episode_0289

* * *

All the way back to where everyone was, neither Swen nor Irene said anything.

Of course, she didn’t say anything out loud – a huge typhoon was passing through Irene’s head.

‘… … .’

I did it.

I finally put into action the actions I had always imagined.

It was a semi-impulsive decision, but that doesn’t mean it was simply a result of the mood.

The reason she decided to do this – goes back to just a few days ago.

* * *

“How are you, Miss Reika?”

“Irene… … !”

Unlike Swen and herself, who were riding horses and moving in line with Serpina, Reika, who could not ride a horse, was riding in a carriage at the back of the procession and was escorted by soldiers.

Especially Reika, who wasn’t used to moving around for such long periods of time. She was the type that would tire even faster than Swen, who had limited stamina.

Of course, even if she had been sitting the whole time, Serpina sent Irene because she judged that she might have been tired after following them for quite a long distance.

As for Reika’s physical condition, it was a very important part for Serpina-kun.

As a sorcerer, she was the ultimate weapon in any battle, so Serphina, the monarch, was also paying special attention to her.

“The lord told me to come and watch your condition.”

“I’m fine. What about S, Swen… … ?”

“Swen is fine. He seems to be trying too hard, but… …he doesn’t seem to be in any trouble yet.”

“I see… …That’s fortunate.”

After saying that, Reika shrugged her knees for a moment.

“I… …Irene. Can I talk to you for a moment?”

*

“It’s a narrower place than I thought. It looks like it’s just a carriage for two people.”

“Thank you… … ! Thank you for taking the time… … .”

Irene, who was sitting in the carriage, raised her hand as if she was okay.

“No way. I’m sure even your lord will understand. By the way, what’s going on?”

“That’s not the thing… … I, ah, Irene… … have something to tell you… … .”

“You have to tell me something? To me?”

“Yes, net… … !”

Reika’s determined face.

Irene, curious about the expression she rarely sees, tilts her head and asks.

“What is that?”

of course.

Until that moment, I had no idea what weight her answer would have.

“I… … did it.”

“Huh?”

“I did it with Swen… … !!”

“… … ?”

Chop!

As Reika’s two hands grip Airen’s knees tightly, a slapping sound fills the carriage.

“Kiki, kikikiki… … kii, kiss… … !!!!!”

“!!!!”

“I kissed you… …! With Swen!!”

silence.

After the sound of the knee being slapped, a silence so deep it’s hard to describe in words follows.

Reika grabbed Irene’s shoulder, which seemed to be frozen like a stone, and cried out in an appealing tone.

“That’s why! I wanted to say something to Irene!”

“Uh, uh… … ?”

“Irene… …you like Swen, right?”

“No, that, that… … .”

To Irene, who had no idea how the story was going, starting with the kiss story-

Reika tells the story as if she was hitting someone.

It was the first time. She, who had always hesitated and lived in the shadows of others, had revealed her presence like this.

“I… … didn’t want to be fatal over something like this… … ! I, I also… … like Swen. I want to make her my husband. But, I… … also like Irene. If I could live with Irene and Swen, and build a family together… … I would think that would be good enough… … !”

“Miss Reika… … ?”

“So, Irene-sama… … If you can convey your feelings to Swen-sama… … Don’t hold back, and convey them… … If you, if you miss the timing, you really… … .”

Only then does Reika slowly remove her hand from her shoulder.

“Really… … This could turn into a difficult situation… … .”

“… … .”

“If you have something to say, you have to say it clearly at that time… … If you don’t and it’s too late, you might miss out on something important… … Strangely, a tangled thread takes a very long time to untangle. So… … .”

“Irene, you must also… … convey your feelings… … to Swen… … !!”

Hearing those words, my mind, which had seemed to have slipped away, slowly came back.

Is that so…?

Is it not okay if I don’t convey this feeling?

“But… … .”

Swen asked me to wait.

Wouldn’t it be a nuisance to him if I were to confront him with my feelings when he still has so much to do?

“I… … .”

Isn’t that selfish?

Wouldn’t this just make things even harder for him, who is already having a hard time because of things related to Lunalien?

“I can’t be a burden to him… … .”

