Who is currently considered the most likely unifying sovereign on the Garland Continent?
No matter who you ask, only one name is mentioned.
A claim to legitimacy through royal blood.
A vast territory gained by pacifying the northern region of the continent.
An abundance of talented individuals.
The tyrant, Serpina von Aingart, is expected to bring the wars to an end and unify the continent—
Both tavern storytellers and commoners immersed in their daily lives would call her name and proclaim her as the new unifying sovereign.
And next.
If Serpina fails to unify the continent, who is the next most likely candidate?
That would be none other than Lynn Brance, the third daughter and talented leader of the Brance family.
With her long, flowing blue hair and elegant demeanor, she leaves a favorable impression on everyone she meets.
She holds the most fertile lands in the continent's central region and has been rapidly growing in power by annexing weaker nations one after another.
With the largest population and many aspiring nations in the center of the continent, the Brance Army is undeniably the leading force.
And now, Lynn Brance, seated on the throne with a mildly bored expression, is receiving a report from someone who appears to be a subordinate.
"My liege. We have secured victory in the Tyrandy occupation battle and successfully liberated Tyrandy from the Walnut Army."
"Really? Well done, brother♡"
They had finally managed to deal with the Walnut Army, who had clashed with them several times before.
Lynn smiled with satisfaction and asked the kneeling man—her second older brother, Karlinz.
"How many prisoners did you take?"
"We captured a total of five officers. Please decide how to handle them. Men!"
"Yes!"
At the man's call, soldiers brought forth five captured officers with their hands bound and forced them to kneel before her.
Among them was a man who had once been their leader—Walnut Castra.
"..."
"Let's see."
Lynn slowly scanned the prisoners.
There was one who had once successfully tricked her army—someone at least worth considering.
"Attention! I believe there was a general among you who once seized Heisel Castle. What was his name again... right, Gurupa. Who's Gurupa?"
"...I'm Gurupa."
A long-haired man raised his head and answered.
Upon seeing him, Lynn put on a sultry smile.
"Oh my... so it's you? You're the one who caused me trouble. Hehe♡ I thought there were no forces around bold enough to strike first at our territory. You've got guts, huh?"
"..."
Gurupa remained silent.
Lynn, seemingly pleased with his defiance, chuckled softly, then stood up and slowly approached him.
Lifting his chin with two fingers, she looked down into his eyes and spoke.
"How about it? Wanna be mine? I treat useful people soooo well. I mean sooooooo well, you know? Working under me is way more fun than sticking with that Walnut guy, don't you think?"
"...Kill me."
Without averting his gaze, Gurupa used what little strength he had left to respond.
Lynn kept smiling at him for a moment before her expression turned cold.
"Hmph. So you're not coming under me."
She shoved him roughly with her hand.
Thud, he collapsed.
"Hey! Take him away and kill him."
"Yes, ma'am!"
And so, Gurupa was dragged off by a soldier.
Everyone in that hall knew exactly where he would be taken: the execution grounds.
The remaining prisoners had seen it all, wide-eyed.
"Haaah. Boring, I don't get why he wouldn't want to be mine. I could show him a far more interesting world than some outdated old man ever could."
After pondering for a bit, Lynn spoke again.
"Aside from Walnut, let me ask the rest of you: will you serve under me or not?"
It was another recruitment offer, but clearly different from the one she gave Gurupa.
More like—if you want in, fine. If not, I don't care.
Maybe it was the sight of Gurupa being dragged to his death moments before, but the remaining prisoners all bowed their heads in unison.
"W-We surrender."
"From today, I shall serve Lady Lynn Brance."
"P-Please, spare me! I swear my utmost loyalty if you let me live!"
"..."
Lynn, with a cold gaze, approached the last man who had begged excessively.
Looking down on him, she asked:
"Hey."
"Hiiik... P-Please... please, spare me..."
"...Sheesh."
Lynn let out a long sigh.
Then, turning to a soldier, she said:
"Let him go."
"Yes, ma'am!"
"L-Let me go, you mean?"
The man looked up at Lynn in shock.
"I'm setting you free. I don't want to waste a salary on someone like you."
In other words, she'd rather release him than pay him to work.
A truly insulting comment, but the man was simply grateful to be alive.
"Thank you, thank you... Thank you so much! I will never forget your mercy!"
"Yeah, yeah. Off you go. Take him away."
"Yes! Come on."
The freed man kept weeping and repeating his thanks as he was dragged out.
Naturally, none of it reached Lynn's ears.
Turning her head, she smiled.
"The remaining two will work under our Brance Army. Got it?"
"Y-Yes, understood!"
"We shall serve with honor!"
Even though two talents had joined the Brance Army, she wasn't exactly thrilled.
The juiciest bait had been lost, and the rest were just scraps.
"..."
"Oh, right."
As if she had just remembered, Lynn approached Walnut.
"Any last words, Mr. Walnut?"
"...If you spare me, I will do everything I can to assist you."
