Episode 32. Monthly Regular Meeting / Brans Army (3)
“Propose an invasion to the north… are you suggesting that?”
For the first time, Parfalle couldn’t hide her perplexed expression.
As if she had heard something entirely unexpected.
“Yes.”
Upon my words, the vassals who were silently listening to the debate began to murmur.
Airen too looked at me in shock.
It seemed she hadn’t anticipated me going this far.
Understandably so. I didn’t expect myself to say such a thing either.
“…Swen. Do you realize what you’re talking about?”
I could see sweat trickling down Parfalle’s forehead.
At this moment, there was no sign of her attempting to dominate me with her presence.
She was merely flustered, caught up in the absurd topic I had brought up.
Then.
“Ah, could this be useful?”
I chose the most natural words possible, ones that wouldn’t seem out of place coming from me, and casually asked.
“What do you mean by… exactly what are you referring to?”
“Are you saying that sending troops north to invade Serpina’s territory is the best course of action?”
How could she provide such a perfect example for me?
I quickly input Parfalle’s question.
“Is sending troops north to invade Serpina’s territory the most efficient action at this moment?”
The question was entered.
Then, the conclusion would be output.
[Yes.]
“Expected.”
Though I had deduced it by eliminating the impossibilities, my confidence was a bit shaken since it wasn’t a prediction I had made without using my intelligence. But now that I had the validation from a brain with intelligence of 100, there was no more hesitation.
The best move for Brans Army this month was to invade the territory of Serpina in the north.
Of course, I didn’t know why.
Whether she knew of my thoughts or not, Parfalle, with a slightly quicker voice than before, shot back.
“Our current national power does not allow us to invade any castle in the north. We are clearly at a disadvantage in terms of the total number of soldiers compared to the vast territory of Serpina Army, and those soldiers are experienced troops of Serpina who have quickly pacified the north and suppressed sporadic rebellions there. Our soldiers have also gained experience through many battles, but… in terms of soldiers’ proficiency, theirs are superior due to their more aggressive conquest activities.”
And most likely, they have also absorbed all the mercenary groups based in the northern continent.
Though she didn’t know that yet.
“Moreover, let’s assume we deploy from Kelstein Castle. The closest, and somewhat attackable, location would be Cheryen Castle to the northeast. With about 40,000 troops stationed there, considering it’s a siege, we’d need at least 70-80,000 troops ready? If we gather more troops and include those from smaller castles near the northern front, it wouldn’t be an impossible number. But then, leaving Kelstein Castle practically empty would surely not go unnoticed by Chyrel Castle to the northwest and its surrounding fortresses.”
After saying that, she took a deep breath.
It seems my opinion had quite startled her.
“Such an opinion is nonsensical.”
In debates, it’s not uncommon to throw off opponents with outrageous suggestions.
Though I don’t know how he deduced that I had received such a proposal – his words seemed somewhat pretentious.
Then.
“Parfalle.”
“Yes?”
Lynn, who had been sitting on the throne, spoke up.
“What do you think? About Swen’s opinion.”
“Are you referring to the opinion about attacking Serpina’s territory in the north?”
“Yes.”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Parfalle responded decisively.
“The proposal lacks practicality. Didn’t you also think so, my lord, hence why you interrupted the debate?”
“…Well…”
Though her response was somewhat unsatisfactory, she had no intention of changing her mind.
“The northern front doesn’t require our attention for now. Trusting in me, Parfalle, I will ensure Balharat Castle falls into your hands, my lord.”
“…”
Lynn remained silent, lost in thought.
Then pondered.
“Why did I interrupt the debate?”
Lynn knew Swen was no ordinary man.
After all, he seemed to even know the information about Serpina Army planning to attack Brans Army in the north.
Could he have a source of information in the north?
Although I couldn’t pinpoint it exactly, maybe he had some means to understand the situation or the political climate in the north – and based his arguments on that?
Well, without such a “miracle,” the humiliating ceasefire wouldn’t have been possible.
So, even if his opinion seemed far-fetched… perhaps, it was genuinely feasible. She was somewhat inclined to believe that.
However.
Swen didn’t come up with his opinion on his own.
The opinion Swen advocated for… strictly speaking, was Airen’s.
If Swen had won the debate and convinced us all, Brans Army would have adopted Airen’s suggestion as the monthly directive.
She didn’t want that.
Even though she always made cold judgments for the sake of the state – whenever it came to the woman named Airen Juliette, her judgment clouded.
Swen’s guess had been correct.
Of course.
Aside from her dislike for Airen – if Swen’s words were credible, she might have changed her opinion.
But the baseless story of “somehow being able to understand the situation or the political climate” was absurd, wasn’t it?
Even if she had recommended Swen herself, she couldn’t blindly trust him without solid evidence.
She wasn’t the only strategist in Brans Army; besides the leading strategist Parfalle, there were several others.
Even so, given Swen’s seemingly peculiar insight, as Lynn saw it, she couldn’t completely ignore his opinion.
“Perhaps it’s wise to allocate some troops to the north, considering something might happen there.”
She wouldn’t send as many troops as Airen suggested, but –
Taking a bit from the force intended for Aeshers Army’s invasion seemed reasonable.
By the way, Swen and Airen were living in the same house.
Were they getting along alright since neither of them complained?
Lynn had thought of accommodating them if Airen came to apologize or Swen mentioned any discomfort –
But if they didn’t come forward, what could she do?
“…That’s enough.”
Lynn was a very stubborn woman.
If both were satisfied, she had no intention of meddling further.
This unwavering aspect of her character also added charisma as a leader but had the side effect of making stubborn decisions in strange areas.
And in that regard – her assessment of Swen, who didn’t seek her out, was becoming increasingly ambiguous.
“Swen. Whether you can be mine or not… I need more time to determine.”
If he ultimately couldn’t be hers, then…
She twisted her hair, a habit when deep in thought.
