The Balance Breaks (1)
Anel Castle, capital of the Brans Army.
"My lord, I am truly glad to see you again. Have you been well?"
A woman with purple hair knelt before Lin, who sat upon the throne, and offered her formal respects.
It was Parfalle, the State Tactician — only recently released from confinement.
In the days since her confrontation with Chel, the hours had passed in a strange, unbroken calm, as if the war everyone expected had simply forgotten to arrive.
Of course, "calm" meant only that no battles were being fought.
At the front lines, held by the barest minimum of troops after every key general and every meaningful force had been stripped away, morale had long since collapsed. And with it, the standing of their idle sovereign, Lin Brans, had plummeted straight into the dirt.
Only the mediation of Chel and Kalintz — who still commanded a measure of respect among the officers — kept the army from coming apart entirely. Lin herself was a shadow of the woman who had once ruled with overwhelming charisma, bending the nation to her will.
She had been revered because she delivered results.
She had consolidated the central continent and swept aside every minor power in the west-central region. The Brans Army had been the only force capable of threatening Serpina. The northern invasion that had once been pure fantasy had seemed, with just one more push, on the verge of becoming reality.
Under those circumstances, her generals had naturally worshipped her. Even when her orders were high-handed or incomprehensible, her authority never wavered. She was the woman who had made them this powerful — the de facto hegemon of the central continent.
Even when Aesus was the only nation left standing in the center, her officers had assumed they would crush it in short order.
But then… for reasons no one could fully explain, after a single officer betrayed them and left the country—
The nation began to shake apart.
Far from finishing off the Aesus Army, they had ultimately surrendered roughly a quarter of the central continent to Serpina. And ever since, with no real solution in sight, they had simply let the days slip away. That her authority as sovereign had fallen to the ground was, by then, inevitable.
Lin knew it now. She knew it well.
Which was why she had finally been forced to release the woman she had imprisoned for the grave crime of defying her command.
"Parfalle. You look unwell. …Is that my fault?"
"No, my lord. Compared to the sin I committed, the treatment I received was more than generous. Allow me to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for your consideration."
"…"
A State Tactician who rejected her sovereign's orders and issued commands of her own. Even for someone of her rank, it bordered on treason. No one had faulted Lin for locking her away.
But Lin herself did not deny the truth.
That it had not been her who was right — but Parfalle.
"What am I supposed to do now…? I've thought and thought about it alone, but I still don't know…"
"My lord. It is not over yet. The Brans Army can rise again. Do we not still hold the west-central territories?"
The castles west of Anel.
It had been some time since the countless minor powers that once crowded that region had been cleanly consolidated into one. There were unremarkable holdings like Jeiland Castle, yes — but there were also vital strongholds like Estate Castle, with its fertile land and dense population.
"Compared to a short while ago, I believe those provinces have stabilized sufficiently. If we replenish our forces to the fullest and station them along the central border, there is a strong chance we can hold our current territories."
"We can hold them? But… you said it yourself, didn't you? That abandoning the border was the right call?"
"That was true at the time. But time has passed, and the situation has changed. The Serpina Army no longer shows any sign of pushing south, and the Aesus Army has made no particular movements either. Even now, we are late. We must reinforce our troops at once!"
"…"
Lin stared at Parfalle with empty eyes — then slowly lowered her head.
"Would that man have said the same thing as you?"
"…Pardon? That man…?"
"Swen. …Is there anyone else?"
The more she thought about it, the more bitterly she regretted letting him go.
Looking back, every word he had spoken had been correct.
If she had simply accepted his counsel without second-guessing the circumstances — she would not have lost castles in the center. She could have planted sky-blue banners across the north.
If she had sent more troops north?
If, instead of attaching Airen to him, she had sent a general she could truly trust?
No… even short of that.
If, simply to keep him, she had not driven Airen away.
Yes.
It was a thought she had never once entertained before.
For the first time in her life, Lin regretted how coldly she had treated Airen.
"If I had just… if I had just acknowledged her… Airen…"
Before she knew it, tears were streaming from her eyes again.
She could not forget it. That moment when everything had seemed within her grasp — only to collapse like a sandcastle.
Her standing as a sovereign, the eastern territories of the central continent, the hope that she might become the unifier of the realm — all of it had been swept away as if by a wave.
Because Airen had let go of her hand.
After that hand, which had seemed ready to reach for her again and again, disappeared — everything was gone.
She could no longer deny reality.
Losing Airen had been a catastrophic blow.
If only she had not sent Swen to Airen's chambers.
If only, when Airen had said she would trust her, she had not put her through yet another trial.
"I… I… If I had done that… Swen would still have been at my side. He would have given me those astonishing insights from right beside me. He would have kept working miracles. He told me… he told me I didn't have to be afraid. He said he would place the world in my hands… I thought we could share the same dream."
"My lord…"
"You know, Parfalle. I was afraid of Swen. So I wanted to crush him somehow. I thought that would bring him into my hand. …But I was wrong. I was the one who was wrong. I shouldn't have treated him that way, and I…"
Parfalle watched her lord — once so proud — sink endlessly into self-reproach, and thought:
Lin Brans, blaming herself…
That fiercely proud Lin has truly shattered to pieces.
Even from prison, news had reached her. She had been a prisoner in name only; her reputation had never dimmed, and word from outside had been easy enough to obtain.
She had heard that Lin Brans had grown weak — but she had not imagined it would be this severe.
"My lord, Swen is nothing more than a traitor. A man who colluded with Airen Juliette to deceive you."
"No… Parfalle, no. I… I left Airen at the northern fortress. I drove her into a death trap. So I…"
She understood it now.
That in the final moment, Swen had given her a chance.
If only she had listened to him.
