The men who had been harassing the woman turned their heads toward me, their eyes narrowing.
"Who the hell are you?"
"You know this girl or something?"
"Not particularly."
"Hah! Then don’t butt in and get lost."
One of them sneered, looking me up and down.
"Hey, boss, this guy’s got a pretty face. Doesn’t look like much of a man to me."
They all burst into laughter at their own joke.
Honestly, this was ridiculous.
Their lines were so stereotypically thuggish that I felt second-hand embarrassment just listening to them.
I let out a sigh and put on my most patient smile—
Hoping that, maybe, they’d just walk away if I didn’t push the issue.
"This is a warning. If you stop now and leave quietly, it’ll be in your best interest."
"What? Hah!"
One of them took a step closer.
"Trying to sound tough, huh? You think you’re a man just because you lower your voice like that? This is all your fault, you know that?"
The two behind him suddenly drew their swords.
"And the best you could come up with is a sword?"
"Damn right it is. Real steel, kid. And you’re gonna pay for mouthing off. Go ahead, call the guards if you want—let’s see whose side they take."
I exhaled.
"...I’ll pray for you."
Because the moment they drew their weapons—
They had already lost.
And then, the reason they could never win stepped forward.
"Hey."
Airen unsheathed her blade and strode toward them.
"Come at me all at once. This is a waste of time."
"Hah? Look at this, boss! A pretty lady carrying a sword?"
"Guess she’s this little lordling’s bodyguard? What, still clinging to some long-dead noble bloodline? The Empire fell years ago, kid. Bloodlines don’t mean shit anymore! The only thing that matters on these streets is strength!"
I ignored the thug’s ranting and turned to Airen.
"Let’s just get this over with. I’m starting to get annoyed."
"Understood."
New n𝙤vel chapters are published on freewebnovel.cσ๓.
"What? Annoyed? You arrogant little—"
"Kill him!"
The moment they shouted, they lunged at me all at once.
And—
*
They lost.
Of course, they did.
They never had a chance.
"P-please...! Spare me...!"
"M-my lord! Please! Have mercy just this once...!"
The same men who had been so eager to act tough were now on their knees, bowing so low their foreheads touched the dirt.
I let out a tired sigh and glanced at Airen.
"What do you think?"
"Just hand them over to the guards. Our lord would approve."
And sure enough, a patrol was already approaching, having noticed the commotion.
"L-lord?"
"Wait...! Y-you’re saying she has a lord?"
The color drained from their faces.
Ah.
From their perspective, they had just picked a fight with government officials.
To the citizens of Aishus, their leaders were essentially rulers in their own right.
No wonder they were terrified.
"P-please...!"
One of them suddenly scrambled to his feet, trying to run—
But Airen swiftly kicked his legs out from under him, sending him crashing back down.
"Where do you think you’re going? You’ll have plenty of time to think about your actions in prison."
"Gh...! Guhhh...!"
With that, we handed them over to the guards.
Airen took care of it effortlessly—
Clearly experienced with this kind of thing.
Now that I thought about it... this was basically patrol duty, wasn’t it?
Given her strength, it made sense she’d handle it well.
Do self-directed patrol accomplishments still count as official merits?
As I absentmindedly pondered that, I suddenly remembered—
The reason I’d stepped in, to begin with.
I turned toward the woman who had been trembling this entire time.
"You’re safe now. It’s over. You can relax."
"Uh... ah... ahh...."
She slowly lifted her head.
And for the first time, I saw her face beneath the veil.
"...Huh?"
Pink hair.
Pale pink eyes, just a shade lighter than her hair.
There was only one character in this game with pink hair.
"...Reika?"
Reika.
Anyone who had played Garland Eternity Saga deeply enough would never forget that name.
Because she wasn’t just any character.
She was the first mage in history—
And the strongest mage in the entire continent.
Within the classic gaming community, "Pink Demon" had long been synonymous with overpowered.
I mentally visualized her old pixel sprite.
Yeah.
The resemblance was there.
Although, the real-life Reika was far prettier than her in-game counterpart.
(Not that it was surprising—nearly every female officer I’d met had been more beautiful than their sprites.)
But...
Why the hell is Reika here?
As far as I remembered, her rise to prominence came much later in the game.
At this point in the timeline, she was supposed to be an orphan, wandering aimlessly.
But judging by her clothing—
She didn’t look like a lost orphan at all.
If anything, she looked like the daughter of a noble house.
"U-um..."
"Ah."
Only then did I realize—
I had been staring at her.
"Apologies. Are you alright?"
"Y-yes... um... uh, th-thank... thank you...!"
She nodded timidly, her voice barely above a whisper.
Oh.
She was shy.
That was new.
In the game, personality differences weren’t really a thing—
All officers just repeated their generic recruitment lines.
Airen spoke next.
"Are you alright?"
"Y-yes! Y-yes...! Th-thank you very much...!"
Her eyes darted around, filled with panic.
And now that I took a closer look—
The veil, her behavior...
She was hiding something.
Was she running from someone?
My mind raced.
If she really is Reika, then I need to make sure we cross paths again.
The first and strongest mage in the continent.
A mage that Luna’s army would desperately need.
I had no idea why she was here—
But if I could convince her to join me before she made a name for herself...
That would be a game-changer.
I had to act carefully.
So, I lowered my head slightly—
And asked the most natural question I could.
"Miss, may I ask for your name?"
"Ah... I am... Reika Nighhardt."
"...Huh?"
Reika? Good.
But... Reika Nighhardt?
