"A ceasefire agreement? …Pardon me for a moment."
Lynn scoffed as she spoke—
Then covered her mouth with her sleeve and began to tremble with laughter.
As if merely uttering the term was too hilarious to handle.
I stared straight at her face without a hint of reaction.
Lynn laughed for quite a while before finally sighing and opening her mouth.
"Haah. That was amusing. Alright, a ceasefire agreement, then. And your offered condition is thirteen hundred gold?"
"That is correct."
In that instant, the expression of Lynn Brance, which had resembled that of a playful young girl with a hint of laughter, turned cold as if a sudden freeze had overtaken her.
She looked down at me with half-dead eyes.
The lofty demeanor only someone who had ascended to the pinnacle of a nation could possess reminded me once again that she was the leader of the Brance Army.
"And why would I?"
Good, that's how you make it worth negotiating.
I smiled as I spoke.
"Because my proposal is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the Brance Army."
"Is that so?"
She began twisting a strand of her long blue hair around her finger.
By this point, she wasn't even looking at my face.
"What's your name?"
"I am Swen, envoy of the Lunarian Army."
"Swen, envoy of the Lunarian Army, or whatever. You do know what a ceasefire agreement is, right?"
"I do."
Then,
With an icy glare—as if she would devour me whole—she continued.
"I'll admit it. Last time, our army was caught off guard and suffered a crushing defeat. We were careless. With only eight thousand troops, we couldn't conquer your country. That's a fact. But you know what? This time, I've sent twenty-three thousand troops to your country. You're aware of that, right?"
"I am."
"I don't know how much more you can scrape together, or if you're planning another surprise reinforcement like before, but still…"
She rose from the throne and began to walk toward me slowly.
With every step she took, it felt like the pressure in the room thickened.
Killing intent!
Her mere movement exuded overwhelming bloodlust.
It felt as if an icy chill was cutting through me.
So this is the sovereign of a great power?
An ordinary person would surely be crushed under this aura, unable even to speak their mind.
But so what?
I'm a man with 100 intelligence.
Even now, I am certain. She will have no choice but to accept this ceasefire agreement.
Not for a moment did I avert my eyes from her as she approached.
"Your army is finished. Even if defense has the advantage over offense, with this difference in numbers, there's no way you can win. Not even with some legendary general... Oh, right. Do you know who our army's vanguard is?"
"The esteemed General Irene, is it not?"
"Exactly, so whether you offer thirteen hundred gold or even three thousand, I have no intention of agreeing to this."
After saying that—
She crouched down and met me at eye level, while I knelt on the ground.
The scent of her perfume stabbed my nose.
Even that alluring fragrance carried an undercurrent of fearsome chill.
'Perfume exists in this world too, huh.'
Of course, that was just a fleeting, irrelevant thought on my part.
"Am I crazy? Hm? If I cut off your lord Luna's head, I'd get more than thirteen hundred gold. Zeilant Castle would practically roll to me on its own. Why should I accept your money and make peace?"
She locked eyes with me, awaiting my answer.
Even though a breathtaking beauty was right before me—this was clearly a dangerous moment, wasn't it?
Still, I showed no signs of faltering. My predictions are never wrong.
I paused for a brief moment to think.
If this agreement is a destined future, then it means this fierce attitude from Lynn Brance will eventually shift.
That would mean the ceasefire is also beneficial to the Brance Army.
I can predict the outcome, but not the process.
Still, if the result is fixed, then there must be a plausible path to reach it.
So, all I have to do is draw that path myself.
I slowly picked up my tongue-made brush.
"Accepting this money and forming a ceasefire agreement with us is, ultimately, in the best interest of the Brance Army."
"...What?"
"Again, I say: accepting this money and forming a ceasefire agreement with us is, ultimately, in the best interest of the Brance Army."
"..."
Lynn stared into my eyes for a long time without a word.
Like a staring contest, time flowed in utter silence.
"...Haah."
Lynn made the face of a child bored of a new toy and let out a short sigh before speaking.
"Hahh… You're just bluffing. I thought you had something interesting."
"This is not a bluff."
"...Look, normally I'd just have you thrown out, but you're somewhat nice to look at, so I'll explain it logically for once. Thirteen hundred gold offers us no merit. Like I said, even three thousand wouldn't be enough. You're basically asking us to give up a guaranteed victory for pocket change. That make sense to you? Honestly... or maybe."
She reached forward and lifted my chin with two fingers.
Then, brushing her tongue lightly across her lips, she assessed me as if appraising merchandise.
"If you'd offer yourself to me, maybe I'd consider it... ♡ I like my men pretty and delicate, you know? Fufu... ♡ So, what do you say? Want to serve me at night?"
"No, thank you."
"...You're no fun."
Finally, she rose slowly from her position and returned to the throne.
Then, she delivered her words as if slicing them clean.
"I have no intention of signing a ceasefire. Go back and tell your lord that. Though whether her head is still attached by the time you return, who knows."
I looked at Lynn as she waved me off like an annoyance.
And instinctively, I realized.
If there's a turning point in this 'fated outcome' negotiation—it's now.
"You're truly rejecting the agreement?"
"Yup."
"You'll regret this. I'm certain."
"Sure, sure. You're always right. Anyway, not happening."
"This rejection of the ceasefire offer isn't from me. It's from Lynn Brance. You're the one who kicked away this opportunity. You acknowledge that, yes?"
"...Hey."
Lynn looked at me with irritation in her voice.
