The Battle of Hisphil Castle (6)
"……."
Having heard my explanation, Zinor stroked his chin for a long while, wearing a troubled expression.
Then he looked me straight in the eyes and asked.
"Yes. Everything you've said makes sense. If Miss Anima is defeated, things will likely unfold exactly as you describe. But… how do you know all of this in such detail?"
"If one assumes defeat, the number of possible outcomes becomes limited."
"That's not what I mean."
Zinor glared at me.
No… more precisely, it wasn't a glare. He was looking at me sharply, but there was something different about it.
I had received a look like that once before.
Right after the northern fortress defense, at Anel Castle.
Back then, my lord Lin had looked at me with those same eyes.
Fear.
In Zinor's slightly trembling pupils, I read a fleeting moment of fear.
"How can you be so certain of defeat? How do you know things will turn out that way?"
"……."
"While we're on the subject, let me finish. You act as if you know everything. Something similar happened last time — when you said they would raid Valharat Castle. Even then, your words carried absolute conviction that you couldn't be wrong. And indeed, everything played out exactly as you said."
"Even I don't know everything under the sun. Who does? And this is a discussion of grave importance. What can a man achieve if he lacks even confidence in such a place?"
"Dodging the most critical part of a question by changing the subject isn't a particularly good habit, but I suppose I would have answered the same way if I were you, Swen."
As he said that with a hollow laugh, I felt a strange sense of kinship with him.
"Very well. Since you've made your deductions, allow me to make a few of my own. Is that all right? I promise I won't take up too much of your time."
"Go ahead."
"I still believe there's a high probability that you're right. After all, the story holds together, and everything fits. And this isn't just anyone's account — it's yours, Swen. Just as last time, I believe the odds of you being correct this time are high. No — looking back, I wonder if your accuracy didn't begin the moment you arrived here."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Since the subject has come up, I'll be frank. The world knows that Lin Brans lost an outstanding general in Airen Juliette… but I believe losing you may have been an even more devastating blow to the Brans Army."
"Me? Haha. You're far too kind. I'm merely a sidekick to General Airen."
"The Brans Army's decline began after you came over to our side."
"It also began after General Airen came over to our side."
"And it was you who called down boulders from the heavens."
"As I've told you, I'm not a mage. I can't use magic. You've seen your daughter, so you should know."
"And the moment that daughter of mine began following your training methods, she started making remarkable progress."
"The training is mere window dressing. Her talent has simply begun to bloom."
"……Ha!"
Zinor heaved a deep sigh—
Then, for the first time, he threw his head back and laughed heartily.
"You don't lose a single exchange, do you!"
Watching him laugh so freely, as if something were truly amusing, I realized something.
This was the first time I had ever seen him laugh.
After a few minutes had passed—
"Swen. This may sound insane, but I have to ask."
"What is it?"
"Can you see the future?"
After finishing his words, he stared at me intently.
The fear I'd glimpsed just moments ago was gone.
In its place, this cunning old strategist's eyes held… fierce curiosity.
"……."
"Is it magic after all? Can you see the future through magic, Swen?"
See the future, huh.
If telling someone only the outcome of what will happen in the future counts as seeing the future, then sure, that would be accurate.
But I couldn't admit it.
How could something that only works when I'm asked a question, and only predicts within a limited scope, be called magic!
"Forgive me for saying something rude."
"No need to hold back at this point. Speak freely."
"The idea that one can see the future through magic — your delusions are rather severe."
"Hah! Coming from someone talking to a man who has a daughter who actually uses magic — that's a funny thing to say."
"But isn't it true? If I could see the future, I wouldn't be walking this tightrope. I'd be out in front making more convincing claims, wouldn't I?"
"It's a different matter if the futures you can see are limited. For instance, if you can determine whether you'll win or lose a war… but not why it turns out that way."
……!!!
Oh no.
I nearly twisted my expression in shock and barely managed to hold it together.
Just from talking, he'd arrived at that conclusion…
Had I been underestimating Zinor?
Is Intelligence 99 something to take lightly?
Suddenly, the words of the one who had sent me to this world came back to me.
Come to think of it, Zinor had been the one who said those words too.
I replied with as blank an expression as I could manage.
"An interesting hypothesis."
"Well. Looking back on our little verbal sparring, I'm not sure it can be dismissed as mere hypothesis."
He said this with a twitch of his lips.
I never would have thought Zinor Nighthart was a man with such expressive features.
It felt as though the social mask he always wore had been peeled away.
Suddenly I'm thinking of Old Man Kane.
He too had only revealed his true self to me at the very end.
I wonder if he's doing well.
Unaware that I was thinking of another general, Zinor nodded exaggeratedly and said to me:
"Of course, I understand why you can only answer that way. One can't go around telling just anyone about an ability they possess. What gambler in the world shows their hand?"
"……."
"I understand. I'll join you in persuading our lord. I've wasted enough words. Let's head to the royal castle at once."
Apparently, based on the information he had, Zinor had arbitrarily concluded that I was a "mage" with the ability to foresee the future.
It was a similar yet completely different — and critically mistaken — assumption… but it would be more convenient to use that misconception than to explain everything.
I hadn't even affirmed his words.
Besides, hadn't I used other people's misconceptions countless times already just to get by with this ability?
I quietly followed behind Zinor as he strode ahead alone.
"Is that so? You're saying there's an ambush?"
"Yes. Please grant us permission for the operation, my lord."
Zinor bowed his head to Yuuri, pleading as he spoke.
Upon arriving at the royal castle, the situation was explained in short order.
What surprised me anew was Zinor's eloquence.
