Chapter 108

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Serpina watched as Swoen left his seat, claiming he was going to tidy up, and she sank into her chair deep in thought.

Hmm.

That man’s name… is Swoen.

And I know that man.

Here, “know,” of course, includes the fact that “he’s the man I met in my dreams”—

But the truth buried deep within her heart went a step further than that.

Could it be that I originally knew Swoen?

But why this thought comes to mind, I don’t understand.

So for now, I must keep him close.

That was Serpina’s conclusion.

In fact—without focusing solely on the point that he’s “the man from my dream,” but simply thinking pragmatically—

Welcoming this young man with white hair as a subordinate would indeed be quite advantageous for Serpina.

First off, he was acknowledged by Jena, the Nation’s Strategist who currently oversees the capital in her stead, as someone who might very well be a mage.

Considering the incident at the northern fortress and what happened here at Hisfil Castle just a few days ago, the possibility that he truly is a mage is extremely high.

Having such a person under her command would undoubtedly be worth more than an entire castle.

Regardless, Serpina wanted this man—Swoen.

And so far, she had never failed to obtain something she desired.

‘If I win this bet, I will serve you… right?’

Upon reflection, those words were undeniably loaded with meaning.

While he spoke of having the opportunity to choose a worthy lord to serve—

Serpina had encountered many people like him during her conquest of the Northern Continent.

Most of them weren’t deeply loyal to the lords they claimed to serve.

In other words, the reason he could make such a proposal was because his loyalty to Yuri wasn’t particularly deep.

A truly loyal commander wouldn’t gamble like this; instead, they’d rather end up locked away in the dungeon.

It wasn’t bad. Serpina didn’t scold or criticize him for this at all.

In this Era of Chaos, those who stubbornly stick to one master were the odd ones out.

The Brance Army, the Aishias Army—they were ultimately new warlord factions without much history. To genuinely pledge unwavering loyalty to their leaders was something you’d only see in fairy tales, and Serpina herself was fully aware of that.

Therefore, what she emphasized wasn’t legitimacy but how she treated her vassals.

If her subordinates could change lords whenever they wished, then her policy was to ensure they wouldn’t want to leave her side.

Right there, a new question arose.

“He was definitely part of the Brance Army before.”

For some reason, he left the Brance Army to join the Aishias Army, and now he’s changing sides again.

If his goal was to serve a truly powerful ruler, he should’ve joined our army from the start.

Then… could it be that his goal is something that doesn’t even exist yet?

Interesting.

Serpina slightly tilted the corner of her mouth upward.

The statement “There’s no reason not to serve Lady Serpina” also implied “There’s no absolute reason why I must serve Lady Serpina.”

She was curious about what this man, who so confidently declared he would serve her, was really thinking.

If you lump together everyone Serpina has ever encountered, they can roughly be divided into three types:

First, those who are scared off by her background.

Second, those who openly show hostility toward her background.

Third, those who feel overwhelmed by her background and loudly declare their loyalty to her.

And strangely enough, Swoen belonged to none of these categories.

“Someone who shook me in my dreams. He can’t possibly be insignificant.”

Now the choice lies with Yuri.

If I were Yuri, I would never let go of Swoen, no matter how important Anima is as a commander.

Even setting aside my personal relationship with him, seeing someone sacrifice a commander for another would surely cause unrest among those serving beneath me.

Baranga Yuri Aishias isn’t that foolish. She’ll make a rational decision.

If that happens, I’ll release Swoen for now.

But—I’ve never lost something I set my heart on.

“I’m sure he’ll soon return to my grasp, even if he leaves for a while, Swoen.”

With that thought, she chuckled softly—“Kukuku.”

Had Swoen known this, there would have been a fact he couldn’t deny:

He had just missed the chance to witness one of her incredibly alluring and beautiful moments.

* * *

“Guh!”

Five soldiers collapsed.

Iren, showing no signs of fatigue, looked at the remaining Serpina Army soldiers glaring at him and said,

“If anyone else wants to challenge me, come ahead.”

“General Randolf fell?! That’s impossible…!”

“Damn it… How can a bodyguard be this strong?!”

The soldiers stared in shock at the last man who had fallen. Judging by the way they addressed him respectfully, this man wasn’t just an ordinary soldier but likely a commander under the Serpina Army who received a salary.

Though unclear why he suddenly attacked them—

Given the situation here, Swoen must certainly be in trouble too.

Thus, there was no room to lower his sword.

They needed to enter the Royal Palace where Swoen was as quickly as possible.

Iren raised his voice forcefully.

“To be honest, I advise you—if you intend to take me down, you’ll need more soldiers. Otherwise, you’ll only end up badly hurt.”

“What did you say…?”

“If you let me into the palace right now, I’ll overlook all the rudeness so far. Please make a wise decision.”

From behind the soldiers exchanging glances, a man’s shout echoed.

“What are you fools doing? Didn’t your lord give an order? Arrest them!”

