"No way..."
White hair.
Unless it was an elderly person, white hair wasn't a common color among young people.
If only the hair color matched, that would be one thing, but even the eye color of the man she had faced in her dreams matched—gray.
A dream she had repeatedly experienced.
Moments when, for some reason, a corner of her heart would tingle every time she woke from the dream.
That nostalgic feeling she had forgotten since swearing to live as the ruler of Serphina's army, inheriting the blood of Aingart.
The person from that dream... had appeared in the real world exactly as she remembered?
Naturally, she couldn't help but be excited, and the one trying to calm her was Jena, the national strategist of Serphina's army, standing beside her.
"My Lord. Please calm yourself!"
"..."
At Jena's restraint, Serphina finally regained her composure and released Julian's hand.
"Ugh... cough."
Serphina let out a small sigh, then asked calmly.
"...So, you claim that man summoned a massive boulder from the sky?"
"Y-yes. It's true, my Lord..."
Julian spoke, still trembling as if he couldn't believe it himself.
"That man... was no ordinary person. He seemed like a... a god descended to earth. As soon as he stretched out his hand and shouted... a boulder fell from the sky...!!"
"...Huff."
Serphina exhaled briefly.
It was already an absurd situation that a soldier had suddenly died, but now the vanguard commander she had sent was spouting even more nonsensical words.
However.
Julian, while not an exceptionally talented commander, was above average in his capabilities.
And not just Julian, but the few soldiers who had survived and returned were also telling the same story.
So, it wasn't just nonsense after all.
A massive boulder suddenly falling from the sky.
And the white-haired commander of the enemy forces performing some bizarre ritual...
'...'
If she thought about it calmly, there was no guarantee that someone with white hair and gray eyes would necessarily match the figure from her dreams.
Nevertheless, what Serphina felt now was an intense attraction.
A sensation she had never felt before, like the compelling force of destiny.
'I need to find out more about that commander.'
Serphina addressed Julian, who stood before her half-dazed and trembling with fear.
"Though this is an unprecedented defeat, if it was due to a natural disaster, it can't be helped. I won't specifically hold you accountable, so rest until new orders are issued. However, if you continue to ramble incoherently without regaining your senses, you'll find yourself in a very difficult situation. Understood?"
"...B-but...!"
"..."
Instead of answering, Serphina slightly raised her head and looked down at Julian with an extremely cold gaze.
"Ah... y-yes, understood..."
"You may go now."
After Julian left the audience chamber,
Serphina sighed deeply and asked Jena beside her.
"What do you think?"
"About the boulder falling from the sky, you mean?"
"Yes."
Jena bowed her head and said.
"I believe that part is true. There are fragments of what appears to be a shattered boulder scattered throughout our territory, and all the survivors consistently testify to the same thing. It doesn't seem like they were deceived by some illusion or apparition."
"Then Jena, do you also think that the white-haired man might have used some kind of magic?"
"It's a bit cautious to say, but yes."
Jena spoke in a calm tone.
"Magic only exists in legends. However... in the few historical records passed down from the old empire, although they contain many mythical elements of questionable credibility, there seem to have been several similar incidents."
"Similar incidents?"
"Things that could only be interpreted as the use of magic by any observer. Of course, no record mentions anyone using magic to 'summon and drop boulders from the sky,' but then again, no one knows the limits of magic itself."
After saying this, Jena continued in a somewhat uncertain tone.
It was quite different from her usual manner of speaking with near certainty.
"So... I suspect that man might indeed be a magician."
"On what basis?"
"Well, it's a much more plausible conjecture than sudden natural disasters occurring because someone performed a ritual to the heavens."
Jena took a breath and continued.
"To begin with, performing a ritual doesn't allow one to control natural disasters at will. I think that's completely impossible. The remaining answer then is 'that man knew a boulder would fall on that day, at that time,' but in my personal opinion, the ability to read everything that will happen in the future seems far more unrealistic than the magicians recorded in myths. So..."
She gazed intensely into Serphina's eyes.
"Though I still find it hard to believe... he might be a magician. The fact that he deliberately performed an elaborate ritual in a position where enemy soldiers and vanguard commanders could confirm his presence suggests he intentionally did something unnecessary to create the impression that 'all this happened because of a ritual to the heavens.' The reason being—"
"To hide the fact that he's a magician."
"Exactly."
Serphina fell into thought for a moment, then asked her again.
"So Jena, are you saying that the first magician of this era has appeared in the Brands army?"
"When you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."
When you eliminate the impossible, what remains is the truth...
