Leaving Kelstein Castle, we rode north on horseback.
The distance to the fortress wasn't very far.
Though it appeared to have just been completed and looked quite sturdy, I couldn't help but face a fundamental question.
'Why on earth would they build a fortress in a place like this?'
No matter how I looked at it, it didn't seem to have much strategic value.
The surrounding area was nothing but open plains.
Of course, it could serve as a forward base. After all, there was quite a distance between Kelstein Castle and Cherry Castle, located at the southernmost point of Serphina's army.
If that was the case, I thought it would be better to build a simple camp or watchtower rather than investing so much time and resources into a fortress.
A fortress, once captured, would immediately become the enemy's asset.
Thinking about the possibility of it being captured made this even more concerning.
From Serphina's army's perspective rather than Brands' army, acquiring this fortress would be extremely useful.
Considering the significant amount of gold, labor, and time consumed in building a fortress, the Brands army might end up cooking porridge only to feed it to a dog.
'Well, I suppose they have their reasons.'
Come to think of it, when I played this game, the CPUs would just build fortresses and watchtowers in any available empty space without much strategic planning.
There was no need to think too deeply about it.
After entering the fortress, we easily met Kalinz Brands, the commander in charge of this fortress and the younger brother of Lynn Brands, the ruler of Brands.
A blue-haired, refreshing-looking handsome man.
Next to him stood a middle-aged man with brown hair, a face I didn't recognize.
"I am Irene, and I've just arrived with 10,000 soldiers on our Lord's orders."
As Irene bowed her head slightly in greeting, Kalinz welcomed her warmly and said:
"Oh, General Irene. You've arrived. Faster than I expected. And also..."
Kalinz examined those of us standing behind Irene.
"Jack of the Brands army."
"Silin of the Brands army."
"Swen of the Brands army."
After receiving greetings from Jack, Silin, and myself, Kalinz stared at my face for a long time.
"Hmm... Haven't we met somewhere before?"
We have.
Kalinz was the first enemy commander I encountered after crossing into this world.
If the mercenaries hadn't helped, I would have already lost Jeilant Castle to this man.
But.
"I have such an ordinary face that you must be mistaking me for someone else, General."
"Is that so? Hmm... I can't agree with the 'ordinary' part, but I'm not entirely certain either."
I managed to dodge that well.
There was no need to loudly announce to this man that "I belonged to Lunarienne's army."
He might hear about it later from Lynn, but there was absolutely no reason for me to volunteer that information.
"Well then. 10,000 you say... What about the castle's garrison?"
"Without any garrison troops, I was only able to bring the additional soldiers dispatched by our Lord."
"Is that so? That Rashion... What is he hesitating for? When will we ever get another opportunity like this!"
Kalinz struck the desk lightly with his fist in irritation.
The sound of the thump gradually filled the space.
"Anyway... 10,000, you say? Did Lynn—no, our Lord—dispatch 10,000 soldiers from Kelstein Castle?"
"That's correct."
"The timing of sending them is good, but I wish she had sent more. We could have secured victory for certain."
Kalinz Brands had been spending his time building this fortress instead of attending the regular meetings.
What gets conveyed from regular meetings is not the process of the meeting, but only the decisions made.
So—unlike Rashion who directly witnessed my conversation with Farfalle during the one-on-one debate—Kalinz was unaware of the situation itself.
That's why he could only think of it as "good timing."
At that moment, Irene cautiously asked Kalinz:
"Lord Kalinz. When you say we could have secured victory...?"
"Ah yes. We're about to gather these troops and immediately attack Cherry Castle, which Ian's army has just seized in rebellion."
"...!"
What?
The current fortress troops numbered 28,000, and with the 10,000 we brought, that made 38,000.
The enemy forces, according to recent information, were 40,000. There was a possibility they had grown even more.
Even if we took all our forces, victory would be difficult, and we needed to leave at least 3,000 men at the fortress for contingencies.
Even though the game that formed the basis of this world wasn't particularly realistic in terms of strategy/tactics, and S-class commanders could cut down numerous soldiers, to win a siege, we would need about 70,000 troops to see a path to victory...
'Ah.'
At that moment.
For some reason, I thought I understood Kalinz's strategy.
Is he targeting 'the chaotic state right after the rebels have risen up'?
"Excuse me, Lord Kalinz. Has our Lord approved this...?"
To the middle-aged man's question, Kalinz replied as if it were a ridiculous thing to ask:
"My brother and I have been granted the authority to carry out tactical operations independently without consulting our Lord within the Brands army."
"But when deploying such large-scale forces—"
"Besides, now is the time for a surprise attack. If we report everything and wait for a response, we'll miss our opportunity. Would you take responsibility then?"
Cutting off the man's words, he could only respond with an apologetic expression:
"...No. I apologize for my rudeness."
Kalinz patted the man's shoulder and said:
"I appreciate your concern. But trust me. I have a plan."
