At the same time, near the Western Fortress of Balhart.
"Enemy troops spotted over there!"
I was just pretending to perform a ritual at a temporarily built shrine when a soldier's shout reached my ears.
'Is that the vanguard acting as bait?'
They had impressively brought siege weapons, but as I predicted, there wouldn't be many troops in the main force that actually made it here.
Just under 10,000 soldiers remained at the fortress.
"General Epinel. Don't worry and proceed with the interception."
Epinel nodded at Ginor's words.
"If their forces seem numerous, I'll retreat immediately... Swen, I'd appreciate it if you could prepare for that moment."
"Understood."
With that, Epinel took several thousand soldiers to intercept the enemy.
Not long after, we could easily determine that the enemy forces were few in number.
Just as I said, the enemy's main force had gone for a surprise attack, and they hadn't sent many soldiers here.
'Phew.'
I let out a sigh of relief internally.
Somehow, every time, even when making "absolutely correct predictions"...
I couldn't feel at ease until I confirmed the results with my own eyes.
Well, it was nice to call it "predictions that are always right," but in reality, I was just repeatedly forcing my existing knowledge to fit the situation.
Whether it would be correct or not could only be known once everything played out.
'If they were going to make me possess someone, they could have given me a more certain and accurate cheat.'
While I was having these pointless thoughts, Ginor approached me after assessing the situation and said:
"It seems you were right after all, Swen."
I replied with an expression full of confidence that made it impossible to believe I had just been thinking "I'm glad I was right" moments ago.
"Didn't I tell you? From Brands' position, that was the only decision they could make. Anyone thinking about it would have reached a similar conclusion."
"No. That's not true. You have insight that sees through situations. You might have talent as a strategist who discusses tactics."
"Flattery won't get you anywhere."
Ginor snorted at my words and said:
"I don't flatter just anyone. Anyway, the landscape of the continent will change quite a bit now."
He was right.
The delicate balance that the Brands forces had been maintaining on four fronts had collapsed.
It was clear that, like it or not, the power structure of the continent would be reorganized.
From atop the fortress walls, I watched Epinel's forces clean up the Brands army's vanguard.
He was definitely... strong.
As Ginor said, Epinel was a talented general.
They say an exceptional general can change the tide of battle just by being deployed.
It would be fair to say that Epinel exemplified this perfectly.
It wasn't for nothing that he had managed to hold out against the Brands army until now with such limited resources.
'The central part of the continent will soon be thrown into chaos.'
While it was quite regrettable for the territory residents who desired peace... this was an ideal situation for me.
Until Lunarienne's army could rise and make its mark, I needed to prevent any particular faction from becoming too powerful.
While it might be unavoidable with Serphina who had pacified the north, having another powerful force in the central region would be a dangerous situation.
But I believed.
That ultimately, even for the territory residents, having Luna unify the continent would be the only path toward a golden age, rather than someone like Lynn.
With such thoughts... I organized my own ideas.
*
As soon as we returned to Balhart Castle, Yuuri welcomed us at the front gate.
"Welcome back, Epinel! Ginor! You really worked hard!"
"What about the soldiers who came for the surprise attack?"
"Irene did the hard work. Emma and Erinandorf also arrived on time. Ginor, you worked hard too. I heard it was you who insisted there would be a surprise attack?"
"To be precise, it wasn't me but the opinion of Swen here."
"Really?"
Hearing this, Yuuri approached me with a smile and extended her hand.
I grasped her hand in return.
"Thank you so much, Swen! If we hadn't noticed the surprise attack, we would have been in serious trouble... You saved us!"
I smiled and replied with a slightly joking tone:
"If this has repaid the kindness you showed in accepting Irene and me, then I'm satisfied."
Of course, it was only half a joke; I was quite serious.
Eventually, I would leave this place, and regardless of the reason, I wanted to do my part for her at least once, since she had accepted our surrender.
Naturally, this aligned with my own interests as well, but why would I need to make that obvious here?
Yuuri accepted my somewhat impertinent words with a smile.
"Of course! Not just you, Swen, but Irene worked really hard too. I heard from Emma. There was something extremely dangerous that happened."
"What...?"
Something dangerous happened?
The moment I heard those words, I felt my heart sink.
"Could I hear the details...?"
I was able to hear from Yuuri about what had generally happened.
From how Irene had provoked Chel Brands to buy time, to how she nearly got seriously injured while engaging in a one-on-one battle with Chel.
Thanks to Emma's intervention, they were able to get through it without major issues... but if that hadn't happened, she could have been in a truly dangerous situation.
I couldn't help but be flustered because her being in danger wasn't part of the scenario I had envisioned.
'To think such a thing happened...'
I'll definitely have to question her about this later.
"Anyway, we've completely dealt with the remnants of the Brands army. They won't think of invading this area for a while now."
"No, Yuuri. An opportunity has come!"
Epinel spoke with a spirited tone.
"Now is the perfect chance to plant the red flag at Raclaine Castle! Just give the order! I'll take the remaining troops right now and advance to occupy Raclaine!"
'I think it would be better to observe the situation for now.'
It was true that the Brands army was now certain to be attacked from all sides, and it was also true that an opportunity had come for our army, but—
There was no need for the Aishers army to take the vanguard role.
Serphina's army, which was eager to advance into the central region, would almost certainly make a move.
When the Brands army was at war with Serphina's army, that would be the time to invade, making things easier.
"General Epinel. I understand your feelings, but it doesn't seem to be the right time yet."
