Finding Jinor Nighhardt wasn’t particularly difficult.
He was standing on the fortress walls, surveying the surroundings, occasionally letting out a sigh.
"Jinor Nighhardt."
"Hmm? Swen, is that you? What brings you here?"
I stood beside him and casually started the conversation.
"Are you really planning to let this battle be decided by a direct confrontation?"
"...What do you mean?"
"If my words seem presumptuous, I apologize. I just want to ask if you truly believe that following Epinnel’s suggestion is the right decision."
"...Hah."
Jinor let out a long sigh and then spoke.
"There is some merit in General Epinnel's words. If we lose this fortress, we’ll just be stuck in place. Perhaps, fighting head-on might be the answer, but..."
"I disagree. I have a different opinion."
"...What are you trying to say?"
I spoke in a serious tone.
"Jinor Nighhardt, it's quite simple. If you were the strategist of Brans’ army, would you march your troops here?"
"I do think 50,000 men is insufficient. But this is not a castle, it’s a fortress. If we’re talking about an advance force, there’s no reason not to invade. If it were me, I’d bring 20,000 to 30,000 more soldiers... but even an invasion itself wouldn’t be entirely out of the question."
"Are you saying that even though I’m here?"
"...?"
He looked at me, not immediately understanding, and then stared into my eyes.
Then, as realization dawned, he slowly nodded.
"...You, don’t tell me..."
"If I were Brans’ strategist, no matter how many soldiers they had, I wouldn't attempt a direct confrontation with the forces here. Especially since there's a good chance that 'Swen' is with us."
He nodded thoughtfully, then started stroking his chin. After a brief moment, as if something clicked, he looked at me and said.
"...But, didn’t you say you couldn’t freely use 'magic'? Surely they know that too. Especially since you were with them before."
Jinor had heard the most about my abilities from Aishus' army. I had been truthful about not being able to use my powers freely, and I had confessed this after learning that I couldn’t control them as I pleased.
But.
I had never revealed all of my cards to anyone.
"It’s not magic, but... there’s something I haven’t told you."
"Something you haven’t told me?"
"When I explained before, I said that I couldn't control anything, and that my only limit was reading the flow of the heavens... but, honestly, that’s not entirely true."
If Aishus’ army falls here,
If we lose Valharat Castle,
I’ll be dead.
It’s not just my life that’s at risk—Airen too would certainly not escape without harm.
So here, once again, I had to gamble with my life and, shamelessly, tell a lie.
"By engaging in a deeper 'communication'... I can intervene in the flow of the heavens."
'...!!!'
Jinor’s eyes widened in shock, and he stared at me for a while,
before finally, with a heavy breath, he spoke.
"Why... have you been hiding this?"
"It’s simple. The price is my life."
"My life, you say?"
"In order to manipulate the will of the heavens, I need to channel an enormous amount of mana—mana so overwhelming that it places a massive burden on my body. That's why I couldn’t reveal this ability carelessly."
"Hmm..."
Jinor furrowed his brow as he thought for a moment, then, with caution, he asked.
"Why are you telling me this now? If your life is at stake, shouldn’t you keep it to yourself?"
"Well, if I stay silent, my life will be lost anyway."
"...What do you mean by that?"
I looked around and then locked eyes with him.
With a tone as if revealing forbidden knowledge, I spoke softly.
"It’s a surprise attack, Jinor Nighhardt."
"!!!"
"The goal of Brans’ army isn’t this fortress. The soldiers are bait. The real target... is Valharat Castle, which is currently exposed due to the forces fighting Aleffel. If Valharat falls, our entire army will become prisoners of Brans. And then, I’ll definitely be killed."
"...What’s your evidence?"
"I’ll repeat it. If I were Brans’ strategist, knowing that I’m here, I wouldn’t send an army to confront this fortress. Especially considering there are people in Brans' army who have actually seen the situation here. Jinor Nighhardt, do you know who Brans’ strategist is?"
"It’s certainly Parfalle."
"Then this will be easy. Do you think Parfalle, knowing this, would lead an attack without knowing what I, a mere subordinate, can already deduce?"
"..."
He hesitated for a moment before shaking his head and saying,
"No, she wouldn’t. I’ve seen her. She’s very sharp."
"You must have some history with her?"
"She was once my pupil."
Oh? This was new information to me.
Jinor, being a man of wisdom, clearly had a history that was anything but light.
At this point, I decided to scratch where it itched.
"Of course, no matter how correct a strategist’s advice may be, if the commander ignores it, it means nothing."
Jinor’s eyebrows twitched at this.
I could have said more, but I decided to stop here for now.
"The current commander of Brans’ army is Chel Brans. He may be somewhat arrogant and impulsive in battle, but he’s not foolish enough to ignore the strategist’s advice. The title of 'First Sword' he carries and his fame speak for themselves."
"And, until recently, I was part of Brans' army. Parfalle is highly trusted within Brans’ ranks. Even the lord, Lyn, treats her with special regard. In an army where the lord’s influence is paramount, her opinions are almost as powerful as Lyn Brans' own. I can’t believe Chel would disregard that."
"..."
I continued to lay out the best possible arguments, explaining why Brans’ army had sent exactly 50,000 soldiers and why, aside from the surprise attack, they wouldn’t have any time left.
Jinor didn’t respond immediately, but I could tell he was listening intently.
"What we must do now is take advantage of their plan to use the 50,000-man advance force and turn it into an opportunity. This is the only way for our army to survive."
"...Hmm."
