episode_0256

* * *

This is the mansion where Runarien lives.

In one corner of the small living room, Tifa and Violet were sitting facing each other at their desks.

“Thank you for taking the time today, Tifa.”

“No, no. It’s not just anyone else, but Violet is looking for me, so I have no choice but to come, even if it’s just out of curiosity. You don’t use knives or anything. Or, are you going to walk the path of nothingness like your older sister and older brother?”

“It’s not like that… … I have something to ask you.”

Violet said that and brewed tea in a skillful manner.

Tifa took a sip of the hot drink and spoke with a subtle expression.

“Wow… … It’s just hot, and I have no idea what tea tastes like. Next time, it’s okay to prepare something like beer.”

“If you prepare alcohol in the morning, Luna will scold you.”

“Ahaha!”

After saying a few trivial words like that.

“I… … This may feel like a somewhat random question, but could you tell me a story about a person who was a strategist back in the days when you were at Zeeland Castle?”

“Huh? Are you talking about Swen?”

“Yes.”

Tifa was one of the only three people, along with Lord Luna and Kaine-Kyle, who knew about Swen.

Jinor also had to be acquainted with Swen, but from Violet’s perspective, it was much more comfortable to ask Tifa, with whom she had known each other for quite some time, than to ask him, who was a complete stranger.

“There’s nothing I can’t do for you… … Why is that suddenly?”

I thought about just being honest and saying, ‘Luna seems to be overly conscious of Swen,’ but-

Violet was able to instinctively sense at that young age that it was not a good idea to bring up such a topic publicly in the current situation.

“After listening to Luna’s story, it seems like she is a very important person to our Lunarien army… … Actually, I feel like my knowledge is very fragmentary. I think it would be useful to learn in advance what kind of person he was.”

If he had been a little smarter, he might have said something like ‘Why did you think that learning about subjects other than the monarch would be useful for studying?’

Tifa was the type of person who just used her body rather than thinking, so of course I took her words literally.

“Swen… … What should I say? He was truly a great person. A person who just accomplishes everything they say?”

“You achieve everything you say?”

“Yes. For example… … Just say something you don’t understand. The Brans army is attacking us right now with a large army large enough to occupy one of our castles. They will immediately negotiate, so tell them to hold out until then. And he’s the kind of person who actually negotiates. Oh, that’s right. Do you know what’s really surprising?”

I felt a particularly lively look on Tifa’s face as she explained about Swen.

Actually – Luna was like that too. Those who knew Swen, whenever they described him, they would talk passionately and excitedly, as if they had encountered a very great person.

“It is said that money was received from Brans during the course of the agreement.”

“… … Yes?”

“It’s literally true! You took gold from our castle to make an agreement? Of course, we were the ones who had to beg for peace. But Swen got money from Brans. Rather than giving the price for the agreement, we succeeded in getting it from the other side!”

If that’s true, it’s a major lie. And, it’s probably true. Although Tifa was a simple person, she was not the type of person to talk nonsense.

“When I think about that time, I really… … I thought that war only requires strong people, but it seems that in a war that is not a battle, you need people who can use their brains.”

“I see… … .”

“If I could have continued to be with that guy, I would have been able to see a lot more great things. Right now, I don’t know where and what I’m doing that’s why I’m not coming… … .”

“That… … Isn’t Swen under Serpina-kun’s command?”

Because of Luna’s reaction, Violet spoke cautiously, but Tifa did not overreact like Luna did.

“That’s just a rumor, right? I am a person who decides not to believe any rumor, no matter how plausible it may be, unless I see it with my own eyes.”

“Is that so… … .”

Violet slowly lowered her head and looked at her. This is okay.

It is true that Tifa also likes Swen – but she does not seem as obsessed with him as Luna, the monarch.

I thought for a moment about asking a question about Luna, but quickly gave up the thought.

Tifa was a good person, but she didn’t seem like the right person to have this conversation with.

