Chapter 200

*

I brought the hesitating Reika to Serpina.

“A, uh, th-that, well… A-a-a, hello there…!”

The moment she reached the bed and faced her, Reika started sweating bullets, flustered—a reaction that could be interpreted as a breach of etiquette depending on the situation—but—

Serpina asked with an attitude that seemed unconcerned about such trivialities.

“…It’s been a while. Have you been well?”

“A-ah… Y-you… remember me…?”

“Why, you’re quite unforgettable.”

Indeed, her rare pink hair left a strong impression on anyone who met her for the first time; it wasn’t a false statement.

“Th-that’s… true… I’m sorry about this… Sorry for being born…”

“No, Reika. Calm down.”

After calming the frozen Reika, who was spouting random words in front of Serpina—

“So, why have you come?”

“Well, you see… I-I heard that Lady Serpina was injured badly…”

“…Yes.”

“Miss Iren said that Lady Serpina got hurt while helping her…”

“….”

At the mention of Iren’s name, Serpina turned away with a subtle expression.

“Yes? So?”

“So, um… I thought there might be something I could do to help…!”

“…?”

“Um… Sir Swoen, do you remember? There’s something I wanted to show you.”

Surely, she had mentioned something like that before.

“Could we perhaps see it now…?”

“…???”

Hold on.

Could it be that Reika has learned something new…?

Nod nod.

Indeed, what else could it be but a new magic from the mage herself wanting to show her master, me.

But.

“Our lord is currently resting…”

I subtly changed the subject.

Serpina didn’t know yet that she was a mage. Though she might have suspected it, she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes.

What could she have possibly learned to get so excited? Still, I couldn’t just go along with her right now.

She’s sharp, so I figured mentioning this much would be enough—right at that moment.

“Oh, I already know!”

“…?”

“Because Lady Serpina is injured, this is the perfect time to show it…!”

‘…???’

“With this… I might be able to heal Lady Serpina…! No, I’m sure I can!”

Looking into Reika’s sparkling eyes, I thought:

Reika wants to show off a new magic.

And since Serpina is injured, this is the time to show it?

Is this supposed to indicate healing??

‘…Healing?’

The first thing that comes to mind is healing magic, but does this game even have something like that?

…No, wait.

Even the green rapier I always carry around my waist when I go out is just an ornamental treasure as far as I know.

Even if I’ve played this game for 10,000 hours, there are clearly things I don’t know.

So…

I turned my head to look at Serpina.

Though her life isn’t in danger, with those wounds, she won’t be able to properly attend to state affairs for a few weeks.

Since her life isn’t in immediate peril, the chaos should settle down, but it’s definitely better for everyone if she returns to the throne as soon as possible.

And then there’s the concern about how people might perceive the fact that both I and Lady Iren are somehow involved in this again.

‘This is no time to keep secrets.’

I slowly nodded.

“Alright.”

Upon hearing my words, another nod nod.

With the obedient little creature behind me, I turned back to Serpina and spoke.

“My lord… There’s something I’d like to show you. Would you allow me a moment of your time?”

Though she could have asked what it was,

Serpina slowly nodded without asking and replied—

“I trust you, Swoen.”

She returned my exact words from earlier.

*

“Then… let’s begin.”

Reika mumbled softly a few times, then closed her eyes.

“Haaap…!”

As always, she began gathering orbs at her fingertips.

This time, however, they were a color akin to pure white light.

“…!!!”

Serpina’s eyes widened dramatically upon seeing this.

While her suspicion of mages was abundant, this must have been the first time she actually witnessed someone using mana, hence her shock.

If she were the culprit, she might have panicked and pushed Reika away by now…but instead, she stayed calm as instructed, trusting me.

“Haaaat…!!”

The orb gathered in Reika’s hands gradually enveloped Serpina’s body.

A white aura-like glow surrounded her pale skin.

How many minutes passed?

“…Ah…”

Plumpf.

“Reika!”

I approached Reika, who slumped against the bed.

“Are you alright?”

Though Reika was breathing heavily and looked exhausted—

Thankfully, there was no sign of any life-threatening condition.

Whenever Reika used up all her mana, she always felt this way.

Lately, her mana capacity seemed to have increased significantly, making it less taxing, but I still remembered the many times I took care of her after she collapsed during missions early on.

“S-Sir Swoen… D-did it… work…?”

Turning my head at her question, I saw Lady Serpina—

She sat up in surprise, touching the area of her wound.

“…Impossible.”

After feeling around the bandage a few times, she murmured in disbelief.

“The wound… it’s fading.”

“Fortunate… indeed…”

Reika squeezed out these words before losing consciousness.

Apparently, since it was a new magic, it hadn’t been optimized for mana consumption.

