The Summons, and Then
No matter how many times I came here, I could never quite get used to the sheer scale of Anel Castle.
Even before I reached the royal palace itself, the grand ornaments lining both sides of the road left me feeling overwhelmed.
At the castle gate, a guard stepped into my path.
"State your business."
"My name is Swen. My lord has summoned me."
I showed him the Brans family crest embroidered on my clothes. The guard checked it, then immediately dropped his guard and saluted.
"Yes, sir! Forgive the discourtesy. Please, come inside."
The guards themselves wore a similar crest on their armor — so was there some mark that identified a superior? I'd have to ask Airen later. With that thought, I stepped into the royal palace.
I crossed the red carpet and entered the central audience chamber where the sovereign waited.
Lin, seated on the throne, spotted me and raised a hand.
"Swen, you're here. Come this way."
I walked forward, took my place among those already kneeling on one knee, and offered my greeting.
"Swen, answering my lord's summons, has come before you."
"Yes, yes. Good of you to come."
I glanced around. One man and two women knelt on one knee just as I did. Two of the faces were new to me — but one I knew well.
Lady Airen?
Had she been summoned as well? Lin almost never called for her, so curiosity stirred naturally.
"Well then. Everyone's here?"
Apparently I had been the last to arrive. We answered our lord in a single voice.
"Yes!"
"Good."
Lin crossed one leg over the other and tapped the arm of her chair in a rhythmic beat with her fingers.
"Starting today, the four of you will take ten thousand soldiers and move to Kelstein Castle."
"Kelstein Castle, my lord?"
The man beside me asked the question. He looked quite young — and since he didn't exist in my mental database, he clearly wasn't a particularly gifted subordinate. In this game, C- and D-rank officers all looked like they'd been stamped from the same mold.
"That's right. The vanguard will be… Airen's to command."
"I receive your command."
Lin listened to Airen's reply with a pleased little smile, then continued in a somewhat exaggerated tone.
"These are soldiers I originally meant to use for the assault on Valharat Castle, but… well, Airen. It's not every day you offer an opinion on something like this, is it? It may not be as many as you wanted, but I can spare this many. Go earn yourself some merit. I'm giving you a chance."
She smiled as though she were performing some act of benevolence — but anyone who wasn't a fool could tell her words were laced with thorns.
Airen, however, reacted as if nothing were amiss. If anything, she looked moved. She bowed her head even lower and answered with spirit.
"Yes! You have my deepest thanks. I will make certain to earn that merit."
"Good. And… hmm."
Her gaze, which had lingered on Airen, finally turned to me.
"Swen. Raise your head."
I lifted my head slowly. Her blue eyes swept over me, and then she smiled brightly.
"I wanted to give you more soldiers, but I couldn't. Sorry about that? As you know, I can't just accept every proposal that lacks credibility. Still — you said something, so there must be something to it, right? I'd like you to show me, if you can, while you have the chance."
So that was it.
I was beginning to understand why she had called Airen and me here.
The proposal I had made in the council meeting — that we should send troops to Kelstein Castle and strike the northern territories. That suggestion had clearly been gnawing at her. So she was taking at least some precautions, even now.
But still…
If it really was a rebellion, even combining our forces with the troops already stationed in the north would probably fall short.
Not that it was my problem.
"I will do my utmost."
I put on my most loyal expression and bowed my head deeply once more. Lin seemed thoroughly pleased with the answer; she beamed for a long moment before rising from her seat and extending a hand.
"All right. Move out immediately. I've already made the departure arrangements, so you just need to go and leave at once. Your previous duties are suspended. Go earn some glory and come back, all right?"
"Yes, my lord!"
We paid our respects to Lin and hurried out of the royal palace.
"I'll give you about an hour. Finish preparing for the journey. We'll meet at the north gate."
At Airen's words, Jack and Silin left first. Airen and I returned home as well and began preparing for the long road ahead.
My contribution was packing the northern maps I had drawn in my spare time. I wasn't sure I'd need them — but I'd drawn them, so I might as well bring them.
Kelstein Castle.
