Under the Night Sky
With Serpina's return far sooner than anyone had expected, the entire affair settled almost as quickly as it had erupted.
The crisis itself never had a chance to grow any larger. Had she remained away from the throne for long, the chaos would only have deepened — but her swift recovery meant the realm could resume its affairs as though nothing had happened at all.
There was a world of difference between an absolute monarch vanishing for weeks and one stepping away for little more than a day.
As expected of Reika, one might say.
Whatever method she had used, Serpina's wounds healed with startling speed; by the following day, she was already stable enough to go about her duties as usual. Reika herself had slept nearly twenty-four hours straight and still looked exhausted upon waking, so she had clearly pushed herself to the brink.
That she had gone so far could only be because of Irene. Reika had always been deeply devoted to her.
Next came the matter of the assassin Leni's fate.
Shura was already dead, but Leni had survived — and because he had survived, he was subjected to torture of the most merciless kind.
Even Serpina had been prepared to acknowledge the sheer stubbornness with which he refused, no matter what was done to him, to name his backers. It was around then that the report arrived.
"They've seized a fortress?"
"Yes, my lady. They've occupied a small fort northwest of Amir Castle and are declaring that they cannot accept the rule of the one currently seated on the throne. This time… well… that is…"
"Speak freely. I will not take offense."
At Serpina's words, the officer who had come to report hesitated, then forced the words out as though wringing them from his throat.
"They claim that although they failed to take the life of the Witch Serpina, this is far from the end."
Given how briefly she had been absent, the news could not yet have spread across the entire continent — which meant—
"So they are effectively confessing to being the ones behind it."
"Yes. Though the situation appears rather tangled in several respects."
"Tangled?"
"It seems they originally intended to stage their rebellion at nearby Terk Castle rather than the fortress, but things did not go according to plan…"
"…"
So the failed assassination had thrown their other schemes into disarray as well.
Not that any of that was Serpina's concern.
And then—
"Understood. Continue monitoring their movements and report back."
"Yes, my lady!"
Once the officer had withdrawn, Serpina turned her gaze toward me.
"What do you make of it, Swen?"
Right.
Whatever reasons they had for raising another rebellion — that was no more Serpina's business than it was mine.
"Would it not be proper to punish rebels with the utmost severity?"
"Yet if it is a fortress near Amir Castle, gathering troops will take time."
The southeastern reaches of the northern territories were among the most remote holdings under Serpina's command — sparse in both population and soldiers. There had been good reason why stationing forces at Amir Castle had been considered such an extraordinary measure.
But.
"There is no need to gather additional forces. How many did they say are at the fortress?"
"I was told roughly ten thousand."
"That many can be dealt with without difficulty."
Yes.
This particular band of rebels differed from every previous uprising in one critical respect.
Namely…
They laid hands on Irene. That is a crime I will never simply let pass.
It was the fact that they had placed Irene in danger — of all people.
The lives of Shura and Leni alone were not enough. If there were backers, they had to be thoroughly eliminated, or I would never be able to live with myself.
I met her eyes directly.
"Grant me three thousand troops. And if you would appoint General Irene to the vanguard, I would be most grateful."
"You mean to settle ten thousand with a mere three thousand? There is no need to go that far. I can easily assign you more."
"No. Dragging a larger force along would only waste precious soldiers and consume additional provisions. Three thousand will suffice."
Serpina studied my eyes in silence for a moment, then carefully parted her lips.
"You intend to take young Reika with you."
"…"
As expected.
Of all the lords I had ever served, none possessed a sharper mind than hers. She had seen through my plan at once.
Just as she said.
It was time to firmly establish the fact that a mage had appeared on the continent.
"The continued rebellions may well stem from the 'karmic burden' Your Majesty has spoken of… but I also believe they arise because we have yet to display overwhelming power. I judge that this is the moment to make a decisive demonstration."
We could not hide forever that she was a mage.
If the truth had to come out, the only sensible course was to extract every possible advantage from the revelation.
To make them pay for endangering Irene — and to repay the debt I owed Serpina for saving her — I wanted the power of magic to appear as though it belonged to her alone.
If the knowledge that she possessed such ability became another variable they had to account for, fewer would dare to act.
Moreover, this was the only window in which three thousand could work a miracle against ten thousand. Magic still retained the element of surprise; it was not yet widely known.
"I understand your intent… yet that power is something I can only enjoy so long as you remain at my side, is it not?"
"…There is still much about it that remains unknown to the public. I believe rumor alone will be more than enough to keep people in check."
"You will not say, 'Do not worry, my lord — I shall remain by your side,' will you? Heh."
Serpina laughed as though she found it amusing… but I could not meet her eyes.
Fortunately, she did not press the matter further. She rose from her seat, extended a hand toward me, and spoke.
"Swen. I grant you three thousand troops, and I shall assign General Irene to the vanguard. Show those rebels who wave false banners without knowing their place who the true master of the Aingard Empire is."
"Yes!"
I answered in a clear, strong voice, and repeated the thought to myself.
Now it was my turn to take revenge.