Still, the existence of a magic similar to ‘heal’ was surprising…

Whatever mechanism allowed her to learn this magic, Reika was undoubtedly an extraordinary woman beyond my expectations.

Exhausted and slumped, I barely managed to lay Reika on the nearby empty bed before approaching Serpina again.

“Huff, huff… My lord, how do you feel?”

“Truly… I feel better. The pain is almost gone, and the wound has healed significantly. It’s hard to believe…”

Even after hearing about the meteor drop.

Even after witnessing the evidence.

Even after seeing the castle walls collapse with their own eyes—

People rarely gain certainty until the experience becomes personal.

“Mages… truly exist.”

“…That’s correct. Though I am not one myself.”

“….”

Her expression was clouded with confusion.

First impressions are hard to swallow easily.

No matter how intelligent and clever she may be, being overwhelmed by supernatural powers is inevitable for any human.

But.

It seemed the point that truly baffled her wasn’t the existence of mages.

“…Why?”

“Excuse me?”

“Why did you reveal this to me?”

Serpina looked at me with trembling eyes.

Her golden irises shimmered as much as her voice.

“…Swoen, can I speak frankly?”

“Please do.”

“If I were you, I’d keep the fact that this woman, Reika, is a mage a secret forever. After all, she’ll leave eventually, so revealing such an enormous secret to a temporary lord would be unwise, and I can’t imagine you overlooking that.”

At the mention of leaving eventually, I couldn’t even muster a rebuttal.

I simply froze, quietly listening to her story.

“Yet, you revealed her identity to me. This fact… it’s very confusing. Truly. You, Swoen, are very confusing.”

“…My lord, it’s—”

Before I could make an excuse, she grabbed my wrist with her white hand again.

“No, it’s fine. You don’t need to explain. So, please say nothing more.”

Then, caressing my wrist, she continued.

“Even a tiny bit of hope is acceptable. I… Swoen, cannot give up on you. Just allow me to keep trying until the very last moment.”

“….”

False hope is never beneficial.

I thought it would be best to firmly state my position here.

But…

Her eyes looked too sad.

They reminded me of the eyes of the former Lady Iren whom I once wanted to protect.

I couldn’t shake off her hand.

No, I chose not to.

After letting go of my hand, Serpina slowly rose from the bed.

Her violently feminine figure, partially exposed due to the semi-transparent white negligee, startled me, causing me to quickly turn my head away.

“In any case, I will never forget this favor, Swoen.”

“And I will never forget your protection of Lady Iren.”

That was sincere.

Because I didn’t want to abandon the lonely monarch who threw herself in front of me to avoid hurting me or being hated by me.

Even if the time comes to return, I intend to repay this debt.

“Since I recovered faster than expected, I must now attend to my duties.”

“Duties…?”

At those words, Serpina drew a smile on her lips.

Once again, it was the kind of smile she often wore, looking downward.

The confident expression reserved only for absolute rulers.

“Isn’t it time to remind those who defy the Einhardt family of their fate?”

There was a strange sense of relief in seeing her regain her energy.

In any case… I owed her greatly.

I slowly closed my eyes.

The inevitable crossroads of choice that will arrive someday.

If the moment comes when I must choose Lady Serpina—

I will decide solely based on my own will, and take full responsibility for that decision.

Even if everyone points fingers, I will repay the price of Lady Iren’s life—

I resolved thus.

Right.

I no longer deny it.

Only now do I realize—

That I might not choose the option to immediately return to the Lunarien Army.

* * *

Einhardt Royal Palace.

After the events of that night became somewhat known, it would fall to Jena, the nation’s strategist, to clean up this mess in Serpina’s absence—

However, she was currently inspecting various parts of the continent, having left the Einhardt Castle.

Instead, Iren temporarily took over the management.

Given that she knew the most details about what happened, and because Serpina entrusted her with temporary authority—

Fortunately, the morale among the castle generals towards Iren had improved significantly.

“General, we’ve successfully imprisoned Reni.”

“Much appreciated. How is Reni doing currently?”

“His life remains, but his injuries are severe, and he seems close to death… Is this acceptable?”

‘Hmm…’

It was said he needed absolute rest for several weeks.

If Reni dies during that time, we won’t uncover who’s behind him.

‘Perhaps it’s best to torture him for information here…’

I was pondering whether to seek advice from our recuperating lord or proceed independently when—

“What troubles you so?”

To Iren’s ears came the familiar regal voice of the empress.

Turning my head toward the source of the sound—

“…My lord?”

Clearly wounded moments ago, Serpina walked steadily toward the throne—

“Good work, Iren. Leave the rest to me.”

Foreshadowing the impending bloodshed once more.