episode_0078

*

“You are Swen. welcome. I will guide you to Reika’s room.”

“Oh, can I see Jinor first?”

“Do you mean master? I don’t know if you’re there now… … Please wait a moment.”

After waiting for a while.

“They say they will be getting ready to go out soon… … If it’s important, why don’t you talk about it next time?”

“It’s okay. It will be over soon.”

When I headed to Jinor’s room, I gave him a quick hello.

“What’s going on, Swen? I heard you found me.”

“Nothing else, I would like to take Reika out of the castle.”

“… … What?”

Reika is the first wizard to appear in this game, and was the most powerful wizard active until the end.

I don’t know why, but Jinor had Reika imprisoned inside the mansion and was not allowed to go out.

Still, seeing as she had sneaked out once, it seemed like the surveillance itself wasn’t that thorough, but she also told me, ‘Please refrain from going out of the mansion.’

The way to gain someone’s favor was simple.

Doing what the person wants.

What Reika wants is freedom.

I decided that nothing bad would happen if I showed it off to her.

“… … Can I ask why?”

“It’s simple. Mana is much more powerfully concentrated in places where the mountains are steep and nature is less damaged. It’s about meditating with Mother Nature as your friend. I’m not sure if it will really work for Reika, who is a magician, but it definitely worked for me. If it is clear that the ability I am feeling is ‘mana’, wouldn’t Reika see the effect as well?”

“… … .”

Jinor was lost in thought for a moment.

Soon, he muttered in a very low voice.

The sentences he spoke reached my ears without difficulty.

“… … Swen, you might not mind.”

‘?’

I wondered what they were talking about, but I didn’t bother to ask.

“I understand. However, it cannot be sent outside the territory of Balharat Castle.”

“Even if it is outside the territory, I plan to climb the small mountain right behind the castle. If you go too far and end up in a dangerous situation, it will be annoying.”

“Is there anything else you want to say?”

“No.”

“Then excuse me first.”

The moment when Jinor was about to leave.

‘Oh, that’s right.’

Now that I think about it, I had something to ask him.

“Wait a minute.”

“What is it?”

“What we talked about in the fortress. I remember you said you had one favor to ask of me.”

“… … .”

Jinor turned his head again without any response.

“I’ll tell you when the time comes. Then.”

After Jinor left the place.

‘I will speak when the time comes, la…’ … .’

I don’t know what the request is, but I guess it doesn’t matter since I said in advance, ‘I cannot grant unreasonable requests.’

With that in mind, I headed to the room where Reika was.

*

and.

As soon as I entered the room, an overly energetic Reika greeted me.

“Ah, ah, ah, hello… … ! He, he, s, swen! Oh, today is another day… … The weather… … !!”

“Calm down.”

I lightly placed my hand on her shoulder.

“Hiyat… … !”

How many minutes have passed like that?

I cautiously asked Reika, whose expression seemed as if something had melted.

“Now. Can you calm down now?”

“Ah? ah… … Yes, yes, four… … !”

I calmed her down and looked around her room.

There were cakes, cookies, bread, and milk that looked delicious.

Did she prepare it all?

“There was no need to prepare like this.”

“But, that… … It’s been a while since I’ve seen you, Swen… … ! Well, I heard that you fought for our country… … !”

” Well, I was in the rear unit. Because I don’t have a weapon I know how to use.”

“Is that so… … ? But, he’s also wearing a cool sword next to him… … .”

“Oh, this?”

I took out the rapier next to me.

Come to think of it, Reika was the first person to notice this.

Usually, I couldn’t see it because it was covered by the cloak I wore.

“This is just a decoration.”

“Decoration… … .”

“The generals, subordinate generals, and soldiers suffered more than me.”

Reika hesitated for a moment after hearing what I said.

Soon, I mustered up the courage and spoke.

“Well, still… … ! Still, even if it’s a rear unit… … Well, I don’t know, but… … Still, you risked your life to fight to protect us… … ! Well, I think you had a hard time… … I do it.”

She said that and lowered her head.

okay.

What kind of wealth and fame would one enjoy by defeating Reika here with words?

