episode_0017

“What… … ?”

Lin looked at Swen with a shocked expression.

It’s not about giving us gold… … You want to take the gold?

“Hey. What did you just say?”

Rin spoke in a low voice, but-

Swen was not swayed by the momentum and opened his mouth with the very confident attitude he had shown so far.

“If you give me 3,000 gold, I said that I would promise never to pursue the Brans army, which is retreating after signing an armistice.”

“You… … Do you know who you are behaving in front of right now?”

After hearing those words, Swen bowed his head and said.

“Yabawi. I don’t think so, Lin. I only came here for diplomacy.”

“But why are you asking me for money?!”

Lin lost his temper and shouted loudly.

There was a possibility that the voice would leak out of the throne room door and upset her subordinates waiting in the hallway, but Rin couldn’t pay attention to that right now.

“Didn’t I tell you? Lin rejected the armistice agreement on the condition that we give him 1,300 gold. Haven’t you asked me again and again? And now things have changed. Until just a moment ago, our side may have benefited more, but now doesn’t the Brans army benefit much more from the armistice agreement? Then, of course, it makes sense for us to get paid.”

“You’re laughing. Even if we don’t bring the Zeeland invasion force, we have the troops to stop about 50,000 soldiers.”

“Is that so? Well, I’m glad if that’s the case… … Honestly, it doesn’t look like that.”

“Ha!”

Lin snorted.

She knew this was a bluff, but right now she didn’t think she could stay sane if she didn’t do this.

Well, when I thought about it calmly, he was right.

The fact that the armistice agreement ironically favored the Brans army.

Soldiers who fled inevitably had lower combat power than those who fought in camp.

From the point of view of the Brans army, which needed to preserve its troops as much as possible, the difference between having and not pursuing troops was likely to be larger than expected.

And this man… … I was acting as if I knew from a while ago that this would all happen.

It’s as if he expected Serpina to invade – no.

Aren’t they acting as if they were sure of an invasion from Serpina?

In front of such a person, if I didn’t show off at least – I couldn’t protect my pride for having been defeated by an unknown person from a weak country.

“What if I say there will be no armistice agreement?”

“What can a lowly bastard like me do? It’s just like before. This opportunity will never come again. That’s it.”

That moment.

Lin Brans picked up the decorative sword lying next to the throne and walked towards where Swen was kneeling, making a clanking sound.

And then-

The sound of a sword being pulled out of its sheath is heard.

When he came to his senses, the silver blade held in Lin’s hand was pointed at him by Swen’s neck.

Although it was for decoration, it was a true sword with a properly sharp edge.

“… … .”

Swen didn’t say anything and just looked up at Lin.

There is no trace of fear or embarrassment on that face at all.

Seeing that so detached appearance made Lin feel scared.

‘What the hell is this guy… … ?!’

Rin bit her lower lip hard again.

And then, with the desire to live in his voice, he let it go.

“Hey. I think you’re misunderstanding something, yes. I’ll admit it too. Capturing a messenger who came for diplomacy would be something only a tyrant like Serpina would do. How much more would you cut off the Shinigami’s head? The moment this fact leaks out, I won’t be able to engage in diplomacy with any feudal lord. People in the world will point fingers at me and call me a blood-crazed scumbag. Even my subordinates who serve me will be greatly disappointed by my actions. Some people with strong personalities may be disappointed by this and leave my job.”

Rin said, sinking the knife a little deeper.

“But, you know what? I’m quite impatient. I don’t know what kind of trick he was pulling, but I’m the type of person who would go to any lengths to kill a bastard who was acting like he was something in front of me. It’s an armistice, and I could just kill you right here. Even if you think about it later, the damage will be great, but it can be dealt with. But you will lose your life by my hands. okay? This is the difference between you and me.”

Her voice was so cold that it felt like it was filled with sincerity.

She said, strengthening the hand holding the knife.

“Keep talking without knowing the difference. Unless your life is worth it. I would be able to kill one or two envoys from a weak country like you over and over again. reputation? What do you know? Isn’t that right?”

