Episode 53. The Audience Hall / Anel Castle (1)
*
The three of us, having prepared ourselves mentally, entered the audience hall of the royal castle.
Over Calintz’s shoulder, I could see Lynn, the absolute ruler of Brans’s army.
Resting her chin on her hand, twirling her hair with her fingers – lounging on the throne with a look of ennui was Lynn’s default state.
However, now, without any of those distracted actions, she looked at us with a lofty posture.
Following Calintz’s steps, Airen and I walked up to her and knelt before her in unison as he did.
“…Calintz Brans, I have just returned to Anel Castle from Kelstein Castle.”
“Airen Juliet, likewise, I have just returned.”
“Swen, I have returned and now stand before my lord.”
“…….”
Normally, her demeanor was more playful than sovereign-like.
Though it wasn’t to say she lacked the dignity or aura of a monarch, Lynn certainly had a notably mischievous aspect to her as a ruler.
But at this moment,
She was looking down at us with a very serious and cold expression, devoid of any smile.
“…Calintz brother.”
“Speak.”
“I heard. You safely escaped, did you? That’s fortunate indeed. Thanks to that, we saved the resources and efforts our army would have spent to negotiate your return. I mean, we couldn’t just let a man of the Brans family die. So, in the end, you did make some contributions, didn’t you? Congratulations.”
Lynn’s sarcastically biting words made Calintz bow his head even deeper as he responded.
“…I am without excuse, my lord. I will accept any punishment.”
“No. What fault could my clever and successful brother Calintz have? It’s all my fault as the monarch, isn’t it? My lack of virtue must have prevented me from stopping such a strange decision from being made, right?”
Unable to say anything in response to Lynn’s scathing remarks, Calintz just kept his head bowed.
“But well, at least you’ve proven one thing for me with this opportunity.”
“What would that be…?”
“That our father was right.”
Lynn said this and let out a snicker.
“When I became the heir, many couldn’t understand it, right? I vividly remember someone committing suicide because they couldn’t accept it. But now you’ve proven that decision was correct. Don’t you think so, brother?”
“…….”
Wow.
Her wording is harsh.
I could see Calintz trembling with his head bowed.
It’s somewhat pitiful to see him getting chewed out by his own younger sister, especially in front of his subordinates, Airen and me.
Such humiliation.
Of course, it was his own doing.
No matter how you look at it, the whole situation was due to Calintz’s unilateral actions.
“Anyway, I’d appreciate it if you could keep a low profile for a while. I would love to give my trustworthy second brother a chance to redeem himself right away, but there are too many eyes watching. You wouldn’t want a monarch who’s overly lenient with their own family, would you?”
With a smirk, she continued.
“Of course, you’re still enjoying the benefits of being a member of the Brans family by having your head attached to your body.”
She then laughed heartily as if amused.
Only her laughter echoed slowly in the empty audience hall.
After a long silence, Calintz finally spoke.
“…I shall obey.”
“Good. Go cool off at home. Maybe hang around brothels like you did when you were younger, or perhaps meditate under a waterfall. I’ll call you back when the time is right.”
“…….”
What?
He was quite the playboy in his youth, it seems.
Well, his personal life was none of my business.
“What are you doing? Not leaving.”
Prompted by Lynn’s icy tone, Calintz bowed deeply again and said,
“…I will keep to myself until I am summoned again, my lord. I apologize once more.”
“Alright, alright. Go on. I’m busy.”
After Calintz left,
Lynn’s gaze turned to Airen.
“…Airen.”
“Yes. Speak, my lord.”
“You’ve had a tough time. It was rough.”
Lynn’s tone was kinder than when she spoke to Calintz, but I knew her words still held a sharp edge.
“But what to do about this? That fortress was erected simply because Calintz stubbornly insisted. We had to destroy it for various reasons. After all the effort, it turned out to be futile. Sorry?”
Although Lynn’s tone seemed to mock openly,
Airen responded boldly.
“Not at all, my lord. It was an honor for Airen Juliet to fulfill your command.”
“Is that so? Then that’s good.”
The original Airen might have swallowed the humiliation at this moment.
But now, she seemed quite at peace.
Naturally. She no longer had any expectations from Lynn Brans.
A person with no expectations cannot be affected by how they’re treated.
“Do well for me again next time, understood?”
“Yes!”
Lynn smiled and gestured towards Airen.
“Alright. You may go.”
As Airen stood up and turned to leave,
Our eyes briefly met.
Her gaze seemed to say, “Good job coming back,” allowing me to relax a bit.
Now, it was my turn.
I bowed my head, waiting for her to speak.
“…Swen.”
“Yes.”
She spoke in a calm tone, devoid of any jest, different from her tone with Calintz and Airen.
“The first thing I want to ask… why didn’t you obey the order to return to Anel Castle?”
She sighed deeply.
“Do you have anything to say?”
I carefully analyzed her voice.
It didn’t seem like she was too angry.
Good.
This is where it begins.
I slowly began to recite the lines I had rehearsed in my head on the way back here.
“I apologize. It was never my intention to disregard Lynn’s orders. I just wanted to show and prove something.”
