Ch.385Chapter 385. I Want to Have It

The Anel Castle had fallen.

Anel Castle, where all troops were concentrated and defensive facilities were layered upon layers!

This wasn’t simply the level of a single territory being captured.

Yes. This was—practically equivalent to the downfall of the Brans army.

“Such a thing… But didn’t the Lunarian army attack Raclaine Castle? I thought they would naturally focus on the war with our forces…”

The reason they entered Raclaine.

Clearly it was to bypass Anel Castle and attack.

But they also sent troops to Anel Castle from here?

“I apologize. As I am merely a common soldier, I don’t believe I can provide an appropriate answer to the strategist’s question.”

“…No. Thank you for bringing this news.”

After the soldier left, I raised my head to look at the sky.

If the Brans army falls, what will remain on the continent…

‘Only two nations, the Serpina army and the Lunarian army…’

At that moment.

“…Swen.”

Irene carefully approached my side.

“I think it’s about time I tell you.”

“Tell me what?”

“Actually, on that day when we retreated after being defeated… I met with Duke Lunarian.”

“…!!”

Lady Irene met Lord Luna…

Then, did the two of them actually cross swords?

“To get straight to the point, the reason I was able to return here safely was thanks to Duke Lunarian.”

“What? Thanks to Lord Luna…?”

“He provided me with a path to retreat.”

Hearing this, I found it even more difficult to understand.

Why on earth…?

No, from my position, of course I was grateful—

But from the Lunarian army’s perspective, wouldn’t it be strange not to capture someone as important as Irene Juliette as a prisoner?

As if reading my thoughts, Lady Irene sighed briefly and said:

“It seems Duke Lunarian was aware of the relationship between you and me.”

“By relationship…”

“He said that since you two are particularly close, he would neither kill me nor take me prisoner. The reason being that he didn’t want to earn your hatred.”

“He… said that?”

The first person who came to mind was Ginor.

Ginor would have seen us living together and being close in the Aeshus army.

He would also know that as soon as I was abandoned by Lady Yurie, Lady Irene defected to the Serpina army without hesitation, abandoning her lord.

“If it had been anyone other than Duke Lunarian… I might have truly lost my life right there.”

“I see…”

“Duke Lunarian was close to being a god of war. I lost my balance the moment our swords met. I wasn’t sure before, but now I can say with certainty. If we were to name the strongest person on this continent—it would be Duke Lunarian.”

Seeing her add that even Chel Brans in his prime couldn’t match Duke Lunarian’s current skill, it seemed she was speaking sincerely.

“Is he that powerful? Lord Luna?”

“As I’ve told you before, Swen. I don’t understand how you don’t know. Weren’t you part of the Lunarian army?”

“Well, yes, but…”

I knew that Lord Luna’s strength was extraordinary.

After all, he was someone who, with a woman’s body, carried me and traveled a full day’s journey without rest.

Still, I couldn’t believe he was at the level of a god of war. That innocent Luna, a god of war?

With his nickname “Red-Eyed Dragon” and all… I felt like I didn’t know what kind of person Luna really was, more than I had thought.

“Anyway, Duke Lunarian asked me to tell you. That he’s waiting for your return. And he was wondering why you were under Serpina instead of him.”

“…”

Waiting for me, is he?

Am I doing something terrible to Luna too?

Even so—I couldn’t return to her immediately right now.

“…I know, Swen. I understand. You’re worried about Lady Serpina, aren’t you? That’s why you can’t return to Duke Lunarian’s side?”

“That’s right.”

“However, Duke Lunarian seemed unable to comprehend that fact itself. It wasn’t just the reaction of a ruler who lost talent. It was more like—he deeply and genuinely hates Serpina as a person.”

“…I have some idea why.”

“Can you tell me?”

I slowly nodded.

“Duke Lunarian thinks he lost his sister to Lady Serpina. During the succession to the throne, all the people of the Einhart family were executed, right? I think she was the lover of Algot von Einhart, who was essentially the successor.”

For a moment, Irene’s pupils dilated slightly—but then, as if realizing something strange about my words, she asked again:

“Wait. ‘Thinks,’ you said?”

“Yes.”

“Does that mean Lady Serpina didn’t kill them…?”

I carefully indicated my agreement.

“Yes. It’s widely known that Lady Serpina was responsible for gathering the Einhart family members in one place and killing them… but I know the truth.”

Lady Serpina didn’t kill anyone.

“H-How can that be…!!!”

This time, even Irene couldn’t hide her shock.

The most decisive reason why Serpina is hated by everyone:

It was that she cruelly murdered all her own blood relatives to usurp the imperial throne.

“Do you have any evidence?”

“I’m sorry, but I have no physical evidence. Only circumstantial. But… Lady Serpina considers me a strategist with the Eye of Truth. So I don’t think she would have told me a lie.”

“The Eye of Truth?”

