Ch.35Chapter 35. The Summons, and

No matter how many times I visited, I couldn’t get used to the vast space of Anel Castle.

Even before entering the royal palace, I felt overwhelmed by the magnificent decorations lining both sides of the road.

When I reached the castle gate, a guard blocked my way.

“State your business.”

“My name is Swen. My lord has summoned me.”

I showed the Brans family crest on my clothes as I spoke.

The guard checked it, then lowered his guard and saluted me.

“Yes! I apologize for the inconvenience. Please come in.”

The guard clearly had a similar emblem on his armor, but perhaps there was some mark that identified someone of higher rank?

I made a mental note to ask Irene about it later as I made my way into the royal palace.

I entered, walked along the red carpet, and arrived at the central audience chamber where the monarch was.

Upon entering the audience chamber, Lynn, who was sitting on the throne, spotted me and raised her hand.

“Swen, you’re here? Come this way.”

I walked steadily forward and took my place among the people who were already kneeling on one knee, then paid my respects.

“Swen, reporting as summoned by my lord.”

“Yes, yes. Welcome.”

I glanced around.

One man and two women were kneeling on one knee like me.

Two of them were unfamiliar faces, but one was someone I knew.

‘Lady Irene?’

Did Lynn summon her too?

Since Lynn rarely called for her, I naturally became curious.

“Well, is everyone here now?”

It seemed I was the last to arrive.

We all answered our lord loudly.

“Yes!”

“Good.”

Lynn crossed one leg, rhythmically tapping her finger on the chair as she spoke.

“From today, you will take 10,000 soldiers and move to Kelstein Castle.”

“Kelstein Castle, my lady?”

The man beside me asked.

He was quite young, but… since he wasn’t in my mental database, he probably wasn’t a particularly capable retainer.

In this game, C to D-rank generals all looked boringly similar.

“Yes. Irene will lead the vanguard…”

“I will obey your command.”

Lynn heard Irene’s response and smiled with satisfaction, then continued in a somewhat exaggerated tone.

“These soldiers were originally meant to be used for attacking Valhart Castle, but well… Irene, it’s rare for you to voice an opinion on such matters. It might not be as many soldiers as you wanted, but I can spare this many. Go and try to achieve something. I’m giving you an opportunity.”

She spoke with a smile, appearing to act benevolently—

But anyone who wasn’t a fool could easily detect the thorns in her words.

However, Irene acted as if nothing was wrong—rather, she bowed her head even deeper as if deeply grateful, and answered spiritedly.

“Yes! Thank you very much. I will certainly achieve merit.”

“Good. And… hmm.”

Her gaze, which had been fixed on Irene, eventually turned to me.

“Swen. Raise your head.”

I slowly raised my head.

Her blue eyes examined me thoroughly before breaking into a bright smile.

“I wanted to provide more soldiers, but I’m sorry I couldn’t. As you know, I can’t accommodate every proposal of questionable credibility. Still, since you spoke up, there must be something to it? I’d like you to show me something during this opportunity, if possible.”

I see.

I was beginning to understand why she had summoned Irene and me.

The proposal I had brought up at the meeting—’We should send soldiers to Kelstein Castle and attack the northern territory.’

That opinion seemed to have bothered her.

So she was taking at least some action now.

But, well…

If there really was a rebellion, even combining with the forces stationed in the north would probably be insufficient.

But what could I do?

That wasn’t my problem.

“I will do my best.”

I put on the most loyal expression I could muster, then bowed my head deeply again as I answered.

Lynn seemed quite pleased with that response, smiling for a while before standing up and extending her hand forward.

“Now, prepare to depart immediately. I’ve made all the preparations for your departure, so you just need to go and leave right away. Your current duties are suspended. Go and achieve something worthy, will you?”

“Yes, understood!”

We greeted Lynn and quickly left the royal palace.

“I’ll give you about an hour. To prepare for the journey. Let’s meet at the north gate.”

After hearing Irene’s words, Jack and Silin left first.

Irene and I also returned home to prepare for the long journey.

All I did was gather the maps of the north that I had drawn in my spare time.

I wasn’t sure if they would be useful, but since I had already drawn them, it would be good to bring them along.

Kelstein Castle.

The castle that once saved the Lunarian army from northern invasion—now I was entering it on my own feet.