Reika, who was watching Iren, who was unable to speak properly and was unable to continue speaking, soon grabbed Iren’s rough and clumsy knightly hands with both of her own.

“I can’t possibly know what you’re thinking. But, one thing is for sure. Swen-nim wouldn’t hate Irene-nim… … !”

“Re, Reika… … ?”

“Sometimes I get jealous… … When Swen talks to Irene, he looks more handsome than any other man… … He seems happier than when he talks to anyone else… … So many people talk to Swen. I feel that he is very kind and affectionate when he talks to me… … But still… … He only shows that kind of expression in front of Irene.”

“… … !!”

“So… … Even if Irene clashes with him, Swen won’t feel burdened… … .”

After hearing Reika’s words, I remembered something Serpina had once said to me.

Are you the only one who can make Swen make such a wonderful expression?

Serpina was like that back then, and Reika is like that now. Swen says that he has the most wonderful smile when he’s with me.

“Really… …?”

Looking at Irene whose face had turned bright red, Reika nodded with a faint smile.

“Of course… … I really, really like you, Irene. I don’t lie to Irene… … So-”

* * *

‘I was told to definitely convey my feelings.’

Irene cautiously watched Swen as he followed behind her.

… … The look of confusion was evident.

Her cheeks were slightly red. What about me? Did my face turn red like Swen’s?

I can’t check because I don’t have a mirror, but considering how hot my face has been since a while ago, I think it’s probably no different from Swen’s.

‘……ha.’

Me too, I wonder why I did such a bold thing in the future.

Even though I conveyed my feelings, to be honest, I didn’t know what to do.

It’s just that, since Reika said she kissed too… … I vaguely thought that maybe I could do it too.

In the first place, Swen was the first man she had ever gotten close to. She had never learned what kind of attitude a woman should have when she had to express her feelings to a man.

Besides, in his opinion, she was a person who had no feminine charm at all.

Compared to Reika, who was very girlish and helpful, and Serpina, who had a beauty close to a goddess that made people want to follow her to the point of sacrificing everything, he was like a servant girl.

It would have been horrifying for Swen to hear this, but Irene was so innocent in that regard that she was completely unaware of the destructive power of her own body.

still.

‘I didn’t say no… … .’

If Swen didn’t hate it, then it might be okay.

I don’t know if this conveyed my feelings well… … but still, two things became clear.

That she wanted to be Swen’s wife.

And, I am sure that if Reika becomes Swen’s wife, they will be able to live together very happily.

What Irene clearly feels while spending time with the two is a sense of connection and belonging.

It was the very thing Irene had desperately been looking for but had not been able to find during her time in Branson County.

* * *

It didn’t take long to conquer the rest of the territory, starting with Jog Castle.

The problem was that not only Jog Castle, but the rest of the territory was also completely burned down.

Of course, our response was also much faster. There was bound to be a big difference between being faced with ruins without any preparation and being faced with ruins after being prepared, so our military’s response was much more efficient and faster.

The biggest harvest in the process was that Serpina finally began to win over the hearts of the people of the Central Continent.

They did open a relief camp, but at that time it was limited to ‘those with family in the northern continent’ and from the perspective of the people of the territory, they had to travel quite a long way, so it had relatively little impact. However, now that they have delved into the central continent itself and are carrying out relief activities, they are bound to attract the attention of many more people.

In this situation, it is clear that even those who have been under the Bran’s military for a long time value ‘those who entered the ruins and helped them’ more than ‘those who burned it down and ran away’.

“Thank you, Serpina… … .”

“I will never forget this favor.”

In that way, the confusion in the territory that Chel had was somewhat resolved.

Our army was finally able to gather its forces near the Alcanwood Castle where Chel was making her final siege.

Countless siege engines, the sorcerer Reika, well-fed and well-trained troops, and an overwhelming number of troops compared to the enemy.

Before a seemingly unwinnable battle, Serpina asks me a question cautiously.

“What do you think, Swen? Do you think we will win this battle?”

“… … .”

I thought I would win without any problems, but I still wrote down her question as it was.

‘Can our army win against the Chel Army in the Battle of Alkanwood Castle?’

The answer is printed right away.

and-

[The battle itself will be won.]

‘… … ?’

―The conclusion I heard was a bit uneasy.