Chapter 78

“Ah, it’s Sir Swoen. Please come in. I shall guide you to Miss Reika’s room.”

“Ahh, before that, is Lord Jinoru available for a moment?”

“Lord? He might not be here right now… but please wait a moment.”

After a short wait.

“He says he’s about to head out soon… If it’s something important, perhaps it’d be better to discuss it another time?”

“It’s fine. It won’t take long.”

Heading toward Jinoru’s room, I gave him a light greeting.

“What is it, Swoen? I heard you were looking for me.”

“Not much, just thought of taking Reika outside the castle for a bit.”

“…What did you say?”

Reika is the first mage to appear in this game and remains the most powerful one till the end.

For some reason unknown, Jinoru had been keeping Reika confined within the manor, preventing her from stepping outside.

Still, since she managed to sneak out occasionally, the surveillance wasn’t too strict. Nonetheless, he had advised me earlier to avoid going outside the estate.

Getting on someone’s good side is simple.

Give them what they want.

In Reika’s case, that’s freedom.

I judged that there wouldn’t be any harm in making a good impression on her.

“…May I ask why?”

“Simple. Mana tends to be far more concentrated in places with rugged terrain and less damaged nature. Meditating amidst such natural surroundings amplifies its effects. Though whether it will work for a true mage like Reika is uncertain, it has definitely worked for me. If this ability I sense is indeed ‘mana,’ then surely it would benefit Reika as well?”

“…”

Jinoru paused for a moment.

Then, in a low voice, muttered something that easily reached my ears.

“…If it’s you, Swoen, it might not matter.”

“?”

Though unsure what he meant, I didn’t press further.

“You understand. However, she cannot go beyond Falaharte Castle’s territory.”

“Even within the territory, we plan to climb the small hill behind the castle. It’d be troublesome if we wander too far and end up in danger.”

“Anything else you’d like to add?”

“No.”

“Then, excuse me.”

As Jinoru was about to leave,

‘Ah, that’s right.’

Come to think of it, there was something I needed to ask him.

“Wait a moment.”

“What is it?”

“It’s about what we discussed at the fortress. You mentioned there was something you wanted to request of me, right?”

“…”

Without responding, Jinoru turned his head back.

“I’ll tell you when the time comes. Until then.”

With that, Jinoru left.

‘To tell when the time comes…’

Whatever the request may be, I had already preemptively stated that unreasonable requests would not be entertained, so it should be fine.

Thinking this, I headed towards Reika’s room.

*

And then.

The moment I entered the room, Reika greeted me with an overly enthusiastic energy.

“Ah, Ahhhh, A-Ah! Hello…! U-Uh, Mr. Swoen! T-Today, the weather…!”

“Calm down.”

I placed my hand lightly on her shoulder.

“Hiiya…!”

A few minutes passed.

Carefully, I asked Reika, whose expression seemed to have melted somewhat.

“Are you feeling calmer now?”

“Ah? A… Y-Yes, yesss…!”

After calming her down, I glanced around her room.

There were cakes, snacks, bread, and milk that looked delicious at a glance.

Did she prepare all of this?

“There was no need to go through so much trouble.”

“But… Since it’s been a while since I’ve seen Mr. Swoen…! And I heard you fought bravely for our country…”

“Well, I was in the rear guard unit, so…”

“Is that so…? But you do have a handsome sword by your side…”

“Oh, this one?”

I drew the rapier hanging by my side.

Now that I think about it, Reika was the first to notice this.

It’s usually hidden under the cloak I wear daily.

“This is more like a decoration.”

“Decoration…”

“The ones who really worked hard were the generals, commanders, and soldiers.”

Hearing my words, Reika hesitated for a moment before mustering the courage to squeak out:

“B-But…! Even though you were in the rear guard… I don’t know much about it… But still… You risked your life to protect us… So… I think you deserve gratitude.”

She bowed her head deeply after saying that.

Indeed.

Here, there’s nothing to gain by arguing with Reika.

“Miss Reika is right. Thank you.”

