"After that...?"
"We fled as far away as possible, to the safest place. We kept running, running until we finally planted our flag near this area, Valharat territory. That was the mont the Aishus army began."
Anima spoke in a calm tone, casually explaining a tragic event.
"Having lost my arm, I could no longer wield a sword. From that day on, I searched for every available military treatise and devoured them. I thought our army was lacking in strategists. Luckily, I seed to have so ability in that area, as studying didn’t prove too difficult."
"...I see."
After hearing her explanation, it beca a little clearer why things were unfolding as they were in this country. The strong sense of camaraderie among the founding mbers of the Aishus army, the deep bond forged through shared tragedies, likely played a big part in their success. Five people had managed to create a state of this scale, and just recently, they even captured Raklein Castle.
One could say they were quite successful as feudal lords, given the circumstances.
However, the real situation wasn’t sothing you could understand with a single sentence like "They’re close comrades." Their unity, built on a foundation of mutual deception in these troubled tis, no doubt had its advantages. But at the sa ti, would this very unity eventually beco the Aishus army’s downfall?
Just then, Anima suddenly spoke, turning to .
"Jinor Nighhardt."
"Yes?"
"He was the last chancellor of the Unified Empire. He was soone who had eaten from the Aingart family’s table."
At that mont, Anima’s eyes briefly flashed with sothing almost like anger, a faint trace of fury barely concealed behind her usual calm expression.
"A person who held such a position couldn't possibly have been unaware of what was happening in the Empire. If he didn’t know, that itself would be a problem. His abilities were exceptional, there's no doubt about that. But... if I had been a little more capable, I wouldn't have needed to entrust such an important position to soone from the fallen Empire’s ranks. It was all my own fault."
"......"
"If I had been more helpful, we might not have needed to rely on his strength. Thinking about it still makes sothing lodge in my throat, sothing I can’t quite explain. I’m sorry to everyone. Epinnel, Emma, Hernandorf, and even Yuri..."
So that was it. After hearing her, I thought I understood Anima’s defiance. While Jinor may not have done anything wrong, it seed like his connection to the Empire—being one of their 'high-ranking officials'—was what caused Anima to feel uneasy.
The soldiers who attacked the Fioviola Academy in the past were definitely part of the Empire, and only people from the Aingart family could have moved them. Anima wasn’t the only one who suffered from that assault—Yuri and others had experienced the sa. But it seed that only Anima couldn’t accept it, and that had beco a difficult burden for her.
Thinking back on it, Luna and Anima both seed to have lost sothing precious because of the infighting within the Aingart family.
I didn’t know the exact reason, but sothing about this felt a bit contrived.
Wasn’t too much of the bla being placed on the Aingart family? It felt almost like all the resentnt in the world had been focused on Serpina von Aingart, the last known successor to the fallen Empire.
It felt... unnatural.
Of course, Serpina was a tyrant on a whole other level, capable of pulling from another dinsion to kill . But still, I couldn’t shake the strange sense of discomfort.
Was it right to just accept her as the embodint of evil and call it a day?
'...That’s not important right now.'
Anyway, that was secondary. Right now, I needed to get this lady back to Yuri.
Perhaps there was sothing I could say to pique her interest.
"Anima, there's sothing I haven’t told you."
"What is it?"
"Do you rember ntioning that we just retook Raklein Castle?"
"Yes, I rember."
"Lord Luna said she would like to appoint you as the castle’s new lord."
"...!"
Anima’s eyes widened in surprise.
Perhaps I could press this advantage a little more.
"As you know, being a lord gives you certain powers. Powers that even the national strategist cannot interfere with."
I looked her directly in the eyes and spoke like a salesman.
"Wouldn't now be the perfect ti to show what you’re capable of once again?"
After hearing my words, Anima was silent for a long while, then spoke in a voice almost like a whisper.
"...Did you say lord of the castle?"
"Yes. As I ntioned, you would have exclusive authority that even the national strategist couldn’t intervene with."
I deliberately repeated the part about the national strategist not being able to interfere, and Anima seed to pick up on my intent. She looked at with a aningful gaze.
"Your na is Swen, correct?"
"Yes."
"It seems we have an interesting person here in our country."
"Thank you for the complint."
It seed like my reply amused her, as she smiled before speaking again.
"...I understand. I’ll follow you to Hasan."
"Good choice."
I ant every word of it. I really didn’t want to co back here again.
Anima muttered sothing under her breath and then looked at .
"Would you mind waiting outside for a mont? I have so things to take care of. It won’t take long."
***
Anima nodded at Swen's words.
"It doesn’t matter how long it takes. Take your ti with your work."
"Thank you."
Once Swen had left the house, Anima rested her chin on her hand and fell into deep thought.
‘The fact that we took Raklein Castle ans... the Brans army has fallen.’
The Brans army had been the greatest threat to the Aishus army. Anima had always believed there was no way to defeat them by her own strength. They could only endure and hope sothing would happen, but there was no real solution beyond that.
