Dream
A dream.
For the past several days, she had been having the same dream over and over again.
A place that felt familiar, yet one she could never quite name. A city of blue-tiled roofs and white brick buildings, and a man walking toward her through it.
The man had pure white hair and gray eyes — an extraordinarily beautiful man.
She did not know who he was.
And yet, in the dream, she did.
His name was—
……
Even though she had spoken it so naturally in the dream, the moment she woke, the name was gone. Completely gone.
She frowned slightly and pressed a hand to her forehead. Perhaps it was the sheer radiance of her features, but even the slight narrowing of those golden eyes was breathtaking enough to stop a heart.
Who is that man……?
Had there been time, she might have sat quietly and thought it through. But the place where she stood — the position she occupied — would never grant her the luxury of private reflection.
She knew that well enough. So the moment her mind cleared, she rose from the soft bed.
……Enough.
Today, as every day, she would become the woman everyone needed her to be. As if resigning herself to the fate laid upon her shoulders, she took the distinctive hairpin from the table, ordered her thoughts, and prepared to leave her chambers.
She left her chambers, passed the guards, and walked the long corridor. As she walked, she closed her eyes.
It was a kind of ritual. The "true self" who had just woken from sleep would close her eyes and, by the time she reached the end of this corridor, be reborn as the self the world demanded of her.
Before long, a heavy door appeared.
When she opened it—
……
With a creak, the door swung wide. A woman with brown hair tied back bowed at the waist in formal greeting.
"You have risen, my lord."
"……Mm."
She nodded and took her seat upon the absolute throne prepared for her. The brown-haired woman stepped close to her side and began reporting everything that had happened — everything she needed to hear.
"The forces for the Fourth Kelstein Castle expedition have been fully assembled at Chorel Castle and Cherien Castle. Additionally, General Yulian has proposed that we first destroy the fortress the Brans Army newly constructed north of Kelstein Castle."
"How many troops?"
"Approximately twenty-eight thousand are garrisoned at the fortress."
"If we take the fortress, the advance would launch from Chorel Castle?"
"That is correct."
She fell silent for a moment, then looked at the woman beside her.
"Jena. I want your thoughts."
"May I speak frankly?"
"I would be troubled if you did not."
At those words, the brown-haired woman — Jena — smiled faintly and answered.
"Regarding the fortress first: I do not understand why they built one there at all. It is not a particularly strategic location. Rather than concern ourselves with it, I believe it would be better to lead a large force southeast from Cherien Castle and strike Kelstein Castle directly. The twenty-eight thousand garrisoned at the fortress would then have to come down to defend it — at which point the forces descending from Chorel Castle could defeat them in detail. That would be far more advantageous than assaulting troops already entrenched inside a fortress."
"I see."
She drummed her fingers against the armrest of the throne. Her golden eyes glinted with natural brilliance.
"So the key is Cherien Castle after all…… Anything else to report?"
"There are reports of troops gathering near the border between the Aethers Army and the Brans Army."
"Hm?"
So they meant to push into the east at a time like this?
She did not know their reasons, but for her army, it was remarkably convenient news.
How was her army to break free of the north and expand elsewhere?
Southeast of Cherien Castle lay a vast mountain range. Crossing it would bring them to Aethers territory — but it was no route for moving an army. Southwest of Chorel Castle was an unbroken stretch of rugged mountains and swampland; advancing into the central-western continent that way was no wiser choice.
The only option was Kelstein Castle, sitting astride the gateway into the central regions. Break through there, and they could finally leave the north and push south.
Three expeditions had come to nothing — and yet the exchange ratio still favored her side. In a war of attrition, victory was inevitable.
And in a situation like this, the Brans Army stretching their own front lines was a gift she could hardly refuse. She had no idea what their strategist was thinking — but she was not about to waste the opportunity.
Just then, Jena bowed her head and asked,
"Lady Serpina. What are your orders?"
"……"
At Jena's words, the woman seated upon the absolute throne — the sole person publicly carrying on the will of Aingart, the one who had drawn closest to the goal of continental hegemony — Serpina von Aingart, with her dazzling golden hair and golden eyes of an even more intense hue, answered in a somewhat dry voice.
"The date of execution will be set within a week. In the meantime, see that I receive detailed reports on the situation along the Brans Army's eastern border."
"Understood. I will order thorough preparations so that we may act the moment you give the word."
"I leave it to you."
And in that very instant—
Bang!
