I led Airen, now composed, back to the door of the meeting chamber.

    Of course, aside from the guards stationed nearby, there was no one else around.

    "You’ve been working hard."

    At my greeting, the guard flinched in surprise before responding nervously.

    "Ah... y-yes! That is to say—"

    "I am Swen."

    "Yes, Lord Swen. Um... Lord Swen, are you staying to defend the fortress?"

    "Yes. Together with General Airen."

    "I see..."

    The soldier fell silent for a moment, deep in thought. Then, he suddenly bowed deeply toward Airen.

    "...General Airen. I will fight to the very end. Thank you... truly, thank you for staying and fighting alongside us."

    "...Thank you for staying and fighting with us..."

    In the game, soldiers were nothing more than numbers—mere units with set values.

    But in this world, now made real, they breathed and lived.

    Each of them carried their own small universe.

    There was no way they didn’t understand.

    They knew they had been thrown into a hopeless battlefield.

    Even if it was an order, what had gone through their minds as they watched their superiors flee the fortress?

    And suddenly, I understood why this soldier had thanked her.

    Airen had always been a commander who stood alongside her soldiers.

    She had shared the night watches, carried supplies during marches, and lived by the same rules as them.

    Even if Lyn Brans had abandoned her, the soldiers—those at the lowest ranks who bore the weight of Brans’ power—had always respected her.

    Because in this world, people were not just data.

    Receiving the soldier’s words, Airen responded in a solemn, steady tone.

    "Yes. I will fight alongside you all until the end. And I will never allow you to die."

    "Yes, ma''am!"

    The soldier’s voice rang out with renewed vigor.

    It seemed morale had risen.

    Well, there was no downside to that, so I saw no need to say anything more.

    With that, we entered the meeting chamber.

    The empty room welcomed only the two of us.

    "They left quickly."

    Well, if they wanted to survive, moving fast was the smart choice.

    I had no intention of resenting them for it.

    "Um... Swen."

    "Yes?"

    "What should we do now?"

    Seeing the worry on her face, a sudden mischievous urge struck me.

    "You’re asking me? Lady Airen, didn’t you just tell that soldier you wouldn’t let anyone die?"

    I expected her to fluster, to stammer something like, "T-that... Hmm... Are you seriously joking in this situation?"

    But—

    Her response was different from what I had anticipated.

    "I believe in you, Swen."

    "...Pardon?"

    "I believe in you."

    She smiled as she said it.

    Sunlight from the window cast a soft glow on her face.@@@@

    "So I’m not worried. You said we will defend this fortress. You said we will save everyone. And I believe you."

    "..."

    Feeling strangely embarrassed, I sighed briefly and sat down in one of the empty chairs.

    "Well... as you said, we are going to win."

    "Do you have a plan?"

    A plan.

    Right. A plan.

    Everything had been moving too fast, but now that I had a moment to think—I did have an idea.

    [Hold your position where you can see the enemy.]

    The prediction said hold our position. That meant this was the correct course of action.

    Which also meant a solution existed.

    The problem was—

    "Why is holding our position the right answer?"

    I knew what the answer was, but I didn’t know why.

    Still, I had one thing working in my favor:

    I had spent 10,000 hours on this godforsaken strategy game.

    And more importantly—

    My words were always correct.

    With those two advantages, I could find a solution.

    I pulled out a rough map I had drawn of the fortress’s surroundings back at Airen’s house.

    I had sketched it in my spare time, just in case. And, as expected, it was proving useful.

    "What’s that?"

    "A map. I need to think through our options. I have a vague idea, but I’m not sure yet."

    Most people would probably get annoyed hearing that after all my talk about "earning merit."

    But Airen simply nodded without a word and said:

    "Alright. Is there anything I can do to help?"

    "Not particularly."

    But that still didn’t resolve everything.

    One final question remained.

    "Why do I need to make it look like I summoned the disaster?"

    "Why is that the most efficient course of action?"

    As I pieced everything together, the answer was surprisingly simple.

    "Because if the invading army believes I caused the disaster... they will flee."

    For example, if lightning struck—

    Yes, it would cause casualties.

    But they wouldn’t necessarily stop advancing.

    In the game, a lightning strike could instantly kill several thousand, and in unlucky cases, even ten thousand.

    If the same logic applied here, the enemy would take damage but still have troops left to fight.

    And they still had siege weapons.

    But—

    If they believed it wasn’t just a natural disaster—

    If they thought I had deliberately summoned it—

    If they feared that more lightning would strike them down again—

    Would they still advance?

    Would they willingly fight against an unknown, supernatural force?

    As this realization struck me, my tangled thoughts suddenly became clear.

    "This is it."

    I slapped my knee.

    Yes.

    This was why we were going to win.

    The meaning behind "Hold your position where you can see the enemy"—

    It was this.

    But.

    Something still felt... incomplete.

    So, I ran a simulation in my mind—this time, from our army’s perspective.

    A new recruit in the Brans Army had unleashed a seemingly magical power and repelled the enemy.

    It wasn’t just a rumor.

    Too many people had witnessed it firsthand.

    The soldiers in the fortress—Airen included—would be living proof.

    And if I were a third party within the Brans Army, hearing this story, what would I think?

    "That new recruit is incredible."

    "Unbelievable."

    "He achieved a remarkable victory."

    ..."Achieved a remarkable victory?"

    That was when I remembered something I had momentarily set aside.

    I, Swen, had disobeyed my lord’s orders.

    Whether it was for Airen’s sake or for my own survival, I had ignored Lyn Brans’ command to retreat.

    No matter my intentions, I had gone against my superior’s will.

    But.

    What if a commander she had discarded ended up securing an overwhelming victory?

    What if people started believing I had acted for Carlints’ sake?

    Many commanders already saw Carlints as a key figure.

    Unlike Airen, Carlints was directly related to Lyn Brans by blood.

    If my actions could be interpreted as benefiting him—

    Then, in the eyes of the Brans Army, they were not acts of defiance.

    They were acts of loyalty.

    And if word spread that I had achieved this victory,

    If it was framed as a victory for the Brans Army—

    No matter how much Lyn Brans disliked me, she wouldn’t be able to punish me.

    And at that thought—

    I couldn’t help but laugh.

    "...Pfft—hahaha!"

    Of course.

    This was why my Intelligence 100 mind had predicted:

    "Hold your position where you can see the enemy."

    I laughed like a madman in the empty meeting room.

    But it didn’t matter.

    Compared to the insanity of what I was about to do—

    This was nothing.

    I stood up, took a deep breath, and exhaled three times.

    "...Alright. Let’s go."

    It was time to perform a miracle.

    ***

    Finding Airen among the wounded soldiers was not difficult.

    I approached her.

    "Lady Airen."

    "Swen. Have you come to a decision?"

    "Yes. And I have a task that requires your assistance. Would that be alright?"

    At my words, Airen nodded without hesitation.

    "Of course. Right now, Swen, you are my superior. What do you need?"

    "Good. Because what I’m about to ask is completely ridiculous."

    "...Excuse me?"

    "Gather as many bricks as possible."

    "Bricks? I suppose there are some left over from the fortress construction, but... why do you need them?"

    I turned to her, speaking in an unwavering tone—

    A tone of absolute certainty.

    And with an expression that suggested I knew everything, I declared:

    "The heavens are stirring. We will build an altar to communicate with the sky."