“N-No…! It’s me who should thank you… for protecting us…”

With that, she smiled bashfully, looking rather silly.

You’re more expressive than I thought.

“By the way, how have you been while I was away?”

“Ah! That’s right!”

Reika clapped her hands once and approached me with shining eyes, like a child showing off a hidden toy.

“T-That’s…! I have something to show you…!”

*

This place is the garden behind the manor.

Reika stretched out her hands and effortlessly created a sphere of flames, just like old times.

But what was different from before—

“Ooooh.”

Reika skillfully moved the perfectly formed fireball onto the palm of her opposite hand.

After repeating this a few times, she sent it flying toward a scarecrow somewhere in the distance.

SSSIIIISHHH!

BOOM!

The fireball hit the scarecrow, which had been set up sometime ago.

Although the destructive power wasn’t great, this was an incredible achievement.

“Compared to before, I’m not even out of breath… and I can control it fairly freely now…!”

“Wow, you’ve improved a lot.”

“Yes! Just as Mr. Swoen instructed… every single day without fail, I diligently performed the ‘Buffett Test’? …So, it seems I can read mana quite well now… In short, it was an incredibly amazing experience!”

Doing that meaningless exercise every day, huh?

Well, it probably helped her health, so there’s no need to feel overly guilty.

It’s unlikely that following my instructions made her read mana better.

Probably, over time, her abilities gradually blossomed.

Still, considering how long Miss Reika had been stuck in a rut, this must have been a very meaningful experience for her. I could easily see the difference in the way she looked at me now compared to before.

“Miss Reika, it’s simply the result of your efforts until now. Not much to do with me.”

“No, that’s not true… After meeting Mr. Swoen, I’ve become so much stronger… Now, I feel like I can do anything…”

“Is that so?”

I said naturally.

“Then, let’s move on to the next step, shall we?”

“N-Next step…?”

“Yes. I believe it’s time to go outside.”

“Outside…?”

The moment she heard the word “outside,” she looked up at me in surprise.

Her pink eyes shimmered like the Milky Way.

And…

The instant she heard my next words, her beautiful eyes sparkled with starlight.

“Let’s go outside the manor. To the outside world.”

*

“Waaah…!”

This place was a hill not far from the castle.

She seemed genuinely delighted, inspecting everything around her and exclaiming in amazement.

“Really, it’s been such a long time… walking outside like this normally.”

Come to think of it, she was an orphan.

During her days as an orphan, she probably spent every day searching for food and protecting herself, never having the leisure to look around.

And after being taken in by Jinoru, it seemed she lived practically under house arrest.

Given all that, it was understandable why she was so happy just to climb this hill.

“Bringing you out was worth it.”

“Mr. Swoen went out of your way to bring me here…?”

Responding to her question, I smoothly lied.

“Mana tends to be richer in places where nature is preserved.”

“Ooooh…!”

She nodded after hearing my explanation, closed her eyes, and took a few deep breaths before falling silent as if meditating…

Suddenly.

“…Haatt!!”

Opening her eyes wide, she conjured up a fireball in her hand—twice the size of the one she made earlier.

‘…!!’

Even I was surprised at the sight.

Her fireball slowly disappeared from her hand.

“Waah… It’s true! Just as Mr. Swoen said… Coming here, I can vividly feel an abundance of mana flowing through my body…!”

‘…Really???’

Seriously?

Why?

Why is it real?

I merely strung together plausible words and blurted out random nonsense.

Yet why did she suddenly become stronger in the blink of an eye?

Does mana truly exist abundantly in places close to nature?

Well, the proposition I carelessly threw out there does seem plausible upon reflection.

After all, it’s almost a universal rule in fantasy worlds that mysterious powers like mana are abundant in places close to nature.

Anyway.

Looking flabbergasted here would be unacceptable.

I put on an expression as if I had predicted everything and nodded knowingly.

“Didn’t I mention it? Even I hear the voice of the heavens more clearly after meditating here.”

“That’s right…! Mr. Swoen truly is remarkable.”

