The Capital Castle of Aingart (1)
Aingart Castle.
It was the capital castle of the former empire, and the current capital of Serpina's army as well — the most prosperous territory in the very heart of the northern continent.
"So I'll be working there?"
"Yes. It would be troublesome if you weren't by my side."
"Troublesome?"
When I asked her why, she answered with the clear implication that she wanted to put me through a few tests for a while.
The core of it was this: she wanted to see with her own two eyes just how much truth there was to the rumors that I could use magic — and whether someone who already looked quite useful would prove useful in actual combat as well.
"One more question. Will I be going there alone?"
Hearing that, Serpina looked at me with open amusement, the corners of her eyes lifting.
"So the women are what concern you."
I had no desire to lie and waste energy sparring with her over nothing, so I agreed without hesitation.
"Yes. They're my companions, after all."
"You needn't worry. When I asked Irene, she said she hoped to remain with you as well. I'm rather good at granting my subordinates' wishes. Personally, I'd prefer she fight on the front lines… but it's not as if there's nothing to do even in the capital."
That she was generous about granting her subordinates' requests was something I'd already learned without difficulty while staying in the annex.
What stuck with me, though, was that line — it's not as if there's nothing to do even in the capital. I would find out what she meant soon enough.
"This time, I have a question for you."
"Please ask."
"What is Zinor's daughter to you? Have you made some marriage pact?"
"Not exactly."
"And yet you travel together? She doesn't look accustomed to the battlefield. She must truly be a mage, then?"
There was no need to reveal to her that Reika was a mage.
Not if I meant to get both Reika and Irene safely to Lunarien's forces.
"As I've said — what magic could there possibly be?"
"If that's true, then you're really just dragging a young lady around for no reason at all? A maiden in her prime, at the perfect age to bear children."
"…"
Watching me say nothing, she smiled as if she found the whole thing entertaining.
It was only a slight lift of her lips, and yet she was truly beautiful. In fact, since she had entered this room, I had already thought she's beautiful more than three times.
"I thought as much looking at your face, but your relationships with women seem complicated. I won't interfere much — but you'd do well to refrain from foolish actions swayed by women. Handsome men need to be all the more careful with their conduct."
"Even if you praise me for no reason, I have nothing to offer in return."
"Did it sound like praise?"
She said that and gave a little bounce of her body, as if amused.
Whenever she came by, we would exchange these seemingly frivolous words and laugh together.
Strangely, even though I hadn't spent that much time with her… I found that words came bubbling out without difficulty.
What did "a long time" even mean? The situations in which I'd faced her hadn't been that many, and yet dealing with her had a strangely comfortable quality.
After Serpina left the room, I pulled out a map.
It was a detailed map of the northern continent that I'd drawn while staying in the annex with nothing else to do.
Quite some time had passed since I'd been possessed into this world, and yet things like the locations of castles, the mountain ranges, and which way the rivers flowed still remained vividly in my memory — which I found remarkable.
Well. Given that I'd endlessly repeated this simple game for ten thousand hours, it was only natural if you thought about it.
Aingart Castle, huh.
The very center of the north — a castle set upon a river island, surrounded by shallow waters.
In the imperial era it had been the most vibrant place of all, but much of it had been destroyed in the civil war among the imperial family, and it had lost a great deal of its former radiance. That was the background setting for this castle.
What would it feel like to see it in person?
There was something that concerned me more than that, though.
Is it really all right to go this far north?
Aingart Castle stood at the northern end of the continent. Not the absolute northernmost point, but it was an enormous distance from the south where I had sent Lunarien away.
Until now, I had never once doubted that I would be able to return to Lunarien's forces.
But this time…
After being dragged into the heart of the north, would I still be able to safely return to her side?
An opportunity, she said.
I once again recalled the words I had given her when we parted.
Luna looked fragile, but her inner self was strong, and she had a surprising stubborn streak.
In the first place, for her to fully employ someone who was a complete newcomer from her perspective — someone who just kept insisting without even having his abilities assessed — was impossible unless she possessed that stubbornness.
So she wouldn't miss the decisive opportunity I had spoken of. If she were the type to miss opportunities, the prediction that she would become the unifying sovereign would never have come out in the first place.
So I, too, would be able to safely return to her side… right?
For some reason—
A sense of dissonance I had never once felt under any other lord was wrapping around my body.
I rode the carriage for several days, continuously heading north.
Past Kelstein Castle, which had originally belonged to the Brans army, further and further up—
Until at last I arrived at Aingart Castle in the north.
Passing through the massive gates of the castle walls — built in a style clearly different from the central continent —
Wow…
A landscape like a painting unfolded before my eyes.
