episode_0288

“Huh? Luna? Suddenly?”

“Yeah.”

Looking at her expression at the sudden topic, it seemed like it wasn’t just some pointless story she brought up to kill time.

I moved with her, found a spot in the shade of a nearby tree in full bloom, squatted down next to her, and cautiously spoke first.

“Can you tell me why?”

“The real lord you serve was Princess Luna, right?”

“… … Yes.”

I hesitated for a moment, but I still had no intention of denying the fact.

“I wonder what kind of person Swen is that makes you so sure she will become a unified monarch.”

It didn’t seem like that question alone would reveal everything about her, but since I had heard the story, it would be polite to answer.

“He was a good person. He always trusted me completely. Even when I made absurd claims, he listened to everything without asking for any evidence.”

Now that I think about it, I guess it was possible because the country was so small, but I don’t want to diminish the fact that she had complete faith in me.

Just as her power was small – at that time, I was just a rolling stone, without any reputation as a white-haired wizard.

“Also, he had a personality that made people naturally follow him. I think he was one of the few people who felt the pain of the people as if it were their own.”

“Like Serpina just now?”

……ah.

It was only then that I realized why she had asked that question.

“Are you concerned about… Serpina?”

“… … !”

Irene was surprised to hear what I said and-

A bitter smile soon appeared on his lips.

“I guess I can’t fool you, Swen.”

A person who was called a tyrant by the outside world, but went on with his own path without caring about it.

A woman who is willing to risk her reputation to save someone else’s life, even if no one recognizes her and even if she can’t gain anything in return.

It was like that just a moment ago.

If you see her acting that way toward Yeongjimin, who must have cursed her not long ago, it would be a scene that makes you wonder why she got the nickname of a tyrant.

Irene, being human, must have thought similarly.

I once had doubts about the conclusion that ‘despite all this, Lady Serpina cannot become a unified monarch.’

“I was just… … curious. How could Princess Luna be so outstanding that Lady Serpina… … couldn’t become the unified monarch? ”

I wouldn’t have been able to be sure if it weren’t for the prediction of IQ 100.

But, at least in this world, my prediction was an immutable law.

As long as Lady Serpina was the monarch, the Serpina army could not defeat the Lunarian army, nor could it change its own fate or Lady Luna’s fate.

We didn’t say anything for a while.

Since I thought I knew what she was thinking, I gave her some time to calm down and gather her thoughts.

“… … Swen.”

“Please speak.”

“Just in case, I’ll tell you in advance, but I’m definitely on your side. No matter what happens, I’ll be by your side.”

“Yes.”

“My body will be your shield, and my faith will be your sword. If you choose to walk the path of immorality, I will gladly take the filth that will be thrown at you in your stead.”

“Thank you.”

“So, whatever decision you make, I won’t give a damn about it. But still… … .”

“As expected, Serpina-sama… …I’m a little worried.”

As she said this, Irene hugged her legs and lowered her head, burying herself in my lap.

The first monarch to acknowledge Irene, who longed for someone’s recognition.

A woman who threw herself into a situation where she almost died.

Of course, if it weren’t for Irene, Serpina’s life would have been in danger, but that doesn’t mean her actions were natural.

Rather, I have never heard of a monarch ever throwing himself down for his knights.

Nothing would have happened.

Even if Irene had died while trying to protect Serpina, there would have been no need to criticize Serpina for it, nor would it have added a page to her already high notoriety.

It was only natural for an escort knight to sacrifice himself for his monarch.

Dying in place of a noble monarch was an honorable act in itself.

Still, Serpina threw herself into it.

To protect Irene… … so that she won’t be hated by me.

“No matter how much I think about it… …I don’t want to just abandon Serpina. Swen. It happened when you and Reika went to the relief camp.”

As soon as I heard the word relief camp, I thought of kissing Reika and my mouth went dry for a moment, but I managed to keep my expression from distorting.

“I spent my time accompanying Serpina-sama in her place. At first, I was very lonely and desolate because neither Reika nor you were there… … But now that I think about it, Serpina-sama filled that void, because she treated me with sincerity, even though I was just her escort. ”

“The closer I got to her, the more I realized how lonely and solitary her life had been. Serpina didn’t seem to show weakness to the outside world… …but when I saw her, she looked like she was about to collapse at any moment.”

“Sometimes, the side profile of my lord looking out the window… … reminded me of my old self.”

Could it be that it was Irene and not someone else who noticed?

They had one thing in common: they were hated by the Bran’s Army, and they were hated by the world.

“When we leave… …I wonder if my lord will be well. I do too, but my lord relies on you a lot… … .”

I raised my head for a moment and looked at the sky.

Between the trees in full bloom, a beautiful blue sky with clouds is reflected.

… … I guess it’s okay to talk about it to some extent.

