episode_0189

*

After a while.

From the occupying forces that had sortied, a good report was sent to Roger Castle that the rebels had been suppressed.

The destination is Linenheit Castle.

The number of soldiers brought in to suppress the rebels was approximately 1.3 times the number of rebels stationed to protect the castle.

This was a truly surprising figure, considering that this was a siege. Basically, since it was a siege battle with an overwhelmingly higher degree of difficulty than a water battle, it was common sense to bring at least twice the number of troops.

The commander-in-chief of the attacking force was Irene Juliette.

It was truly a great performance worthy of the name ‘Siege War Specialist’.

As she had boasted, the rebellion itself had been suppressed so easily that it seemed futile.

In the first place, it was nearly impossible to overthrow the Serpina army just by taking over a normal-sized fiefdom and castle located on the northern continent.

Of course, it would have been a different story if the continent had been empty… … The occupying forces did not advance, and their reckless challenge was crushed without any significant results.

Anyway, my advice was right again. Without generals and troops, we would have definitely suffered a much bigger blow than we have now.

It is said that Seline, the leader of the rebel army and the former lord of Linenheit Castle, was found hanging.

The will saying that he would curse Serpina even after death was burned along with her body under Serpina’s orders.

What exactly was the resentment that would have been the driving force behind Myungbaek’s rebellion, which he had no chance of winning?

What was it that he disliked so much that he rushed at Serpina like a moth to a fire, prepared to lose his life?

There was no one in this world who could give that answer.

and-

Irene, who succeeded in showing and proving, became a triumphal general through this battle.

I heard that Irene even stepped in to save one of the lieutenants in the vanguard when he was in danger.

I told her several times not to overdo it, so it wouldn’t have been too much from her perspective… … As expected, I didn’t feel comfortable sending Irene to the battlefield.

From the moment she actually saved the lieutenant’s life, I was able to feel that the generals’ public opinion of her had improved significantly.

In the past, the atmosphere was still ostracized as an outsider, but now, it can be said that more and more people consider her as a member of the family.

“As you ordered, we have put an end to the rebellion that occurred at Castle Linenheit.”

Serpina stood up from her position as the lord of the castle and approached Irene, who was kneeling and speaking to her lord Serpina.

And then, right in front of her, he got down on one knee and was at eye level with her.

“Thank you for your hard work, Irene. I will never forget your hard work.”

“Master… … .”

Iren’s purple eyes sparkled for a moment.

A female knight who was raised to protect someone and desperately yearns to be recognized by someone.

No matter how much credit she has made, she has never received proper encouragement, let alone recognition, so her emotions must be even more special.

“… … I just did what I had to do.”

“No. Working for me as my confidant may seem natural at first glance, but in times like these, risking your life and fighting for your master is well worth it. I will never forget that, Irene.”

I felt a subtle sense of ambivalence every time I saw Irene, who was increasingly becoming a necessary talent for the Serpina Army.

Seeing her, who worked hard all the time but no one recognized her, be recognized like this made me feel better than being recognized myself… …

The more I thought about it, the more Luna’s face lingered in the corner of my mind.

Maybe someday I will leave this place.

Irene will follow me without any hesitation. So I was more concerned. I thought I might be giving her a hard time.

I approached her simply thinking, ‘It would be nice to have a strong general,’ but now she is one of the people who are more important to me than anything else.

Still, whatever.

For now, it would be better to be satisfied with seeing Irene’s proud expression.

And a few days later.

A group execution ceremony was held at Roger Castle for the generals who participated in the rebels and were captured.

Serpina once again had to take the lives of those who served her with her own hands.

How many times has she repeated this so far, and how many more times will she repeat it in the future?

After the execution ceremony, it was only then that a schedule was set to return to Eingart Castle.

Originally, only me, Serpina, and the officers who came with us as reinforcements were scheduled to return, but-

Perhaps out of Serpina’s personal consideration, Irene was able to return to Eingart Castle along with me.

It seemed that General Irian would be in charge of managing this occupation force. In that case, it would be okay to trust him and leave it to him.

And now I-

“Is it okay to know that this means that a rebellion will not occur for the time being?”

Carriage heading to Eingart Castle.

In this extremely private VVIP space, where the monarch is riding and is heavily escorted… … He was sitting next to Serpina and dealing with her.

They sat side by side in a narrow carriage, not even facing each other, but right next to each other.

