A few hours earlier.
Before Carlints and his group had arrived at the royal palace.
"..."
Lyn sat on her throne, rereading Parfalle's letter over and over again.
The contents were summarized as follows:
**[Swen’s predictions have been entirely correct. Charam Army was colluding with Aishus Army from the very beginning, planning to betray us.
We have also received reports of an uprising.
Everything he said was true.
His abilities are extraordinary.
Even if his opinions do not align with mine, they are still worth trusting.]**
Parfalle was not an arrogant person.
But neither was she the type to downplay her own brilliance out of humility.
She was supremely confident in her own intellect and rarely bothered listening to the opinions of others.
She especially hated when someone interfered with her decisions.
And yet—
For the first time, she was telling her ruler:
"Even if his opinions differ from mine, they are worth trusting."
Not someone like Airen, who possessed talent in an entirely different field—
But Swen—someone who competed in the same arena as her.
At this moment—
Lyn’s mind was in absolute turmoil.
An incredible talent had entered her army.
And yet—her heart was not at ease.
How could his words be so unrealistically accurate?
Why was it that, despite having a commander who never failed, she felt not security or reliability—
But fear?
Lyn Brans, at her core, did not trust others.
The only reason she was named successor was because she had learned never to rely on anyone.
Her father, Oland Brans, had chosen her as his heir—not Chel, not Carlints.
And all three siblings knew exactly why.
Because Lyn trusted no one.
Frankly speaking—
Parfalle was smart.
But compared to the top strategists of other nations, she wasn’t exceptional.
That was why Lyn was able to use her without worry.
She believed she could control Parfalle.
She valued her insight, but never trusted her completely.
That was the cornerstone of how Lyn Brans operated her army.
She gathered as many strategists as possible.
Instead of relying absolutely on a single person, she collected multiple perspectives.
This way, she could choose the best course of action herself.
But now—
Swen’s presence was disrupting her entire system.
She had been the one to recruit him.
For a low-ranking strategist, he seemed to have a sharp mind.
She had only expected him to provide occasional insights—nothing more.
Updat𝓮d fr𝙤m ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com.
That was all she had wanted from him.
A few rare moments of brilliant counsel.
But instead—
Swen kept making absurd claims.
Claims that should have been nonsense—
Yet time and time again, they were proven right.
And now—
He had defied her direct orders.
He had remained at the fortress, choosing to fight a battle that should have been impossible to win.
And then—
He called down a boulder from the sky.
Lyn realized it then.
Swen was not someone she could control.
And that terrified her.
A commander who only ever made the right calls.
A subordinate she could not influence.
A man whose words turned to prophecy.
For the first time—the ruler feared her own vassal.
At first, she tried not to show it.
After all—he was her subordinate.
If he ever tried to leave her grasp, she could handle it.
Or so she had thought.
Even when he entered the audience chamber with Carlints and Airen, she was fine.
Even when she sent the others away and began speaking to him alone—
She was fine.
But the longer they talked—
The more she realized...
She would never be able to control him.
Before she even realized it—
Her voice was trembling.
Before she even noticed—
A cold chill had settled into her body.
She was the ruler.
She could order him to be imprisoned immediately.
She could fabricate charges and execute him at will.
And yet—
She was terrified.
Because in front of her knelt a man who spoke of reading the stars.
A man who saw through every hidden movement in the world.
A man whose words were impossible—and yet true.
"Swen... what are you?"
The words escaped her lips before she could stop them.
What are you?
How much do you know?
Do you even know... that I am afraid of you?
She barely even registered that she had spoken.
She was still reeling from the weight of her own words—
And then—
Swen smiled.
A gentle, reassuring smile.
"Lyn, my lord. It is fine."
"...Fine?"
"You have nothing to fear. My abilities exist solely for your sake."
"...!!!"
There it was.
He knew.
He knew she was afraid of him.
And yet—
He remained bowed.
His posture was submissive—as if he were begging for something.
"Use me as your compass, my lord.
I will serve you willingly."
"...?"
His sudden humility caught her off guard.
But she quickly recovered, regaining some of her composure.
"...What exactly do you mean by that?"
"I mean it literally, my lord."
Swen lifted his head, speaking in a calm, measured tone.
"My abilities are insignificant—but thanks to your insight, I was granted a place in Brans Army.
This army is the perfect stage for my ambitions.
But my goal... is not to conquer the world myself.
My dream is to support the one who will."
"The one who will...?"
"Yes."
Swen met her gaze.
His eyes were filled with certainty.
"The one who will rule the world.
You, my lord."
"...!"
"My only desire is recognition.
Give me what I want—and I will give you what you desire."
Swen bowed even deeper.
