The Test (1)
By the time I had grown accustomed to life in the annex, Serpina paid a rare visit to my room.
"Welcome, my lord."
Serpina did not bother answering. She simply looked at me and said,
"Follow me."
"Right now, you mean?"
"Yes."
She nodded slowly.
Her beautiful appearance, and the deep citrus fragrance that drifted out with every slight movement, nearly made me lose my senses — I had to catch myself again.
"I intend to start moving soon. So I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to put you to the test."
"In that case..."
"I was just about to resume the invasion."
So she meant to throw herself into active conquest already.
"Didn't the battle at Gelstrom Castle leave you short on spare troops? Do you plan to borrow the strength of a mercenary company?"
"I do. And reinforcements will arrive shortly as well."
Ah.
I understood at once and nodded.
This was no ordinary force. This was the Serpina Army, the current strongest power on the continent, the conquerors of the north. Even after stretching their front lines this far, they still had troops left to deploy?
But... was pushing further conquest from here truly the right answer?
The enemy nations already bordering us were the Brans Army and the Asius Army. I hadn't run any predictions yet, but continuing the war from this position did not strike me as a particularly good move.
"What are you doing?"
Serpina, already walking, turned her head back toward me as I stood lost in thought.
"Ah, it's nothing. I'll follow."
I would learn more once we reached the royal castle. I quietly fell in behind her.
The defining feature of the royal castle at Hisphil Castle was that roughly a quarter of it still lay in ruins. It had clearly been reduced to this state during the seizure of Brans territory. Aside from the slight disorder caused by ongoing repairs, the building was at least fulfilling its function as a structure.
Once inside, I surveyed the generals of the Serpina Army stationed at Hisphil Castle. Aside from Irian Al Kaski, whom I met upon arrival, I saw no faces I recognized.
In this game, the sole weakness of the Serpina Army was that it possessed almost no S-Class Generals. Their foundational power was already so overwhelming that if their officers had also been the sort who could overturn a battlefield merely by existing, the balance would have collapsed entirely. I understood that much — yet I still hadn't expected to find myself surrounded by officers who left so little impression that I couldn't even recall their names.
The officers whose names I never bothered to remember were nothing more than warm bodies to fill out the roster.
I had a faint recollection of a man named Yuan who appeared to be the castle lord. I had probably seen him a few times while fighting Serpina during random-ruler campaigns, and that was why he lingered in my memory.
Just then—
"Swen."
A small woman's voice came from behind me.
"Lady Airen."
The moment she saw me, she smiled as if genuinely glad.
"You were summoned by our lord as well?"
"Yes. And you, Lady Airen...?"
She nodded.
"It seems she has battle on her mind."
Both of us had been thinking the same thing. I was just beginning to feel relieved that she didn't seem inclined to recruit us and then leave us hanging like ducks on the Nakdong River when—
From the far side of the hall, the golden-haired absolute monarch approached, her footsteps echoing toward us.
Her bearing as she walked was the very picture of elegance... yet the sound of her steps was not the click of dress shoes, but the heavy tread of military boots. That small difference stood out.
"We greet Your Majesty."
The moment Serpina reached the lord's seat, her vassals bowed their heads as one and offered their respects.
What I found interesting was that they used "Your Majesty" rather than "my lord." Perhaps, because this was Serpina von Aingart and no ordinary warlord, they considered themselves a cut above a mere military clique.
Serpina raised a hand lightly and extended it forward, and the hall fell silent.
"All of you, listen well."
Serpina looked down upon every one of us who still had our heads bowed. Even that small gesture made the gulf that existed between her and the rest of us keenly felt.
"Before We set forth the course We intend to take from this day forward, We wish to hear your opinions. Speak freely of what you believe should be done."
Someone raised his voice in response. A clear, youthful male voice — one I had heard before.
"I have something to say, my lord."
So here he called her "my lord." Then again, from the few days I had spent with Serpina, she struck me as the type who did not fuss overmuch about titles.
"Speak."
The speaker, Irian Al Kaski, clenched a fist against his chest and declared,
"We must attack Gelstrom Castle once more."
"Gelstrom Castle, you say?"
"Yes."
Gelstrom Castle was the place that had already once been forced back by the momentum of Epinel and Emma. That those two were such outstanding generals had been an enormous stroke of fortune for Yuuri. That fortune, of course, was already beginning to fade.
"You propose we attack again a place where we have already failed. We are curious as to your true intent."
Well, if they insisted on continuing offensive operations from here, Gelstrom Castle was the only real option.
"Because if we must continue our invasion from this position, that is the only place left to us."
Oh?
So he had a working head on his shoulders after all. I had assumed an officer I couldn't even remember would be worthless, but perhaps not.
"And your reasoning?"