"And checking historical records, magicians typically appeared during times of chaos. Timing-wise, it's not that strange."
"...I see. We need to investigate further."
Serphina, lost in thought, tapped the armrest with her finger.
'Whether that person is the man from my dreams... or truly the first magician... someday, I will inevitably have to face him.'
She let out a short sigh.
Even her sighing was incredibly alluring, possessing enough beauty to captivate others.
"Jena. Information about that man. Anything will do, can you collect as much as possible?"
"My Lord. Not 'can you,' but 'do so.' I will carry out any order."
"...Hmm. Then I'm counting on you."
"Yes."
If he truly was a magician finally revealing himself, as Jena suggested,
For the unification of the realm, she couldn't afford not to collect the chess piece known as a 'magician.'
And incidentally, she could also confirm if he was the person who kept appearing in her dreams.
Serphina set a short-term goal.
It was 'to meet the white-haired man.'
And at least until this moment, she had never failed to achieve a goal she had set.
* * *
Balhart Castle.
Although its glory from the old imperial era had completely faded since becoming a battlefield—
It was still a massive city located in the eastern part of the central continent, housing a large population.
The color of the flag planted atop this castle was a deep red.
A red flag reminiscent of bloodstains danced freely with the wind.
The blood-colored banner symbolized the Aishers army.
The ruler, Baranga Yuuri Aishers, quite liked this color, saying it represented the blood bond between herself and her loyal comrades.
And.
In the royal castle of Balhart, Baranga Yuuri Aishers—called "Yuuri" by her companions—was conversing with an elderly man with a long beard.
"So. It failed?"
"Yes. I am deeply sorry."
Sitting on the throne, Yuuri, the absolute ruler of the Aishers army, smiled regretfully and said.
"Epinel must have had a hard time cleaning up. By the way, even you have moments when your strategies fail."
Her long black straight hair gave a very elegant impression.
Her attire was also incredibly simple for a ruler. It could easily pass for the clothing of an ordinary commander.
The only thing proving she was the ruler was the fact that she was sitting on the throne.
If there was anything unique about her, it was the color of her eyes.
One eye was a deep blue, and the other was a light sky blue.
These heterochromatic eyes gave her a peculiar charm not found in others.
Yuuri encouraged the old man, then fell into thought.
The plan to clear out all the troops from Laclaine Castle on the eastern border of the Brands army, immediately invade Laclaine Castle to advance into the central region, and simultaneously make the Charam and Allepel armies into satellite states to somehow balance against the Brands army had been completely ruined.
"But how did they find out? Did you know? Were the Charam people running their mouths too freely?"
"No. The strategy was perfect. However... it seems someone in the Brands army noticed our plot from the very beginning."
"Are you referring to Farfalle? You said she was the smartest among those who studied under you, right?"
The old man shook his head and said.
"Miss Farfalle certainly has intelligent aspects... but I don't think she has the capacity to see through a strategy from the very beginning."
The Aishers army's strategy.
[Spreading false rumors about planning to attack the Allepel army after secretly communicating with the Charam and Allepel armies, then luring the Charam army to attack the Brands army first].
This seemingly perfect strategy had apparently been accurately predicted by someone from the execution stage.
"Then who else could it be?"
"I'm not sure about that... but ultimately, it was all my misjudgment. I apologize once again."
"It's alright. You did your best, didn't you? I think it's fortunate that you realized it when the Brands army didn't move as expected."
The fact that they could wrap things up without getting entangled in the Brands army's counterattack was largely due to the old man standing before her.
Yes.
The elderly man with the long beard before her.
A man who had intended to spend his life in seclusion, nurturing future scholars.
Yuuri had spent nearly a month persuading him at his residence with her companions.
What the Aishers army lacked was not outstanding generals, nor the mysterious and tight bonds among commanders, nor the will to open a new sky without inheriting the sky of the Aingart Empire—it was someone to fill the position of strategist to become their brain.
A rumor reached her as she searched for a strategist.
The story that 'that person who once worked for the Aingart royal family was staying not far from Balhart Castle.'
She didn't know why such a prominent figure was hiding within her territory... but from Yuuri's perspective, it was tremendous luck.
So.
From Yuuri's standpoint, it was acceptable if a strategy or two failed.
In fact, this was a situation where a completely exposed strategy had been well managed.
She encouraged the old man and spoke his name.
"Don't worry too much, and continue to lend me your wisdom. ...Ginor."
"Yes, my Lord. I, Ginor, will work with the sole intention of making you the unifying ruler."
The Sage of the Empire · Ginor Nighthart.
Now, he was serving as the national strategist of the Aishers army.