"Here I am, Yuri."
"Anima!"
Anima Ingram returned to the Aishus Army.
Yuri, sitting on the throne, stood up and walked over to Anima, greeting her warmly. However, there was an odd sense that it felt more like a dog greeting its owner than a ruler welcoming a vassal. That said, when thinking about the five founding heroes of the Aishus Army, including Yuri, it was easier to accept the notion that it might feel like this. In fact, even Jinor, who stood beside Yuri, didn’t seem overly surprised.
"Welco back, Anima. Have you been well? We didn’t et last ti I went…"
"I’ve been fine. I’m sorry for not being able to et you last ti. I didn’t want to be disturbed."
"It’s alright. I understand. Everyone has their monts."
If you just looked at their conversation, it was almost revolutionary for the master-vassal relationship of this era. The mutual trust they shared, that neither of them would betray the other, wasn’t necessarily a bad thing... but still...
No, it’s not right.
Though I might have wanted to reflect on it further, I could tell after hearing Anima’s words that I didn’t have the right to change anything about their bond. The special sense of unity between them, built on their own experiences, was not sothing an outsider like could alter. Even soone of Jinor’s stature, with his high reputation, couldn’t change it, so what could I do?
The camaraderie they shared was a strength for the Aishus Army, a bond not found in other nations. But if it ever led them to jeopardize the greater cause... well, what could be done?
I was supposed to return to Luna’s side soday. For now, I could only hope that nothing disastrous would happen during my stay.
After spending so ti exchanging heartfelt words with Anima, Yuri soon noticed and ca over to greet .
"Swen, thank you for bringing Anima back safely. You’ve really worked hard."
"It was nothing. I’m just glad I was able to fulfill the task."
"Mm. Today, forget about work and take a proper rest."
"Thank you for your consideration."
I said that and slowly left the palace. Yuri had told to rest, but... there was too much ti left. And it felt awkward to go to the Nighhardt estate at the mont.
Hmm...
I realized that Airen was probably still absent on duty. A light breeze brushed against , and I felt the chill of the weather. If so, today might be the perfect ti.
With that thought, I headed straight for the shopping district of Valharat Castle.
***
Back in the Palace.
Anima was asking Yuri a question.
"I heard you’re offering the lordship of Raklein Castle?"
"Yes! Anima, if it weren’t for you, there’d be no one suitable to take such an important position—"
"Yuri. You don’t have to go that far. I don’t think you’re looking down on ."
"Oh, well... that’s…"
Yuri quickly shrank back, almost like a rabbit caught in a trap.
"S-Sorry... it’s just that with the change in the state advisor, I thought you might be busy thinking about that..."
Anima, seeing Yuri like this, smiled faintly.
"It’s fine now, Yuri. I was the one who acted emotionally."
"Uh, yeah..."
"More importantly, about the man who ca to fetch ..."
"Swen?"
"Yeah. What kind of person is he?"
Yuri briefly summarized the events related to Swen, Airen, and everything that had happened up until now, including the incidents at the northern fort and the situation Airen had been in.
Upon hearing this, Anima fell into thought.
Lyn Brans didn’t seem like the type who would betray her to beco the unifier, did she...?
There was sothing more at play here. I couldn’t shake the feeling that sothing else was going on. Though I had only briefly t him, there was sothing unique about that man. When I heard Yuri ntion that he had worked miracles at the northern fort, I felt even more certain.
His ambition might be far greater than we imagined. If he were to lead our Aishus banner, he could beco an invaluable ally. But if there was even a chance he might beco our enemy in the future...
...No, that’s not it.
Anima shook her head.
Now wasn’t the ti to doubt an ally.
As the lord of Raklein Castle, there would be countless ways to contribute to the Aishus Army’s cause. There was no ti to waste pondering about him.
Nothing has changed. It’s still the sa as before.
Since that ti, when she lost her arm and decided to live for Aishus—Anima’s goal had remained singular.
***
"Well, let's call it a day for training. You all did well," Airen said, her voice steady.
"Yes! Thank you for your hard work!" the soldiers chorused in unison.
Airen nodded with a calm expression, then entered her private room in the training hall to change clothes. Once she took off her heavy armor, she found herself drenched in sweat.
...The sll of sweat.
I’ll need to take a bath as soon as I get ho.
She reflected on the day as she began to change.
I wonder if I pushed them too hard.
With a mindset to give her best to the task at hand, she had trained continuously from early morning until evening, with only minimal rest. Thankfully, the soldiers had kept up well with her. Unlike other commanders who rely commanded without offering much guidance, Airen checked every soldier’s form and helped correct their posture. While this had led to more effort on her part, it was a way she deeply enjoyed her life.
The life of a knight, knowing her lord needed her and that she was fulfilling that need, felt more fulfilling than anything she had known before. It was a far cry from the life she had led where no one paid attention, no matter what she proved.
Many commanders, especially those renowned for their martial prowess, were reluctant to take on the task of training soldiers. Most wanted to be on the battlefield, wielding their swords, not concerned with those who followed behind them. Of course, not all commanders were like that, but the more powerful they were, the more pronounced this tendency beca. Even in the Aishus Army, commanders like Emma or Ernandof weren’t the types to care much about their soldiers.
