Southern Continent—Tepello Castle, under the control of the Karelia Army.
Situated along the border with the Ohana Army, the ruler of this castle was none other than Lunarian Iniang.
At first, many had questioned whether it was wise to entrust such an important position to someone who had barely arrived.
But as time passed and Luna continued to prove her abilities, the complaints quickly died down.
Her firm stance on merit-based rewards and punishments, along with her meticulous attention to even the smallest details that most lords would overlook, left no room for doubt.
Given Karelia’s emphasis on competence—especially with Vanessa at its helm—it was only natural that Luna had been appointed.
And so, within the royal hall of Tepello Castle—
Tifa and Luna were having a rare private conversation.
"Old man Cain wants to see me too?"
"Yes."
"Why? I’m busy training the troops."
"He said he has something to show us."
"Oh? What about the others?"
"He preferred that it just be us."
"Heh. Really?"
Tifa grinned.
"You, me, and old man Cain all together... makes me think of the old days."
"......."
Luna had thought the same.
But there was one difference—
One person was no longer here.
"By the way, Luna, you’ve heard about the white-haired magician in Brans’ army, right?"
"Yes."
"Yeah, I’m pretty damn sure that’s Swen."
"You think so too?"
"Of course! How many young white-haired men would go around pulling off insane stunts like that?"
Just like Luna had instantly recognized the reports as Swen’s doing,
Tifa had reached the same conclusion.
"So magic really exists, huh?"
"But is it really magic? The rumors say he performed a ritual to the heavens."
"If dropping boulders from the sky isn’t magic, then what is?!"
"...I suppose. But Swen never used magic when he was with us."
"Maybe he was just hiding his abilities?"
"...Hmm."
Luna still seemed unconvinced.
Tifa, on the other hand, didn’t care about the details. She clenched her fists and grinned.
"Anyway! If even a scrawny guy like that can use magic, then why shouldn’t I be able to?"
"I’m telling you, we don’t know if it was even—"
"Who cares?! If I start training today, something will happen eventually! Not that I need magic—I’m already strong!"
Lately, Tifa had been undergoing brutal training.
Repeating the same simple movements hundreds, even thousands of times to strengthen her body.
Running three kilometers around Tepello Castle’s lands three times a day.
Ever since the day she suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of Airen Juliet—
The moment her confidence in her own strength had shattered—
She had realized that, as she was, she wasn’t Luna’s strength.
She could barely even protect herself.
That sense of crisis had driven her into relentless training.
Even when missions overlapped, she cut her sleep instead of missing a session.
Luna understood Tifa’s mindset well,
Which was why, after taking over as lord of Tepello, she had entrusted her with overseeing the army’s training.
This way, even when the soldiers trained, Tifa could train alongside them, making efficient use of her time.
And then—
"I see both of you have gathered. Apologies for the delay."
From the distance, Cain was slowly approaching.
But... he wasn’t alone.
"Hurry up, old man! No, wait—who are those people with you?"
People?
Yes, they were people, but—
More specifically, they were a group of youthful boys and girls.
Cain had brought along a teenage boy and two girls.
The oldest among them looked to be around sixteen.
"Cain, who are these children?"
"...I brought them to introduce them to Lady Luna and Tifa."
Cain stepped aside.
And then—
"We greet you, Lady Lunarian."
All three knelt before Luna.
"They are my relatives. Though due to circumstances... they are all orphans now."
"Huh? Old man, you have relatives? Didn’t you always say you had no family?"
At Tifa’s words, Cain nodded.
"...That was true when I lived in Zeilant. These children were in an orphanage in another region."
"An orphanage?"
"Yes. And now that enough time has passed, I felt it was necessary to introduce them to Lady Luna."
As Cain finished speaking, the eldest boy raised his head and spoke first.
"My name is Francis."
"I’m Charlotte."
"I am Violet."
Luna met Francis’s gaze.
Golden eyes. Dull blond hair.
She felt as if she had seen him somewhere before... but was it just her imagination?
Charlotte had golden eyes as well, while Violet’s were black, the same color as Cain’s.
Both girls had black hair.
"It’s nice to meet you all. I am Lunarian."
"So, what’s the point?" Tifa asked, crossing her arms. "No way you called us here just for introductions."
"Of course not. Listen closely."
Cain’s eyes sharpened as he looked at Luna.
"Lady Luna. I ask that you take these children under your care as their guardian."
"Me? Their guardian?"
"Yes. It is embarrassing for me to say this myself, but they all possess exceptional potential. In the future, they will undoubtedly be of use to your great cause."
"By great cause... you mean?"
Luna’s eyes narrowed.
Cain nodded.
"Surely, Lady Luna does not intend to remain a mere castle lord under Karelia’s command forever."
"Ahhh."
Tifa finally caught on and nodded.
"So these kids are... future allies?"
"Precisely."
"......."
Yes.
As Cain said, Luna had never once considered giving up her ambitions while in Karelia.
She had made a promise to Swen.
That if an opportunity presented itself, she would never let it slip away.
And in return, he had promised—
If she succeeded, he would come back to her.
Not a single day passed where she didn’t hear his voice from the day they parted.
"It would be best for them to stay in Lady Luna’s mansion and prepare for the future. Besides, you currently have no servants, do you? If you take these children in as attendants, it won’t raise suspicion."
