Transferring Allegiance to the Aesius Army (3)
In the southern reaches of the continent, within the territory held by the Karelia Army, stood Teppelo Castle.
Situated along the border with the Ohana Army, the fortress was governed by none other than Lunarien Iniang.
At first, many had questioned whether it was wise to entrust such a significant post to a woman who had only recently joined their ranks. But as time passed and Luna continued to prove her competence, the grumbling faded into silence.
She administered rewards and punishments with unwavering fairness, and managed even the smallest details that other castle lords would have ignored. It was more than enough to silence anyone who still doubted her.
Besides, given that both Karelia and her strategist Vanessa prioritized ability above all else when making appointments, there was nothing particularly strange about it.
And now, within the lord's residence of Teppelo Castle, Tifa and Luna were speaking alone for the first time in a long while.
"Old man Cain wants to see me too?"
"Yes."
"Why? I'm busy training the kids."
"He said he has something to show us."
"Yeah? What about everyone else?"
"He said he'd prefer it if it were just the two of us."
"Heh. That so?"
Tifa grinned.
"Me, old man Cain, and Luna… the three of us getting together. Kinda brings back old times."
"…"
In truth, Luna had been thinking the same thing.
The only difference from back then was that he was no longer here.
"Oh yeah. Luna, you heard the news, right? About that white-haired mage with the Brans Army."
"Yes."
"That's a hundred percent Swen. No question."
"You think so too?"
"Obviously. How many white-haired young guys out there could pull off something that ridiculous?"
Just as Luna had known the moment she heard the rumors that it had to be Swen, Tifa had reached the same conclusion just as quickly.
"So magic is actually real, huh?"
"But is it really magic? The rumors said he performed a ritual to the heavens."
"If dropping boulders from the sky isn't magic, then what the hell is?"
"…Is that so? Still, Lord Swen never used magic when he was with us…"
"He was probably just hiding his power."
"…Hmm…"
Luna looked a little uncertain, but Tifa clearly didn't care either way. She cracked her knuckles together and declared,
"Anyway! If even a scrawny guy like that can use magic, then I can too, right?"
"Like I said, it might not even be magic—"
"Don't care! I'll start training today and figure it out somehow. Not that I need magic to be strong!"
Lately, Tifa had been putting herself through a near-murderous training regimen. She repeated simple movements hundreds, even thousands of times to harden her body, and ran three kilometers around the Teppelo Castle domain three times a day without fail.
It had all started the day her confidence — the belief that she was already strong enough — had been utterly shattered. The day she was crushed by Airen Juliette. From that moment on, a desperate urgency had taken hold of her: At this level, I can't even protect myself, let alone be of any use to Luna.
Even when her duties piled up, she cut into her sleep rather than skip a single session of physical training.
Luna understood that drive perfectly well. After becoming castle lord, she had deliberately assigned Tifa to train the soldiers — so that whenever the troops drilled, Tifa could train alongside them, making efficient use of even her duty hours.
Just then—
"Ah, you've both gathered. Forgive me for being late."
From a distance, Cain approached at a leisurely pace.
But he was not alone.
"Hurry up, old man! Wait — more importantly… what's this? Who are the people with you?"
People?
Well, they were people, yes — but more precisely, a group of rather young-looking boys and girls.
Cain had brought one boy and two girls with him. The oldest of them, the boy, looked to be around sixteen.
"Lord Cain, who are these children?"
"…I brought them precisely so I could introduce them to Lady Luna and Miss Tifa."
Cain stepped slightly to the side.
"We present ourselves before Lady Lunarien."
The three youths knelt in unison and offered their greetings.
"They are my relatives. Due to certain circumstances… they are all orphans now."
"Huh? Hold on, old man. You had relatives? You always said you didn't have a single family member."
Cain nodded at Tifa's words.
"…Well, that was true enough while I was at Zeiland Castle. These children were at an orphanage in another castle."
"An orphanage?"
"Indeed. Enough time has passed that I thought it best to introduce them to Lady Luna."
As soon as Cain finished speaking, the children introduced themselves in order, starting with the oldest-looking boy.
"My name is Francis."
"I'm Charlotte."
"Violet."
Luna looked into Francis's eyes. Golden irises, and slightly messy blond hair. There was something familiar about him… or was it just her imagination?
Charlotte's eyes were a similar gold to Francis's. Violet's were black, like Cain's. Both girls had black hair.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all. I am Lunarien."
"So what's the real reason? You didn't drag us out here just to introduce some relatives."
"Well, no. Listen carefully."
Cain looked at Luna with an expression more serious than she had ever seen from him.
"Lady Luna. I ask that you take these children under your guardianship."
"These children? Me…?"
"Yes. It embarrasses me to say so myself, but each of them possesses extraordinary talent. They will surely be of great help to you in your future endeavors."
"When you say endeavors, you mean…?"
Cain nodded.
"I do not believe it is Lady Luna's intention to remain a mere castle lord under the Karelia Army forever."
"Ahh."
Tifa finally seemed to grasp why they had been summoned, and nodded.
"So these kids are gonna be on our side later."
"Precisely."
"…"
Yes. Just as Cain said, Luna had never once intended to abandon her ambitions here. Had she not promised Swen? That if the opportunity came, she would seize it without fail — and that if she did, he would return to her side no matter what.
Even now, she had not forgotten his voice from the day they parted for even a single moment.
"I believe it would be best for them to stay at Lady Luna's residence and prepare for the days ahead. As it happens, you don't have a single servant in your employ, do you? If you take these children in as attendants, no one around you will find it particularly strange."