Fortunately, Ginor seemed to share my thoughts and briefed her on the current situation, telling her to wait a little.
After listening to Ginor's explanation, Epinel pondered for a moment, then nodded and said:
"I understand, Strategist. I know that thanks to your opinion this time, we avoided a major disaster."
Fortunately, it seemed she wouldn't be stubbornly insistent this time.
"As I've mentioned several times, it wasn't my opinion but..."
Ginor momentarily rolled his eyes toward where I was standing.
I shook my head slightly.
The nuance was that there was no need to mention me specifically.
Fortunately, he seemed to understand my intention and didn't mention my name further.
'It's probably not good to stand out too much.'
To live without trouble in the Aishers army, it was important not to flaunt one's achievements unnecessarily.
Even Ginor, whose fame was widely known across the continent, was being checked by the founding contributors because he had secured the position of strategist. How much more would it be for a general like me who had merely "dropped a meteor from the sky"?
Of course, that "dropping a meteor from the sky" part was quite impressive, but unless I could do it freely at will, if I kept relying on that reputation, there would inevitably come a difficult moment someday.
Anyway, after the meeting with Yuuri ended.
I moved my steps hurriedly.
My destination was where Irene was.
*
Irene was always the same person, regardless of her affiliation or position.
This time too, just as she had done in the Brands army—
She was spending time treating the wounded soldiers who had played a major role in stopping the surprise attack.
While Emma, Erinandorf, and Epinel were nowhere to be seen... she alone was always there at the frontline, caring for the soldiers who had fought alongside her.
"Lady Irene."
"Oh? Swen! You've returned safely."
She smiled at me, seemingly very glad to see me, but I couldn't return her smile.
Noticing that my expression was subtly different from usual, she cautiously asked me a question.
"...Swen? Did something happen? Are you feeling unwell or—"
"Lady Irene. ...I heard you engaged in a duel with Chel Brands."
"Ah, that. Yes. I did. Because I needed to buy time."
She spoke as if it was nothing, but—
Because of that nonchalant attitude, I spoke with emotion, feeling somewhat upset.
"Why did you engage in such a reckless duel? I'm absolutely not underestimating you, Lady Irene, but Chel Brands is a formidable warrior with no equal in the Brands army. Objectively speaking, Lady Irene, you had a high chance of not being able to defeat him. Couldn't your life have been in danger if something had gone wrong?"
Irene listened to my emotionally charged words, closed her eyes briefly to think, then—
Eventually, she opened her eyes slowly and spoke in a solemn tone.
"...A knight who wields a sword must fight when it's time to fight."
"This wasn't that time. We... don't we have somewhere to go?"
It might be a bit presumptuous, but...
I suddenly thought that if Irene were to be harmed while risking her life fighting for the Aishers army, I might resent the Aishers army from that day forward.
To me, who was having such somewhat childish thoughts, she smiled gently and said:
"That's why I fought, Swen."
"What...?"
"Because I wanted to go with you to the place we must go. Because you shouldn't be in danger before that."
Irene was looking at me with clearer eyes than ever before.
That gaze. The look of someone wanting to protect something... was momentarily overwhelming me.
"If I hadn't kept Chel occupied there, he would likely have turned his troops around and retreated. That alone would have inflicted some damage on the Brands army... but as you said, it wouldn't have been enough to disrupt the balance significantly. If we had missed this opportunity that came to us, there's no guarantee we would have gotten another chance, is there?"
"..."
I couldn't say anything.
Because Irene's words were the correct theory.
Because Chel fell for Irene's provocation and fought her, meaning the commander was distracted by a fight with a single general rather than commanding—
The Brands army, which had been preparing for a surprise attack but was instead surprised and had their formation disrupted, fell into unrecoverable chaos and suffered great losses.
If anything, the problem might have been that I didn't give her such instructions through Ginor.
Without her quick thinking, we might not have been able to fully capitalize on the opportunity we had gained.
But why...
Why is my heart racing like this?
Why is something inside my heart thrashing about as if it's suffocating?
"Swen. I am truly happy that my abilities have been of help to you. You don't need to worry too much. From the moment I left the Brands army, I decided to live solely for you."
To decide to live for you.
As soon as I heard those words, my true feelings hidden inside burst out.
"...If you've decided to live for me, please don't die no matter what happens."
"...Huh?"
At the words I blurted out without realizing, she looked at me slightly surprised.
But what could I do? This was my true feeling.
"I don't care about what's advantageous or what opportunities there are. It's fine to miss opportunities. Lady Irene... I just want you to not die no matter what happens. I don't want you to be in danger."
"Swen..."
"So, next time, please don't recklessly go into battle alone like this. Please. If it seems impossible, just run away. Don't risk your life in any moment. It might sound ridiculous to ask this of a knight who goes to the battlefield... but I'm serious."
What was I thinking when I said those words?
What's certain is that the current me wasn't speaking as directed by my intelligence 100 brain—
I was speaking as directed by the heart that was still beating in my chest.
She listened to my words and stared at me silently for a while...
Then, with a reddened face and slightly bowed head.
With a girlish expression that was very unlike a knight on her face... she spoke in a small voice:
"...Yes, I understand, so... that look in your eyes, it's..."
"What?"
"That... it's embarrassing... yes."
Looking at Irene, who was blushing intensely and glancing at me from time to time...
At that moment, I thought that perhaps, much more than helping Luna unify the world—
I simply wanted to protect this woman.