NOVEL NEXT chapter 21
21 – Episode 21. Three predictions
* * *
The weather was getting colder.
It had already been quite some time since I came to this world.
And I – I don’t know why, but I instinctively felt like it was time for something to happen.
‘It’s so peaceful.’
According to intelligence, the battle between Serpina’s army and Brans’ army ended roughly with Brans’ army winning on defense.
In addition, the southern and eastern fronts are said to be in a quiet state with no major incidents.
In that case, it seemed inevitable that they would target our castle again in the west, but for some reason, time continued to pass without much happening.
Of course, I had no intention of sitting back for a while.
Our military was doing everything it could.
Conscription was carried out as much as possible without reducing public sentiment. Currently, the number of troops guarding our castle, including the mercenary troops, is approximately 31,000.
Even if they conscripted as many men as possible in the castle as if they were gathering souls without worrying about public sentiment, the number of men added to the castle was only about 2,000, so no more conscription was carried out.
What I did instead was training. Tifa, who had recovered, was ordered to train the troops, and Kane was ordered to continue repairing the castle walls, assuming that nothing special would happen.
Not only Kane, but myself, and our lord Luna all gathered together and the three of us continued the repair work.
As a result, we were somehow able to increase our defenses to be more robust than when we were fighting the battle.
In order to carry out all these orders, the approval of my lord Luna was essential – but she trusted me completely, so she would trust me and support me even if I had to make meju with red beans, and so she was actually leading and ruling this country. It was no exaggeration to say that it was I, not her, who was doing it.
And one more thing.
We had sent envoys and signed six-month non-aggression pacts with neighboring weak countries bordering us.
This included the Garammil Army, which had once helped the Brans Army and invaded us.
Anyway, on this floor, there were no allies or enemies for life. Moreover, rather than Garammil having any grudge against us, half of the Brans army fell for something similar to threats anyway.
It was like preparing in advance before being hit by the same move.
Fortunately, the weaker countries were not busy playing games in their own castles, so they were able to safely conclude a treaty without any difficult problems.
The biggest problem in our military currently is the lack of human resources.
Although I continued to use my brain power of 100 to solve the problem, the desired result was not obtained.
This meant that even if a search was conducted to find talent, no one would be found.
It was nice to not have to waste time on unnecessary exploration, but I don’t think there’s ever been a time when recruiting talent has been this difficult, even when playing an actual game.
Although the leaders of the mercenary group, Gustav and Aaron, were working for our military, they were individual mercenary groups, so they could not give orders except during battle.
Therefore, there were only four people who made the internal decision: Kane, Tifa, me, and Luna herself.
It was a really urgent situation to find talent to help the internal affairs, but time was passing quickly without even an ordinary C-rank general able to save a single person.
‘Still, I somehow did everything I could.’
In games, if you play as a weak country, even if you do everything you can, there are often cases where you will be dealt a huge blow and the game will be over without you having to do anything.
As it was decided that Luna Lien would become a unified monarch in the future, she wasn’t even worried about ruin…… Why can’t I shake off this strange feeling of anxiety?
‘It’s done. When something happens, it’s not too late to think about it. I guess my prediction will be right anyway.’
I felt like my mind became lighter as I relaxed a little.
Without thinking about it, I headed toward the castle wall again today to repair it.
How far did he walk like that?
Before my eyes, for some reason, Kane was hurriedly walking towards me.
The place I came from was towards the royal castle, so it seemed like I was heading towards the royal castle.
“What’s going on?”
“Oh! Mr. Swen. I was already looking for you.”
After arriving in front of me, Kane spoke while catching her panting breath.
“Immediately to the royal castle… My lord has called me. It’s urgent.”
“Is it urgent?”
“I heard a messenger has arrived.”
“……!!”
A messenger has arrived.
There was only one thing it could mean.
‘It’s coming.’
“Am I the last to hear the news?”
“That’s right. I told Tifa, who is training.”
“I understand.”
I quickly moved to Zeeland Castle with Kane.
*
Me, Kane, and Tifa.
And Aaron, the leader of the Chilean mercenaries, and Gustav, the leader of the Raven mercenaries.
A total of five people were gathered in front of Luna, surrounding the table.
“…Thank you everyone for coming.”
Luna said with a serious expression.
“What’s going on? Are they Brans? Did they move?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Luna nodded her head at Tifa’s words.
Since we had signed a non-aggression pact with all of our neighboring countries in the first place, there was no country that would touch us except for the Brans Army.
“That’s good. Isn’t that red-haired b*tch coming again? I really want to get revenge this time.”
Tifa said, enthusiastically striking the ax on the ground.
Compared to the time we arrived and checked after signing the agreement, the injury recovered faster than expected…… Still, it was a dangerous moment that could have cost him his life.