"Be grateful I'm the ruler of the Brance Army. If this were Serpina's country up north, you'd have been beheaded already. Got it? Anyway, we're done here. Go."
I'll be honest.
In this situation, trying to figure out how the agreement comes about was an incredibly difficult task.
What should I do?
I almost fell into a brief moment of hesitation—
"What are you doing? Not leaving? Or do you really want to go to prison? Want me to send you?"
'It's fine, things will go my way. This ceasefire agreement will definitely happen. There's nothing to worry about.'
She started twirling her hair with her fingers.
What an odd little habit.
At Lynn's urging, I rose to my feet and slowly spoke.
"You will regret this."
"Yeah, yeah. Go on. I'll be over here regretting everything."
I turned around and began walking away slowly.
It's fine.
No matter what happens, this ceasefire agreement will be signed.
Things will go my way.
Everything I say is always right.
Because I—
"My liege!!"
—have 100 intelligence.
"What is it? I told you not to barge in like this during an audience."
Lynn was speaking to the soldier who had rushed into the audience chamber—
Then, her expression started to go pale.
"...What the? You?"
Her gaze locked onto his right arm.
I turned my head slightly to check the soldier's gear.
The armor wasn't from our army, but even so, I recognized a certain detail.
A crimson cloth tightly wrapped around his right arm.
Just seeing that was enough for me to instantly recognize who he was.
That man was a courier.
And there was only one reason a courier would rush to the sovereign in such a hurry, regardless of the situation.
It was when—
"T-The Serpina Army!"
Someone initiates combat.
* * *
"We've received word that the Serpina Army is advancing on Kelstein Castle, a Brance Army territory, with a force of 55,000 troops!"
"...Huh?"
Lynn, stunned, let go of the hair she had been twirling.
But that didn't change the situation.
"You must prepare at once! My liege, give the order!"
'From Serpina? At this time? Why?'
Since the border was close, the Brance Army had been constantly monitoring Serpina's movements from within.
According to the most recent intel, although they had conquered the northern regions, rebel forces refusing to recognize Serpina kept appearing here and there, so their focus was expected to remain on internal affairs for the time being.
'Was the intel... wrong? Or did they deliberately leak false information?
Whatever the case, what was done could not be undone.
Currently, only about twenty thousand troops were stationed at Kelstein Castle, near the Serpina border.
There had been more before, but they had been pulled to support the Zeilant siege.
They couldn't draw troops from the southern warfront, and the east was tied up worrying about Aishas Army.
The most logical move now was to recall the 20,000 troops sent to Zeilant.
It was also the closest western front.
No, there was no other way to stop Serpina's army.
Even if they failed to take Zeilant, it wouldn't significantly harm their forces, but if Kelstein—a fortress—fell, it would be over.
All the castles between here and Anel were barely worth mentioning.
And the enemy was the Serpina Army, the Overlord of the North. A blitzkrieg at an absurd speed was all but guaranteed.
And the moment that thought hit—
Shiver!
It felt like a ghost crawled up her spine, chilling her entire body.
'No way...'
Lynn slowly turned her head to look at the envoy of the Lunarian Army walking away with his back to her.
He had definitely said this:
"Because taking this money and forming a ceasefire agreement with us will ultimately benefit the Brance Army."
'That bastard... Did he know this would happen?'
That strangely confident demeanor.
His unshakable certainty that it would benefit the Brance Army.
If he had known all of this in advance, then it made sense.
Still, one question remained.
'But how?'
How would an envoy from a minor nation know the Serpina Army would attack?
Regardless, the ceasefire had to happen.
They needed to retreat safely and deploy as many troops to the northern front as possible.
"Hey! Stop right there!"
"..."
The white-haired man, Swen, who had been about to leave the castle, slowly turned his head to look at Lynn.
With an incredibly brazen expression, he spoke.
"What is it, Your Highness?"
"...I..."
Lynn bit her lower lip hard.
It was unpleasant to go back and stop an envoy she had already dismissed, but she knew letting pride cost her Kelstein Castle would be the height of stupidity.
That understanding was why she sat on the throne to begin with.
"...Fine, we'll do it. The ceasefire. 1,300 gold. Lucky you, huh? Now you get to go home a hero who single-handedly stopped a war. I'm sure your country will welcome you with open arms—"
"Lady Lynn."
The envoy from the minor nation cut off his sovereign.
Normally, this would have been cause for severe punishment—but with the Serpina Army advancing at that very moment, Lynn Brance didn't even care.
"Did you say 1,300 gold?"
"Hm? Oh... yeah. That's right. 1,300 gold. I'll take that. Special deal."
"I'm afraid that condition won't be acceptable."
"...What do you mean?"
Swen stepped closer to Lynn and, just as before, knelt before her.
And then, with the same consistent, utterly confident tone, he said:
"You'll have to give us 3,000 gold."
"Huh? 3,000 gold? ...I mean, whatever, but do you even have the money?"
"Huh? Us? Why do you ask?"
When asked if he had the money, Swen tilted his head.
As if to say, 'What are you even talking about?'
And then—
Lynn finally realized what Swen was getting at and spoke in a shocked voice.
"...You... Don't tell me..."
And once again, Swen's voice echoed by her ear.
"It wasn't me who rejected the terms of the ceasefire. It was Lady Lynn Brance. You were the one who turned down the opportunity. You agree, don't you?"
'...'
With the same tone as before, Swen now presented a slightly altered deal.
"We'll accept 3,000 gold. If you give us the gold, we'll form the ceasefire. And we promise—we will not pursue the retreating Brance Army."