Episode 36. The Dream
Dream.
For the past few days, she had been having the same specific dream repeatedly.
A place that felt somewhat familiar, yet at the same time, she couldn’t pinpoint exactly where it was.
In that place, full of buildings with blue roofs and white bricks, a man approached her in her dream.
The man – with strikingly beautiful white hair and gray eyes.
She doesn’t know who he is.
However, in the dream, I – know who he is.
His name is-
“…”
Despite naturally uttering his name in the dream, upon waking, she couldn’t remember it at all.
She slightly frowned and placed her hand on her forehead.
Perhaps it was due to her radiant appearance, but even the slight furrow of her golden brows was breathtakingly beautiful.
“Who is that man…”
If there had been time, she might have calmly thought about the man-
But the position she stood upon would not afford her personal time.
Knowing this well, she got out of the plush bed as soon as she was conscious.
“…Enough.”
Today, for those who needed her, she had no choice but to transform into ‘her’ that everyone wanted.
As if complying with the destiny bestowed upon her, she picked up her characteristic hairpin from the table, quickly organized her thoughts, and began preparing to leave the bedroom.
*
Walking out of the bedroom, passing the guard, she walked down the long corridor.
As she walked this corridor, she slightly closed her eyes.
This was a kind of ritual she performed.
The ‘real me’ that just woke up becomes ‘the me everyone demands’ as I walk down this corridor with my eyes closed.
Not long after, a thick door appeared.
And when this door opens-
“…”
With a creak, the door opened, and a woman with brown hair tied back bowed deeply to her.
“Have you awakened, my lord?”
“…Hmm.”
She nodded and then took her place on the throne prepared for the sovereign.
The brown-haired woman closely reported the events that had taken place and what she needed to hear.
“The forces for the fourth expedition to Cheryen Castle and Cholrel Castle are fully prepared. And from General Julian, we have received a suggestion to prioritize destroying the fortress north of the newly built Kelshtein Castle by the Brans army.”
“How many troops?”
“There are about 28,000 men stationed at the fortress.”
“If we are to attack the fortress, the march will start from Cholrel Castle?”
“That’s correct.”
She pondered for a moment, then asked the woman looking at her.
“Jena, I’m curious about your thoughts.”
“May I speak frankly?”
“I’d rather you did.”
Encouraged by her words, the brown-haired woman – Jena, smiled slightly and answered.
“Regarding the fortress, I’m not quite sure why it was built there in the first place. It’s not in a strategically significant location. So, instead of focusing on that, it would be better to lead a large force using the southeast route of Cheryen Castle and directly attack Kelshtein Castle. That way, the 28,000 troops stationed at the fortress would have to come down for defense, and it would be wise to defeat them in detail with the troops from Cholrel Castle. Attacking the troops inside the fortress seems more advantageous than dealing with the fortress itself.”
“I see.”
She tapped the armrest of the throne with her fingers.
Her golden eyes naturally sparkled.
“The key point is Cheryen Castle… Anything else to report?”
“There are reports of troops gathering near the border between the Aishers and Brans armies.”
“Hmm?”
Are they planning to attack the east at this time?
Though the reason was unclear, it couldn’t be anything but favorable for our army.
How should our army move to advance from the north to other areas?
Continuing southeast from Cheryen Castle, a huge mountain range appears, and crossing it would lead to Aishers’ territory, but it wasn’t a route feasible for moving troops.
The southwest side of Cholrel Castle is also a series of rugged mountains and marshlands, making it an unwise choice to move towards the central west of the continent.
The choice lies in Kelshtein Castle, located at the gateway directly into the central region.
Breaking through here would finally allow an advance from the north to the south.
Although three expeditions have failed – the combat ratio was still in our favor.
If it comes to a war of attrition, we are bound to win.
In this situation, if the Brans army extends the front line, there could be nothing more thankful.
Whatever the strategist on that side is thinking – now that it has come to this, it cannot go unused.
Then.
Jena bowed and asked her.
“Serphina, what will you do?”
“…”
To Jena’s question, the sole person who embodies the will of Aingarth to the outside world and the one closest to achieving the goal of continental hegemony – Serphina von Aingarth, with her blindingly blonde hair and eyes more intense than gold, answered in a somewhat dry voice.
“It seems the decision on the date of action will be made within a week. In the meantime, provide a detailed report on the situation along the Brans army’s eastern border.”
