"You're planning to wipe out the Aishus Army? All of a sudden?"
"Yes."
I closed my eyes.
Then, after a practiced pause, I slowly arranged my face into my well-rehearsed strategist's expression, one that exuded wisdom and authority.
"After the failure of our maneuvers involving the Aleffel and Charam armies, the situation within Aishus has become unstable. Some of their commanders have started questioning Baranga Yuri Aishus’s leadership. The entire army is in disarray, and Yuri is trying to salvage the situation by setting plans in motion to eliminate the weaker states in the region once and for all."
"Yeah? And how exactly do you know all this?"
"I sent intelligence operatives a while ago."
Of course, everything I just said was a complete lie.
But I could feel it—she was shaken. My history of making ridiculous deductions that somehow always turned out to be true had left a strong impression on her.
"Now is the time. Construct a small fortress as quickly as possible near Valharat Castle and use it as a forward base before advancing. You must build a fortress there. The best location would be right beside the mountain range. Aishus still hasn't finished dealing with Charam and Aleffel—this is our opportunity. As for the troops... the forces we’ve stationed in the eastern region should be sufficient."
"A fortress? Why?"
"Because building a fortress there will ensure that fortune favors our army."
She took my nonsense very seriously. Resting her chin on her hand, she sank into thought.
Forty thousand men.
Not quite enough to take Valharat Castle.
But... at this point, she couldn’t just dismiss my words outright.
That said, I couldn’t completely rule out the possibility that she would disregard my suggestion.
After spending days working under her in the Brans Army, advising her and observing her firsthand, I had learned one thing: Lyn didn’t trust others.
No matter what I said, no matter how true my words had been so far, she wasn’t the type to blindly believe something as vague as "fortune favoring our army."
That was fine.
Because this wasn’t my real demand.
Valharat Castle? Just a decoy. A smokescreen to hide what I actually wanted.
Now, time to toss in some bait.
Something she couldn’t resist biting.
"The vanguard... Yes, I believe General Chel would be the best choice."
"Chel? The one stationed in the south?"
"That's correct. Or, if you prefer, you could grant an opportunity to General Carlints, who's currently serving a disciplinary sentence. The momentum is completely in our favor right now."
"Pulling Chel away would be tricky, and Carlints... I don't trust him at all. Anyone else?"
Now.
I rolled the bait together on my tongue and cast it out.
"Honestly, I doubt it matters who leads the charge... as long as it isn’t General Airen."
***
“...Huh?"
Lyn instantly caught on to the name that had just left my mouth.
As long as it isn’t Airen?
Frowning, she tilted her head.
"Airen? Why her?"
"Ah... that’s..."
At her question, I broke into a slight sweat, pretending to hesitate, as if I had said something I shouldn’t have.
"I'm not sure myself... but I have a bad feeling about this."
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"A bad feeling?"
"Yes. I never mentioned this before, but I frequently attempt to commune with the heavens. To properly prepare for moments when I need to seek divine intervention, like before, I must maintain a constant connection."
Lyn processed this statement without resistance.
She had, after all, seen me sitting in that bizarre cave, meditating with a soldier stationed at the entrance.
Sure, she could have ordered me dragged out, but I wasn't exactly doing anything dangerous.
So inside that cave, he’s supposedly "communing with the heavens" or whatever.
It was absolute nonsense.
But... it was him saying it.
And it was him who had predicted international conflicts with eerie accuracy.
And it was him who had repeatedly spoken nothing but the truth.
At this point, she had no choice but to admit—his abilities were real.
She still didn’t trust him completely, but the way he handled himself—the way he laughed off even the most humiliating insults, almost as if his personal reputation didn’t matter to him at all—was starting to wear down her wariness.
And now, with exaggerated gestures, Swen closed his eyes and lifted his face to the sky.
"This is how... I reach out to the heavens. I ask them—what path should we take? What is the most efficient course of action?"
"...Really?"
Obviously.
This was absolute bullshit.
Except...
He was the same man who had actually called down a meteor from the sky.
He was the same man whose political insights had been spot-on every single time.
His track record turned his insanity into credibility.
"For this operation... of course, I considered General Airen, our siege warfare specialist. But for some reason, she doesn’t align with this mission at all. It’s as if she would be in grave danger. Which is why..."
Slowly, Swen opened his eyes. His voice trembled ever so slightly, like a man gripped by genuine fear.
"...I fear for General Airen’s life."
"...!!!"
"So please... consider appointing someone else. She is one of our army’s cornerstones. We don’t need to send her for victory, but there is no reason to gamble with her life unnecessarily."
"...I see."
Lyn fell into deep thought.
A second invasion of the Aishus Army.
Swen claimed he had sent spies, but she hadn’t personally confirmed the intelligence.
No matter how accurate he had been so far—
If they moved their troops and suffered another setback, their situation would become dire.
