episode_0325

“Irene… … ?”

I was surprised.

I blurted out the end of my sentence without realizing it.

The costume I usually see her in is that of a very understated knight with light armor added to the chest.

The comfortable clothes she wore when she was in the mansion weren’t that provocative either. Well, Irene’s body was provocative, so she should have been overflowing with femininity regardless of her clothes…

“… … Is this weird?”

There was a world of difference between that and clothes that openly showed off their femininity.

A very neat dress that a high-ranking noble would wear for an outing or something like that.

Of course, the neatness is only the impression given by the overall appearance at first glance. The open cleavage in the middle strongly asserted that this dress was tailored to strongly reveal the woman’s charm.

The biggest problem was that Irene’s breasts were so huge that it was difficult to describe them in human words.

Even if she wore just any clothes, her chest would have been emphasized, but when she wore clothes that were intentionally designed to emphasize her chest, the destructive power was bound to be enormous.

“Swen?”

“Oh, yes. Yep. Irene.”

Irene asked me, blushing, as if she didn’t know what to do, as I was just blankly staring at her, forgetting to even answer.

“I asked if it was strange… …Is it really strange?”

“Huh?? No, no. No. Okay. Very good. Where on earth did you get these clothes?”

“That’s right, I said I was going to spend time with Swen today, but Reika dragged me along… … .”

After leaving Eingart Castle, I naturally ended up staying in a different place from Reika and Airen.

While on the move, they would sleep on the streets, and when they arrived at the castle, they would stay in temporary accommodations, which were of course strictly gender-segregated.

I thought we were getting pretty close now… … but have we gotten to the point where we even recommend clothes?

“By the way, how are you two doing?”

“Lady Reika has no special mission, and I have also been granted a vacation by my lord.”

Unlike Nana Airen, who had regular work, Reika, as a magician, didn’t have any special duties except when she went into battle.

The only thing I was doing was working as a librarian at the Eingart Grand Library, but even that was something I could only do while waiting inside the castle.

Even so, I paid my work fee on time. It was like a reward for being able to use magic.

“When I suggested that the three of us come together, she insisted that ‘two people must meet here’… … Swen, do you know why Reika said that?”

“… … I don’t know.”

I thought I knew, but I felt embarrassed for no reason, so I shook my head and answered.

I can’t hide my embarrassment. There’s no need to show this kind of consideration… … No, honestly, I’m grateful that you did… … .

“Anyway, Swen. I’m glad you invited me today. But, what’s going on?”

“No, nothing. It’s nothing special… …Here, this is the castle of Valharat.”

I said, looking around briefly.

“Do you remember where this is?”

“Isn’t this the square I always stopped by on my way to work in Wangseong?”

“Yes. It’s one of the places of memories. Since it’s been a while since I’ve been here, I wanted to take a quick tour of the places I often visited with Irene.”

“Is that so.”

Airen and I, who escaped from Castle Anel together, stayed in the same house thanks to Yuuri’s kindness, which was not kind at all.

Come to think of it, our will was only intervened in our cohabitation with her after we came over to Serpina’s army.

The first time was because of Lin’s bullying of Irene, and the second time was because of Yuuri’s interference.

For me, it’s a blessing. Thanks to you, I got to know Irene and became closer to her than anyone else.

If there comes a time when I have to give my back to just one person, I would choose Irene without hesitation.

“Then shall we go?”

“Yeah.”

I thought about it for a moment, but I thought it would be okay-

I reached out to her.

“… … !”

I almost let out an exclamation of surprise because it was so cute how she blushed in surprise, but it wouldn’t be a very cool sight to be making a fuss here.

For a moment, Irene was at a loss as to what to do. Without saying a word, she reached out and placed her hand on mine.

It’s rough.

These are rough hands. Since they are hands that hold weapons, it would be natural for them to have calluses here and there.

I don’t know why, but I felt a pang in my heart, so I held her hand tightly and walked away.

* * *

I really enjoyed spending time with her.

Although the castle of Balharat had changed a lot since the time we were there, there were still places that held memories, such as the tea shop that Irene often visited, so we were able to have a fulfilling time there.

Besides, if there were more places that remained the same –

“No, aren’t you Swen? It’s been a long time!”

“Hello. How have you been?”

The Nighthart family’s mansion was surprisingly still there.

