On the third day of my stay the Allied forces' frontline command,
I was finally reunited with the woman I had been longing to see.
The good-natured girl who had taken away everything precious from me.
────The enemy of my beloved Rodri.
"…Honestly, I have no idea what you're thinking."
Sylph had grown taller during our time apart, giving her a more mature appearance.
Her piercing blue eyes remained the same as before, and her long, lustrous hair reached her waist, contrasting strikingly with her crimson military uniform.
"I feel foolish for worrying all this time. You, of all people, really?"
"Oh my, even someone as wise as you has worries?"
"Yes, I've been troubled for a long time. How I should kill you."
Sylph Nova's voice carried a mix of astonishment and confusion.
Her gaze was cold and unflinching as she looked down at my body.
"There's no way we can lose to Austin. Our victory is assured."
"You're quite confident."
"My only concern was that the 'monster' might pull something beyond my expectations."
Her lips twisted in a crimson sneer, her cheeks flushed, and her breathing became erratic.
Sylph looked excited, seeing me standing before her like a fish on the cutting board.
"I've been thinking only about how to kill you, or at least keep you away from me."
"…Did you really want to kill me that badly?"
"I've prepared many strategies and made extensive preparations. All just to crush you on the battlefield."
Her eyes were cold and devoid of emotion—eyes consumed by the madness of war.
What little sanity Sylph had left three years ago is already gone.
Standing before me now is merely a stage prop embodying the "tactical genius" in the form of Sylph.
"I can't believe you're offering your neck of your own accord. Austin is indeed foolish."
She has been reduced to a machine that conducts war.
It seems she came to shoot me upon hearing that I was accompanying as a diplomatic envoy.
"Are you going to shoot me?"
"There's no reason not to kill you. Are you stupid?"
There was no hesitation in her eyes.
She firmly believed that killing me was the right thing to do.
"Die."
At her signal, Sylph's subordinates ruthlessly pointed their guns at us.
If she lowered her hand, there would be two corpses lying here.
"Chief Strategist Sylph Nova! Please refrain from acting on your own initiative!"
"Their fate is still under deliberation."
"Silence."
The Flamer soldiers who were watching began to panic at Sylph's sudden and violent actions.
She had come to kill us entirely on her own judgment, without consulting either Flamel or Aerys.
────Yes, this is exactly the kind of woman Sylph is. That is why I came here.
"By the way, Sylph Nova. About the chess match we had in the Sabbath."
"…What about it?"
"The final game ended in my victory, didn't it?"
I remained calm and began setting up the chess pieces on the board.
I've been waiting for this moment for a long time.
For the moment when Sylph would come to us in secret, without informing the Alliance.
"…It was a training match. I just let you win."
"I've gotten a bit stronger since then, you know?"
I signaled to the diplomat, who then made space for Sylph to sit across from me.
With a provoking smile, I glanced at her.
"I trained diligently under your orders. Isn't it your responsibility to check on the results?"
"Are you telling me to sit down?"
"If you're going to run away, that's fine too."
"Hmph."
It's a cheap provocation, but for Sylph, this was more than enough.
Knowing her personality, there's no way she'd refuse.
"At this point, I can kill you anytime I want now. I'll humor you for now."
"Thank you, Sylph."
She wouldn't run from a challenge if it was issued directly to her.
***
"It's been a while, Sylph. I never thought the day would come when I would play chess with you again."
"Ah, indeed."
Surrounded by numerous gun barrels, Sylph and I finished lining up our pieces and tossed a coin.
After Sylph correctly guessed the outcome, she allowed me to make the first move, and the chess match began.
"Your opening moves are all over the place. Did you really study properly, Touri?"
"Well, sort of."
The match progressed with Sylph maintaining a commanding lead throughout.
I had studied chess properly, but there was no way I could win against Sylph.
"Oh come on. My victory is pretty much decided now."
"You're really strong."
"Hey, are you making fun of me?"
My futile resistance was quickly crushed, and I found myself in a desperate situation before I knew it.
Even to an amateur, it was clear that turning this around would be difficult.
…Sylph is strong after all.
"It's pretty much checkmate. As long as I don't make a mistake, you have no chance of winning."
"That seems to be the case."
"…I thought you might put up a bit more of a fight. What's going on here?"
She glared at me with a disappointed expression.
I guess she was hoping for a better match.
────However, what I wanted to convey was here.
"Certainly, I'm at a disadvantage."
"Disadvantage? More like practically checkmated."
"But I'm the one who's going to win."
I declared my victory in a situation where most of my pieces were gone and I had no real capacity to counterattack.
"…What nonsense are you talking about?"
"I'm sorry, Sylph. I will defeat you."
"Hmm?"
Sylph had a perplexed look on her face.
She probably didn't understand what I was saying.
"By the way, Sylph. What do you think about our peace terms?"
"I haven't heard anything. You only prepared them for Flamel and Aerys."
"Oh, really?"
Hearing this made me chuckle softly.
Even though I was merely following the plans prepared by Bern Valou, it was amusing to have her in the palm of my hands.
"It's essentially a peace offer close to surrender. The nation of Austin will remain for convenience only."
