episode_0149

“You told me to come find you in person?”

“Yes.”

After hearing Farfalle’s story, Lin thought for a moment, then sighed and said.

“It looks like he was determined to embarrass me.”

“… … .”

He doesn’t want to admit the fact that he has already applied for an alliance, but does he want to complete the picture of actually giving up on himself by calling in?

From Lin’s perspective, he had no choice but to naturally come to that conclusion.

In the first place, that kind of humiliation was something he himself often did.

but.

Having already wasted so much time, Lin couldn’t just waste time doing nothing anymore.

“Farfalle. What should I do?”

“Master… … .”

After Farfalle was reinstated and returned to the national throne –

It was true that the situation of Brans County, which had been collapsing, was gradually improving.

Even though Elgaim Castle was lost, if she had not led the way, more territory would have been lost more quickly.

There was a possibility that even Anel Castle might have become dangerous.

That’s why Rin trusted Farfalle more than anything.

no. In the first place, he had no choice but to rely on her even more because he knew that he was currently in a situation where he was unable to make sound decisions.

After abandoning Irene, losing Swen, and having several territories taken away, even I could not trust my own thoughts and judgment.

And, farfalle is-

He spoke in a strong tone, as if forcing Rin to make a decision.

“… … I am very sorry, but here you must close your eyes for the sake of your country.”

“You mean to go find it in person?”

“That’s right. Think about it. You just have to suffer the humiliation of being exposed to that guy in front of him over and over again. Wouldn’t it be much better than having Branth’s army fall and Lin become the cancer army that brought down the once powerful Brans army?”

After realizing that Rin really trusts his opinion and relies on him-

The intensity of Farfalle’s remarks had also become considerably stronger.

Considering that in the past, I couldn’t say the right words out of fear of hurting Rin’s feelings, it was a huge improvement.

“… … .”

Rin bit her lower lip tightly.

The fishy taste of blood ran up her tongue.

“Is it really necessary to do this? … Just because we already suggested an alliance… … It means they won. This is enough… … .”

“This is Serpina, widely known as a tyrant. Wouldn’t that witch be capable of worse than this?”

Farfalle thought in her heart that Rin was of a similar type, but she didn’t bother to bring it up.

It doesn’t matter what her personality is like. Since she was currently on the throne, the most realistic way to save Brans was to take her side.

If the Brans army he had chosen after rejecting numerous offers fell like this, it meant that his choice was wrong.

Wasn’t he here, even enduring being imprisoned, just to avoid that at all costs?

So, now was the time to tell her what she wanted to hear.

“Rest in peace, my lord. If you sharpen your sword even more based on this humiliation and wait for the right time, the opportunity will surely come. In God’s eyes, Serpina von Eyngart is absolutely not a person capable of winning the world. Don’t you know that there are a lot of people on the continent who hate her? In the first place, you must not forget that the empire was torn apart and a difficult time opened up because there were many people who disapproved of her trying to kill all the crown princes and ascend to the position of supreme power.”

“… … I know. To that extent. I know… … Haha.”

Rin let out a long sigh, but Farfalle was relieved by the sigh.

Because my opinion was being reflected in a similar pattern to now.

“… … Let me think about it.”

I thought about it, but I knew I was going to go anyway.

We need to prepare for the mission soon.

Since the monarch himself is coming, quite a lot of money will be involved.

“Okay. Please make a quick decision.”

After saying that, I was about to take a step towards getting ready.

“Master!”

Suddenly, the door to the throne room opened.

Normally, this would have made people angry, wondering what kind of rude behavior this was, but there were cases where such behavior was forgivable.

Firstly, a messenger.

Secondly, he is a person with considerable influence in the country.

This was the second time.

“Brother… … ?”

The one who rushed in was Chell Brans, who had finished convalescing and was waiting to form the National Guard.

He was followed by Kalinz, Chell’s younger brother and Lin’s second brother.

“Is it true that you are forming an alliance with the Serpina Army?”

“… … .”

After hearing those words, Lin turned his head again.

It was a sort of protest that she did not want to talk about it further, but from Chell’s perspective, it was an issue that could not be ignored.

“No, my lord! Don’t you know that Serpina is a conniving woman on the inside? It is clear that if we join hands with her, it will be an indelible shame and the public sentiment towards our military will be shattered in the future. Not only that, but there are a lot of subordinate generals who are questioning this decision. Please change your mind!”

“I… … .”

“Master. It was not long ago that my colleagues, the brave soldiers who sacrificed their blood for our Brans army, lost their lives not at the hands of anyone else but at the hands of Serpina’s army. Even if you gain something from the alliance, it will only be for a moment, and you will definitely lose more than that. Please think again… … !”

At the town hall of Chell and Kalinz, Lin trembled.

Ever since I lost confidence in my decisions… … Lin had lost much of his gun and charisma.

“I… … I do not know. Farfalle. Talk to Farfalle… … .”

“Master… … .”

Kalinz looked at his sister, who had already become a different person, with a sad expression on her face.

The woman who seemed like she would eat everything, including her brother, was now much more fragile than when she was young.

“Master.”

“… … .”

Chell said, looking straight into Farfalle’s eyes.