Watching the flower petals blowing in the wind and the pure white clouds drifting by, I carefully told her what was on my mind.

“That’s true for me too.”

“… … Really?”

“Why am I still here?”

Of course, it wasn’t just for that reason, there were a number of complex factors involved.

Irene thought for a while, unable to speak easily, then looked at me cautiously and asked.

Her purple eyes sparkle in response to the trembling voice.

“Is there a way…?”

“The Luna princess I faced hated Serpina. She said she had risen up because she couldn’t entrust the world to her. I knew it at that moment. The fact that the two were incompatible.”

“In this situation, is there a way for both Lady Serpina and Princess Luna to laugh?”

‘… … .’

If you type in “Can Serpina von Eingart and Lunarien Inian be together?”, nothing will come out.

Of course, no matter what comes out, I had no intention of entering it here.

“Do you remember, Irene? The battle at the Northern Fortress.”

“Of course I remember. Swen, how could I forget that battle where you saved me… …and reached out to me when everyone else had abandoned me? ”

“Even back then, I said no, I couldn’t, but somehow I managed to do well. Who am I? Aren’t I the guy who dropped the meteorite? ”

That moment still comes to me often in my dreams. In a way, it was the moment that changed my fate.

I, who had only thought of being buried, met Airen, met Reika, and changed monarchs three times to meet Serpina.

“So just trust me. This will all add up to a big picture. You’ll probably be surprised again when it happens. Swen, did you really know everything? Or something like that.”

Only then did Irene smile as if she found my pointless words amusing.

At the same time, a strong wind blew, and flower petals began to fall in a flurry.

“… … I see. Well, Swen. You knew everything… … .”

“Of course. You know that fact better than anyone else, right? You’ve been by my side the longest and closest since the moment we lived together at Castle Anel.”

“… … .”

Her slightly flushed cheeks gave her face a very girlish look.

Irene took a deep breath… …and then turned her head to face me and asked.

“Then, can you tell what I’m thinking about doing next?”

“What do you think, Irene?”

“Yeah. Swen, you know everything, right? ”

Even if I knew everything, I couldn’t predict anything other than things related to strategy, battles, and nations… …

Still, perhaps swept up in the atmosphere of falling flower petals, I rack my brain and come up with the most plausible answer.

“Uh… …Are you thinking about what tea to drink this evening?”

“Wrong.”

“Then, it’s not black tea, it’s different――”

My words don’t last forever.

For a moment, I wondered what on earth had happened.

My vision darkened. No, to be precise – my vision was filled with a single face.

A red-haired knight approached me with her eyes closed…

A soft sensation on the lips.

It’s a somewhat familiar feeling now. Well, I’ve had similar experiences twice before.

What does it taste like? It’s not the taste of yuzu or the sweetness of cake. This is… …the taste of Airen.

… … slurp, slurp… … lick.

A sound that is incredibly stimulating and truly stimulates a person’s five senses.

My tongue and my tongue are mixed together, and my mind becomes completely blank.

It was so… so intense. It was several times stickier than anyone else’s.

Something much stronger than the passing scent of yuzu or the faint sweetness seeps into my mouth as if it is going to eat me up.

“… … .”

The time that seemed like it would last forever ended― slowly.

It moves away very slowly.

Only then did Irene’s facial features, her face flushed red, come into view.

Where did the image of the trustworthy knight go, the provocative face of a female, panting and desperately longing for a male named Nara?

The oppressive sternum that could never be hidden by armor pushed me, who was already out of my mind, even harder.

What decorates that beautiful sight is the sound of the wind. The red hair sways slightly like waves from side to side, and the pink flower petals fluttering down.

“Irene… … ?”

“… … .”

We stared at each other for a long time without saying anything.

… … My heart feels like it’s going to burst.

To be honest, this kiss, more than any other kiss, shook me up the most.

Unlike Serpina-sama and Reika-san, who had grasped the situation relatively quickly, I just looked at her with a blank expression, unable to utter a single properly organized sentence.

She was the first to break the silence that seemed like it would last a lifetime.

“Did you expect that?”

“No, this… … .”

“… … You didn’t like it?”

Crackle crackle.

I couldn’t bring myself to answer that, so I just shook my head like an idiot.

“Yeah.”

Irene says so, smiling like sunshine.

The smile I saw in the fortress, the smile she showed me after she escaped loneliness. It was the smile I first thought I wanted to protect.

“Then… … that’s fortunate.”

Irene slowly got up from her seat.

“Let’s go.”

“… … Ah… … Uh, … … Yes.”

What on earth is this situation, or at least I wish I could say something cool and plausible-

I couldn’t do that, so I just blurted out stupid answers and followed her back to where everyone was, supporting my weak legs.

――As unforgettable images are added to your mind day by day.

I was liking this place more and more.