Since that day, I had officially taken on the role of advising Lin.
There were no particular commands assigned to me—I would simply provide counsel whenever she summoned me to the royal castle.
Since Parfalé, the national strategist, was still occupied managing the situation in the east, calling me instead was a logical decision on Lin’s part.
As for me, I simply followed what my 100 Intelligence dictated, giving her the best advice I could.
For now, I needed her to trust me—at least to some extent.
"Sven, I have three idle personnel. What should I have them do?"
"There are likely still a few hidden talents around Arnel Castle and this territory. Conduct a search, and you may find something valuable."
The results of the search?
A B-rank general who had yet to make a name for himself and a treasure worth 2,000 gold were discovered.
"I’m thinking of cleaning up the western region soon. I plan to invade Garammil’s forces. What do you think?"
"It’s not time yet. It would be better to strengthen the defensive lines on the border and gather more troops first."
"...Really?"
A few days later, I heard the news— Brans forces had mobilized 30,000 troops westward to attack Garammil's forces near Zeilant Castle... and lost.
An unexpected outbreak of disease had ravaged their ranks, completely crushing their morale.
On top of that, they failed to breach the fortress walls of Garammil, whose soldiers were desperately holding out for their lives.
Clearly, Lin had ignored my advice and attacked anyway.
But that was fine.
This outcome was actually convenient for me.
The more my words proved accurate in hindsight, the more she would start to trust them instinctively.
"...Sven. It looks like you were right again."
"I merely suggested reinforcing our defensive lines. There’s no need to overestimate me. This was simply a case of bad luck leading to defeat."
"Then I suppose we should hold our ground for now? Our troops’ morale is already low, and pulling additional forces from the border seems unwise."
"No, not at all. You should reorganize and attack immediately. This time, you will succeed."
"...."
And then, just a few days later—
Brans forces broke through the fortress walls and captured Hoero Castle, wiping Garammil’s army from history altogether.
"...We won. Just like you said."
Seeing Lin’s subtle unease despite the victorious news, I continued my act.
"The soldiers of Garammil’s forces never truly believed they had won last time. From their perspective, Brans’ defeat was merely due to the unexpected outbreak of disease. So even though they repelled us once, their morale wouldn’t have soared."
"And then, just as they started to believe things had settled down... Brans' forces returned in full strength. At that point, their morale must have crumbled. No matter how many times they fought, the future remained bleak for them—it was an inevitable realization."
I bowed slightly as I concluded my explanation.
"It wasn’t that my words dictated this outcome. You simply struck at the perfect moment when the enemy’s morale was at its lowest. All of this was possible thanks to your decisive leadership, Lin."
Of course, all that talk about morale was just meaningless embellishment.
The only thing I truly knew was that the first invasion would fail, and the second would succeed.
And yet, my predictions had been right again.
That alone was more than enough to leave an impact on her mind.
During my free time, I deliberately ventured into a cave outside the territory to "meditate."
I left two guards stationed at the entrance, ensuring that no one would disturb me.
The goal? To craft a very specific image: "Sven has a secluded place where he meditates alone, without disturbance."
For several days, I continued supporting Lin in this manner.
Then, one day, she asked me—
"Sven. You've worked hard these past few days. Parfalé will return soon, so after tomorrow, you won’t need to visit every day anymore. But before that—do you want anything? You’ve done a lot for me recently, so I want to reward you with something."
"I’ve already told you, haven’t I? I simply wish to make a name for myself. Please continue making full use of me."
"Really? That’s all?"
"Yes."
She was silent for a moment.
Then, she flashed that trademark mischievous smile of hers.
"Even so, I still want to give you something. Just go outside the castle gates—I’ve prepared something I think you’ll like. Consider it my token of appreciation. But listen carefully—you must take it home and view it alone. And then... you’ll tell me your thoughts. I want to know how you feel about it. Got it?"
A token of appreciation?
Something I had to take home and look at alone?
Something about this felt off.
But since I still had to maintain my loyal and devoted persona, I responded accordingly.
"Thank you for your generosity. I will make sure to cherish it and never forget this kindness."
"Good. Hehe."
And so, I left the royal castle.
Waiting for me outside was...
A woman.
"U-Um... Are you Sir Sven?"
She was stunningly beautiful.
Golden-haired, curvaceous, dressed in alluring attire—
Clearly not a soldier or a general of Brans' forces.
No, judging by her makeup and outfit...
"She’s from a brothel."
And at that moment, Lin’s intent became crystal clear.
She was trying to "tame" me.
A ruler "rewarding" her subordinate by offering him a woman from a brothel?
Telling me, "You’ll like this," and instructing me to "take her home and give her your thoughts"?
This wasn’t a gift—it was a test.
A humiliation.
A power play.
She wanted to see how far my loyalty would go.
A message, clear as day:
"Even after this, will you still kneel before me?"
Testing how much I would submit to her, before she deemed my talents worthy of trust.
"Hah. Wow."
If I had truly been a loyal retainer, this would have been outrageous.
