Chapter 79

* * *

“Well, that’s all for today.”

“Yes! Thank you so much for your hard work today!”

After exchanging farewells with Sir Swoen,

Reika quietly returned to her room and reminisced about the days she had spent with him.

‘Incredible! That little waterfall.’

Though not particularly large, it was still a beautiful sight to behold.

I’ve read about monks meditating on rocks where waterfalls crash down in novels… but Sir Swoen said it was just fiction.

For these past few days, I’ve been able to go outside the castle and wander through nature.

As Swoen said, mana exists abundently in nature.

It was as if the entire aura surrounding me was mana.

Reika could sense mana mixed in the air since birth, but this was the first time she felt it so vividly.

Perhaps the continuous training was finally starting to bear fruit.

As for magic, it was progressing smoothly.

She could now create larger fireballs, sustain them longer, and manipulate them more freely.

Swoen suggested trying to conjure an ‘ice spear’ next time.

While she didn’t fully understand what he meant yet, for some reason, she felt like she could do it.

Following his guidance really seemed to be improving her magical skills!

Swoen was certainly an intriguing man.

Though he claimed “he wasn’t a proper magician,” sometimes he spoke about magic as if he’d known it forever.

Even things Reika had never considered before suddenly seemed possible after hearing his explanations.

‘Is Sir Swoen hiding that he’s actually a fellow mage?’

The story goes that Swoen once performed a miracle by opening the sky and dropping a massive stone.

Compared to Reika who could only produce small fireballs, it felt like something beyond mere magic.

If I keep practicing, will I one day perform such unbelievable miracles too?

These thoughts led her to a more fundamental question:

If Swoen is indeed hiding his true identity as a mage, does that mean this power shouldn’t be revealed to the outside world?

Could this be related to why Father keeps me confined?

At that moment,

“Reika.”

“!!”

A voice came from beyond the door – her father Jinoru.

Reika couldn’t help but be startled.

Father rarely visited her room except under special circumstances.

He usually only came to check on her magical progress.

Since Swoen started teaching her, even those visits had stopped.

As the Nation’s Strategist, he must have been extremely busy.

Reika herself didn’t particularly long for fatherly affection from Jinoru,

so his absence didn’t bother her much.

‘What could he want?’

Tense and unable to respond immediately, Reika heard Jinoru’s voice again.

“Are you there?”

“A, yes…! I’m here.”

“May I come in?”

“Y-Yes!”

Thus, Jinoru entered Reika’s room.

She quickly stood up and bowed deeply.

“Er… please come in, Father.”

Jinoru naturally took a seat in the chair of her room.

“So. How is your training progressing?”

“It has improved greatly compared to before.”

“Is that so?”

Reika briefly explained her progress to Jinoru.

When he saw her controlling a fiery sphere without panting for quite some time, he nodded approvingly.

“You’ve been working hard. And how about your studies?”

“Sir Swoen explains everything very clearly. Ah, um…”

“Speak your mind.”

“Th-Thank you for allowing me to go outside.”

Reika bowed deeply.

Even if the outside world was filled with mana, she wouldn’t have been able to experience it without Father Jinoru’s permission.

“…”

Jinoru looked at Reika bowing before him and asked seriously,

“Do you truly feel gratitude towards me?”

Though it was a somewhat strange question, Reika answered without hesitation.

Despite keeping her confined indoors, he had taken in an orphaned child – that much was undeniable.

“I have never forgotten your kindness for a single moment. I am always grateful to you for taking me in and caring for me. This is my sincere feeling.”

“Hmm…”

Jinoru rested his chin on his hand in thought, then looked at her with a very serious expression.

Reika instinctively shrunk back, wondering if she had done something wrong.

“What… what is it?”

“I’m not here to scold you. Relax.”

“If… if that’s the case…”

“What do you think of Swoen?”

“Eh…?”

What did he mean by what she thought of Swoen?

Was he asking about Swoen as a teacher?

That made sense since Jinoru was the one who assigned Swoen to her.

“That… he has taught me methods to enhance my ability to read mana very clearly. Thanks to his teachings, I have genuinely improved…”

“I wasn’t asking about that part.”

“…”

“As a potential husband, what do you think of him?”

“N-Nani…??”

What?

Husband?

Did he mean… spouse?

Suddenly?

This was an unprecedentedly mundane question from her father, leaving her completely flustered and unable to respond.

“What… what do you mean by this sudden…?”

“Exactly what I said. What do you think about Swoen becoming your husband?”

“Bu-bu-but… I-I…”

Reika buried her face in her hands, her face bright red.

She had never thought about it in that way.

Was it because Swoen didn’t seem masculine to her?

No, quite the opposite.

She refrained from thinking of him as a man because she didn’t want to be a nuisance to someone of his caliber.

His neatly combed white hair and pale skin exuded a mysterious aura unlike any other young men.

Whenever he smiled and said “You can do it,” it felt like genuine encouragement to lean on.

Not to mention, though perhaps inappropriate to think, he was undeniably handsome.

Therefore, she never dared to think she had a place beside someone like him.