As castle lord, Lunarien had been given the vast mansion once occupied by the previous lord, Carlos. It was far too large for one person, and she had somehow been managing without a single servant.
"But why me…? Since they are your relatives, Lord Cain, wouldn't it be better for them if you raised them yourself?"
"Haha… Lady Luna. I understand what you're saying, but I am already as old as a man can get. I could very well die next month. Well, for an old man who has lived as long as he should, that is only natural."
"Please don't say such things…!"
"Yeah, old man. I hear the biggest lie old folks tell is 'I've lived long enough, I might as well just drop dead.' At the very least, you gotta stick around long enough to see Luna rebuild her country, right?"
Cain let out a short chuckle at that.
"Well… by introducing these children to Lady Luna, I figure I've already done everything I needed to do."
"Hah, seriously. I get that they're your relatives, but how much of a bunch of geniuses are they for you to be this confident?"
"You'll understand what I mean in time, Miss Tifa."
Cain bowed his head toward Luna.
"In any case, I hope Lady Luna will take them in. Before anyone else does. I promise you they will be of great help."
"…"
Someday, she would have to leave the Karelia Army and raise her own banner. Having more people who shared her cause was a good thing — never a bad one.
"…Everyone, would you please stand?"
At Luna's voice, the kneeling children all rose to their feet. She walked slowly toward Francis, the oldest among them.
"Francis."
"Yes, Lady Lunarien."
"You may call me Luna from now on. And you may think of me as your guardian. I look forward to working with you."
Francis's face flushed slightly. He bowed his head. He seemed unused to speaking with women.
"Ah… understood. I'll do my best."
After that, Luna exchanged brief greetings with Charlotte and Violet as well. Fortunately, neither of them seemed to harbor any resistance toward her.
Cain watched Luna and fell into thought.
I considered waiting a little longer… but in the end, the only lord worthy of my service is Lady Lunarien.
These children — of noble blood, just like himself — whom he had risked his life to hide. If they stood beneath Lunarien, she would gain a legitimacy in the future that could rival even Serpina's. She would be able to effectively shake the foundations of a woman who maintained her support base through overwhelming legitimacy even while ruling as a tyrant.
The three children themselves did not know it, but their fates had already changed dramatically from the moment of a certain encounter.
Originally, Cain would have died without ever fully making up his mind, only entrusting these children to Luna in his final will. But after living with Luna at Zeiland Castle and fleeing all the way to the south with her, he had been able to choose the new lord he would back before his life ran out.
The same was true of Tifa. Rather than stumbling upon the ability to sense mana through some miraculous coincidence years down the line, hearing news of the mage called "Swen" had made her realize far sooner that magic — that mana — might actually exist. She was the only martial-type general capable of sensing mana. The awakening of her potential had simply been accelerated.
Lunarien, who had gone from the ruler of a minor state to the lord of a castle under Karelia, one of the continent's major powers. Tifa, who had become aware of mages far earlier than she otherwise would have. Cain, who through a wealth of experience had quickly settled on the lord he would serve.
All of it had been possible because of one person alone — Swen.
Swen's existence was dramatically shortening the time required for the Lunarien Army's rise to kingship.
A week had already passed since we arrived at Valharat Castle.
In that time, Airen and I had been able to enjoy ourselves for the first time in a long while.
"Should I hold it like this?"
"Yes, that's right. Now if you tie it off like so… there. Done. Three more to go."
First, we built something resembling a training dummy for Airen's practice. The fact that the very first thing she wanted to put in the room was a training dummy was so utterly like her that I couldn't help but laugh.
In our free time, we walked around Valharat Castle together. It had a different charm from Anel Castle, and living there wasn't bad at all. Considering this place was essentially a border fortress, the Aesius Army must have defended Valharat with everything they had.
Of course, it wasn't as though the tension was completely gone… but at Kelstein, which was also on the border, an atmosphere this peaceful would have been unthinkable.
I found myself sinking into a feeling I hadn't experienced in a very long time.
Peace.
Back when I was still with Luna's forces — after the harvest, when the entire mood of Zeiland Castle had transformed — I had walked the grounds with her on inspection and danced. That same feeling I had known then… I was feeling it now, far away at Valharat Castle, with Airen.
I wonder if she's doing well.
Coming from the Brans Army to the Aesius Army hadn't given me an answer to the question of whether Lunarien Iniang could become the unifier of the continent. Even so, my belief that she was somewhere out there, living well, remained unshaken.
Spending time like this with Airen… isn't so bad.
I knew this period of peace wouldn't last long. Unless the Brans Army was completely incompetent, something was bound to happen soon. But rather than spend my days fretting over it, I chose to enjoy the peace for as long as it lasted — and so Airen and I filled each day with quiet fulfillment.
About ten days had passed when Airen and I finished buying tea leaves and other necessities at a general store inside the castle and were heading home.
That was when I noticed it.
Hm?
There was a bit of a commotion coming from the alley behind us.
"What is it, Swen?"
"Nothing. Over there… something concerning seems to be happening."
Three burly men had surrounded a young woman wearing a veil. Judging by the atmosphere, the woman and the men did not appear to know each other. Even from a distance, it wasn't hard to tell she was in distress.
Thugs, then.
We were generals of the Aesius Army. That meant our walks also doubled as patrols for maintaining public order. If I hadn't seen it, that would be one thing — but having seen it, I couldn't simply walk past and pretend otherwise.
I approached them.
"What do you think you're doing over there?"