Regular Council / Serpina's Army (1)
Preparations finished early that morning, I was ready to leave.
"Well then. I'll be off."
"I'll be back."
"Please take care, Master. Lord Swen."
"G-good luck…!"
After exchanging farewells with the head maid and Reika, Airen and I set out side by side toward the royal castle.
"It's been a long time since we've done this, Lady Airen."
"Hm?"
"You know. Reminds you of the old days, doesn't it? Back when you asked me to walk a little farther apart."
"Ah…"
Airen listened, then smiled faintly.
"I did, didn't I. Back then, I thought anything less would only cause you trouble. Ah—good morning."
Even as we walked, people recognized her and offered greetings first. Ever since rising to deputy commander, she had clearly carved out a solid place for herself within Serpina's army. She even seemed to have a modest following of officers of her own.
As for how I felt watching her—
Seeing Airen answer the greetings of so many people left me with a strangely fresh sense of emotion. Now she was exchanging words with half the street, but back then almost no one had even pretended to know her.
The shattered Brans Army and Lin Brans's ruined expression were a little pitiful, true—but looking at Airen's smile, I felt no guilt. I had simply protected the person I needed to protect.
"I've never regretted it. Not once."
I turned and met her violet eyes straight on.
"Choosing your side, Lady Airen."
"Swen…"
"No matter how many times the same situation came around, I would do it again. Exactly the same way."
Airen said nothing, only stared at my face for a long moment—then, smiling, she nodded and answered softly.
"Mm."
It felt like only yesterday that I had thought Serpina's captivating smile might be something I could never escape. Yet looking at Airen's unbearably lovely expression now, I was reminded all over again that nothing about people can be decided so easily.
She really was beautiful. Airen. A beauty that did not fall short of Serpina's in the slightest.
And so we arrived before the royal castle. As deputy commander of the occupation forces, she apparently had somewhere else she needed to stop first. Her place in the hall would be different from mine as an ordinary officer, after all.
"Swen. I'll see you later, then."
"Yes."
After seeing her off, I made my way alone to the council chamber.
Quite a few people had already gathered. The number of faces I still didn't know was far greater than those I did, and I found myself thinking I really ought to plant my feet a little deeper in central politics—when a voice called out.
"Oh? Lord Swen!"
"?"
I turned toward the sound and found a woman with a familiar face standing right in front of me.
"Lady Silin?"
"You remember me! It's been so long!"
She beamed at me, though I couldn't honestly say I was that glad to see her. We had only exchanged a few words back in my Brans Army days. Still, offering a polite measure of warmth was the correct answer for a functioning adult.
"I never expected to run into you here, Lady Silin."
"Actually, I already knew you were here."
"Pardon?"
"Lady Airen told me!"
As it turned out, Silin had been Airen's roommate. Of all the coincidences in the world—what was this, a Brans Army alumni reunion? I never imagined we would meet again like this.
"Anyway, it's good to see you. If we ever get the chance to work together, let's do our best again!"
After a light exchange of greetings with Silin, time slipped by. The chamber filled with still more people, and I spotted Airen taking her place among the truly important figures at the front.
She's come up in the world.
And then, after a while longer, footsteps broke the quiet of the hall. The absolute sovereign of golden hair—Serpina—walked slowly to the throne and sat. Jena followed behind her.
Serpina's bearing was so elegant it was more than enough to hold every eye in the room.
""We greet you, my lord.""
"Yes. Thank you for waiting."
Serpina turned to the state strategist at her side.
"Is everyone present?"
"Yes, they are."
"…"
She surveyed the room in silence, then rose from her seat, extending one hand as she spoke.
"Then from this moment, we shall begin the regular council of Serpina's Army."
""Yes!!""
The voices of countless officers rang out, and the regular council was underway.
"We will begin by receiving the reports of the castle lords."
One by one, the castle lords stepped forward with their status reports. The process took longer than any I had ever sat through—because the territories under Serpina's command outnumbered those of any nation I had served. The entire northern continent and a portion of the central continent as well. At this point, it was no exaggeration to call Serpina's Army the absolute power on the continent.
Once the castle lords finished, a few light matters of reward and recognition were settled. Only then did the real business leave her lips.
"Then let us decide our army's policy from this point forward. If anyone has a sound opinion, speak freely."
At that moment—
"May I offer a proposal?"
A middle-aged man at the front of the left column raised his hand.
That man…
I was certain I had seen that face before. A general who had appeared often whenever we faced Serpina's Army. His name was definitely Cransis.
"Speak, Cransis."
See? My memory still worked. Of course it did—I had put ten thousand hours into this game alone.
"The entire occupation force has been sharpening its blades for this very moment. I believe now is the time to move. We should mobilize every available soldier and conquer the four territories of the Aesus Army while the chance is ours. My lord, I beg you to decide!"
