A massive construction project.
In a nation preparing for war, such an act was easily among the top things you absolutely shouldn’t do.
As I stood there wondering what on earth was going on, Ioline returned after speaking with a few of the laborers.
“What in the world is happening here?”
“They say... they’re building a shrine.”
“A shrine? What kind of shrine?”
“Well, apparently... a structure to enshrine and honor fallen heroes...”
“...What??”
The answer was so wildly unexpected—so impossibly creative—that I couldn’t help but ask again in disbelief.
“I think... it’s for soone nad Hernandorf and soone nad Emma. They kept muttering those two nas over and over again.”
“No way...”
I’d heard that Hernandorf had fallen to Chel, but... Emma was dead too?
Still, the mont I heard those nas, I had a pretty good idea of what Yuri was thinking.
If two of the five core mbers had died...
At first, I suspected this was all so kind of trap.
After all, when a nation does sothing this absurd, anyone with half a brain would assu it’s part of a calculated deception.
But if this event involved two of Aishus' central figures?
Then maybe—maybe—it really was what it looked like. A foolish, irrational decision made with the simple intention of honoring the dead.
Yuri had already made one incomprehensible mistake before, all for the sake of protecting soone she cherished.
I knew better than anyone—because I had been the collateral damage of that very decision.
After that, Ioline and I, accompanied by a few soldiers, spent hours scouting the outer areas of Valharat’s domain.
But aside from the staggering number of workers and resources being thrown into the construction of this shrine, there was nothing of note. No signs of military buildup. No signs of a trap.
As night fell, we made camp so distance from the edge of the territory and built a small fire.
“What should we do now?” Ioline asked, concern on her face. “Should we keep looking? I still can’t help but feel like sothing’s hidden out there...”
I shook my head.
“No. Today’s recon is enough. I don’t think there’s anything else.”
“Really...? But didn’t you say sothing big was likely to happen inside the Aishus Army?”
“I did, but...”
Right now, I was facing a more intuitive problem.
If that was the case—then why, exactly, was launching an invasion now not the most efficient path for our army?
At present, Aishus looked like it could be crushed without much effort.
Sure, Epinnel was a skilled commander, and the Aishus Army had a few decent officers even if none were quite at her level. But when the governnt itself was making moves like this—wasting morale and manpower on a shrine—there was no conceivable way we’d lose in a straight fight.
Even so, my predictions were never wrong.
If the system declared sothing inefficient, then no matter what, it wasn’t the best course of action.
There had to be a path that was several tis more effective—that’s the only reason the prediction would say this route was inefficient.
What made it even more frustrating was that the result hadn’t been phrased like last ti’s: [You will win the battle.]
This ti, it had been absolute: [This is inefficient.]
Which ant our army would lose sothing. Sothing big.
And if we compared that loss to the gains of an alternate route—it would be a terrible trade.
Was it a rebellion back ho, after all?
Was this fate trying to pull Serpina back down again with so cosmic force that couldn’t stand to see her succeed?
—No.
If it wasn’t rebellion, then what was it?
“Um, excuse ...”
That was when I finally noticed Ioline calling quietly from beside the fire.
“Sorry. I got lost in thought for a mont.”
“It’s okay. I... like it when you’re lost in thought like that.”
“Really?”
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
I gave her a slightly puzzled look, but she wasn’t looking at . She stared at the ground, her head lowered.
Crackle, crackle.
The fire popped softly as her voice floated through the night air.
“Swen...”
“Yes?”
“Did my brother—Irian—ever talk to you about sothing...?”
“About what?”
She hesitated for a long while. Then, as if making up her mind, she turned and t my eyes.
“About marriage.”
“...Ah.”
“If you already have soone you care about... I don’t mind being the second, or even the third or fourth wife.”
Right. Irian had said sothing like that once.
He’d asked if I’d consider marrying Ioline.
Back then, he outranked , so he brought it up in a vague, roundabout way. But now... she was the one addressing with formal speech, in a lower position than I was.
Marriage, huh.
I had been in this world for quite so ti now.
