episode_0173

Serpina became silent after hearing my words-

“Foot,” he said after laughing very happily for a while.

“Okay. I thought you would say that, Swen.”

“… … .”

“It would be nice to hear it from her. Why do you think that way?”

“Can you give me a moment to think about it?”

“Hoo. Are you saying you answered without even thinking? It sounds more interesting.”

Serpina looked at me and smiled as if she was very satisfied.

Should I say that it’s like her to say, ‘I answered without even thinking,’ even though she already knows roughly how I’ve answered through several Q&A sessions with me?

It’s not like you’re scratching me… … I calmly immersed myself in thought without saying anything, as I felt that he had somewhat sensed the mechanism of my thoughts.

she is… … At least now, unlike before, she trusts me a lot.

There was a very high chance that they would listen to me even if I just gave reasons that fit together rather than a perfect opinion that leaves no room for objection.

But – still, I had to give a good reason.

Only then was there any justification for her choosing me.

It was something that both me and Serphina needed.

There must be a solid reason to let this golden opportunity pass by so that the generals under your command will be convinced.

So why would it be detrimental to move the occupation forces now?

It may seem random every time, but in the end, I have to approach it as just doing the same things I’ve done before. Otherwise, I will be dragged along by the weight of my compass without being able to come to any conclusion.

I closed my eyes and remembered the map.

I have memorized the map of the continent to the point where I can draw it with my eyes closed.

… … First, let’s collect the necessary information to make a guess.

“Master. Before I tell you, I would like to know which territories Calinz and Chell each rebelled in.”

“It is said that Kalinz raised his army from the capital city of Agnel, and Zell raised his army from the nearby Heisel Castle.”

‘also.’

Neither rebel army currently borders our country.

I summarized my thoughts and explained them.

“Both rebel armies are currently surrounded by the Brans army’s territory, so as long as the alliance continues, even if they advance in that direction and succeed in occupying the castle, it will become a border area for our army. In the first place, the prerequisite for ‘occupying this castle’ is to conclude a military passage permit treaty with the Brans army, but as far as I remember, there is no such content in the alliance documents.”

“That’s right.”

Of course it has to be not there.

The fact that our army could freely travel to Brans’s territory was, to put it conversely, the same as saying that Brans’ army could freely travel to our army’s territory.

Is there any reason why we should allow them to do that?

Of course, there would have been a way to conclude a unilateral ‘unequal treaty’… … No matter how powerful a country is, if it engages in excessive acts of bully in diplomatic relations, something difficult to deal with can occur, so one must be careful.

To put it bluntly, if our military occupied about 4/5 of the continent, even if we put pressure on the other country through a unilateral announcement rather than an unequal treaty, we would only receive moral criticism and there would be no problem, but currently, it is about 1/3, so that’s it. It was difficult to believe that it could reach that level of power.

“Even if it is not a treaty, there is also a way to ‘receive temporary permission as an alliance’… … It is questionable whether or not we will accept that condition, and even if we assume that everything goes well, it is unlikely that our military will be able to benefit that much.”

“Okay. I agree up to that point.”

“In that case, what remains is the matter of Acious-kun… … .”

To put it bluntly, there was no one in our army who could overwhelm the generals who would participate in the Aishus army’s water defense battle.

Of course, there was Irene, the ‘siege specialist’… … On that side were several of the most outstanding generals in the game, including Emma, who had similar specs to Irene, as well as Epinel and Hernandov.

Even if they were not very talented in running state affairs, they were still excellent generals and could not be ignored. In this game, Aishus County was a nation with the concept of ‘a monarch who starts with outstanding generals and a small territory.’

Nevertheless, since the war is ultimately limited by quantity, we may be able to win if we continue to invade with the quantity of our military that has occupied the northern continent… … It was an inefficient method to mobilize all the soldiers from all over the country and pin them down in one castle.

I summarized the outline and reported it to Serpina.

Serpina nodded after hearing me say, ‘It is dangerous to scrape up all the troops in the country and send them to the front line.’

No, if I had been able to defeat Acious-kun in the first place-

[No.] The same answer would not have been given.

Even if we gather as many troops as we can and charge them, we won’t be able to defeat them. No, it was obvious that even if he won, it would be a ‘Pyrrhic victory’ that would be a fatal blow.

From our perspective, there is nothing more beneficial than acquiring the territory of Aishous County.

