Occasionally, Penrel couldn’t understand what the king was thinking.

No, it would be more accurate to say that it had become like that recently.

Until the early days of his reign, Penrel could generally understand what the king was thinking. Although he wasn’t particularly perceptive, he had been in tune with him for a long time.

The two men, who had met as the second and youngest princes of the Soer family, had been by each other’s side for longer than most relationships.

Because of this, Penrel was fairly good at reading his mood just by the king furrowing his brow, smiling, or lightly tapping the desk.

But recently, he couldn’t say that was the case.

In the tent, after sending out all the corps commanders, Penrel approached the king who was looking down at a map of the Kirios Mountains.

“Your Majesty, if I may…”

“If you have something you want to ask, say it. I know you and Salode have many concerns.”

The voice that answered was calm, without a trace of displeasure.

Nevertheless, Penrel hesitated a little. The thought occurred to him that as a subject, it might be right to follow the monarch’s will without question, whatever it may be. It was an even greater conflict because he usually valued principles to some extent.

As if reading Penrel’s mind, the king raised his head to look at him.

“I’m not just saying that. I think there might be parts that are difficult for even you to understand.”

And the king said with a slightly relaxed face, as if joking:

“But it’s because it’s you that I’m drawing it out this much. If it were Salode, he would have been startled and asked without hesitation, don’t you think?”

At those words, Penrel recalled a meeting they had at the royal palace some time ago.

In the meeting with just him and his brother, the king, and the four heirs of Chesa, Salode was the person who opposed most vehemently.

Perhaps because he wasn’t a knight who had sworn loyalty, he would occasionally rebel against things he couldn’t understand with his own thinking.

And each time, the king would accept the finance advisor’s words to some extent, but not that time. The king ignored Salode’s suggestion to leave the border to Soer’s defense forces and wait in the capital until the harvest season was over.

But I’m not trying to rebel against the king. Steeling his resolve, Penrel carefully opened his mouth.

“Why do you intend to entrust the front lines to the army of the elder faction?”

In the meeting just now, the king had positioned the troops so that the army of the elder faction would definitely take charge of the front lines in case of engagement. The most reliable Soer and Chesa, and the royal direct army were deployed on both wings.

The engagement was expected to take place on the plains right below the mountain range where Hator, the first prince of Brinwell, was encamped.

However, since Hator, who held the high ground, was unlikely to come down willingly, they would end up traversing the mountain range.

As in other environments, the role of the vanguard was very important, especially when traversing a mountain range. Because it was such a dangerous area, they had to make the right judgments to prevent damage to the rear following behind.

Penrel couldn’t be sure that the soldiers sent from the elder houses, especially Nebel and Onde, could properly fulfill that role.

As it is, Nebel is just waiting for the king to fall. Wasn’t it the king himself who conscripted their army because he was uneasy about keeping them close to the capital while he was away?

Penrel voiced what was inside him to the king who was looking at him as if telling him to say more.

“Of course, I understand that the rear is also important, so they can’t be placed in the rear. But if that’s the case, rather than pushing them to the left or right…”

And he closed his mouth. Listening to himself, it sounded like he was doubting the king’s choice as well.

“…I spoke out of turn. Please forgive me.”

“No, it’s alright. I understand why you said that.”

By common judgment, Penrel’s words were correct. Idren also knew that if he hadn’t experienced war in his past life, he would have made the same choice Penrel spoke of.

But this time was different. What they needed to do in the first engagement was not to directly confront the Brinwell army.

Idren pulled out the red flag stuck in the map.

“Actually, there’s something I haven’t told you yet. What we’re going to strike is not people.”

“…What do you mean?”

“The first prince of Brinwell has set up camp between two peaks. It’s too inconvenient to move completely on high ground. As you know, the Kirios Mountains are generally not very steep.”

“That’s right.”

“While the rest of the army moves as deployed, the corps commander of Chesa will strike the right peak of the two where the Brinwell prince has set up camp. Although that peak looks very solid on the outside, there’s too much snow piled on top, so an avalanche will easily occur. And the aftermath…”

“…The front lines will bear the full brunt of it.”