*

On the road to Kelstein Castle, leading 10,000 soldiers with Irene at the vanguard.

Since all the routes were within Brans army territory, we were moving comfortably without any special security measures.

During rest breaks along the way, I exchanged introductions with the other two.

Since Irene was the vanguard commander, her rank was the highest, so she naturally became the leader among us.

“I am Irene Juliette. I look forward to working with all of you.”

“I apologize for the late introduction. My name is Jack. I’ve been with the Brans army for about three years.”

“My name is Silin. I look forward to working with you on this mission.”

Surprisingly, everyone seemed to be meeting for the first time.

Well, in such a large country, it would be difficult for all retainers to know each other’s faces.

It’s a bit unfortunate to say, but there probably wouldn’t be many occasions for a major commander like Irene to meet with the other two who weren’t particularly distinguished.

“I’m Swen. I look forward to working with you.”

“Ah, Mr. Swen.”

After my introduction, Silin approached me with a question.

She was a very ordinary-looking girl with plain brown twin-tails.

“Don’t you recognize me?”

“Pardon?”

Had I seen this woman before?

I racked my brain, but couldn’t remember.

Rather than pretending to know her and stepping on a landmine, it was better to be honest.

“I’m sorry. I’m not very good at remembering faces.”

“That’s okay. It’s understandable. We work together at the market. You’re the one who tends the bar tables, right?”

“Ah…”

Only then did I recall the woman who had been investigating the market’s commercial status behind me while I was working at the counter.

So she was Silin.

I thought she was just an ordinary person working at the market, but to think she was affiliated with the Brans army…

“Now that you mention it, I do remember.”

“Hehe. I’m glad a handsome person like you remembers me.”

“You’re quite good at flattery for someone I’ve just met.”

And so, we exchanged trivial small talk all the way to Kelstein Castle.

What surprised me was Irene’s attitude toward them.

Silin and Jack.

The fact that their names didn’t register in my database after 10,000 hours of playing this game meant they were not even D-rank, but E-rank commanders—or perhaps, like “James,” they existed in this world doing real work but didn’t appear as commanders in the game.

They were the kind of characters who were chosen when someone needed to fill an empty space but didn’t have anyone special to use.

Given that, it would have been natural for Irene, a proper commander and renowned general, to treat them with condescension, and it wouldn’t have seemed strange if she had—

But although she spoke informally, she made efforts throughout the journey to accommodate everyone, including me.

She took on menial tasks that soldiers could have handled, and preferred to do things herself rather than delegating to others.

It was enough to make me think, so this is how someone earns people’s respect.

She even took night watch duty with the soldiers.

‘She’s a woman with remarkable mental fortitude.’

Well, considering that she didn’t drive me away when I suddenly showed up at her home and has been getting along well with me, it wasn’t hard to see that she was an extraordinary person.

After riding horses northward for several days, passing through numerous castles, we finally arrived at Kelstein Castle, located near the border at the northernmost point of Brans army territory, adjacent to Serpina’s forces.

‘So this is Kelstein Castle.’

It was slightly smaller than Anel Castle, but still the largest compared to the other castles we had encountered within the territory.

Entering through the castle gate and looking around the domain… there were many people gathered, but none of the peaceful vibrancy felt in Anel Castle.

Rather, while it was very busy, there was a somewhat unapproachable atmosphere.

Being a castle adjacent to the border, it was difficult for peaceful scenes to unfold, even as a formality.

Of course, people’s expressions weren’t as desperate as those in Zeilant Castle in the early days.

“Everyone has worked hard. I’d like to rest right away, but I think we should report to the royal castle first.”

“I think it would be best to follow Lady Irene’s wishes.”

“I agree.”

Having obtained our consent, Irene gave a light bow and said:

“Thank you. Then, let’s handle this quickly.”

With those words, we moved to Kelstein royal castle at once.

*

Kelstein royal castle wasn’t as luxurious as Anel Castle’s royal palace, but it wasn’t unimpressive either.

The minimally restrained decorations were each sophisticated and refined, and the eyes of the soldiers standing guard were much sharper than those at Anel Castle.

We followed Irene to the audience chamber.

In the audience chamber, a man with a familiar face I had seen once before was sitting in the lord’s chair, waiting to receive us.