She knew better than to covet what was out of reach at her age.

“Do you dislike the idea?”

“What? No, no! It’s not that I dislike it…”

“In that case, excellent.”

Unlike Reika’s flustered state, Jinoru remained perfectly calm.

“Father… I don’t… I can’t follow this story.”

“Hm? You couldn’t follow such a simple tale? I thought you had decent perception.”

“No, but Father…”

Ignoring her response, Jinoru proceeded straight to the point.

“I intend to propose marriage to him.”

“M-Marriage… you mean?”

“That’s right. He’s an extraordinary individual, so we need to maintain a close relationship with him.”

Jinoru continued in a very businesslike tone,

a tone that made their father-daughter relationship seem rather abnormal to an outsider.

“If you haven’t forgotten your gratitude towards me, please marry him when he consents. Though, that’s assuming he agrees.”

“…”

Reika could only bow her head deeply, unable to say anything.

Marriage to Swoen.

She didn’t dislike the idea – absolutely not. But… everything was happening too suddenly.

“…If you absolutely refuse, there’s nothing I can do. However, it would be preferable if you could think positively about it. Take your time to consider.”

With that, Jinoru stood up and quietly left the room.

Though unsure what to do immediately,

the last words her father left behind were clearly etched in her mind.

‘If he consents… meaning, Sir Swoen hasn’t decided yet?’

Then, perhaps there was no need to get overly excited prematurely.

Reika sighed deeply.

‘Marriage…’

Of course, regardless of who the partner was, being in a position where Zinor directly told her to marry someone meant

Swoen wasn’t actually a bad choice.

No, he might be the best possible choice. Even though daughters often move according to family interests, Zinor was at least respecting her opinion by saying she could refuse if she really disliked it.

‘Then… has Sir Swoen not married yet?’

Given a man of Swoen’s caliber, she imagined he probably already had one or two wives.

Simultaneously, she recalled the red-haired knight standing beside him when they first met.

She was incredibly strong and reliable, yet also very beautiful and feminine.

‘Who was that person? Just a bodyguard…?’

If she were to marry Sir Swoen, would that knight continue to serve as her protector too?

She found herself contemplating such naive thoughts.

* * *

“Ah-choo!”

“Are you alright, Lady Iren?”

“Ugh… yeah. Suddenly got a cough.”

So saying, Iren took a bite of the cake on the table.

Then she exclaimed,

“Oh wow!”

Her purple eyes sparkled as she placed a hand on her cheek in genuine admiration.

“This is delicious!”

“I’m glad you like it.”

“Hm. Swoen, you said this was made by the student you’re teaching?”

“Yes. I thought it would pair well with tea.”

As for what I was doing –

I was having afternoon tea with Iren.

I thought the cake baked by Reika would go well with the tea Iren brewed,

and it seemed I was right judging from her reaction.

Looking at how much she enjoyed it, I regretted not bringing some cookies too.

“Fantastic taste. There wasn’t such delicious cake in Anel Castle.”

“How do you know?”

“Well, you know… ah.”

“Looks like you’ve tried them all?”

“…”

At my comment, Iren suddenly closed her mouth and turned red, adopting a serious expression.

“…W-Well, that’s not the important issue right now. Hmm.”

Watching Iren behave this way made me smile involuntarily.

Such peace.

Though I knew it wouldn’t last forever.

Still, I immersed myself fully in this moment.

To avoid regrets later.

*

Like this, I spent my days with Reika during the day and Iren at night at home.

My daily life was extraordinarily peaceful,

but the continent’s situation was the exact opposite.

The first shocking news arrived.

The fall of Kelshtain Castle in the north.

This was undoubtedly a historic moment worthy of being recorded in history books,

as Serpina Army finally advanced into the Central Continent.

Though Brance Army was still technically guarding the border,

with the fall of Kelshtain Castle which blocked the northern entrance like a fortress,

it was practically certain the defensive line would be breached.

Without a doubt, the nobles of the continent would now have to find ways to survive against the massive wave of Serpina Army.

And almost simultaneously…

The blue flag of Raclaine Castle was lowered,

and the red flag of Aishias Army was raised on its tall spire.

Raclaine Castle, the easternmost stronghold of Brance Army,

fell almost simultaneously with Kelshtain Castle in the north.

Truly a massive tectonic shift.

The only saving grace for Brance Army was that

the southern Roland Army and Hesna Army remained quiet without invading,

likely hesitating to weaken their main forces by diverting troops to attack Brance Army.

Still,

“Brance Army is finished.”

There was no difference between their current situation and falling to the status of a minor country,

even considering the unification of the continent.

Just like that, while the world situation was changing rapidly like a giant tsunami,

one day,

“Excuse me, are you Sir Swoen?”

“Yes, that’s me…?”

As I was heading toward Nachtharde Manor as usual, an Aishias Army soldier approached me.

“Our Lord requests your presence, Sir Swoen.”

“Our Lord?”

He called for me?

I couldn’t think of any particular reason…

‘Well, there must be a reason.’

I immediately headed toward Falahart Royal Palace.