Honestly, compared to me — who had somehow cobbled together half-formed sentences into "the most plausible single possibility" — his explanation carried far more persuasive power that actually convinced people.
"But from what I'm hearing, the idea that there's an ambush is still just speculation, isn't it? I don't think Anima would have moved so hastily without considering that possibility…"
"My lord. It is with great caution that I say this, but in my youth, I once served directly at the side of Serpina von Aingart."
"……!"
Well, he had been the Empire's Prime Minister, after all.
Having ties to the imperial family was only natural.
"She is an exceedingly cunning person, her nature like that of a serpent. Among all the members of the imperial family, Serpina was uniquely cold-blooded. She is exceptionally skilled at laying traps to deceive people. It is possible she used some method to put Miss Anima at ease."
Hearing Zinor's words, Yuuri momentarily let emotion color her voice.
"Are you saying Anima is the kind of person who would fall for Serpina's tricks?"
"……."
Zinor, who had been explaining smoothly until now, suddenly found himself at a loss for words.
Well, when logic collides with emotion, even the smartest person can be left speechless.
Perhaps I should step in here.
"It is precisely because it is Lady Anima — and no one else — that we must take action."
"……What?"
With people who prioritize emotion, touching their emotions is effective.
I put on the most apologetic expression I could manage.
"As you said, there is a possibility that no ambush exists. Our taking action could itself become a waste of provisions, and further, a waste of time. However — this is Lady Anima, who has always been at your side, supporting you. If an ambush does exist, something truly irreversible could happen."
"……!!"
At the words "irreversible," her expression was clearly overtaken by shock.
I liked people who were easy to read.
The easier they were to read, the easier they were to persuade.
"Provisions can simply be purchased with money. Time cannot be reclaimed, but wasting time is far better than putting Lady Anima's life in danger. Don't you agree?"
Yuuri listened to my words and thought for a long while.
It was Zinor who urged her on.
"My lord. Please listen to Swen this time. I, Zinor, earnestly request it."
"……Zinor."
Yuuri looked at him for a moment—
Then, with a faint smile, she said:
"Zinor, so even you have days when you plead so earnestly for someone else's sake."
"I merely devote myself body and soul for Lady Yuuri's sake."
Instead of answering, Yuuri turned her head toward me and asked in a serious tone:
"……So then, how should we respond?"
"We must take two measures simultaneously."
"Two measures?"
"First, we must send reinforcement troops from our side. However, preparing them will take time. The troops' marching speed won't be particularly fast either. They will likely only arrive after the situation has already concluded."
"Then what's the point of sending them?"
"Indeed. That would be true if not for the second measure."
I put on a thoroughly confident expression as I spoke.
"I will force the Serpina Army forces that I explained earlier — the ones presumed to be positioned in front of Lady Anima's army — to retreat back to Hisphil Castle."
"What?"
Force them to retreat.
Both Zinor and Yuuri seemed to understand what I meant.
"You intend to spread false information?"
"Yes."
I nodded at Zinor's words.
"We will spread false information to the Serpina Army that Hisphil Castle is under attack. That will force the Serpina Army to retreat."
I left the royal castle deep in thought.
Spreading false information — in other words, the False Report Stratagem.
In the game that was the original source of this world, it was a stratagem used to deceive enemy forces currently deployed and force them to retreat.
Just as Zinor had once joined hands with the Alefel Army and the Charam Army to use the "Betrayal Stratagem" against the Brans Army, this "False Report Stratagem" must certainly exist as well.
The problem was how exactly to execute it.
In the game, you just pressed "Stratagem," then "False Report," clicked on the enemy forces, and ended the turn — success or failure determined by Intelligence stats.
But this wasn't a game. This was the real world.
Nothing would change unless I did something myself.
It had been the same with my verbal duel against Parfalle.
In the game, it was just a rock-paper-scissors mini-game where you pressed buttons and took more or less damage based on Intelligence stats. In reality, I had to actually construct logical arguments based on evidence.
Even if I just send a spy into the enemy camp claiming Hisphil Castle is under attack, they probably won't fall for it…
For false information to have power, it needs credibility that anyone would believe.
How could I fill that credibility gap?
As I was lost in thought, Zinor casually spoke up.
"We've succeeded in persuading our lord, at least. I hope your words prove correct."
"Don't worry about that."
"Well, of course I won't worry — you must have opened the Mind's Eye through magic. You're probably right."
Opened the Mind's Eye?
I had no idea what kind of nonsense that was, but for now I'd just let him keep his misconception. It was less trouble that way.
"Is there anything else I need to help with?"
"No. From here on, it's a domain I'll have to handle somehow on my own. Helping with the persuasion was more than enough. Don't you have other matters to attend to?"
"A strategist's work is much the same wherever you go. Other than observing Reika's training results this evening, I have no special schedule."
"Training results?"
"Once a week, I check on that child's current abilities. Think of it as confirming the fruits of her learning. Her magic has certainly improved a great deal. She's reached the point where she can fell several trees without difficulty. Still woefully inadequate for the battlefield, of course."
"Is that so?"
Since I always either meditated with her or did meaningless things together, I never properly checked her magic and didn't know.
Had she progressed that easily?
At this pace, she might become a mage far faster than in the game's history.
Talent is a more terrifying thing than you'd think… I was having such idle thoughts when—
……Huh?
A thought flashed through my mind.
She'd reached the point where she could fell several trees without difficulty?
Maybe that… could be useful?
"Lord Zinor."
"What is it?"
"I've thought of something I'd like to request of you. It doesn't require you to act personally, though."
"What is it? If it's something I can grant, I will."
I turned my head and looked into his eyes as I spoke.
"Would you lend me your daughter for a little while?"