Under Irene's command, the Brance Army soldiers began their charge toward Zeilant Castle.
"Fire!"
At Luna's single command, the elite archers of the Raven Mercenaries stationed on the castle wall began to unleash a torrent of arrows.
A deluge of arrows rained down from above, striking the enemy soldiers. It seemed they were taking heavy damage, but—
"There are just too many!"
It was a massive force of over 20,000 soldiers.
Of course, not all 20,000 had gathered at the east gate, but even if the troops had been split, the sheer number was overwhelming.
No matter how many arrows were shot, it was impossible to stop them all.
Moreover, rocks began to fly in from catapults far in the distance.
Boom!
A thunderous crash that pierced even the roars of the soldiers pounded in Luna's ears.
They were at a disadvantage.
Thankfully, Swen had prioritized repairing the castle walls. If they had invested in other domestic matters instead, the gates might have been breached quickly.
'Swen…'
Swen had said that a ceasefire agreement was the only path forward.
How he planned to secure that agreement, Luna still didn't know—but she trusted him.
He was the first companion who came to her with faith, and her first strategist.
'Please... I'll hold on as long as I can... so hurry!'
And now the scene shifted to the base of the wall.
Tifa, standing in front of the gate, raised her axe and shouted from horseback to the soldiers.
"Everyone! Prioritize attacking the catapults! Got it?!"
"Uooooo!!!"
As if to show the results of their training, the soldiers under Tifa charged fiercely at the enemy.
Despite the stark difference in numbers, their morale remained high.
After all—their great general, Tifa, was leading from the front.
"Come at me all at once, you little bastards!"
Tifa swung her axe with ease, mowing down enemy soldiers.
The sight of enemies being cleaved apart faster than the rain of arrows from the wall caused unrest among the Brance soldiers.
"W-What is that monster of a woman?!"
"She's coming this way!"
Noticing the formation starting to collapse, Irene quickly grasped the situation.
A female general in the front lines was overwhelming her soldiers with an axe.
'Hooh.'
Even a minor nation had its worthy individuals.
Irene shouted loudly to her soldiers.
"Everyone, fall back!"
At her command, the battle briefly paused.
She then slowly advanced on horseback.
"My name is Irene Juliette. And yours?"
"Why the hell should I tell you, jackass!"
Tifa pointed her axe at Irene.
"If you want to fight, cut the chit-chat and come at me already!"
To someone who valued chivalry, such words might seem outrageously rude—but Irene found Tifa's reaction amusing and let out a low chuckle.
"What a beastly woman. I like people like you. But!"
Clang!
The sound of the two women's axe and massive sword clashing thundered through the air.
"Wild types like you don't live long. What a shame."
"How are you still talking this much?! Bring it on, bitch!"
Clang!
They exchanged a few blows.
It was enough for both to gauge each other's level.
It was Tifa who was taken aback.
'...She's strong, this woman!'
Lady Knight Irene.
Tifa had, of course, heard the name before.
But she was the type to believe in what she saw and heard herself over rumors.
The rumors only said Irene excelled in siege warfare—nothing more. So she assumed her personal combat ability would be average.
After a few exchanges, it became obvious.
She couldn't win against this woman.
'Damn it!'
But.
If she started making excuses about individual strength, how could the Lunarian Army ever hope to defeat a mighty nation like Brance?
Besides, that wimpy flower-boy strategist had said it.
That he would definitely return with a ceasefire.
So—
'Hold on! I have to endure this!'
Clang!
"How about taking this a little more seriously? You might actually die otherwise."
At Irene's words, Tifa bit her lip and shouted.
"The one whose head's gonna hit the ground is you, bitch! Bring it on!"
"Haaah!"
The only one who could change the tide of this war was the strategist, Swen.
Until Swen returned with results, she had to hold out—
Focusing solely on that, Tifa continued to clash her axe against an unbeatable foe.
* * *
I galloped forward at full speed.
If I were heading to Kihara Castle, where I stayed before joining the Lunarian Army, I could've made it in a day—but Lynn Brance, the sovereign, resided further away in Anel Castle.
One day, then two... skipping sleep in the saddle, I somehow managed to reach Anel Castle.
'Do I just head to the royal castle?'
In the game, you could press the "Diplomacy" button, then the "Execute" button, and immediately have an audience with the opposing sovereign—but actually doing that in real life was a whole different matter.
"Halt!"
I'd already been stopped before I could even pass the castle gates.
"Who are you?!"
'...Hmm. Will this work?'
I couldn't use the 1300 gold I brought for diplomacy.
So I pulled out 30 gold from my personal pouch.
Losing 30 gold was painful, but if I couldn't get in, the Lunarian Army would be destroyed. What choice did I have?
"I'm not a suspicious person. Could this perhaps smooth things over?"
"...Hmm... Fine. You may enter!"
