Episode 35. The Summoning, and
*
No matter how many times I visit, I never seem to get used to the vast space of Anel Castle.
Even before entering the royal castle, I felt overwhelmed by the majestic decorations placed on both sides of the road.
When I arrived at the castle gate, the guard blocked my path.
“State your business.”
“My name is Swen. My lord has summoned me.”
I said, showing the Brans family crest on my clothing.
The guard, after verifying it, relaxed his guard and saluted me, saying,
“Yes! My apologies. Please come inside.”
Even the guard had a similar crest engraved on his armor, was there some kind of symbol that allowed one to recognize a superior?
I thought to myself that I should ask Airen about it later, as I stepped into the castle.
Entering, and walking past the red carpet-
I entered the central audience hall where the monarch was.
Upon entering the audience hall, Lynn, who was sitting on the throne, noticed me and raised her hand, saying,
“Swen has arrived? Come this way.”
I walked up, took my place among the people who were already kneeling on one knee, and greeted her.
“Swen, I have come here in response to my lord’s summons.”
“Yes, yes. Good to have you here.”
I glanced around briefly.
There were one man and two women, like me, kneeling on one knee.
Two were faces I had not seen before, but one was familiar.
“Lady Airen?”
Had Airen been called as well?
It was natural to be curious since Lynn rarely sought her out.
“Then, is everyone here?”
It seemed I was the last to arrive.
We all responded loudly to our lord.
“Yes!”
“Good.”
Lynn, with one leg crossed, rhythmically tapped her chair with her fingers and said,
“From today, you will lead 10,000 soldiers to Kelshtein Castle.”
“Kelshtein Castle, you say?”
The man next to me asked.
He was quite young, but… considering he wasn’t in my mental database, he probably wasn’t a very capable servant.
In this game, C~D grade generals really do look strikingly similar.
“Yes. The vanguard will be led by… Airen.”
“I will follow the order.”
Lynn, hearing Airen’s response, smirked satisfactorily and then spoke in a somewhat exaggerated tone,
“Originally, these soldiers were to be used to attack Balhart Castle, but… well, Airen, it’s not often you make a suggestion like this, right? It might not be as much as you wanted, but I can give you this many soldiers. Go and make a merit. I’m giving you a chance.”
She spoke as if showing kindness through her smile-
But anyone not a fool could easily realize the thorns in her words.
However, Airen, unbothered—rather, as if touched by grace, bowed her head even deeper and answered vigorously,
“Yes! Thank you very much. I will definitely make a merit.”
“Good. And… um.”
Her gaze, which had been on Airen, eventually turned to me.
“Swen. Lift your head.”
I slowly raised my head.
Her blue eyes scanned me, then she smiled brightly.
“I wanted to give you more soldiers, but I’m sorry I couldn’t? As you know, I can’t just accept every proposal that lacks credibility. But still, since you’ve said something, there must be something to it, right? I’d like it if you could show us something this time.”
I see.
Gradually, I began to understand why she had called me and Airen here.
The proposal I made during the meeting- “We should send soldiers to Kelshtein Castle to strike at the northern territories.”
She must have been bothered by that opinion.
So, it seemed she was trying to do something about it now.
But, well…
If the rebellion is indeed happening, even with the northern stationed troops combined, it seems like it would be insufficient.
But what can I do?
It wasn’t my concern.
“I will do my best.”
I tried to look as loyal as possible, then bowed deeply again.
Lynn seemed very pleased with the response, smiled for a while, then stood up and stretched out her hand, saying,
“Now, get ready to leave immediately. I’ve prepared everything for departure, so you just need to go and leave right away. The tasks you’ve been handling until now are suspended. Go, make a merit and return?”
“Yes, understood!”
We bid farewell to Lynn and quickly left the castle.
“I’ll give you about an hour. Prepare for the journey. Let’s meet at the north gate.”
After hearing Airen’s words, Jack and Celine left first.
Airen and I also returned home to prepare for the long journey.
My task was to gather the maps of the north I had drawn in my spare time.
I thought it might be useful, but it was better to bring them since I had drawn them anyway.