Rin pushed the knife ever so slightly closer to his throat.

Now the distance was close enough that if I just grazed my hand a little, I could wound his neck.

I pushed it to this point.

So, there was a chance that my momentum would be lost now, but-

Swen looked up at Lin and calmly parted his lips, not once showing any sign of trembling with fear.

“You will do that.”

“… … What?”

“Kill him. Me.”

Rin spoke confidently, but he couldn’t hide the fact that his pupils were trembling.

“Are you serious?”

“What should I do? If Lin is the kind of person who would kill an envoy just because he’s a little angry, it’s obvious to anyone that he wouldn’t sign a reasonable armistice agreement. What more can I do? However.”

Swen began to explain quietly, in a voice without trembling, as if he was punching her in the ear.

“Lin, what you lose by killing me will not only be your reputation among the feudal lords or the loyalty of your subjects. Since there is no place to take soldiers right away, you will naturally lose Kelstein Castle. You will face great difficulties in organizing your future battle lines as you lose your castle, which is like a bridgehead for advancing from the north to the central region. Of course, the ongoing conquest of the central continent and expansion into the south will be in vain. As long as the north is breached, the Serpina army will continue to attack.”

“… … !”

“Is that all? Would the Brans army, which is busy blocking the Serpina army in the north, have time to worry about the feudal lords in the south or elsewhere? From that moment on, the Brans army would become a breakwater for other princes to block the Serpina army in the north. It must be a very good feeling for the Aishous army, which was unable to develop due to being blocked by the Brans army. Wouldn’t the country that was almost the only real threat to them now be protecting their country from an even bigger threat?”

‘This man… … Now, what to say… … ?’

Lin was very surprised.

why… … How could a nameless man from a small and weak country know this much about the situation on the continent?

“The southern feudal lords will probably unanimously praise Lin. While Lin helps stop Serpina, they will grow and establish their own order. When that moment arrives, how different will the status of the Brans Army, which is focused only on preventing the Serpina Army’s major offensive, be compared to the present? Aren’t you curious?”

“That… … Gun.”

“Lin. It’s okay if you kill me. At the same time, an armistice agreement will not be reached, but all of our soldiers will pursue the 20,000 soldiers who are withdrawing to protect Kelstein Castle until the end. The Raven mercenaries and the Chilean mercenaries, known for their bravery, will inevitably follow the retreating soldiers of the Brans army until the end and kill at least one more of them. Our lord Runarien thinks the same as me.”

Swen said, looking at Lin’s trembling eyes.

It was clearly Rin who was pointing the sword and was in an overwhelming position of power in this situation, but-

It was already Swen who was leading this conversation, not her.

“Of course, our military would not gain anything from that, and we would not be able to kill all 20,000 people. In fact, our military may suffer greater damage. However, from our perspective as a weak country, we would simply lose our troops. But what about Brans? What if many of the valuable troops that could have been quickly sent to Kelstein Castle are lost in pursuit and are unable to defend against the enemy in a timely manner? What if Kelstein Castle is taken before the soldiers stationed at other borders can arrive?”

“… … !!”

Lin’s eyes became four hundred eyes.

At this point, I no longer felt any sense of dignity as a monarch.

She was overcome with emotions she had never felt before.

It was – fear.

The fundamental fear that comes from the fact that no matter what I do, I cannot beat this man with words!

“… … Mr. Lin. You said it, right? I can fix it somehow, but I will lose my life. However, that is only half true.”

Swen slowly-

At the same time, he spoke in a tone as if he was going to eat Rin.

“What I will lose is my life. However, Lin-sama sacrificed my life… … You will lose the world.”

“!!!”

“My life, as an envoy of a weak nation, is extremely worthless compared to the world that the Brans army may conquer in the future. Don’t you think so?”

Swen said with a slight smile.

“Will you keep your pride and lose the world, or will you put aside your pride and keep looking for opportunities to take over the world? … As a monarch, which path you will choose, it all depends on Rin’s decision.”

