Regular Meeting / The Asius Army (2)
"Allow me to introduce myself first. I am Zinor Nighthart."
"To meet the renowned Lord Zinor himself—it is an honor."
Zinor offered no particular reply to my words, and instead asked:
"I was told that before you came here, you belonged to the Brans Army."
"That is correct."
"I, too, have heard the rumors of the 'White-Haired Mage' who wrought a miracle at the northern fortress. I would like to ask whether those rumors refer to you."
…Ah.
What?
I'd been bracing myself for something else entirely.
I'd been half-convinced he was about to say something like, You haven't forgotten my face, have you? Still think Intelligence 99 is nothing to worry about?—and I'd been terrified.
After all, the people who had sent me here were Serpina, who had once executed me, and Zinor, who had once asked me whether I thought him easy prey.
Of course, this was a different world-line, so nothing of the sort would happen—but wasn't that exactly the kind of cliché that loved to rear its head?
At any rate, if that wasn't what he was asking, there was no reason I couldn't answer.
I nodded slowly and said:
"Yes. For the time being, that is how I am known."
"Then there is one more thing I cannot help but ask."
"What is it?"
"Whether you are truly a mage or not."
Having said that, Zinor looked straight into my eyes and asked again.
"As the stories claim—was that 'miracle' truly a form of magic?"
Hmm?
Why ask that?
Was my being a mage information Zinor wanted that badly?
Given that he had gone so far as to have his sovereign, Yuuri, keep me here a while longer, it was clearly something of great importance from his perspective.
Why?
To begin with, the existence of "mages" had not yet appeared on the continent.
And since what I had performed was not the typical magic that would later emerge in this place, but rather a lot of pointless ritual nonsense involving offerings and the like, it was hard for anyone to simply conclude that I was a mage.
And yet, for some reason, the Zinor before me seemed certain that mages existed.
So how was I supposed to answer?
I had no perfect way of reading his mind, but I could reason from the information I already possessed.
Zinor had recently formed some kind of connection with Reika, whom I had met not long ago. Their surnames were the same, after all.
Considering that the Reika I knew had no surname of her own, the high probability was that Zinor had adopted her.
There was no other way to pass on a family name.
Thinking of it that way, Zinor's present certainty that mages existed also made sense.
Reika was destined to become the greatest mage of all. If Zinor had gone out of his way to take in an orphan girl, there could be only one reason.
He had noticed that she was a mage—or at least that she possessed the talent for it.
Zinor was an extremely intelligent character.
Even if a ninety-nine-percent prediction of his had once gone wrong and cost him his head, characters with Intelligence 99 in this game were vanishingly rare overall.
And even those few only tended to appear in the later eras; in this same period, there was almost certainly no one else but Zinor.
There had been a reason I'd stubbornly kept playing even after respawning near Serpina's forces.
Unlike me—a possessed outsider in this world—Zinor was a living, breathing person of this reality.
It was not strange to assume that his Intelligence score had translated directly into the workings of his mind.
So while I didn't know the specifics of how he had discovered it, it was not difficult to guess that he had recognized Reika's talent.
Back to the beginning, then.
Why was he asking whether I was a mage?
Let me think from Zinor's point of view.
If I answered that I was not a mage, that would be the end of it. A simple Is that so? or So such things can be done even without magic, then.
But if I answered that I was a mage?
Wouldn't he seek my advice regarding Reika?
Reika's talent would not yet have blossomed, so if I were a mage, he would surely have a great many questions.
That seems to be the answer.
Even so, I could not simply lie.
Lies had a way of coming to light all too quickly.
I was not a mage. I could not freely cast spells or anything of the sort; I possessed no such ability.
But forging a connection with Reika was important for the future.
I could not simply let this opportunity slip by.
In that case, my answer was—
"A mage… if one were to put it that way, I suppose I could say that I am. However…"
I deliberately let my words trail off.
"Whether one can truly call me a proper mage, I do not know."