If only she had not appointed Airen, and had sent another general instead…
But.
The person she had been then…
"I wanted to kill Airen. So I tried to kill—"
"My lord!"
Parfalle's cry cut Lin's words short.
The old Lin would never have tolerated such an interruption — but she was already far too fragile for that.
"Forget the traitors. No matter how gifted Swen may be, he is still a traitor who chose Airen over you. The same is true of Airen. When you consider that she ultimately betrayed us and tore the Brans Army apart, does that not prove that your decision to eliminate her was the correct one?"
Parfalle knew better.
She knew that trying to kill Airen had not been the right decision.
But the water had already been spilled.
If the person on the throne remained chained to the past and did nothing, that would be the greater problem.
So loyalty of that sort had to be discarded.
Right now, she had to step forward and deny Airen all the more firmly.
Unless they meant to depose Lin and raise a new sovereign, she was certain this was the correct path.
And honestly, installing a replacement would not have been easy — nor was there anyone particularly suited to the role.
"My lord. I will help you take your revenge on Airen. So from this moment on, let us slowly rebuild the Brans Army together. I, Parfalle, will throw this body of mine into the work of reconstruction."
"Parfalle…"
"Please trust me. I will see it done. First, we must immediately issue orders to the castle lords of the west—"
At that moment—
"My lord!!"
A soldier burst into the audience chamber.
He could not possibly have been unaware that Parfalle was present for an audience — which meant this was an emergency.
Parfalle turned her head and looked at the soldier.
And the instant she saw it, her heart seemed to sink.
…!!
The red cloth bound around his arm.
A messenger.
…Unfortunately, it seemed they were already too late.
"The Hesna Army… is sending a force of some sixty-eight thousand troops toward Elgaim Castle!"
Madlan Castle, capital of the Karelia Army in the southern continent.
"The Hesna Army has moved?"
"So it would seem."
Having received the report from a soldier, the green-eyed sovereign — Macana Karelia — covered her mouth with her fan and sank into thought.
Is the time finally coming?
The four southern nations that had maintained a taut balance — the Hesna Army, the Roland Army, the Ohana Army, and the Karelia Army here — had finally seen that balance broken by Hesna.
Of course, it was not a matter of them invading one another, but of Hesna invading the Brans Army instead.
Still, Vanessa's prediction was correct up to this point.
Today happened to be the day of the national council. The castle lords from every region would all be gathering, so if there was anything to prepare, they could prepare it thoroughly.
Karelia nodded, then spoke gently.
Even to a mere soldier, she had never once spoken carelessly.
"I am most grateful that you brought this to me. You may return."
"Yes, understood!"
After dismissing the soldier, she went looking for Vanessa — but found her gone.
She's stepped out.
Wherever she had gone, she was nowhere to be seen.
Well, the national council would convene soon enough. They could discuss the details then.
Before long, just as Vanessa said, a great upheaval will come.
The thought of the reek of war that had already soaked the continent rising over the south made her heart tighten — but as long as she sat on the throne, she had to endure it for the greater cause.
She soothed herself with that thought and sat upon the throne, letting time pass — when suddenly—
…Hm?
"We have arrived, my lady."
"You've worked hard."
"It's simply what I ought to do."
Having arrived at Madlan Castle by carriage, Lunarien exchanged greetings with the soldier, then looked around.
It's been a long time…
This was a place where she had once sweated over the fields, and for the briefest moment she felt as though she had returned somewhere she belonged — but the thought scattered like dust and was gone.
The place she belonged was not Madlan Castle. It was the place where they had first united their will… Jeiland Castle.
Unremarkable territory though it was, she had never once forgotten the days she spent there.
"So this is the capital…"
And then.
Following behind Lunarien, another woman slowly stepped down from the carriage.
Violet — the youngest of the children Kane had entrusted to her, and a girl who showed promise as a civil official.
"What do you think?"
"Just as you said, the sense of development is palpable."
This time, Lunarien had brought her along because there was a military treatise she wished to obtain. Of the three children, Violet was the most introverted, and Luna had thought this might be a chance to grow closer to her as well.
As their guardian — and because these were children Kane himself had asked her to look after — she also wanted to see them grow into fine adults.
"It looks as though we still have some time. What do you say? Shall we look around the market first?"
"No, Lady Luna."
Violet offered a bow that was properly formal.
"My business can wait until after all of yours is finished. Please take your time."
"Is that so? Well then…"
If she put it that way, perhaps Luna would take a light look around, since they had arrived early. Greeting the common folk she had once farmed alongside after so long would not be a bad idea either — or so she was thinking as she took a step forward.
Hm?
That way was the building that housed the barracks.
Something about the atmosphere felt wrong.
The soldiers' faces were terribly grave, as if some kind of trouble had broken out…
Luna and her companion carefully made their way in that direction.
Where they arrived, they found—
Once again, a woman whose face Luna had not seen in a long time, and had missed.
Lady Cecil…?
But even with that welcome face before her, it was not a situation in which she could call out.
The atmosphere was extremely tense, and Cecil was locked in a standoff with another woman whose face Luna also recognized.
"Lady Cecil. Please stop this pointless resistance."
At Vanessa's threatening words, a young girl behind Cecil trembled and wept.
Cecil placed a hand on the girl's shoulder to steady her, then answered in a firm tone.
"No matter how many times you call it pointless, my position will not change. Lady Vanessa. I beg you, most earnestly, from my side. Please rescind the order."
"I cannot. Under the solemn military law, no one may receive special treatment. Lady Cecil. I do not wish to escalate this. Stand down."
At those words, Cecil's voice rose, sharp with emotion.
"Special treatment? Preventing the execution of a soldier's entire family under collective punishment for a crime against military law — that is special treatment?!"
…What?