Where we went, the territory residents had gathered in small groups, sharing food they had cooked.
It seemed to be a kind of harvest celebration.
A few of the territory residents recognized Luna's face and bowed to greet her.
"Isn't this Lady Lunarian?"
At the voice of the man at the front, the festive mood quickly turned solemn.
Of course, it wasn't like the mood turned sour, but more that they were caught off guard by an unexpected high-ranking figure.
Even so, there was no sign of hostility.
Rather—Luna was being warmly welcomed by the residents.
"Lady Lunarian, welcome."
"Greetings to our sovereign!"
"If you don't mind, please try some of this!"
In an instant, the residents flocked to us.
Luna gracefully raised her hand and nodded.
"Everyone, please continue as you were."
'...'
I had told her not to use honorifics with those beneath her if she could help it, but breaking a habit is no easy task.
If this world had a political system like the one I came from, treating the common people respectfully would be natural since they held voting power.
But since that wasn't the case, it was often better for a superior to show authority.
I considered nudging her about it again but thought better of it.
'Well... maybe this kind of leadership isn't so bad even in this era.'
She wasn't acting this way in front of her retainers, but in front of her people.
In terms of public sentiment, her approach might actually be better.
And what's truly impressive is that none of her actions were the result of calculated planning like mine—they just came naturally to her.
"Thanks to Lady Lunarian, peace has returned to our Zeilant Castle. No other lord ever even looked our way... We're truly grateful for your attention."
A middle-aged woman, on the verge of tears, bowed repeatedly.
Luna approached the woman and clasped her hands warmly.
"It is not thanks to me. It is because you all didn't give up and kept working hard. Please don't forget that."
"Lady Lunarian..."
"Lady Lunarian! Please, bring unity to this war-torn continent!"
"How could we ever entrust our country to a tyrant like Serpina?! Isn't that right, everyone?"
""Yes, yes!""
Testimonies praising Lunarian started erupting from all around.
Well, she had used a whopping six thousand gold for territory relief and made frequent patrols through the territory, so it was clear she'd won the people's hearts.
Even when conscription was announced, many soldiers volunteered.
Our current army, excluding the mercenary corps, had grown to about ten thousand strong.
Zeilant Castle might be small, but if the territory had a larger population, the numbers would be even greater.
After chatting with the residents, Lunarian wrapped things up so they could return to enjoying the festival and approached me.
"Swen."
"Yes, my lady?"
"Um..."
Luna pointed somewhere with her finger.
Looking over, I saw a large bonfire with several couples dancing around it.
A few bards were playing the lute, and the scene reminded me of a loading screen illustration from a medieval game.
"It's peaceful. All thanks to you, my lady."
"No, it's not that..."
"Hm?"
I looked at Luna.
She was blushing slightly, hesitating, and then let out a quiet sigh as if bracing herself.
"...Never mind."
What the?
Why stop mid-sentence?
What was she trying to say?
'...Could it be.'
I had a hunch and asked, "Would you like to dance?"
"Ah? Ah, yes, um, I mean..."
Judging by how she couldn't answer clearly, I figured I was right.
So this was it?
She wanted to dance but held back because I always talked about how a unifying sovereign should maintain dignity and authority?
A ruler dancing at a festival with the people might be great for public sentiment but didn't exactly scream authoritative presence.
But so what?
She was still a ruler of a small nation. There was no need to get caught up in appearances just yet.
One should always be flexible depending on the situation.
"It's fine. Go ahead."
"Pardon?"
"You can forget what I said for now. Mingle with the residents as much as you like."
Luna was a sovereign who deeply cherished her people.
When I used to play this game, I thought only someone like Karelia had that kind of concept—a ruler who loved peace and cared for the people—but that wasn't entirely true.
So here, it was better to let her enjoy herself freely.
But then.
I thought she'd run off immediately after hearing my words, but she didn't.
Instead, she shyly approached me again and spoke,
"Um..."
"Yes?"
"If... if it's not too much trouble, Swen... would you... would you dance with me?"
When I didn't answer right away, her face flushed bright red and she began frantically explaining.
"It's just, um, everyone else is paired up and going alone would be awkward and I'm the sovereign so it might be a bit much for the residents and, uh, so—"
"You're asking me to dance with you?"
"Ah..."
She finally lowered her head.
Her face was even redder than before, practically like a beet.
"...Yes..."
"..."
This game has more events than I expected.
If you could even call something like this an event.
After spending months in this world, I had grown attached to the Lunarian army and started to feel a bit of pride in this territory.
I had been wary of that.
Because ultimately, I had a world to return to, and this was still just a game world. Letting emotions cloud rational judgment could be dangerous.
But.
