*
At the festival we visited, the villagers were gathered in small groups, sharing and enjoying food together. It appeared to be a harvest celebration.
Several villagers recognized Luna and bowed to greet her.
“Isn’t that Lord Lunarien?”
The leader’s voice quickly changed the lively atmosphere to one of solemn respect. Rather than a sudden awkwardness, it was more of a tension arising from the unexpected arrival of a high-ranking person. However, there was no sign of rejection. Rather, Luna was being warmly welcomed by the villagers.
“Welcome, Lord Lunarien.”
“An honor to meet you, my Lord!”
“Would you like to try this?”
The villagers quickly gathered around us, and Luna gracefully raised her hand and nodded.
“Please, everyone, feel at ease.”
‘…’
Despite my advice to avoid using formal language with subordinates, old habits die hard. In a world with a political system similar to the one I knew, treating common people with such respect would be normal. But here, it’s better for those in power to maintain their dignity. I thought about subtly reminding her again, but then decided against it.
‘Well, perhaps this kind of leadership isn’t so bad in this era.’
She wasn’t in front of subordinates but villagers. From the perspective of winning people’s hearts, her approach might be better. And unlike me, her every action didn’t seem to be the result of calculated decisions.
“Thanks to Lord Lunarien, peace has returned to Jeilant Castle. A place even other lords wouldn’t glance at… we’re truly grateful for your care.”
A middle-aged woman, nearly in tears, continuously nodded. Luna approached her, took her hands, and spoke gently.
“It’s not because of me. It’s because all of you never gave up and kept trying. Please don’t forget that.”
“Lord Lunarien…!”
“Lord Lunarien, please unify this war-torn continent!”
“How could we entrust our country to a tyrant like Serphina? Right, everyone?”
Agreeing voices arose from the crowd.
Indeed, Luna had used 6,000 gold for relief efforts and frequently patrolled the territory, solidifying public support. That’s why many soldiers had volunteered for conscription. Even excluding the mercenary corps, our own forces now boasted about 10,000 soldiers. If Jeilant Castle had been larger, we could have recruited even more.
After chatting with the villagers, Luna concluded the conversation and allowed them to continue enjoying the festival. She then approached me.
“Sven.”
“Please, go ahead.”
“There…”
Luna pointed towards a large bonfire where several couples were dancing, surrounded by minstrels playing lutes. The scene resembled a medieval game’s loading screen.
“It’s peaceful. Thanks to you, my Lord.”
“No, it’s not that…”
“?”
I looked at her. Her face, slightly flushed and hesitant, resembled a shy animal.
You could relax the rules sometimes. Especially as a ruler of a small nation, it wasn’t necessary to always uphold a strict image. Flexibility was key depending on the situation.
“It’s alright. Please, go ahead.”
“Huh?”
“Forget what I’ve said for now. Feel free to mingle with your people as you wish.”
Luna was a ruler who deeply cared for her people. I had thought only characters like Kareliya in this game would have such an approach, but Luna was different. So, it was best to let her freely interact with the villagers.
But instead of heading straight to the dance, Luna hesitantly spoke to me again.
“It’s just that…”
“?”
“If it’s alright with you, Sven… would you like to join me for a dance?”
Seeing her struggle to ask and then blushing profusely as she explained, it seemed she wanted to dance and mingle but was hesitant because of my previous advice on maintaining a ruler’s dignity. But why not? We were at a village festival, after all.
“Um, so! Everyone is pairing up as men and women, and going alone seems a bit… Since I am a monarch… it could be a burden to the people of the territory in many ways, so-”
“Are you asking me to dance with you?”
“Ah……”
Only then did she bow her head deeply and speak.
Her face was much redder than before, now almost reminiscent of a beet.
“……Yes……”
“……”
This game has more events than I thought.
If this can be called an event, that is.
Having lived in this world for several months, I’ve grown fond of the members of the Lunarien army, and a sense of pride in this territory is beginning to blossom – something I have been wary of until now.
After all, I have a place to return to, and being swayed by feelings like attachment in a game world could lead to irrational decisions given the consequences.
But.
I’m still certain.
Lunarien Inieng will become a unified monarch.
So, in the end, I have to stay by this woman’s side to return to my original world.
Then maybe this is okay?
“Let’s go.”
“Eh?!”
“As you wish, I will accompany you.”
I took her hand.
