Wandering Malice (3)
Irian's expression turned faintly bitter for a moment, then he spoke in a firm, decisive tone.
"I'll say it clearly. No matter what position I hold, my loyalty to my lord will never change. And I also believe Lady Irene is someone who fully deserves to rise to that seat. The comrades who fought beside me across the battlefields didn't seem particularly pleased that I wasn't the one who took it, but…"
I studied Irian's eyes carefully as he spoke.
I didn't sense any falsehood in him.
"I'm a warrior myself. I can tell at a glance who stands above me. Hearing the legendary exploits of the red-haired lady knight Irene—one of the two generals who made the Brans Army the hegemon of the central continent, a specialist in siege warfare—was never a difficult thing."
I expected as much, but Lady Irene is even more remarkable than I thought.
Of course her stats—her status itself—were excellent, but in this game's first scenario Lin Brans had already seized the entire central continent, and Irene had already been demoted by then.
Looking back, Lin herself was no ordinary figure either, for having gritted her teeth and ignored Irene's achievements until she finally cast her aside.
Even during her time with the Asius Army, she had managed to successfully pin down Chel Brans to a certain degree.
And now she was at my side, supporting me. That alone made me feel secure.
"So at the very least, I have no complaints about that decision. What matters isn't my own position, but what I can do for my lord. However…"
Irian let out a heavy sigh.
"Jennis was extremely displeased about it. He would get angry, saying that if it wasn't me—who had sworn loyalty to the imperial house for generations and who had earned the most military merit in the campaign to conquer the central continent—then who else could possibly be raised to that position?"
There had been days when Jennis would leave and not return to the lodging. So that was when he had been having those conversations with Irian at the mansion.
"I've said it repeatedly, Swen. I support my lord's decision. Lady Irene is an outstanding general. If I share the battlefield with her, exchanging spear and sword, I will surely grow that much stronger myself. Factional strife within the force, career advancement—those things mean nothing to me."
"Brother…"
"But as I said, this has little to do with the present matter. I don't think I can be of much help. Well, the boy is an adult. He needs time to sort out his own feelings on his own, doesn't he?"
With that, Irian rose from his seat.
I considered simply laying everything bare to him, but that would only escalate the situation and wouldn't help much.
Still, I had gained something.
The fact that Jennis harbored resentment over Irene taking that position.
And if that had become the trigger for him joining some kind of rebellion, leading to the ruin of his entire house—then the fact that I knew nothing of the Al Kaski family members would roughly fit the scenario. But—
But thinking of rebellion over that alone is going too far.
The person most directly affected, Irian himself, was remaining calm. Even if Jennis cared for him deeply, would he unilaterally take action that put everyone in danger?
No matter how I looked at it, that was far too foolish.
Especially considering that without the premise that "I, who have played this game for ten thousand hours, don't know of their existence," I would never have been able to deduce that he had joined a rebellion.
Of course, humans sometimes let their emotions run ahead and commit extremely stupid acts—Yuuri and Lin had proven that much—but the Jennis I had observed, however briefly, was not someone whose head worked that poorly.
There's definitely something more.
"If you have nothing further to say, I'll take my leave first. Ah, Swen."
"Yes?"
"Next time, rather than this sort of approach, come and greet me properly. As long as you don't spring it on me suddenly, I'm always willing to hear you out."
"Brother, please stop…"
Leaving a red-faced Ioline behind, Irian left the room.
In the suddenly quiet reception room with only the two of us remaining, Ioline posed a question.
"May I ask you one thing?"
"What is it?"
"I'm curious why you came to me."
"Pardon?"
"If you had grasped the situation before seeking counsel, it would have been more natural to go to Lord Irian first and have him organize a search party himself, rather than coming to me."
I wasn't particularly suspicious of her motives, but it was better for my peace of mind to address the point that needed addressing.
Hearing my words, she nodded as if she understood.
"In truth, I have heard roughly what kind of person you are, Lord Swen."
"Heard?"
"From my second brother… that is, from Brother Jennis. He said his roommate seemed to be that famous white-haired mage."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. And while living with you, he realized you were a truly good person… Forgive me for saying so, but I thought I might be able to rely on you."
The white-haired mage.
No matter how many times I heard that title, I never quite got used to it.
Yet while we lived together, Jennis had never gone out of his way to emphasize that fact…
It seemed that, in his own way, that had been consideration for me.
If he had kept bringing up talk of mages and the like, it would have made both sides uncomfortable.
As I thought, no matter how I look at it, he isn't a simple villain.
Even sitting there wringing my brain dry produced nothing useful.
From experience, I knew well that in times like these, sleeping on it for a night often proved to be the correct answer.
"It's late today, so… let's meet tomorrow morning once the day has brightened."
"Understood. Where should I go tomorrow?"
"Please come to the small plaza near the lodging."
"Yes. I'll do that. However…"
Perhaps she was worried about letting time pass like this.
Nothing major would have happened yet, and if something had, then coldly speaking it would already be too late.
But until a conclusion was reached, reassuring her was the right course.
"Don't worry. As long as he's within the territory, we'll find him soon enough."
"…Understood."
After parting with Ioline and leaving the Al Kaski mansion, the sky had already grown dark.