Kelshtein Castle.
This time, I was stepping into the castle that had once saved the Lunarien army from a northern invasion, on my own feet.
*
Leading 10,000 soldiers with Airen as the vanguard, we headed towards Kelshtein Castle.
Since every path was within the Brans’s territory, we moved comfortably without needing to be on high alert.
During our breaks, I introduced myself to the other two.
With Airen being the highest-ranking among us, she naturally became the leader among us.
“I’m Airen Juliet. I look forward to working with all of you.”
“My apologies for the late introduction. My name is Jack. I’ve been with the Brans army for about three years.”
“My name is Celine. I look forward to this mission with you.”
Surprisingly, it seemed like it was the first time for all of us to meet.
Well, given the size of this nation, it would be difficult for the vassals to know each other’s faces.
It’s a bit of a shame, but aside from Airen, a major arm, the rest of us probably didn’t have much reason to meet in our duties.
“I’m Swen. Please take care of me.”
“Ah, Mr. Swen.”
After my introduction, Celine approached me with a question.
She was a very ordinary-looking lady with brown, twin-tailed hair.
“Don’t you remember me?”
“Excuse me?”
Had I seen this woman before?
I tried to recall, but nothing came to mind.
It was better to be honest than to pretend and step on a landmine.
“I’m sorry. I’m not very good at remembering faces.”
“That’s alright. You wouldn’t remember. We work together in the market, you’re the one managing the tavern tables, right?”
“Ah.”
Then I remembered the woman who was researching commercial situations behind me while I managed the counter.
She was Celine.
I had thought she was just a commoner working in the market, but to think she was with the Brans army…
“Now that you mention it, I remember.”
“Hehe. I’m glad someone as handsome as Mr. Swen remembers me.”
“You’re quite good at flattering people from the get-go.”
Thus, we continued with such trivial chatter all the way to Kelshtein Castle.
What surprised me anew was Airen’s
attitude towards them.
Celine and Jack.
Based on my 10,000 hours of gaming data, their being unmemorable names meant they were not D-grade but E-grade generals- or perhaps, not generals at all but existences like ‘James’, who definitely perform tasks in this world but do not appear as generals in the game.
These were the beings chosen when there needed to be someone in the empty space, but no special person was available.
Despite being a bona fide general and a renowned commander, Airen could have looked down on them, and it wouldn’t have been strange or unusual to see such behavior from her-
Yet, she took care of everyone’s comfort on the journey, even though she could have left the menial tasks to the soldiers, and tried to do something herself rather than delegating it to others.
Seeing how she gained people’s trust made me think, “So this is what makes a person admirable.”
She even stood guard with the soldiers.
“Her willpower is truly remarkable.”
Well, considering she didn’t drive me away when I suddenly showed up at her house and has been getting along well since, it wasn’t hard to tell she was no ordinary person.
How many days did we ride north, crossing several castles?
Finally, after passing numerous castles- we arrived at Kelshtein Castle, located near the border with Serphina and at the northernmost tip of Brans’s territory.
“This is Kelshtein Castle.”
It was slightly smaller than Anel Castle, but compared to other castles within the territory we encountered so far, it was the largest.
Entering the castle gate and looking inside the domain… there were many people gathered, but the peaceful vibrancy felt in Anel Castle was completely absent.
Instead, there was a busy yet somehow difficult-to-approach atmosphere.
Being a castle adjacent to the border, it seemed impossible to even falsely depict a peaceful scene.
Of course, it wasn’t as if the people’s expressions were filled with despair like in the early days of Zelrandt Castle.
“Everyone worked hard. I would like you to rest immediately, but first, I think we should report to the royal castle.”
“It seems best to follow Lady Airen’s decision.”
“I think so too.”
With our agreement, Airen nodded lightly and said,
“Thank you. Then, let’s proceed quickly.”
With those words, we hurried to Kelshtein’s royal castle.
*
Kelshtein’s royal castle, unlike Anel’s opulent one, was not lavish but not unremarkable either.
The minimally ornate decor was sophisticated and high-quality, and the guards’ gazes were sharper than those in Anel Castle.