“Show and prove what?”
“That from the moment the sun of Brans settled in my heart, my only goal was to achieve recognition. I wanted to earn a significant position in Brans’s army by accomplishing something that many would acknowledge. I thought if I could successfully defend the fortress under Calintz’s command, I could seek forgiveness from you.”
“Even by committing insubordination?”
“I apologize. But I only hope you can understand my sincerity.”
“…….”
She said nothing.
Though I couldn’t see her face with my head bowed, there was no change in the air.
After a silence, Lynn finally spoke.
“…I’ve heard. You installed an altar and communicated with the heavens, causing the rock to fall, right?”
“Yes.”
“How did you do it? Are you a magician by any chance?”
“How could that be? I, Swen, merely possess a little skill in reading the movements of the stars in the sky.”
“Reading the movements of the stars?”
“Yes. After studying the principles of the heavens and communicating in the appropriate manner, it’s not too difficult to adjust the location where the rock will fall, even though creating one directly is impossible.”
I planned to sprinkle some MSG on my explanation to Airen if she asked for more details.
Fortunately, she didn’t seem interested in how I figured it out.
I was relieved, but it felt strange.
Normally, after causing such an event, it’s natural to inquire about how it was done, right?
“…….”
Lynn fell silent again, not responding to my explanation.
The silence stretched on until she broke it once more.
“So… did you also figure out that Alephel army was conspiring with Aeshers army to deceive us by reading the stars?”
“…Ah.”
That’s right—I had made that argument during my debate with Parfalle.
Caught up in defending the northern fortress, I had completely forgotten about it.
The rest of the forces must have been sent that way based on my prediction, which was actually based on my knowledge of the game.
It seemed my predictions had been correct.
It would be best to give a plausible answer here.
“I didn’t read the stars for that, but rather read the reasoning behind their actions. ‘Certain actions’ inevitably lead to ‘certain outcomes.'”
I answered vaguely.
No matter what she asked next, I planned to respond just as vaguely, but again, silence followed.
“What’s going on?”
Since a moment ago, I felt like the conversation with Lynn wasn’t progressing normally.
I cautiously lifted my gaze slightly while keeping my head bowed to catch a glimpse of her expression.
Then, I noticed.
Her eyes were… trembling continuously.
Yes.
She was trembling.
As if she had placed an absolute being before her that she couldn’t touch.
It was a truly strange scene.
The one kneeling and bowing was me, and she, as the superior, could command me to do anything.
Yet, I was calmly present, and she was the one trembling.
And she—
Now, without hiding the tremble in her voice, directly addressed me.
“Then what about the truce agreement? How did you know Serphina’s army was going to attack us?”
“That’s—”
I was about to explain, but her words cut me off.
“No. It’s the same this time. How did you know we needed to send forces to the north? And how did you know there would be a rebellion in Alephel army? How do you know all this?!”
“Lord…?”
“Answer me! Now!”
Challenged by her, I slowly lifted my head.
Finally—
I locked eyes with Lynn, who was pale and staring at me.
And then I realized.
Why it felt like the conversation wasn’t going anywhere.
The unhidden, trembling voice.
Her pale face. The lifeless eyes.
All of it led to one conclusion.
She was… afraid of me.
“Ha, well.”
Perhaps because I seemed to have divined too much, she found it more terrifying than wondrous.
It was inevitable. My intelligence is 100. I don’t know why my predictions were accurate, but they just were.
To others, it must seem miraculous. No, terrifying. As if I had received some divine insight.
Thinking about it, Lunarien, who believed and supported me in using my abilities, was the unusual case. A typical monarch might feel awe at my abilities but generally find them very burdensome.
In the midst of troubled times, there was no guarantee that the edge of this ability wouldn’t turn against them.
“Swen… what are you, exactly…?”
Before I could answer, she questioned me again.
This wasn’t a good situation.
Causing fear in Lynn Brans, who is somewhat emotional, was not advantageous.
If she felt fear beyond awe of my abilities, she might decide to ‘deal with’ me.
It seems I’ve been too open with my capabilities.
Though I don’t regret it since it allowed me to save Airen.
“I feel even more that I won’t be able to stay in Brans’s army for long.”
And at that moment.
“Huh?”
Wait.
A brilliant ‘Exit Plan from Brans’s Army’ flashed through my mind.
The situation where she fears me…
Could I use this to my advantage?
My mind started working faster than ever before.
Since I had to leave her side anyway, especially because Airen was in danger.
A condition, of course, would be to escape safely with her.
Maybe it’s time to proceed as if claiming the rightful reward Airen deserved but hadn’t received yet.
It seems it’s time to flex my tongue.
“Lynn. It’s alright.”
“It’s alright…?”
With the kindest smile I could muster
,
And in the most trustworthy tone available to me, I said,
“My skills are entirely yours. There’s no need to be afraid.”
“…!!!”
She stared at me again, shocked.
As if wondering how I could understand her feelings.
It seemed my thoughts were affecting her more than expected.
Now was the time.
I bowed as deeply as I could before her, pressing my head to the ground, and said,
“Please use me as your compass, Lynn. I will gladly comply.”