"What do you mean by that?"
At Zinor's words, I answered in a thoroughly serious tone.
"Well… this may be a little difficult to understand, but I can read the energy of the heavens."
I explained it as convincingly as I could—yet in a way that someone who already possessed a certain piece of "information" would be able to infer the rest.
"In this air… something drifts. The more I close my eyes and meditate, the more intensely I feel it. By reading that energy, I can draw forth something that is difficult to put into words. …Of course, the more I use it, the more I feel as though the vitality is being drained from my body."
"…"
Zinor listened to my words with the utmost seriousness.
Right now, I was describing the concept of mana without ever giving it a name.
In this era, mana had not yet been discovered—but Zinor, who had Reika under his care, would have some vague grasp of the concept.
In other words, I was guiding him to freely anticipate and misinterpret things on his own.
Whether it worked or not didn't matter. It would do me no good to let on that I wanted it to work.
"I use that to… seek blessings from the heavens. Whether one can call this magic, I do not know. Mages and the like could not possibly exist in reality, could they?"
"Then what of the ritual you performed?"
"I do not know the reason, but the more I do such things, the more I feel a sense of oneness with the heavens, and the clearer my mind becomes."
Of course it was complete nonsense.
But given that the result I had produced—meteors falling from the sky—actually existed, this nonsense could only sound auspicious to him.
If I did not exploit that misunderstanding here, the path forward for someone who could only make predictions would be bleak indeed.
"Hmm…"
Zinor closed his eyes and sank into thought, then at last opened his heavy mouth.
"It would seem you are indeed a mage."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. …Though I cannot be entirely certain."
"This time, I would like to ask a question of my own."
"What is it?"
"Why did you ask me such a thing?"
Zinor glanced subtly toward Yuuri's face.
Yuuri nodded slowly.
A silent signal passed between the two of them, and at last I heard his answer.
"There is something I would like to ask of you."
"A request?"
"You were honest with me, so I shall be honest with you in turn. …Mages do, in fact, exist."
"…!!"
At those words, I conjured in my mind the image of Irene in her underclothes.
I felt bad for her, but that had been the single most shocking moment since I had crossed into this world—so the expression of utter astonishment settled quite naturally onto my face.
"But she is still young, and for that reason or another, her power has not fully blossomed. In my judgment, you appear to have opened your eyes to that power to a certain degree. Without that, opening a path through the heavens and working a miracle would have been impossible."
"Then…?"
"I would like you to keep an eye on that mage for me. In other words, I am asking you to become her teacher."
Good.
I had cast the bait, and he had taken it whole.
But rather than snap it up immediately, I thought it would look more natural to show a little hesitation here.
"Her teacher, you say? But I rarely use this ability, as I have the sense that employing it shortens my lifespan—and no matter how I look at it, I cannot bring myself to believe I am a mage. I doubt I would be of any real help…"
"No. That power you feel—the concept of that power—most certainly exists. I am certain it will be of help to the child."
"…"
I nodded, still somewhat reluctant, and said:
"I will meet her, then. Though whether it will amount to proper instruction, I cannot say."
"That will be enough."
The moment Zinor finished speaking, Yuuri's voice reached me.
"Swen. Keep this matter secret from everyone else. That includes Irene—don't tell her either, all right? And since I haven't assigned you any particular duties, I'd like you to fulfill Zinor's request on your free days."
So they had even cleared my schedule just to put me to use as a teacher.
From my perspective, it was a proposal with nothing to lose.
"Understood."
I nodded as I spoke.
And with that, I was at last able to leave the audience chamber of Valharat Castle.
After Swen had gone.
Zinor and Yuuri spoke quietly between themselves.
"It seems quite certain that he can sense mana."
"Really? Then Swen really is a mage?"
"…There are a few points that strike me as odd, to be honest. He seems to follow a slightly different path from the typical mages described in the ancient texts. But those texts are only records of the past, and no one alive has actually seen such things, so there is also the question of how far they can be trusted… From what I can tell, he does appear to be sensing 'mana,' yet he himself has not realized it."
