episode_0113

*

After hearing that, I asked Serpina several times if it was true.

I thought it might happen, but I couldn’t believe it when it actually happened.

“What would she gain by telling you a lie?”

Serpina smiled again as she said that.

People who lie to try to guess my reaction… … It wasn’t.

“You look like an abandoned hunting dog.”

“It’s a hunting dog… … .”

When I heard those words, I sighed even more.

“I am my lord… … I would never have even been Yuuri-sama’s hunting dog.”

Because she never used me in the first place.

Although I wasn’t there for that long, I spent more time teaching Reika than doing missions.

That’s why I felt like I had a more leisurely time than when I was under Lin.

Leaving Serpina behind, who didn’t respond, I settled the situation.

Did Yuuri finally abandon me and choose Anima?

I don’t know that Reika was attached to me, but I would have known that Iren was accompanying me as a bodyguard.

Nevertheless, making that decision-

Me too, Irene… … To her, in the end, she was nothing more than an anima.

I didn’t understand it at all.

The solidarity of the Acious Five was so strong that no one could break through it.

Yuuri, Anima, Emma, Epinel, Hernandorf.

In the first place, the country called Acious County was a place where everything was decided by those five people.

Adding to this, let’s be honest.

I had no intention of saying that I was extremely shocked or that my lord could do this to me.

Because I have never truly served her as my lord.

She was just a passing presence, and my heart was always by Runarien’s side.

Still, I didn’t want to act like a victim of pity now. If I did something so shameless, something inside me would definitely break.

Irene was just like me, so I don’t think she would have any major regrets.

I didn’t feel indebted to her because she had helped me with my major several times during my tenure.

The only thing I was worried about was Reika.

Unlike Iren and I, she was not a warrior and was just an ordinary woman who knew how to use magic.

There’s nothing to say if she’s already out of the ordinary in that she uses magic, but in any case, she’s not a woman who eats away at the country, so there’s no reason for her to be held here with me.

If she wants… … It would be better to just return it safely.

Since Reika is Jinor’s adopted daughter, he won’t touch her either.

As I was assessing the situation, I heard Serpina’s voice again.

“Now. What should I do?”

“Are you saying what should I do?”

“Yes.”

Are you sure you want to hear a direct declaration of defeat from me?

Although it is a nasty hobby, there are times when absolutes like Serpina become obsessed with such trivial things.

Still, I’ve been doing pretty well under Lin, so I guess it’ll be worth it.

“Didn’t I tell you? I lost the match I proposed. As promised, I will be Serpina’s loyal servant from now on.”

Is this enough of an answer?

While I was thinking that the choice of the word ‘faithful servant’ might be a bit excessive, I was told an unexpected story.

“That’s not what I asked you.”

“… … ?”

“Swen, I am asking about your intentions.”

When I said intention, I asked if he meant my intention to be under Serpina-sama.

“Didn’t you tell me? I said that in order to get you, I shouldn’t force you like that.”

“That’s true, but… … .”

“We talked about it several times. I want you to open. I want you to be deeply loyal to me and think of me as a monarch worthy of your sincere service. Wouldn’t it be meaningless to win the game and force you to be under my feet?”

As for how I felt after hearing those words-

Very clean, just surprised.

For someone who was reputed to be a tyrant, his attitude towards his subjects was very straightforward.

If you are in that position, I don’t think there will be any problem if you act a little more on your own.

I just brought up something that suddenly occurred to me.

“If I change my mind here and say that I cannot serve Serpina, what will you do?”

“I will send you back to Balharat Castle.”

“In that case, what happens to Anima?”

“I will release you. Because I said I would do it when I won the match.”

“If that’s the case, wouldn’t Serpina be able to make any profit from the prisoners she captured? ”

Serpina heard those words-

He came close to me again.

The smell of the perfume she was spraying fiercely assaulted my nose again.

I think I understand now. It’s a citron scent, this smell.

“That’s stupid. Didn’t you find out all about this?”

What is so enjoyable? He smiles seductively again.

“Didn’t you clearly see with your own eyes what decision I made in this match? for me… … Swen, your gaze remains. The way you look at me.”

“!!!”

“The reverberations of the game we played today will be fiercely engraved in those gazes. Even after you leave my side, I will always think of this moment. Do you think you’ve gained enough from just that?”

… … and.

This is dizzying.

Just now, I truly thought, ‘It would be nice to hire someone of Serpina’s level.’

Her extremely sophisticated and beautiful appearance, the Eingart lineage that flows in her blood, and her background, her nickname ‘tyrant’… …

Aside from all that, the title that best suits her at this moment is – Absolute.

I had no choice but to admit it.

Of all the monarchs I’ve met, the one closest to the ‘Absolute One’ is Serpina in front of me.

Like Lin Brans, he is unrivaled by his charisma and madness that allows him to control the audience as he wants.

Even those who can give up everything for the brother with whom they shared a blood oath, like Baranga Yuuri Acious, cannot reach-

The only one who can bear the weight of the crown of such an ‘absolute being’ is Serpina, who blurts out such words without any hesitation.

It couldn’t have been an amazing woman who made me think like that in a very brief moment.

A normal person might have fallen in love with her and sworn loyalty to her here, but-

I thought I knew why she could act so leisurely.

“You’re amazing, Serpina. If you treat a talented person like this when hiring them, I think they will definitely want to give their heart and be loyal.”

“You mean, it seems like it?”

“Well, if you think about it now, I don’t have a choice.”

“You gave me a choice?”

“It may seem that way, but hear me out.”

If you look at the situation, of course that would be correct.

