I'll Be Your Wings
I hurried to the audience chamber of the royal palace, where Yuuri greeted me with a bright welcome.
I dropped to one knee and spoke with formal courtesy.
"Swen, reporting. I have arrived at the capital on my lord's orders."
"Swen! Come on in. It's been ages. How have you been?"
"Well enough, thanks to you."
"And Irene? She's doing all right? Feels like I haven't seen her face in forever."
"Yes, she is."
"Mm. Still no news yet?"
"…Pardon?"
I looked up, wondering what on earth she was asking — and found Yuuri snickering to herself, clearly amused.
"I'm kidding, kidding. Still. It'd be nice if some good news came along soon."
"…"
In that moment I had a fair idea of what she was getting at, but I chose not to press the point. Fortunately, she moved on to business without further delay.
"Right. Good. So — the reason I called you here. I need you to go fetch someone for me."
"Someone, my lord?"
At that, Yuuri gave an awkward little smile, looking faintly embarrassed.
"Well… you're really the only person I can ask right now. The other generals all have their own assignments… Not that I'm saying you're sitting around doing nothing just because you're handling our requests, of course."
"That's of no concern. I would simply like to know who it is I'm meant to bring back."
"One of my subordinate generals went off on a training retreat."
A training retreat?
Hearing that, I had a pretty good idea who she meant.
"I'd like you to go find her and ask her to come home. Tell her I miss her terribly."
"Would you be able to give me a few more details?"
Yuuri nodded.
"Her name is Anima Ingram. She's someone truly precious to our army — someone we're deeply grateful for."
Just as I thought.
Anima Ingram. The general who had once served as State Tactician of the original Asius Army. According to Zinor, after he had taken her place as State Tactician, she had withdrawn into training to hone what she considered her own shortcomings.
But why come looking for her now?
Had it not been for the surprise attack, Zinor would have stepped down from the State Tactician's post. Because the attack had succeeded, however, he remained active in the role. It was a little odd that he wasn't at Yuuri's side at the moment — perhaps he was simply away — but at least he hadn't been dismissed.
"I'll tell you where she is. Go find her and tell her we need her strength again. Oh — and make sure you pass this along as well."
Yuuri's tone turned more serious than I had ever heard it.
"I want to offer her the lordship of Lacline Castle. Tell her she has to come back."
Ah.
So the bait to lure her home was a castle lordship. A lordship might not match the rank of State Tactician, but for anyone hungry for power, it was a post you wouldn't want to pass up. Some might even consider it higher than State Tactician — after all, in a place without the sovereign present, a castle lord wielded authority not unlike a lord's own.
I didn't know much about her character, but anyone who would vanish into seclusion the moment she was removed from the State Tactician's seat seemed likely enough to covet a lordship.
"Is that the entirety of the mission?"
"Yeah. Sorry. I know you're already busy handling requests from me and Zinor… I'll make sure the travel expenses and the reward are generous."
"It's really not necessary — but out of courtesy, I'll accept whatever you give me."
"Heh. Good."
Yuuri smiled faintly at my answer. She was clearly not the sort of sovereign who lorded her position over others or sought to dominate those beneath her. It was a poor fit for the image of a ruler in this era… but in the world I'd come from, she would have made a rather fine boss.
The irony of the age, I supposed.
"Well then — I'm counting on you, Swen."
"Yes."
I nodded in a suitably respectful farewell and left the palace.
After Swen had gone, Yuuri sat for a long while with her chin in her hand, lost in thought.
Anima…
"Yuuri. We can do this. No — let me put it properly. You can do this. And I'll be your wings."
"Don't be afraid, Yuuri. Epinel, Emma, Ernandof — of course they'll move according to your decisions. That's how it should be. You'll have to get used to it."
"Let's end this chaotic age with our own hands. Picture it — red banners flying across the entire continent. Isn't that magnificent?"
The Anima of her memories had been a childhood friend of unshakable resolve — the one who had breathed a sovereign's spirit into a girl who couldn't quite stand firm on her own.
That day.
The day the Empire fell — the day Piviola Academy, where she and Anima had studied, fell with it.
It had been Anima, and no one else, who had saved her life from the brink of death.
"I still have so many shortcomings. I think I'll take this chance to go on a training retreat — to look back on myself."
Shortcomings?
Even as she was, Anima was someone the Asius Army could not afford to lose.
At least, not as far as Yuuri was concerned.
She had wanted to go herself. She had gone several times, in fact. But whenever Yuuri arrived in person, Anima would not show herself.
Epinel, Ernandof, Emma — every one of them had returned without managing to meet her.
Perhaps Swen, who had never shared so much as a moment of connection with her, might still be able to get through.
Please come home, Anima…
Yuuri let out a long, heavy breath.
Around here, is it?
This was a mountainside not far from the Valharat territory — not all that distant from the place where I'd once brought Reika for meditation. I had come much deeper into the mountains this time, though, and I found myself gasping for breath by the time I finally arrived.
She should be somewhere nearby.
According to Yuuri, there was a rundown shack somewhere around here. But no matter how I searched, I couldn't spot so much as a silhouette of a person, let alone a house.