"Oh? So you're serious about making peace?"
"Yes. These peace terms are highly likely to be accepted by the Alliance."
One of Bern's strategies was to advance this peace agreement.
The Allied governments are exhausted by the war, and anti-war sentiment was on the rise.
Yet, Austin refused to surrender, leaving them no choice but to invade.
That's why if Austin were to propose a "peace offer close to surrender," there would be no reason to decline it.
They could achieve victory without further sacrifices.
"…What are you thinking? If you're offering such favorable terms, you should have just accepted the surrender proposal right away."
"There's just one condition that I must mention."
"I would prefer that as well, it would make things easier—"
However, there's a nasty trick involved.
One troublesome condition had been added to the peace terms that posed a dilemma for the Alliance.
It's not something that would be detrimental to either country, and it was a simple condition that could be implemented at any time if they chose.
"Now, here you go, Sylph. This is a letter from Remi Ulyakov, the head of the Workers' Council of the Sabbath Federation."
"…Huh?"
"It's filled with insults and resentment directed at you. Please read it."
I smiled sweetly and handed over the letter from Remi.
At that moment, Sylph's face turned pale.
She must have realized what was happening.
"The peace terms from the Sabbath Federation, Austin's allied nation, are…"
Yes, Austin has formed a military alliance with the Sabbath.
Moreover, by declaring their participation in the war, they can also have a say in the peace terms.
In other words…
"Sylph Nova will be taken into custody and handed over to the Sabbath Federation as a person of interest."
"You!!!"
Remi asked the Allied forces for just one thing in making peace with Austin: that they surrender Sylph Nova.
"…I never realized you were such a devious woman. I was a fool to have believed in you even a little."
"How rude. My brother is the one who drew the picture; I'm merely being used."
The final battle can be avoided by simply handing over Sylph.
This negotiation certainly had merit for the Alliance.
Her goal is to acquire the northern territories of Austin and re-establish the former Sabbatian government there.
That in itself would benefit the Alliance, so Sylph had been accepted.
However, if the current Sabbatian government says, "We will make peace if you hand over Sylph," the conversation changes significantly.
While Sylph is knowledgeable about trench warfare and possesses excellent tactical insight, which is why she was accepted, the Alliance has no reason to be attached to Sylph's support.
By teaming up with Arunoma, Sylph has an unusual amount of influence, but she has no backing and is just a "young girl who is good at war."
In fact, she might be seen as a dangerous presence once the war ends.
"So? Are you going to shoot me?"
"…"
However, it is true that Sylph along with Arunoma have made a great contribution to the Alliance.
Therefore, if such an act of betrayal were to occur, there would likely be considerable dissatisfaction from Arunoma's faction.
Moreover, Sylph has quite a bit of notoriety as one of Arunoma's close aides.
She is recognized within the military as a close associate of the hero Arunoma.
Thus, while it might be possible to cast her aside purely based on profit and loss calculations, the soldiers' feelings would not allow it.
"Are you going to kill me, someone who has come to plead for peace akin to surrender under desperate circumstances?"
"────!"
But in such a situation, what would happen if Sylph were to shoot me without consulting Aerys or Flamel?
…The chances of being abandoned and discarded by Arunoma would increase significantly.
No matter how much she might want to kill me, she can't act against me.
"Now, let's continue our game of chess. What will you do, Sylph?"
"…Do you think I have time for that?"
"Yes, you are right. You don't have the time to be leisurely playing chess. You need to immediately request a meeting with Flamel and Aerys' commanders and persuade them to continue the war."
I continued to gaze at Sylph with a smile plastered on my face.
Then, I carelessly moved one of the chess pieces again.
"Now, it's your turn, Sylph. I've already made my move."
"…"
"Shall we continue playing chess? Or will you concede and leave this place?"
"…Haha, ha."
Her face turned red as she glared at me for my teasing attitude.
Sylph is undeniably a genius. No matter how hard anyone tries, they cannot beat her on the chessboard.
So, I decided to challenge her outside the chessboard. Her strength lies only within the confines of the game.
"What do you think? How does it feel to be so sure of your victory and yet have the rug pulled from under you?"
Austin still has an ace up its sleeve.
It will be the Alliance that loses if this match continues like this.
I intended to declare that to Sylph implicitly.
"…Shut up."
"Huh?"
This must have really upset her.
Sylph trembled with anger as she slammed her hand on the table.
She then kicked the chessboard away with all her might.
"This makes it a non-game, idiot!!"
"…"
"Die, idiot!! You fuzzy caterpillar!!"
Enraged, Sylph stormed out just like that.
Seeing this, her subordinates looked shocked and hurriedly followed after her.
…Her temper tantrums are still alive and well.
"…So that's Sylph Nova? How should I put this, she's different from what I expected "
"She's quite a childish woman, isn't she?"
Although it was according to plan, I'm relieved that I was able to survive.
Letting out a sigh of relief, I felt a sense of accomplishment for successfully sowing the seeds.
"I'm sure that we could have become good friends if we had met in a peaceful time."
I've gained a little confidence from having bested her in the preliminary match.
…Yet, I also feel terribly sad.