episode_0121

“Ah… … Irene!”

“You are using this room… … ?”

“Ah, yes! This is my room, and I heard that a new person is coming in today… … Was that new person Irene?”

And so the aftermath of my relationship with Silin continues.

“I… … Does anyone know… … ?”

“Ah. When I was in Brans County, we acted together for a while.”

“Hello. It is called Silin.”

“Ah, ah… … That, that, that, Re, Reika… … I do it.”

“You are Reika. Reika, did you join the civil service?”

“Oh, no… … That, that, that, that.”

Instead of her struggling again in front of a new person, Irene stepped forward and explained the general situation.

“So, Reika isn’t really a military officer in our military, but… … Did you get special permission from Serpina to stay as part of Irene’s group?”

“You could say so.”

“I see… … ! Incredible. Of course, my lord would be the kind of person who would show that kind of favor.”

Of course, the master Silin is talking about right now is not Lin, but Serpina.

I couldn’t get past that part without asking.

“So… … It seems a bit ridiculous for me to ask you this directly.”

Iren cleared his throat a few times and opened his mouth again.

“How did you come to this place, Serpina County?”

“Ah… … .”

Silin sighed for a moment, then asked if it would be okay to have some tea, and naturally joined us.

After taking a sip, I started talking.

“Really, a lot happened.”

The sound of a teacup falling on the table.

The white noise of Reika hastily wiping away the tea splatter is mixed into the story.

“Irene. I’m only now saying this out loud, but… … I understand that you betrayed Rin.”

Silin said, tightening his eyes.

“First of all, it was Lin Brans who put Irene in danger, right?”

“Um.”

I don’t really deny it. Because it was true.

Since it is a past matter, I do not dwell on it needlessly. I no longer wanted to be dragged around like before.

“After the decision was made to leave Irene alone in the fortress, there was a lot of talk among the returning military officers. Even an outstanding general like Irene Juliette is treated poorly in that way, so I think we, the ordinary people who have not distinguished ourselves in any way, are even more like flies. But anyway, since I have nowhere to stay… … I just stayed like that. A few people with a bit of ambition had to resign, but people like me and Jack who just wanted to make a living stayed and did whatever they were told to do. Although my loyalty has run out.”

They are people too.

No matter how much there is a general he doesn’t like, it’s impossible not to see him pushing the generals working under him to their death.

It is enough to crush and hide the rumor, but it is bound to remain in the minds of the generals who were ordered to ‘return’ from that place.

“Still! I heard the news! What, they said they stopped it by dropping something like a rock from the sky?!”

“What… … Although Swen had a harder time than me.”

“That’s right! It was Swen! That handsome man next to you!”

Silin said with sparkling eyes.

“He was really handsome, so I wanted to become friends with him at that time. In the end, the relationship didn’t last.”

“… … .”

“So, what happened to Swen? Didn’t you follow Irene?”

“… … huh. that’s right. I’m still here now.”

“Yes? That means… … ?”

“Okay. Currently, Swen is also a member of the Serpina Army here.”

“Oh my god.”

Silin said in disbelief, putting a hand to her face.

“So we’ll meet again like this? Amazing!”

“… … .”

The more I listened to Silin’s facial expressions, tone of voice, and voice, the more I felt a subtle feeling that Irene had never experienced before-

I didn’t know how to explain this feeling, so I just sipped my tea in silence.

“I’ll have to visit you later when I have time.”

Iren spoke as if he had hurriedly cut off the words.

“By the way, Silin. How did you come to this place?”

“Me? What am I… … From that day on, I was assigned to Lismaen Castle.”

“If it’s Lismaen Castle, it’s near Kelstein… … ?”

“Yes. It’s a very small castle. After Irene left, Anel Castle became noisy, so being assigned wasn’t bad in itself… … As you know, after Kelstein Castle was breached, we were devastated by the Serpina army. I heard that they lost all their troops due to some incident with the Aishous army… … Because the detailed circumstances are not heard even to the ears of a lowly person like me.”

After talking to that point, I said, “Okay,” and took another sip of tea.

“I… … Hey, this, this… .”

“Ah, thank you.”

I chew on the refreshments that Reika handed me.

“As soon as it was occupied, it surrendered immediately. Since I saw Rin abandon Irene, I have no regrets about Brans-kun.”

“I see.”

I had no choice but to be pushed around, only to be saved by Swen-

Nevertheless, there were people whose hearts were shaken by that sight.

Funny enough, that fact itself was providing some kind of comfort to Iren now.

“What about Jack? How are you doing?”

“I lost contact with Jack after I lost my assignment. Actually, we weren’t that close, we were just coworkers. He wasn’t a good guy like Swen.”

“… … .”

I almost blurted out that I didn’t know why the story about Swen was being brought up, but I barely managed to swallow it down.

Irene was gradually realizing that she was becoming particularly sensitive to the topic of Swen these days.

“That’s right. Is it okay if I ask you just one question?”

“Um.”

“Iren, you moved to Acious County, right? But how did you come to be here?”

“… … .”

I thought for a moment about how to explain it.

There was no need to tell Silin everything straight.

“Well, there were various circumstances. As you know, these are difficult times.”

“Well, I never imagined that I would serve that tyrant Serpina.”

Silin said that and smiled slightly.

“But I think it’s okay.”

“It’s okay?”