The castle that had once saved the Lunarien Army from a northern invasion — and this time, I was walking through its gates on my own two feet.
With Airen as vanguard, we led ten thousand soldiers toward Kelstein Castle.
Every stretch of road we traveled belonged to Brans territory, so we moved at ease without any particular need for heightened alertness.
During the rest stops along the way, I exchanged introductions with the other two.
As vanguard commander, Airen held the highest rank among us, and so she naturally became our leader.
"I am Airen Juliette. I look forward to working with you all."
"Forgive the late introduction. My name is Jack. I've been with the Brans Army for about three years."
"My name is Silin. I look forward to this mission."
Apparently none of them had met before. Well — in a nation this large, it was hardly surprising that subordinates wouldn't all know one another's faces. It was a little awkward to admit, but a major general like Airen and two thoroughly unremarkable officers like the rest of us would rarely cross paths on duty anyway.
"I'm Swen. A pleasure."
"Ah, Mister Swen."
The moment my introduction ended, Silin approached with a question. She was a thoroughly ordinary-looking young woman with plain brown hair in twin tails.
"You don't recognize me?"
"Pardon?"
Had I seen this woman before? I racked my brain, but nothing came. Better to be honest than pretend I knew her and step on a landmine.
"I'm sorry. I'm not very good with faces."
"It's fine. I figured you might not remember. We work at the same market. You're the one who watches the tavern tables, right?"
"…Ah."
Only then did I recall the woman who used to investigate the market's commercial conditions behind me while I handled the counter. So that had been Silin. I'd assumed she was just an ordinary market worker — I never imagined she belonged to the Brans Army.
"Now that you mention it, I do remember."
"Hehe. I'm glad someone as handsome as you remembered me, Mister Swen."
"You're quite the flatterer for a first meeting."
And so we passed the entire journey to Kelstein Castle trading idle, meaningless chatter.
What surprised me anew was Airen's manner toward them.
Silin and Jack. Names that left no impression in the database of someone who had played this game for ten thousand hours meant they weren't even D-rank officers — they were E-rank at best. Or perhaps they weren't officers at all. Like "James," they might be people who genuinely existed and worked in this world, yet never appeared as generals in the game. The kind of people you drop into empty spaces when you need a body and have no one special to use.
As a proper officer and a general of renown, Airen would have been well within her rights to talk down to them — and it wouldn't have looked strange if she had. And yet, even though she used casual speech, she spent the entire journey looking after everyone's comfort, mine included. She took on menial tasks the soldiers could have handled themselves, preferring to do things personally rather than delegate. Watching her, I found myself thinking: So this is how a person earns the trust of others. She even stood night watch alongside the soldiers.
Her willpower alone is something else.
Then again, the fact that she had taken me in when I showed up at her door unannounced and continued living with me without complaint had already made it clear she was no ordinary person.
How many days did we ride north? After passing more castles than I could count, we finally arrived at Kelstein Castle — the northernmost point of Brans territory, sitting near the border that touched Serpina's domain.
So this is Kelstein Castle.
It was slightly smaller than Anel Castle, but still larger than any of the other fortresses we had passed through within the territory. Entering through the gates and surveying the interior, I found plenty of people gathered — yet none of the peaceful vitality I had felt in Anel. It was busy, yes, but there was something about the atmosphere that made you hesitate to strike up a conversation. Being a castle on the border, a peaceful scene was never going to be in the cards. At least it wasn't like early Zeiland Castle, where despair had been written on every face.
"You've all done well. I'd like nothing more than to let you rest at once, but I think we should report to the castle first."
"I believe we should follow Lady Airen's judgment."
"I think so too."
Having secured our agreement, Airen gave a light nod.
"My thanks. Then let's get this done quickly."
With that, we made straight for Kelstein's royal keep.
Kelstein's keep was not as lavish as Anel's, but it was far from shabby either. The decorations, restrained to a minimum, were each refined and elegant, and the eyes of the soldiers on guard were far sharper than those at Anel Castle.
