Ch.27Chapter 27. Taking Refuge in Brans (2)

I was startled by the unexpected female voice.

But checking again, this was indeed the house at East Anel Street 32.

I slowly opened my mouth.

“I’ve come here by the order of my lord, Lady Lynn.”

There was no immediate response to my words—

But soon enough, the door opened.

“…”

Before my eyes appeared a woman wearing what looked like a snow-white nightgown.

Skin so pale it seemed almost cold.

Long red hair.

Purple eyes.

I knew this woman’s name.

‘Irene Juliette.’

An S-rank warrior with the rare [Siege] specialty, known as both the “Lady Knight” and “Master of Siege Warfare.”

Her stats were exceptional, and her loyalty to her lord Lynn was absolute, guaranteeing she would never betray her—

Yet ironically, her compatibility with Lynn Brans was nearly -100, meaning when the CPU controlled Lynn, this knight who served with such devotion would almost certainly meet her end by her lord’s blade.

The only way to see her excel on the battlefield was for a player to choose Lynn and play the game themselves.

During my time with the Lunarian army,

When I went to Lynn Brans at Anel Castle as an envoy, it was Irene who had invaded Zeilant Castle.

Luna didn’t show much reaction, but after returning and assessing the situation, it wasn’t hard to figure out.

If we had been a little later, Zeilant Castle would have fallen.

Considering that siege warfare requires more soldiers than defense, she was certainly the best card the Brans army could play.

Despite being such a capable general—her fate was predetermined.

She was destined to be beheaded by the lord she served.

Thinking under the premise that ‘Lynn and Irene are incompatible,’ I could understand why I had been sent to this woman’s place.

In other words… Lynn was treating Irene poorly.

“Take in this ‘male’ general into your quarters. If you don’t like it, what are you going to do about it?”—that sort of attitude.

It was hardly appropriate behavior toward a young female general of Irene’s caliber.

Even in this world, which was basically a mix of medieval fantasy, common sense in such matters wasn’t that different.

Irene blinked her large purple eyes—

Then, seemingly having assessed the situation, she nodded and spoke.

It showed remarkable self-control that she didn’t sigh.

“You are the new arrival…?”

“Yes. My name is Swen. As of today, I’ll be serving Lady Lynn Brans. My lord has commanded that I stay here as your roommate for the time being.”

“I see.”

She answered briefly and then stared intently at my face.

It felt odd to call it a response, but I observed her as well.

I couldn’t tell from the dot graphics, but this woman… her chest size was truly no joke.

She had two mounds nearly the size of her face.

If she had been wearing armor as usual, it might have been less noticeable, but now she was in comfortable clothing.

Her feminine figure was all the more pronounced.

‘Carrying a chest of that size into battle must have been incredibly uncomfortable, yet she spread her fame far and wide until finally earning the title of lady knight… what an impressive woman.’

As I was admiring her in this strange way, I added:

“…However, I didn’t expect the resident here to be a woman. If it’s uncomfortable for you, I’m perfectly fine staying at an inn. Please speak freely.”

I was uncomfortable right away.

What could be more tiresome than suddenly living with a woman I’d never met before?

But she shook her head.

“No. That’s not necessary. If our lord has given an order, I shall follow it. You may come in.”

“…”

Not wanting to waste time here, I slowly nodded and said:

“Then excuse my intrusion.”

And so I came to live under the same roof as Irene Juliette.

A big city. A nice house. Living with a beautiful, well-endowed woman.

From an outsider’s perspective, it would seem like a stroke of incredible luck.

*

Irene’s home was extremely sparse.

Though she possessed remarkably beautiful features—she was born a warrior.

Where an ordinary woman might have placed pretty furniture, there stood two training dummies covered in countless sword marks.

Next to them were what appeared to be various unidentifiable devices for strength training.

There wasn’t even a wardrobe; instead, a few sets of armor hung haphazardly on the wall.

“Feel free to sit down.”

I pulled out a chair at the table and sat down.

She prepared something in the kitchen, then came over with it and sat across from me.

What she placed down was hot tea and light refreshments.

So this world had all the usual things too. That was to be expected, of course.

“Had I known you were coming, I would have prepared more… I apologize for the modest hospitality.”

“Not at all. It’s fine. I’m the one who showed up suddenly. By the way, do you always speak this way?”

“My manner of speech? Yes, I do…”

Since I always played from the lord’s perspective in the game, I didn’t know how subordinate generals like Irene spoke to those beneath them, but now I understood.

It felt like conversing with a stereotypical monarch.

Thinking about it more, it seemed like her speech pattern would be more fitting if switched with Lynn, who was the actual ruler.

She parted her pink lips as she looked at me.

“My name is Irene Juliette. In private settings, you may call me ‘Miss Irene’ if you wish. I hope you won’t feel too burdened.”

“How could I possibly address you so casually, Lady Irene? I prefer this way.”

“Well, whatever makes you comfortable.”

She said this and took a sip of tea.

“More importantly, Swen, I understand you were with the Lunarian army until recently, is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“I heard that Lunarian abandoned you and fled.”

“Yes. For some reason, she thought I was in communication with Lady Lynn Brans. No matter how many times I explained, she wouldn’t listen.”

“…”

Irene was silent for a moment after hearing this, then spoke as if she had made up her mind.

“I’m not skilled at speaking indirectly, so I’ll be frank. I find your story very difficult to believe.”