During the march toward the fortress, I had many opportunities to speak with Irene.
"It seems Leni is dead."
"Yes. Executed, I hear. He held out to the very end."
A dark night.
After a full day of leading the troops from horseback, the brief rest before sleep was the only time we could talk.
"It is almost laughable. I judged him the most trustworthy man in the entire guard. And yet Sir Siegfried — the one I trusted least — turned out to be the only one with no connection to the rebels. To think my eye for people was so lacking… Even now, the bitterness rises in my throat."
"How could you possibly have known, Irene? You had only just joined the guard."
"And yet I was the only one who could have stopped it."
"It is because you were there that Serpina is still alive."
I meant every word.
Had she not been present… the destiny of a unified empire would have passed from Luna to some nameless stranger.
In the end, one way or another, Irene had saved me once again.
"So please do not blame yourself. No one holds you responsible. Our lord is deeply grateful to you as well."
"Swen…"
Irene seemed to understand the feeling behind my words, and a faint smile touched her lips.
That I could still look upon that smile… was thanks to Serpina.
No matter how many times I thought it over, I could not deny the enormous debt I owed her.
"…And young Reika?"
"She's resting in the carriage. Traveling such a long distance with the soldiers seems to have drained her; she looked completely at a loss all day."
"I see."
Irene was one of the few who knew Reika was a mage.
She understood perfectly well what it meant for her to accompany us.
"I cannot help but worry."
"About Reika?"
"Yes."
"…"
I had no difficulty guessing what Irene meant.
Irene and I were both formally commissioned officers of Serpina's army — soldiers. Unlike me, who offered counsel from the rear, Irene took up her sword and personally claimed the lives of dozens with her own hands. She understood the weight of stepping onto a battlefield far better than I ever could.
So of course it troubled her that Reika — essentially a civilian — was coming with us.
I had thought the same more than once myself.
But—
"Reika told me herself. For your sake, Irene — and for Serpina, who saved you — she wants to do whatever she can."
"…"
"She may belong to a powerful house, but she was never raised like a flower in a greenhouse. She knows exactly what she is doing. If that is her choice, then I want to support her as well."
"Is that so…"
Silence fell once more.
The soft crackle of the campfire filled the quiet night air.
"Just a moment."
I took the bottle I had set over the fire, steeped a light tea, and passed it to her.
"…Thank you."
"Of course."
The sound of insects beneath a night sky dense with countless stars… the soft sip of tea…
Amid those still, quiet sounds, the warm tea sliding down my throat left my body pleasantly heavy and relaxed.
"Swen."
"Yes?"
"You said there was talk of a marriage arrangement with young Reika, did you not?"
"…?"
I turned my gaze from the campfire toward where Irene sat.
Her face was flushed as she stared into the flames and asked,
"Well? Are you going to… marry her?"
"…"
I took a silent sip of tea to wet my throat, then answered,
"That would depend on what Reika and I discuss—"
"If everything goes well — if the talks succeed — will you marry her?"
Irene turned her head toward me and pressed the question with sudden urgency.
Marriage. Marriage…
I looked slowly into Irene's eyes.
Her violet irises held nothing but my reflection.
If I was honest… the person I most wanted to marry first was Irene.
With every passing moment I felt how close we had become.
Every time she spoke my name, my heart filled fuller than it ever had before.
And yet.
"…To be honest, I have no intention of marrying anyone right now."
"When you say 'right now'… you mean it is a matter of timing, not of desire…?"
"Yes."
I wanted to put off marriage until I had put down roots.
Building a household while still wandering from place to place would have been disrespectful to the other person.
The place I had always considered my true roots was Lunarien's side. Once she raised her banner again, I had intended to propose then — and that intention had not changed.
And yet.
Why… why did Serpina's face keep flickering before my eyes?
The image of a woman who had clutched my hand and begged me not to leave her — a woman so fragile and vulnerable, so utterly unlike the moniker of tyrant she bore.
Because of that, I could not casually say, I plan to propose once I return to Luna's army.
"When the time comes, I will propose. Reika is Reika, but…"
Even so.
I did not want to offer a half-truth or a dodge in this moment.
So I looked straight into Irene's eyes and said…
"…You understand, don't you?"
"…!"
Her violet pupils widened for an instant, as though startled.
Then she lowered her head, her face burning scarlet, and murmured my name over and over.
"Swen…"
Had my feelings reached her properly?
Or had she simply sensed the atmosphere and matched it, even if the meaning had not fully landed?
A short while later, Irene lifted her head and met my gaze without flinching.
"…Yes. I'll wait as long as it takes, Swen."
She spoke the words with a smile that curved her eyes into gentle crescents.
Beneath a sky so thick with stars it seemed they might spill down at any moment, the crackle of the campfire wrapped around us both.
Before long, Irene edged closer and rested her head lightly against my shoulder.
I did not pull away. Together, in silence, we watched the fire.
It was peace. The peace of two wanderers who had changed lords side by side.
In that moment, I knew with absolute certainty:
I would never forget this night for as long as I lived.