Chapter 79: Tectonic Shift (4)
—
“That’s all for today.”
“Yes! You worked so hard today too!”
After bidding farewell to Swen, Reika quietly returned to her room and reminisced about the days she had spent with him.
“It was incredible! The small waterfall.”
Though not particularly large, the waterfall was still beautiful enough to captivate her sight.
Practicing on the rocks where the waterfall cascaded down, she remembered seeing such scenes in novels… but Swen had mentioned that it was merely fiction.
These past few days, she had been able to spend time wandering in nature outside the castle.
As Swen said, nature was abundant with mana.
The energy enveloping her body felt as if it was entirely made of mana.
Reika had always been able to sense the mana mixed in the air, but never before had she felt it so distinctly.
It probably felt like her continuous practice was finally bearing fruit.
As for magic, it was progressing smoothly.
She could now create larger fireballs, control them for longer periods, and manipulate them more freely.
She remembered Swen suggesting they try imagining a ‘spear made of ice’ next time.
She hadn’t quite grasped the concept yet… but somehow, she felt capable of it.
Following his guidance, her skill in using magic had indeed improved!
Swen was a mysterious man.
He claimed, ‘I am not a sorcerer or anything of the sort.’
Yet, when he spoke of ice spears and such, it was as if he had known about magic all along.
She had never thought about such things before, but after hearing from Swen, she felt like she might be able to do them.
“Is Swen… truly a sorcerer like me, but hiding his identity for some reason?”
She had heard that Swen once opened the sky and brought down a giant boulder, a feat that seemed beyond magic to Reika, who could barely conjure a fireball.
Could she also perform such incredible miracles with continued practice?
Pondering various thoughts, Reika found herself facing a more fundamental question.
If Swen was indeed hiding his sorcerer identity… was this a power that must not be revealed?
Was her father’s reluctance to let her outside related to the need to conceal her sorcery?
Just then.
“Reika.”
“…!!”
Her father – Jinor’s voice came from beyond the door, startling Reika.
Her father rarely visited her room.
He would only come to check on her magic practice progress.
Since Swen began teaching her, even those visits had ceased.
As a national advisor, he surely had many responsibilities.
Reika, not having sought parental affection from Jinor, had no complaints about his absence.
“What brings you here?”
Trying to hide her nervousness, Reika hesitated to respond until Jinor spoke again.
“Are you there?”
“Yes…! I, I’m here.”
“May I come in?”
“Yes, yes…!”
And so, Jinor entered Reika’s room.
She quickly rose and bowed in greeting.
“Welcome, father.”
Jinor naturally took a seat in her room.
“How goes your training?”
“Much improved from before.”
“Is that so?”
Reika briefly shared her progress with Jinor, who seemed pleased with her control over the fireball without getting out of breath.
“You seem to have worked hard. And your learning?”
“Swen teaches very understandably. Oh, I…”
“Speak.”
“That… Thank you for permitting me to go outside.”
Reika bowed in gratitude.
Even with the abundance of mana outside, without Jinor’s permission, she would not have had the opportunity to experience it.
“…”
Jinor, facing the grateful Reika, spoke in a serious tone.
“Do you truly feel thankful to me?”
Although the question was somewhat awkward, Reika answered without hesitation.
She was, after all, grateful to the man who had taken in an orphan like her.
“I have never forgotten your kindness, father. I am always thankful for taking me in and caring for me. This is my heartfelt truth.”
“…Hmm.”
Jinor pondered for a moment, then looked at her seriously again.
Reika felt a momentary shrink back, wondering if she had done something wrong.
“Um… If it’s not about reprimand…”
“Relax. That’s not why I’m here.”
“Then…?”
“What do you think of Swen?”
“Excuse me…?”
About Swen as a teacher?
After all, it was Jinor who had assigned Swen as her instructor.
“Well, he explained very clearly how to enhance my ability to perceive mana. Following his teachings, I’ve indeed made significant progress and-”
“That’s not what I asked.”
“…?”
“Not about his teaching. What do you think of him as a husband?”
“…Excuse me…??”
A husband?
Did he mean… a spouse?
Suddenly?
Reika blushed deeply, having never considered such a question from her father, who had never broached such mundane topics before.
“Um, suddenly, what do you mean…?”
“Literally. What would you think if Swen became your husband?”
“…I, I, that….”
Reika’s face turned even redder, unable to articulate a response.
She had never thought of Swen in that way.
Not because he wasn’t manly enough, but rather, the thought was too audacious.
For her to presume she could stand beside someone as remarkable as Swen felt like overstepping her bounds.
After all, she knew her place at her age.
“Do you dislike the idea?”
“No, not that I dislike it, it’s just….”
“Then, that’s good.”
Unlike the bewildered Reika, Jinor was the epitome of calm.
“Father… I, I can’t follow what you’re saying.”