“Is that so?”

I took a sip of tea and asked casually, as if it were no big deal.

“May I ask why?”

“Because the Lunarian I met is not the type of person who would act in such a petty manner.”

“You say you met her, but… wasn’t it just once when you came for battle?”

“That’s right. But one can tell by looking into someone’s eyes. She had the eyes of a true leader. She wasn’t intimidated even in my presence. When our swords clashed, I felt the aura of a strong warrior.”

Irene spoke with conviction.

“So I suspect this might be some kind of scheme. I apologize for saying this to your face so suddenly.”

“It’s fine. I’ve heard the same thing from our lord once before.”

“Is that so? Then why…”

She trailed off for a moment, then abruptly cut herself off.

“No. Please forget I asked.”

“…Anyway, Lunarian has a fragile personality unsuited for leadership. I’m not sure about her eyes, but as you said, she’s not a person of firm resolve. For whatever reason, she must have had some circumstances that made her suspicious of me, a newcomer. But it doesn’t matter anymore.”

“I see.”

She closed her eyes and took another sip of tea, then looked at me and gave a slight bow.

“In any case, I apologize for bringing this up as soon as we met. But I would have been uneasy if I hadn’t asked, and might have treated you unfairly without realizing it. I hope you can forgive me with your generous understanding.”

“How could I not? You are my superior, Lady Irene. We’ll be living together for a while, and I agree that it’s better to discuss these things in advance.”

“Thank you for saying so.”

Irene smiled at me for the first time.

She’s pretty.

If Luna had a warm, sunlight kind of beauty, Irene possessed a fragile, pitiful kind of beauty.

‘Wait.’

Would Irene ultimately… remain under Lynn and meet her fate of death by her hand?

‘That would be a waste.’

Irene was one of the few S-rank generals. If I could get her to join my side, she would undoubtedly be a tremendous help.

Of course, her loyalty to her lord was immense, but I couldn’t just give up.

I needed to steadily build her favor toward me.

“Well then.”

Irene stood up and pointed to a corner.

There was a single bed there.

“It’s getting late, so we should probably go to sleep. You can use that bed.”

There was only that one bed in this room.

And there didn’t seem to be any other rooms connected to this one.

Which meant—there was nowhere else to sleep but that bed.

“And you, Lady Irene…?”

“I’ll be fine sleeping on the floor. I don’t want to make things difficult for a newcomer.”

Normally, I would have politely declined with something like “No, really, I’m fine,” but—

Perhaps due to my ridiculously low strength stat, I could feel my stamina depleting after walking from Zeilant Castle following the Brans army’s procession.

It was fortunate they moved slowly due to their large numbers; if they had picked up the pace even slightly, I would have fallen behind from exhaustion.

Sleeping in a bed would certainly be better than on the floor.

“…In that case, I gratefully accept your kindness.”

“Think nothing of it.”

Irene said this and smiled again.

Aside from her manner of speech, she was truly an adorable woman.

She seemed even more so now that she was wearing ordinary clothes instead of armor.

I slowly walked toward the bed.

It wasn’t an especially plush bed, but compared to the pitiful scrap of cloth I’d been using as a blanket where I previously stayed, it was practically an angel’s resting place.

For some reason, it also had a strangely pleasant scent.

“Well then, good night.”

“Sleep well.”

Irene turned off the lantern and settled into a suitable spot to rest.

I felt a bit guilty… but right now, recovering my strength was the priority.

And so the first night of our cohabitation passed.

* * *

‘…Hmm?’

When I regained consciousness—I was standing alone in an extremely unfamiliar place.

Looking around, I could easily tell it was a port town with beautiful buildings featuring white brick walls and blue roofs.

‘Where is this?’

I looked around with this fundamental question in mind.

There was no one.

Despite the many beautiful buildings, not a single person living here was in sight.

It had an eerie atmosphere, like a movie set.

After wandering for a while and climbing a hill—

A plaza appeared. A plaza overlooking the entire port town.

In the center of four columns supporting a circular roof, “she” was sitting on a chair.

“…Swen.”

I approached her.

Wearing a neat, snow-white dress, she looked at me with golden eyes.

Her golden hair, so bright it was almost blinding, fluttered in the wind.

The distinctive hairpin she wore caught my eye immediately.

She was beautiful. More so than any woman I had ever seen.

“Swen. Come here.”

As if enchanted by that voice… I slowly walked toward her.

But—I couldn’t reach her.

The more I approached, the further away she seemed.

Eventually, the ground beneath me began to crumble.

Unable to reach her, I was falling helplessly.

Why?

Why couldn’t I… reach ■■■■—

* * *

“…Swen, are you alright? Swen, Swen! Open your eyes. Swen!”

Consciousness gradually returned.

What I recognized was the voice of my roommate, Irene, whom I had met yesterday.

I slowly opened my heavy eyelids.

‘…A dream…?’

A dream, then.

If it was a dream, it was nothing short of a terrible nightmare.

Though I was still half-dazed, I could vividly feel the dampness along my spine.

As my eyes opened and adjusted to the sunlight coming through the window—

I began to recognize the scene before me.

‘…?’

After a while.

The sight before me became increasingly clear.

‘Ah.’

And I—

Wondering if I was still dreaming, let out a brief sigh.

…Irene was waking me up in nothing but her underwear, her snow-white skin fully exposed.