“Oh, that’s right. And I forgot this.”

“Which one?”

“You know. I mean Swen.”

Because he suddenly spoke with a serious face, Violet got nervous and swallowed dry saliva.

Actually, the sentences that flow from her mouth are-

“Incredibly handsome.”

“… … Yes?”

“It’s true! Hey, one day Luna suddenly turned out to be a schemer and unconditionally followed the words of the person who brought her in, so at first I thought that she might have used her looks to lure her in?”

Violet, who was a little exhausted, let out a small laugh and answered.

“Is it that much?”

“That’s about it! Hey, there’s your brother. Francis. It definitely looked smooth. I’ve heard that all the men in the Eingart royal family are handsome, but he definitely looks quite attractive. But you know, your brother also needs to take a step back from Swen. Really.”

“… … Is it really that much?”

This time, Violet couldn’t help but be a little conscious.

I know at least that my brother is handsome… … More than that?

“That’s right!”

Even though I was being trained as a strategist, I was only interested for a short time because I was an adolescent girl who should have entered the academy after all.

‘… … Me too.’

In a time when people are constantly dying, what does it matter if the characters are clear?

Still, Violet didn’t hate this conversation with Tifa.

She was a threatening woman on the battlefield, with shining eyes and swinging a huge ax-like weapon, but she was the type of person who made people have fun when they actually talked to her.

In times like these, words like jokes tend to have more value.

After that, Violet was able to hear various stories about Swen from Tifa for a while.

Except that Luna, the monarch, seems overly obsessed with him… … I thought he definitely seemed like a good person.

* * *

Everyone was prepared that peace would not last forever since they were rebels, but-

Witnessing with your own eyes the fact that this was not possible was definitely something that could not help but be quite a shock.

“Karelia Army… … You mean it moved?”

“That’s right. The total number of troops is estimated at 203,000.”

A soldier wearing a bright red armband on one arm reported the situation with a sad expression.

A large force that literally wiped out all the soldiers of the entire country.

In order to stably occupy Tepelo Castle, which had a little over 90,000 people, it was necessary to bring in twice as many troops.

Luna sighed softly and turned her head towards Jinor standing next to her.

“It appears that the rumor that a non-aggression pact was signed with Roland’s army is true.”

“Of course. Since such a large army was brought in at once, the remaining territory would have been virtually empty.”

As Zinor said, the Karelian army would inevitably have had to conclude some kind of non-aggression pact with the Roland army.

Although they may have to pay a price, Jinor judged that from their perspective, there was no better way to wipe out our Lunarien army in one fell swoop.

“There is a possibility that a treaty was not signed with the Roland military… … ?”

“It is better to assume that it does not exist. Karelia is a cautious person.”

“Then, what do you think about the possibility that Roland ignores the treaty and attempts to take over Karelia’s territory?”

“That is also extremely low. In the first place, the best course of action from Roland’s point of view is to gain as much as possible through diplomacy with the Karelian army. If they move the military directly, the possibility of losing the mainland to Hess or the military increases, so it will be an ambiguous decision with neither a plus nor a minus from their perspective.”

“Of course… … .”

Luna quickly accepted Jinor’s words.

Even if I were in Roland’s position, I felt like I would have thought that it would be more advantageous to get what I could through an agreement rather than hastily move the army to covet Karelia’s territory.

Anyway, we had to fight soon.

A battle that would be the first spark that brought an end to the long peaceful period of the southern region.

“Zinor.”

“Please tell me.”

“Do you think our army has a chance of winning this battle?”

“… … .”

Jinor hesitated for a moment, then looked straight into Luna’s eyes and asked.

“Do you mind if I give you an honest answer?”

“I wanted to hear an honest answer, so I brought Mr. Jinor to the position of advisor for a while.”

“… … .”

Jinor remains silent for a moment with his eyes closed, but then seems to have made up his mind and tells her the reality.

“At least as far as the information I know, the likelihood of our military winning this battle is… … None.”