“In other words, advancing toward Brans County is impossible at this point due to alliance relations, and our military is slightly inferior in the battle with the Aishus Army, but even if we take our time and win, we will not gain anything in the end. So you are saying that the possibility is high?”

“Yes.”

“… … .”

Serpina was lost in thought for a moment after hearing my words, and then asked with a puzzled expression.

“Is that all you have to say, Swen?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Then it’s okay if I tell you my opinion now, right?”

‘… … huh?’

Serpina’s opinion?

I was curious for a moment and looked into her golden eyes and gave a silent positive signal.

“You just said that it was dangerous to gather all the soldiers from the mainland.”

“Yes. To be precise, it is safe to say that it is closer to the inefficient side rather than dangerous.”

“From my perspective, it seems like the situation is more problematic about being dangerous than being inefficient.”

“Well, it would definitely be dangerous if there were no soldiers in the territory… … .”

“No. It is not dangerous.”

After saying that, she put confidence in her voice.

“Because there will be a rebellion.”

“Rebellion… … What do you mean?”

It is dangerous to advance to the continent in the current situation, as there is rebellion within the country –

Of course, it’s not like I haven’t thought about it.

However, I just didn’t think it was realistic that another rebellion would break out after suppressing the rebels just a few days ago.

What does it feel like to have lightning strike three times in a row and hit the same spot?

So I didn’t bother to mention it.

Because I didn’t have the confidence to convince Serpina and the generals under my command that ‘a rebellion will occur’.

“Then, Swen, I would like to ask you a question here.”

“Question… … Is this?”

“What do you think? Do you think there will be a mutiny in our military?”

‘… … ??’

I wondered why I was suddenly so obsessed with ‘questions’… … Anyway, let’s try typing out the question she asked.

Of course, the results came out as expected.

[I can not know.]

As expected, there was no answer to the question of ‘What happens?’ by pointing it out like this.

I may not be able to give you a clear answer, but it would still be better to say it somehow.

“It’s not completely impossible, but… … No matter how crowded the North was, the blood shed by dozens of generals dreaming in vain did not dry up. In this situation, it seems unlikely that the rebels would take the risk of revealing their presence… … .”

“Ho?”

“If I were planning a rebellion, I think I would wait for a more suitable time, not now. Don’t you think so, my lord?”

I started persuading her as I saw her with an amused expression.

but.

She started talking about something that had nothing to do with what I was trying to convince her of.

“It doesn’t look like you’ll reveal your presence, right?”

“… … Yes?”

“So you’re saying you’ll wait for the right time?”

“Master?”

“Swen. I will ask you again. I am thinking of leading an occupation force to the south. Can you tell me what you think?”

‘… … ???’

I wanted to ask that question again, but since nothing has changed, my answer is the same.

“I said that it does not seem like the right time at the moment.”

“So what about the possibility of a rebellion?”

“… … It’s highly unlikely… … .”

… … ah.

Only then did I realize why she was asking me those questions.

“Okay. You confidently assert that ‘it is not the right time’ for us to move south, but you are not at all sure whether a revolt will occur or not, and you are talking about probability. No-”

“The only thing you have said with confidence to Yeo so far is the opinion that ‘moving the occupying force is not efficient.’ The reasons are all within the scope of expectations and guesses.”

“It’s not just this time. You always talk about the results with confidence, but the process is based on guesses rather than certainty.”

She got up and slowly walked towards me.

This situation.

It wasn’t the first time it had happened.

okay.

In the past, the person who came closest to my abilities through Zen questions and answers with me.

Despite his old age, the ill-fated strategist of the Aishous Army who was extremely talented at turning his head, the man called the wise man of the old empire – Jinor Nighthardt.

That guy too… … It made me feel this coldness for just a moment.

And now.

The ‘coldness’ I feel from Serpina… …

“Swen. Let me ask you just one thing. This is a question that can solve all the questions I felt during my conversation with you. It’s okay if you don’t have to answer, but it would be nice if you at least listened to her complaints as if you were accepting them.”

When I came to my senses, her face was right in front of me again.

It was really stupid, but in this situation, I remembered the feeling of her lips that I had once shared, and my heart started pounding again.

Serpina looked straight at me, her face slightly red… … Her eyes sparkled, and she asked as if she were a curious girl.

“Are you… … Isn’t it only possible to understand the results? … ?”