The king didn’t answer that statement, but in this situation, silence itself was affirmation.

Now Penrel seemed to understand what the king was intending. He seemed to be thinking of eliminating the reactionary elements within the army on this occasion.

Although they came as allies now, when they return to the capital, they would all be enemies of the royal family, so in a way it was a practical choice, but Penrel couldn’t readily agree with those words. Something like a conscience in his heart held him back from readily saying it was right.

The king looked at him for a moment and shook his head slightly.

“I can see what’s bothering you. You’re thinking that no matter what, they came under the pretext of being allies, so you don’t want to go that far.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“No, I understand your feelings too. But this time, I’d like you to follow my will.”

And the king put down the red flag he was holding in his hand. In front of the black flag marking Prince Hator’s position, a flag bearing the emblem of Nebel fell.

The man who had been looking down at it with cold eyes for a moment said,

“Because they didn’t come here as allies.”

After a brief explanation, the knight left the tent, saying it was getting late.

Idren watched the back of the man who had bowed respectfully until it was hidden by the cloth. The back that the Brinwell army had once mistaken for his own was a little stronger than he remembered.

Penrel, with his fair and warm nature, still didn’t seem to fully understand the plan he had set, but he didn’t object. Idren recalled what he had said to him.

“As you know, Nebel has been in league with Brinwell for a very long time. This war is no exception. Apart from the fact that they are my long-standing enemies, if we leave such elements in the army, we will be defeated.”

“……”

“But I want to ease your conscience, so how about this? On the day of engagement, check where Prince Hator sends the general on his right flank. That general is someone the prince trusts greatly and uses like his own limbs. While he himself will guard the center for show, what he really wants to target, he’ll use him to strike.”

At this, Penrel made an expression as if wondering how he knew such a fact.

Idren didn’t tell the knight that in his past life, he had paid with his life to inform him of this.

That incident was now non-existent. Although there might be some scratches since it was war, anyway, Penrel Soer was expected to return to Edegrun with all his limbs intact.

“On that day, I will choose one of the elder faction’s corps commanders to act as my double. Since it would be meaningless if everyone knew, only the corps commanders, you, and I should know. I’ll stay on the left flank, so watch which way the prince’s general moves.”

Of course, that would only serve to reconfirm what they already knew.

But if he could ease Penrel’s mind in that way, Idren wanted to do so. He wanted to repay, even slightly, the sacrifice he had made in his previous life.

There was no more conversation after that. Penrel greeted him as usual and left the tent, and he was left alone.

After looking at the table where the map was still spread out for a moment, Idren sat on the bed. He took out the letter he had kept in his bosom.

Idren, who had been looking at it with eyes full of emotion for a moment, broke the wax seal.

As he already knew, the letter was from Ophelia.

When he saw her characteristically neat handwriting, Idren almost cried without realizing it. He felt like someone who had gotten their own home for the first time after living as a beggar all along.

Since their relationship wasn’t as affectionate as people knew, there was nothing in the written words that would suit a romantic relationship. However, the first sentence that read, “I’m writing because you asked me to−,” felt sweeter than sugar to him.

Ophelia didn’t write a long letter. She wrote down a few facts about herself that Salode might not know. She seemed to know that Salode reported to him separately.

−Starlet has come to Galisa. I plan to call him back to the castle, but don’t worry as nothing unusual is expected to happen.

And below that, she wrote as if she knew what he would think.

−I won’t let any flirting slide gently either, so don’t worry unnecessarily.

To be honest, what bothered him more than Ophelia rejecting advances was other men throwing flirtations at her in the first place, but Idren didn’t object even in his heart. After all, it was more important that Ophelia had said such things with him in mind.

He read through several situation reports that followed. Finally, the last paragraph caught his eye.

−Last time when you left, you asked me to tell you to come back safely. I forgot then, so I’ll write it in the letter.

And below that, in slightly emphasized handwriting, a brief sentence was written.

−Come back safely.