Chapter 46
Indeed, Selina's judgnt in that mont was quite regrettable.
The airship and the crew.
No matter what, she should have quickly abandoned one of the two and given the next command, leaving the soldiers and crew enough ti to act, but she failed to do so.
If it hadn't been for the old man's magic, the crew, the soldiers, and the airship itself—they might have faced the worst possible future of losing everything.
"I-It's okay! That wasn't the commander's fault! It was unavoidable."
"I think the commander did her best."
Lirisa and Latia tried to comfort a dejected Selina.
Judging by the unfolding situation, empathy and comfort were their roles, and my role seed to be to offer unpleasant criticisms.
I didn't want to bla soone for making a mistake.
How could a person be perfect in every way?
They might make mistakes.
But a commander should not use the phrase 'it could happen.'
A person in a position bearing the lives of many must feel that weight and, accordingly, must succeed.
"Selina."
"Yes!"
She stiffened, her face showing that the inevitable had arrived.
The two people who had been desperately comforting Selina also tensed up as if they had done sothing wrong, carefully watching her from beside her.
"As a human, how can you always make the right decisions? Even if your judgnt leads to a bad outco, I won't bla you. But the judgnt itself shouldn't be delayed. Overthinking in search of the best path can lead to the worst results."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Selina, with serious eyes, nodded.
Since she wasn't soone lacking comprehension or soone who let advice go in one ear and out the other, I didn't think it was necessary to elaborate on the criticism.
I should stop here.
Thinking that and turning my head, I t the gaze of the old man, who was sending a peculiar look.
"Your relationship is quite unique. It's hard to see it as a relationship between a commander and a field commander. It's more like... you're educating a novice commander."
"..."
I remained silent.
Selina, on the other hand, smiled and agreed with the old man's words.
"Ryan's judgnt on the battlefield often reminds of an excellent veteran commander. That's why, when Ryan speaks, I unconsciously agree."
"Veteran, you say... Experience as a commander, not to ntion in other fields, would be difficult to gain anywhere else..."
Where would I have gained that experience?
It was the knowledge and experience accumulated while serving as an Odin commander.
The old man's gaze turned to again.
It would be strange to avoid his gaze here, so I t his eyes, feigning the innocent look of a child who knew nothing.
The mont the old man opened his mouth to say sothing.
"Excuse for a mont."
A third party intervened at a tily mont.
He was a very well-built man.
His clothes looked expensive but were crumpled and covered in dust, making him look rather shabby.
A bandage was wrapped around his head, and a little red blood was seeping through the bandage near his left eye.
Judging by his appearance, his age was estimated to be in his late twenties, but because of the aura he exuded, he felt older than he looked.
Despite his haggard complexion, the presence of several knights accompanying him allowed to easily deduce his identity.
The guardian of the fortress.
Count Derak Dman must be the man in front of .
As expected.
"The guardian of Ahinrab Fortress. I am Count Derak Dman. I would like to express my gratitude for responding to the request for support. May I ask your affiliation and na?"
"I am Selina Verdin, commander of Unit 917, affiliated with the rgan Kingdom."
"I had heard news that the young lady of the Verdin family was serving in the military, but I never expected to et you like this. Is the Margrave well?"
"He is well, except that he is so busy it's hard to see his face. Oh, and this is..."
Selina's and Count Dman's greetings lengthened.
Since it was a eting of nobles before being a eting of soldiers, their conversation, though seemingly concise, was subtly mixed with formalities.
Furthermore, the introduction of the Archmage, the old man, could not be omitted.
The ti I and my party, re low-ranking soldiers, stood awkwardly lengthened.
"…?"
I felt a gaze.
I wondered if it was my imagination, but it wasn't.
Count Dman had been glancing this way for a while.
It seed I wasn't the only one who felt his gaze.
Lirisa, standing beside , panicked and subtly hid behind , Byan stiffened, and Latia flusteredly bowed her head repeatedly.
And Sergel avoided eye contact, unable to hide his discomfort.
Upon closer inspection, I understood.
Count Dman's gaze was fixed on Sergel.
'...Do they know each other?'
If it had been Lirisa or Latia, I would have thought he liked their appearance.
But Sergel was a man.
There was no other way to explain it.
I'd have to ask him later.
Just as I thought that and was about to turn away.
"Hmm... Do you perhaps have sothing to say to one of our soldiers?"
Selina, perhaps having a similar thought, naturally changed the subject.
Count Dman, whose eyes widened for a mont as if caught off guard, then laughed awkwardly.
"It seems to show. There's a familiar face in your unit, and I was wondering if I could speak with him for a mont?"
"Of course."
Once Selina's permission was granted, Count Dman approached.
I subtly moved aside.
The rest of the group also fled, clearing the way, and eventually, a path was made between Count Dman and Sergel.
"It's been a long ti. You said you wouldn't return before this war ended, but you've co back sooner than expected."
His voice was gentle, filled with longing.
And Sergel sighed deeply, bowing his head.
