Now that you have told me that much, I understand Serafina''s intention.


    "In other words, you want me to let the king and his friends make the western conquest while I''m holed up in Maust."


    "Of course, without the Master, we can only make outposts because we know how many troops we have, and I don''t think the enemy will be able to prepare tens of thousands of troops."


    The number of soldiers of the kingdom''s standing army and surrounding lords that Hasse alone can control would not exceed 20,000, no matter how much we overestimate it. And that''s just the whole army. They cannot march on the capital without leaving a single soldier behind, and if it were not an emergency, they would only be able to mobilize a little more than half of their forces.


    If so, there is a strong possibility that the enemy will only send out enough troops to resist them. The enemy''s stronghold is far in the rear, and they would not suddenly challenge a one- or two-front all-out war.


    Serafina is well aware of this. I don''t think she is wrong either.


    "That''s why we can watch from Maust with peace of mind. It''s not like we''re going to be in a critical situation after a single defeat.


    "If the Royal Army goes on a losing streak there, you''ll be thankful for me, but if the Royal Army wins without me, what will you do then?"


    There is no particular reason to believe that Hasse will continue to struggle from the outpost.


    The enemy may use several small forts to buy time. This is a method used to place a central force in the rear and to force the enemy to wear them down before that time. In such a case, on the surface, Hasse''s army would be winning a series of battles until the halfway point.


    In such a case, Hasse''s army would gain more authority and power.


    Serafina, however, remained calm.


    "That''s all right then. At any rate, none of the Master''s men will be lost, right?　Just take your time and save your strength. It will give us enough time to plan for the future. We won''t be seen as dangerous, and isn''t that just as well?"


    I see. A bad way to show that you have no desire to usurp the throne.


    And we can talk to Rumi in Maust.


    "Thank you. I feel more positive about returning to Maust."


    "Yes. This is not a retreat, it''s an offensive."


    Giggling, Serafina laughed and took my hand.


    "Don''t go home tonight. I''m your surrogate wife while your wife is pregnant."


    She turned her bewitching and provocative eyes on me.


    "Okay. I''ll love my ex-wife."


    I pulled Serafina toward me. Seraphina was surprisingly light when she let herself be carried away by me.


    We went straight to bed. Today Serafina claws at my shoulder a little. I thought it was her cat playing with me.


    "There have been many people in history who have had more power than kings and lost it. Here''s the important part. Everyone is watching the master.


    "Right. I have to show that I''m a tiger without fangs anyway. I''m always careful about assassinations.


    "I don''t think anyone would be stupid enough to try to assassinate someone while they don''t know how the West campaign is going to turn out. Except for the assassins who have the former king''s blessing."


    I was thinking the same thing as Serafina. Even if Hasse''s people are afraid of me, they can''t kill me yet. If I do, the former royalists will regain their momentum.


    "You should be ready to increase your own allies, Master. Didn''t you take the sister of Cytred, Count of Machar, as your wife?　She sounds like a very uninhibited girl."


    "Tarsia. He''s a warrior at heart. He has a lot of blood in his veins, as is his nature.


    We kind of took him prisoner, but he''s so full of life, I''d put him in charge of one of the legions. That''s how much I trust him.


    "Hold these forces firmly in place. Then, at worst, even if we can''t take the royal family, we can create an independent country there. If the former royalists and the current king are exhausted from fighting each other, there will be no power left to overthrow the new nation.


    Indeed, Serafina is full of ideas. I chuckle, thinking this is not the stuff of a bedroom.


    "Can''t we talk about something a little more romantic in bed?


    I want to be the High King''s wife. That dream hasn''t changed. No, in fact, I''m excited that it''s coming closer.


    Closely, Serafina tightened her embrace on me.


    I tighten my arms in response.


    But there was one topic that Serafina, who talked a lot, hadn''t mentioned yet.


    I thought about not talking about it, but I felt it would be insincere. I had never hidden politics from Serafina.


    "If Rumi has a child, it may be difficult to make Serafina''s child king."


    We don''t know what the political situation will be like a few years from now. Since even I don''t know, almost all of the people in the country will have no idea. So it may not be very constructive to talk about the future.


    If I usurp the royal house, it is quite possible that I will take the position of sister-in-law of Hasse I who was king.


    Rumi''s children are definitely of royal blood. He would be a much more convincing heir than his eldest son with Seraphina.


    "You''ve hit me right where it hurts!"


    Serafina smiled sadly. However, she did not seem to be serious in her smile.


    "To tell you the truth, I would love to make my own son king, too. But I''m not so good-natured as to think that such a revolution would be possible. I wish he were more selfish and blind."


    "I''m sorry. I know this may sound disgusting, but I wanted to tell Serafina everything."


    "I don''t care. In return, I will continue to watch your master''s supremacy right beside him. Even closer than Rumi and Raviara.


    I have always felt a kind of friendship with Serafina. That will never change.