“Serpina. I think he is a lord worth serving. The excitement I couldn’t feel when I was under Rin is here.”

The story that followed after that was mainly about Serpina’s role here and how she was treated by the residents of the territory.

The information I learned was not new. Serpina is not committing tyranny as is known to those around her.

The only time she showed her ruthless side was when the rebels rose up, but other than that, she seemed to be leading the internal affairs in a stable manner by governing strictly based on personal punishment.

When internal affairs are stabilized, the economy is revitalized, and when the economy is revitalized, it immediately leads to the loyalty of the people of the territory. Because there was nothing more important than solving the problem of making a living.

“So, I’m thinking of putting down roots here too.”

“Put down roots, ”

“Yes. Looking at the situation on the continent, it seems that our lord is the only one who can become a unified monarch. Brans has fallen, and the remaining countries are not that much of a threat.”

‘… … .’

Serpina… … Can he become a unified monarch?

But wasn’t it Swen who confirmed it and no one else?

“I am serving as my lord the only person who can conquer this continent and become a unified monarch.”

“Hoo, you’re the only one? Who is that?”

“You probably know Irene. Didn’t you meet in person a few months ago?”

Runarien Inian.

Swen was asserting that she, who had ruby eyes that were more vibrant than anyone else’s, was the person who would become the unified monarch.

Irene, who had been with him for quite some time, could tell. Even if the argument doesn’t make sense at first, the truth is that in the end, everything Swen said was correct.

Although it has not yet appeared on the stage of history… …

Is it really possible to defeat Serpina, who is well-liked by her own people?

‘… … it’s okay.’

It doesn’t matter what happens.

Isn’t the person that Iren serves ultimately not Runarien?

‘Because my life belongs to that man.’

When Swen told her to serve, she too would only hold up her sword and protect her master.

Irene was no longer shaken.

As long as a man named Swen was by her side, she could become a knight stronger than anyone else.

* * *

‘Is this Eingart’s royal castle?’

Should we really say that it is the capital city of the old empire?

The very stylish and antique decorations and statues had something that overwhelmed the viewer.

I had the impression that Annell Castle was a bit more up-to-date in terms of style, but… … Should I say that the sense of old-fashioned and stylish, that is, the feeling of something really being there, is something that Eingart Castle is one step above?

This was much stronger in giving the person entering the feeling that they were in a very important place.

After being allocated a dormitory, the first time I received a call from Serpina.

I’m calling you for the sole reason of ‘I want to ask your opinion’… … I felt a little nervous because it was something that had never happened to the masters I had served before.

‘Well, it looks like they’ll just bring in some civil servants and ask some questions.’

The moment I entered the throne room designated by Serpina without much thought.

“… … !”

“You’re here, Swen,”

Serpina, who was sitting on a chair, crossing her legs as if she was bored and looking ahead, greeted me.

Her outfit today was not the Imperial Army officer uniform I had seen for the first time.

She was wearing a very attractive dress, one that someone who would become a queen would wear.

A slightly provocative outfit that exposes the shoulder line, but it doesn’t feel vulgar or cheap at all.

The platinum-colored hair ornament that shined pure white became a unique point for her, who was completely covered in gold.

… … beautiful.

Regardless of the relationship between military and government, I had no choice but to admit that as a man, I was swayed by her appearance.

And on both sides of her… … About five armed men were standing facing each other with a red carpet in the middle.

Although these were all faces I had never seen before, I was familiar with the brown-haired woman standing next to the throne.

When you start the game as Serpina-kun, the first person to appear is Serpina-kun’s national advisor who shows you the basic controls.

‘Jenna.’

As I remembered that name, that moment passed before my eyes again.

* * *

[Serpina’s Tactician / Xena]

[Master, you must not fall for coaxing]

* * *

Due to Jenna’s advice, Serpina locked me up.

How could I forget that time?

Although she wasn’t a very outstanding general, starting with Serpina, Zena was one of the few civil servants she could trust.

In reality, it feels different than when looking at an image taken with dots.

Next to Serpina, who seemed to embody the word beauty in human form, she had a relatively plain, but quite decent appearance.

After roughly scanning my face, I was about to kneel down.

“Please only greet people informally.”

“… … Swen, meet your lord.”

After bowing lightly as she wanted, she took a seat across from the only person she was facing.

“Okay. This is how everyone came together.”

I definitely left on time, but I arrived late.

I wonder if it would be better for me to come out a little earlier next time too, as I have the same comfortable thoughts –

“Then, we will hold our 28th opinion proposal meeting this year.”

… … what?

Aside from the opinion proposal meeting, this is the 28th?

If you roughly count the current days, we’re still only in the first half of this year, right?

In other words, this is not a regular meeting like I’ve been holding in other countries, but just a small meeting… … .

Are you saying that Serpina-kun was preparing so thoroughly for the fight?

Unlike me, who was slightly shocked, everyone gathered here was listening to Serpina’s voice with a calm expression.

On the contrary, there were some who could not hide their excitement as if they were honored.

Being called in and giving an opinion like this… … Is this a happy thing for them?

“Now.”

Serpina stretched out her pure white hand towards us.

The golden decorations falling from her smooth skin and extending to her armpit sleeves gave a very alluring impression.

“What should our military do in the future? If you have any opinions, please feel free to share them as always.”