Tifa, a representative royal character, should not have been lost in vain in a place like this.
“Still, weren’t you as prepared as possible as instructed by the Swen army? The castle walls are stronger than ever, and I don’t think the number of soldiers is this small…”
Kane asked a question to Luna, who had a thoughtful look on her face.
Yes. We did everything we could.
I didn’t know that the Brans army would invade again someday.
From our military’s perspective, it was not that we did not think about forming an alliance with Brans’ military. However, the results predicted before sending the envoy were all impossible.
This meant that the Brans army would not form an alliance with our army no matter what happened.
All I could do was predict. The outcome of that prediction could not be changed.
Isn’t that why we prepared for the battle to the best of our ability?
But why-
Is Luna making such a desperate expression?
“…You’re right, Kane. We did everything we could.”
“What you mean is…?”
I asked the question slowly.
At this point, I am starting to get an idea.
And, the answer she gave after hearing my question added confidence to my guess.
“…The Brans army is advancing towards Zeeland Castle. The number of soldiers is…”
She sighs briefly.
She then opened her mouth with a determined expression.
“81,000 People.”
“……!!!”
“W-what…!”
“80,000…?”
Except for me, who guessed to some extent that the reason for such an expression was ‘probably because of the overwhelming number of enemy troops,’ everyone else, hearing the number, let out a word one by one as if they could not believe it.
Yes.
Even if you prepare with all your might, if they attack in numbers that seem unstoppable, you will inevitably lose strength.
An overwhelming army of over 80,000 people!
It was as if all the soldiers had been gathered from all fronts except the northern part of the Brans Army. The number of soldiers already made me feel dizzy.
The walls of Zeeland Castle were stronger than ever.
The number of soldiers was also greater than ever, and their morale was sky-high after winning two battles.
But then what can we do?
81,000 Soldiers could not be stopped.
It’s not that there is no way to prevent it. If there were a few SS-level soldiers, it was possible to slaughter them here and there like a vacuum cleaner. Because it wasn’t a game that gave much realism to strategy and tactics.
But there was no such weapon in our military. Although Tifa was strong, she was still only an A-level weapon. No matter how much stronger the special units of the mercenary groups were than ordinary soldiers, in the end, many of the soldiers were gangsters.
So – the Brans army was coming to trample on us.
‘Then why?’
There must be a reason why Brans is coming?
This small territory, including Zeeland Castle, was not a military strategic point. It was just one of the less important castles that are common in the central region.
If you were to lead such a large army, you would inevitably have to prepare more than one or two things, but it meant that the land was not worth putting such effort into.
At that time.
“……Mr. Swen, what should I do?”
Kane naturally asked me a question.
No one disputes that statement. They just look at my face as if they are asking me for an answer.
Luna also closed her eyes for a moment and fell into thought…… She then slowly opened her eyes and asked me.
“Swen. Light my path. Can we win this battle?”
“…….”
[Can we win this battle?]
As always, conclusions are drawn very quickly.
[Can’t win.]
‘…… !’
You can’t win at all.
Since the outcome of ‘cannot win’ was predicted, even if a meteorite falls from the sky, it will inevitably fall on our army and we will lose. It was impossible in this world to overturn the results predicted by a brain with 100 intelligence.
“Winning this battle is next to impossible.”
“Well, like that…!”
Tifa, who was next to the despairing Kane, somehow managed to ask with a smile on her face.
“But why, even though it’s close to impossible, is there something we can do? It’s been like that all this time!”
“……Let me correct my statement. It’s not that it’s close to impossible, but it’s definitely impossible.”
“W…What is that? You’ve done well so far! Can’t we make an agreement this time?”
“Yes.”
If such a thing were possible, it would have been predicted that an agreement would be concluded as before.
“Where’s that? Think of something! I’m sorry for asking you all the time, but… But you’re the smartest among us!”
The smartest, D.
If the standard for being smart is a measure of intellect, it may be true.
In this world, intelligence only increases the accuracy of ‘predictions’, but does not allow us to come up with something groundbreaking.
Of course, being sure that all predictions are correct is itself a deceptive ability, but…… Anyway, I couldn’t make something happen that didn’t work.
“Then… Is this the end of our army…? There is no other way but to submit to fate and perish here?”
Luna looked at me with an expression that seemed like she was about to collapse.
It was just the beginning.
The Lunarien army was just stretching out.
But in the end…… Are you saying that you are destined to be kicked out of the stage of history by a powerful feudal lord?
Is it impossible to defy that fate?
All the surrounding castles were owned by different leaders.
It meant that there was no escape route for us.
‘…… For a moment.’
Just in case, I entered into her mind the last question she asked as if she was giving up – ‘Is there no other way for our military to perish here?’
And as expected – the conclusion was reached very quickly.
