Episode 26. Seeking Refuge with Brans’s Forces (1)
***
I left the castle and joined the ranks of Brans’s forces.
The streets of Jelant, which I had wandered every day, felt strangely unfamiliar.
When I inadvertently looked up at the castle… the bright sky-blue flag of Brans’s forces was fluttering vigorously.
Yes.
Jelant Castle and its surrounding territories now belonged to Brans’s forces.
Along the way, I glanced back to see the marketplace, which had just begun to thrive, including the buildings newly erected by Tifa.
Further on, the golden wheat fields Lunarien and I had watched together unfolded.
And a little further still, the small village square where we had danced revealed itself.
The sight was desolate, as all the villagers had taken refuge inside due to the soldiers’ arrival, but…
The traces of the months I had spent with her surfaced like afterimages throughout the city.
“…Lunarien.”
I let go of the remnants of Lunarien that lingered in my heart.
To survive, I couldn’t afford to be discovered planning to return to Lunarien’s forces.
The light green flag that once fluttered over Jelant Castle.
Someday, that flag would fly again.
Until then, I am Swen of Lynn Brans.
No.
I was willing to serve under anyone.
Even under the tyrant Serpina if it meant surviving.
And then…
Definitely, to join Lunarien in establishing a unified nation.
As long as she continues to hold that destiny.
With that, I emptied my heart of her and filled it with a new sky-blue sun, following the procession out of Jelant Castle.
* * *
Upon arriving at Anel Castle, Lynn’s first order of business was to redeploy the massive force of 80,000 back to their original positions on various fronts.
“Brother, can you take care of the south? If there’s any issue, let me know anytime.”
“Yes! Understood.”
Chel nodded and quickly exited the castle.
Most of the forces had come from the south, so Chel needed to move first.
The southern continent was a battleground for several nations.
Excluding small kingdoms with few territories, there were four major nations: Rolande, closely bordering Brans; Hesna, somewhat close; and Carelia and Ohana, not directly bordering but significant nonetheless.
These four nations maintained a balance of power, each comparable in strength.
Combined, their force could easily surpass that of Brans.
Of course, they wouldn’t form an alliance, but to conquer the south, it was necessary not to stretch the front lines too thin.
Dealing with the northern Serpina was one thing, but first, the numerous small kingdoms in the central and the subtly threatening nations in the east, including Aishus, had to be pacified.
Thus, Brans’s foremost sword, Chel, was stationed in the south while quickly pacifying the central and, if possible, the eastern parts.
This was Lynn’s grand strategy for Brans’s forces.
“Our position really isn’t great, is it? Right here.”
From the perspective of owning the most fertile land in the central continent, this might sound like a complaint of the rich, but…
They indeed occupied a spot where combat was inevitable.
“Lord, shall I assist Chel in the south again?”
Upon hearing Parfalle’s question, Lynn shook her head.
“No, stay here for now. There might be trouble in the south… but they won’t bother us just yet.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. We’ve received intelligence. It seems like a commotion is brewing.”
“Is Hesna moving?”
“Oh my.”
Lynn looked at Parfalle with an amused expression.
“You have a hunch?”
“Having been in the south until recently.”
On the border between Hesna and Ohana, troops were gathering.
While war might not break out, if it did?
Rolande would likely target Hesna next to us rather than bother with us.
Then, we could act according to the situation.
Whether to strike at Rolande or preemptively target Hesna – the choice was ours.
“Right. So let’s take our time and watch. Besides, could you call Swen for me?”
“Swen? You mean the man abandoned by Lunarien?”
“Yes!”
Parfalle asked with a puzzled look.
“He doesn’t seem that remarkable to me…”
“No, you don’t understand. I’m completely taken with him. Sure, I might have been duped because you weren’t there… but he’s definitely extraordinary! Now that he’s one of us, I should introduce him around, right? Haha♡”
“…”
Listening to Lynn’s cheerful laughter, Parfalle pondered.
Was she genuinely concerned about her subordinates to this extent, or was there another reason for her special treatment of Swen?
Objectively, Lynn prioritized results, valuing only the S-ranked generals for their contribution. The rest were merely for filling numbers or managing the castle’s internal affairs.
To Parfalle, Lynn’s foresight, though sometimes stubborn, wasn’t bad overall.
Was Swen truly a rare find? Parfalle too became curious.
“Just a moment, please.”
“Sure! And tell him to come in relaxed! It’s just a casual meeting.”
“Yes.”
Parfalle nodded and left the castle.
Exactly ten minutes later, Swen, now free, walked in with Parfalle.
Kneeling on one knee, he offered the sweetest words to Lynn.
“Did you summon me, my lord?”
“Yes! Welcome! It’s good to see you here.”
The man who had come as an envoy, teasing me with his tongue, was now calling me “my lord” before me.
This thrilling sensation!
Nothing excited her more than capable talents serving her, addressing her as “my lord.”