I looked into Irene’s violet eyes.

She was going to be my wife now. There was no need to keep secrets from family.

So—I explained all the circumstances to her in detail.

“How can this be… You can derive the correct answer just by being asked questions?!”

“Yes. She believes it to be the ‘power of the Eye of Truth.'”

“I see. So that’s why… It feels like all the questions I’ve had are being answered.”

“Lady Serpina doesn’t know the full extent of my ability, but anyway, I don’t think she would tell a lie that someone with mystical powers like me would easily detect.”

“Besides, she secretly built a tomb and visits it regularly… If Serpina really killed them for power, would someone so concerned with efficiency create a tomb for the princes that could later become a sacred site and tighten the noose around her own neck?”

“If Lady Serpina didn’t do anything, then what was the reason for that disaster?”

“I’m not sure about that. She didn’t tell me. However, if Lady Serpina didn’t do it… wouldn’t it be either Algot or Sidmid? They were the two people closest to the imperial throne.”

“I suspect that Lady Serpina simply took on the burden. The entire will of the Einhart Empire… something like that.”

From what I heard, Serpina was said to have kept a low profile until the very end, then revealed her witch-like nature and massacred the princes at the last moment.

Actually, thinking about it, it was an extremely artificial conclusion. If she kept a low profile, it means she wasn’t remarkable and had no proper power base, so how could she, not being a magician, single-handedly kill all the powerful princes?

“Then Lady Serpina… is merely atoning for the sins of Einhart?”

“…Yes.”

“How could this…”

Tears began to fall from Irene’s violet eyes.

It’s a devastating thing. Honestly, I felt like crying too.

Even now, when I close my eyes, I can see Lady Serpina’s pitiful face as she said she didn’t do it.

“Swen… So that’s why you decided not to leave Lady Serpina’s side…”

“…Well, that’s not entirely it.”

“Hmm…?”

To her, who was carefully wiping her tears with a handkerchief, I—

I, who just days ago had proudly said “please marry me”—

“I love Lady Serpina.”

“!!!”

I was brazenly admitting that I loved another woman as well.

“So, I couldn’t leave. Because I can’t leave the side of someone I love.”

“I see…”

Irene seemed shocked by my statement and momentarily blanched.

But she quickly regained her composure and said:

“Then Swen, is it alright for us to marry first? If Lady Serpina also has feelings for you, I think it would be proper to take Lady Serpina, who is the ruler, as your first wife…”

So this really is a polygamous world view.

That seemed to be what Irene was worried about.

Well, she was the one who said we should get along well if I brought a new wife.

Anyway.

My answer to that was the same.

“No. My first wife will be you, Lady Irene.”

“…!!”

“We’ve been through so much together. Since we met on Eastwood Street in Anel Castle, until now… it has never changed. My first wife will be you, Lady Irene.”

“S-Swen…”

Lady Irene bowed her head deeply, blushing to her ears.

Finding that cute, I unconsciously stroked her head.

“I think Lady Serpina will understand too. So you don’t need to worry too much about that issue.”

“…Okay.”

After a few minutes had passed.

“Swen.”

“Yes?”

“…Right now, neither you nor I are in proper physical condition.”

“That’s right.”

I was still feeling the aftermath of the forced march, and Irene’s wounds from the battlefield had not yet fully healed.

“And we haven’t even held our wedding ceremony yet…”

“That’s true.”

In any case, I wanted to tell Lady Serpina and Ms. Reika about it.

“Even after the ceremony, it will be difficult for us to have a normal married life for a while. We’re in a war situation, I’m a general, and you’re a strategist.”

“That’s right.”

But why is she suddenly talking about this?

“So… saying this might make me seem like an improper woman, but…”

Lady Irene fidgeted for a while after saying that—

Then, turning her head with a bright red face and looking into my eyes:

“I… want to have Swen’s baby.”

“!!!!!!”

—As she said, she had just uttered something incredibly improper.

“Will you… give me a baby…?”

“No, um… that…”

“You don’t want to…?”

I couldn’t help but flinch at her fragile voice as she tilted her head and looked at me.

Don’t want to?

“…How could I… not?”

“Mmm… I’ll be waiting…”

My face was burning so much that I couldn’t say anything.

How could she say such things so casually?

Carefully turning my head to look at her, I saw her smiling broadly.

“Please… make one for me.”

“…Yes.”

Thump, thump…

The pounding of my heart, proving that I was alive.

And it was beating fiercely, as if to prove that Lady Irene was alive too.

* * *

The news of Anel Castle’s fall.

Luna, who was handling the aftermath of the battle at Raclaine Castle, heard this unbelievable news and immediately headed to Anel Castle on horseback.

And what Luna saw upon arriving at Anel Castle was—

“…Hey… Luna.”

“…!!”

Covered in bandages from head to toe, hovering between life and death—her childhood friend, Tifa.