episode_0145

*

The day after I spoke with Irene.

Serpina called me again.

However, this time it was not the throne room, but the annex where the swordsmanship sparring took place last time.

‘Does Serpina often spend time here?’

As the leader of a nation, it is not surprising that there are a few outbuildings, but this place gave off a very strange feeling.

Something… … If I were to be honest, should I say that it is a stuffed space?

Although it was clearly not that far away, and was clearly located within the castle walls, the eerie feeling felt was making it difficult to come up with a proper explanation.

That time when I was heading to the mansion.

‘uh?’

A person who appeared to be Serpina was squatting in front of the flower bed.

When I got closer and checked… … It was the Serpina I knew, right down to the long blonde hair and the very distinctive hairpin.

When I looked at the side of her face, I saw that she had a very peaceful face that I had never seen before, to the point where I wondered if it was the girl I knew.

If you see something clicking, it looks like you’re doing something… … .

And, at that moment.

Perhaps because she felt like she was being popular, she turned to look at me and said.

“You’re here, Swen.”

“What were you doing?”

“I was looking at the flower bed for a moment.”

The monarch wanted to do something like that, but he couldn’t bear to ask it.

Just because you’re a king doesn’t mean you have to have hobbies… … Because the look on her face as she looked at the flower bed was very nice in many ways.

“Today, I am here at the call of my master-”

” Greetings have been said. Follow me.”

“… … Yes.”

I led Serphina and followed behind her.

*

Inside a room in a separate building.

In a place where a large map of the continent was hung on the wall – Serpina looked at me and spoke with a confident expression.

“Swen. It’s about the ‘test’ you gave. I was able to have time to think about many different things. I have called you here today to confirm whether this is the correct answer.”

‘It’s a test… … .’

that’s right.

She was under the illusion that I had given her some kind of test.

I wondered who on earth would dare say such a big subject to the monarch that he would test you, especially in front of Serpina, but-

Anyway, thanks to her misunderstanding, I was able to move on without explaining why my prediction was correct.

It was definitely, ‘It is an efficient alliance that provides a great opportunity for our army.’

Looking at it from the outside, it was Brans who had the most to gain no matter how many times I watched him.

Except that the proud Rin had proposed this first, it wasn’t such an absurd condition.

The only thing that could be expected was that this alliance would not actually be beneficial to the Brans army.

That’s right, providing an opportunity for our allies meant that Serpina would benefit. Because the interests of Brans’ military and our military conflicted, a win-win relationship could not be established.

If you think about it this way and that based on that, you may come up with an answer… … It’s all just speculation, and there’s no solid material basis like there used to be.

This meant that it would be difficult to convince Serpina.

“Then listen, Swen.”

But what-

Because right before my eyes, there is someone who says he will pull out my hair instead of me.

There was no reason not to accept it.

“… … All right. Please tell me.”

“It’s just my opinion… … It seems clear that Lin Brans’ intentions have changed. It is reasonable to say that since this offer came, she has not been the useless, stubborn woman she is known to be, but has become a woman who knows how to take advantage when it is necessary.”

That was my thought too.

It would have been very difficult for her to reach out first to our military, who were in fact her enemies.

She pointed at the map.

“Swen. Of course you know that, of all the countries that exist, it is Brans that benefits the most from an alliance with our army. The southern countries do not have a border with our military, and if the Aishous County allies with our military, the border itself will be blocked. Only Brans’ army can safely block the southern countries without worrying about our border. So, both superficially and strategically, this alliance can be seen as a huge benefit to the Brans army.”

Her voice as she continues her explanation is very sweet.

She couldn’t help but be a woman who possessed all the elements that could make a human being truly attractive.

“But you claimed that this alliance is also effective for our military… … What our military gets is 12,800 gold. okay. It’s certainly a good amount for a 6-month alliance, but this doesn’t explain why you rejected all previous alliances.”

I looked into her eyes without saying a word.

The twinkle in her eyes made me feel like she was determined to make me feel a strange sense of anticipation.

“That said, it is strange that the result is satisfactory to both Brans and our military. You said that it would definitely be a great opportunity for our military. Brans’s benefits cannot be our military’s benefits. If Brans County becomes a stronger country here, the country that will suffer the most is our country. Do you agree to this point?”

Is it even possible for Serpina to come up with this level of thinking without difficulty?

She was pretty smart, so there was nothing strange about it.

In the Serpina army, the one with the best abilities was Lord Serpina.

“I agree.”

“I’m satisfied. How do you feel? It seems like I am following your wishes quite well?”

After saying that, she raised the corners of her mouth in satisfaction… … It was strangely cute.

Still, I wouldn’t dare say that word even if I hit it to death.

“Please continue.”

“Good. Anyway, even if she changed her mind – the human mind cannot always pursue reason and practicality. Under our army’s military fire, countless generals and soldiers of the Brans army lost their lives. That was just a little while ago.”

She immediately looked at me and spoke in a confident tone.

“What do Brans’ subjects think of this? What about those soldiers? What about those who have lost family members or close ones? This alliance – contrary to its appearance, it may have a slightly different meaning for Brans Army.”

‘ah.’

I felt like I knew what she was trying to say.

Because it was one of the few inferences I expected.

That is, her reasoning is –

“Maybe with this alliance-”

“”There is a possibility that division will occur within Brans County.””

“Oh my.”

Serpina let out a bewitching smile, as if she was happy to have a conversation with me.

okay.

One of the best guesses I’ve made, and the most realistic guess of all.

Within the Brans army, a division occurs due to this alliance.