Even now, I'm sure of it.
Lunarian Iniang will become a unifying sovereign.
So in the end, I have to stay by her side to get back to my original world.
If that's the case, then this much should be fine, right?
"Let's go."
"Ah?!"
"If that's what you wish, I will accompany you."
I took her hand.
She was surprised but didn't pull away.
Instead, she gently gripped my hand and said in a trembling voice,
"Y-yes! Please take care of me!"
And so, I danced lightly with her in front of the bonfire.
Her pale skin reflected the firelight.
Her cream-colored hair swayed with each graceful movement.
And her ruby-red eyes, looking into mine... were burned vividly into my mind.
* * *
The royal castle of Anel
Lynn Brance sat upon the throne, receiving a report from her envoys.
"We've returned, Lady Lynn. We were able to successfully establish a three-week ceasefire with the Aishas Army."
"Good work. What about the southern front?"
Another envoy, standing beside the first, responded.
"We also successfully reached a ceasefire with the Roland Army, whose border is adjacent to ours... however, we had no choice but to settle for a one-month term."
"One month? I thought we agreed on three months?"
The envoy bowed his head apologetically at Lynn's remark.
"M-my apologies. The Roland Army insisted three months was too long, and offered mediation terms... so we had to compromise at one month."
"Those Roland bastards really make it obvious they're just looking for an opening. I didn't want to deal with the south for a while. Still, one month is plenty."
Thinking that, Lynn smiled and spoke.
"It's fine. Honestly, one month is enough. I told you from the start that I was okay with it as long as a ceasefire was established."
"Y-yes, but..."
"That's enough. Discussion over. You both did well! Take a good rest for now. If I don't call for you in a week, you can help out in the marketplace. Got it?"
""Yes, ma'am!""
After the envoys left the room, a waiting soldier spoke up.
"My liege. General Chel's army has just arrived."
At those words, Lynn's expression brightened.
"Oh, really? As expected of my big brother ♡ He came up so fast!"
"Shall I let them in?"
"Yes, right away."
"Aye!"
Not long after—
A man with short blue hair, looking incredibly strong at a glance, began striding in wearing plate armor.
A towering physique, sunken eyes, scars scattered across his face.
Despite the scars, he was a strikingly handsome man.
Behind him followed a woman with short purple hair and violet eyes, exuding an enchantingly alluring aura.
The two soon knelt before Lynn.
The man's name was Chel Brance.
He was known as the greatest swordsman of the Brance Army.
"Chel Brance, just arrived from the southern Saintica Castle as ordered."
The woman was named Parfalle.
Strategist of the Brance Army, she had been known as the "most brilliant woman in the central region" since childhood and had quickly caught Lynn Brance's eye as a prodigy.
Chel Brance had temporarily left with her as a strategist on the southern front, where he served as supreme commander, and had just now returned.
"Parfalle, as ordered by my liege, I have just arrived from Saintica Castle in the south."
"Mm-hmm. Good to have you both here!"
Lynn spread her arms wide to welcome Chel and Parfalle.
Chel, wearing a puzzled expression, asked Lynn a question.
"What is the reason you summoned us to Anel Castle? As far as I know, the northern front has quieted down."
"You're right, I don't intend to send you up north now. My little brother is guarding that region already."
After somehow managing to fend off a 55,000-strong vanguard,
Even after that, Serpina's army continued its invasions with forces numbering 20,000 and 30,000.
Though it came at a considerable cost, they were able to protect Kelstein Castle through three successive sieges—
And in doing so, had managed to quell Serpina's ambitions of advancing into the central region.
Whether they had simply retreated or given up was unclear, but for now, the Serpina Army had halted its attacks.
In this situation, they needed to stabilize the remaining fronts to quickly consolidate their forces, excluding the ones guarding the north.
The two ceasefire agreements were precisely for that purpose.
"And, I heard we reached a ceasefire with the Roland Army... is that true?"
"Yes, so there's no need to worry about the southern front for the time being."
"I see..."
Chel sounded confused, as if he didn't quite understand what she was thinking.
Ceasefires with both the eastern Aishas Army and the southern Roland Army. No plans to send troops north.
That left only the west, which was populated by small, non-threatening minor states.
Yet she had summoned the large force defending the south, including Chel himself, to Anel Castle.
Perhaps sensing Chel's unspoken thoughts, Lynn nodded and said, "You're right, brother. We don't need you to clean up the west. But, what we're going to take isn't just some pitiful piece of minor territory."
"So you mean..."
Lynn's blue eyes sparkled for a moment as she answered Chel's question.
He knew that look well.
That was the face of his little sister when she was about to go on a talent hunt.
"We're about to seize the missing pieces needed to conquer the world!"