Rewinding ti to a few days before my proposal to Lyn:
"A letter?"
"Yes. I have a destination to send it to. I've just finished writing it."
"Alright. You said you had sothing to discuss? Just wait a mont."
Having finished the letter, I sipped the tea Airen had brewed as I briefly outlined the upcoming plans.
"You’re sending back to the battlefield?"
"That’s correct. As the commander of the newly constructed fortress, you will have full authority over approximately 30,000 to 40,000 troops."
"Full authority... But I'm not sure how feasible that is. The lord doesn’t trust much. After all, my last assignnt at the fortress was essentially a death sentence, but perhaps that made it easier to hand over temporary command. Commanding entirely new forces is a different matter."
"We can use that to our advantage."
"How so?"
Airen looked intrigued as she asked.
"Lady Lyn seems unusually eager to eliminate you. If giving you full command is what it takes to remove you, she might just do it."
"Full command as a precondition for elimination? That’s a hard concept to grasp… What exactly does this full command entail?"
"I plan to propose the construction of a fortress in front of Valharat Castle. And I’ll suggest that the full command of the fortress be temporarily granted to you."
"Valharat Castle, as in the capital of the Aishus Army?"
"Yes."
"Why? Even if it’s your plan, Lyn is inherently skeptical. Without solid evidence, she’s unlikely to agree to 'build a fortress to attack Aishus.'"
"I’m thinking about creating a situation she can’t ignore. I’ve prepared sothing."
"Prepared?..."
Though Airen still seed puzzled, she soon smiled faintly and said,
"Alright, Swen. If you say you have prepared sothing, then I believe you. Even if your suggestions seem implausible, I have sworn to take up arms for you."
"I appreciate your trust."
"So, once I have full command, what am I to do exactly? It doesn’t seem like you’re suggesting a straightforward attack on Aishus. Even a rebellion would be unfeasible from a fortress rather than a castle."
Right. It was ti to explain this complicated chessboard I had set up.
"Contact Baranga Yuri Aishus of the Aishus Army."
"Contact her to?"
I looked her directly in the eyes and said,
"Surrender to her."
"!!!"
Airen was visibly shaken for the first ti.
"Surrender to her?"
"Yes. Our new lord will be Baranga Yuri Aishus of the Aishus Army."
We needed to leave Brans Army. The most important reason was to save the life of Airen Juliet right in front of us. Inevitably, Airen would be in danger if she stayed here, potentially losing her life to Lyn’s machinations. Now that I had managed to turn her loyalty, the fastest way to ensure her safety was to get out as quickly as possible.
But—this was rely my personal justification; outsiders might see it as betrayal, but that was unavoidable. After all, I intended to eventually return to Lunarian’s service, the one who would unite the continent.
So far, so good. However, simply surrendering wasn’t aningful unless I took Airen with . If we resigned from Brans Army, Airen and I would inevitably beco targets of Lyn’s wrath, no matter her power at the mont. If caught, the worst-case scenario was death.
Therefore, it was necessary to destabilize Brans Army by taking as many surplus troops as possible. That was why I insisted on constructing the fortress and gaining full command for Airen. With full command, we could take all the soldiers with us when surrendering!
Of course, this ant we were transferring entire troops, so we would need imdiate support from a neighboring country upon surrendering—but aiding us would effectively be a strategic move against Brans Army, given its border location.
Now, the only question left was, which country should we go to?
Brans was centrally located, surrounded by borders. There were many nations, but essentially, they divided into four directions.
First, the north—Serpina’s territory. Serpina von Eingart was a tyrant. Even if we surrendered, she might just execute us on a whim. We had previously suffered at the hands of Carlints in the north, making it a hard sell to Lyn and a non-starter for us.
Second, two countries to the south, adjacent to our borders. Not a bad choice, but they were likely to avoid conflict with Brans Army by not accepting us. Taking in traitors would make them imdiate enemies of Brans, not an appealing prospect given the unsecured southern continent.
Third, the smaller nations to the west. Also a non-option, as this region was likely to fall under Brans’ control given enough ti.
Fourth, and finally, the Aishus Army to the east. Though they hadn’t settled their conflicts with Charam and Aleffel yet, Yuri Aishus was the most potent force in the east. With nurous S-rank generals and a strategic location, taking our troops there would significantly threaten Brans Army.
"Baranga Yuri Aishus is a very wise woman. She’ll quickly realize the benefits of having us. Plus, I suspect there’s a very clever strategist in Aishus Army who will see the advantages and drawbacks quickly. They’re most likely to accept us."
Of course, this path wouldn’t be easy, but it was the only way to save Airen.
"We’ll be seen as traitors by Brans Army, but as part of Aishus Army, we won’t be easily ssed with."
"There’s a strategist there? Can you tell the basis for that?"
"They tried to deceive our army using Aleffel and Charam, rember?"
This 'betrayal' strategy required an intelligence of at least 95 and no [Betrayal] skill.
"Sobody smart is definitely there."
"Ah… Baranga Yuri Aishus."
After a mont of thought, Airen asked cautiously,
"But the endpoint isn’t really with Aishus Army, is it?"