“But, we’re outnumbered!”

“Reinforcements are coming! Hurry up and form ranks!”

Watching the flustered Serpina Army soldiers, Iren sighed quietly.

“…Do you really intend to shed more blood?”

Although he had already issued a stern warning and had no intention of backing down—

The problem was Rayka hiding behind him.

While Iren himself lived by the sword, Rayka was merely the daughter of the NachtHart family who followed Swoen closely.

Given that marriage talks were ongoing between her and Swoen, naturally, Rayka also fell under the things Iren needed to protect alongside Swoen.

At that moment.

“Uh… Master Iren…”

“I’ll listen to your story later. Don’t move. It’s dangerous.”

“Well, it’s just that… um…”

“…?”

Phew.

Rayka took a short breath and said with a determined look.

“I appreciate your concern… but I won’t hold you back, Master Iren. I’ll be fine.”

“…?”

“So… could you please step aside a little?”

What?

If he stepped aside, the soldiers might target her directly.

However, Rayka’s voice sounded unusually serious.

“Are you serious?”

“In a situation like this… I don’t lie.”

Is there some way to resolve this?

Iren carefully moved slightly to the side, giving her a clear view.

And then…

“…!!”

An unbelievable sight unfolded before his eyes.

The Serpina Army soldiers seemed unaware for now, but…

A fiery red sphere began to glow fiercely in Rayka’s hands.

“That… that’s…!”

“Charge them all!”

Just then, reinforcements arrived, and they began charging towards Iren and Rayka.

There were quite a few of them. Would this really work?

“Haaah…!”

Right at that moment, Rayka’s voice rang out from behind.

“You should stop now.”

A familiar male voice reached Iren’s ears.

* * *

“Swoen…!”

“A-Ah, Sw-Swen-sama…!”

Thankfully, all the soldiers turned their attention to me as I spoke.

I seized the opportunity to convey my intentions.

“This is Lady Serpina’s order. Stop trying to capture us.”

“What? How can we trust that…?”

Just as the representative soldier was about to react sharply to me,

“That man is telling the truth.”

Behind me, a tall, handsome man with strikingly dark hair stepped forward.

“It’s Lord Irian…”

Ah, that man’s name is Irian, isn’t it?

I met him by chance while leaving the palace. When I explained the situation and asked for help since I doubted the soldiers would listen to me, he readily agreed without hesitation—but I forgot to ask his name.

When the man paid respects to Irian, he casually acknowledged it and then loudly announced to the soldiers,

“The order to capture the envoy from the Aishias Army has been revoked! This is our lord’s wish! Everyone, return to your posts!”

Thanks to Irian’s words, the situation was quickly resolved.

Ultimately, all the soldiers surrounding Iren and Rayka dispersed.

“There are injured individuals.”

“I merely acted in self-defense.”

In response to Iren’s statement, Irian calmly nodded.

“I’m somewhat aware, so don’t worry.”

I approached Irian then.

“Thank you for your help.”

“No problem. Excuse me.”

With that, Irian tended to the wounded soldiers, somehow bringing the situation to a close.

Only then could I finally return to Iren and Rayka.

“Swoen, what happened? Are you okay?”

“S-Swen-sama…!”

Both of them clearly showed how worried they were about me, making me feel oddly apologetic.

“I’m fine. At least I’ve returned safely. Though, unfortunately, I won’t be able to return to Falaharte Castle anytime soon.”

“W-What do you mean…? Why can’t you return…?”

In response to Rayka’s question, I explained the situation to both of them.

“So, you were almost imprisoned in the dungeon after being captured. That’s why you ended up attacking us.”

“A dungeon…! How could they imprison Swen-sama when he came here only as an envoy…?”

“Not just anyone—it’s Serpina von Einhardt. The rumors about her seem to be true after all.”

To Iren’s comment, I slightly shook my head.

“It’s not entirely like that.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Well, I’m not exactly sure, but she did accept the proposal I made.”

Iren muttered, “I see…” and quickly accepted it. Lately, I’ve felt that she believes whatever I say, even if I told her beans were made of rice cakes.

“In any case, I apologize. Both of you got dragged into this mess because of me.”

“No, Swoen. You don’t need to apologize. On the contrary, I’m glad I could follow you. Being separated from you and wasting time without knowing what was happening would’ve been much lonelier.”

“I-I’m fine too! I came prepared… Father and I discussed everything beforehand, so I believe he’ll understand…”

After hearing that, I added—

Then I looked back at the royal palace. There was nothing more I could do now.

Whether good or bad, this contest’s outcome depended entirely on Yuri, not on me or Serpina.

We can only wait, right?

‘Looks like I’ll have some downtime for a while.’

Anyway, I was already used to waiting. Remember those days before Luna recommended me, when I idly spent each day without purpose?

As I walked back towards the palace with Iren and Rayka, I whispered a question into the wind.

Lady Yuri,

What choice do you plan to make?

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