Reika looked at me with eyes full of admiration.

Feeling the weight of her innocent gaze pressing down on my shoulders, I realized anew—

Despite constantly lying to various people, I still haven’t gotten used to it.

“Alright, then let’s begin our practice. We’ll just repeat what we always do. Are you ready?”

“Yes! I’m ready!”

Reika enthusiastically raised her hand forward as she spoke.

Due to wearing a sleeveless top, her smooth armpit momentarily came into view.

I quickly erased that image from my mind and continued.

“Then… let’s start with meditation.”

“Yes!”

And so, we meditated together.

We also did some light exercises afterward, spending a very fulfilling day.

Reika seemed in high spirits from being outside for the first time in a while, and her enthusiasm made the day enjoyable for me as well.

Honestly, setting aside practices and such—this was the first time since the battle that I could relax and spend some peaceful time.

That alone made it an invaluable day for me.

* * *

A few hours earlier.

Leaving home, Jinoru was thinking about the young man with white hair he had just met.

“It was an ambush, alright. That guy… Everything went exactly as Swoen said.”

He recalled the young man confidently declaring “The strategy of the Brance Army is an ambush” while looking straight at him.

In front of the nation’s strategist, he had firmly expressed his opinion without wavering, and that opinion turned out to be correct.

After the battle ended, Jinoru thought deeply.

Though not a mage, this man claimed to feel the power of mana and communicate with the heavens, performing the miracle of making stones fall from the sky.

Not only was he skilled in tactics, but he also boldly questioned why he was in the Aishias Army in front of their national strategist.

Throughout his long life, Jinoru had always realized how much he didn’t know.

However, the one thing he prided himself on was his ability to judge people.

And the more he observed Swoen, the more he couldn’t shake the feeling that this man wouldn’t be satisfied with just securing a position in the Aishias Army.

“If he continues to stay with our army, it would be good, but in the long run, he could become an enemy of the Aishias Army.”

That would create many difficulties.

Turning such talent into an adversary wouldn’t be wise.

Public opinion currently focused on Knight Iren as the mastermind behind the betrayal, and analyzing the context, there was indeed some truth to that—but

To Jinoru, it seemed the Brance Army missed out on something bigger: Swoen, rather than Iren.

And in reality, ever since this man became an adversary, the Brance Army started declining as if by magic.

While Iren played a role, fundamentally, it was Swoen who noticed the ambush first.

Without Swoen, it was certain that Epiinel’s stubbornness would have led to defeat on our side.

“So, what should be done?”

Jinoru believed that while it would be ideal if Princess Yuri united the continent,

he didn’t necessarily think the Aishias Army had to be the ones to achieve unification.

As long as it wasn’t someone like Serpina, the tyrant, anyone wise and kind-hearted would receive his wisdom.

Therefore, even if serving different lords, he didn’t want to become adversaries with someone like Swoen.

Jinoru recalled a military strategy book he read recently.

One particular passage stood out in his mind.

“If you can’t defeat an opponent, join them.”

“A method to build a relationship surpassing his current standing…”

At that moment, an idea crossed Jinoru’s mind.

His foster daughter, Reika.

Objectively speaking?

Age twenty this year, the same age as Swoen—a young lady with no experience with men.

Since he took her in at a very young age and rarely let her out, she would make a fine bride.

Jinoru was a sharp thinker.

Just then, there happened to be an opportunity to ask him something.

Even if rejected, he thought it wouldn’t hurt to give it a try.

He appeared unmarried as well.

“Come to think of it, Swoen doesn’t have a surname.”

The prestige of the Nightheart name—though embarrassing to say oneself—

it carried enough value to be called a noble family on the continent.

Even though titles like nobility and prestigious families lost meaning in these chaotic times, it would likely appeal to someone of common origin.

“Perhaps I should explain things to Reika as well. Given his youthful vigor, there’s bound to be something Reika can do.”

Jinoru Nightheart.

Even in his advanced years, he tirelessly strategized to survive in this chaotic era.