River streams spreading out as if encircling a fence, and a spire standing so high it seemed ready to pierce the sky.
Centered on that spire, buildings of beautiful architecture that seemed straight out of a storybook.
And fluttering from that spire, the bright golden-yellow flag that symbolized Serpina…
Even the massive shield-shaped emblem of the former empire hanging on the castle walls — everything that made up this territory was advertising that this was the capital castle of the continent.
"Amazing. This place is incredibly developed."
"Really… so there were castles like this too."
"That's not all. If they put their minds to defending it, this position would be extremely hard to breach."
"Is that so? I don't really understand those things… but if Lady Irene says so, then it must be."
Irene and Reika were also overwhelmed by the scenery, letting out soft exclamations of awe.
Even compared to Anel Castle — the finest among the castles I had seen so far — this place was far superior.
If this was the degree of "destroyed, its former glory faded," then just how magnificent a place had it originally been?
The interior of the castle was as peaceful as Anel Castle.
Perhaps because it had not suffered much after the civil war between the crown princes, the faces of the territory's people did not seem particularly clouded with worry.
Just then, the carriage carrying us came to a stop.
A soldier opened the carriage door.
"Lord Swen?"
"Yes."
"We've arrived. Please step out."
I exchanged a glance of farewell with Irene and Reika.
"I'll go on ahead, then."
"Swen…"
Irene looked at me with clear reluctance.
Yes.
We who had always lived together were finally parting ways.
According to Serpina, there was a building similar to a dormitory where new officers from distant origins — those without residences of their own — stayed together as a group.
They would live communally there until empty houses became available.
I'd heard that Reika was the first non-officer to be allowed in. Her own form of consideration, I supposed.
We were new officers as well, so all of us were to enter there — but of course the genders were separated.
And so we had no choice but to exchange farewells like this.
"According to Lady Serpina, they're continuously building houses for the officers to live in, so just hang in there until then."
"…Okay. I'll be waiting… yeah."
"…"
Reika watched the atmosphere flowing between Irene and me, then looked toward the soldier and hurriedly tried to smooth things over, flustered.
Apparently the soldier's gaze on us had been a bit odd.
"Um… I'll contact you! So, uh… see you again!"
After parting with them and stepping down from the carriage, another soldier approached me.
Seeing the armor with the royal family's crest clearly drawn on it, he seemed to be a soldier dispatched under Serpina's orders to guide me.
"Are you Lord Swen?"
"I am."
"This way, please."
Along the tree-lined path I followed him down, there was a dreamlike fragrance that was hard to put into words.
What kind of flower was this?
And so I arrived at a four-story building not far from the royal castle.
"This is the place. Lord Swen, please use room 303. Your roommate will inform you of the basic living rules and such."
"Roommate?"
"Yes."
Indeed — they said it was two to a room.
With a country so large and so many officers under command, there was talk that even getting into a place like this was limited to only a few.
"Understood."
"Then I'll take my leave."
After a light salute, the soldier who had been turning to leave suddenly stopped and looked at me.
"Um."
"?"
"Welcome to Serpina's army."
He said that, bowed his head, and went on his way again.
Soldiers are different from officers. They could freely transfer to the enemy at any time, and the reality was that few soldiers felt a true sense of belonging — they simply worked for their pay.
But here, even a single ordinary soldier was dripping with a sense of belonging to Serpina's army and the pride that came from it.
Even that soldier who had threatened me before — the fact that he could treat me that way even though I was, strictly speaking, an officer of an enemy nation serving as an envoy — would have been impossible without that pride.
Was this tight organizational control the reason she had been able to keep winning all this time?
I had only just arrived at Aingart Castle, and I already felt as though I had discovered several more of Serpina's army's strengths.
And yet the destiny of becoming the unifying sovereign belonged not to her, but to Lunarien?
Well, damn.
I wanted to try making a prediction, but since changing affiliations I hadn't received any questions, so that was difficult too.
Should I casually have Irene ask a question, or naturally catch a moment when Serpina would ask… with such idle thoughts, I made my way to room 303.
Arriving at the door, I knocked a few times. A voice came from beyond.
"Come in."
Hm?
The voice… was a bit subtle.
That is to say, it sounded like a man's voice, but… somehow a little androgynous, I suppose?
Well — voices have their own individuality for each person, I thought, and opened the door.
And then—
Not just the voice, but even his appearance: a man who looked for all the world like some pretty-boy gigolo greeted me.
"You're the new officer?"
"That's right."
"I heard from our lord that a new recruit would be coming. We won't be living together for long anyway, but I hope we get along well while we do."
He said that and held out his hand to me.
I took his hand and said,
"I'm Swen."
"Jennis Al Kaski. Nice to meet you."