The main doors of the audience chamber burst open with a chaotic crash.
"My lord!!!!"
A soldier came sprinting toward them in a frantic rush. Serpina did not flinch. She asked in a calm tone,
"What is it?"
"Ch— Cherien Castle—"
The soldier, without even time to catch his breath, forced out the information that could not wait another second and thrust it before her.
"The lord of Cherien Castle, Ian Laschphalt…… has raised a rebellion……!"
"……!!!"
"……"
Unlike Jena, whose eyes went wide with shock, Serpina merely furrowed her brow slightly and showed no other reaction.
"He claims he will purge the false witch of Aingart who retains nothing but the name, declare that the Laschphalt family is the true legitimate line of Lord Algot — the rightful heir of the Aingart Empire — and restore order…… and he has raised his army!"
……
Serpina's reaction to those words was exceedingly simple.
—A pathetic wretch who can only lean on the prestige of a dead man.
Algot von Aingart — her elder brother — would never have wanted anything of the sort.
She thought briefly of her "past" and clenched her teeth — but she could not afford to let it show.
"How many have joined him?"
At Jena's question, the soldier answered quickly.
"Including Solana Laschphalt, lord of Mati Castle, approximately thirteen in total. Most of the rebels are connected to the Laschphalt family."
Mati Castle was a small fortress near Cherien Castle.
"I see."
Ian, you bastard. So that was why you threw away your pride and pressed your knees to the floor — for this moment.
Serpina let out a short, cold laugh. She already knew it was nothing more than the thrashing of people who could never change history.
"……What will you do, my lord?"
"Postpone the Fourth Expedition for now."
"But—"
"It's fine. The Brans Army's current forces will not be able to affect us in any meaningful way."
According to the latest intelligence received only yesterday, the garrison at Kelstein Castle had, for some reason, increased by ten thousand from the last confirmed count. Had even more troops been gathered, it might have been a concern — but that number posed no great threat. The reason they had rushed the Fourth Expedition in the first place was to invade before more forces could be assembled.
The sudden increase had made her wonder if they had somehow sensed the coming re-invasion — but if that were the case, they would have sent far more than ten thousand. The Brans Army certainly had the capacity to do so.
"……Understood."
Hearing Jena's reply, Serpina rose from her seat, extended a hand toward the soldier, and spoke.
"Go and deliver this. Summon every general currently on assignment at once! We will prepare to march. Send a messenger to the lord of every stronghold — share the situation as quickly as possible, and inform them they may march without waiting for my further approval!"
"Yes, understood!"
With those final words, the soldier sprinted out once more at full speed.
Rebellion……
Even with a rebellion, nothing had changed. She would simply do what she had always done.
And that was — to crush them utterly.
To raise the imperial banner once more. For herself, who had "inherited" the will of Aingart.
"……"
She turned her brother's name over in her mind.
Algot von Aingart……
The man she had killed — yes. Killed…… was he not?
If that was the fate she had to accept—
……Then the storm of blood will blow once more.
The woman known to the world as a tyrant was having a thought that was, for once, rather unlike her.
Of course, whether it was like her or not — even she no longer knew.
Just as I had expected, it was not long before the incident finally broke.
"A rebellion…… you say?"
At Airen's words, spoken from where she knelt, Rasion nodded and replied.
"Indeed. Ian Laschphalt, lord of Cherien Castle, has raised his army. According to our most recent intelligence, his forces numbered approximately forty thousand — and he may well have scraped together more since then."
So it is a rebellion after all.
I had more or less expected something like this. But actually watching it unfold left me with a strange feeling.
Moreover, the name of the man who had raised the rebellion was a familiar one.
Ian Laschphalt.
But there was one unfamiliar detail: he was not a general under the Serpina Army. He was one of the northern regional lords who led an independent force called the "Ian Army."
Of course, because he spawned in the north, there was a very high probability he would eventually become Serpina's meal — but this was the first time I had ever seen a scene where he started under Serpina and then broke away on his own.
Rasion studied me for a long while as I knelt beside Airen. I wondered if he was about to ask something pointless, but instead of any idle question, he went straight to the point.
"I have received a request from General Kalintz for troop support…… Aside from the forces required to safely defend our own castle, it appears only the roughly ten thousand soldiers you brought, General Airen, can be moved. Tell me how much time you need to prepare for departure."
"We can leave immediately."
"……What?"
At Rasion's question, Airen answered once more, firmly.