As the lord of Tepello, Luna had inherited the grand estate of the former lord, Carlos.
But in that vast mansion, she had been living alone, without a single servant.
"But why me?" Luna questioned. "Wouldn’t they be better off staying with you, Cain? They are your relatives, after all."
Cain chuckled.
"I understand your concerns, Lady Luna. But I am an old man. I could drop dead as soon as next month."
"Please don’t say such things...!"
"Yeah, old man. That’s the biggest lie old folks tell—‘I’ve lived long enough, I should just drop dead.’ At the very least, you should live long enough to see Luna restore her country, don’t you think?"
Cain smirked.
"Well... I already consider my duty fulfilled, just by introducing these children to Lady Luna."
"Geez. I get that they’re your relatives, but just how talented are they for you to be this confident?"
"Tifa, you’ll understand in time," Cain said cryptically. "You’ll see what I mean soon enough."
Then, he turned back to Luna, bowing his head.
"Lady Luna, I ask that you take them in. Before anyone else does. I assure you—they will prove to be invaluable."
"......."
One day, she would have to leave Karelia’s army.
She would have to raise her own forces.
Having more people willing to follow her was nothing but a good thing.
Luna exhaled lightly before speaking.
"Everyone, please rise."
The kneeling children stood up.
She took slow steps toward Francis, the eldest among them.
"Francis."
"Yes, Lady Lunarian?"
"You may call me Luna. Think of me as your guardian. I look forward to working with you."
Francis hesitated, his face slightly flushed as he bowed his head.
He seemed awkward when dealing with women.
"Ah... Understood. I will do my best."
Luna then exchanged brief introductions with Charlotte and Violet.
Fortunately, they didn’t seem to have any reservations about her.
Cain watched her in silence, lost in thought.
"I had considered watching for a little longer... but no. Lady Luna is the only lord worthy of my service."
The children he had risked his life to protect—
Children who, like him, carried noble blood.
If they remained under Luna’s command,
Then in terms of legitimacy, they could rival even Serpina herself.
Serpina had maintained her tyranny with overwhelming legitimacy.
But if Luna had that same legitimacy... she could strike at Serpina’s very foundation.
The children didn’t realize it yet—
But their fate had already shifted drastically the moment they met Luna.
Originally, Cain would have hesitated until the very end.
He would have died without making a firm decision, only passing the children to Luna in his final moments.
But by fleeing with Luna from Zeilant and surviving in the south,
He had found the living cause he would support before his death.
The same was true for Tifa.
Had things followed their original course, she would have only stumbled upon mana through sheer coincidence years later.
But hearing rumors of "Swen the Magician"—
This chapter is updat𝓮d by freēwebnovel.com.
She had come to consider, far earlier, that magic might truly exist.
She was the only warrior-type commander with the potential to wield mana.
The timeline of her awakening had been accelerated.
A minor ruler of a weak nation, now a lord of one of the continent’s major powers.
A warrior who, sooner than expected, recognized the path of magic.
A veteran who, after much experience, found his chosen liege faster than anticipated.
All of this was possible because of one man—
Swen.
His very existence was revolutionizing the buildup of Luna’s return to power.
***
It had been a week since we arrived at Valharat Castle.
During that time, Airen and I had spent our days in rare peace.
"Do I tie it like this?"
"Yeah. Just like that. If you knot it here... it’s done. Three more left."
The first thing we did was build training dummies for Airen’s exercises.
The fact that the very first thing she set up in her room was a training scarecrow...
It was just so Airen that I couldn’t help but smile.
In our free time, we explored Valharat Castle together.
Compared to Arnel, it had its own unique charm,
And overall, it wasn’t a bad place to stay.
Considering that this castle was essentially a border fortress,
It made sense that the Aishus Army had maintained an iron grip on it.
There was always an underlying tension, but compared to the atmosphere in Kelstein,
Valharat felt far more peaceful.
For the first time in a long while,
I was experiencing an old, familiar emotion.
Peace.
It reminded me of my time in Luna’s army—
When the harvest season ended, and the air in Zeilant changed.
I remembered how Luna and I had danced together during our inspections.
And now, here in Valharat,
I was feeling that same tranquility—
With Airen.
"I wonder how she’s doing."
My journey from Brans to Aishus hadn’t provided me with an answer to the question:
"Can Lunarian Iniang truly unify the world?"
But despite that, I had no doubt she was out there, still moving forward.
"Spending time like this with Airen isn’t so bad."
I knew this peace wouldn’t last.
The Brans Army wasn’t stupid.
They would retaliate sooner or later.
But instead of wasting time worrying about what was to come,
I chose to savor the peace while it lasted.
Each day with Airen was fulfilling.
And then, around the tenth day—
Airen and I had just returned from a supply run,
having purchased tea leaves and other necessities.
And that was when—
"Huh?"
The back alley ahead was getting noisy.
"What is it, Swen?"
"Something over there is... bothering me."
A young woman, veiled,
Was surrounded by three large men.
Judging by their demeanor, they didn’t seem to know each other.
Even from a distance,
It was clear she was in distress.
"Thugs."
We were officers of the Aishus Army.
Which meant our casual stroll also served as an unofficial patrol.
If we had missed the situation, that was one thing.
But now that we had seen it,
Ignoring it wasn’t an option.
I approached them.
"What exactly do you think you’re doing?"