<strong>Chapter 111: Choice, and Its Consequences (3)</strong>
“Lord… Lord…!”
Jenor’s voice, filled with shock, tried to say something from the side.
But Yuri, without even turning her head in his direction, coldly said,
“What are you doing? Didn’t you hear what I said? Do as you wish, then release Anima.”
Hearing her words, the envoy, similar to when he first spoke upon arrival here, replied in an extremely dry tone without any change in expression.
“Understood. It is a pleasure to deal with someone who is reasonable. I will make sure to convey Lady Yuri’s wishes to our lord. Then.”
After the envoy from Serpina slowly stepped outside,
Jenor, still in shock, and a few armed men who hadn’t fully grasped the situation yet, looked around.
“What exactly is happening right now…?”
Rather.
If it were about handing over the territory, then yes, that would have been understandable.
Handing over an entire castle would objectively be an overpayment.
Anima Ingram was an excellent general. However, she was by no means an unparalleled existence.
Deeply loyal, a founding contributor who supported Yuri, the monarch, gaining considerable trust from her in these chaotic times, someone in whom one could place their back without any doubt.
Although it would be regrettable to lose a territory, considering the current state of the nation struggling to maintain three castles intact, well, whether it became Racline or Zelstrom, there was still enough foundation for a comeback-
That was Jenor’s judgment.
However.
Handing over an envoy was a different matter.
Not just because the envoy, Swen, seemed to be a remarkably clever and talented general with considerable skill.
At least in Jenor’s view, Swen was a general of far greater value than Anima. Regardless of the evaluation he received in this country, that view would not change.
But, that wasn’t the decisive reason why the envoy should not be handed over.
Even if it were a general without much to show for, likely to remain insignificant, entrusting them with a proper role seemed risky to the extent of being pitiable, it still shouldn’t have been done.
In this world, even in these chaotic times, which warlord would hand over their loyal subordinates to an enemy nation?
It wasn’t just about basic human decency.
While not denying the existence of such values as compassion, humanity, or empathy, Jenor was not the kind of person to apply these as the foundational principles of his actions. He’d rather exploit them if possible.
“It’s cruel to sell off even those without skills,” rather, it was seen as an action that must not be taken considering its impact on the generals.
Even the opposite- to hand over Anima in exchange for Swen was an utterly unacceptable scenario for Jenor.
And for Anima to be exchanged for another nameless general instead of Swen was also an impossibility.
At least if one were a monarch.
Not the leader of a band of righteous thieves but a monarch of a country, it should naturally be so.
“Lord. I understand that your heart may have wavered for a moment. However, you must retract your message immediately. Capture the envoy quickly.”
“…”
Without any response from Yuri, Jenor urgently spoke.
“What are you doing? Quickly call back Serpina’s envoy to this place!”
“But, but…”
“Quickly! I will take responsibility.”
Despite Jenor’s open insistence, Yuri did not particularly intervene.
She must know. What her current actions signify.
And then,
“There’s no need for that!”
From beyond, a woman’s voice was heard.
The de facto second-in-command of Aeshers Army, Epinel Rosencross.
“General Epinel!”
“Lord Jenor, please forgive my rudeness. The situation is quite complicated right now.”
She slowly approached Jenor and spoke to him.
“The cunning Serpina stated that if this offer is not accepted, they will immediately execute Anima.”
“…?”
Surprised by the unheard story, he glanced at Yuri.
She too seemed slightly surprised, blinking her eyes.
That alone was enough to realize. That Epinel was lying right now.
“Strategist, am I not speaking to you right now? Please focus on what I am saying.”
Epinel redirected Jenor’s gaze back to herself.
“It seems Swen has earned Serpina’s wrath somehow. It appears he is currently bound and held captive. So, this is a threat. Regardless of what we say, we won’t be able to get Swen back.”
“Then why would she make such an offer if she doesn’t intend to accept it?”
“What other reason could there be? Just testing us, I suppose.”
“Testing?”
“From the position of a powerful nation to us, a weaker nation, asking whether we will obey or not, assessing that. That’s Serpina’s way. There’s nothing to gain by resisting here.”
So.
Swen was already captured, and in a situation where he’s bound to be killed-
Just to see how our army would react, she deliberately conducts this test?
To do so, giving up territories and money, why pose such a question?
If the opponent were the paranoid and strangely sinister Lynn Brans, perhaps his words might have been believable.
She was indeed an individual who occasionally acted irrationally in ways hard to understand.
Being the only daughter of Orlando Brans, it wasn’t exactly new to Jenor that she wasn’t a trustworthy figure.