At that moment.
Irene cautiously raised her hand and spoke:
"General Kalinz. I believe marching out would be too risky."
"Oh? Why is that?"
Irene began to explain to Kalinz with the utmost respect:
"Before a siege, the attacking force should generally outnumber the defending force. Capturing a castle with fewer troops than the defenders is an extremely difficult task."
Kalinz nodded at Irene's words, but then made an expression as if she didn't understand and said:
"Under normal circumstances, Irene, I would agree with everything you've said. Attacking a castle with a smaller force against a larger garrison is nearly impossible. However, the current situation is not normal."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Ian's army has just rebelled, so the order within the castle must be in chaos. The soldiers stationed in the castle who served Serphina went to sleep and woke up to find their lord had changed. In such a situation, morale can only drop. No matter how many troops they have, if they've lost the will to fight, there's no need to fear even if they outnumber us two or three times. If we can quickly eliminate the low-morale interception teams coming out to handle siege weapons in this chaotic situation, I believe we have a good chance of winning."
'As expected.'
In this game, when a rebellion seized an existing castle, the soldiers' morale dropped dramatically.
Logically thinking, it would be strange if they weren't confused when suddenly the lord they served changed.
And in this game, the 'morale' stat had a huge impact on battle.
I had often seen, during my 10,000 hours of playing this game, scenes where 10,000 high-morale soldiers led by an SS-class general defeated 30,000 soldiers with very low morale.
But.
'Unfortunately, that's not the case this time.'
First, the judgment that Ian's army's morale at Cherry Castle would have dropped.
There were two points suggesting otherwise.
First, considering the world setting.
Ian Lishfalt, who started the rebellion, was originally one of the lords with an independent force called the "Ian Army" in the north in the in-game scenario.
From what I remembered of his background setting, he was a fanatical follower of Algot von Aingart, the older brother whom Serphina von Aingart had killed.
Since this was a game with variables each time, I couldn't know why he was under Serphina's army in this world line—
But it meant that unlike some random group, he had a proper foundation.
The soldiers who had been serving with him likely wouldn't have suffered much of a morale drop.
And second, thinking purely from a system perspective.
In the game that formed the basis of this world, there was only one case where morale didn't drop despite a rebellion.
That was when characters designated as lords rebelled.
That's all there was to it, but considering how my predictions with Intelligence 100 were consistently accurate, I couldn't ignore the possibility that the 'system' might apply here as well.
And Kalinz couldn't know the fact that Ian was originally a lord.
He was just someone living in this world line.
Of course, regardless of what I thought—
Kalinz was excitedly explaining his prediction as if it were a certainty.
"With that in mind, we can overcome a difference of about 5,000 troops. I wouldn't have pushed if I only had 28,000 troops, but with 38,000, it's worth trying. We'll leave a minimum of 3,000 men behind and lead a large force of 35,000 to attack immediately. We'll surprise them before Serphina's army can even assess the situation."
'So that's how it is.'
If Lynn hadn't sent any troops at all, Kalinz would have known it was a losing battle and wouldn't have marched out.
But it seemed that by sending an ambiguous number of troops, she had made him think it was worth trying.
Of course, in the game this world was based on, it wasn't entirely impossible for 35,000 soldiers to capture a castle defended by 40,000.
If you recruited the "Jerome Mercenaries," a siege-specialized mercenary group, somehow gathered at least three of the continent's rare siege-specialized generals, and filled the ranks with high-Leadership SS-class generals and siege weapons, you could capture it as easily as eating cake.
But that wasn't the current situation.
"And fortunately, you, who are known as a specialist in siege warfare, have come here."
Kalinz praised Irene.
While it was true that she had a siege specialty, she alone couldn't turn the tide of battle.
"But..."
"Don't argue. I have no intention of changing my mind. This is an opportunity! An opportunity to achieve merit by invading Cherry Castle!"
I sighed as I watched Kalinz passionately making his case.
'He seems obsessed with achieving merit.'
Thinking about it that way, I could naturally guess why he built a fortress in such a place.
Literally, did he want to show that he was doing something?
Kalinz Brands. The second of the three Brands siblings, between Lynn Brands, who became the heir to the Brands family, and Chel Brands, known as the First Sword of Brands.
He was an S-class general with a calm personality, which made him easier to handle compared to his impulsive older brother—
But objectively speaking, he was inferior to his brother as a general and inferior to his sister, the ruler, in leadership.
He was certainly talented, but relatively the most ordinary general among the three siblings.
He was a reliable character for players since he was quite strong and rarely fell for schemes, but seeing him so anxious now made me realize once again that the in-game descriptions could never fully explain everything about a character who existed in this world as a human being.
Could even a 'calm' person end up like that when backed into a corner?
Moreover, he had failed to capture Jeilant Castle with 8,000 men against only about 3,000 defenders.
Perhaps I had made him nervous.