Was it because he was closer to her than ever before, or was it because it was the carriage she originally used?

Inside, the scent of citron was so strong that it almost felt like it was covering my body.

“I don’t know exactly about that, but… … It is true that this decision is not a decision that will result in loss to us. I think it would be good for you to think of it as such.”

After hearing the story about ‘Mind’s Eye’, Serpina accompanied me all day and asked me questions about most of my decisions.

At first, I asked, ‘Will there be a rebellion?’, but this was truly an area I couldn’t figure out.

Until now, my prediction that a rebellion would occur was just a kind of guess based on the outcome, and I never made a prediction that a rebellion would occur.

However, what I was able to answer here is –

This was because the results showed that this ‘decision to return to Eingart Castle’ was the right decision for our military.

It wasn’t something like [It was an excellent choice] or [It couldn’t be better], it was just a simple [Yes], but-

If the decision was to be detrimental, the answer would have been [No], so it would be safe to say that this was naturally the correct answer.

“That’s what you’re saying… … .”

Serpina nodded as if she was interested, then smiled and said.

“Swen. You must have had a hard time too.”

“You mean me?”

“Okay. I’ve been testing your ‘mind’s eye’ for a few days, but there were only a few questions I was able to answer. Organizing your thoughts within this category wouldn’t normally be difficult.”

What she said was true.

I’ve been asked a lot of questions over the past few days, but I haven’t had a chance to think about whether I should be honest about this.

In most cases, [Unknown.] was displayed as a question.

It meant I didn’t even have to lie to her.

“The mind’s eye is definitely an excellent ability, but it has more limitations than you think. You gave good advice in that situation.”

“As I’ve said many times, it’s just a catch.”

“It seems like it’s only been a few days since you said that excessive humility is poison?”

After saying that, she covered her mouth and laughed as if it was funny.

… … pretty.

I thought Irene was pretty, and Reika, and even Luna from before, had looks that would never be overlooked…

She was so beautiful that I thought that if we were to put everything else aside and simply compete for good looks, there would be no woman who could beat her.

I felt like if I continued to stare at her, I would be captivated by her as well, so I lightly turned my head.

“Well, there will be many opportunities to test in the future. Because we have plenty of time for that. Hehehe… … .”

“… … .”

It was strange.

My heart… … I was tingling.

This was not the first time I heard such nuance from Serpina.

The last time I heard a similar story, I was a little concerned but didn’t feel any different.

now… … Every time I heard Serpina’s story assuming that we would continue to be together, I felt frustrated and painful, as if a rock had been dropped into a corner of my heart.

‘You must not be swayed… … .’

promise… … We must not forget.

That’s right, he is the person who believed in me without any conditions or tests.

Luna is the person who simply believed my words and abandoned the country to rely on another country.

I made a promise to her… … How could I forget?

Serpina, does she not know my complicated thoughts, or is she deliberately pretending not to know?

He brought up ‘that story’ very slyly.

“I think I’ll have a lot to do when I get back to Eingart Castle.”

“Isn’t that what the monarch’s position was supposed to be?”

“In general, yes, but this time it will be quite difficult. Because I will have to deal with those who follow me again.”

“… … Yes?”

I asked back, feeling strangely anxious about the keyword ‘opponent’, but Serpina shook her head lightly and said.

“It will be closer to persuasion rather than an opponent. There will definitely be people who don’t understand it.”

“What is going on that you have to persuade me?”

Serpina’s perspective may seem like an ideal leader to some, but this was basically a world where monarchy was the most common political system.

So, if the monarch was to criticize, it was basic to just criticize him. There were times when rebellions broke out because people couldn’t do that, but most of the results were summary executions.

Moreover, she was the monarch of Serpina County, that is, the successor to the old Eingart Empire. Even if the rebellion of those who could not acknowledge it continued, her every word was bound to carry much more weight than that of other feudal lords.

Still, is there something that would cause such animosity that she would bring up the word ‘persuasion’?

Serpina was lost in thought for a moment, then turned her head to look at me.

In an instant, her lips caught my eye again.

The moment I kissed her… … It shook me again.

Was this a punishment for having such a wild imagination in front of her who was trying to bring up an important story?

Clearly, what Serpina brought up was a radical proposal that many people refuted.

“Swen. I am thinking of entrusting you with the position of national counselor.”