"Mm, this is getting complicated. I'm not all that clever, you know. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed that girl was a mage either."
"Do not worry, my lord. The power of magic is mighty. For a minor power like the Asius Army to conquer this continent, the strength of a mage will be indispensable. Before my life ends, I shall raise Reika into a mage of true usefulness."
At Zinor's words, Yuuri spoke in a playfully casual tone.
"Right. Just don't push yourself too hard. Even without a mage's power, there's no way the Asius Army that my comrades and I built couldn't achieve unification, is there? Ah, and one more thing."
Having said that, she covered her mouth with her hand and laughed as though thoroughly amused.
"If Swen really does turn out to be a useful mage, taking him as your son-in-law might not be such a bad idea. What do you think?"
"My son-in-law, you say?"
"Mm-hm. Ah, but then Irene might not like it. Still, a man can take more than one wife."
Leaving the oddly entertained Yuuri behind him, Zinor sank into thought.
There was no more certain bond than bringing someone into the family, true enough.
But if he truly is a mage… it may be wiser to remain wary of him rather than place full trust in him.
Swen, who had now become their comrade, was a traitor who had betrayed his former lord, Lin Brans.
Of course, Lin herself had hardly been a lord worth serving, and she was in many ways an inferior woman compared to his own sovereign, Yuuri…
…I'll simply have to extract everything I can from him, then focus on raising Reika.
True to his sharp mind, Zinor was already thinking of how to make the fullest use of Swen.
And if he could not put the man to use, then—just as Yuuri had said—marrying Reika off to him and bringing him under his own influence was another option available.
The mind of the Empire's sage was turning at high speed.
"Lady Irene."
"Swen."
The moment I stepped out through the castle gates, Irene was waiting for me, as though it were the most natural thing in the world.
With her at my side, I finally felt as though I had returned to the place where I belonged.
"What did they talk about?"
"It's a little difficult to explain in detail. My new lord asked that I keep it secret. Still, if you're curious, I will tell you."
This was Irene, after all—not just anyone.
I had no particular desire to hide things from her.
But upon hearing my words, Irene shook her head without a moment's hesitation.
"No. In that case, you need not tell me. I might unconsciously let slip that I 'know,' after all. I am not a perfect human being."
"Are you sure?"
"Of course. Swen, I don't want to cause you any trouble."
She said this with a smile directed at me.
She was beautiful.
Foolishly, I found myself staring at that smile, lost in the thought.
"…On another note, Lady Irene—what duties were you assigned?"
At my question, she grinned.
Somehow, a clear sense of pride seemed to radiate from that expression.
"Training the soldiers. It seems all the officers who used to handle the drills are preparing for war."
"Ah, now that you mention it…"
So they were moving to deal with the Charam Army and the Allepel Army.
Well, setting those two aside, there was hardly anyone better suited to training troops than Irene.
Lin might have gone out of her way not to make use of Irene—but from Yuuri's perspective, there was no reason whatsoever to pass her over.
"I'm glad you were given a proper assignment."
"Mm."
Irene said this with a grin and a nod.
For someone who had been deliberately shut out of everything for so long, simply being given a mission was more than enough to make her happy.
Seeing her smile, I felt not the slightest regret about betraying the Brans Army.
To me, Irene mattered far more than the Brans Army ever had.
That would be no different here.
Yes.
Until the Lunarien forces raised their banners, I would make protecting her smile my purpose.
With that resolve, I fell into step beside her and headed home.
A few days later.
Before the main gate of a grand mansion I had visited once before.
I arrived at the appointed time, and as if on cue, a person who appeared to be a servant of the household was standing at the door to receive me.
"Would you happen to be Lord Swen?"
"I am."
The servant bowed at the waist in greeting, then slowly opened the gate as he spoke.
"Lord Zinor is waiting for you. Please, follow me this way."