His forehead pressed to the floor.
"My lord,
Grant me wings to soar."
*
After Swen left—
Lyn remained alone in the audience chamber, letting time slip away as she tried to regain her composure.
When she finally regained enough rationality to think clearly, the first thing she did was reflect on Swen’s words.
"Use me as your compass...?"
Did he mean—he wanted to be the nation's chief strategist?
Even if not that explicitly, he was clearly asking to be valued highly.
He had said it himself—his goal was fame and recognition.
And the one who would rule the world... was none other than her, Lyn Brans.
In short—he was telling her not to fear him, but to use him.
"..."
Honestly—
The moment he said his goal was mere recognition, she had felt... underwhelmed.
With abilities like his—was that all he wanted?
And on top of that, he had outright declared to her face that she was the one destined to rule the world.
Sure, she thought the same—
But hearing it from someone else was... different.
Rather than genuine belief—
It felt like flattery.
And Lyn couldn’t shake that thought from her mind.
"Did I... overestimate him?"
She absentmindedly twirled her hair around her finger.
Swen had definitely noticed that she was afraid of him.
That’s why he said, "You have nothing to fear."
And yet—despite knowing she feared him—he bowed so deeply, swearing to serve her abilities?
His excessive humility only made her more confused.
Thinking back—
She remembered their first meeting.
He had told her, "My lord, Lunarian Iniang, believed I was a traitor colluding with Brans Army."
It was obvious now—Lunarian had feared his abilities, just like she did.
A weak ruler of a small nation could only have so much capacity for trust.
If Swen had been betrayed before, it made sense why he would choose safety over ambition.
"Maybe... I overvalued Swen’s abilities—and in doing so, I overestimated the man himself.
Abilities and boldness didn’t necessarily go hand in hand.
Looking at it logically—his insubordination had a simple reason.
He wanted achievements.
He probably thought aligning with Carlints was a better path to success.
After all—Parfalle and the other elites were already established around Lyn.
As a newcomer, it would be difficult for him to compete unless he created his own opportunity.
And what better way than to defy orders and defend a pointless fortress?
That explained his obsession with proving himself.
And honestly—that was a relief.
Of course, Lyn had no way of knowing that Swen’s true reason for staying behind had nothing to do with achievements.
"...Actually, that makes things even better."
People with clear desires were the easiest to manipulate.
Lyn grinned.
Yes.
She would give him what he wanted—but never fully trust him.
She would use him—squeeze every drop of value from him.
And by making him rely on her...
She would make him indispensable.
"If his goal really is recognition... then I can make sure he gets it."
And once he depended on her for it—then she could control him.
People with clear ambitions were the easiest pawns to move.
"Heh."
Lyn laughed softly.
Yes.
There was no need to be afraid.
She was the absolute ruler here.
*"Swen... go ahead. Prove your abilities to me.
And when you do—
I’ll make sure you can’t live without me."*
She continued twirling her hair, deep in thought.
It would be another thirty minutes before she finally stopped.
* * *
When I exited the palace, Airen was waiting for me.
"Swen."
"You didn’t have to wait. You could’ve gone home first."
"How could I leave you behind? We’re going to the same place."
She gave a small smile, then suddenly—
She lowered her head slightly.
Her face flushed red as she glanced up at me.
"And besides... I wanted to go home with you."
"...I see. I feel the same."
At my words, Airen’s smile brightened.
Recently—I had been seeing her smile more often.
"...I’m glad."
As we walked back together, she asked a few questions.
"Did your talk with the lord go well?"
"It did."
"What did you talk about?"
"Nothing much. I just planted an illusion in her mind."
"...An illusion?"
"Yes."
I smirked.
"I made her believe she could control me."
"...Why would you do that?"
"Because—people are easier to deceive when they think they’re in control."
Airen frowned.
"She’s afraid of you?"
"That’s one thing.
But more importantly—we’re leaving soon."
"...!!"
Airen’s pupils dilated.
"Before we go—we need to take everything we can."
She glanced around—then lowered her voice.
"When you say we’re leaving..."
"Yes.
Airen—start preparing.
Soon, we’ll be following a new ruler."
Yes.
For Airen’s safety—and my own.
We needed to get out of here.
Airen said nothing at first.
Then, a soft smile formed on her lips.
"...Alright.
Swen—wherever you go, I will follow."
"Good."
We exchanged smiles.
The bond between us had never felt stronger.
"Shall we head back?"
"Back... home?"
Airen repeated the word a few times.
Then—she grinned at me.
With the sunlight on her face—she had never looked more radiant.
"Yes.
Let’s go, Swen.
Together.
Back to our home."
The place where our story had begun.
It was time to return to East Arnel, District 32.