"That’s right. If Lunarian ever mobilizes, we’ll head there."
"I see..."
She looked serious, and I knew why.
Airen was inherently loyal. Even if misguided, she placed great importance on the feudal relationship. Changing lords like a wanderer must have been troubling for her. Following ant roaming from place to place.
I bowed slightly to her.
"I’m sorry, Airen."
"Huh? What for?"
"For making you continuously change lords because of . I know it’s not pleasant for you. I wanted to apologize for that."
Hearing this, Airen started to wave her hands dismissively.
"Uh... no, Swen, it's okay."
"Airen...?"
"I’m just worried about how Aishus Army might suspect you. I might have a plausible reason for being disliked by my lord, but you don’t. They won’t just welco a general who suddenly wants to surrender... I’m worried that you might end up being seen as a traitor because of , and how to safely bring you to Lunarian."
"...."
"Isn't that true? You could easily make a na for yourself here in Brans. No, rather it would be more comfortable since you have already shown and proven so much. So… leaving here would be an action not for anyone else, but for , it's quite obvious."
Hearing this, she spoke to , who was shocked and stiff, as if stating the most natural thing in the world.
"I'm fine, Swen. My conviction is to protect you. Who I serve at that point ans nothing."
With those words, she smiled warmly at . Her face, illuminated by the lantern, looked more beautiful than ever… and unwittingly, I blurted out my true feelings.
"Airen, as long as you protect , I will also protect you, no matter if I have to bear a worse na than that of a traitor. And when that ti cos…"
"When that ti cos…?"
"..."
I scratched my cheek.
Just as I was about to speak,
"Swen."
Airen reached out her hand and placed it on mine. With a very tender smile, she said to ,
"It’s okay if it's not now. When everything is over… make sure to tell . I'll be waiting."
"…!"
My face was burning hot. Whenever I talked with Airen, I always strangely felt I had the upper hand. Not because I felt superior, but because she had an oddly whimsical side. Her expressions were more varied than I thought, and whenever I said sothing, she always seed to be drawn to … I thought.
At this mont.
I couldn't deny it.
At this mont, she was dominating this conversation.
Do you realize that, Airen?
I am…
"Well then, I just wait for my lord's command?"
"What? Ah… Yes, that's right."
"Good. It seems I’ll be saying goodbye to this house soon. I had grown quite fond of it."
She stood up and began to tidy up the table.
"It's late. Better go to sleep soon. We’ll be busy in the future."
With that, she sat down against the wall as she always did, without using the bed. I turned off the lantern and did not go to the bed but instead moved to sit beside her.
"Swen…?"
"Let’s sleep together tonight, Airen."
"…!!!"
Even in the dark, I could tell her face had turned red. She flustered for a while and then,
"…Okay."
She said, and then leaned her head on my shoulder. I too rested my face on top of her head. We spent the night together like that, feeling each other's warmth in the fleeting monts we had left in Brans Army.
"…"
Unlike Swen, who fell asleep early, Airen stayed awake for a long ti, her face still flushed as she watched him sleep.
"Airen, as long as you protect , I will also protect you, no matter if I have to bear a worse na than that of a traitor. And when that ti cos…"
Thump, thump.
Her heart was still pounding as if it might burst. Her chest was hot. She felt ticklish inside. That’s why… she hastily cut him off. If he had blurted out the words she anticipated… it might have distracted him from the important tasks ahead. Of course, half of her thoughts were different. It was just… her heart felt like it was going to burst from embarrassnt, so she quickly changed the subject.
"Swen…"
She knew.
Swen was planning to leave this place to protect her. A man who had risked his life for her was now ready to throw away a confird prosperous position for her sake.
She rembered the mont in the fortress, how he had held her after their defeat, saying how relieved he was that she was alive.
"…"
A feeling she had never experienced before continued to stimulate her. But if this was truly what her heart desired… Airen had no intention of going against it.
Thus— Airen spent the night restless, feeling his warmth beside her.
A few days later, at Arnel Castle.
Airen knelt, listening to her lord Lyn, who had summoned her.
"Airen, you've had it tough recently."
"It was nothing. Just doing what needed to be done. I’m satisfied knowing I could be of help to you."
Lyn looked at the subservient Airen and smiled kindly.
Then, exactly as Swen had predicted, she began to take action.
"I trust your abilities and am thinking of using you again."
"Yes!"
Airen bowed even lower and responded assertively.
"Assign any task. I will follow."
"That’s very good to hear."
Lyn smiled and said,
"I'm thinking of invading the Aishus Army in the east. I'll need your help there."
Upon hearing this, Swen’s voice echoed in Airen's head.
"…Your words are true, Swen."
Airen slowly closed her eyes and, in her heart, bid farewell to the one lord she had truly wanted to serve.
Farewell, my lord… no, Lyn Brans. I hope you stay healthy, she thought.
"Will you go and achieve glory, Airen?"
"Yes! Absolutely!"
Airen responded more vigorously than ever.
That was the end of their commander-subordinate relationship.
Reviews
All reviews (0)