Al Kasky?
I had definitely heard that name before.
"Wait a moment..."
"That’s right."
Janis grinned with an oddly smug expression.
"I am none other than Janis al Kasky, younger sibling of Irian al Kasky, the highly esteemed general of Serpina’s army, who is making remarkable achievements in multiple fields."
Remarkable achievements? I wouldn’t go that far.
What I remembered was Irian overstepping his bounds, getting scolded by Serpina, and sulking afterward.
Of course, I saw no reason to bring that up in front of his younger brother.
Now that I took a closer look, I could see the resemblance between them.
Short black hair.
I had already thought that Irian had a somewhat delicate appearance, but Janis looked even softer.
His eye color was similar too, reinforcing their familial connection.
Do all the men in this family look like courtesans?
Even though Irian had a refined look, he still carried a distinctly masculine aura.
Janis, on the other hand—if someone put a wig on him and insisted he was a woman, most people would probably believe it.
He wasn’t particularly tall either.
"Swen, right? It might be odd to say this upon first meeting, but your hair color is quite unique."
"I hear that often."
For a moment, I tensed, wondering if he had heard rumors about a white-haired mage, but fortunately, he didn’t press the topic.
"Well, if you have any questions, feel free to ask. Ah, and here’s a piece of advice as your senior—if you want to succeed here, just doing what you’re told won’t be enough.
You need visible results if you ever want to reach Lady Serpina’s inner circle."
"I see. Thank you for the advice."
"Yeah. Also, if you head outside and walk about ten minutes, there’s a shop that—"
He continued talking animatedly, excitedly explaining all sorts of things.
Just how much does he enjoy playing the role of a senior?
That thought crossed my mind, and strangely, I felt a little sorry for him.
This chapt𝒆r is updated by frёewebηovel.cѳm.
If he wasn’t outright malicious, there was no harm in maintaining a good relationship.
I responded with a polite smile, and once he felt I was receptive, he eagerly started looking after me as if I were his responsibility.
Honestly, he didn’t seem like the kind of person suited for times of war.
"Anyway, let’s both work hard and support Lady Serpina in her quest to reunify the continent. Understood?"
Reunify, huh...
From Serpina’s perspective, inheriting the claim of the old Eingart Empire, conquering the continent would indeed be considered reunification rather than mere conquest.
Come to think of it... this might actually be a good opportunity for me.
"Janis."
"You can just call me ‘senior’! No need for formalities!"
"Then, Senior Janis, do you truly believe that Lady Serpina can unite the continent?"
Janis gave me a puzzled look, as if the question itself was absurd.
"Of course. Why even ask? You’re not saying you doubt Lady Serpina’s ability to unite the continent, are you?"
‘That’s exactly the question I needed.’
Silently thanking him for prompting the perfect inquiry, I quickly logged the question in my mind.
‘Can Serpina von Eingart unite the continent?’
[No.]
...As expected. Nothing had changed.
Among all the rulers still vying for power, Serpina seemed closest to unification—yet even she would ultimately fail.
Which meant that, just as my predictions had foretold, the continent would inevitably fall into Lunarian’s hands.
Reconfirming this only strengthened my resolve.
"No, of course, I believe she can. Lady Serpina is an exceptional ruler, beyond mere lineage."
"Right? That’s what I think too! Where else could you find a ruler like her?
People call her the Tyrant of the North or whatever nonsense, but it’s ridiculous, isn’t it?
Our family has served Serpina’s forces for generations, so we don’t really get it, but even officers from other factions—who used to serve under different warlords—say they prefer serving under Serpina. That tells you something, right?"
Listening to him, it wasn’t hard to sense his absolute loyalty to Serpina.
Well, considering that Serpina treated her own people well, it wasn’t strange that someone like Janis would exist.
We continued chatting, and naturally, I slipped in a question—
"When do you think I’ll be able to get my own residence?"
This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.
"Hmm? Well, they are actively building more housing, but you just arrived, didn’t you?
I’m sure the longer-serving officers will get their houses first.
I’ll probably get my own place before you do."
"I see."
So, I wouldn’t be able to stay with Airen for the time being.
Just as I was feeling a little disappointed, Janis patted my shoulder.
...His hands were surprisingly small and pale for a man.
"Don’t worry! Our lord has ordered a large-scale construction project.
If you time it right, you might get a place sooner than expected."
"I suppose I’ll just have to wait and see."
"That’s right! Dorm life might be a bit inconvenient, but don’t worry—I’ll take care of you! No need to stress too much!"
Janis grinned widely.
He oddly felt more like a younger sibling rather than a senior.