It was Rasion, the lord of Kelstein Castle.

“Irene Juliette, and three others. We have arrived at Kelstein Castle with 10,000 soldiers as commanded by our lord.”

“So you’ve come, General Irene. I’ve been waiting for you.”

Rasion spoke in a somewhat displeased tone while remaining seated.

“I appreciate receiving the troops, but… unless something happens or our lord’s orders come down, I and the soldiers of Kelstein Castle will focus on defense. We might be dispatched to Kalintz General’s fortress, but we have no plans for direct invasion yet, so I hope General Irene keeps that in mind.”

Rasion was one of the few people who had closely observed the discussion I had with Farfalle.

Since they sent troops including Irene, who was a proponent of the plan, it was natural that he would think about “northern invasion.”

She could have said that it wasn’t her opinion but that of Swen standing beside her, but instead of saying that, she bowed her head and answered:

“Yes, I understand. I await your orders.”

“Well, I’d appreciate it if you just stay quiet. Such absurd ideas as invasion… tsk.”

Rasion clicked his tongue once, then briefly looked at my face.

No matter how intensely you stare, nothing will come of it.

“I heard from our lord that you haven’t been formally assigned to Kelstein Castle. So there’s no need for you to take on duties within the castle. I’ll call you when needed, so feel free to rest until then. I’d appreciate it if you could stay quiet.”

“Yes!”

After that brief audience with the castle lord ended.

Jack, who had left the castle, sighed briefly and said:

“Whew… Lord Rasion is as scary as they say.”

“I want to go back to Anel Castle quickly…”

Silin agreed, but I couldn’t possibly concur.

Scary?

Rasion, the representative weathervane of the Garand Eternity saga who would definitely join if you captured him as a prisoner and pressed “recruit”?

“Is Lord Rasion… known to be scary?”

“Ah, Mr. Swen might not know since you haven’t been here long. Kelstein Castle, well, because there are so many wars… the military discipline? That sort of thing is much stricter than other castles. It’s not a preferred posting among retainers.”

“I see…”

It feels more like witnessing the woes of civil servants rather than state retainers.

At that moment, Irene spoke as if to change the atmosphere:

“I’ll secure rooms at a nearby inn. As the castle lord said, you’re free to do as you please for now. You must be tired after moving around busily for quite a long time, so feel free to rest until orders come down.”

“Ah, then I’ll go to the market for a while. I have some business there.”

“Me too. Is that okay?”

“Of course. Come to the inn later, you can get a room by mentioning my name.”

And so Jack and Silin left.

‘Free to do as we please for now, huh. But if my prediction is correct…’

Something will definitely happen soon.

I discreetly approached Irene, who was walking ahead.

“Hmm?”

“Lady Irene. I think it would be good to tell the 10,000 soldiers we brought to be ready to march out at any time.”

“…!”

Irene heard my words, looked around briefly, then spoke:

“Do you think there will be a need to march out?”

“Yes. Probably.”

“…Hmm.”

“It’s just preparation. If nothing happens, that’s the end of it. There’s no harm in preparing for the future, is there?”

That’s right.

I wasn’t saying to take them out right now, just to be prepared.

“I understand.”

I slowly stepped away from her.

Well, 10,000 men would be woefully insufficient to make a meaningful contribution even if a rebellion broke out—

I wanted to show Irene that her proposal wasn’t wrong.

‘The problem will be what comes next…’

And so we temporarily moved our residence from Anel Castle to Kelstein Castle.

* * *

A bedroom with sunlight gently shining through.

Extremely beautiful decorations, and curtains embroidered with luxurious silk.

Between them stood a massive bed carved from mahogany wood, the kind you might only see in an imperial palace.

And in the middle of the bed—

Sat a woman with long golden hair so bright it dazzled the eyes.

Skin like white jade.

A beauty so exquisite it would naturally inspire worship in anyone who beheld her, closer to a goddess than a human.

Eyes that seemed to capture the golden light reflected in the sunshine, and a large bosom that looked as if it might burst through her snow-white nightgown.

This perfect beauty, who seemed to have been sculpted with all of God’s might, had just woken up and muttered:

“…Was it… a dream?”

Today too, she had the same “dream” that she repeatedly had without being able to sleep soundly.