“I think Reika is right. Thank you.”

“No… … ! I, I am… … Thank you for protecting me… … !”

After saying that, she smiled with a slightly foolish expression.

You’re a person with more facial expressions than I thought.

“By the way, how were you while I was gone?”

“Ah! That’s right!”

Reika clapped her hands once and then approached me with her eyes shining like a child showing me a hidden toy.

“Well, that’s… … ! I have something to show you… … !”

*

This is the garden behind the mansion.

Reika opened her hand and immediately created a ball of flame like before.

But what is different from before is-

“Oh.”

Reika skillfully moved the completed flame sphere onto her opposite palm.

After repeating it a few times, he immediately launched it towards the scarecrow beyond.

Slut!

pop!

The fireball hit the scarecrow that had been erected for some unknown time.

Although its destructive power was not great, this could be said to be a tremendous achievement.

“Yes, I am less out of breath like before… … It has become possible to control things freely to some extent… … !”

“It has increased a lot?”

“Yes! Just as Swen ordered… … Daily… … Buffett test? I worked hard every single day… … ! So, should I really say that I can read mana well, or… … ! Anyway, I think it was a great experience… … !”

Did you work hard at that meaningless exercise every day?

Well, it would have been helpful for my health, so there was no need to feel overly sorry.

Perhaps because of what I told him to do, he actually became better at reading mana, and it wasn’t like this.

It might just be that her abilities were gradually blooming as time passed.

Still, for Ms. Reika, who had been experiencing ‘blockage’ for quite some time, this must have been quite a meaningful experience, and it was not difficult to notice that the way she looked at me was a little different from before.

“Reika’s hard work so far is only finally showing results. Rather than saying what I did.”

“No… … ! After meeting Swen, I became so much stronger… … ! I feel like I can do anything now… … !”

“Really?”

I spoke in a very natural tone.

“Then, shall we move on to the next staff?”

“Okay, the next staff… … ?”

“Yes. I think it’s time to go outside.”

“Outside… … Is this?”

As soon as she heard the word ‘outside’ she looked up at me in surprise.

Her pink eyes were twinkling as if they contained the Milky Way.

and… …

As soon as he heard what I said next, the color of starlight instantly twinkled in his beautiful eyes.

“Let’s go out of the mansion. To the outside world.”

*

“Wow… … !”

This place was a back mountain not far from the castle.

She looked around for a while and couldn’t help but admire everything she encountered, as if she was very happy with it.

“Really, it’s been a really long time… … Like this, I walked outside normally.”

Come to think of it, she was an orphan.

When I was an orphan, I would not have had time to look around because I was busy looking for food and protecting myself every day.

After that, after being taken in by Jinor, it seemed like he was in virtual confinement, unable to go out.

As she is, it was understandable that she liked it so much just by climbing the mountain behind her.

“It’s rewarding to have you there.”

“Swen brought me out on purpose… … ?”

I cleverly lied to her words.

“Mana is more abundant in places where nature is preserved.”

“Oh… … !”

She nodded after hearing what I said, and then closed her eyes.

He took a few deep breaths, said nothing, as if meditating… …

suddenly.

“… … Haa!!”

He raised his eyes and created a fireball in his hand.

Something more than twice as big as the one just before.

‘… … !!’

Even I was surprised by that sight.

The fireball slowly disappeared from her hand.

“Wow… … It’s real! As Swen said… … When I come here, I can vividly feel the incredibly rich mana all over my body… … !”

‘… … Really???’

really?

why?

Why is this real?

I was just saying random things out of a list of plausible words.

But why did he become stronger so quickly?

Does mana really exist in abundance close to nature?

No, it was just a proposition that was thrown together haphazardly… … Actually, if you think about it, it was a very likely setting.

In a way, it was the rule of the fantasy world that mystical powers like mana were abundant in places close to nature.

anyway.

What I was bewildering here was a rash of words.

I nodded with a strange look on my face, as if I had predicted everything.

“Didn’t I tell you? After meditating here, I also hear the sounds of the sky more clearly.”

“I see… … ! As expected, Swen is amazing.”

Reika looked at me with eyes full of respect.