After all, Carlints had already wasted the army’s excess forces, leaving only the bare minimum needed to protect their borders.
A forced conscription would only stir resentment among the people.
Under normal circumstances, she would have thought things through more carefully.
But.
"Airen’s life... might be in danger?"
That single condition alone completely changed her thought process.
She had observed Swen for a while now.
Sure, he was desperate for success—so much so that he was willing to endure humiliation with a smile—but that didn’t change the fact that he was good.
His advice had always been correct.
At first, she had chalked it up to some sort of mystical intuition, but recently, even his wildest predictions had come with justifications.
Of course, he was spouting nonsense about "communing with the heavens," but...
He had proven himself.
He had demonstrated that he could influence events in ways beyond comprehension.
Rumors about him being a magician had spread, but she didn’t believe in magic.
And based on the ancient texts she had read, real mages didn’t perform rituals to "commune with the heavens."
Which meant...
Wouldn’t this be the perfect opportunity?
To eliminate Airen... without any risk to herself?
Honestly, Lyn never liked Airen. From the moment they first met, when Airen was introduced as the daughter of a knight, Lyn felt a sense of aversion. There wasn't a special reason—at least none that seemed rational now. Initially, it might have been because Airen seemed superior in every way, but at the end of the day, Lyn was the monarch, and Airen was just a subject.
But to drag Airen off for execution just because she disliked her? While it was feasible to concoct a plausible reason for such an action—it was undoubtedly a high-risk move. If she acted like a tyrant, similar to Serpina, it could complicate many things in the future. Unless she had an overwhelming power like Serpina, the current state of the Brans Army wasn’t as formidable.
Lyn was cunning but not foolish. Dealing with Airen should ideally happen on the battlefield—where her death in combat would look most natural. Honestly, her previous decision to leave forces at the fortress, which she later contemplated might have been a grave mistake, had essentially sent those men to their deaths. Fortunately, Swen had somehow managed to cover it up well.
And now, one of her commanders, known for always being right, was suggesting that Airen's life might be in danger.
Lyn looked around. Parfalle was not present. Only two guards who had been standing watch were privy to her conversation with Swen.
That should be enough. She could dispose of Airen without any rumors starting. Swen, she assessed, was more of a coward than she had initially thought. As long as she gave him what he wanted, she felt confident she could manipulate him.
She thought to herself that this was finally the real opportunity— to rid herself of a "true thorn in her side," albeit in a slightly different sense! Moreover, according to Swen's words, in the chaos of the battle to retake the castle, Airen might even be killed. Of course, she might not die, but with Swen by her side, another opportunity might arise from his 'communications with the heavens.'
Under normal circumstances, she would have thought more cautiously, but in front of such a tantalizing piece of bait, she, like any ordinary human, let her desires cloud her judgment swiftly.
"Alright, Swen. Since it's your suggestion, I'll consider it positively. Of course, the details might change in the end, but that doesn’t matter, right?"
***
I watched Lyn as she was lost in thought.
Think, and think again.
Decide for yourself how you're going to use my strategy.
Please keep thinking. This is your chance to use my advice.
Valharat Castle doesn’t really matter, does it?
Isn’t that what you want?
You want to kill Airen Juliet, don’t you?
You want to eliminate her without any risks, right?
Act like you are granting her a favor. Soon, you'll likely call her, wearing a benevolent smile, commanding her to lead the attack from the small fortress you'll build in front of Valharat Castle, following my advice exactly. Any deviation could twist the fate I've foretold.
In the end, you’ll likely tell her with a smile that you 'expect great deeds' from her. Ultimately, after building the fortress, you’ll hand over full command to her.
You’ll do that, Lyn Brans.
I can see right through you...!!
"Alright, Swen. Since it's your opinion, I'll consider it positively. Of course, the details might change in the end, but that doesn’t matter, right?"
'Done!'
I bowed confidently to her.
"Understood. However, if we delay too much, everything might fall apart, so I hope you will act as quickly as possible."
"Fine. If we really manage to capture Valharat Castle with this... I'll appoint you as our new state strategist."
"!!!"
I made the most surprised face I could muster and then, with a trembling voice, said:
"If you do that, I promise to serve you loyally and assist you, Lady Lyn."
"Alright. But don’t get your hopes up too high. Changing the state strategist isn’t as simple as it seems."
I was aware of that much.
Her words were a way to keep me attached. In her eyes, I was a man so obsessed with advancing my own position that I could easily laugh off any insults.
But.
That's exactly why I was grateful to her.
Thank you, my liege. For staying underhanded to the very end.
For moving exactly as I predicted.
"I’ll take my leave then."
"Alright. You’ve worked hard until now. You can rest until I assign you a new task starting tomorrow."
"I look forward to your call."
I walked slowly out of the castle.
Of course, I had no intention of seeing her again.
This was our last private meeting.
'Maybe I should get ready too.'
I hurried home.