“I also know what the teacher was thinking about joining hands with Serpina. Certainly, as you think, if we can not pay attention to the northern front for the time being, we will certainly be able to effectively block the southern forces, including the Hessna army. But what after 6 months? Even if you extend the alliance, what will you do after that? Do you really think it’s best to just focus on protecting the territory you currently have?”

“We cannot afford to lose any more territory. It’s already so… … I’ve come a long way.”

It was okay at first.

The very first. Before Farfalle was imprisoned, it might have been okay to just smuggle all the soldiers and generals towards Castle Agnel.

Probably, if Serpina’s army had invaded, the territory would have been taken away right away – but still, there wouldn’t have been that much to lose. Because the place had already been declared abandoned.

We could have all gathered at Anel Castle and straightened out the battle line.

However, Serpina did not play to Brans’s plans.

On the contrary, they abandoned the Brans army, added guards to the border, and then stopped the invasion.

Naturally, the anger of the generals and soldiers in the territory near the border of Brans County, which was practically abandoned, was bound to reach its peak, and as time passed and there was some leeway in the troops, there was no need to focus on Annel Castle in order to quell that anger. There is no longer a need for it.

In other words, if it was advantageous to lose the territory quickly at that time –

For now, it was beneficial to protect the territory.

I wish I had made a decision sooner before Elgaim Castle was taken, but this was something that could not be helped.

Farfalle’s idea was that the answer was to reduce errors as much as possible even now.

“General. I’m sorry, but right now the only way is to hold Serpina’s hand.”

“Then… … Are we supposed to follow in silence? To hold the hand of the enemy… … Also, you mean to ally with the guys who took the lives of our allies just a few months ago?”

“… … Yes.”

“!!!”

After hearing Farfalle’s words, Chell looked at Lin in surprise, but-

Rin, sitting on the throne, turns her head and does not make eye contact with her brother.

“… … Right… … Is it.”

“General Chell. I know this is a difficult ask, but please get over this humiliation for now. Please.”

“… … .”

Chell didn’t answer, stayed silent for a while, and then-

Soon, he gave a brief greeting to Rin and turned around.

“Let’s go, Kalinz.”

“… … .”

Normally, I would have been accused of failing to be courteous to the monarch, but-

Farfalle had no choice but to look at the back of the head without saying a word.

‘Although there may be many people who don’t understand now… … If I produce results, many people will definitely understand.’

of course.

She also knew that there would be severe opposition to the alliance with Serpina’s army.

However, since international relations are beneficial anyway, once it is confirmed that they will benefit, they will also change their minds and follow my decision.

That was Farfalle’s idea.

There have been times when I went to the battlefield and made military achievements, but instead of directly clashing swords, I was always the one making plans from behind –

She was more interested in military methods than in people themselves, so she couldn’t help but think that way.

Rin, who had to control her, was in a situation where she was seriously relying on Farfalle, let alone controlling her.

In the first place, in a situation where the national power of the Brans army was cut in half due to too many mistakes, Lin was in a difficult position to exercise the omnipotent power he had before.

But are you punishing Chell?

It was a foolish act to antagonize him in this situation, as he had fought on the front lines and even suffered injuries in the battle with Serpina’s army.

Secretly, there were quite a few generals who were loyal to the Brans army because of Chell, even if the monarch, Lin, was displeased.

In the first place, Lin was a woman who did not rise to power through popularity but wielded power through results, so the number of people who followed her personally was bound to be small.

‘… … are you okay. ‘You just have to give the results.’

By the way, should I really call it Serpina?

Not long ago, there was a rumor that the Aishus army had sold some kind of prisoner, and this time, they were saying that if you want to form an alliance, you should bring the monarch directly to Eingart Castle.

A woman who was so vicious could never conquer the world.

‘The monarch I chose was the right answer… … I will definitely prove it.’

In this way, Farfalle pushed for a decision that would definitely benefit Brans.

She was a smart woman, but… … He was not a person who could lead people’s hearts.

* * *

Leaving me feeling somewhat uncomfortable-

A mission was organized solely for the purpose of forming an alliance with the Serpina army.

Lin, Farfalle, several dozen armed men and about 10,000 soldiers for escort.

Originally, he wanted to take Chell or Kalinz as the vanguard, but Farfalle decided that there was no need to further provoke them.

It was like entering the enemy’s camp, but the goal was alliance, and no matter how crazy Serpina was, she would not mess with the monarch of a foreign country who came for diplomacy, especially the monarch of Brans County.

If you do something like that, even the remaining relationships among your own territory, let alone other countries, will be destroyed.

Farfalle asked Rin, who was looking at the delegation with a blank expression.

“Master. Are you ready?”

It was simply a question of whether you were ready – but more accurately, it meant mental preparation.

“… … Yes.”

okay.

I didn’t want to make a mistake anymore.

I didn’t want to do something stupid like losing Iren by being stubborn out of pride.

Farfalle’s words are correct. If all I had to lose if I followed her words was my pride, then of course it was something I had to throw away.

“Okay. We’ll be leaving soon, so please get on the carriage.”

“Okay.”

In this way, the delegation, including Lin, went on a fairly long journey from Annell Castle to Eingart Castle in the northern continent.