Infuriating.
But I wasn’t.
I was already planning to betray her.
I was the furthest thing from a loyal subject.
So, this?
This was nothing.
All I had to do was play along.
To show her that even if she insulted me like this, I would still endure it for the sake of my ambitions.
Time to act.
I flashed a gracious smile at the woman.
"I was just about to return home. Would you care to accompany me?"
"Huh? Oh...!"
Her face turned red at my words.
Then, after a brief hesitation—
"O-Okay...!"
Hah.
A sovereign ruler, stooping so low as to pull petty power moves like this against her own retainers?
Lin’s obsessiveness was exhausting.
But in the end, that very obsession would blind her.
And that...
Would be her downfall.
And so, I led the woman to my home.
And naturally—
The moment we stepped inside, I was met with an utterly dumbfounded look.
"S-Sven...?! Who is this...??"
"Just think of her as a temporary guest. Ah, could you perhaps serve some tea?"
"Well, that’s not difficult, but..."
"I’ll explain everything to you."
Hearing my words, Iren kept glancing between me and the woman, her expression full of confusion.
After a brief moment, she finally nodded, regaining her composure.
"Hmm. Alright. Um... It’s a bit humble, but please make yourself comfortable."
"Uh? Ah, yes...!"
I sat down at the table with the young woman, taking a reasonable seat.
At that moment, she leaned closer to me and whispered in a hushed voice.
"Um... Sir Swen."
"Yes?"
"Well... I was told... to make sure you experience a man’s pleasure... but... am I supposed to do it in front of that woman? If that’s what you want, I can do it, but... even for me, this is a first..."
"......."
I let out a short sigh and spoke.
"Miss, may I ask for your name?"
"Huh? Oh... my name is Lina."
"Miss Lina. I don’t know what exactly my lord told you, but what I need you to do is not that."
"Then...?"
"Just have some tea, spend a bit of time here, and then leave the house."
"Uh...? Sir Swen, do you have... some kind of peculiar taste? Well, I’ve heard that men’s tastes can be quite varied, but..."
"It’s not that... ha..."
"Hmm? Taste? Swen, did you perhaps do some work on the fortress walls today?"
At some point, Iren had finished brewing the tea and approached, placing a tray with three teacups and a teapot on the table.
I took a sip of tea and gave her a brief explanation of the situation.
"Th-That... more than that... the taste, no, I mean... oh..."
Iren’s face turned as red as a beet, her hands trembling as she took a sip of tea.
And then, soon enough, she began coughing, something quite unusual for her.
"Are you alright, Lady Iren?"
"No, I mean... hmm..."
"Umm... so then, nothing’s going to happen today?"
At Lina’s words, I nodded.
"That’s right. However... after spending some time here, when you leave, I would greatly appreciate it if you acted as if... something had happened between us."
The only reason I hadn’t just sent her away immediately and instead brought her into my home was a simple one.
If it were Rin Brans, I had a strong suspicion she would have had me followed.
Of course, my instincts weren’t particularly sharp. I hadn’t felt any presence following me or any prying eyes.
Still, acting this way seemed like the safest course. If she found out I had simply sent Lina away, she might overestimate my loyalty.
I needed to make it seem like I was utterly obedient to her.
For a perfect exit, this was a necessary step.
"Well, that’s not difficult, but... that’s a bit disappointing."
"...Excuse me?"
Hearing something unexpected, I turned my head.
Lina was looking at me, her face slightly flushed.
"To be honest, when I first received this request... I thought I’d have to deal with another old man again. But when I saw you, Sir Swen... someone handsome and dashing like you... well, I started looking forward to it a little...♡"
"Guh! Cough! Cough! Kehh!!"
Iren choked on her tea once again, coughing violently.
I patted her back a few times before turning to Lina with a question.
"...Does she often make these kinds of requests to you?"
"Yes. In fact, I have a bit of a history with Lady Rin Brans."
"A history?"
"Sir Carlints is one of my regulars."
...Ah.
That bastard Carlints really got around.
"Did you know? Sir Carlints has a solid build, but... as a man, he’s not that impressive. Three minutes, and it’s over."
"......."
That was truly information I never wanted to know.
Iren continued coughing in the background.
"Anyway, I hope you’ll go along with this. Make it seem like we did something. Oh, and take this—it’s not much, but keep it."
I handed her half of the salary I had saved from my work in Brans’ army.
I had no real use for gold at this point, but for her, it seemed like a fortune, judging by how her face lit up.
"Oh my, why are you giving me something like this?"
She happily tucked the money away and nodded.
"Alright, I understand. But honestly, I have a bit of a weakness for requests from handsome men, so don’t worry about it!"
"Flattery won’t get you anything, but I appreciate it."
I spent some idle time making small talk with Lina.
Then, after enough time had passed, she left the house.
Only then did Iren, who had been holding back, finally speak in a serious tone.
"That woman, Lina... was she sent by our lord to test you?"
"That’s right. It seems like she was trying to see how far I’d go. Something like, ‘Even after all this, will you still kneel to me?’"
