The takeover of the fortress proceeded much faster than I had anticipated. It seemed that Epinel was now in charge of managing the fortress. That appeared to be the reason she had come all this way. Placing one of Aishus Army's finest generals at the front would certainly feel like a bolt from the blue to the Brans Army. We had no choice but to continue shaking them up since we had already earned their enmity.
Considering Lyn's personality, it was highly unlikely she would peacefully step down, and since we had defected to another army, it was certain she would harbor some grudge. In that case, it was much better to bring soldiers with us. I also wanted to repay Airen for what she had endured.
Furthermore, seizing the initiative from the Brans Army in the central region was critically important for me personally. When Lunarian's Army eventually mobilized, it would be much easier to deal with two balanced nations rather than one large state.
After she had secured our fortress, I followed our new sovereign, alongside Airen, towards Valharat Castle.
On the road to Valharat, I found myself deep in thought.
'It seems my skill at lying has only improved.'
I had assured her that I would make her never regret this decision. Eventually, Airen and I would leave the Aishus Army, although it was more likely we would just quietly retire rather than betray them with an army, as we had when leaving the Brans Army—but circumstances could always change.
And another lie.
"So, you think I can be the sovereign to unify the continent?"
'Can Baranga Yuri Aishus really be the unifying sovereign?'
[No.]
Despite such predictions, I had shamelessly given an immediate affirmative response.
Well, why she couldn't be the unifying sovereign—perhaps I would understand after staying here a while. As I was entertaining these rather trivial thoughts,
"Um... Swen."
"Yes?"
Airen caught my sleeve and said,
"What was that situation...?"
"Which one?"
"That... in front of Lady Yuri, the last thing you said... why did you suddenly say that?"
Ah. I instantly knew what she was referring to.
"Lady Yuri seems to be more playful than I thought."
I said this and recalled the recent events. It seemed our new sovereign wasn't as serious as I had thought. The way she had been so intensely interested in our joint defection seemed more like the fascination of a girl filled with youthful spirit rather than that of a sovereign.
"She seemed to think I was abandoning everything to elope with you out of love."
"What...!"
Airen's eyes widened as her face turned red.
"Well, if that’s what she thinks, it’s not bad to play along. It seems that helped us receive a smooth surrender."
At those words, she sighed briefly, then finally regained her composure.
"...Is that so... did you match your story to that...?"
"Well, not entirely. But it’s true that I want to protect you. Didn’t I tell you that night?"
Hearing this, Airen looked at me again, surprised, and then with her face still flushed, she nodded with a smile.
"...Yes."
I momentarily lost myself in that smile. She was truly a lovely woman. She was incredibly beautiful and had a presence that could captivate any man's attention. Just by her looks, she seemed valuable enough to sell a whole country for.
But I didn’t think of her as merely 'beautiful.' As I had said before, she was 'lovely'—that was the critical difference between her and the merely beautiful Yuri.
Now that we were in a new country, I hoped she would regain her self-esteem. She must have had days under Brans' command where she performed well but was not recognized, crushing her self-worth.
"It’s okay if not now. When everything is over... please tell me. I’ll be waiting."
'...When everything is over,' I hadn’t planned on waiting that long.
With her words lingering in my mind, I continued my walk towards Valharat Castle.
*
Valharat Castle exuded a different atmosphere compared to Arnel Castle or Kelstein Castle. Firstly, the clothing of the people was subtly different. It was a noticeable contrast from the places I had initially settled in like Zeilant Castle, Arnel Castle, and Kelstein Castle, located on the way to the north. The mood among the local residents seemed tenser than in Arnel Castle, but still, there was a semblance of peace in the air. The walls of the castle were impressively high, and well-trained soldiers patrolled within, maintaining order.
In summary, the situation could be described as "tense due to the war, yet all residents clearly felt secure."
After all the soldiers had been sent back, Yuri approached us and said,
"You've both worked hard getting here. Once again, thank you for becoming part of my family. I know it wasn't an easy decision to defect to a smaller nation."
Airen bowed her head and replied,
"Not at all, my lord. I am the one who should be thankful for taking us in."
"Thank you."
After hearing our gratitude, Yuri nodded and looked up at the sky. By now, the day had turned to dusk, and the stars were vividly scattered across the sky.
