess.’

Of course, the princess wasn’t naive enough to think that the Safia family was helping out of pure goodwill.

It was a universal truth that there had to be something in it for them.

Most relationships were based on mutual benefit.

But that was one thing, and voicing it out loud was another.

It was taboo to openly express one’s desire for power in front of a ruler.

“Calm down, you two.”

Princess Oscar, who had been sipping her tea quietly, spoke up.

“There’s no need to get excited over good news.”

“…Yes, Your Highness.”

Emily lowered her head, her shoulders slumping.

‘She can’t possibly have feelings for that guy, right?’

There had been rumors at the academy.

But Emily had dismissed them as ridiculous.

Why would the princess have feelings for a man who was already engaged and had a reputation for being a womanizer?

It was absurd.

But…

‘Why am I feeling uneasy?’

The Celtrine family and that man were on a roll.

They were no longer a force that could be ignored.

What if the princess had feelings for him and was giving him more power…?

The situation would become a mess.

But,

It was an unnecessary worry.

Because the princess had something else in mind.

‘This is too much. So this is how you’re going to play it, Senior?’

She took a sip of her tea, a subtle smile playing on her lips.

What she desired was absolute power.

Like her brother, Adolf, she craved the throne.

It meant that no matter who won, there would be a bloodbath.

Anyway,

The rise of a single family was an eyesore to her.

‘Hmm, what should I do? He’s a senior who achieves miraculous victories no matter how difficult the situation…’

“Your Highness?”

‘Assassination? Poisoning? Ah, that would be a last resort, right? I don’t want to take Senior’s life, even if he is a nuisance.’

If Max had heard her thoughts, he would have been shocked.

‘My relationship with the psycho princess has developed to this extent?’

The princess was a monster in human form, who didn’t hesitate to kill people.

Considering how she had beheaded him countless times in the past, without batting an eye, their relationship had indeed come a long way.

“Your Highness?”

‘Hmm, I’ll have to corner him at the right time. I can only cripple him if he’s cornered.’

“Y-Your Highness?”

Emily’s third call finally snapped the princess out of her thoughts.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I was lost in thought.”

“O-Okay…”

Emily tilted her head in confusion. Someone knocked on the door.

“Excuse me.”

Ethan went to open the door.

“What is it?”

“The Celtrine army has just returned.”

“Ah, I see.”

Princess Oscar stood up, a faint smile on her lips.

* * *

“Huh? Wait a minute. I’ve never seen that army before. Are they enemies?”

Duncan frowned, wary of the troops that had set up camp on one side of the Celtrine territory.

It was a sizable force.

“Do you think the people here would react like that if they were enemies?”

Gwen said, his tone reasonable.

“The emblem of a wheat stalk… They’re soldiers of Marquis Safia.”

Milia said, recognizing the emblem on their flag.

“Safia? Then they’re allies? They’ve finally arrived?”

Duncan relaxed.

But he was still unhappy.

“Tsk, they didn’t show their faces when we were in danger, and now they suddenly appear.”

“They’re probably here to take credit. Even though it’s too late.”

Milia’s voice was cold.

Even if they couldn’t mobilize a large army, they could have sent some reinforcements.

But they hadn’t moved until now.

Meanwhile, the Celtrine family had been fighting for their lives on the front lines, drawing the attention of the Crown Prince’s army.

They had been lucky to achieve a series of victories. If they had lost even once, they would have become cannon fodder.

“Calm down, everyone. That’s how the world works. No one helps the weak.”

I said, chuckling.

Actually, it had worked out well for them.

They had been able to build up their forces while being left alone.

“And they did help us once.”

“What?”

They looked at me in confusion.

I explained, “Spazz Barony. The Safia family’s soldiers were also present at Spazz Barony, where the princess launched a diversionary attack to help us.”

Of course, it was just my speculation.

But I was certain that I was right.

They were the only ones who could have helped the princess escape.

“Ah, I see.”

“Well, at least they did something.”

They seemed to be less upset now.

“That’s right. So cheer up. They’re our allies, and we have to work together until the end.”

I smiled meaningfully and continued, “And we can’t make any mistakes in front of the princess.”

My gaze landed on Princess Oscar, her golden hair and jade-green eyes approaching from afar.