episode_0178

*

After leaving the castle.

Irene, who was heading to the training ground with some of the occupying forces, unable to join Swen due to her schedule, slowly walked away, lost in thought.

‘Maybe now is not the time?’

Irene basically supported all of Swen’s decisions.

He himself, better than anyone else gathered here, could guarantee that he always said the right things in the end. Because I’ve been by your side for a longer time than anyone else.

Nevertheless, this opportunity seemed to her to be quite a good one.

Because the opinions of General Kransis, the commander of the occupying force, and Tactician Xena seemed valid at first glance.

but.

‘Swen’s opinion is more important than those people. Even if his opinion doesn’t match, I can just use my sword to change that opinion to the right one.’

Irene composed herself again.

To her, the person called Swen itself was much more important than the future of Serpina and the military.

If he says yes, then it is correct. At this point, I didn’t even have the opportunity or desire to think about other options.

at that time.

“General Irene.”

When I turned my head when I heard a voice calling me, Irian was standing there.

“General Irian. What’s going on?”

“Nothing different, since the policy has been decided, I thought it would be a good idea to deploy the current occupation forces throughout the continent, so I wanted to talk to the commander, General Kransis, but I couldn’t see where he was going.”

“Ah.”

Since Swen’s agenda was adopted, the occupying forces, instead of gathering together and moving south, were scheduled to be deployed here and there on the northern continent to handle defense work and public security for the time being.

Since the number of soldiers was insufficient to divide the capital defense forces, it was almost certain that the occupying army would be torn apart.

“I was thinking that too. Let me tell you.”

“Then, please ask.”

Irene asked a question to Irian, who bowed his head politely.

“Now that I think about it, you agreed with Swen’s opinion.”

“Yes.”

Irene knew very well what her position was within Serpina’s army.

It wasn’t like a breakdown occurred within the occupying force… … Because I was feeling a subtle feeling that I was not yet fully recognized as the second-in-command.

Compared to when she was in Brans County, she was doing just fine, not a lot of money, but Irene was not a dull woman to the point where she didn’t notice that she was being checked.

The important thing was that it was not just his problem.

The stranger who belonged to Serpina’s army here with him – Swen, was causing strange rumors about his involvement with Serpina, the current lord, so it was clear that he was under much more severe control among his generals than he was.

Irene, I knew full well that Swen was not a very light man, but… … Objectively, it was difficult for a man who changed the monarch he served several times to be recognized by everyone as having some talent.

In such a situation, it was no exaggeration to say that the reason he was able to win by voting with a show of hands was because of Irian, who was very popular among the generals.

In the first place, Irian was a man who was almost definitely known to be the second-in-command before he took up this position, and as such, he was likely to harbor resentment towards me and towards Swen, who was with me… … Instead of doing that, they were actually helping us.

Of course, it wasn’t barefoot. Not long ago, I showed him a favor in relation to his younger brother.

Nevertheless, these are difficult times. In a situation where things like benevolence and trust were treated as worse than dog food, there was no need to disparage the will to protect and carry them out.

“I would like to say thank you for your help. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to choose Swen’s opinion as the correct opinion.”

“I just thought what Lord Swen said was right.”

“I see. Anyway, I will make sure to pass on your opinion. Then.”

That was when I said hello and turned my head and was about to walk away.

“General Irene. Please wait a moment.”

“?”

“I would like to ask you something about Lord Swen.”

“To me?”

“General, don’t you have a special relationship with Duke Swen?”

‘… … !!’

Irene was momentarily speechless at Irian’s words and her face turned red.

After clearing his throat a few times, he spoke in a very solemn tone.

“But.”

‘I said so… … .’

I have a special relationship with Swen.

of course… … If it is special, it must be a special enough relationship. Because we have navigated three countries together.

And again… … Since we are in a relationship where we will share a cup of warm tea together for the rest of our lives, we are trying hard to rationalize ourselves with the same words.

“I would like to know if Lord Swen has any wives, and if so, how many.”

As for the word wife-

For a moment, Irene froze and asked with blank eyes.

“… … Why are you asking that?”

“I think General Irene knows the general situation… … I think my younger sister, Ioline, has her heart set on Lord Swen. If it is okay with Lord Swen, I would like to have formal marriage talks.”

If it’s Ioli’s… … Are you talking about the pretty girl who looks like Irian that you met back then?

Irene was lost in thought for a moment.

Swen currently has no wife.

It is said that there is Reika who exchanged marriage talks, but as the situation is the situation, it is an all-stop situation.

So, of course I should have said there was no wife here… …

Why can’t I speak well?

But it was also difficult to show refusal here.

Because I would hate to cause trouble to Swen with my unruly behavior than to die.

Of course, it’s not you, but Swen herself, who can decide whether or not to have marriage talks, right?

When you can’t say anything and are lost in worry-

“If it is okay with you, General, I would appreciate it if you could ask me a question. Of course, if it’s a burden, I’ll ask you directly, so I hope you don’t worry too much.”

“Ah? ah… … huh. I understand.”

“Then, please excuse me first.”

Irene looked at the back of Irian, who left first, for a long time.

However, even if I looked, I just stared blankly – the man in my mind was not Irian, but another man.

Swen, a handsome young man with white hair, a grateful person who has been blessed enough to give up his all.

Excited, Excited.

Just thinking deeply about Swen, my heart started pounding again.