Jinor stood lost in thought for a long while, staring blankly at the horizon, before turning toward me.
"So, by telling me this..."
"Yes. I believe the only person who can convince Epinnel is you, Jinor."
Well, I, as a new officer, wouldn’t be able to convince her no matter how hard I tried.
Ultimately, the only person with any chance of convincing her was Jinor, the national strategist.
...Or so I thought, but then Jinor said something unexpected.
"...Is that so? It seems you've figured out the situation I’m in, despite being so new here."
‘?’
He said something very meaningful, but honestly, I didn’t quite understand what he meant.
However, for some reason, my gut was screaming at me.
This could be the turning point.
I nodded and, trying to stay calm, spoke in as nonchalant a tone as possible.
"You're right."
"I see."
Good.
There was a slight delay in my response, but it seemed like it had gone well.
I didn’t know what kind of situation Jinor was in, but from my perspective, I had no choice but to use him.
‘For someone like me, who can only make predictions, I have to make use of whatever comes my way.’
"Alright. I’ll try convincing her again."
"I’ll help as well."
"However, I have one request."
"Huh? A request?"
"What is it?"
"If things go well, I’d like you to do me one favor."
"A favor? This is a bit sudden."
"I promise, it’s not something that would be burdensome or difficult for you."
A request that wouldn’t be a burden on me?
There was nothing particularly concerning, but... honestly, I didn’t have a choice.
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Still, it’s good to be cautious and have a backup.
"If it’s a request I absolutely cannot fulfill, then I won’t be able to do it. But if it’s something I can manage, I’ll comply."
"Do as you wish. It’s not the kind of request that would burden you."
"Then, I suppose there’s no reason to refuse."
With that, our conversation ended.
Jinor and I immediately headed toward where Epinnel was.
She was moving swiftly, training soldiers.
As we approached, she noticed us and tilted her head, asking,
"Strategist? And Swen, you’re here too. What’s going on?"
"General Epinnel. I’d like to have another conversation with you."
"A conversation, you say?"
"Yes."
After that, Jinor conveyed the story he’d heard from me to Epinnel, explaining that the 50,000-strong force could be a trap, and that their real objective was Valharat Castle, where a surprise attack was likely to happen, and thus we needed to withdraw the troops.
He even included my concern about shortening my lifespan, which I had kept hidden.
True to his sharp intellect, Jinor explained everything clearly, making it easy to understand.
"Is that so? A surprise attack... hmm."
Epinnel fell into thought for a moment before looking at us.
"If we withdraw the troops and there’s no surprise attack, this fortress will likely be taken by 50,000 soldiers... in that case."
"As I said, I’ll put my life on the line and open the path of the heavens."
"Hmm..."
Epinnel spent a while contemplating, then looked me straight in the eyes.
"Swen, I don’t want to put you in harm’s way to the point of risking your life."
"...What?"
"Why are you so surprised? It means exactly what I said. I don’t want to burden you if I can help it."
"But, if we don’t act, everyone will be in danger."
"I understand what you’re saying. I’ll send scouts. If Brans’ army plans to split their forces, the scouts will confirm that. We’ll decide what to do when the time comes."
‘We shouldn’t waste time...’
Since this was a prediction made with my 100 Intelligence, I knew my guess would be correct. There was no need to proceed so cautiously.
Delaying and missing the timing could lead to a disaster.
Of course, Epinnel wouldn’t know my concerns, but... I couldn’t shake the feeling that this caution would be our downfall.
"I... well."
I thought about whether I should say that if I was wrong, they could take my life, but I knew better.
My previous "insistence" worked only because Luna was the lord, and now, it wouldn’t have the same effect.
"Anyway, we can’t withdraw the troops right now, so let’s leave it as it is. I’ve already sent word to Emma, who’s leading the forces to conquer Aleffel. If necessary, her army can defend Valharat Castle. Our Aishus army has always managed to overcome such dire situations."
"But there’s no guarantee Emma’s army will return to Valharat in time—"
"I trust Emma’s judgment. Swen, you may not know this, but she’s a great warrior who makes the impossible possible. I, Epinnel, vouch for her. You might want to see for yourself."
Epinnel patted her chest proudly.
Was this her pride, the result of working with her long-time comrades?
Pride is fine, but... I started to wonder if blindly trusting her comrades as the highest priority was the right path.
"Strategist, please don’t worry too much and prepare for battle."
‘Hah.’
I still didn’t understand why Epinnel was so fixated on this fortress...
In the end, even with Jinor with me, I couldn’t convince her.
I thought that maybe this wouldn’t work out once Jinor’s first suggestion, to withdraw all soldiers to Valharat Castle, was cut off, but... it had really come to this.
‘Maybe I should just secretly escape with Airen?’
To be honest, whether Aishus’ army fails or not wasn’t my concern.
If we ran, rumors about us would spread, but we were already branded as traitors.
Ensuring our own lives wouldn’t be a bad option.
Just as I was thinking that, Jinor spoke in a serious tone.
"General. Please withdraw the troops and prepare for the surprise attack. If we do this, I’ll step down from my position as the national strategist if, as you say, there’s no surprise attack and we lose this fortress."
"...!!!"
At that moment, Epinnel, who had been so hard to convince, looked up in surprise and stared at Jinor.
‘Step down from the position of national strategist?'
Is that the condition that would convince Epinnel?
I briefly wondered, but before I could think further, Jinor continued casually.
And only after hearing the next part, I began to understand what Jinor meant by "his situation."
"And I’ll pass this position on to Anima, the former national strategist."