It worked. Thank goodness.
I'd expected it, honestly. While there was no such mechanic in [Garland Eternity Saga], the company that developed this game had other similar games where bribing guards was a feature.
In any case, I successfully entered Anel Castle.
Wow.
Once inside, I stood in awe at the scenery that unfolded before my eyes.
It looked like something out of a fantasy game's teaser trailer.
I was once again struck by the realization that I had entered another world.
Up to now, I'd only seen modest-sized cities like Kihara Castle or the rundown small town of Zeilant.
The number of people walking around was on a completely different scale.
The title of largest fortress in the central continent was well-earned.
No time to waste.
I quickly searched for what looked like the royal palace.
It wasn't hard to find.
In the center stood a castle with spires that clearly marked it as the ruler's residence.
That has to be it. Let's go.
I sprinted toward the castle.
* * *
Fortunately, getting an audience with the sovereign wasn't as difficult as I feared, despite getting hassled by the guards at the castle gate.
Though a light pat-down was part of the process, and soldiers flanked me like they were keeping a watchful eye, I didn't mind any of it as long as I could actually meet the sovereign.
It was certainly better than being told I couldn't meet her because of some bizarre precondition and wasting time on nothing.
"Whoa."
The inner halls of Anel Castle were downright luxurious.
The furnishings looked ridiculously expensive, and the various decorations gave off a sense of majesty and authority that made an outsider like me feel utterly insignificant.
Considering Zeilant Castle's so-called royal castle was no better than a glorified brick tea room, the contrast was stark.
In-game, all interior designs were standardized, so I hadn't realized the difference, but in retrospect, this kind of contrast made things feel more realistic.
Then again, this was real life now, so worrying about realism was kind of silly.
'Man, big corporations really do it better.'
Eventually, after being led deeper into the palace—
"Wait here."
One of the soldiers beside me stepped forward, opened a door, and entered.
A moment later—
"You may enter."
Nice.
Finally, I would get to meet the sovereign.
I recalled the dialogue from the game and steadied my thudding heart as I stepped inside.
The doors opened.
I stepped into the hallway leading to the audience chamber of Anel Castle.
A long red carpet stretched before me, and soldiers who appeared to be Brance Army officers stood in lines along both sides.
The way they all turned to look at my face might have made someone else shrink back, but—
'No reason to get nervous.'
I was here to propose a deal that was guaranteed to go through—a so-called "super VVIP" visit.
They would accept the deal. There was no other possible outcome. My Intelligence stat of 100 said so.
Emboldened, I marched forward without hiding my confidence.
Finally, I reached the doors to the audience chamber.
Inside were the sovereign, the envoy (me) and two guards to keep an eye on things—
And the sovereign's strategist.
This was the real battlefield for me, the envoy—the audience chamber at the heart of the palace.
It felt like I was the away team stepping into the home stadium.
I slowly opened the door.
The doors closed behind me.
My eyes landed on a woman sitting on the throne, looking thoroughly bored.
Long blue hair and eyes as blue as her hair.
An elegant, stunning face.
Her beauty sparkled like a gemstone, but even that wasn't enough to explain the aura she radiated.
Which made sense—that small-framed, beautiful woman had surpassed her two older brothers to seize the throne of the Brance Army.
In my memory, Lynn Brance was just a woman with blue hair.
The in-game portrait was rendered in pixel art, so even if she was meant to be pretty, it didn't really come across.
But seeing her in person made it crystal clear.
She was born to rule. A woman who would never tolerate being beneath anyone.
The first female sovereign I'd met since my own former liege, Lunarian Iniang.
Lynn Brance smiled faintly at me.
'She's alone…'
No strategist?
A few names came to mind for Lynn Brance's strategists, but maybe there were special circumstances.
Maybe she figured some envoy from a small country wasn't worth anyone else's time.
In any case, I had to make the best of what I was given.
I knelt slowly.
Then, reciting the line I'd seen dozens of times in the game, I spoke aloud.
"I have come bearing a message from our sovereign, Lady Lunarian."
Lynn Brance gave a small chuckle, then spoke in a low voice.
"My, my. Marching into a warring nation as an envoy with that pretty little face of yours. Maybe you're a bit manlier than you look?"
She was openly mocking me, but I wouldn't be rattled by every little barb.
If I lost my composure here, I might as well quit being a strategist.
"Very well. I'll hear you out."
I slowly raised my head.
The fate of the Lunarian Army now rested squarely on my shoulders.
Time to put my silver tongue to use.
Don't get nervous.
I had an Intelligence stat of 100, after all.
"I have an offer you can't refuse."
"Oho? An irresistible offer, you say? Now you have my attention. Let's hear it."
Like a salesman pitching a once-in-a-lifetime deal, I flashed a shameless smile and declared boldly—
"We will offer you 1300 gold. In return, please agree to a ceasefire with our army."