"I see..."
Iren lowered her head, a bitter smile on her lips.
Of course, she would understand this situation better than anyone.
After all, she was the one who had suffered through these kinds of insidious trials at Rin’s hands the most.
"...Because of me, I fear you’ve ended up earning her resentment as well."
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"What does it matter? I don’t care if Rin Brans hates me. If it were you hating me, that would be a different story."
"...H-Huh...?"
"If you ever hated me, I think that would really make me sad."
At my words, Iren’s face flushed red once more as she lowered her head.
Then, with a voice so small it was barely audible, she squeezed out a response.
"I... I could never hate you, Swen..."
"I feel the same way."
"......Yeah."
She hesitated for a long while, staring into her empty teacup. Then, finally, she looked up at me and cautiously asked,
"Th-There's something I'd like to ask you."
"What is it?"
"Th-That... ab-about the... wall... How does it work...?"
"......What?"
I responded, wondering if I had misheard her.
"I didn’t do any wall repairs today, though."
"Th-That’s not what I mean! I mean... that... what Miss Rina was talking about earlier... Th-That kind of thing..."
"Are you curious about that?"
"N-No, it’s not that I’m curious...! I-I just... Th-The topic came up, and... y-you never answered, so... I heard that men all have different kinds of ‘walls’... No, that’s not what I meant...!"
At this point, her face had turned bright red—beyond just embarrassment, she looked like she might literally explode at any moment.
If she was going to get this flustered, why did she even ask in the first place?
She looked incredibly adorable.
And for some reason, I had the sudden urge to tease her.
"Walls, huh...? I don’t know if this counts as a 'wall,' but I like women with large breasts."
"Ah? Ah...... U-Um...! B-Boobs, huh. Well, I mean, y-yeah, I’ve heard that men... l-like... boobs, so...!"
Why did she suddenly look so pleased with herself?
"Also, I tend to like women with red hair."
"R-Red hair?! Hm, hm... Hmm...!"
"And I especially like women who are skilled with a sword. I have a bit of a knight fetish."
"A knight fetish...?"
Hearing that, Irene’s expression shifted as if something seemed off. She looked at me curiously.
I smiled at her and continued,
"I like women who train diligently every day. Ah! And I also get really excited when I see women who are good at brewing tea."
"......Swen...!!"
Irene puffed out her cheeks, clearly annoyed.
"I-I was asking seriously...! W-Why are you joking around...?!"
"I was answering seriously, though."
"......Huh?"
And once again, her face turned red, her mouth slightly open as if she had broken down.
"I really do like busty, red-haired knights. That was a genuine answer. I was being completely honest, so it hurts that you think I was joking."
"S-So... that’s really what you meant?"
She fidgeted awkwardly, unsure of what to do.
"S-Sorry... I-I thought you were just messing with me... I-It’s just that, everything you listed... s-sounded exactly like me... Ah... I-If that’s the case, then... th-that means... um... th-that..."
I laughed.
I laughed so much that, for a moment, I completely forgot about the nonsense that Lyn had tried to pull on me earlier.
"I'm sorry. I was just teasing you."
"...S-So, it really was a—"
"But regardless of all that, I like you, Irene."
"Wha—!!"
Her face flushed once again, turning an even deeper shade of red.
Irene had far more expressions than I had ever imagined.
It almost felt surreal that this was the same woman who had been stuck in a constant state of dejection, rejected by everyone in the Brans army.
I wanted to see more of her expressions.
That thought crossed my mind naturally.
"Stay with me from now on. Always. Okay?"
"......."
She said nothing.
Instead, she simply gazed into my eyes for a long time.
In her deep violet irises, I could see my own reflection.
"......Yeah... Swen. I will."
The bond between us was stronger than anything.
There was no room for Lyn Brans to come between us.
***
The next day.
When I arrived at the royal palace, Lyn greeted me with a smirk.
"So, Swen? How was the ‘gift’ I gave you?"
With an unwavering smile, I responded,
"Thank you for your consideration. Thanks to you, I was able to take some time to recharge. I won’t forget this favor."
"What?"
She blinked in confusion, then burst into laughter.
"Pfft, you won’t forget it? Swen, you really are a man after all! I get it, I get it! My older brother was the same way!"
I simply smiled in return.
She must have been quite pleased by my response—thinking that I was some pathetic fool who, despite my talents, was nothing more than a bootlicker desperate for her approval.
Good.
I could feel it now—It was finally time to set the stage.
"My lord, since today is the last day, there is something I would like to say."
"Hm? What is it?"
"Since I have received a reward from you, I would like to present you with a gift as well."
"A gift? Just so you know, my taste is... guys like you. Soft, pretty boys. Keep that in mind."
"This gift is far better than something so trivial."
I grinned.
And then, I said something that she could never have predicted.
"Valharat Castle."
"......!"
I met her eyes, my gaze sharp and piercing as if I could see through everything.
"It is time to clean up the nuisance that is the Aishas army."