But since he seemed sincere in trying to help and didn’t rub me the wrong way, I figured it would be best to get along with him—at least for now.
And just like that—
I settled into life at Eingart Fortress.
The facilities weren’t as impressive as the residences at Valharat Fortress, but still, they weren’t bad.
***
The three-person dormitory assigned to Airen and Reika.
The two of them had just finished unpacking and were now enjoying some tea.
"Wow...! It smells like peaches."
"Do you like it?"
Reika nodded eagerly.
"Yes! It’s such a lovely scent. Even if you baked cookies with peach juice, I doubt they’d smell this good... The world of tea is really fascinating."
Airen simply smiled at her in response.
Perhaps it was because they had spent so much time together at the annex, but they had grown much closer.
Reika had stopped stammering as much, and Airen, in turn, had become more relaxed around her.
They were, in a way, adapting to each other.
As they sat there, letting their conversation blend into the soothing aroma of the tea, their discussion naturally shifted toward their shared point of interest—
Swen.
"So... the male officer who visited your home was Lord Swen?"
"Yes. I was truly shocked at the time—I never imagined they would send a man."
Airen still hadn’t forgotten their first encounter.
A white-haired officer, standing in her doorway while she was still in her nightwear.
At first, she had taken it as a deliberate insult—a sign that the Brans Army did not take her seriously.
But now—
"Honestly, I’m grateful to Lyn."
"Grateful...?"
Reika tilted her head, puzzled.
Airen smiled.
"Because thanks to Lyn, I met Swen."
Regardless of Lyn’s true intentions in making that arrangement—
In the end, it had led Airen to meet Swen.
The only person who had ever truly acknowledged her.
The kind and gentle man who had become her anchor.
The person she wanted to protect with everything she had—
"If I hadn’t met Swen, my world would still be colorless.
I might not even be alive right now.
With no one to recognize me, I would’ve wasted my life offering meaningless loyalty to people who never cared—
And eventually, I would’ve died, alone.
So, I don’t resent Lyn anymore.
Because she’s the reason I got to know Swen."
"I see..."
Having ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) spent so much time with Airen, Reika had also heard bits and pieces about how she was treated under Brans’ Army.
"I’m just... really glad that you’re here with us, alive and well.
I know it’s not my place to say that, but..."
"It’s alright, Reika.
At least your words never feel out of place to me."
"Then I’m glad... Hehe."
Reika let out a small, awkward laugh.
Then, Airen turned the question on her.
"Now that I think about it, how did you end up meeting Swen?
I’ve heard bits and pieces, but I don’t believe I’ve ever heard it from your mouth."
"Oh... my connection to Lord Swen?"
Reika fell silent for a moment, contemplating how much she should say.
But... this is Lady Airen.
She’s someone very close to Lord Swen. It’s not like I can keep it a secret forever...
She probably already suspects something.
Carefully, she parted her lips.
"Actually... Lord Swen was teaching me magic."
"...Magic?"
Reika slowly nodded.
Had she not already seen it with her own eyes, Airen might have scoffed at the notion.
But she had already witnessed Reika conjuring fire in her palm.
"So magic really does exist."
"Yes... It’s already a bit of a rumor, isn’t it?
People have heard about Lord Swen summoning a massive stone from the sky..."
"That was magic?"
Airen’s voice trembled slightly.
The image of Swen collapsing, exhausted, flashed through her mind.
"Swen... risked his life to read the sky’s movements and predict the trajectory of that stone.
The mages in ancient texts never had to risk their lives like that.
That’s why... I don’t want to see Swen do something so dangerous ever again."
"Is that so...?"
But Swen had acknowledged the existence of mana.
He had even used an artifact that stored magic not long ago.
Even if he wasn’t a mage, wasn’t he at least somewhat of a magician?
And if using magic could truly endanger his life... did that mean she still didn’t know everything?
Would it be alright to ask more...?
Just as Reika was debating whether to press further—
Knock, knock.
A light rapping sounded at the door.
"Ah..."
"It seems our roommate has arrived."
The dormitory assigned to Airen and Reika was a three-person room located on the second floor of the women’s barracks.
When they first arrived, no one else was there, but the guards had mentioned a third occupant.
She had likely just stepped out for a while.
"P-please, come in...!"
Reika called out hesitantly.
The door slowly creaked open—
And the moment Airen saw the person step inside, her expression froze in shock.
"You...?"
"...Huh?"
That woman—
She wasn’t a stranger.
Back when Airen was still part of Brans’ Army, she had once accompanied her on a mission to the northern fortress.
"...Silin?"