Ch.99Chapter 99. Battle of Hisphil Castle, Aftermath

“Sh-shall we begin…?”

“Yes. Please get ready.”

This place was a hill not far from Valharat Castle.

In front of a vast lake, Reika and I were conducting a sort of experiment.

“W-well then…!”

Reika closed her eyes and created a fireball in her hand once again.

I checked the rapier I was holding.

…It wasn’t glowing.

‘What’s going on?’

No matter how long I waited, there was no sign of anything changing.

I spoke to Reika to summarize the situation.

“That’s enough, Miss Reika. I don’t think we need to see any more.”

“Ah, yes…!”

Reika easily erased the fireball from her hand.

What I had just been trying to experiment with was whether this rapier, if it was a magic amplifier, could be used regardless of the situation.

And the results of the experiment had just come in.

So much for coming all the way to the lakeside to prepare for any contingency.

Actually, I had somewhat expected this outcome. After all, if it could react to magic, the weapon should have sparkled when Reika demonstrated in front of me.

‘Are there conditions?’

If there are conditions, what could they be?

I considered asking Reika about “what the conditions might be,” but since it wasn’t directly related to the state, the prediction would likely result in words like “unknown.”

“Um…”

“Ah.”

Reika approached me with a worried expression as I was lost in thought.

“Um, what’s happening right now…?”

“I was hoping it might work like it did before, but it doesn’t seem to be working.”

“…”

Reika seemed to recall what had happened earlier and wore a frightened expression.

“Miss Reika?”

“Swen… I’m starting to think magic might be much more impressive than I imagined. Will I be able to control this power properly…?”

She spread her snow-white palm and stared at it.

Her voice and her slender arms were trembling.

Until now, she had only experienced magic as creating fire or ice from her hands.

But going to the battlefield means—directing those things at living people.

Of course, in these troubled times, she must have somehow accepted that fact. During her orphan days, she would have understood how the world works, and as someone who had survived thus far, she wouldn’t be idealistic about it now. If she had such thoughts, she would have refused to learn magic in the first place.

But what if that firepower was directed at a group of soldiers rather than a castle wall?

Perhaps with a single gesture from her, dozens of lives would be extinguished in an instant.

Having confirmed that her ability exceeded her calculations, it was natural for her to feel anxious.

I slowly placed my hand on her trembling shoulder.

“It’s alright, Miss Reika.”

“Swen…”

“Your power is meant to protect everyone. Since you’re fighting to protect… as long as you don’t lose that heart, you’ll be able to control any power.”

“A heart that protects…”

Reika listened to my words and seemed lost in thought, saying nothing—

Then she slowly nodded.

Though she didn’t answer, I could notice her trembling gradually subsiding.

‘Anyway, it’s going to be difficult to figure out the activation conditions right now.’

As I was looking down at the rapier, thinking it could have been quite useful if used properly—

“Um… Swen.”

“Yes?”

“That sword… would you let me hold it for a moment?”

“This?”

I pointed to the green rapier.

Nod.

She silently nodded her head.

While it does have an edge, it’s primarily a ceremonial weapon, so nothing dangerous should happen.

“Here you go.”

“Thank you…!”

Reika respectfully received the rapier I handed her with both hands, then gripped its handle and closed her eyes.

I could see her taking slow, deep breaths… and after a while, she slowly opened her eyes and said to me.

“There’s… mana inside.”

“What?”

“This sword seems to absorb mana.”

It absorbs mana?

“How can you tell?”

“When I close my eyes… I can feel something flowing inside this sword. I felt something similar when the fireball I created was drawn to this sword. So I thought I’d check…”

“Then why isn’t it working now?”

After pondering my question for a while, Reika finally spoke in a very cautious tone.

“I’m not certain, but… perhaps the mana hasn’t gathered yet…?”

“The mana hasn’t gathered, huh.”

Just as I was about to sink into thought, I noticed her continuing to fidget.

“Is there something else you’d like to say?”

“What?! Ah, well, that is…!”

