I was a bit taken aback by the unexpected female voice.
But checking again, this was indeed the house located on East Anel Street 32.
I slowly opened my mouth.
"I've come here by the order of my lord, Lady Lynn."
There was no immediate response to my words—
But soon enough, the door opened.
"..."
Before my eyes appeared a woman wearing what looked like a snow-white nightgown.
Skin so pale it seemed almost cold.
Long red hair.
Purple eyes.
I knew this woman's name.
'Irene Juliet.'
An S-rank warrior with the rare "Siege" specialty, known as both a "Female Knight" and "Master of Siege Warfare."
Her stats were exceptional, and her loyalty to her lord Lynn was so high that she would never betray her—
Yet ironically, her compatibility with Lynn Brands was nearly -100, meaning when the CPU controlled Lynn, Irene would almost certainly meet the tragic fate of being beheaded by the very lord she served so faithfully.
The only way to see her excel on the battlefield was for the player to choose Lynn and play the game themselves.
During my time with the Lunarian army.
When I went to Lynn Brands at Anel Castle as an envoy, it was Irene who had invaded Jeilant Castle.
Luna didn't show much reaction, but after returning and examining the situation, it wasn't hard to figure out.
If we had been a little later, Jeilant Castle would have fallen.
Considering that siege warfare requires more soldiers than defensive battles, she was certainly the best card the Brands army could play.
Despite being such a capable general—her fate was predetermined.
She was destined to be beheaded by the lord she served.
Thinking under the premise that 'Lynn and Irene are incompatible,' I could understand why I was sent to a place where a woman resided.
So... Lynn was treating Irene poorly.
Something like: Take in this new "male" general at your place. If you don't like it, what are you going to do about it?
It was hardly appropriate behavior toward a young female general of Irene's caliber.
Even though this world was basically a mix of medieval fantasy, common sense in these matters wasn't that different.
Irene blinked her large purple eyes—
Then, as if she had finished assessing the situation, she nodded and spoke.
It was impressive self-control not to sigh.
"You are the new arrival...?"
"Yes. My name is Swen. As of today, I'll be serving Lady Lynn Brands. My lord has ordered that I stay here as your roommate for the time being."
"I see."
She answered briefly and then stared at my face.
As a response, though it felt a bit odd to call it that, I observed her as well.
I couldn't tell from the dot graphics, but this woman... her chest size was truly no joke.
She had two mounds almost the size of her face.
If she had been wearing armor as usual, it might have been less noticeable, but now she was wearing comfortable clothing.
Her feminine figure was all the more pronounced.
'To fight with a chest that size must have been incredibly uncomfortable, yet she spread her fame far and wide until finally being called a female knight... what an amazing woman.'
As I was admiring her in a strange way, I added:
"...However, I didn't expect the resident here to be a woman. If it's uncomfortable for you, I'm fine staying at an inn, so please feel free to say so."
I was uncomfortable right away.
Living with a woman I'd never met before—what could be more tiresome than that?
But she shook her head.
"No. That's not necessary. If our lord has given an order, I shall follow it. You may come in."
"..."
Not wanting to waste time here, I slowly nodded and said:
"Then excuse me."
And so I came to live under the same roof as Irene Juliet.
A big city. A nice house. Living with a beautiful, well-endowed woman.
From a third person's perspective, it would seem like a stroke of incredible luck.
*
Irene's house was extremely simple.
Though she possessed strikingly beautiful looks—she was born a warrior through and through.
In spaces where an ordinary woman might have placed pretty furniture, there stood two practice dummies covered in countless sword marks.
Next to them were what appeared to be various unidentifiable devices for strength training.
There wasn't even a wardrobe; instead, a few sets of armor were roughly hung on the wall.
"Feel free to sit down."
I pulled out a chair at the table and sat down.
She prepared something in the kitchen, then came over with it and sat across from me.
What she placed down was hot tea and light snacks.
This world really had everything. That was to be expected, of course.
"If I had known you were coming, I would have prepared more... I apologize for the modest hospitality."
"Not at all. It's fine. I'm the one who showed up suddenly. By the way, do you always speak this way?"
"My manner of speech? Yes, I do..."
Since I always played from the lord's perspective in the game, I didn't know how subordinate generals like Irene spoke to those below them, but now I knew.
It felt like conversing with a stereotypical monarch.
Thinking about it more, it seemed like her speech pattern would be more fitting if switched with Lynn, the actual ruler.
She parted her pink lips and looked at me.
"My name is Irene Juliet. In private settings, you may call me 'Miss Irene' if you wish, so please don't feel too burdened."
"How could I dare address you so casually, Lady Irene? I prefer this way."
"Well, whatever makes you comfortable."
She said that and took a sip of tea.
"More importantly, Swen, I understand you were with the Lunarian army until recently, is that correct?"
"Yes."
"I heard that Lunarian abandoned you and fled."
"Yes. For some reason, she thought I was in collusion with Lady Lynn Brands. No matter how many times I explained, she wouldn't listen."
"..."
Irene remained silent for a moment after hearing this, then spoke as if she had made up her mind.
"I'm not skilled at beating around the bush, so I'll be frank. I find your story very difficult to believe."