Since entering the mountains, she’d spent her ti reading and rewriting military treatises, trying to organize her thoughts. She had cut herself off from news of the outside world, whether she wanted to or not. She had also turned away all visitors from the Aishus army; now that she was supposedly on a training retreat, she wanted to return with concrete results.
But...
If the situation had changed, then things were different.
What could have happened inside the Brans army? Or perhaps Jinor had played a role in the outco?
‘...I can always think about it when I get back. It’s not too late.’
She had spent a lot of ti in the mountains, thinking. She had no intention of stubbornly clinging to her previous biases about people from the Empire, but if an opportunity to prove herself ca, she was ready to take it.
‘...’
Anima rembered the white-haired young man who had asked her, with absolute conviction, if it wasn’t ti to show her abilities once again. That look in his eyes. She had seen that look before.
It was the kind of gaze she used to see in Yuri, back when they were at the academy. It was the kind of look soone had when they were completely certain that everything would go the way they wanted.
A sharp, confident gaze—sothing no one could possess unless they were sure that whatever they aid for would beco reality. It was a look of soone who couldn’t be a re ordinary human, no matter where they went.
A ti when talent was gathering. The fall of the Brans army.
‘Perhaps… this is a chance for the Aishus army.’
Honestly, more than the prospect of becoming the lord of the castle, it was the feeling that "an opportunity has co" that was driving her to act. She had spent her life thinking only about the unification of the continent under the Aishus army. If she let this opportunity slip by, how could she forgive herself?
After sorting out her thoughts, Anima stood up, gathered her things, and left the room.
***
Nighthart Family Estate.
Reika, who had locked herself in her room, lay on her bed, hugging a doll as she rolled around.
He didn’t co today...
She had been eagerly looking forward to going out with Swen. However, it seed that due to a summons from their ruler, Yuri, Swen wouldn’t be able to visit her today.
I had sothing I wanted to show him...
Last night, Reika had finally managed to conjure not only a fireball, but also sothing resembling an ice spear, which she created with her own hands.
She had never thought she could use any other magic, and had assud that creating a fireball was the extent of her magical ability. To create sothing other than the fireball was a huge shock in itself.
While ditating in the mountains, she felt an overwhelming surge of mana, and then... a sensation as if sothing inside her body had ‘broken through.’
Ever since then, whenever she closed her eyes and gathered mana, she felt like she could create sothing other than fire.
She had then tried to create the “Ice Spear” Swen had ntioned, and it was a brilliant success.
He's truly amazing...
At this point, Reika couldn’t bring herself to believe Swen wasn’t a magician.
How could soone who wasn’t a mage train her so exceptionally?
As she thought about this, her adoptive father’s words suddenly ca to mind.
"What do you think of him as a husband?"
...
Naturally, she tightened her hold on the doll in her arms.
The word "husband" seed strange coming from her mouth, and her face flushed.
A husband—soone to spend your life with, a companion.
Reika closed her eyes and imagined her life as Swen’s wife.
She would bake him bread or cakes, prepare his als, take care of the housework while he worked hard, and raise about three children.
Though she instinctively felt she would eventually have to fight in battles as a mage, she had never really thought about living such a life with a man—a quiet, family-centered life.
She had heard that Swen was also a general who fought on the battlefield. Perhaps her magic could help him sohow.
That wouldn't be a bad life, would it?
Reika didn’t dislike the idea of creating such a future with Swen.
But...
Is this really okay?
There was a clear difference between “not disliking sothing” and “liking sothing.”
At this mont, Reika couldn’t be sure of her feelings. She didn’t know Swen well enough yet.
Of course, she would get to know him better if they married and lived together... but what if he turned out to be soone entirely different from the person she imagined?
Perhaps there were so strange, insurmountable barriers that her abilities couldn’t bridge.
Though she felt a little pathetic for thinking about this at such a ti, wasn’t it natural for married couples to share responsibilities?
She wasn’t too young to understand that.
What do I want to do...?
Her father had told her that if she truly hated it, she should speak up.
Of course, she had no intention of rejecting him. She wanted to repay the kindness of the father who had taken her in.
But still—she hadn’t even had an official proposal from Swen yet, so there was no need to think too deeply about it.
And yet, for Reika, who had lived a life far removed from such thoughts, she couldn’t help but think about it.
Becoming Swen’s wife—could she really manage such a life if that happens?
And so, Reika spent the night thinking about her white-haired master.
At this mont, Reika was no longer the mage who had first awakened to mana on the continent.
She was simply a 20-year-old girl, contemplating the future with the man who might one day beco her husband.
***
"It's been a while."
In front of Valharat Castle's gates, Anima stood, staring for a long ti at the red flag fluttering atop the spire.
In her eyes, countless emotions surged like a tidal wave, and I quietly waited beside her, allowing her the ti she needed for her brief reunion.
"...Thank you for waiting."
"It's nothing."
I nodded lightly and followed Anima as she entered the castle.
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