Episode 131: That Day, in the Audience Room
* * *
Fast-forwarding the clock—
In Valhalla Castle, the capital of Aishers army located in the eastern central region.
“……”
Yuri stared out of the audience room window with vacant eyes.
How much time had passed?
Footsteps approaching the room could be heard.
“Yuri.”
“……”
The voice belonged to Anima Ingram.
Yuri had wanted to save this woman at all costs, even if it meant taking on all disgrace.
“Anima. You’re here. How’s Ern doing?”
“He seems to have fully recovered. Thankfully. That guy, his only merit was his robustness.”
With Anima’s words, Yuri responded with a smile.
“I’m truly relieved… I was very worried.”
“……”
Watching such a scene, Anima couldn’t help but sigh softly without smiling back.
“Yuri.”
“Yes.”
“Do you realize the situation we’re in?”
“……Yes.”
As of yesterday, the ninth armed officer had resigned.
Including Jinor, a total of nine officers had left Aishers army.
For a small country like Aishers army, where each person was invaluable, the departure of so many officers was a definite blow, no matter how much their power had grown.
Returning a hostage in exchange for one of their own officers sent as an envoy.
In an unprecedented situation that no monarch could have imagined, Epinel took charge as the firefighter to somehow quell the brewing storm—but it’s impossible to cover the sky with one’s palm.
“Epinel took on a lot of trouble on my behalf. Honestly, maybe Epinel should have been the monarch, not me. All I have is the blood of the Aishers family flowing through my veins…”
“That’s not what I came here to hear, Yuri.”
As Yuri offered a bashful smile, Anima felt a pang of sorrow.
After all… this woman did all that solely for her.
Now, saying something like ‘I never asked for it’ to get out of it was not in Anima’s intentions.
Since the day of the oath, her sole sun to serve was only Yuri.
“What will we do now?”
“Who knows. At least it’s good that Serpina’s army isn’t moving… but the movements in the south seem unusual, and it looks like it might become chaotic again. Anyway, we should spend our time strengthening our foundation for now, right? Our territory has expanded by three domains.”
Valhalla Castle, Raclain Castle, Zelstrom Castle, and Zeta Castle.
Including the domains of Charam and Allepel, and one of Brans’s castles, Aishers army’s size had significantly increased.
“I have a plan, Yuri.”
“A plan?”
Yuri looked directly into Anima’s eyes and asked.
“What do you think our army needs right now?”
“……Perhaps, waiting for the storm to pass should be our priority.”
“Right. We need the storm to pass… The whole sequence of events needs to be forgotten quickly. In other words, internal unity is more important than ever for us.”
“Internal unity…”
The turbulence that started from the unprecedented act of trading an officer under her command.
To somehow calm this tumult, something even bigger that could sweep everyone up was needed.
“Right. For that… we need to initiate a war.”
The word “war” made Yuri show a slight sign of shock.
“War? You mean… we should strike first?”
“Yes.”
“But, the only one we can attack right now is Serpina’s army, isn’t it? Are you suggesting we go into Hisfil Castle again?”
Yuri expressed his reluctance.
“That’s too risky. With three domains near the border, it’s difficult to carry out further invasions… Anima, you know that too, right?”
“Indeed. It’s difficult now. Especially Hisfil Castle is even more so. My wrong decision made it nearly impossible.”
“No, I… I didn’t mean to criticize you for that-”
“It’s fine, Yuri. I don’t get upset over such things. …Would you come over here?”
Anima spread a map on a nearby table.
“Look. Right now, our only option for invasion is indeed Serpina’s army to the west. It might be possible to advance to the southern continent if we take some time, but if we’re attacked along the way, it would be a big problem.”
“……Yes.”
“Of course, we will- attack Serpina’s army.”
Yuri silently looked at Anima.
Anima easily understood that this was her way of waiting for her to continue.
“But. Attacking Serpina’s army doesn’t necessarily mean we target the castles near the border. There are other routes to reach Serpina’s army besides the west.”
“What do you mean? …I don’t understand.”
“Don’t you get it? We don’t only have three castles.”
Anima said, pointing to a castle located at the very eastern edge of the continent.