“Since we’re officially family now, a formal introduction seemed appropriate.”
“I’m Lynn Brans! As you know, I’m the monarch of Brans’s forces. The one to unite this continent will be me. What do you think, Swen? Do you agree?”
Standing beside Lynn on the throne, Parfalle secretly sympathized with the man named Swen.
What had he done to mesmerize the lord to receive such attention? Although Parfalle didn’t know… she knew Lynn valued performance above all.
Without notable achievements, one could quickly fall out of favor, forced to be content with a lower position or waste away in obscurity.
Unless one was content with mere survival, without great ambition, such treatment was unbearable.
Moreover, Lynn’s excitement over new talents wasn’t a first.
And yet, none had ever met her exorbitantly high expectations.
“…”
Swen, having listened to Lynn, bowed slightly and then cautiously spoke.
“I will do my utmost to help achieve your goals, Lord Lynn.”
“Good! I like your attitude! Yes! I hope you’ll use your abilities for my sake in the future?”
“Would there be any other way?”
Pleased with Swen, Lynn looked at him contentedly and then seemed to remember something, saying,
“Right. You don’t have a place to stay here, do you? Do you?”
“I don’t have a particular place… I can use an inn.”
“An inn? No way. Of course, the inns in Anel Castle are decent
, but we can’t treat a valuable member of our forces like that. Wait a moment. Parfalle, is there an empty room?”
“Yes. There isn’t…”
Naturally, she didn’t personally provide rooms for all her subordinates.
Swen was indeed receiving special treatment.
“Hmm… any good place…?”
After pondering for a moment, Lynn seemed to have a bright idea, tapping the armrest of her chair.
“Oh. Right. There’s a spacious room at East Anel No. 32. Someone’s using it right now. Go live there.”
“To live together?”
“Yes! Kind of like roommates. That area is all managed by the state, so just go and live there! The person living there is also under my command, so feel free to ask anything.”
Swen bowed and said,
“Yes, understood. I will follow the order and reside there.”
“Great!”
Lynn smiled again, satisfied.
“You can go now! The next regular meeting is in three days, so come to the castle to attend. Your roommate will tell you the details. See you then?”
“Yes.”
Swen stood up, showing his respects one last time before slowly exiting the castle.
Lynn, watching Swen leave, turned to Parfalle and asked,
“What do you think? How does he seem?”
“Well, I mean…”
Parfalle struggled to find the right words to respond.
After all, her first impression of Swen was of a handsome but seemingly frail and unremarkable general.
Looks alone aren’t enough; a man needs talent to be of any use, right?
Why was she so fixated on him? Parfalle couldn’t comprehend.
But now wasn’t the time to upset her mood.
Parfalle finally found a diplomatic response.
“He certainly has an unusual aura.”
“See? I told you I was right.”
“Satisfied with that?”
Parfalle breathed a sigh of relief internally.
Upsetting Lynn’s fickle mood was something to be avoided at all costs.
Then…
“Wait.”
Lynn had definitely said to go to East Anel No. 32.
And to live there with someone else as roommates.
Parfalle knew that area well, as she also resided in East Anel.
Thus, she knew who lived at No. 32.
“It’s definitely…!”
Chill!
Parfalle looked at Lynn, who, having returned to sorting documents on the desk, was still smiling.
…It was intentional.
She had deliberately sent Swen, a “man,” to that place.
“Being disliked by the lord sure is tough.”
Surviving in Brans’s forces meant never falling out of Lynn Brans’s favor.
* * *
Outside Anel Castle, within the territory.
“I’m Lynn Brans! As you know, I’m the monarch of Brans’s forces. The one to unite this continent will be me. What do you think, Swen? Do you agree?”
At that moment, I was able to input with certainty.
“Can Lynn Brans unify the continent?” was the question.
And, as absurdly quick as before, the answer was output.
[No.]
“It seems not, my new lord.”
Unlike when I first met Lunarien, the result was the same.
She is not destined to be the unifier.
But there was no need to voice this.
After all, to avoid her needless suspicion, I had to be useful and gain her trust.
After checking the map of the village square, I headed towards East Anel Street.
The area, indeed, differed from Jelant Castle, filled with decrepit buildings.
Even in the evening, many people were walking around, and unlike Jelant’s predominant wooden houses, East Anel boasted beautiful two-story brick houses reminiscent of the medieval era.
A few minutes of walking brought me to East Anel No. 32.
“Is this the place?”
A brick house with beautiful trees around it, quite unlike the barely habitable place I had in Jelant.
Under normal circumstances, I would have thought I’d moved up in the world… but I couldn’t quite feel happy about it.
Where might Lunarien be now?
Somewhere along the southern path?
Were Cain and Tifa safely following her?
“…Enough.”
Thinking about her now wouldn’t solve anything.
With that mindset, I knocked on the door.
Then…
A voice came from beyond the door.
“Who is it?”
“Huh?”
…It was a woman’s voice.