… … I felt the pressure of those innocent eyes pressing on my shoulders, and once again-

I realize that even though I lied to so many different people, I still haven’t gotten used to it.

“Now. Then let’s do it. You just have to repeat what you always do. Are you ready?”

“Yes! I’m ready!”

Reika said, raising her hands in front of her with enthusiasm.

Because she was wearing a sleeveless dress, her smooth armpits came into view for a moment.

I quickly erased the scene and spoke.

“Then… … Let’s start with meditation.”

“Yes!”

So I meditated with her.

After that, I had a very fulfilling day doing some light exercise.

Reika came out for the first time in a while, and she followed suit with enthusiasm, whether she was in a good mood or something, so I felt pretty good from my perspective.

Honestly, aside from training and all, it was the first time in a long time since the day of the battle that I was able to relax and spend time in peace.

That alone was a very precious time for me.

* * *

A few hours ago.

Jinor, who had just left the house, was thinking about the white-haired young man she had just met.

‘It was a surprise attack. The man… … It all came true as Swen said.’

Looking at myself, I remembered what he had said with confidence, ‘Brance’s plan is a surprise attack.’

He expressed his opinion with unwavering confidence in front of the government’s officials, and his opinion was the correct answer.

After the battle, Jinor thought for a while.

Although he is not a wizard, he is a miracle man who felt the power of mana and claimed to communicate with the sky, and who dropped a rock from the sky.

A man of that caliber even showed signs of being good at tactics.

Moreover, he even had the guts to fearlessly ask himself, who is the national strategist of Aishus County, ‘Why are you in Aishe County?’

Although Jinor lived a life where she always realized that there were so many things she didn’t know during her old age.

The only thing he was proud of was his eye for people.

And the more I looked at the man named Swen, the more I couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t a man who would be satisfied with just getting an important position here in Aceas County.

‘It would be nice if he continued to remain in our army, but in the long run, he might become an enemy of the Aishous army.’

If that happens, it will be difficult in many ways.

It wasn’t wise to turn this level of talent into an enemy.

The world was focusing on Irene, a female knight with a high reputation, as the subject of this betrayal, and if you look at the context, there was actually that aspect –

Jinor thought that what Brans really missed was Swen rather than Iren.

And in fact, as soon as they turned this man into an enemy, didn’t the Brans army begin to fall like a lie?

Of course, although Irene played an active role, it was essentially Swen who noticed the surprise attack first.

If it weren’t for Swen, it was clear that this side would lose due to Epinel’s stubbornness.

‘Then what should I do?’

Jinor is following Yuuri now, and I thought it would be good for her to unify the continent if possible, but-

I wasn’t the type of person who thought, ‘Achers County must be unified.’

Any wise and benevolent person was ready to lend his wisdom, as long as he was not a tyrant like Serpina.

As such, I don’t want to have an antagonistic relationship with a man of Swen’s caliber, even if the lord I serve is different.

Jinor recalled a book on military strategy he had read a while ago.

There was one phrase in particular that stuck in my mind.

[If it’s an opponent you can’t beat, join that opponent.]

‘How to build a relationship with him that transcends power… … .’

At that moment, there was something that passed through Jinor’s mind.

His adopted daughter Reika.

What if we look at it objectively?

I turn twenty this year. A young lady just around Swen’s age, with no experience with men.

Since he had her when she was very young and had not been let out for a long time, she would not be a bad wife.

Jinor was a man with a good head.

Isn’t there just one opportunity to ask him a favor?

There was nothing I could do if I was rejected, but I thought I could at least try.

It seemed like he didn’t even have a wife yet.

‘Come to think of it, Swen didn’t have a last name.’

The value of Nighthart’s name is something I’m embarrassed to say with my own words…

Even on the continent, it had the value of being called a famous family.

Even though being from a famous family or nobility has all become meaningless in times of turmoil, wouldn’t it be quite attractive for someone from a commoner background?

‘It would be a good idea to explain this to Reika as well. Since he is also a passionate man, there must be something that Reika can do.’

Jinor Nighthardt.

Despite his old age, he was constantly trying his best to survive in this difficult time.