So ti later.
A triumphant report arrived at Roze Castle from the occupying forces that had set out—they had successfully suppressed the rebellion.
Their target had been Linenheit Castle.
The number of soldiers sent to quell the rebellion was roughly 1.3 tis the number of rebel troops stationed to defend the castle.
Considering this was a siege battle, the odds were nothing short of remarkable.
Siege warfare, by its nature, was significantly more difficult than defensive battles, and the common rule of thumb dictated that at least twice the defending force was necessary for a successful siege.
The commanding officer of the assault was none other than Airen Juliet.
Her title as a specialist in siege warfare had never ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) been more well-earned.
Just as she had confidently declared, the rebellion was quelled with almost laughable ease.
To begin with, taking over a single, moderately sized northern territory and its castle had never been a viable path to toppling Serpina’s army.
Perhaps if the continent had been left completely unguarded, it would have been a different story... but the occupying forces never hesitated, and the rebels’ reckless challenge crumbled without leaving any mark.
Once again, my advice had proven accurate.
Without capable commanders and sufficient troops, the rebels would have suffered a far greater defeat than they already had.
The leader of the rebellion and forr lord of Linenheit Castle, Celine, was found hanging by the neck.
Her final letter, a declaration that she would curse Serpina even in death, was burned along with her corpse by Serpina’s orders.
What kind of grudge had driven her to push forward with a rebellion that had no chance of victory?
What could have possibly enraged her so much that she willingly threw her life away, recklessly charging at Serpina like a moth to a fla?
No one remained to answer those questions.
And so—
Having successfully demonstrated her skills, Airen erged from the battle as a victorious general.
From what I heard, one of her subordinates in the vanguard had been in grave danger, and Airen personally intervened to save him.
I had warned her multiple tis not to overexert herself, but from her perspective, it probably wasn’t overexertion at all...
Even so, I still felt uneasy about her stepping onto the battlefield.
Ever since she saved that officer’s life, I could clearly feel the shift in how the generals viewed her.
Whereas before, she had been an outsider and faced rejection, now, more and more people considered her one of their own.
"As per your command, the rebellion at Linenheit Castle has been quelled."
Serpina rose from her throne and approached Airen, who was kneeling before her.
Then, right before her eyes—Serpina lowered herself onto one knee, aligning their gazes.
"You have done well, Airen. I will never forget your dedication."
"My liege..."
Airen’s violet eyes shimred for a brief mont.
A knight, raised to protect others.
A knight, who desperately longed for recognition.
No matter how many victories she achieved, she had never once received proper acknowledgnt—let alone true encouragent.
For her, this mont must have been deeply moving.
"...I only did what was expected of ."
"No, that is not true.
On the surface, it may seem natural for a subordinate to serve their ruler.
But in this era, to risk one’s life for their liege is an act of imasurable value.
I will never forget it, Airen."
Watching Airen integrate into Serpina’s army as a valuable asset always left with mixed feelings.
Seeing her finally receive the recognition she had long deserved made even happier than receiving recognition myself.
But at the sa ti, deep in my heart, Luna’s face kept flashing before my eyes.
One day, I might have to leave this place.
And when that ti ca, Airen would follow without hesitation.
That worried .
I couldn’t help but wonder—
Am I making things harder for her?
At first, I had only approached her thinking, It would be useful to have a strong general.
But now, she was one of the most important people in my life.
...Well, for now, it was best to simply enjoy the sight of Airen’s proud expression.
A few days later.
A mass execution was held at Roze Castle for the captured rebel officers.
Once again, Serpina had to personally take the lives of those who had once served her.
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
How many tis had she already done this?
And how many more tis would she have to do it in the future?
After the execution, preparations were finally made for our return to Eingart Castle.
Originally, only Serpina, myself, and the officers who had co as reinforcents were ant to return.
But perhaps as a personal gesture, Serpina had arranged for Airen to return to Eingart Castle alongside .
The managent of the occupying forces here would be left in the hands of General Irian.
He was more than capable—I had no doubts about entrusting the role to him.
And now—
"So I should take this to an that no further rebellions will arise for the ti being?"
Inside the carriage bound for Eingart Castle.
It was a VVIP space, heavily guarded, where the ruler herself was seated—
And I was sitting right beside Serpina, engaged in conversation with her.
In the narrow carriage, we weren’t sitting across from each other.
We were side by side.
Was it the close proximity?
Or perhaps because it was her personal carriage?
The intense scent of citrus filled the air, so strong that it felt like it would cling to my very skin.