Cransis bowed his head as he finished.
In other words: march south at once and begin a campaign of conquest. It was not an incomprehensible position. Without the predictions my Intelligence of 100 had handed me, I might well have said something similar myself. The Brans Army, once a massive threat, had been split into three. The southern states were still unsettled. The Aesus Army was barely holding its defenses. When would there ever be a better moment to move?
"Does anyone hold a different view?"
Show me your ability, is that it?
I let out a quiet sigh inwardly, then slowly raised my hand.
"My lord."
At the sound of my voice, the eyes of nearly everyone gathered in the hall turned toward me. Serpina met my gaze, then allowed a smile so subtle that almost no one in the room would have noticed it…
"Speak, Swen."
It felt as though she were telling me she trusted me—and so I answered with shameless confidence.
"I believe the superior choice would be to station the occupation forces throughout the continent for patrols while concentrating on internal governance."
At the suggestion that we deploy the occupation forces across the continent and focus on domestic affairs, more than a few doubtful looks flew my way—including from Cransis, who had spoken first. I paid them no mind and kept my eyes only on Serpina's.
"…Very well. Does anyone else have a proposal to offer?"
Further opinions could easily have followed… yet the hall was quieter than expected. Whether no one wished to set themselves against Cransis, or whether "fight" and "do not fight" already covered every opinion worth offering, the result was the same: the field had narrowed to a one-on-one between Cransis and me.
"If there are no further motions, I will now ask for your general opinions. First—those who agree with Cransis's proposal, raise your hands."
At her words, most of the officers standing with the occupation forces raised their hands. Fortunately—if that was the word—the number did not look like a majority at a glance. Roughly half, perhaps… closer to say it did not quite feel like a majority.
One detail stood out: Jena, standing beside Serpina, had also raised her hand. As state strategist, no less. Serpina looked at her with an expression of genuine amusement.
"Oh? Jena. You agree with Cransis?"
"I do."
"I would like to hear a brief explanation, if possible."
"Before that, may I make one request?"
"I will hear it and decide."
"Once my explanation is finished, grant us one more opportunity to raise hands."
More aggressive than I had expected. Serpina showed no fluster and answered in a calm tone.
"You mean to persuade them, then?"
"I do."
Serpina nodded.
"However, granting that opportunity to you alone would be unfair, I think."
Jena glanced in my direction.
"What if we grant a similar opportunity to the opposing side as well?"
"You heard her, Swen."
The ball came flying straight at me, but I returned it without panic.
"I have no objection."
Only then did Jena nod and offer a concise explanation.
"The greatest concern in any conquest is, of course, the Aesus Army's defensive line. They have gathered generals of great renown and ability, and their castle defenses are solid—that much is beyond dispute. But with the Brans Army thrown into chaos, there is no place our army cannot take."
"We may suffer a certain degree of loss in the process, but the chance to pour real time into the Aesus Army exists only now. If we can destroy them, the balance of the continent will shift dramatically. Once the turmoil within the Brans Army settles, everything becomes far more difficult. Therefore, I ask that you consider this: the optimal moment to conquer the Aesus Army is right now."
When the explanation ended—
"Then I will ask once more. Those who agree with Cransis's proposal, raise your hands at once."
Again, a great many officers raised their hands. The difference from before was clear: this time it genuinely looked like a majority. In other words, the persuasion of the state strategist Jena had worked.
Serpina took in the situation and spoke again.
"Good. Now—those who agree with Swen's proposal, raise your hands at once."
At her words…
The great majority of those remaining began to lift their hands. Airen, as expected, raised hers for my side. The simple fact that she was willing to trust me that far left me unexpectedly grateful.
"Then I suppose it is my turn to persuade?"
"Please wait a moment."
Just as I was weighing what to say, Jena cut in.
"As the originator of the proposal, Lord Swen, I believe it would be fairer here to hear the opinion of someone else."
"…Pardon?"
"I myself am not Cransis, the originator of the other proposal, am I?"
Ah.
Jena's logic was this: since the second round of persuasion had not been delivered by Cransis himself, my side should likewise have someone other than me do the persuading. Why go this far? The answer came quickly enough.
She's checking me.
Just as many people kept Airen in check, I too would be a target for containment. On top of that, strange rumors already linked me with Serpina. It was hardly unnatural for Jena, as state strategist, to be wary of me.
So how should I play this? They were the ones who had started this little game of "persuasion"—I was under no obligation to match them at every turn. Serpina would take my side as well. I was about to drop a quiet word to keep them from pushing too hard when—
"State Strategist. In that case, may I speak here?"
"…???"
From among the raised hands in the crowd came an unexpected male voice. Its owner was the promising young spearman with black hair, a handsome rising star—Irian Al Kaski.