When I was under Yuuri-kun, I used to stamp my attendance here more than in the palace.

What I feel anew is that Yuuri has never used me as a proper weapon. If it weren’t for Jinor, I would never have had the chance to make even a small contribution under her.

“Isn’t Genor here?”

“Yes.”

I heard that he put the mansion up for sale at a low price, but since he didn’t sell it, he gave the entire land, including the mansion, to his servants as compensation for several years’ wages and their hard work.

In this day and age, is it possible that they even provide retirement benefits?

“What about Miss Reika… …? How are you?”

“Okay. I’ll tell him to stop by sometime.”

After I had finished the conversation and left, Irene finally asked me a question.

“I guess it would have been better to bring Reika-chan.”

“No. Since we have plenty of time anyway, I think I can make time to stop by.”

“You must have spent most of your time there?”

“Yes. I told Reika about magic. Well, actually, I didn’t tell her anything.”

“Is that so.”

Irene hesitated as if she was about to say something, then carefully moved her lips away as if she had made up her mind.

“The story about marriage… … must have come out around that time, right?”

“… … ?”

I glanced at Irene’s face.

I wonder if they are paying attention to that part.

Now, rather than making her feel complicated with useless words, I wanted to reassure her.

“Don’t worry too much. Like I said, I want to proceed slowly and in order. ”

Irene didn’t say anything after hearing that-

Soon, he smiled brightly and nodded slowly.

“Yeah. Swen. I trust Swen.”

I lightly patted her head.

She accepted my touch like a cat without any resistance.

“That’s right. I don’t know if it’s still there. Why, do you remember? There’s a store I often go to to buy bread.”

“Don’t forget. Aren’t you talking about the place that sold cookies that went well with black tea?”

“Go there once.”

“… … Yeah!”

So, Airen and I spent our time going around the places of memories in the castle of Valharat until the sun went down.

It was a time of healing for me, just getting away from things like battles and efficient methods.

* * *

After nightfall, Irene and I were walking down a street that was very familiar to both of us for the first time in a long time.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been on this road. It’s the way back home.”

“That’s right. I always took this road after finishing work at the barracks.”

From here, go right, go down the small alley and go that way… …

“I’ve arrived.”

Our old treasure chest, which was bestowed upon us by Yuuri, appears.

“It looks quite… … old.”

“It was a new house when we moved in.”

There seemed to be no one to look after the walls, as if something like ivy was growing up the walls.

There’s no light coming through the window, and it feels kind of eerie. Could it be that no one is staying there right now?

I grabbed the doorknob without thinking.

Squeak-

“… … Huh?”

“Is it open?”

“Is that so?”

For some reason I felt embarrassed, so I stayed still for a moment, then carefully opened the door and went inside.

I light the torch, relying on the intense moonlight pouring in from outside the window –

“Wow… … Nothing has changed at all?”

I was able to confirm that all the tables and furniture that Irene and I used were still there.

It seemed that no one had come in and stayed there in the meantime.

“The tea leaves are all still there.”

“Are you going to take care of it?’

“You should take it. There are things that you can only get in this region, not in Eingart Castle.”

Unlike at Castle Anel, where I had prepared well, when I left Castle Balharat, I was practically kicked out, so I didn’t even have time to pack my belongings.

I’m not the type of person to fight over things, so it didn’t really matter to me, but Irene seemed to have some regrets.

“It’s amazing. Everything is still the same. It’s as if time has stopped here.”

I dusted off the dust on the table, which was sparkling in the moonlight.

Yes, that’s right. The dummy next to him, the bed he slept on, everything was exactly as it was, so much so that it felt like he was still serving Yuuri.

“Look at this, Irene. The bed is still the same.”

“… … .”

For some reason, I didn’t hear an answer from Irene, so I turned my head and looked at her.

“Irene?”

‘……uh?’

“… … .”

It was Irene who had been collecting tea leaves nonchalantly just a moment ago-

Now, she had her head down with a deep blush on her face, and then she noticed my gaze and started to stutter like Reika.

“Huh, huh? Oh, ah… … Yeah. That, that’s exactly right. T-It’s like time has stopped… … T-That’s really amazing. ”

And, it is only after seeing her like that that I realize.

Right now, Irene and I are alone in an empty room under the dark night sky.