As someone who had already been abandoned once, I couldn’t choose the option of going back.

Even if they returned to the Aishous Army with Anima, who was released from here-

Will Yuuri be happy if he goes back?

Will I be able to spend my days there in peace?

Yuuri, the monarch, may say he is truly sorry to me, but he will continue to pay attention.

At the point where they had already sold me out on a large scale, it was clear that my presence in itself would be a hindrance to them.

Because existence itself will continue to remind us of that situation.

There was a high possibility that people like Epinel would lie and say things like ‘I already killed Swen’ in order to somehow resolve what happened.

I would have made a long speech about the legitimacy of cutting corners like that, but there was a high possibility that my presence would make the cleanup even more messy.

Of course they will try to deal with me somehow.

So it’s like there’s nothing I can do other than get under Serpina.

Rather, it is the only way to save your life.

One option would be to resign altogether, but from my perspective as an envoy, it was difficult to find a place to stay or to cover living expenses, except for the gold I brought for diplomatic purposes.

Including me, there are three mouths. It was safe to say that the situation was being attacked precisely at the pinpoint.

and-

“I don’t think there’s a way that someone as high as Serpina wouldn’t know that.”

That wasn’t the only reason.

I only know how to accurately predict the problems asked, particularly those related to the country or war.

As Jinor thought, he couldn’t use magic or see the future.

If I were to be able to stop Epinel’s move, it would be absolutely impossible.

Even if Jinor, the tactician, protects me, I can’t tell at what point my life will become dangerous.

Whatever it was, there was only one conclusion for me.

Of course, there’s no way she knows all the details of my situation, but-

In any case, he must have figured out that he would be in a difficult situation if he went back.

“… … This is my opinion, what do you think?”

“So, what you are saying is that although it may seem like I am showing mercy, that is not the case in the end?”

“Yes.”

After hearing my explanation, she raised her eyebrows again as if she was amused.

Every time she smiled at me, I felt like my whole body was bathed in her golden eyes.

“I think I know why Yuuri didn’t use you as a hunting dog, Swen.”

“What does it mean?”

“Let alone for the sake of the owner, there is no owner anywhere in the world who would love a dog that has the potential to eat the owner. Deep insight sometimes aims at its owner’s head.”

This is how you get it?

By acknowledging my abilities and at the same time revealing that I am not the chosen one, I never lose control of the conversation.

This time, I couldn’t help but acknowledge her, seeing as she didn’t waver even though her intentions were all read.

If there had been no prediction that ‘Lunarien is the monarch who will unify the continent.’

And if I were possessed with only prior knowledge of the game and without the ability to make 100% accurate predictions –

It was clear that I would not hesitate to bet everything on her.

“Swen.”

She gently lifts my chin with two fingers.

It was an act that could be considered very humiliating depending on the person, but… …

Her beauty, the smell of citron emanating from her, and her aura soothed my feelings without hurting me too much.

“A woman of Yuuri’s size cannot use you as a hunting dog, but I am different. I can embrace your talent. I am confident that I can do that. Come under me. It will imbue your body and mind with a golden color. I will ask again. What shall we do? Are you willing to be her hunting dog?”

actually.

I had never thought about joining Serpina Army.

I was planning to spend time in Brans County until the general trend was decided, and after learning that Luna was destined to become a unified monarch, I thought that it didn’t matter what country I belonged to right now.

However, if my moving over to Serpina-kun is the result of my 100-point intelligence brain predicting –

“Okay.”

I looked into Serpina’s eyes and said.

“From today, I, Swen, will become your lord’s faithful hunting dog.”

He was recommended to Luna early on, and when the country fell, he was appointed to the Brans army.

After betraying Rin, he went under the control of the Aishous army, and was ultimately abandoned and sold to Serpina.

A general who replaces monarchs all the time.

Regardless of the context, if you look at the sentences alone, my life was truly amazing.

*

After leaving the room and walking down the hallway of the annex-

Suddenly, I felt like I wanted to ask her a question.

“Master.”

“Tell me.”

“This is an indecent question, but… … So, just in case, I’m telling you this.”

She was walking forward but stopped without looking back.

I quickly realized that this was a sign that he would listen to my story.

“Perhaps… … Haven’t we met somewhere before?”

There was no answer, but I continued the sentence.

“Even if we haven’t actually met each other, we’ve just seen each other’s faces. For example, in a dream… … In the same place, I mean.”

It was an extremely strange question to a third party, but what can you do? This is the only thing I can ask.

I asked this question because I wanted to know if I appeared in Serpina’s dream just as Serpina appeared in my dream, so wouldn’t I be at least a little surprised if that was the case?

First of all, she had her back to me and didn’t seem surprised at all, at least on the outside.

“I heard the rumor. It is said that the white-haired man created a strange aura against our military. Even I couldn’t believe it until I saw it with my own eyes.”

After saying that, he turned around and made eye contact with me.

“But this is my first time seeing your face.”

“Is that so.”

“Did you get the answer?”

“Yes,” I said, and he walked forward without another word.

‘Maybe it only happened in my dream?’

To think that way, I thought there was something to it because he knew my name from the beginning… … .

Looking at her reaction, it didn’t seem like that was the case.

After all, is the name just a rumor?

Of course, there was a possibility that he was lying, but it meant that he had no intention of telling me anyway, so I couldn’t ask him any more.

‘If I spend more time by her side, wouldn’t there be a chance to get to know her naturally?’

My prediction is that there must be a reason why they sent me here.

Thinking like that… I followed my new blond haired master down the hallway.