[Not really. Leave Lunarien County.]
‘…… ???’
Huh?
What?
Leave Lunarien County? I?
Do you mean to leave?
…… Wait for a sec.
I re-entered the question that gave the same result until a few days ago.
‘Can Runarien Inien become the monarch who will unify the continent?’
[Yes.]
This has not changed.
She is still destined to become a unified monarch, but she cannot win this battle now.
And in order for the Lunarien army not to be destroyed…… I have to leave…… ?
“Swen…?”
Luna noticed that my expression had changed and asked with a worried look.
I looked at her and answered with as calm a look as I could.
“My lord, I am very sorry, but please give me just a little time. Think about it for a moment.”
“…I understand.”
After Luna nodded her head, she looked at me with cautious eyes.
I turned away from that gaze and quickly re-entered a few key questions in my head.
‘Can Runarien Inien become the monarch who will unify the continent?’
[Yes.]
Next question.
‘Is there a way to win this battle?’
[Can’t win.]
This is also the same. We cannot win this battle no matter what.
And the last one.
‘Is this the fate of the Lunarien army? ‘Is it inevitable that we will perish?’
[Not really. Leave Lunarien County.]
Three predictions.
What I need to do from now on is what kind of picture these three ‘100% accurate predictions’ are drawing.
The goal was to squeeze out the most plausible process possible.
*
It was difficult to look at the predetermined results and figure out exactly what process would be followed to reach those results.
However, it was easier to think of ‘If this is the result, this process will definitely have to be rough’.
The Lunarien army does not completely disappear at this moment.
Why? Because she is still destined to become a unified monarch.
Unless that fate changes, doing work for the Lunarien army has become work for me.
Only subjects of a unified nation can return to the original world.
However, since there is nowhere to run, a future in which the country disappears from the map is inevitable.
Why? Because I can’t win this battle.
If we did not win the battle, losing Zeeland Castle was a certainty, and our army had no other territory other than this small castle.
A force without any territory could not be called a feudal lord, even in empty words.
When you combine these two facts – only one conclusion shines brightly in your mind.
‘The Lunarien army will disappear for a while, but will appear on the stage of history again later.’
Lord Runarien Yniang will not die.
He will survive somehow.
Whatever the trigger, he will raise an army again.
The problem was the remaining colleagues.
Tifa and Kane, who have not reached their potential yet, could die if they are captured in this battle.
‘Lyn Brans.’
I recalled how CPU Lin Brans treated the prisoners in the game I invested 10,000 hours into.
Useable prisoners were taken in, but those who did not become subjects were killed.
You can think of him as the type of person who kills only if he can’t have it.
On the other hand, the lives of worthless prisoners who were difficult to use were generously spared.
Of course, there were sometimes exceptions.
Even though they were useful prisoners, there were cases where they were liberated.
But if there was a case where everyone was killed without exception – it was when the prisoner was the leader.
At this time, there was a very high probability that the head would be blown off.
They probably thought of him as a potential competitor.
When playing as a weak country, I can’t tell you how many times I had to restart because of Lin Brans.
No matter how good a person is, not using them as subordinates doesn’t mean they think that someone who has already ruled once would not work under someone else?
Anyway, what if we assume that Kane and Tifa are captured here, excluding Luna?
‘Both of them will die.’
Kane was quite political. Due to the special circumstances of our military, he only did castle wall repair work instead of internal affairs, but he is an old man who shows his ability more than the price of rice whether he is hired for commerce or agriculture.
Tifa is a general who falls short of S-rank, but is at least A-rank.
And neither of them seemed likely to surrender to a monarch other than Runarien.
Since Kane is hiding his identity, he would not want to be under a powerful feudal lord, and Tifa has a personality.
Kane may be able to surrender and live quietly, but Tifa will unconditionally beheaded.
‘You can’t lose even one person.’
Even if the future is set for the Lunarien army to be unified later-
If one colleague disappeared, the difficulty of the process could have changed significantly.
So, neither Tifa nor Kane should be killed. It is something that everyone must protect for the sake of the future king.
Then there is one conclusion.
I will make everyone run away from this castle, including Luna.
It would be best to have Luna follow around, where safety is at least halfway guaranteed.
Here, the question naturally came to mind: if a monarch runs away with a small army, wouldn’t he naturally form a chase troop?
But I won’t do that.
The basis for thinking so was the prediction about the third question.
[That’s not true. Leave Lunarien County.]
It meant that if I left the Lunarien Army, the Lunarien Army would be able to avoid destruction.
Then – just think about why ‘my leaving’ is a ‘way to avoid destruction’.
The answer was surprisingly simple.
‘Lyn Brans’ goal is not the complete destruction of Zeeland Castle or the Runarien Army.’
‘Her purpose…… ‘It’s me.’