Riding the carriage they had prepared for me back to the lodging, I sank into thought.
Am I handling this well?
Looking back, so much had happened up to now.
Whatever else, until the day I met Lady Luna again… I would protect Lady Serpina without fail.
For now, I would think and act with only that in mind.
With that resolve, I headed alone toward the empty lodging.
The next day.
Together with Ioline, who arrived early in the morning, I made a thorough circuit of every place Jennis might have gone, as if on a pilgrimage.
Because my frail body made it impossible to wander far and wide for long, selection and concentration were more important than anything.
After talking with Ioline to narrow down the search locations—
Surprisingly, it seemed I was the one who had shared the most personal conversations with Jennis.
I focused the search on places I had inferred from our idle chats that he frequented.
We spent the entire morning going around, but—
"You mean you haven't seen him?"
"That's right. He does visit often, but he hasn't come by these past few days."
"I see. Thank you."
There was no trace of Jennis anywhere.
It felt as if the man named Jennis alone had simply evaporated.
Should I just be honest with Lady Serpina and ask for her help?
But telling her that I was looking for someone who might have been plotting rebellion was hardly a laughing matter either.
If I begged earnestly she would probably listen, but there was as much difference between "probably will" and "definitely will" as there was between Intelligence 99 and Intelligence 100.
Still, I didn't want to see people I had formed connections with die miserably.
If Jennis had truly considered rebellion, then his death might be one thing, but Ioline and Irian dying like dogs as well would leave a bad taste in my mouth no matter what.
I didn't know if Irian remembered, but I still owed him a small debt from when I first arrived in Serpina's army.
The fact that he cleanly accepted a newcomer like Irene taking a position he himself might have risen to already made him seem less than a villain.
Of course, when the decisive moment came I intended to stand on Serpina's side…
But if the pointless deaths that seemed to be scheduled right before my eyes could be avoided, then avoiding them would ultimately benefit not only me but Lady Serpina herself as well.
In that case, the second option.
Be honest with Irene and ask for her help.
This plan was far less burdensome than speaking directly to Serpina.
She and I had crossed three nations together, and the bond built through that process was real.
Yes, I should go to Lady Irene.
Just as I was thinking that—
"Lord Swen."
Ioline approached, carrying a bundle of something carefully wrapped.
"What's all that?"
"A lunch box. You've worked hard all day, so…"
"Thank you."
I accepted it.
Inside were dishes that looked quite appetizing.
"Did you make this yourself?"
"No, I didn't. I'm a little sorry about that."
Well, she was still the young lady of a thriving household even in these chaotic times.
Unless she had a hobby like Reika, there was no need for her to cook with her own hands.
While eating, I exchanged a simple back-and-forth with her.
"Are there any more places we should check?"
"There are some, but it's hard to cover them all today, and I can't be certain either… I think it would be better to go find someone who can help."
"Someone who can help?"
"Yes. I know someone who can assist quietly without causing a stir."
"And that person is…?"
I chewed a piece of pure white bread as if it were nothing and answered.
"Someone whose name came up in yesterday's conversation with Lord Irian."
Day after day in the barracks never really changed.
Gripping sword, spear, or whatever weapon each soldier favored, and repeating training without end.
Maintaining military discipline and continuing drills might well feel grueling to soldiers stationed in the capital.
Of course, ever since Irene had taken charge of the training—
"Your movements are sluggish! Recall what I taught you!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
—discipline had never been tighter.
Irene herself possessed outstanding renown, and more than any other general she treated the soldiers with genuine sincerity. The majority of the occupation force had long since opened their hearts to her.
As a result, merely having Irene lead the drills sent morale soaring to the heavens.
It was during one such ordinary training session that—
"Lady Irene."
"What is it in the middle of training?"
"You have a visitor."
Irene looked at the officer delivering the message. He was one of the military officers who managed the barracks alongside her, and he followed her orders quite faithfully.
"I believe I made it policy that anyone who is not our lord is to be told to wait until training ends."
"Well… he pleaded that if we just gave his name, Lady Irene would certainly come out…"
"Who is it?"
Just who would call her out while she was training?
Unless it was her lord seeking her, a knight's duty was not to leave while carrying out orders…
"He says his name is Lord Swen."
"!!!"
Swen?
What business brought him to her?
…The moment she heard his name, Irene shoved all thoughts of a knight's duty to the side.
"It seems rather urgent. Shall I take over training the soldiers for a while?"
She would have preferred to finish with her own hands, but…
If it was Swen looking for her and no one else, of course she had to go.
Before she served Serpina, she was Swen's knight.
"Then I'll leave it to you. Sorry about this."
"Not at all. You're always the one working hard. Please go."
Irene immediately left her post and headed to where Swen was waiting.
Wait. I've been sweating a lot… I hope I don't smell…
She wanted to bathe, but given how rarely he came looking for her like this, the situation must be quite urgent…
Thinking girlishly that she always wanted to show Swen only her best side, she hurried her steps.
"Lady Irene."
"Swen!"
The handsome man whose white hair suited him so well—the person she had to protect—Swen appeared before Irene's eyes.
Yes.
Up to that point, everything was fine.
But then…
…Huh?
Irene stopped dead in her tracks.
Standing beside him… was a woman she had never seen before.