"There's no need to come to the castle today and start anything. We've completed all the necessary rituals. Our army's next regular meeting is in three weeks. I might call you if something comes up, but unless there’s an emergency, there’s no need for you to take on any special duties during that time."
Three weeks. That was more spare time than I had anticipated. If there had been an urgent situation, she would have issued commands immediately. Perhaps the internal situation was stable enough that she didn't feel the need to.
During this downtime, it would be wise to familiarize myself with Valharat Castle.
"Understood."
"Right. But first, you both need somewhere to live, don’t you?"
Yuri placed her index finger on her lips, hmm-ing thoughtfully.
"Let me see... there's a house that was built recently... Yes, that should work. Airen?"
"Yes. Please go ahead."
"The street leading southeast from the square is Shaman Street. Go to number 9 on Shaman Street. It’s a newly built building so it should be clean, though there might be some dust."
"That’s perfectly fine. I’m grateful just for being provided a place to live."
"That's good then."
Yuri smiled.
"I’ll leave you to it then. You’ve both had a long day. See you at the next meeting unless something comes up."
At that moment, I stopped Yuri as she was about to leave.
"My lord..."
"Yes?"
"Where should I go?"
Airen was heading to number 9 Shaman Street. Where should I go? Given her effusive statements about family, it seemed unlikely she would treat us differently.
However, Yuri spoke as if wondering why I even had to ask.
"Huh? I told you. Shaman Street, number 9. That's where you'll go."
"...So I should go there as well?"
"?"
At that moment, when it felt like our conversation had misaligned, I realized something.
"Could it be..."
"Hahaha."
Yuri laughed again, covering her mouth. To an outsider, she might seem elegant and dignified... but that was unmistakably the laughter of a girl who enjoyed playing games.
"You'll live together, of course."
"...!!!"
"No... I mean."
Airen tried to say something but was flustered, and Yuri cut her off without intending to listen.
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"I'm not that oblivious. It’s a space perfectly suitable for two to live, so just settle there. Got it?"
"..."
Well. When I thought about it, hadn't she and I always lived together? I nodded.
"Understood."
"Good. I’ll be looking forward to hearing some good news. Bye then."
After Yuri left, Airen and I stood there in silence for a while.
It was strange. Just moments ago, I was thinking, 'Haven't she and I always lived together?' and managed to maintain calm.
Why... why did my face feel so hot now?
And it seemed Airen felt no different, her face flushed as she hesitated and tried to gauge my reaction.
It was a bit awkward, but as I had thought before, it wasn’t the first time we’d lived together. Dragging out the conversation would only make the atmosphere weirder.
"Let’s go, Miss Airen."
"Uh?! Ah... uh, yes. Let’s."
And so, Airen and I headed to our new home.
*
Upon arriving at our new home, we lit the lantern. It was a clean and nicely built house, clearly new. It felt more spacious than the one in East Arnel, with a more modern-looking kitchen and overall better facilities. Crucially, the bed was larger—a double bed at least. I wasn't sure why the bed was so significant to me at that moment.
"We've arrived..." Airen said, lightly unpacking her things before falling silent again. It seemed I needed to take the lead here.
"Shall we start by cleaning up? It looks a bit dusty."
"Cleaning, huh..."
It was getting dark, but not yet deep into the night. People were still walking around the streets outside. Truthfully, that didn't matter much to me—I just wanted to escape the awkward atmosphere.
"Let's do that. Let's clean up first, yeah."
Airen seemed eager to move as well, agreeing with my suggestion.
So, we cleaned the house that would be our home for the foreseeable future.
Cleaning seemed to make the time pass more effectively. Moving around, cleaning every nook and cranny of the house, helped clear some of the stray thoughts from my mind.
Once the cleaning was done, silence welcomed us again.
"Now, it's time for a bath. We've sweated, and it was a long journey here."
"Mmm. That sounds good."
We took turns bathing.
After cleaning up post the housework, it felt as though both body and mind were refreshed. Now, there really was nothing left to do. The night seemed to have deepened as well.
Then, silence fell upon us once again.
This time, Airen was the one to break it.
"Swen."
"Yes?"
Her face was flushed as she looked at me, her voice slightly trembling as she moved her small lips.
"...Shall we sleep together?"