"Pfft."
Serpina let out a quiet chuckle, and sohow, even my own tension seed to ease.
Well—since she was quick-witted, I supposed I didn’t need to go through the trouble of ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) explaining everything in detail.
I t her golden eyes and spoke directly.
"...I believe a severe plague is about to spread. That is the only explanation that satisfies both conditions—"
"—Preparing for war while simultaneously withdrawing troops without engaging in battle."
Exactly.
If an epidemic broke out, stationed soldiers would collapse at an alarming rate.
From my past experience in gas, I knew that within a single nation’s borders, the spread of infection could be ridiculously fast.
Given that the chanics of the ‘teor’ event had played out just as they did in the ga, it wasn’t hard to predict that the sa logic would apply here.
However... while I had only considered the impact on the military—
Serpina had taken her reasoning a step further.
"In that case, I was thinking of relocating not just our troops, but also the residents of Hisphil Castle and the surrounding territories to the unclaid lands of the northern continent. What are your thoughts?"
"What? Oh...."
I was montarily caught off guard, but I went ahead and inputted the question.
The response was simple.
[Unknown.]
"Is relocating the residents an issue outside the scope of military strategy, preventing an answer?"
No, that’s not the real problem here—
"But, my lord. If you issue a forced relocation order upon the residents—"
"You an I would lose public favor?"
"Yes. It would also affect the morale of our officers."
In this world, rulers were the heads of their respective territories, but ultimately, they were still vassals.
Serpina had stronger authority than most due to her claim to the imperial lineage, but—
She was not the only one carrying the Aingart na.
Now that Kyle von Aingart—who had lived in hiding under the alias Cain Nerkis—had revealed himself, Serpina’s weight as a ruler had diminished sowhat.
Thus, issuing a forced relocation order upon the people would not be well received.
Unlike military officers, common soldiers often surrendered to other armies without being treated as criminals.
This was because the true source of an army’s manpower was its residents, who could change allegiances depending on the political landscape.
If a ruler massacred civilians simply for serving another army, they would imdiately be labeled as a tyrant unfit to rule.
Forcing a mass relocation under these circumstances?
Strategically, it was a terrible move.
The residents took great pride in their holand.
At best, Serpina’s already infamous reputation as a tyrant would gain yet another black mark.
That being said, I understood why she had co to this conclusion.
She wasn’t just thinking about her soldiers—
She wanted to save the residents living in those lands.
Otherwise, there would be no reason to go through the hassle of issuing such an order.
"I do not misunderstand your intentions, my lord, but—"
"If there are lives to be saved, then saving them is the right thing to do, is it not?"
At this mont—
As a strategist, I had to give the advice that was expected of .
"I have two reasons to oppose this plan. May I state them?"
"Fufufu. Do your worst, Swen."
She sounded oddly competitive.
Ignoring that, I laid out my reasoning in purely practical terms.
"This plan is based on our assumption that 'a severe plague will break out in Hisphil Castle and the surrounding border regions.' However, since we do not know the source of the plague, relocating the civilians to the northern continent—unlike relocating our soldiers—could be a dangerously reckless decision."
Serpina’s choice was idealistic.
But if the outco was disastrous, no amount of noble intent would make up for it.
Bringing the plague to the northern continent in an attempt to save lives was not a rational decision.
Serpina seed to understand this, as she slowly nodded and asked,
"First, Swen—there is sothing I would like to ask you."
"Please, go ahead."
"Where is your 'clairvoyance' pointing?"
"...Excuse ?"
"If, as you say, this decision would bring the plague into our lands, then wouldn’t your ‘clairvoyance’ indicate that this is inefficient?
Shouldn’t we ask that question first?"
"Ah..."
Withdrawing the troops was one thing—
But when we had asked whether relocating the residents was efficient, the answer had simply been [Unknown.]
"My lord, my clairvoyance did not deem it 'inefficient.'"
"Then it is not an inherently bad choice."
She smiled in clear amusent.
"Swen. The more I learn about your ability, the more fascinating it becos.
With such a power, it is a wonder why you have not already conquered this continent."
That’s because...
The range of my ability was shorter than people assud.
Unlike what Jinor had expected—
And perhaps what Serpina was hoping for—
My power wasn’t nearly as all-knowing as they imagined.
...Wait.