“Understood. I will instruct them to be thoroughly prepared so that they can act upon your command at any time.”
“Thank you.”
At that moment.
Bang!
The main door of the audience hall burst open with a frantic sound.
“My lord!!!”
A soldier ran towards her in a panic.
Serphina asked in a calm tone, unflustered.
“What’s the matter?”
“Cher… Cheryen Castle.”
Without a moment’s pause to catch his breath, the soldier desperately relayed the urgent information.
“The lord of Cheryen Castle, Ian Rashpalt has… rebelled…!”
“!!!”
“…”
While Jena was visibly shocked upon hearing this-
Serphina merely slightly furrowed her brows, showing no significant reaction.
“Claiming to purge the false witch of Aingarth who only has a name left, and announcing that the Rashpalt family is the true successor of Algot, the de facto legitimate lineage of the Aingarth Empire, and to reestablish order… he has raised an army!”
“…”
Serphina’s assessment of the situation was very straightforward.
—Pathetic, relying on the prestige of a dead person.
Algot von Aingarth, her brother, would not have wished for this.
She thought about her ‘past’ for a moment and clenched her teeth but-
It was necessary not to show such expressions.
“How many have joined him?”
At Jena’s question, the soldier quickly answered.
“Including the lord of Marty Castle, Solana Rashpalt, about 13 people in total. Most of the rebels are associated with the Rashpalt family.”
Marty Castle was a small castle near Cheryen Castle.
“I see.”
Ian, that man.
Was this moment what he had been waiting for when he threw away his pride and kneeled?
Serphina scoffed briefly.
It was just the futile struggle of those who couldn’t change history anyway.
“…What will you do, my lord?”
“Let’s postpone the fourth expedition for now.”
“But-”
“It’s fine. With the current strength of the Brans army, they
won’t be able to make any impact.”
As of the last intelligence report yesterday, the troop count at Kelshtein Castle had increased by 10,000 from the last confirmed number.
Unless a larger number had gathered, that amount of troops wouldn’t pose a significant threat.
The rush for this fourth expedition was also because they wanted to invade before more troops could be gathered.
It seemed they might have noticed a potential re-invasion due to the sudden increase in troops, but if that were the case, they would have sent more than 10,000.
The Brans army had enough capacity to do so.
“…Understood.”
Hearing Jena’s response, Serphina stood up and extended her hand towards the soldier, saying,
“Go and convey this. Immediately summon all generals currently on duty! Prepare for departure. Send a messenger to each castle lord to share the situation as quickly as possible, and convey that they can depart without my consent!”
“Yes, understood!”
With those words, the soldier once again dashed off.
“Rebellion…”
A rebellion wouldn’t change anything.
It was just doing what had been done all along.
That was- “Thoroughly trampling” them.
To raise the empire’s flag again. For Aingarth’s legacy… “inherited” by herself.
“…”
She pondered her brother’s name.
Algot von Aingarth…
The person she had killed- Yes. “Killed”…?
If that was the destiny she had to accept-
“…Another storm of blood will blow.”
The woman known publicly as a tyrant had an unusually thoughtful moment.
Of course, whether that was characteristic of her or not- even she couldn’t tell anymore.
* * *
As I had predicted, it didn’t take long for the situation to escalate.
“A rebellion… you say?”
To Airen’s question, kneeling before him, Rashion nodded and said,
“Yes. The lord of Cheryen Castle, Ian Rashpalt, has raised an army. According to the latest information we received, the troop count was around 40,000, and there’s a possibility that he has gathered more since then.”
“A rebellion, as expected.”
I had somewhat anticipated this.
But seeing it actually unfold felt oddly surreal.
Moreover, the name of the rebel, a familiar one.
Ian Rashpalt.
But if there was one unfamiliar aspect, it wasn’t that he was a general under Serphina’s command but rather, he led his own independent force, “Ian’s army,” among the northern lords.
Of course, being respawned in the north meant he would likely become Serphina’s meal with a very high probability- witnessing his independence from the start under Serphina was a scene I hadn’t seen before.
Rashion stared at me, kneeling beside Airen, for a while.
I wondered if he was about to ask something unnecessary, but instead, he got straight to the point.
“I’ve heard from General Calintz asking for troop support… Excluding the forces necessary for our castle’s defense, it seems only the approximately 10,000 troops you brought, General Airen, can be mobilized. Let me know how much time you need to prepare for departure.”