Following Airen, we made our way to the audience hall.
There, a man with a familiar face, sitting on the lord’s chair, greeted us.
It was Rashion, the lord of Kelshtein Castle.
“Airen Juliet, and the three others. Following our lord’s orders, we have arrived at Kelshtein Castle with 10,000 soldiers.”
“You’ve arrived. General Airen. I was waiting for you.”
Rashion spoke with a slightly displeased tone while remaining seated.
“Though I appreciate the troops… unless something happens or we receive orders from our lord, my soldiers and I will focus on defense. We can be dispatched to General Calintz’s fortress, but we have no immediate plans for invasion. I hope General Airen keeps that in mind.”
Rashion was one of the few who had witnessed the debate I had with Parphale from up close.
Naturally, having sent troops here, including Airen as the proposer, he must be considering the “northern invasion.”
He could have said it was Swen’s opinion, not his, but instead of doing so, she bowed her head and replied,
“Yes, understood. Just waiting for your orders.”
“Good. Just stay quiet. I’d be grateful if you don’t engage in absurd things like invasions… tsk.”
Rashion clicked his tongue, then glanced briefly at me.
Staring won’t make anything appear.
“According to the lord, you are not formally assigned to Kelshtein Castle. So, there’s no need to take on duties here, and we’ll call you when needed. Until then, rest well. I hope you’ll stay quietly.”
“Yes!”
After the brief audience with the lord.
Jack sighed and said,
“Phew… Rashion, as rumored, looks quite scary.”
“I want to go back to Anel Castle soon…”
Celine agreed but I couldn’t.
Scary?
Rashion, the notorious turncoat from Garland Eternity Saga, who would “join” at the press of the “recruit” button?
“Is Rashion… I mean, Lord Rashion known to be scary?”
“Ah, Mr. Swen might not know since you haven’t been here long. Kelshtein Castle, being a frequent warzone… well, the military discipline here is much stricter than in other castles. It’s not a preferred duty station among the vassals.”
“I see…”
It felt more like the woes of a government employee than a nation’s vassal.
Then, Airen, trying to lighten the mood, said,
“I’ll book rooms at a nearby inn. According to the lord, we can freely enjoy our time for now. It’s been a busy period, so rest well until we receive orders.”
“Oh, then I’ll take a quick trip to the market. I have some errands.”
“Me too, is that okay?”
“Of course. Just come to the inn later and mention my name to get a room.”
With Jack and Celine leaving,
“For now, enjoy our freedom, huh? But if my predictions are correct…”
Something will definitely happen soon.
I discreetly approached Airen, who was leading the way.
“Hm?”
“Lady Airen. It might be wise to have the 10,000 soldiers we brought ready to march at any moment.”
“!”
Hearing my suggestion, Airen looked around briefly before speaking,
“Do you think there will be a reason to march?”
“Yes. Possibly.”
“Hmm.”
“Just a precaution. If nothing happens, that’s the end of it. It’s not bad to be prepared for the future, right?”
Right.
It was just about being prepared, not about immediately taking them out.
“Understood.”
I slowly stepped back from her.
Even if we did have 10,000 soldiers, if a rebellion were to occur, it would be far from enough to make a meaningful impact.
I wanted to show Airen that her proposal was not wrong.
“The issue is what comes next…”
Thus, we temporarily moved from Anel Castle to Kelshtein Castle.
* * *
A bedroom where the sunlight slightly shines through.
Beautiful decorations and curtains embroidered with luxurious silk.
In the middle of it all, a huge bed carved from exquisite mahogany wood, as if from a royal palace, was placed.
And in the center of the bed-
A woman with dazzling long golden hair sat.
Skin like white jade.
A beauty with an appearance that naturally invokes worship, almost divine.
Her golden eyes reflected the sunlight, and her large chest seemed to burst through her white nightgown.
A perfect beauty, as if sculpted by a god with all his might, murmured upon waking from her bed.
“…a dream… was it?”
Today, she dreamt again of that ‘dream’ she had been repeatedly having, unable to sleep deeply.
Uh oh, Serpina?