Hold on.
There might be another way to test this.
"My lord."
"? "
"For now, would you be willing to make a decision in your mind?"
"A decision?"
I nodded.
"Please decide, in your mind, that you will relocate the residents of Hisphil Castle and the northern territories to the northern continent."
"...You want to make a firm resolution?"
"Yes. Do not think about my answer or anything else—simply decide that this is what you will do."
Serpina had once attempted to negotiate a peace treaty with Lyn.
Back then, the mont she resolved to et Lyn in person, the results of my predictions shifted.
Because of that, I had been able to save Serpina’s life.
I was applying the sa logic now.
If Serpina made her decision first and then we asked the sa question again—
And if the answer changed—
Then it would confirm that my assumptions were correct.
A plague spreading through our army could never be an efficient outco.
If the result shifted to [No], then it would an my hypothesis was completely accurate.
Serpina looked montarily perplexed, but then—
She slowly nodded and spoke.
"It is done."
"Now, please ask the question again.
'Is withdrawing all troops from the border the most efficient course of action?'"
"Do you believe that withdrawing all troops from the border is efficient?"
And the answer—
[Yes.]
...So it does not affect the outco.
Even with a decree in place, not every single person would be moved.
So would remain behind due to various circumstances.
But what mattered was this—
Even if the civilians were gathered and relocated, the catastrophe awaiting that land would not follow them.
At that mont—
"It seems that issue has been resolved."
"...What?"
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
I was so startled that I instinctively responded, but Serpina spoke in her usual calm tone,
as if wondering why I was surprised.
"Your lips moved."
"...Excuse ?"
"As if you were relieved."
"Ah..."
Damn it.
Hiding anything from this woman was practically a nightmare-level difficulty.
"Even if that issue is settled, my lord, this decision gains you nothing. To outsiders, all of this will seem like re coincidence."
My point was simple.
"A plague in Hisphil Castle? So that’s why Lady Serpina forced the evacuation! She saved us!"
Such a fairy-tale scenario was not going to unfold.
Even if she ended up saving more lives—
Her reputation would not improve.
Instead, people would only see her as an unpredictable tyrant.
From a purely strategic standpoint, the most efficient course of action would be to leave the civilians behind.
No one would bla her for failing to save them from an unforeseen plague.
"Well, you may be right."
Serpina, as always, wore that audacious smile of a so-called tyrant.
"But one who wishes to rule the continent should not hesitate to act simply because no one will acknowledge them for it."
"..."
"A few more disgraceful titles make no difference. What matters is that more people continue to live."
Hearing those words—
I felt sothing stir within .
To the outside world, she was the victor of the Crown Prince War and the tyrant responsible for the massacre at Fibiola Academy.
No one would ever recognize what she was trying to do.
Suddenly, an image of her from long ago flashed through my mind—
The mont she had pleaded with , tears in her eyes, telling she had never wanted to kill anyone.
My jaw clenched involuntarily.
Why was it...
That she could never be the one to unify the empire?
Noticing the change in my expression, Serpina slowly stepped toward .
"And did I not tell you before, Swen?"
She locked eyes with .
"You are the one who sees it all."
"...What?"
"It is the sa as before. When I wagered that bet with Yuri over you.
Even if no one else acknowledges my choices—"
She raised a pale hand and gently stroked my cheek.
"—You, Swen, will see everything with your own eyes and understand."
"My lord..."
"And that alone is enough for to consider this decision worthwhile.
It is not an inefficient choice."
She took a step back, her expression curling into a fox-like smile.
And as for ...
I nearly let myself sink into deep thought again, but I managed to pull myself back and bowed my head.
"Then... I will leave the aftermath in your hands."
To the world, this would look like an act of cowardice—
Abandoning the battle before it had even begun, even though we were fully capable of fighting.
Convincing the officers and vassals—
That was Serpina’s task, not mine.
"Do not worry, Swen. As long as you stand behind , I have no doubt that I will never lose to anyone."
As I watched the golden light of her eyes flicker, a thought crossed my mind.
No matter what anyone said—
She was no tyrant.
In fact, she was more fit to restore the empire than the likes of Algott or Sidmid.
She was a ruler who would have left her na in history as one of Aingart’s greatest sovereigns.
At least at this mont—
I found myself curious about the world she might create.
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