However, Serpina was different.
No matter how much she was called a tyrant or witch, she wasn’t known as the Empress for nothing.
The reason why many generals who served the royal family followed her was not without reason, but because she proved and showed her skills.
It wasn’t just her lineage that accounted for her capabilities.
It was his own decision not to follow her due to the excessive cruelty she displayed in eliminating her siblings, not because of her lack of ability.
For her to make such an offer with no gain on her side, just to see our reaction, based solely on emotional reasons?
Even if negotiations went well, she could have gained a territory, but why? Deliberately?
If Serpina truly held a grudge against Swen-
She wouldn’t have made such an offer and would have simply killed him.
Without answering and organizing his thoughts, Jenor heard Epinel speak in a cold tone.
“Strategist, have you not often spoken about how to survive as a weaker nation? This is also part of that. We have no choice but to accept the unilateral actions of the powerful nation of Serpina. What choice do we have? The only thing we can do is save at least one person. You understand, don’t you?”
“…”
She was an excellent general, but sometimes she openly displayed her pent-up emotions.
It wasn’t necessarily regrettable. If anything, it was more appreciated.
It was easier to deal with someone whose intentions were clear than someone whose motives were hidden.
Epinel turned to the soldiers and spoke loudly.
“Listen! Serpina’s army has unilaterally imprisoned our envoy and, with their pointless questions, attempts to disrupt the morale of our army. For now, we can only endure, but we must gather our strength and someday take our revenge on her. Understand!”
I see.
That’s why she appeared here at this moment.
Yuri’s
decision is incomprehensible to any moderately sensible general.
It was inevitable that there would be backlash. Not just a little, but to the extent that generals would resign en masse, shaking the foundation of the nation.
So, she’s fabricating a scenario that “it couldn’t be helped,” “there was no other way.”
It helped that the opponent was the notorious Serpina. If it were said that such a tyrant committed a reckless act, it would be convincing.
This would quell the chaos this decision might cause to a certain extent.
In this country, the influence of the founding contributors was stronger than anywhere else.
Perhaps, given Yuri’s character, she wouldn’t have chosen to lie to escape the situation. She was probably planning to bear the consequences of her decision stoically.
This was not Yuri’s idea, but Epinel’s.
Objectively, she was an invaluable asset who complemented the monarch’s shortcomings well.
“Yet, the repercussions won’t be completely absent.”
Anyone with a bit of sense would eventually notice something odd.
In any case, unable to delay any longer-
Jenor returned to the fundamental question.
So, what does Serpina gain from this decision?
The idea that she targeted Swen out of vengeance lacks persuasiveness.
So, just to conclude-
Did Serpina give up the opportunity to gain a territory?
For what reason?
—To acquire Swen.
“Serpina’s target was the person Swen, himself.”
Indeed.
Assuming she knew his true capabilities- even he, as a monarch, would prefer him over territories.
And, when he thought about “his capabilities”-
It hit him.
“All of this… was orchestrated by Swen?”
Swen had the ability to see the future.
There were no concrete proofs, and he denied it himself.
But the suspicion was undeniable. Swen’s decisions were always right, and sometimes he made decisions that seemed impossible without knowledge of future outcomes, which Jenor had witnessed with his own eyes not long ago.
The way he assessed situations and thought.
“The manner of someone who knows the future outcomes, but not how they come to be.”
From the start, it wasn’t Yuri’s decision to send him as an envoy.
Didn’t Swen himself say, “I will go”?
Perhaps Swen knew all along that it would come to this.
And he volunteered as an envoy just to be “sold”?
Impossible.
Thinking it through, the conclusion became clear.
“Moving to Serpina’s army was the most efficient future he saw…!”
Glancing slightly, he looked at Yuri, who remained silent despite Epinel’s efforts to manage the situation, showing signs of uncertainty.
That was when Jenor truly realized.
His sovereign, Yuri Aeshers, was someone who could never seize the world under any circumstances.
In such a situation, the only consolation was that he had assigned Reika to accompany Swen.
If Serpina’s target was indeed Swen, she wouldn’t mistreat his companion, Reika.
This way, even without directly entering Serpina’s service, a connection with Swen would be maintained.
Probably, Reika’s side would contact him. By then, he would have a chance to subtly inquire about Swen’s true intentions.
That moment is it.
Maintaining an enemy stance towards Aeshers is only until then.
“It’s about time to look for a way out.”
The unification of the continent doesn’t necessarily have to be done by Yuri.
If she makes foolish choices swayed by emotions, it’s just a matter of letting go of her hand.
That was the conclusion of Jenor, called the sage of the continent.