Well, that was something he needed to overcome on his own.
In this situation, it wouldn't be good to oppose him by saying "it's dangerous, we shouldn't march out."
If I unnecessarily earned his enmity, my life could be endangered in unexpected ways.
Unless someone unconditionally trusted me like Luna, the safest path was to avoid expressing opinions as much as possible.
"We need to move before Serphina's army does. Such an opportunity won't come again. I'll give you 10,000 soldiers, so prepare to march quickly. I'll follow soon."
Judging by Kalinz's attitude, it seemed he intended to put her at the vanguard.
Being generous, I didn't care if the soldiers were sacrificed and they lost, but I couldn't stand seeing Irene placed at the vanguard in what was essentially a guaranteed defeat.
She would end up taking all the blame.
It was time for me to step in.
"Excuse me, General Kalinz."
"What is it?"
"If you don't mind, I'd like to offer a brief opinion."
"Go ahead."
"I believe sending General Irene with troops to march out now is not the right choice."
Kalinz, hearing my words, twitched his eyebrows and asked.
There was a strange edge to his words.
"Oh? What was your name again?"
"It's Swen."
"Right. Swen. Are you saying that my plan, Kalinz Brands' plan to attack Cherry Castle, is not the right choice?"
In normal circumstances, I might have wondered why he was getting so worked up, but at this moment, I was incredibly grateful.
'Is attacking Cherry Castle not the right choice?'
[That's right.]
I couldn't say 'That's right,' so here I put on an extremely apologetic expression.
"Not at all. I just think that since this will be a very difficult battle, it would be more efficient for you, General Kalinz, who has been fighting in the north and is familiar with the northern situation, to lead the vanguard rather than General Irene, who has less experience from staying in the rear."
"Hmm... Is that so?"
"Yes. Since I also serve the Brands army, I've been continuously hearing about your achievements in the north. If you want to achieve merit, I think now is a good opportunity."
Kalinz seemed quite pleased with my words, and he withdrew his earlier sharp attitude completely as he spoke:
"Then, since this is an important battle, I will lead the vanguard."
It worked as expected.
His younger sister Lynn Brands certainly had talent but was somewhat arrogant and indecisive. She also harbored a very deep-seated inferiority complex.
His older brother Chel Brands was a general with extremely strong abilities, but due to his arrogant personality, he sometimes acted impulsively and ruined things.
The common trait between the two—arrogance.
It wasn't difficult to guess that someone sharing the same blood, no matter how calm, would be somewhat arrogant as well.
Handling such people was very easy.
All you had to do was flatter them a little.
Moreover, he was currently anxious. With his own sense of pride, he probably wanted to quickly show that he wasn't inferior to his brother and sister.
"You, Swen was it? Would you like to join me in achieving merit?"
"No. As you can see, I have a weak constitution... I don't think I would be much help in battle."
"I see."
Kalinz didn't ask me anything more and turned his head.
"Then I'll prepare to march immediately. In the meantime, I'll leave this fortress to Parke."
"Understood!"
The brown-haired man finally spoke up.
So he was a general named Parke.
Even hearing the name, I didn't know much about him. He didn't seem to be an important figure.
"The rest of you who came with Irene should guard the fortress. And Irene, I'm sorry, but I'd like you to take charge of the rear this time. Please assist General Miguel who will be marching with us."
"Yes, sir!"
So he wasn't going to take me, Silin, and Jack along.
After Kalinz left the fortress, I whispered in Irene's ear as she was preparing to follow him and march:
"Lady Irene. Please make sure to position at least 5,000 troops in the rear to secure a retreat path. If possible, more would be better."
"Swen..."
After hearing my words, Irene looked around briefly and then cautiously asked me:
"Do you... think we cannot win?"
"Yes."
In fact, I was more than thinking—I was certain. I had made my prediction.
Irene must have been thinking skeptically like me, as she nodded slowly without asking for my reasons.
"Then, about standing at the vanguard—"
She seemed to have something on her mind and was about to ask me something—
But then she slowly closed and opened her eyes, and responded to my words:
"...I understand. I'll try to persuade General Miguel to consider it. If I speak directly to General Kalinz, he won't listen."
"I appreciate it. And one more thing, an even more important request than what I mentioned earlier."
I spoke in the most serious tone I could muster:
"No matter what happens, please make sure you return alive, Lady Irene."
"...!"
Whether the Brands army suffered consecutive defeats or other generals died, that was a burden for Lynn to bear, not me.
What I wanted to protect in this country was not Ruler Lynn Brands' unattainable dream—
But Irene's will, standing firm despite everything about her denying who she was.
Hearing my words, Irene remained frozen for a moment without saying anything—
Then, she slowly nodded.
"I promise."
"I'll trust you, Lady Irene."
At my words, she said nothing and turned to walk away.
Though she said nothing—I could clearly see it.
Faint but unmistakable, she was smiling.