Even so, my modern-day sensibilities still lingered sowhere within , drifting in the corners of my heart.
Just like now.
As soone accustod to the idea of free love, political marriage always felt... wrong. It simply didn’t sit well with .
“Ioline.”
“Yes?”
She looked at with a calm, composed expression.
It was definitely a different kind of gaze from the ones I’d received from Lady Airen or Miss Reika.
I figured I should respond politely. That was the least I could do.
“You don’t have to marry soone you don’t love for the sake of your family. Besides, I’m not exactly a great catch compared to the al Kasky family.”
“...Excuse ?”
“I know it must’ve been hard to say no directly. It's not easy to go against the will of your household, especially in a world like this.”
Even in a ti like this, even in this world, I still wanted to marry soone I genuinely loved.
Whether it was Lady Airen or Miss Reika, I felt sothing beyond a simple connection with both of them—as a man and a woman.
With both of them, when we had conversations like this, I could feel real chemistry.
My heart would race.
Their cheeks would flush crimson, on the verge of bursting.
It was clear.
But with Ioline... she felt calm.
Almost clinical in her speech.
Her face wasn’t red, either.
I could only assu this proposal was less about her feelings, and more about Irian trying to link our families—just like how Jinor once tried to do the sa with Reika.
“I just...”
“In any case, please don’t feel pressured. I’ll make sure to explain everything properly to Irian—”
“W-Wait, please!”
She suddenly cut off, bowing deeply with a flustered expression.
“I’m so sorry! I must’ve said sothing terribly inappropriate...”
“No, it’s fine. But... what’s wrong?”
“...I’ll tell you everything.”
And in that mont—
It felt as though the sound of the crackling fire had vanished.
As if the entire world had gone quiet.
“I’m not saying this because of my brother.”
“...What?”
“I genuinely think you’re an incredible person, Lord Swen. That’s why I brought up the idea of marriage. If I have to marry soone anyway, I believe it should be soone I can truly admire.”
She t my gaze head-on, without flinching.
And only then did I notice it.
Under the orange glow of the fire, her cheeks were faintly flushed.
“When I was younger, during my noble etiquette lessons, I always dread of serving a husband I could respect wholeheartedly. Soone like my father.
And though the ti I’ve spent with you has been brief... I can tell. You’re not like the other n, Lord Swen.”
“So if you’re okay with it—
I would gladly serve by your side.
If you have other wives, I would be more than willing to support them as well.
You don’t even have to take the al Kasky na. Once I marry you, I’ll belong to you anyway, right?”
“Is that... so?”
I wasn’t quite sure if I believed in that kind of marriage, but her expression was so resolute, I couldn’t bring myself to say otherwise.
“Yes.
But, as I said before—if you already have soone in your heart, I won’t push.
I don’t want to be the kind of woman who becos a burden.”
“...I see.”
She’d just repeated the sa thing as before, albeit with different phrasing.
Still, she smiled as she said it.
“You can ask a hundred tis, and I’ll tell you the sa thing every ti.
If there’s still a place left in your heart... I’d like to be the one to fill it.
What do you think?”
Even if there was room left, this world allowed up to four wives.
If you weren’t already in love with four won, there was technically always an open spot.
So why...
Why did she phrase the question like that?
No.
That wasn’t the real issue right now.
The real issue was—
I hadn’t imdiately responded with “No, it’s not like that.”
...!
I barely swallowed a dangerous thought that had sprung up uninvited.
Breathe. One step at a ti.
I liked Lady Airen. I wanted to marry her. That was one spot filled.
My relationship with Reika was complicated, but... I didn’t want our kiss to be aningless. I likely wanted to marry her, too. Two spots filled.
Those two were not a problem.
I was already emotionally prepared for that outco.
The real problem was twofold:
First, while thinking of Airen and Reika... I also found myself picturing soone I absolutely shouldn’t—Serpina.
And second, even if I added Serpina to the list, that only made three. aning I still had one spot left.
And for so reason—
I instinctively felt that accepting Ioline into that {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} final spot would lead to sothing unimaginable.
Why...?
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