Clearly, this is beneficial to Brans.

However, humans have always been creatures who only look at benefits and cannot make rational decisions.

Lin Brans was shaken by his own feelings and abandoned his irreplaceable loyalist named Irene with his own hands.

Just as Baranga Yuuri Aceas made a very foolish choice as a monarch because he was unable to escape the chains of the past –

Humans are not beings who always think rationally.

“Swen. You said this to her: ‘If you’re in that position, you can’t help but feel it’. Those words literally contain something very decisive. That’s right, because I’m a tyrant.”

I didn’t mean it that way, but if you try to think of it that way, it sounds perfect.

tyrant… … is it.

Since I arrived she had never done anything that seemed like a tyrant, but it was a fact that she had a great reputation.

“Lyn Brans joined hands with Serpina, a tyrant who was like his enemy… … It is a situation that can be shaken by those who have been working in the Brans military even as they continue to suffer humiliation. In fact, at some point, Rin was in a situation where he was just repeating defeat.”

“That’s not all, right?”

“Ho?”

Since you’ve worked so hard to get here, it would be polite for me to share my thoughts as well.

“It is highly likely that the internal unity of the Brans Army has been shattered due to Lin Brans’ continuous misjudgments. The only thing that brought them together was probably their hostility towards their lord, and if they joined hands with their lord, there was a high possibility that they would lose whatever center they had left.”

So, the person who proposed this alliance may be someone who has the ability to read the situation, but does not have the ability to read people’s minds.

‘Probably farfalle.’

“It’s definitely true what you said, Swen. What is lacking in Yeo… … The fact that it is filled so neatly makes me wonder if it was originally one body. Hehehe… … ♡”

She said that and came closer to me.

I could see my chest heaving slightly.

Even though I didn’t want to think about it, I couldn’t help but think about how that huge watermelon-like thing was crushing my body yesterday.

“How do you feel, Swen? What is my answer? Have you passed your test?”

It’s a test.

It was certainly plausible, but I couldn’t say anything for sure without physical evidence after something ridiculous happened not long ago.

So, it’s better not to give a definite answer here. In order to get out of her safely, I needed to build up trust in her.

“I don’t know if the word ‘test’ is appropriate… … I would like to say that you are quite close.”

“Of course, I have no intention of being satisfied with this either.”

and.

She turned around and spoke quietly.

“This alliance and Yeo will take action directly.”

“The lord himself is coming?”

“I plan to go to Anel Castle.”

“… … Yes?”

“The mere fact of forming an alliance could be enough to shake things up internally, but I thought about it carefully. If I were a general in the Brans army, what scene would I be most embarrassed about? So, there was an image that naturally came to mind.”

At that moment, Serpina turned her head and looked at me.

Her yellow hair fluttered lightly.

“Seeing with my own eyes the sight of Serpina, who was like an enemy, holding hands with her master.”

‘… … !’

“If we can imprint that scene in Brans-gun, it is clear that we will be able to destroy internal morale even more clearly. Swen, don’t you think so too? Hehehe… … .”

She said that and laughed like a joker.

It would certainly be a bit more shocking, but the premise was that the inference was certain.

Of course, since I was given a clear answer of ‘benefit to our military’, there was a high possibility that the premise would be correct.

Still, I didn’t expect her to be so proactive.

Anyway – the prerequisite has been changed to ‘Serpina heading directly’, right?

‘The conditions have changed, so let’s try entering it.’

Without thinking about it, I typed ‘Is forming an alliance with the Brans Army effective for our military?’

And the answer is… …

-That damn ‘guess’.

That guess has the weight of being absolutely correct.

[It is a huge benefit to our troops, to the extent that the fate of continental unification is crossed.]

‘!!!!!!!’

“… … Swen?”

My legs went loose, and I unconsciously put my hand on the desk next to me.

what… … ?

“What’s happening all of a sudden?”

“No… … I, that, that… … Serpina. Well, wait a minute… … .”

When I stumbled, she came over and helped me.

Forgetting to say thank you, I pondered over the guess that just came out.

The prediction has changed.

The future has changed simply by adding the condition that Serpina moves herself.

wait for a sec.

The fact that it is so beneficial to our forces that it can change the fate of continental unification-

Are you saying the unification monarch is changing?

Just in case, I typed in the questions I had prepared during my conversation with Zenith.

‘… … ‘Can Serpina von Eyngart unify the continent?’

[Not like that.]

‘It hasn’t changed… … .’

This hasn’t changed at all.

Even when Serpina made up her mind to ‘go and find him’, that prediction remained the same.

However, the ‘ally’ here is… …

‘As long as I belong to Serpina Army, you mean Serpina Army, right?’

If you could also enter questions about Luna, the outline would be clearer –

Since her affiliation changed, she has never been asked whether she can become a unified monarch.

No, before that-

It was before that. The real problem was not about Luna, but what came before that.

‘If the destiny of continental unification comes… … ‘Don’t you think that the Serphina Army, not the Lunarien Army, will have the opportunity to unify the continent?’

But why… …

‘But why… … Serpina, are you still unable to achieve unification?’

Exciting!

Exciting!

My heart suddenly started beating violently.

My head spun faster than ever.

――And then I realize.

※ The fate of continental unification lies in the hands of Serpina County.

※ Serpina von Eingart cannot unify the continent.

Like a revelation from heaven-

No, this is not a revelation.

As if I had peeked into God’s realm that should not be peeked no matter what happens-

I absent-mindedly realized one fact derived from the two results.

‘Serpina… … Are you going to die?’