But from the mont Airen first gripped a sword and stepped onto the battlefield, she had felt instinctively that the soldiers at her back were what kept her standing. Back when she had served in the Brans Army, she’d been ridiculed for it—"If you’re going to act like that, why not just fight as a soldier?"—but even now, she didn’t regret that mindset.
Thinking about it that way, the doubt she had felt about whether she had pushed the soldiers too hard quickly disappeared like smoke.
War is fought by soldiers. Everything we experience now will eventually beco the nation's strength.
Even if she were to leave this land one day, she had a duty to repay Yuri for taking her in when she fled the Brans Army, and one way to do that was by training these soldiers well. Of course, the Aishus Army didn’t give her any free favors after she surrendered, especially after her role in the defense war, but still, this was the way that felt right to her.
After finishing her thoughts, Airen left the barracks and began her walk ho. As she passed through the bustling streets, a stall selling desserts caught her eye.
...Speaking of which, Swen brought cake the other day.
Lately, whenever she saw food, Swen’s face popped into her mind. It wasn’t just food either. Whenever she saw a beautiful scene or children laughing happily, she couldn’t help but imagine his face as well. She wanted to share good things with him. When sothing delicious appeared, she wanted him to try it first, and when people were happy, she imagined him smiling just as brightly.
Should I buy so?
She purchased so sweets and made her way ho. As soon as she opened the door, she was greeted by an unexpected sight.
"Oh, you're back?"
"Swen...?"
The room was decorated with various trinkets. On the table, several beautifully prepared dishes were laid out. In the center of the table was a small flowerpot, and atop it, a star-shaped ornant.
What’s all this...?
"I finished my work a bit early today, so I wanted to thank you for sothing from the past," Swen explained, smiling.
"From the past?"
"Yeah. Don’t you rember? When we first t, you welcod with grilled at because I was still adjusting."
"...Ah."
Her mind flickered back to the ti at Ahnell Castle. Back when the male commander was staying at her house—though it was an awkward situation, especially since it was by Yuri’s orders. But the most difficult part had been dealing with Lyn’s subtle power struggles, and Swen had been caught in the middle of that. She had decided to buy so at to thank him for it.
"You didn’t forget about that?" Airen asked, surprised.
"How could I forget? Co on, sit down."
"But... I need to take a bath first..."
"You can eat first and then bathe," Swen insisted.
"Still, the training today was pretty intense..."
Swen noticed her hesitation and, with a knowing smile, reassured her, "It’s fine. It’s proof that you worked hard. I like you, even when you’re exhausted."
"Wh... What?!" Airen’s face turned red as she stamred, unable to form a response. Eventually, she lowered her head, mumbling softly, "Swen... you really... know how to say those things..."
"Thank you for the complint. By the way, is that a snack you brought?" Swen asked, noticing the bag in her hand.
"Hm? This?" Airen placed the snack on the table. "I bought it because I wanted to share it with you. Lately, I've been taking so much from you... Looks like I’m taking from you again today."
"Well, most of it was bought with your money anyway, so what’s the problem? We’ll have it after dinner with so tea."
"Mm."
Sitting down at the table, Airen couldn’t shake the strange feeling stirring within her. Watching Swen as he moved about the kitchen, the table laid out in front of her—it felt like a warmth that filled a deep emptiness inside her, an emptiness that had never been filled back when she was in the Brans Army.
"Alright! Let’s eat so at! There’s plenty!" Swen cheered, gesturing to the dishes.
"Mm."
For the first ti in her life, she had discovered this warmth. And no matter what, this was sothing she wanted to protect.
"By the way, Swen... I’ve got a question."
"What is it?"
"About this flowerpot... What’s the star-shaped ornant on top?"
"Oh! I was aning to tell you about that."
Swen nodded, a soft smile on his face. "Where I’m from, when the weather starts to get cold, we have a tradition where we decorate a tree with ornants and share food with our loved ones. Today isn’t exactly the day, but with the cold weather, I thought I’d try to get into the spirit."
"Really? That’s a unique tradition." Airen thought for a mont, then added, "Now that I think about it, this is the first ti you’ve told about your hotown."
"Well, it’s just a boring story," Swen replied with a shrug.
"Is that so?" Airen didn’t press further. She was content to learn as much as Swen was willing to share. What mattered was that she was learning more about him, and that was enough.
"Anyway, on that day, everyone spends ti with their loved ones and shares specific greetings."
"Specific greetings?"
"Yeah. They say 'rry Christmas.'"
Swen looked at her violet eyes, his gaze intense but soft.
"With that in mind, rry Christmas, Airen."
Airen looked at Swen, her cheeks slightly flushed, and for the first ti, she gave a genuine smile—a smile she had never shown to anyone before.
"...rry Christmas."
Though it wasn’t actually Christmas in his holand, the evening they shared together was undoubtedly a sacred and aningful ti for both of them.
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