"If we invade the Brans Army, we have already concluded that leaving them as they are is the more efficient course. Should we take Lacline Castle, the number of adjacent enemy nations would only increase. Facing them one by one while we hold a clear advantage is one thing — but if we keep stretching the front until they form a coalition against us, we risk finding ourselves at a disadvantage. Therefore, if we are to take something, it should be Gelstrom Castle."
His thinking matched mine exactly.
If we could obtain it without shedding a single drop of blood — whether by handing over Anima or by any other means — then aiming for Lacline Castle rather than Gelstrom would have been correct. But when we were the ones who had to fight for it, the conclusion inevitably shifted.
If we could simply absorb a territory for free, without destroying its walls or alienating its people, we could make it work somehow. But if we were going to conduct an actual occupation campaign, then the right move was to leave the Brans Army untouched and invade Gelstrom Castle.
"Then do you believe you can win?"
Yes. That was the real problem. Coldly assessed, we simply did not have the strength to break Gelstrom Castle.
If we scraped together every last soldier and threw them at it, it might be possible. But if we made a move of that scale, would the Brans Army simply sit and watch? Lin Brans was emotional, but she was no fool.
Even if we brought in mercenary companies, without establishing absolute superiority we would clearly lose again.
At this point I closed my mouth, wondering what scheme he could possibly have prepared.
But the words that came out of his mouth were disappointing beyond measure.
"If it is I, my lord — it is possible."
Irian spoke in a voice burning with fighting spirit.
"I have lived until this day solely to earn merit. I know the request is somewhat excessive, but give me sufficient troops. I will retake the castle without fail and claim the glory."
I had seen his type before. Kalintz had been exactly like that. The difference was that Kalintz had overestimated his own ability, whereas Irian — perhaps because he was still young — simply seemed to have gotten carried away by his own momentum.
A rather arrogant thought coming from someone who's still young himself, I reflected.
Just then, Serpina spoke in a cold tone.
"Irian Al Kaski. What will you do if you are defeated? You know full well that if we lose this battle as well, far from expanding the front, we may be forced to contract it."
"Yes. But it will be fine."
"You claim you have a method that guarantees victory?"
"I will prove without fail that the soldiers of Aingart do not know defeat."
Irian spoke with tremendous zeal — but the answer that came back was ice-cold.
"We did not ask you for pleasant words."
"...My apologies."
"We ask again. Precisely what is this method that guarantees victory?"
"..."
When Irian failed to answer, Serpina changed the question.
"Then We shall put it this way. If you are defeated, how will you take responsibility?"
"In that case..."
Irian hesitated for a moment, then answered stoutly once more.
"You may take my head."
"Is that so?"
Serpina's lips curved slightly upward.
For some reason, I understood. That smile was not one of satisfaction at his loyalty. It was something else entirely — a smile laced with cold scorn.
"And what, exactly, do We gain by taking your head?"
"Th-that is..."
"Killing a man who has failed might serve as a personal outlet for frustration, We suppose. There is also the fine pretext of reward and punishment. But what do We actually obtain from it? We can easily name what We would lose, yet We see nothing We would gain. Surely you do not mean to claim that the act of severing that neck is worth more than one or two territories. Will you not answer Us?"
"..."
At those words, the entire assembly sank into silence.
The truth was that Luna was the unusual one. Anyone who thought about it for even a moment would realize Serpina was right. A life was an extremely precious thing, of course — but if one wanted that value to be treated with reverence, one should not have been born into an age of chaos.
"We shall hear the opinions of others as well. Speak freely."
After that, several more opinions were offered. There was even a suggestion that they should catch the Brans Army off guard and attack them instead... but as the earlier conclusion had already made clear, it was not an opinion that needed to be taken seriously.
Even so, Serpina listened carefully to every view, and just as she had with Irian, she responded by questioning their logic. The fact that she did not dismiss even the advice that was obviously worthless at a glance allowed me to grasp the true intent behind her claim that she wished to test me.
Now that you've entered my service, go ahead and run wild as you please — is that it?
In that case, perhaps I should share my own thoughts. This was not a matter of receiving a question and making a prediction, but something closer to "if it were me, I would have done it this way" would be enough.
"Well then. Are there any other opinions?"
Around that point, I slowly opened my mouth.
"My lord."
"Yes."
She looked in my direction. Because I was a new face, I could feel the subtle gazes of those around me, but I paid them no mind. What mattered to me was not the others, but Serpina's gaze alone.
Those cold eyes did not grant me any special treatment simply because I was who I was. If I wanted to breathe life into those eyes, I would have to prove my ability by any means necessary.
"May I offer my thoughts?"
"You ask the obvious. Speak as much as you wish."
If I were Serpina, I would simply...
"I believe our advance into the central continent should end here for now."
"Meaning?"
I nodded and continued.
"Return to Aingart Castle and devote yourself to internal affairs."