"I cannot say for certain... but at the very least, this decision will not be to our disadvantage. I can assure you of that much."
Ever since she had heard about Insight, Serpina had been keeping at her side all day, constantly asking for my input on various decisions.
At first, she had asked, "Will another rebellion occur?"
But that was sothing I genuinely couldn’t predict.
Every ti I had anticipated a rebellion before, it had been through logical deduction and hindsight, not so miraculous foresight.
I had never once seen a rebellion before it happened.
The only reason I was able to answer her now was—
Because the decision to return to Eingart Castle had been confird as the correct one.
It wasn’t an overwhelmingly favorable outco, like "An excellent choice."
Nor was it "This is the best possible move."
It was simply a neutral "Yes."
But if it had been a wrong decision, the answer would have been "No."
That alone was enough to confirm that this was the right course of action.
"I see..."
Serpina nodded thoughtfully, then smiled.
"Swen, you must have had quite a difficult ti."
"...?"
"Yes. I’ve been testing your Insight for days, yet you’ve only been able to provide answers for a handful of my questions. It must have been exhausting, sorting through everything in your mind within such a limited frawork."
She wasn’t wrong.
Over the past few days, I had been bombarded with countless questions.
But there had been few monts where I even needed to hesitate over my answers.
Most of them would have simply resulted in "I don’t know."
Which ant I never had to lie.
"Insight is certainly an extraordinary ability... but it has far more restrictions than I expected. Yet even within those constraints, you have consistently provided sound advice."
"As I’ve said many tis before, it’s nothing more than a collection of fragnted records."
"Didn’t I just tell you that excessive humility can be harmful?"
Serpina chuckled, covering her mouth with her hand, amusent glinting in her eyes.
...She was beautiful.
I had thought Airen was beautiful.
Reika as well.
And, of course, Luna—she had a face that could hold its own anywhere.
But if it ca down to sheer, overwhelming beauty, I doubted there was a single woman who could surpass Serpina.
If I kept staring at her like this, I felt as if I, too, might fall under her spell.
So, I lightly turned my head away.
"Well, there will be plenty of opportunities to test things further in the future. After all, we have plenty of ti... Hehehe."
"......"
Sothing felt... strange.
My chest—ached.
This wasn’t the first ti I had heard Serpina speak with this kind of nuance.
The last ti she said sothing similar, I had rely taken note of it without feeling much of anything.
But now...
Every ti she spoke as if it was a given that we would always be together, I felt as though a heavy stone had sunk deep into my heart.
I mustn’t be swayed...
I couldn't forget my promise.
She was the one person who had trusted my words unconditionally.
Without demanding conditions or tests, she had believed in , abandoning her nation and seeking refuge in a foreign land.
That person was Luna.
How could I possibly forget the promise I made to her?
Whether Serpina was unaware of my conflicted feelings or simply pretending not to notice—
She brought that topic up again with an air of perfect ease.
"There will be much to do once we return to Eingart Castle."
"That is the nature of a ruler’s position, is it not?"
"For the most part, yes. But this ti, it will be particularly troubleso. Once again, I will have to deal with my own followers."
"...Excuse ?"
Sothing about the word deal with unsettled , prompting to ask again.
Serpina shook her head slightly, as if correcting herself.
"Rather than deal with, I suppose persuade would be more accurate. There will undoubtedly be those who refuse to accept it."
"What could possibly require persuasion?"
From an outsider’s perspective, Serpina might have seed like an ideal ruler.
But this world was one where monarchy was the most prevalent political system.
When a ruler gave an order, it was expected to be followed.
Those who refused either staged a rebellion or t imdiate execution.
Moreover, she was the sovereign of the Serpina Army—the heir to the forr Eingart Empire.
Even if so factions refused to acknowledge her legitimacy, her word carried far more weight than any of the other regional lords.
Yet she spoke as if she anticipated considerable resistance.
Was there really sothing so radical that it would stir such opposition?
Serpina fell silent for a mont, as if considering her words.
Then, suddenly, she turned to face —her gaze locking onto mine.
For just an instant, my eyes were once again drawn to her lips.
The mory of the mont we had kissed... shook once more.
Was this punishnt?
For letting my thoughts stray toward sothing so improper when she was about to discuss sothing important?
If so, the gravity of her next words certainly matched the offense.
It was, without a doubt, a proposal so radical that many would rise in opposition to it.
"Swen. I am considering appointing you as the Grand Strategist of the Nation."
Reviews
All reviews (0)