Chapter 121: The Capital City Ainhardt (3)
“Ah… Lord Airen!”
“You’re using this room…?”
“Ah, yes! This is my room, and I heard a new member was joining us today… but I never imagined it would be Lord Airen!”
Thus continued the reunion with Silyn.
“Do you… know this person…?”
“Ah, yes. When I was in the Brans army, we briefly worked together.”
“Hello. My name is Silyn.”
“Ah, ah… That is, I, um, my name is, Reika.”
“So, you’re Lady Reika. Did you join as a civilian official?”
“No, not… I, well, that is.”
Instead of her, who was again stuttering in front of someone new, Airen stepped in to explain the general situation.
“So, Lady Reika isn’t exactly a military officer affiliated with our forces but… you’re staying here specially with Lady Serpina’s permission as part of Lord Airen’s retinue?”
“That seems to be the case.”
“I see…! That’s amazing. Of course, if it’s our lord, such generosity is to be expected.”
The lord Silyn is talking about, of course, isn’t Lynn but rather Serpina.
It was impossible not to ask about that part.
“So… it’s somewhat funny for me to be asking you this.”
Airen cleared her throat several times before speaking again.
“How did you end up coming to Serpina’s forces?”
“Ah…”
Silyn sighed briefly, then asked if it was okay to have some tea before naturally joining the conversation.
After taking a sip, she began her story.
“Really, a lot has happened.”
The sound of a teacup dropping on the table.
The white noise of Reika hurriedly wiping up the splashed tea mixed into the story.
“Lord Airen. Now that we’re here, I must say… I understand why you betrayed Lynn.”
Silyn said with force in her eyes.
“Anyone could see that Lynn Brans was the one who first put you in a difficult position.”
“Hmm.”
She doesn’t deny it. Because it was true.
It’s a thing of the past, and she’s not going to dwell on it unnecessarily anymore. She no longer wanted to be dragged around like before.
“After the decision to leave you behind at the fortress was made, there was a lot of talk among the retreating officers. Even a distinguished general like Airen Juliette was treated like that, so ordinary people like us felt even more like our lives were worth nothing. Still, since we had nowhere to belong… we just stayed on, doing what we were told. Our loyalty had bottomed out, though.”
They were people too.
Even if there was a disliked commander, it was impossible not to notice the act of pushing one’s own commander into a deadly situation.
Rumors could somehow be smothered and hidden, but it remained in the minds of the commanders who were ordered to “return.”
“Still! I heard the news! Didn’t you block a falling meteor or something?!”
“Well… Swen had a harder time than I did.”
“Right! It was Mr. Swen! The handsome man who was with you!”
Silyn said, her eyes sparkling.
“He was so handsome, I wanted to become friends at that time. But, unfortunately, we didn’t continue to stay in touch.”
“…”
“As for Mr. Swen, what happened to him? Didn’t he leave with you?”
“…Yes. Right. He’s still here.”
“What do you mean by that…?”
“Yes. Currently, Swen is also affiliated with Serpina’s forces.”
“My goodness.”
Silyn, looking incredulous, brought a hand to her face and said,
“To meet again like this? How strange!”
“…”
The more Airen listened to Silyn’s expressions, tone, and voice, the more she felt a subtle feeling she had never experienced before.
But she wasn’t sure how to explain this feeling, so she remained silent, merely sipping her tea.
“I should visit him when I have some time.”
Airen cut off the conversation abruptly.
“That aside, Silyn. How did you end up here?”
“Me? Well… after that day, I was assigned to Lisman Castle.”
“Lisman Castle, near Kelstein…?”
“Yes. It’s a very small castle. It wasn’t bad to be assigned there, especially after Airen left and Anel Castle became chaotic… As you know, after Kelstein Castle was breached, we were rapidly defeated by Serpina’s forces. I heard there was some issue with Aishers’ forces and they lost all their troops… but details didn’t reach the likes of me, a lowly soldier.”
After saying that, she took another sip of her tea and then,
“Ah… thank you.”
Reika passed some snacks, which Silyn began to munch on.
“As soon as we were occupied, I immediately surrendered. After seeing Lynn abandon Airen, I had no more attachment to the Brans forces.”
“I see.”
It was an involuntary move, saved by Swen, but-
Still, there were those whose hearts were swayed by that act.
Ironically, that fact itself was now comforting to Airen.
“How’s Jack doing?”
“After being assigned elsewhere, I lost contact with Jack. Honestly, we weren’t that close, just work colleagues. He wasn’t a decent man like Mr. Swen.”
“…”
She almost blurted out why stories about Swen were coming up, but managed to swallow those words.
Lately, Airen realized she was becoming particularly sensitive to topics about Swen.
“Right. Can I ask you one thing too?”
“Hmm.”
“You moved to Aishers’ forces, didn’t you? But how did you end up here?”
“…”
After pondering for a moment how to explain,
Silyn didn’t necessarily need to know everything straight as it was.
“Well, there were various circumstances. As you know, these are troubled times.”
“True, I couldn’t have imagined serving under that tyrant Serpina either.”