“Hmm? Can’t even keep up with this? I thought you were quite perceptive.”
“It’s not that, I…”
Without waiting for Reika’s response, Jinor immediately got to the point.
“I intend to propose a marriage alliance with him.”
“Marriage… alliance, you say?”
“Yes. He is an extraordinary person, so it’s necessary to establish a deep connection with him.”
Jinor spoke in a very business-like tone, to the extent that their conversation might not seem like one between a normal father and daughter.
“If you haven’t forgotten your gratitude towards me, quietly marry him. Of course, that’s if he agrees.”
“…”
Reika couldn’t say anything; she just bowed her head deeply.
Marriage to Swen.
It wasn’t that she disliked the idea. Far from it. But… everything was too sudden.
“If you really dislike the idea, I suppose it can’t be helped, but I’d appreciate it if you’d consider it positively. Think it over.”
After saying this, Jinor stood up and quietly left the room.
Though unsure of what to do next, Jinor’s last words echoed clearly in her mind.
“If he agrees… Does that mean Swen’s thoughts on this are still unknown…?”
Then perhaps there was no need to panic prematurely.
Reika let out a long sigh.
“Marriage…”
Of course, regardless of who the partner was, having to marry someone Jinor ‘said’ to marry put her in a difficult position.
But Swen, of all people, was not a bad choice.
In fact, there might not be a better partner. It was common to see daughters being moved according to their families’ interests, and Jinor was at least showing respect for her opinion by saying if she truly disliked the idea, she should speak up.
“More importantly… Has Swen never married?”
Given a man like Swen, she had thought he might already have a wife or two.
And at the same time, she remembered the red-haired knightess who had been with Swen when they first met.
She was incredibly strong, a reliable presence, but also stunningly beautiful and feminine.
“Who was she? Just a knight…?”
If she were to marry Swen, would that knightess also serve as her escort…?
Foolishly, that was what she was considering.
* * *
“Achoo!”
“Are you alright, Airen?”
“Uh… Yeah. Just a sudden cough.”
Airen said, taking a bite of the cake on the table.
Then-
“Oh…!”
With sparkling purple eyes and a hand to her cheek, she genuinely marveled.
“This is really delicious!”
“I’m glad it suits your taste.”
“Swen, did you say the child you’re teaching made this?”
“Yes. I thought it would go well with tea, so I brought it along.”
What I was doing-
I was having tea time with Airen.
I had thought Reika’s cake would complement her tea perfectly, and it seemed I was right, considering how much Airen enjoyed it.
Seeing Airen’s delighted expression, I regretted not bringing along some cookies as well.
“It’s an incredible taste. There wasn’t such delicious cake at Anel Castle.”
“How do you know?”
“Well, um… Ah.”
“Have you tried them all?”
“…”
At my words, Airen suddenly closed her mouth and blushed, turning serious.
“…That’s not the important issue right now. Hmm.”
Seeing Airen respond like that, I couldn’t help but laugh.
It was peaceful.
Though I expected this peace wouldn’t last long.
Still, I fully immersed myself in this moment.
To have no regrets later.
*
Thus, I spent my days with Reika during the day and with Airen at home during the night.
My personal life was more peaceful than ever, but the situation on the continent was the complete opposite.
The first shocking news.
The fall of Kelstein Castle in the north.
It was a significant moment worthy of history books as Serpina’s army finally advanced into the central continent.
Although Brans Army was still the de facto border, the fall of Kelstein Castle, which had been blocking the northern entry like a fortress, meant the subsequent defense lines were almost certainly breached.
Now, whether they liked it or not, the continent’s lords would have to find a way to survive in the face of the giant wave that was Serpina’s Army.
And almost simultaneously…
The sky-blue flag of Racline Castle was lowered, and the red flag of Aeshers Army was raised atop its high towers.
The easternmost stronghold of Brans Army, Racline Castle, along with the northernmost Kelstein Castle, had fallen almost at the same time.
A massive tectonic shift.
The only solace for Brans Army was that the southern kingdoms of Rolande and Hesna, which bordered Brans, remained quiet without any attempts to invade Brans Army. It seemed they were cautious about leaving their bases vulnerable to attack by moving their troops, opting instead to watch how the situation unfolded.
Regardless,
With both the northern and eastern key borders breached,
“Brans Army is finished.”
Not only was the dream of unifying the continent far out of reach, but they also had to face the reality of becoming a minor power.
As the world’s political landscape shifted rapidly, as if a giant tidal wave had passed,
“Excuse me. Are you Swen?”
“Yes, that’s me, but…”
As I was heading to the Nightart family’s mansion as usual, a soldier from Aeshers Army approached me.
“The lord wishes to see you, Swen.”
“The lord?”
He was looking for me?
I couldn’t think of any reason why…
“Well, there must be a reason.”
I immediately headed towards Balhart Castle, the royal palace.