I am… … What does Swen want to become?

His escort? A colleague who always stays by his side?

or not… …

‘… … miss you.’

Even though we headed to the castle together a few hours ago, I already missed Swen.

Still, things are a lot better these days than before. Because I could see Swen after work.

Spending time with the three of them, including Reika, was a very precious time for her.

‘I’ll have to buy something delicious at the square today.’

With that in mind, I began to walk even more lightly.

What kind of Swen do I really want to become? … I put my heavy thoughts aside for a moment.

So, Irene gradually lost her body and mind…

I was extremely obsessed with a man named Swen.

* * *

A few days after the regular meeting ended.

It seemed that the occupation force was temporarily divided into several small units and went on a mission to various parts of the continent.

The superficial reason is ‘strengthening security and search activities’.

In any case, as long as the soldiers were moving around, it seemed like unnecessary unrest would definitely decrease.

Meanwhile, I was heading to the annex again at Serpina’s call.

I thought it would be a good idea to be a little more careful as there were strange rumors going around, but… … In any case, it was the master’s order, so there was nothing else to do but follow it.

There wasn’t really a mission assigned anyway.

When I arrived at the annex, Serpina greeted me with a smile.

“You’ve arrived, Swen. It arrived pretty quickly.”

“Your master called you, not anyone else. ”

“Looking at the increase in jokes, it seems like you’re having a good time these days?”

After saying that, she burst out laughing.

… … It’s pretty.

The person was so pretty that I felt like my heart was constantly shaking in real time every time I met him.

” Since she calls you so often, it’s no wonder strange rumors are going around.”

‘I’m glad you know.’

I swallowed those words and lowered my head.

at that time.

Serpina came closer to me with my head down and whispered.

“What can I do, Swen?”

“Yes… … ?”

“Tonight with you, what will make those strange rumors come true?”

“… … !!!”

I raised my head in surprise and looked at her.

she is… … was laughing

Not the overbearing smile of the Absolute… … It was the smile of a playful girl.

“Think about it. Don’t you think it’s unfair for rumors to spread about something you didn’t do? In that case, I think it would be a good idea to make it real rather than being swayed by rumors. I made this special suggestion with you in mind.”

For a very brief moment, I thought about just taking it all at once, and then-

He quickly lowered his head and spoke.

“… … I’m sorry. It’s because I wasn’t careful with how I carried myself. We will be more careful in the future.”

“No. What is your fault for only coming because I called you? If you must… … The only thing that matters is that you are a man in his prime. Doesn’t it also have an appearance that makes people quite happy? Because people in the world are much more interested in how they appear on the outside than in their essence.”

“… … .”

I keep talking about how I look, but honestly, I’m not sure… …

Now, it was difficult to bring up the topic further because I heard her words sound strangely sadder than that.

Even if she doesn’t want to know, she probably knows best that people are very interested in how they appear on the outside. Because she was the owner of a face that could be considered absolute based solely on its off-white color.

“So, what’s happening today?”

“There is a place where I want you to be with me.”

“If we do it together… … ?”

“Can you accompany me for a moment?”

“It is not difficult to carry out the training, but to what extent do the soldiers accompany you?”

“A soldier. It is only you who is with me.

“… … Yes?”

I asked her a question with a puzzled expression.

“I don’t intend to refuse, but… … Are you sure you’re okay with that?”

I let it out with my mouth, but I didn’t have the confidence to escort her.

My military power was at an all-time low, and I needed Reika to use magic. What would you do if you encountered a group of thieves during this time?

Of course, considering her swordsmanship skills, it seemed unlikely that she would be defeated by a band of thieves, but she was not just a general but the lord of a country. This meant that if there was a possibility of minor injury to the jade body, avoiding it was a wise choice.

Serpina drew an arc around her mouth as if she was amused by my words.

“Swen. No matter how much I say it, I’m not so innocent as to go out of Eingart Castle with only you. You seem to be looking down on her quite a bit.”

In that case, I wondered if it was right to use the word ‘practice’, but I don’t want to look hateful, so I’ll just keep my mouth shut.

“It’s okay, Swen. Because my feelings for you won’t cool down just because I talk back to you.”

… … How on earth can he read my mind like a ghost?

Hiding something or telling a lie in front of her was a very difficult task.

“And, if you think about it, that might not be a bad idea. Running away with you to a place where I have no responsibilities… … Isn’t this a very plausible ending for a story between a man and a woman?”

“… … You’re joking too far, my lord.”

“It’s a joke, I’m sorry. My heart is always sincere. Hehehe… … ♥”

Serpina covered her mouth with her hand again and laughed, then slowly walked away.

I followed her closely behind her.

*

After leaving the outbuilding, I walked down a dirt path overgrown with grass, with no one coming or going.

The direction we headed was a small hill behind the outbuilding.

It made me wonder if there was a space like this near the castle of the bustling Eingart Castle… … If you think about it, this is a separate building used by Serpina. It was a place where not only Young Ji-min, but also the generals under her command, could not come and go without her permission, so if it was not managed, it would have been such a shameful place.

How many minutes did it take to walk like that?

“Swen. Do you know?”

Without turning my head, I walked ahead and answered the woman who spoke to me.

“What do you mean?”

That moment.

Serpina stopped in her tracks and slowly looked towards me… … I carefully lifted my pink lips.

“Why am I called a ‘tyrant’?”