She was startled, but didn’t shake off my hand.
Instead, she squeezed my hand slightly and said in a trembling voice.
“Yes, yes! I look forward to it!”
And so, I danced a light dance with her in front of the bonfire.
Her pale skin reflected in the light of the fire.
Her schcream-colored hair fluttering slightly with every light movement.
Her ruby-like eyes looking at me… were vividly etched into my mind.
* * *
This is Anel Castle, the royal castle of Lynn Brans.
Lynn was sitting on the throne, receiving reports from the envoy.
“I have returned, Lynn. I was able to successfully negotiate a three-week truce with the Eishers army.”
“Good, well done. What about the south?”
Another envoy, standing next to the man who spoke, said,
“We have also successfully concluded a truce with the neighboring Roland army… but we could only adjust it to one month.”
“One month? Wasn’t it supposed to be three months?”
Lynn spoke, and the envoy bowed his head in shame.
“So, sorry. We could only negotiate down to one month because the Roland army proposed a mediation plan saying three months was difficult.”
‘Roland guys, they’re obviously trying to take any chance they get. I didn’t want to worry about the south for a while. But well, one month is enough.’
Thinking this, Lynn smiled and said,
“It’s okay. In fact, even one month is not a big deal. I even said that it’s fine to go down to one month as long as we can reach a truce agreement, right?”
“But, still.”
“That’s enough. That’s the end of it. You both worked hard! Rest well for a while. If I don’t call you even after a week, then you can both start working in the marketplace. Got it?”
“Yes! We will obey your command!”
After the envoys left,
A soldier waiting nearby spoke up.
“My lord. General Chel’s army has just arrived.”
Hearing this, Lynn’s face brightened.
“Ah, really? As expected of my big brother♡ He came up so quickly!”
“Shall I tell him to come in?”
“Yes. Right now.”
“Yes!”
Not long after-
A man with short blue hair, who looked very strong, began to walk in, wearing plate armor.
His overwhelmingly large build, deeply set eyes, and scars all over his face.
Despite the scars, he was a handsome man.
Following him was a woman with purple short hair and violet eyes, exuding a very seductive aura.
Both of them knelt before Lynn and spoke.
First, the man’s name was Chel Brans.
He was known as the best swordsman of the Brans army.
“Chel Brans, as ordered, I have just arrived from Saintica Castle in the south.”
And the woman’s name was Parfale.
She was the strategist of the Brans army and a genius who had been recognized as ‘the most intelligent woman in the central region’ since she was young, catching Lynn Brans’ attention early on.
She had left her side for a while to lend her strength as a strategist to the great southern front where Chel Brans was the supreme commander, and had just returned.
“Parfale, as commanded by the lord, I have just arrived from Saintica Castle in the south.”
“Good, good. You both did well!”
Lynn welcomed Chel and Parfale with open arms.
Chel, puzzled, asked Lynn,
“Why did you call us to Anel Castle? I heard that the northern front has quieted down.”
“That’s right. I have no intention of
sending my big brother to the upper neighborhood now. Little brother is already there to guard it.”
After successfully fending off an initial force of 55,000.
Even after that, Serphina’s army continued to invade with forces of 20,000 and 30,000.
Despite many sacrifices, they were able to protect Kelshtein Castle three times-
And somehow managed to suppress Serphina’s ambition for a central advance.
Whether they had retreated or given up, for now, Serphina’s army was not launching further invasions.
In such a situation, excluding the forces defending the north, it was necessary to quickly gather troops, which meant stabilizing the other fronts.
The two truces were meant for this purpose.
“And, I heard you made a truce with the Roland army… is that correct?”
“Yes. So, you don’t have to worry about the southern front for a while.”
“Yes…”
Chel, not understanding her intentions, asked in a puzzled tone.
They had negotiated with the Eishers army in the east and the Roland army in the south. There was no intention to send to the north.
That left only the west, where several weak countries posed no threat.
Yet she had summoned the major force guarding the south to Anel Castle.
Lynn, realizing Chel’s confusion, nodded and said,
“Yes, big brother. We don’t need you to clean up the west. But. What we’re going to take is not just some small territory of a weak country.”
“What does that mean…?”
At Chel’s question, Lynn’s blue eyes sparkled momentarily.
He knew that look well.
It was the look of his sister when she was hunting for talent.
“We are about to gather the pieces necessary to conquer the world!”