"I too wanted to keep my word, but things in the world don't always go as planned."
"Nevertheless, I'm glad to see your face. It's truly heartbreaking that this isn't a situation to enjoy our reunion."
"...I feel the sa way."
Finally, Sergel lifted his head and smiled a smile he had never once shown to us before.
"Brother."
* * *
During anti-aircraft bombardnt from Ahinrab Fortress, even Odin's dium-sized airships had no choice but to retreat beyond effective range.
Using the brief respite gained by pouring in an enormous amount of supplies, the command staff entered a counterasures eting.
And the soldiers, including myself, were filling our bellies heartily in the ss hall, both to rest and prepare for the intense battle ahead.
The food was delicious.
To be precise, it was not bad for military rations distributed during warti.
However, the food on my plate barely decreased even as ti passed.
What was I hiding?
It was because of Sergel.
'Brother... Brother, he said...'
Derak Dman.
Sergel Fram.
Probably not just , but everyone present must have been curious about the relationship between the two.
Indeed, other mbers, including Lirisa, were barely eating, casting glances at Sergel.
And Sergel looked as if he was dying from the uncomfortable atmosphere.
Finally, Byan couldn't stand it any longer, put down his fork and knife, and pushed himself up from his chair.
"Sergel. I have a question—"
"It's nothing. It's just a common story that can happen anywhere, to anyone. I'm not exactly hiding it, but you'll only be disappointed if you get your hopes up for nothing."
"...I haven't said anything yet."
"You were going to ask about my relationship with my brother anyway, weren't you?"
"That's true."
Byan nodded and sat back down quietly.
Sergel's gaze turned to .
He didn't speak, but I could tell what he wanted to convey just by his eyes.
'Are you curious too?'
The nuance might be different, but he probably wanted to say sothing like that.
I couldn't stand this.
I also nodded in response, and Sergel, placing a hand on his forehead, let out a deep sigh and began to speak.
"The forr Count Dman had two children. The first was Derak Dman. The second was Sergel Fram. If you ask why their surnas are different, it's because they had different mothers. I'll explain it that way."
I didn't know because I wasn't interested.
It seed polygamy was accepted in this society.
"Though their mothers were different, the brothers got along well. But there was one problem. Unlike my brother, my mother was a commoner. The probability of , born to a mage father and a non-mage mother, acquiring magical power was fifty-fifty, but..."
Sergel closed his eyes tightly.
I had the Eye that Seeks Truth, so I had already discerned Sergel's information.
Without the benefits of the growth system, Sergel's magical power was 0.
He was not a mage.
"Perhaps out of pity for , my father showed a lot of love, in particular. Wherever and whenever we went, and even until the mont he closed his eyes for the last ti, he only sought out."
"Did that cause the rift in your relationship with the current Count Dman?"
Latia, unable to restrain herself, interrupted Sergel's story with a question.
Although it might have been uncomfortable, Sergel shook his head with a calm expression.
"My brother also felt sorry for , and he never showed any jealousy even though I monopolized our father's love. From the start, he was a very independent person and wasn't the type to crave parental affection... The problem was the perception of others."
"Ah..."
I roughly understood.
The death of the forr Count Dman.
Naturally, the next successor should have been Derak Dman, the eldest son and also a mage.
However, it was perhaps natural that so of the retainers, who had watched Sergel Fram monopolize the forr Count Dman's love for years, or even more than a decade, harbored different thoughts.
"...The seat of Count Dman remained vacant for over a year. That was because the factions supporting my brother and those supporting were so evenly matched. However, I know my place. I am not fit to be a Count. What kind of noble cannot even wield magical power, anyway?"
"So you left ho and joined the military?"
"I never intended to return again, but..."
"And you were forced to return because the operation area happened to be Ahinrab Fortress?"
"...Sigh."
Sergel let out a sigh, I don't know how many tis, as if he disliked the current situation.
Silence followed.
Our curiosity was satisfied.
Sergel's family history was unusual, but from a modern perspective, it wasn't all that exciting.
It was a the that appeared casually in fantasy novels or comics, and even without going that far, stories of half-siblings were very common in lodramatic dramas.
Now that our curiosity was satisfied, we could finish our al in a comfortable atmosphere and focus on recovering our condition.
That's what should have happened, but...
"..."
"..."
The surroundings had been too noisy for a while now.
Given that it was a very large common dining hall and Alliance soldiers gathered from various places were using it simultaneously, it was natural for it to be noisy.
I had thought so, but upon paying a little more attention, I realized.
That most of the many people gathered in the dining hall were focused on the table we were sitting at.
"Sergel. Thanks to you, I'm getting this much attention in my life."
To lighten the sowhat heavy atmosphere.
I threw a light joke at Sergel.
In response, Sergel gave a bewildered look, as if he had no idea what I was talking about, and, to exaggerate a little, an expression that asked what kind of nonsense I was spouting.
"What are you talking about? Do you really think they're interested in my family history and are looking this way?"
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