"Yes. We can march at once, my lord."
"……"
Rasion broke into a light cold sweat before finally opening his mouth.
"……Did you anticipate this? That things would turn out this way?"
"……"
Airen looked up at Rasion without a word. He had been present at the debate, so he must have understood. The moment to deploy troops had finally arrived. And that meant, in the end, that Airen's opinion — and by extension, mine — had been correct.
Well.
The opportunity had already passed. Adding ten thousand troops would not reverse the overall situation, and waiting for further reinforcements would clearly mean missing the optimal timing.
Well, it would be nice if we could at least take Valharat Castle.
We probably couldn't manage even that.
In that moment, I was freshly reminded that my abilities meant nothing without a lord who trusted me.
Rasion let out a short sigh, then raised his voice toward us.
"General Airen is to take ten thousand troops and proceed to the fortress where General Kalintz is stationed!"
"Yes, understood!"
As Airen offered her salute and left the castle, I fell into thought behind her.
What is Kalintz trying to do?
There were roughly twenty-eight thousand soldiers at the fortress. Adding our ten thousand made thirty-eight thousand. That number was insufficient to retake Cherien Castle, which appeared to hold around forty thousand. Additional forces from Kelstein Castle might make it possible — but there was no chance the Serpina Army would simply sit and watch that happen.
Rasion's choice to send only supplementary troops had been the wise one.
Is that Kalintz bastard just going to force a push while spinning hopeful scenarios in his head?
It was the worst-case prediction — but would a named general of Kalintz Brans's caliber really do something that stupid? Kalintz was the most ordinary of the three Brans siblings, but he was still an S-Class General.
He would probably probe a little, realize the numbers weren't there, click his tongue, and give up. I hadn't run a prediction yet, but that was how I saw it.
Still, I had a job to do.
Once we were outside the castle, Airen finally turned her head and looked at me with an expression of disbelief.
"……Swen. There is something I wish to ask."
"Please, go ahead."
"Did you foresee that it would come to this?"
Ah.
Come to think of it — from Airen's perspective, it must have looked as though I had seen straight through to this future all along.
If, back then, I had somehow managed to overturn the debate with Parfalle without Lin's interference, more troops would have been stationed for northern defense as Airen had argued. And with those greater numbers, we would have been given the chance to invade the newly raised Ian Army far faster than the Serpina Army could respond.
What kind of opportunity? We almost certainly could have taken Cherien Castle.
In the end, my prediction had been right again.
Airen was not my lord, but she was a woman I would need to walk with in the long term. Looking "plausible" could only help.
I spoke with as much casual nonchalance as I could manage.
"I did sense something unusual brewing in the north. I have relatives near the northern territories, you see — I occasionally receive news by letter. I expected a rebellion might break out, though I couldn't be certain…… Had I known it would turn out like this, I would have pressed the point more forcefully."
"……!"
Airen stared at me, stunned speechless, as if she could not believe the situation. I drove the point home.
"Did I not tell you clearly? Lady Airen's opinion was not wrong. No — Lady Airen's opinion was the only correct answer. I believe you will come to understand what I mean before long."
"Ah……"
Hearing my words, Airen froze for a moment, then lowered her head slightly — and murmured in a fragile voice that sounded close to tears.
"I see. I…… was not wrong."
"That is correct. It does not matter that no one raised a hand to agree with you. In the end, Lady Airen was right."
"……"
And then—
She carefully looked up at me, her face flushed.
"And…… you were the only one who believed in me. Swen."
?
It was less that I had believed in her and more that I had taken her side to raise her affection — but since the answer had come out "close enough," I supposed she wasn't wrong.
Recognizing that this was an excellent opportunity to raise her affection further, I smiled at her.
"Did I not tell you, Lady Airen? I did not take your side out of pity. So there is no need for you to feel discouraged."
She nodded at my words. Her violet eyes shimmered as if they might spill tears at any moment.
"……Yes. Thank you, Swen."
Had the situation allowed, we might have taken our time discussing why Lady Airen's plan had been the correct one — but we had just been ordered to proceed to the fortress at once.
I spoke as if to clear the air.
"In any case, the opportunity has passed, and there is nothing to be done about it. Since we have been summoned, let us head for the northern fortress."
"Very well."
I set off at once with Airen, Jack, and Silin toward the recently constructed fortress.
And when we arrived at the fortress—
My "worst-case prediction," to my astonishment, had become reality.