Rin freezes on the spot.

As if the world had stopped.

Will this man’s life be taken and the world lost?

Or will they quickly sign an armistice and plan for the future?

Lin Brans was the one who proved his abilities and rose to the top of the Brans army.

It was quite obvious what she would choose.

Wow!

Rin nervously threw away the sword he was holding.

My face turns red, and my eyes become more and more watery. I desperately swallow the tears that feel like they are about to burst out of anger.

And then, looking at Swen, who was still not moving at all… … I opened my mouth with a trembling voice.

“You. What is your name?”

“It is called Swen.”

“Okay. Swen. Swen… … .”

She chewed the sentence ‘Swen’ over and over again.

Then he spoke in a slightly calmer tone.

“I will never forget you in my life. Swen.”

And then-

I shouted to the security guard who was standing behind me while controlling my expression.

“Hey, you!”

“Yes, four!”

“Prepare 3,000 gold. Right now.”

“3,000 gold… … What do you mean?”

Lin shouted back at the soldier who asked the question.

“What are you doing? Get ready quickly!”

“Oh, I understand!”

“… … .”

Lin sighed deeply.

I somehow swallowed the tears that were welling up.

Finally, he slowly turned his head, looked directly into Swen’s eyes, and said.

“… … I’ll prepare it outside the castle.”

Only then did Swen nod his head and slowly stand up.

“Lin, I would like to thank you for your wise decision on behalf of our lord Runarien. As promised, I will not disturb even a single hair of the retreating Brans army. Then.”

After he slowly walked out of the throne room.

Rin trudged back to the throne and sat down.

‘Swen… … Swen. It’s Swen… … .’

Swen.

It’s my first time hearing this name.

It was a name that had never come up at that moment in history, at least until today.

Such an unknown, even a mere subject of a weak country-

It was as if he had completely slandered himself, the monarch of Brans County.

‘To Lunarien Army… … ‘You mean there was a man like that?’

One by one, the puzzle pieces began to fit together in Lin’s mind.

An unexpected surprise attack by a mercenary group.

I was convinced that the man behind the recent actions of the Lunarien army was Swen.

Besides, I don’t know how he found out… … It was clear that the Serpina army had already known that it would invade the Brans army.

Because only then could his consistently confident attitude be explained.

I don’t know how Runarien, a worthless monarch, discovered such a man-

On the one hand, it was fortunate.

The fact that a man of that caliber only serves Runarien Inian.

‘Swen.’

How Brans raised his weight class in the central continent.

Based on its overwhelming background, it absorbed the surrounding weak countries at random, but among them, it prioritized the weak countries with outstanding talents and collected them without losing them to others, which greatly contributed to the foundation of the nation.

Gurupa, who was in Walnut County not long ago, was also one of the top recruitment targets.

Even though she couldn’t get her hands on Gurupa, she was able to sense it instinctively.

Gurupa is nothing more than an ordinary man compared to that man named Swen.

Lin thought of Swen, who was staring at him clearly even when the knife was at his throat.

Confidence filled in the eyes of a handsome man.

When I actually faced him, I was filled with surprise and fear, but-

When I thought about it later, I realized that there was no other man as appetizing as this.

That expression… … I wanted to paint it with my own color.

‘Swen. What kind of expression will you make when you come under my control? … ?Hehe… … ♡’

okay.

Let’s postpone the conquest of Zeeland Castle until later.

First, protect Kelstein Castle, make sure there is no trouble elsewhere, and then Zeeland Castle… … no.

What she wants is not a meaningless piece of land like Zeeland Castle.

Because what Lin really wanted to target was a man named Swen.

‘I will make sure you obey like a dog under me. Swen… … ♡’

Her face turned red again.

But- this had a slightly different meaning.

It’s not something like anger or hatred, but an emotion that’s a little more fundamental and sticky than that.

That subtle feeling of wanting to reign over the head of the opponent who defeated you.

This was an obsession.