Zeta Castle.
“But, the area around Zeta Castle is entirely our territory, isn’t it?”
“No, Yuri. Try to see it from another perspective. …You’ll understand.”
Upon hearing that, Yuri stared at the map for a long while.
Given that Anima brought it up, there must be something… Realization dawned upon her eventually.
“Are you talking about… the river?”
“Yes.”
A large river flowed near Zeta Castle.
Following the river upstream from the eastern sea leads to Amir Castle, tucked away in the corner of the northern continent.
“We’ll invade Amir Castle. From their perspective, it’s not even a castle on the border, so it likely has few troops. If we take as many troops as possible, we can surely win. It’s time to plant Aishers’s red flag in the northern continent! They’ll never see it coming.”
Indeed.
Predicting such an outlandish plan in advance would be incredibly difficult.
After all—Aishers army wouldn’t gain much from it.
What strategist could foresee an enemy employing a strategy that’s more costly to themselves?
Invade just to plant Aishers army’s flag in the north—
Beyond that, everything would be lost.
The soldiers sent for the invasion, the resources and supplies expended, all just for a moment’s impact.
Still, she had no choice but to push forward.
For Yuri, who had taken on everything and lost so much because of her.
She hoped that Yuri could shake off the burden as soon as possible and stand tall again.
“But if we keep this up, you’ll… You’re going to suffer too much. Because of me. Because you tried to… save me-”
“Anima.”
Yuri, with a bowed head, gently stroked the disheartened Anima’s shoulder.
“It’s okay. I was prepared for this. …We’re family, aren’t we?”
“……”
Anima swallowed back her tears.
Then she swore once more.
Even if everyone turned their backs on her for her wrong decisions…
She alone would remain by her side, ready to bear all the disgrace with her.
And-
Yuri recalling Jinor’s advice at the crucial moment was an incredible stroke of luck for Anima, a fact she had no way of knowing.
*
“Thank you for your hard work, Airen.”
“Mm. You’ve done well. Go rest.”
Airen sent off the soldiers who had accompanied her on patrol, then changed her clothes and headed towards her quarters.
Her assigned task was enhancing the security activities in Aingart’s capital.
Nothing special, just patrolling the inside and outside territories of Aingart Castle.
Though the security was already well-managed, it remained so due to the continuous patrols by a sizable security force.
Even a day’s negligence could deteriorate the capital’s safety, especially in these turbulent times.
Moreover, after the patrol team from Amir Castle had brought in a significant catch, there was an even stronger mandate from the higher-ups to intensify patrols, doubling the workload.
For Airen, having tasks was rewarding in itself.
When no one sought her out, just being needed gave her the strength to persevere, a testament to her character.
“……”
As she headed home, memories of her time at Valhalla Castle came to mind.
When she finished her duties and returned home, Swen was always there to welcome her.
The joy in her steps towards home was undoubtedly because she would be greeted with a smile by the white-haired man she wished to protect and who always protected her.
“…I miss him.”
She missed Swen.
But she couldn’t just recklessly visit him where he was staying.
Given her recent assignment, standing out wasn’t a wise decision.
It wasn’t just about her facing issues; Swen could get dragged into it, so acting on impulse was out of the question.
“If only there was a way to meet Swen appropriately…”
Then she could formally request a meeting, but nothing suitable came to mind.
Airen imagined saying, “Swen. I came because I missed you,” and then—
Felt her face burn with embarrassment.
…She’d probably die of embarrassment before saying such things.
How could Swen say such embarrassing things so easily?
“If only I could express my feelings as freely as Swen…”
Lost in light self-reproach, she suddenly noticed something.
“…Huh?”
Drawn by a lively atmosphere, her gaze naturally shifted in that direction.
At the end of her gaze was a dessert shop, seemingly hosting some sort of demonstration.
Airen lifted her head to read the banner hanging above.
[Only 3 days until Saint Valentino’s Day! Prepare in advance!]
“Saint Valentino’s Day?”
Puzzled by the unfamiliar holiday, a woman wearing an apron approached Airen with a warm smile.
“Hello, knight! Would you like to try our shop’s newly introduced chocolate?”