I should rest a bit…
I settled myself on a convenient rock. Reika had said she'd sensed an enormous amount of mana somewhere around here — maybe this place was some kind of sacred training ground. I entertained that idle thought as I caught my breath.
Hm?
Beyond the trees, half-hidden among them, a small shack came into view. It was so thoroughly concealed in the heart of the mountain that I could almost believe it had been camouflaged on purpose.
No wonder I couldn't find it…
I'd only just decided to rest when I spotted it, which took a little of the wind out of my sails — but now that I'd found it, there was no point in wasting more time. I rose at once and headed for the shack.
Rustle, rustle.
Listening to the sound of grass underfoot, I soon found myself standing before the door. I knocked slowly.
"Is anyone there?"
For a fleeting moment I felt oddly like a tax collector. Then, from the other side — a voice so fragile it seemed it might shatter at a touch, thin as glass.
"…Who is it?"
"Would you happen to be Lady Anima Ingram?"
A brief silence followed my words.
"…I am. And you are?"
"I have come here on the orders of my lord, Lady Yuuri. I have a message for you, Lady Anima."
"…"
Again she was silent for a long while. Then a small voice, barely managing to cut through the birdsong, reached me.
"Please wait a moment."
A few minutes later, the door finally opened — and Anima Ingram stood before me.
Her short brown hair looked somewhat dry and brittle. Her eyes, though hollow overall, still held a sharp clarity. Her clothing itself was unremarkable, save for one detail: her right arm was completely wrapped and concealed beneath something like a cloak.
"Yuuri sent you?"
"Yes."
"I don't believe we've met… Forgive me, but may I ask your name?"
"Swen. I only recently joined the Asius Army."
"…I see."
She closed her eyes, then nodded.
"It's humble, but please come in."
The interior of her dwelling felt strangely familiar. A floor worn with age, a room with almost nothing in it save a single blanket lying forlornly on the ground. This was exactly the sort of place I'd lived in during my days at Zeiland Castle. Unmistakably so.
"You've come a long way, and I have nothing to offer you. I'm sorry."
"It's quite all right."
I studied her face calmly. She wore a faint smile as she looked at me, but she was clearly on her guard to some degree. The Asius Army's emblem was embroidered on my clothes, so she seemed to trust that Yuuri had indeed sent me…
"Is Yuuri well?"
So Anima, too, spoke to her casually. Well — she seemed to be one of the founding heroes. Perhaps that was only natural.
"Yes. For the most part."
"And what did she say to you, Lord Swen?"
"That she hoped Lady Anima would help her once again."
"I see."
Anima let out a small sigh at that.
"And how is our army faring?"
"We recently succeeded in taking Lacline Castle."
"Is that so? It seems things are running well enough without me, then."
I could read a peculiar emotion in her expression. At first I had assumed she was staging something like a quiet protest over being removed as State Tactician — but perhaps it wasn't quite that. Perhaps she felt she had lost her place. And that place wasn't about power, or a seat among the leadership… something deeper and more personal, maybe.
I couldn't distill it into a single clean sentence, but those empty eyes held not a trace of ambition for power.
Given how much the Asius Army valued its founding heroes, even if I failed to bring her back now, someone would inevitably be sent again. Climbing this mountain was hard enough for me as it was. I wanted to finish the mission in one go if I could.
I chose my words carefully.
"I'm not so sure that's true."
"No?"
"Yes. My lord herself, along with General Epinel, General Emma, General Ernandof, and many others — they all miss you dearly, Lady Anima. I haven't been here long enough to know the full picture, but it seems clear that you held a vital role in this army."
"Why do you think that?"
"That much is easy enough to notice after even a short time. Your name keeps coming up."
Of course I hadn't actually heard any such thing — I was just laying on the flattery. But if I could bring her back, the founding members of the Asius Army, Yuuri included, would only be glad of it. They certainly wouldn't mind.
"…"
Anima closed her eyes again at my words.
"Everyone who has worked alongside you is eagerly waiting to work with you again. Won't you return with me?"
Again she said nothing. This time I didn't press her. I simply watched her face in silence, waiting for her to speak.
I don't know how much time passed before she finally parted her heavy lips.
"Lord Swen. This may seem sudden, but do you know why I wear this cloak?"
"The cloak?"
It struck me as rather abrupt — but I had a feeling she was about to say something important, so I answered in a serious tone.
"I'm afraid I don't."
"It's nothing much."
With that, she used her left hand to let the cloak covering her right arm fall to the floor.
And what entered my field of vision was—
"…!!"
Where her right arm should have been… there was nothing.
She's missing an arm?
"If I've startled you, please accept my deepest apologies."
"No — more than that… how did this happen?"
"…"
Anima slowly opened the eyes she had been keeping shut. Her light-brown irises were far sharper now than they had been moments before.
"It's nothing special. Just… our story, I suppose."
Our — meaning the Asius Army, then.
Come to think of it, the bond between Yuuri and her founding heroes had always seemed almost excessively tight. Why did they act the way they did? This might be my chance to find out.
I was going to leave eventually, but for now I was still part of this army. Hearing the story couldn't hurt.
"Would you like to hear it?"
"As much as you're willing to tell."
"…"
Anima looked at me, nodded once — and at last began to speak of what had happened.