Capital City Aingart (3)
"Ah… Lady Airen!"
"So this is the room you've been using…?"
"Y-yes! This is my room, and I heard a new recruit was arriving today… but that new recruit was you, Lady Airen?"
And so the reunion with Silin continued.
"Um… is she someone you know…?"
"Ah. Back when I was with the Brans Army, we worked together for a short while."
"Hello. My name is Silin."
"A-ah… th-that is, I-I, R-Reika… I'm Reika…"
"Lady Reika, is it? Did you join as a civil officer, Lady Reika?"
"N-no… I-I, th-that is, um…"
As she stammered once again in front of a stranger, Airen stepped in and gave a rough explanation of the situation.
"So Lady Reika isn't exactly an officer of our army… but she received special permission from Lady Serpina to stay here as part of Lady Airen's party?"
"You could put it that way."
"I see…! That's amazing. Of course, if it's our lord, she's more than generous enough to grant that kind of favor."
The "lord" Silin was speaking of was, of course, Serpina—not Lin.
Airen couldn't let that pass without asking.
"So… it feels a little strange to ask you this myself, but."
Airen cleared her throat a few times, then opened her mouth again.
"How did you end up coming here, to Serpina's Army?"
"Ah…"
Silin let out a short sigh, then asked if it was all right to have some tea before naturally taking a seat with them.
Only after a quiet sip did she begin her story.
"A lot—really, a lot—happened."
A soft clink as her teacup settled on the table.
Reika hurriedly wiped up a few drops that had splashed out, the soft rustle of cloth blending into the conversation.
"Lady Airen. Now that we're here, I can say this openly… I understand why you betrayed Lin."
Silin spoke with firm resolve in her eyes.
"It was Lin Brans who drove you into a death trap first, wasn't it? Anyone could see that."
"Mm."
Airen didn't deny it. It was the truth.
It was in the past now, and she had no desire to cling to it needlessly. She no longer wanted to be dragged along the way she once had.
"After the decision was made to abandon only you at the fortress, there was a lot of talk among the officers on the way back. If even a general as outstanding as Airen Juliette could be treated like that, then ordinary people like us who hadn't distinguished ourselves would be even more disposable, right? Still… we had nowhere else to go, so we just stayed. A few of the more ambitious ones resigned, but people like me and Jack—who just needed to make a living—stuck around and did what we were told. Our loyalty was pretty much gone, though."
They were human, after all.
No matter how much they disliked a particular officer, they couldn't fail to notice their lord shoving one of her own subordinates into certain death.
Rumors could be crushed and buried if you tried hard enough—but for the officers who had personally received the order to retreat that day, the memory would remain.
"But still! I heard the news! You stopped them by dropping some kind of boulder from the sky, right?!"
"Well… Swen did most of the hard work, not me."
"That's right! It was Lord Swen! That handsome man who was with you!"
Silin's eyes sparkled as she spoke.
"He was seriously so good-looking. I wanted to get to know him better back then. In the end, our connection didn't last, though."
"…"
"Come to think of it, what happened to Lord Swen? He didn't follow you, did he?"
"…Yeah. That's right. He's still here, actually."
"What? You mean…?"
"Yes. Swen is currently part of Serpina's Army as well."
"No way."
Silin pressed a hand to her face as if she couldn't believe it.
"We're meeting again like this? That's incredible!"
"…"
The more Airen listened to Silin's expression, tone, and voice, the more she felt a strange, unfamiliar sensation she couldn't quite place—
but she had no idea how to put that feeling into words, so she simply sipped her tea in silence.
"I should go pay him a visit when I have time."
Airen cut in quickly, as if to change the subject.
"Anyway, Silin. How did you end up coming all the way here?"
"Me? Well… after that day, I was reassigned to Lismaen Castle."
"Lismaen Castle… that's near Kelstein, isn't it?"
"Yes. It's a really small castle. After you left, Anel Castle got so chaotic that the reassignment itself wasn't bad… but as you know, once Kelstein Castle fell, we were completely overrun by Serpina's Army. I heard something happened with the Aeshus Army and they lost most of their forces, but the full details never reach the ears of a low-ranking officer like me."
Having said that much, she took another quiet sip of tea.
"U-um, h-here…"
"Ah, thank you."
She crunched on the sweets Reika had passed her.
"The moment we were occupied, I surrendered right away. After watching Lin abandon you, I had no lingering attachment to the Brans Army."
"I see."
Airen had only been forced into that situation and rescued by Swen—
and yet there had been people whose hearts were moved by that sight.
Strangely enough, that very fact was a kind of comfort to her now.
"What about Jack? How is he doing?"
"I lost contact with Jack after we were assigned to different places. We weren't that close to begin with—just coworkers, really. And he wasn't a decent man like Lord Swen, either."
"…"
Airen nearly asked why Swen's name kept coming up, but managed to swallow the words.
Lately, she had begun to realize just how sensitive she had become whenever the subject of Swen arose.
"Right. May I ask you one thing as well?"
"Mm."
"You went over to the Aeshus Army, didn't you, Lady Airen? So how did you end up coming here?"
"…"
She hesitated for a moment over how to explain it.
There was no need to tell Silin everything exactly as it had happened.
"Well, there were various circumstances. As you know, these are chaotic times."
"True. I never imagined I'd end up serving that tyrant Serpina, either."