“We can depart immediately.”
“…What?”
To Rashion’s question, Airen once again firmly answered.
“Yes. We can depart immediately, my lord.”
“…”
Rashion, sweating slightly, finally spoke.
“Did you anticipate this, you two? That it would come to this?”
“…”
Airen silently looked up at Rashion.
Rashion was there during the debate, so he should know.
That the moment to deploy the troops had arrived, indicating that Airen’s opinion, and by extension, my opinion, was correct.
Well.
The opportunity had passed.
Adding 10,000 troops wouldn’t turn the tide of the battle, and waiting for more reinforcements would surely miss the optimal timing.
“If only we could take Balhart Castle.”
Probably not that, either.
At this moment, I keenly felt that my ability meant nothing without a “trusting lord.”
Rashion, after a brief sigh, loudly declared to us.
“General Airen, take the 10,000 troops and move to the fortress where General Calintz is!”
“Yes, understood!”
After saluting, as we left the castle behind Airen, I was lost in thought.
“What is Calintz trying to do?”
There were about 28,000 troops in the fortress.
Adding our 10,000 would make it 38,000.
This number was insufficient to retake Cheryen Castle, which seemed to host around 40,000 troops.
Sending more troops from Kelshtein Castle might make it possible, but Serphina’s army wouldn’t just stand by and watch.
Rashion’s decision to send additional troops was wise.
“Is Calintz just pushing forward with some hopeful assumptions?”
It was the worst-case scenario, but surely Calintz Brans, a named general of his caliber, wouldn’t make such a foolish mistake?
Calintz, being the most ordinary among the Brans siblings, was still an S-grade general.
Well, he’ll probably just scout around, realize the numbers don’t match up, and give up with a sigh.
I hadn’t made predictions yet, but it seemed right to me.
But I had to do the task at hand.
After leaving the castle.
Airen finally turned to me with a disbelieving expression.
“…Swen. I have something to ask.”
“Please, go ahead.”
“Did you anticipate this would happen?”
Ah.
From Airen’s perspective, it must seem like I foresaw the entire future unfolding this way.
If at that time, during the debate with Lynn, without Lynn’s interference, I had managed to successfully overturn the opinion, Airen’s suggestion to allocate more troops for the northern defense would have naturally provided the opportunity to invade Ian’s newly raised army much faster than Serphina’s.
What is opportunity? We might have had a good chance to conquer Cheryen Castle.
In the end, my prediction was right again.
Airen wasn’t my lord, but she was a woman who would have to work with me in the long term.
Looking ‘convincing’ wouldn’t hurt.
I answered with as much nonchalance as I could muster.
“I did feel some ominous signs from the north. I have relatives nearby, so I often hear news through letters. I suspected a rebellion might occur, but I couldn’t be sure… If I had known, I would have insisted more strongly.”
“…!”
Airen was so shocked by the situation that she looked at me, speechless.
I pressed on, driving the point home.
“Didn’t I tell you? Your opinion was not wrong, Airen. No, your opinion was the only correct answer. I believe you’ll understand my meaning soon.”
“Ah…”
Hearing my words, Airen froze for a moment, then slightly bowed her head and murmured in a voice that seemed almost tearful.
“So, I… wasn’t wrong.”
“That’s right. It doesn’t matter that no one else raised their hand in agreement with you. In the end, you were right.”
“…”
Then.
She cautiously looked up at me, her face flushed.
“And… you were the only one who believed in me, Swen.”
?
More than believing, I was just siding with her to increase her favorability, but since the answer
turned out to be “almost correct,” her statement was technically true.
Realizing this was a great opportunity to increase her favorability, I smiled at her.
“Didn’t I tell you, Airen? I wasn’t just sympathizing with you. So, there’s no need to be disheartened.”
At my words, she nodded.
Her purple eyes seemed to shimmer as if they were about to spill tears.
“…Thank you, Swen.”
If the situation had been better, we might have slowly discussed ‘why Airen’s plan was the right one’-
But we had just received orders to head to the northern fortress.
I suggested, trying to change the mood.
“Anyway, there’s nothing we can do about missed opportunities. Since we’ve been called, let’s head to the northern fortress.”
“Let’s do that.”
I then immediately moved with Airen, Jack, and Celine to the newly constructed fortress.
* * *
And when we arrived at the fortress-
The ‘worst-case scenario’ had, surprisingly, become reality.
