“A truce agreement? ……Excuse me for a moment.”
Lynn chuckled dismissively and then covered her mouth with her sleeve, chuckling as if the very mention of a truce agreement was ludicrous.
I kept my composure and continued to look straight at her face. After a while of laughter, Lynn finally sighed and spoke.
“Haah. That was amusing. So, a truce agreement, huh? And you’re offering 1,300 gold?”
“That’s correct.”
Suddenly, the playful, girl-like expression on Lynn Brans’ face, filled with laughter, turned ice-cold in an instant. Her gaze fell upon me with dead eyes. The haughty demeanor befitting someone who had ascended to the throne of a powerful nation reminded me of her status as the leader of the Brans army.
“Why should I?”
Exactly. That’s the spirit I was hoping for. I replied with a smile.
“Because my offer represents an irreplaceable opportunity for the Brans army.”
“Is that so?”
She started twirling a strand of her long blue hair with a finger, no longer even looking at my face.
“What’s your name?”
“I am Sven, an envoy from Lunarien’s army.”
“Alright. Envoy Sven, or whatever. You do understand what a truce agreement entails, right?”
“Yes, I do.”
Then, with a chilling gaze as if about to devour me, she said,
“Honestly, I’ll admit it. Our army was caught off guard last time and suffered a great defeat. We underestimated you. With 8,000 soldiers, we couldn’t conquer your nation. I accept that. But you know what? The force I sent to your nation this time numbers 23,000. You’re aware of that, aren’t you?”
“Indeed, I am.”
“I don’t know if you’ve managed to scrape together more troops or plan some surprise attack like last time, but… listen.”
She stood up from the throne and slowly approached me. With each step she took towards me, I felt an overwhelming sense of oppression, almost suffocating.
Killing intent!
Her mere movement exuded an overwhelming aura of danger, as if a sharp coldness was piercing through me.
Is this what it means to face the sovereign of a powerful nation? Any ordinary person would have been crushed by this aura, unable to voice their own opinions.
But what of it?
I am a man with an intelligence of 100. Even at this moment, I was certain that she had no choice but to accept this truce agreement. I did not avert my gaze for a single moment as she approached.
“Your army is finished. No matter how advantageous a defensive battle might be, with such a disparity in numbers, you can’t win. Even with extraordinary generals… Oh, right. Do you know who leads our vanguard?”
“None other than the illustrious General Airen.”
“Exactly. So, whether you give 1,300 gold or 3,000, I have no intention of accepting this agreement.”
Saying so, she crouched down to meet my eye level as I knelt. The scent of her perfume hit me intensely. Even this enchanting fragrance carried an element of cold dread.
‘There are perfumes in this world, too.’
Of course, my mind was wandering to such trivial thoughts.
“Do I look like a fool to you? Why would I accept this money for a truce when I can just behead your sovereign Lunarien and have Jeilant Castle and its riches roll into my lap?”
She waited for my response, staring directly into my eyes. Despite the presence of a stunningly beautiful woman right before me, this was no doubt a dangerous situation. Yet, I was not swayed or intimidated. My predictions are always correct.
I pondered for a brief moment.
If this truce, which was destined to happen, was to occur, then Lynn Brans’ hard stance would have to change. That would mean, ultimately, this truce must benefit the Brans army.
Predictions can be made, but the process is unknown. However, if the outcome is certain, there must be a plausible path. Then, it’s up to me to find it.
I metaphorically picked up the brush with my tongue.
“Accepting this money and agreeing to a truce with us will ultimately be beneficial for the Brans army.”
“…What?”
“Once again, I repeat, accepting this money and agreeing to a truce with us will be ultimately beneficial for the Brans army.”
“…”
Lynn looked into my eyes silently for a long time, as if in a staring contest. The quiet moment lingered.
“…Haah.”
She sighed, her expression akin to a child bored with a new toy, and then spoke.
“What’s this? Just empty bravado. I thought there was something to it.”
“It’s not empty bravado.”
“…Alright. Normally, I
’d just send you away, but since you’re somewhat good-looking, I’ll explain it to you logically. 1,300 gold is no merit for our army. Even if you offered 3,000, I’d refuse. Does it make sense to abandon a war we’re definitely winning for a pittance? You really are… Or maybe.”
She grabbed my chin with two fingers, lifting my face, and with a lick of her lips, appraised me.
“If you offered yourself to me, I might consider it…♡ I have a thing for pretty and delicate-looking men, you know? Hehe…♡ What do you say? Interested in attending to me at night?”
“No, I am not.”
“…How boring.”
Finally, she stood up and returned to her throne, then cut to the chase.
“I have no intention of agreeing to a truce. Go back to your sovereign and tell her that. Though, when you return, I can’t guarantee if her head will still be attached to her body.”
I watched Lynn dismissively gesture me away, then instinctively realized.
If there was a turning point in this ‘predetermined’ agreement, it would be now.
“Are you truly not going to agree to a truce?”
“Yes.”
“You will regret it. Surely.”
“Yeah, yeah. You’re right about everything. Still not doing it.”
“This refusal of the truce agreement is not my decision, but yours, Lynn Brans. You are the one who is rejecting this opportunity. Do you agree?”
“…Hey.”