Silin said this, then smiled faintly.
"But I think it's all right."
"All right?"
"Lady Serpina. I think she's a lord worth serving. There's a thrill here that I never felt under Lin."
The conversation that followed was mostly about what role Serpina played here, and how she was regarded by the people of her territory.
None of the information was particularly new. Serpina was not committing the kind of tyranny her reputation suggested.
She only showed her ruthless side when rebels rose up; otherwise, she governed with strict rewards and punishments, keeping domestic affairs stable.
When domestic affairs were stable, the economy flourished—and when the economy flourished, it led to the loyalty of the people. Nothing was more important than solving the problem of making a living.
"So I'm thinking of putting down roots here myself."
"Putting down roots, is it."
"Yes. Looking at the state of the continent, the only one who can become the unifying sovereign is our lord. Brans has fallen, and the remaining nations aren't much of a threat."
…
Could Serpina… really become the unifying sovereign?
But it wasn't just anyone—Swen himself had declared otherwise.
"I serve the only person on this continent who can conquer it and become the unifying sovereign."
"Oh? The only person? And who might that be?"
"I believe Lady Airen knows her as well. Didn't you meet her in person a few months ago?"
Lunarien Iniang.
Swen had asserted without hesitation that the girl with those vibrant ruby eyes—more alive than anyone else's—was the one who would become the unifying sovereign.
Having spent a fair amount of time with him, Airen knew this much: even claims that seemed incomprehensible at first always turned out to be right in the end.
She had yet to reappear on the stage of history…
But could she truly defeat Serpina, who at least commanded a certain degree of popular support among her own people?
…Enough.
It didn't matter either way.
The person Airen ultimately served was not Lunarien.
My life belongs to that man.
If Swen told her to serve someone, she would simply take up her sword and protect his lord.
Airen no longer wavered.
As long as the man named Swen stood by her side, she could be a stronger knight than anyone.
So this is the royal castle of Aingart.
As befitting the capital of the former empire, it was magnificent.
The elegant, antique decorations and statues held something that overwhelmed anyone who looked upon them.
In terms of architectural style, Anel Castle gave a slightly more modern impression… but when it came to that sense of grandeur and dignity—that feeling of something truly impressive—Aingart Castle was a cut above.
It was far more effective at making anyone who entered feel that they had arrived somewhere of great importance.
After being assigned to the dormitory, I received my first summons from Serpina.
The reason was simply that she "wished to hear my opinion"… something none of the lords I had served before had ever done, so I felt a slight tension.
Well, she probably just gathers some civil officers and goes through a few questions and answers.
With that casual thought, I stepped into the audience chamber Serpina had designated—
and froze.
"…!"
"You've come, Swen."
Serpina, seated in her chair with one leg crossed in languid elegance, greeted me as she gazed forward.
Today her attire was not the imperial officer's uniform I had first seen her in.
She wore a dress befitting a queen—an utterly captivating one.
It was somewhat provocative, baring her shoulders, yet it carried not the slightest hint of vulgarity or cheapness.
A pure white platinum hair ornament provided a striking accent against her figure, which was otherwise steeped entirely in gold.
…She was beautiful.
Setting aside the relationship of lord and vassal, I had no choice but to admit that, as a man, I was moved by her appearance.
And on either side of her… about five officers stood facing each other across a red carpet.
They were all unfamiliar faces, but the brown-haired woman standing beside the throne looked familiar.
If you started a game as Serpina's Army, she was the first face to appear, teaching you the basic controls—the State Strategist of Serpina's Army.
Jena.
The moment her name surfaced in my mind, that scene flashed before my eyes once more.
Strategist of Serpina's Army / Jena
"My lord, you must not fall for honeyed words."
It was because of Jena's counsel that Serpina had imprisoned me.
How could I ever forget that?
She hadn't been an especially outstanding officer, but when starting as Serpina, Jena was one of the few reliable civil officers available.
Seeing her in person felt different from looking at a pixelated sprite.
Standing next to Serpina—who seemed like beauty itself given human form—she appeared relatively plain, but she was still quite attractive.
After scanning her face briefly, I was about to drop to one knee when—
"A simple, abbreviated greeting will suffice."
"…Swen greets his lord."
I bowed lightly at the waist as she wished, then took my place opposite the only person who had no one facing them.
"Good. That makes everyone."
I had left in plenty of time, yet somehow I was the last to arrive.
As I idly wondered whether I should leave a bit earlier next time—
"Then we shall begin this year's twenty-eighth Opinion Proposal Meeting."
…What?
An Opinion Proposal Meeting was one thing, but the twenty-eighth?
Roughly counting the current date, we were still only in the first half of the year.
In other words, this wasn't the kind of regular council I had been holding in the nations I'd served so far—it was more like a small gathering…
Was Serpina's Army preparing this thoroughly for every battle?
I was mildly stunned, but everyone else gathered here listened to Serpina's voice with calm expressions.
Some even made no effort to hide their overflowing pride, as if this were an honor.
Being summoned to offer their opinions… was something that made them happy?
"Now then."
Serpina extended one pale hand toward us in a long, graceful gesture.
The golden ornaments cascading from her smooth skin down to the sleeves near her underarms gave her an intensely alluring presence.
"What should our army do going forward? If you have any opinions you wish to offer, speak freely, as you always have."