It seems my words hit the mark.

“Feel free to speak comfortably.”

“It’s just that… it’s not accurate information, just speculation…”

“I make my living on speculation too, you know.”

Reika responded in a timid voice to my words.

“Is that so…? But you’re such an amazing person, Swen…”

“As amazing as you say I am, I’d like to hear what you have to say. Isn’t that enough?”

“Uuugh…”

She blushed, seemingly embarrassed by my words.

“Well… I was thinking, perhaps your meditation helped…?”

“Meditation?”

“You’ve always done it with me, right…? Every time I meditated with you, I could feel the mana flowing inside me more and more clearly. And, well, since you’ve been carrying this weapon… I thought maybe it was influenced by your meditation or something like that…”

Huh?

Now that I heard it, it was quite a plausible explanation.

From my perspective, meditation was just a way to pass time, but I did meditate nonetheless.

Moreover, Reika, being a magician, testified that she “felt magic gathering” every time we meditated.

Didn’t we often come to the hill together because she said mana overflowed there?

‘So… it’s like a ‘battery’ that’s been fully charged?’

There are still a few things that need to be verified—

But still, I felt like I had found a small clue in a situation where I couldn’t see anything before.

I slowly approached Reika.

As she looked up at me, I found her strangely cute and unconsciously patted her head.

“As expected of Miss Reika. You’ve been a great help.”

“Ah… y-yes…”

With her head bowed and her ears turning red, she repeatedly thanked me—

For the first time, I wondered if this is what it would feel like if she became my wife.

*

And, a few days after that.

The usual morning scene was a little different today.

“The lord has issued a summons?”

“Yes. A soldier I met on my way to the barracks told me.”

Before the day had even begun.

Irene, who was heading to the barracks for her duties, told me as I was preparing to go out.

“What’s it about?”

“I don’t know that much… but the soldier who came to me had an urgent expression on his face. It seems like something serious. Swen, do you have any idea?”

‘An idea, huh.’

Honestly, I wasn’t completely clueless, so I naturally felt a bit uneasy—

‘Let’s go see first.’

When the lord calls, I simply head there.

“Let’s go see. Then we’ll know.”

“Hmm. Let’s do that. It’s been a while since I went to the royal castle with you.”

“Were you waiting for a day to be with me?”

“What? W-waiting, I didn’t mean it like that…!”

Seeing Irene blush clearly at my words, I smiled leisurely.

“I was waiting.”

“…?!”

“Was it okay for you not to be with me, Irene? I was lonely in many ways. We’ve been acting separately lately, so we’ve had less time together.”

“B-but, after missions… w-we’re always together at night…!”

“So we’re always together at night?”

“No, that’s not what I meant…!”

Irene was wide-eyed and flustered.

Though she wore a ghostly expression on the battlefield, I found it endearing how relaxed she looked in front of me.

“Th-this isn’t the time, Swen…! I’ll deal with you later, but for now, shouldn’t we head to the royal castle…!”

I could have teased her more by asking if she really meant to “deal with me” later, but there was no need to go that far.

I laughed lightly and headed to the royal castle with her.

On the way, I exchanged a few more silly jokes with Irene… trying in my own way to erase the anxiety rising within me.

*

When we arrived at the royal castle.

The uncomfortable feeling floating in the air began to press on me more and more.

“The atmosphere seems particularly heavy.”

Irene must have felt something similar to me, as she spoke in a very grave tone.

“We might need to prepare ourselves.”

With that, we cautiously headed to the audience chamber.

In the audience chamber, all the generals working at Valharat Castle, including Ginor, were gathered.

Yurie’s figure was not yet visible…

After waiting for a few minutes.

Yurie approached the throne with a very dark expression and sat down.

And soon after—

The anxiety that had been lingering somewhere in my heart became reality, staring down at me clearly.

“Anima has… been captured by Serpina’s forces.”

As Yurie uttered those words in a trembling voice—

An atmosphere heavy enough to suffocate people began to float inside the royal castle.