Lynn looked at me with annoyance and said,
“Be thankful I am the sovereign of Brans and not the ruler of Serpina in the North. If it were there, your head would have been gone by now. Got it? Anyway, I have nothing more to discuss with you, so leave.”
“………”
Honestly, in this situation, it was incredibly challenging to imagine how the agreement would be reached. What should I do? I was about to get lost in thought, but then-
“What are you doing? Not leaving yet? Or do you actually want to go to prison? Shall I escort you?”
‘It’s okay. Everything will go as I intend. This truce will certainly be achieved. There’s no need to worry.’
Lynn began twirling her hair around her finger again, a unique habit of hers. Prompted by her urging, I stood up and slowly opened my mouth.
“You will regret this.”
“Yeah, yeah. Go back now. You’ll have plenty of time to regret.”
I turned and slowly walked away. It’s okay. No matter what happens, this truce agreement will definitely be concluded.
My will shall be done.
My words are always right.
After all, I am-
“Lord!!”
——-a man with an intelligence of 100.
“What’s the matter? You shouldn’t interrupt during an audience like this.”
Lynn, looking at the soldier who burst into the audience chamber, suddenly began to turn pale.
“What? You?”
Her gaze fixed on his right arm. I slightly turned my head to check the attire of the soldier who had barged in.
The armor he wore was different from ours, yet there was a familiar element. The red cloth tightly wrapped around his right arm was enough for even me to realize who this soldier was.
He was a messenger.
And there’s only one moment a messenger would rush to the sovereign with such urgency, disregarding the situation. That moment was when-
“Serpina’s army…!”
Someone had made a move.
“Serpina’s army has advanced with 55,000 troops towards Brans’ territory at Kelshstein Castle!”
* * *
“…What?”
Lynn, caught off guard, let her twirled hair fall.
But the situation hadn’t changed.
“Quickly, prepare! My lord, your orders!”
‘Serpina, at this time? Why?’
Because Brans’ territory bordered Serpina, they were always vigilant of their movements. Recent intelligence suggested that while Serpina had conquered the North, insurgent groups not recognizing their rule were emerging, so it was expected they would focus on internal consolidation rather than external expansion.
‘Was the intelligence… wrong? Or was it intentionally misleading?’
Regardless, the situation couldn’t be reversed. Kelshstein Castle, near the border with Serpina’s army, had only about 20,000 troops. Initially more, but many were sent for the Jeilant siege. Using troops from the south was impossible due to the ongoing war, and deploying the eastern forces was risky with Aishers army to the east.
The most logical decision was to recall the 20,000 troops sent for Jeilant. This front was the closest, and frankly, the only option to counter Serpina’s army. Losing Kelshstein Castle, a fortress in itself, would be disastrous. Anel and other castles were mediocre in comparison. Plus, facing the Northern Overlord Serpina, a swift and decisive battle was inevitable.
And as this realization dawned-
—Chill!
A ghostly chill ran down her spine.
‘Could it be…!’
Lynn slowly turned her head, looking at the envoy of Lunarien’s army, Sven, who was about to leave the audience chamber.
He had confidently said earlier, “Accepting this money and agreeing to a truce with us will ultimately benefit the Brans army.”
‘Did he know… this would happen?’
His unusual confidence, continually asserting that it would be advantageous for the Brans army, made sense if he knew all along. But still, one question remained unanswered.
‘But how? How could an envoy from a minor nation know about Serpina’s invasion?’
Regardless, a truce was now imperative. They needed to safely retreat and reallocate as many troops as possible to the northern front.
“Wait! Stop!”
“…….”
Sven, the white-haired man, turned his head slowly to face Lynn.
Then, with a cunning expression, he spoke.
“What is it?”
“…That….”
Lynn bit her lower lip. It wasn’t a good look to call back an envoy from a minor nation she had dismissed, but she knew it would be foolish to lose Kelshstein over pride.
“…Fine. I’ll do it. The truce. 1,300 gold. You’re lucky. With this, you’ll be the envoy who prevented a war. You’ll surely receive a grand welcome in your nation-”
“Lynn.”
The envoy from the minor nation interrupted the sovereign herself. Under normal circumstances, it would have warranted great anger, but Lynn’s mind was too disturbed by the news of Serpina’s advance to care.
“You mentioned 1,300 gold?”
“Uh? Yes… Right. 1,300 gold. I
’ll give you that. Exceptionally.”
“That will be difficult.”
“…What do you mean?”
Sven approached Lynn, knelt as he had done before, and spoke with a consistent and very confident voice.
“You should offer us 3,000 gold.”
“What? 3,000 gold? …Well, it doesn’t really matter, but do you have the money?”
“You mean us? Why do you ask that suddenly…?”
Confused by her question about having the money, Sven tilted his head as if not understanding her point. Then, realizing what Sven implied, Lynn spoke in an astonished voice.
“…You can’t mean…”
His voice echoed again in her ears.
“This refusal of the truce agreement is not my decision, but yours, Lynn Brans. You are the one who is rejecting this opportunity. Do you agree?”
‘…!!!’
Sven repeated the same tone as before, but with a slightly different condition.
“We will accept 3,000 gold. If you provide us with the gold, we will agree to a truce. I promise we won’t pursue the retreating Brans army.”
DAMN THAT WAS COLD NGL