Airen, noticing my confusion at the sight of Carlints, spoke to me in a gentle voice.

    "Ah, Swen. You wouldn’t know since you were unconscious..."

    I turned to look at her.

    And then—

    She told me everything that had happened while I was unconscious.

    ***

    Rewinding Time.

    Having successfully escaped from the prison in Cherien Castle, Carlints was now riding at full speed toward the fortress, having stolen a soldier’s horse.

    From what he had gathered, Serpina’s army, with around fifty thousand soldiers, was advancing on Cherien Castle, which had already been weakened due to his reckless assault.

    He had managed to escape by taking advantage of the chaos, but now he had a much bigger problem.

    ''I was a fool.''

    Now that he had some distance from the battlefield, the cold reality of his actions settled in.

    The morale of Cherien Castle’s soldiers had not been low at all.

    Serpina had conquered the north, but she hadn’t fully won over the people yet, which meant that various uprisings were bound to occur.

    Carlints had known this.

    And if he had truly thought it through, he would have realized that the rebels might actually be more loyal to Ian than he had assumed.

    In the end, the result of his battle had been disastrous.

    He had done Serpina’s work for her.

    The general of an enemy nation had conveniently weakened the rebel forces that she would have otherwise struggled to suppress.

    Thanks to him, Serpina’s army could now easily crush the rebellion.

    He had earned military merit, alright—

    For the enemy.

    ''Damn it!''

    What a humiliating outcome.

    Looking back, he could see just how arrogant and foolish he had been.

    And now, with his forces completely shattered, his fortress would inevitably fall as well.

    That fortress—

    The one he had insisted on building.

    After the embarrassing defeat against Lunarian’s small army and his lackluster performance in the northern campaign, he had desperately needed something to prove his worth.

    Because he wasn’t just a general—

    He was the blood relative of Lyn Brans, the ruler of Brans Army.

    He had spent his whole life being compared to his siblings.

    If he failed now, people would say that he had only risen to his position because of his lineage.

    He had always been a skilled commander, objectively speaking—

    But he had constantly been overshadowed by his brothers and sisters.

    That pressure had made him reckless.

    And now, the fortress he had built was on the verge of being taken.

    Not because of a strategic blunder by his peers—

    But because of his own stubbornness.

    People had warned him that the fortress was a liability.

    That if it were captured, it would benefit the enemy more than Brans Army.

    At the time, he had ignored them.

    Now, he saw they had been right.

    ''Damn it!''

    Carlints gritted his teeth.

    If he had become this pathetic, then at the very least—

    He wouldn’t beg for his life.

    He would die fighting.

    For the honor of the Brans name, he had to die on the battlefield.

    It was the only way to atone for his failure.

    Otherwise, he could never face his younger sister, Lyn, or his older brother, the strongest swordsman in Brans Army.

    But—

    A nagging thought made him uneasy.@@@@

    Lyn had probably ordered a retreat.

    She wasn’t the type to cling to unwinnable battles.

    If she had truly abandoned the fortress—

    And if, upon arrival, he saw the yellow banners of Serpina’s army instead of Brans Army’s sky-blue—

    Carlints was prepared to charge the fortress alone.

    ''Please... just hold out a little longer...!''

    Perhaps his desperate wish had reached the heavens.

    Because when he finally arrived—

    The sky-blue flag of Brans Army was still flying over the fortress.

    But—

    Something was off.

    ''...What the hell is that?''

    A man was doing something bizarre atop the fortress walls.

    Standing between two massive war drums, he was screaming at the sky.

    As Carlints drew closer, he noticed—

    The man had white hair.

    There was a young white-haired man in the fortress, wasn’t there...?

    But before he could piece it together—

    "...Huh?"

    I felt fine enough to move, but...

    Well, I might as well accept the concern.

    Considering my naturally low stamina, it wouldn’t hurt to take this as a chance to recover.

    "Understood. But if anything urgent happens, please call me."

    "I will."

    Silence settled over the room.

    And that was when I realized something.

    "Um... Lady Airen."

    "Yes?"

    "Are you... planning to stay here the whole time?"

    "Yes."

    Airen nodded without hesitation.

    "Swen, taking care of you is my priority right now. With General Carlints back, he can handle the fortress matters."

    "...Are you sure? Don’t you have other responsibilities?"

    "No. Right now... nothing is more important than looking after you."

    She said it firmly.

    Yet her eyes weren’t cold—

    They were warm.

    Somehow, her attitude felt different from before I lost consciousness...

    But honestly, I didn’t dislike this change.

    "Then, I’ll be in your care."

    "Mhm."

    She smiled at me.

    At that moment—

    I realized.

    I had been able to protect that smile.

    And for the first time ever—

    I felt genuinely grateful for my 100 Intelligence.

    *

    A Few Days Later.

    News arrived—

    Cherien Castle, Mati Castle, and all of Ian’s strongholds had fallen to Serpina’s forces.

    Ian Rashfalt had been executed.

    Not only him—

    All of the rebel generals, including Solana Rashfalt, had been beheaded.

    It had been an incredibly short rebellion.

    I had never expected them to last long, but still...

    If they knew they were doomed from the start, why did they even rebel?

    I found myself growing curious—

    But I would never get an answer now.

    Ian was gone.

    ''What happens to the north now?''

    The swift suppression and mass executions sent a clear message.

    Anyone who defied Serpina’s rule—

    Would die.

    Her grip on the north would only tighten.

    And once she had fully secured her rule—

    There was no doubt about where her blade would turn next.

    Brans Army.

    ''I hope my lord is preparing for this.''

    Not that it really mattered to me.

    When the time was right, I would simply leave with Airen.

    A Few More Days Later.

    Finally—

    The reinforcements from Arnel Castle arrived at the fortress.

    Airen and I accompanied Carlints to the war room to meet them.

    "By our lord’s command, I, Taltin, have arrived with reinforcements, General Carlints."

    "Hmm. I see."

    "We were relieved to hear of your successful escape. I am sure our lord will be pleased to hear of it as well."

    "......"

    Carlints gave no response.

    Instead, he changed the subject.

    "So. The reinforcements—will they be stationed here in the fortress?"

    "That... I’m afraid not."

    "What?"

    Carlints frowned, and Taltin spoke in a firm tone.

    "We have received direct orders from our lord. All commanding officers, including yourself, are to return to Arnel Castle immediately."

    "Return? And who will remain to defend this fortress?"

    Taltin hesitated for a brief moment before carefully continuing.

    "And secondly... we have been ordered to gather all available supplies—"

    "......"

    "—And then destroy the fortress."