Silyn said that and then slightly smiled.
“But it seems alright.”
“Alright?”
“Serpina. I think she’s a lord worth serving. There’s an excitement here that I didn’t feel under Lynn.”
The subsequent conversation mainly revolved around Serpina’s role here and how the citizens were treated.
The information wasn’t anything new. Serpina wasn’t enforcing a reign of terror as was rumored.
She only showed her ruthless side when rebels rose, and otherwise, she governed with strict reward and punishment, leading to a stable internal administration.
If the internal administration is stable, the economy thrives, and if the economy thrives, it leads directly to the loyalty of the citizens. Nothing was more important than solving the problem of making a living.
“So, I’m thinking of settling down here.”
“Settling down, you say.”
“Yes. Looking at the situation on the continent, it seems like our lord is the only one who can become the unifying monarch. Brans has fallen, and the other countries don’t seem to pose a threat.”
“…”
Could Serpina… become the unifying monarch?
But Swen, of all people, hadn’t confirmed it.
“I serve under the only person on this continent who can conquer and become the unifying monarch.”
“Oh, the only person? Who might that be?”
“You must know her, Lord Airen. Didn’t you meet her a few months ago?”
Lunarien Inian.
Swen had asserted with his vibrant ruby-red eyes that she was the one to become the unifying monarch.
Having spent a significant amount of time with her, Airen knew. Even if initially, he didn’t understand, eventually, Swen’s words all turned out to be correct.
She hadn’t reappeared on the stage of history yet…
Really, could she overthrow Serpina, who has a certain degree of popularity among her people?
“…Enough.”
Whatever it was, it didn’t matter.
After all, the person Airen ultimately served wasn’t Lunarien.
“My life belongs to that man.”
If Swen said to serve, she too would wield her sword and protect his lord.
Airen was no longer wavering.
As long as the man named Swen was by her side, she could be the strongest knight.
* * *
“This is Ainhardt Castle.”
Indeed, should it be called the capital of the former empire?
The elegant and antique decorations and statues possessed something overwhelming to the observer.
While the style seemed a bit more modern at Anel Castle, the sense of elegance and grandeur, that is, a very sophisticated feeling, seemed superior here at Ainhardt Castle.
Entering such a place made one feel, “I am in a very important place,” a feeling much stronger here.
After being assigned a dormitory, it was the first time Serpina had summoned her.
“With the reason of wanting your opinion,” she had summoned… an unusual occurrence compared to the lords she had served before, making her slightly nervous.
“Well, it’s probably just gathering the civilian officials and casually asking questions.”
With that thought, the moment she entered the hall designated by Serpina,
“…!”
“Ah, Swen,”
Serpina, sitting on a chair with her legs elegantly crossed, looking somewhat bored as she watched the front, greeted her.
Today, her attire wasn’t the imperial officer’s uniform she first saw.
It was a dress befitting a queen, enchantingly beautiful.
The dress, revealing her shoulders in a somewhat provocative manner, but not in a tacky or cheap way, stood out.
The shining platinum hair accessory added a unique touch to her, adorned in gold.
…Beautiful.
Beyond the relationship of lord and servant, as a man, he had to acknowledge being swayed by her appearance.
And by her side… were about five officers, all new faces except for the brown-haired woman standing beside the throne, Serpina’s national strategist known from the beginning of the game when choosing Serpina’s forces, introducing basic operations.
“Jena.”
Recalling her name brought back a certain moment.
* * *
[Serpina’s Strategist / Jena]
[My lord, you should not be swayed by sweet words.]
* * *
It was Jena’s advice that led Serpina to detain me.
How could I forget that moment?
Although not an extraordinary officer, Jena was indeed one of the few reliable civilian officers when starting with Serpina’s forces.
Seeing her in person felt different from her pixelated image.
Beside the human embodiment of beauty that was Serpina, Jena might appear relatively plain, but she possessed quite an appealing appearance.
After scanning the faces quickly and about to kneel in greeting, she heard,
“Let’s keep the greetings brief.”
“…Swen, I greet my lord.”
Following her wish with a light bow, he took his place opposite the only vacant spot.
“Good. Now that everyone is assembled.”
Although he had made sure not to be late, he was the last to arrive.
Maybe next time he should arrive a bit earlier, he thought, as Serpina spoke to him,
“Then, let us begin the 28th opinion solicitation meeting of this year.”
…What?
Opinion solicitation meeting aside, the 28th?
Considering the current date, they were still in the first half of the year.
Meaning, this wasn’t the regular meeting he was accustomed to in other nations but rather a frequent gathering…
Was Serpina’s force preparing this thoroughly for battle?
While he was slightly shocked, everyone else seemed calm, listening to Serpina’s voice.
Some even appeared honored to be called for their opinions. Was this… a joyous occasion for them?
“Everyone.”
Serpina extended her slender hand towards them.
The golden ornaments falling from her smooth skin to the sleeves near her armpits gave her an incredibly enchanting look.
“What should our forces do going forward? As always, feel free to share your thoughts freely.”