"Is that so?"
I took a sip of tea and asked, as if it were no big deal:
"May I ask why?"
"Because the Lunarian I met is not the type of person who would act in such a petty manner."
"You may have met her, but... wasn't it just once when you came for battle?"
"That's right. But one can tell by looking into someone's eyes. She had the eyes of a true leader. She wasn't intimidated even in my presence. When our swords clashed, I felt the aura of a strong person."
Irene spoke with conviction.
"So I suspect this might be some kind of scheme. I apologize for saying this to your face so suddenly."
"It's fine. I've heard the same thing from our lord once before."
"Is that so? But why..."
She trailed off for a moment, then cut herself short.
"No. Please forget I asked."
"...Anyway, Lunarian has a weak personality unsuited for leadership. I'm not sure about her eyes, but as you said, she's not a person of firm resolve. For whatever reason, she had circumstances that made her suspicious of me, a newcomer... something like that, I suppose. It's not important anymore anyway."
"I see."
She closed her eyes and took a sip of tea, then looked at me and bowed her head slightly.
"In any case, I apologize for bringing this up as soon as we met. But if I hadn't asked, I would have felt uneasy and might have treated you unfairly without realizing it, so I hope you can forgive me with your generosity."
"How could I not? You are my superior, Lady Irene. We'll be living together for a while, and I agree that it's better to discuss these things in advance."
"Thank you for understanding."
Irene smiled at me for the first time.
She's pretty.
If Luna had a warm, sunlight kind of beauty, Irene had a fragile, pitiful kind of beauty.
'Wait.'
Will Irene ultimately... remain under Lynn and meet her fate of being killed by her?
'That would be a waste.'
Irene was one of the few S-rank generals. If I could get her to join our side, she would clearly be a tremendous help.
Of course, her loyalty to her lord was immense, but I couldn't just give up like this.
I needed to steadily build her favor toward me.
"Well then."
Irene stood up and pointed to a corner.
There was a single bed there.
"It's getting late, so we should probably go to sleep. You can use that bed."
There was only that one bed in this room.
And there weren't any other rooms connected to this one.
Which meant—there was nowhere else to sleep but that bed.
"What about you, Lady Irene...?"
"I'm fine sleeping on the floor. I don't want to make things difficult for a newcomer."
Normally, I would have politely declined with something like "No, really, I'm fine," but—
Perhaps due to my ridiculously low strength stat, I could feel my stamina depleting after walking from Jeilant Castle following the Brands army's procession.
It was fortunate that the large army moved slowly; if they had picked up the pace even a little, I would have fallen behind from exhaustion.
Wouldn't it be better to sleep on a bed than on the floor?
"...In that case, I gratefully accept your kindness."
"Think nothing of it."
Irene said that and smiled again.
Except for her manner of speech, she was truly an adorable woman.
The feeling was even stronger now that she was wearing normal clothes instead of armor.
I slowly headed toward the bed.
It wasn't an especially plush bed, but compared to the pitiful rag I could barely call a blanket where I used to stay, it was practically an angel's nest.
For some reason, it also had a strangely pleasant scent.
"Well then, good night."
"Good night to you as well."
Irene turned off the lantern and settled herself against a suitable spot.
I felt a bit sorry, but... recovering my body was the priority right now.
And so the first night of our cohabitation passed.
* * *
'...Hmm?'
When I regained consciousness—I was standing alone in an extremely unfamiliar place.
Looking around, I could easily tell it was a port town with beautiful colors: buildings with white brick walls and blue roofs.
'Where is this?'
I looked around with this fundamental question in mind.
There was no one.
Despite all the pretty buildings, there wasn't a single person living here to be seen.
It had an eerie atmosphere, like a movie set.
After wandering for a while and climbing a hill—
A plaza. I came upon a plaza overlooking the port town.
In the center of four pillars supporting a circular roof, "she" was sitting on a chair.
"...Swen."
I approached her.
Wearing a neat, snow-white dress, she looked at me with golden eyes.
Her dazzling golden hair fluttered in the wind.
The distinctive hairpin she wore caught my eye immediately.
She was beautiful. More than any woman I had ever seen.
"Swen. Come here."
As if enchanted by that voice... I slowly walked toward her.
But—I couldn't reach her.
The more I approached, the further away she seemed.
Eventually, the ground beneath me began to crumble.
Unable to reach her, I was falling helplessly.
Why?
Why am I... to ■■■■----------
* * *
"...Swen, are you alright? Swen, Swen! Open your eyes. Swen!"
Consciousness gradually returned.
What I recognized was the voice of my roommate, Irene, whom I had met yesterday.
I slowly opened my heavy eyelids.
'...A dream...?'
A dream.
If it was a dream, it was nothing short of a terrible nightmare.
Though I was in a half-dazed state, I could vividly feel the dampness along my spine.
As I opened my eyes and got past the stage of being dazzled by the sunlight coming through the window—
I began to gradually recognize the scene before my eyes.
'...?'
After a while.
The sight before me became clearer.
'Ha.'
And I—
Let out a short sigh, wondering if I was still dreaming.
...Irene was waking me up in her underwear, wearing nothing else, her snow-white skin fully exposed.