We followed Airen into the audience chamber. A man with a familiar face — one I had seen once before — was already seated in the lord's chair, waiting for us.
Rasion, lord of Kelstein Castle.
"Airen Juliette, and three others under her. By our lord's command, we have arrived at Kelstein Castle with ten thousand soldiers."
"So you've come, General Airen. I've been waiting for you."
Rasion remained seated and spoke in a faintly displeased tone.
"I'm grateful for the troops… but unless something happens or our lord issues a direct order, my soldiers and I will devote ourselves entirely to defense. We can be dispatched to General Kalintz's fortress if needed, but we have no plans for a direct invasion as yet. I would ask that General Airen keep that in mind."
Rasion was one of the few people who had witnessed my debate with Parfalle up close. With Airen — the one who had formally proposed the plan — arriving along with the troops, he could hardly avoid thinking about a "northern invasion."
She could have told him the idea was mine, not hers. Instead, she simply bowed her head and answered.
"Yes, understood. I await your orders."
"Well. I'd appreciate it if you just kept quiet. An invasion of all things… tch."
Rasion clicked his tongue, then glanced briefly at my face. Stare all you like — nothing's going to come of it.
"I hear from our lord that you have not been formally assigned to Kelstein Castle. So there's no need for you to take on duties within the walls. I'll call when I need you; until then, rest as you please. I would prefer you keep things quiet."
"Yes!"
And with that, the brief audience with the castle lord was over.
Outside, Jack let out a short sigh.
"Whew… Lord Rasion really is as intimidating as they say."
"I want to go back to Anel Castle already…"
Silin agreed, but I couldn't bring myself to do the same.
Intimidating?
Rasion — the poster-child turncoat of Garand Eternity Saga, who joins you the moment you hit "Recruit" after capturing him as a prisoner?
"Is Lord Rasion… known for being frightening?"
"Ah, Mister Swen, you only just arrived, so you might not know. Kelstein Castle sees so much fighting that… well, the military discipline is much stricter than other castles. It's not a popular posting among the officers."
"I see…"
Somehow this felt less like the life of a national vassal and more like the quiet misery of a civil servant.
At that moment, Airen spoke up as if to clear the air.
"I'll secure rooms at a nearby inn. As the castle lord said, you're free to do as you please for the time being. You've been on the move for quite a while — rest well until orders come down."
"Ah, then I'll head to the market for a bit. I have some business."
"Me too. Is that all right?"
"Of course. Come find the inn later and give them my name — they'll give you a room."
Jack and Silin left. And I thought: Free for the time being, is it? But if my prediction is right…
Something would happen soon. Very soon.
I casually drew closer to Airen, who was walking ahead.
"Hm?"
"Lady Airen. For the ten thousand soldiers we brought, at least — I think it would be wise to have them ready to march at any moment."
"…!"
Airen looked around carefully before speaking.
"You believe there will be a need to march?"
"Yes. Most likely."
"…Hmm."
"It's only a precaution. If nothing happens, then nothing happens. There's no harm in preparing for the future, is there?"
Right. I wasn't asking her to lead them out this instant — just to be ready.
"Very well."
I slowly stepped back from her.
Ten thousand men wouldn't be nearly enough to make a meaningful difference even if a rebellion did break out — but I wanted Airen to know that her proposal had not been wrong.
The real problem comes after that…
And so, for a time, we moved our residence from Anel Castle to Kelstein Castle.
Sunlight filtered gently into a bedchamber.
Exquisite decorations. Curtains embroidered with luxurious silk. And between them, a massive bed carved from mahogany so fine it belonged in an imperial palace.
In the center of that bed sat a woman whose long golden hair shone almost painfully bright.
Skin like white jade. A beauty so absolute it compelled worship — closer to a goddess than a mortal. Eyes that seemed to hold the golden light of the sun itself, and a full bosom that threatened to spill from her pure white nightgown.
A woman perfect in every respect, as though a god had poured every ounce of skill into her creation, murmured as she rose from sleep.
"…A dream… was it?"
Once again, she had dreamed that same dream — the one she never fully slept through, the one that returned night after night.