The bald old man, Walnut, trembled slightly.
Though he was now a prisoner, he had once led a faction that went to war with hers.
So Lynn spoke politely to him, in her own way.
"Oh really? That's quite delightful. A once-revered leader offering to help us—how wonderful♡"
She gave a small smile, then quickly changed her expression and lowered her voice.
"But no."
"W-What do you mean?"
She lifted her chin slightly and glared down at him.
It was a look as if she were staring at something revolting.
Not the same kind of gaze she gave the coward earlier, who at least evoked some pity.
This one was full-on disgust.
"You're a leader. And you are begging for your life? That's pathetic. You can't even live up to half of what Gurupa did for loyalty. What's the point?"
"T-That... Gurupa acted on his own—"
"Shut up. You stink. Do you even know why your army could reclaim Heisel Castle, even if briefly? It was because of Gurupa. You don't even know that, yet you dared to raise an army?"
She glanced at the soldier beside her.
He understood instantly.
"This way!"
"W-Wait! Lady Lynn Brance! Please! Have mercy!"
Walnut continued pleading, but Lynn ignored him.
She returned to her throne with an elegant stride.
"Ugh. The shame of being outplayed by such a pathetic man."
The prisoner matter was settled.
Karlinz, still kneeling, cautiously asked:
"My liege, what are your next plans?"
"Hm? Same as always. Crush nearby weak nations and expand our domain. We need to pacify the central region fast if we want to match Serpina's forces in the north. Oh, what about the spy I sent to Zeilant?"
"He returned. As before, Lunarian Iniang is holding the territory. She commands about 3,000 soldiers and has three officers under her."
"Three? Wasn't it two a few days ago? Some old man and that carnivorous-type woman?"
"That was the case last time, but... our agents report seeing a white-haired young man often at Lunarian Iniang's side. It appears she may have recruited a new officer."
"Huh? New officers joining a crumbling army like Lunarian's? Are you sure they didn't just mistake some boy she likes hanging around with?"
"Not certain..."
"Hmm."
It wasn't all that exciting.
The battle against the Walnut Army had been engaging because there was the hope of gaining Gurupa upon victory.
But invading the Lunarian Army and winning would only net her the small city of Zeilant.
The talents under her weren't all that impressive either.
'Well, whatever. The more annoying the task, the quicker it should be handled.'
Lynn turned to Karlinz.
"Brother Chel is down south right now, isn't he?"
"Yes."
Chel Brance.
Karlinz Brance's older brother and Lynn Brance's eldest sibling.
He was known as the strongest sword in the Brance family, a man anyone would point to as the top contender.
"Hmm... Brother Karlinz, can you handle this on your own?"
Karlinz lowered his head at Lynn's question.
"Of course. If you entrust it to me, I will take Zeilant Castle. Negotiations have already been finalized."
'Negotiations already finished?'
That felt a little excessive, but Karlinz probably had it under control.
Lynn nodded.
"Got it, I'll make sure you have enough soldiers. Let's wrap this up quickly."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Including the Lunarian Army, if she dealt with five more factions, she could completely conquer the central continent.
She was a bit concerned about Aishas Army, which she'd probably fight last due to distance, but she was confident she could handle it.
After all, who was she? She was Lynn Brance.
'I am the one who will unify the continent.'
She smiled in satisfaction.
A beautiful, elegant, and dignified smile.
* * *
Having heard the messenger's report, Luna and Swen quickly returned to Zeilant Castle.
Inside, Tifa and Cain were already seated, having gathered upon hearing the news.
"You're here?! You heard, right? The Brance bastards are invading?!"
"...Yeah, I heard. Who's leading them?"
"Most likely Karlinz Brance. We obtained testimony that he was forming an expeditionary force in a nearby town."
At Cain's words, Luna's expression darkened.
"Karlinz Brance... not an easy opponent."
Karlinz Brance.
Of course, I knew the name too.
When playing as the Brance Army, there were two generals who always led the charge in battle.
Karlinz Brance and Chel Brance, siblings of Lord Lynn Brance.
Karlinz, the second brother, wasn't quite as exceptional as Chel, but unlike the more reckless Chel, he had a calm personality and was less susceptible to schemes. He was an S-rank general.
I always preferred using Karlinz over the unpredictable Chel.
'Is it time to abandon the town and run?'
I had just spent a lot of money to win over the people's hearts.
But no matter how I looked at it, there was no chance of winning this battle.
Including the minor generals under Karlinz, they probably had over five people, while we had only four including myself.
The difference in soldier numbers was more than double. It was a hopeless situation.
"Swen, what should we do?"
Luna sought my counsel.
The only fortunate thing was that I had 100 Intelligence.
If they followed my instructions, somehow, things would work out.
With that somewhat naive hope, I input Luna's question into my mind.
And then.
'Huh?'
The answer my mind spat out was—
[Appoint Cain as the vanguard and respond with resistance. This is the optimal strategy available.]
Another absurd answer had appeared.