That wasn’t right.
The Reika I knew had no surname.
She was an orphan.
And the name Nighhardt—
That sounded familiar.
I couldn’t quite recall why, but...
I knew I had heard that name before.
Either way.
This was her.
This was Reika.
The future greatest mage in the world.
And now that I knew that—
There was only one logical course of action.
"Miss Reika. We are officers of the Aishus Army, currently patrolling for the sake of public safety."
I gave her my most polite smile.
"If it’s alright with you, I would like to escort you safely back to your residence—quietly, away from prying eyes."
"......!"
There was a reaction to the words "We will escort you quietly."
Should I shake the bait a little more?
"You don’t need to feel burdened. Maintaining the safety of the people in the territory is practically our reason for existing."
"That’s right. There’s no need to be so wary."
Fortunately, Airen, who was beside me, followed up on my words.
I felt it every time, but it was incredibly reassuring how she always matched my pace at decisive moments.
"Is... that so...?"
Reika hesitated as she watched my expression. Then, after seeming to consider something, she slowly nodded.
"Then... p-please."
Is she just naturally shy?
When I controlled Reika in the game, all I did was fling magic around. I had no idea what kind of person she actually was, so seeing this side of her was unexpectedly refreshing.
As we let her lead the way and followed behind, she constantly glanced around, as if wary of her surroundings.
Is there some kind of situation?
I wanted to ask her in detail, but pushing too hard at a first meeting could ruin things.
First impressions should be as natural as possible.
There was no need to rush.
I was going to be stationed in the Aishus Army for the time being, and if she lived in this castle, there would be plenty more opportunities to meet.
Not long after following her lead, we arrived at a rather large mansion with a vast courtyard.
"T-this... this is the place."
She lives somewhere really nice, huh?
I had guessed as much from her expensive-looking clothes, but it seemed that, in this timeline, Reika wasn’t an orphan.
Had she been adopted into a wealthy family?
I offered a simple farewell.
"We will increase patrols to prevent such incidents from occurring again. Please take care of yourself."
"Y-yes...! A-and... t-thank you both so much. Then...!"
After Reika entered the mansion, Airen finally turned to me with a question.
"Swen. Do you know her?"
"No. This is our first time meeting."
I did know her, but since I had never seen her face in person before, it wasn’t exactly a lie.
"Is that so? It felt like you were dealing with someone familiar."
...You’re sharper than I expected, Airen.
"But still, Swen, I see you in a new light."
"Huh?"
"Even when things like that happen on the streets, most people would just ignore them and walk away. But you didn’t."
Airen spoke in a rather impressed tone before continuing with enthusiasm.
"Good. As I thought, I must always stay by your side."
"Why exactly does it lead to that conclusion?"
"Because if I weren’t there, you might have gotten hurt."
"......."
Honestly.
If it had come down to a physical fight with those thugs... I would have lost.
Sure, I had spoken confidently because I was an officer in the Aishus Army, but at least half of that confidence came from knowing that Airen would protect me.
"I'm just happy that I could be of help to you. Fufu."
Airen kept laughing, clearly enjoying herself.
Does helping me really make her that happy?
"Shall we head back?"
"Yes. It’s been a while since I’ve had a cup of tea. How about we enjoy one together?"
"That sounds good to me."
And so, I returned to our new home with Airen.
—
"Lady Reika. I’ll keep quiet about you sneaking out, but you must never do something like this again. If the master finds out, there will be serious trouble. Understood?"
"......."
After returning home, Reika apologized to the head maid several times before heading back to her room.
Lying on her bed, hugging her pillow, she fell into deep thought.
She had snuck out despite her adoptive father’s strict orders, but she never expected to run into a bunch of thugs.
She could have handled those lowlifes with her name alone, but that would have exposed the fact that she had left the estate.
And in that helpless moment—she had met him.
He was... really handsome...
The silver-haired man who had saved her.
And the red-haired woman standing beside him had left just as strong an impression.
Seeing a woman take down thugs in a single strike—it was breathtaking.
Both of them were practically the ideal man and woman she had imagined in her head.
If they’re part of the Aishus Army... would I be able to meet them again if I asked my adoptive father?
But the moment she thought about it, exhaustion crept over her.
Her adoptive father would never grant a personal request unrelated to her training.
She knew full well that living in this grand estate, never having to worry about food, was thanks to him.
But being confined like a bird in a cage was suffocating.
She never wanted to return to her past life, where she had nearly starved to death countless times... yet, even that conviction was starting to waver.
Wandering the streets may have been difficult, but at least I was free.
"For now, focus solely on refining your mana without any outside distractions. When the time is right, I will lift the restrictions on your outings. Understood?"
She replayed her adoptive father’s words in her mind.
She understood that controlling her mana was vital.
If this power could bring peace to the continent, she would gladly devote herself to mastering it.
But...
Being alone was unbearably lonely.
Spending every moment sensing the invisible threads of mana floating in the air—her life felt dull and tiresome.
...I wish I could meet them again.
But with nothing to fill the emptiness inside her, all she could do was make another wish she knew wouldn’t come true.
***
Three weeks passed.
"Are you ready?"
"Yes."
Airen and I woke up early, preparing to head to the royal capital.
Our first official meeting as members of the Aishus Army.
It was, in a way, our debut.
"Let’s walk together, side by side, Airen. Confidently, for all to see."
Airen smiled as she caught my meaning.
"Of course, Swen."
And so, making it as clear as possible that we were together—
We set off toward Valharat Castle.