I hurried to the royal audience chamber, where Baranga Yuuri Aishers welcomed me warmly.
I knelt down and spoke in a respectful tone.
"I, Swen, have arrived at the royal castle as commanded by my lord."
"Swen! Welcome. It's been a while. How have you been?"
"I've been well, thanks to you."
"And Irene? Is she doing well? It's been some time since I've seen her face."
"Yes, that's right."
"I see. Still no news?"
"...Pardon?"
Wondering what she meant by that question, I looked up.
Yuuri was giggling as if she found something amusing.
"Just joking, just joking. But I do hope we hear some good news soon."
"..."
At that moment, I could somewhat guess what she was hinting at.
But I deliberately chose not to add anything to the conversation.
Fortunately, she soon moved on to the main topic.
"Good. I didn't call you here for nothing. I was hoping you could bring someone back for me."
"Someone, Your Majesty?"
At my question, Yuuri gave an awkward smile as if she were troubled.
"Well... you're the only one I can ask right now. The other generals are busy with their own tasks... Of course, I'm not saying you're doing nothing since you're already handling our requests."
"That's fine. I just want to know who I need to bring back."
"One of our officers has gone on a spiritual journey."
'Spiritual journey?'
Hearing that, I had an idea who she might be referring to.
"I'd like you to find her and ask her to come back. Tell her that I really miss her."
"Could you... give me a bit more detailed information?"
Yuuri nodded at my request.
"Her name is Anima Ingram. She's a truly valuable and cherished person in our army."
'I knew it.'
Anima Ingram.
The officer who served as the national strategist for the original Aishers army.
Ginor had mentioned that after she stepped down from her position as national strategist because of him, she went on a spiritual journey to improve herself.
'But why are they looking for her now?'
If it hadn't been a surprise, Ginor would have stepped down from his position as national strategist.
But since it was a surprise, he was still actively serving as the current national strategist.
It was a bit concerning that he wasn't by Yuuri's side right now, but at least he hadn't been dismissed.
"I'll tell you where she is. Find her and make sure to tell her that we need her help. Oh, and make sure to tell her this too."
Yuuri spoke in her most serious tone.
"Tell her I want to offer her the position of lord of Raclaine Castle, so she must return."
'I see.'
So the bait to lure her back is the position of castle lord.
While not as prestigious as national strategist, the position of castle lord was still desirable for those seeking power.
Some might even consider it a higher position than national strategist, as it allows one to wield authority similar to that of a lord in the absence of the actual ruler.
Though I didn't know much about her character, I thought that if she was the type to disappear just because she was removed from her position as national strategist, she might be tempted by the offer of becoming a castle lord.
"Is that all for my mission?"
"Yes. I'm sorry. You're already busy with requests from me and Ginor... I'll make sure you're well compensated for your expenses and efforts."
"That's really not necessary, but I'll accept it as a matter of courtesy."
"Hehe. Good."
Yuuri smiled slightly at my response.
She certainly wasn't the type of ruler who emphasized her position and lorded over others.
While she might not fit the typical image of a ruler in this era... she would have made a pretty good boss in the dimension I came from.
Is this what they call the irony of different eras?
"Well then, I'm counting on you, Swen."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
I nodded my head to show proper respect, then left the royal castle.
* * *
After Swen left.
Yuuri remained deep in thought for a long time, resting her chin on her hand.
'Anima...'
"Yuuri. We can do this. No, let me be precise. You can do this. And I will be your wings."
"Don't be afraid, Yuuri. Epinel, Emma, Erinandorf—they'll all naturally follow your decisions. You'll have to get used to it from now on."
"Let's definitely end this chaotic era with our own hands. Imagine red flags waving across the entire continent. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"
In her memories, Anima was a childhood friend who had instilled in her the mindset of a ruler when she herself lacked confidence.
On that day.
The day the Empire fell—the Fiviola Academy where she and Anima had studied also collapsed.
At that time, it was none other than Anima who saved her life from the brink of death.
"I think I still have many shortcomings, so I'm thinking of going on a spiritual journey to reflect on myself."
Shortcomings? Nonsense.
Even as she was, Anima was an indispensable person for the Aishers army.
At least, that's how Yuuri felt about her.
She wanted to go find her personally.
In fact, she had gone a few times.
But Anima never showed herself when Yuuri came in person.
Epinel, Erinandorf, Emma—none of them had been able to meet her either.
Perhaps Swen, who had never had any connection with her before, might be able to meet her.
'Come back, Anima...'
Yuuri let out a long sigh.
* * *
'Is this the place?'
This was halfway up a mountain not far from the Balhart territory.
It wasn't too far from where I had taken Reika for meditation last time.
Since I had come much deeper into the mountain than before, I found myself panting heavily as I barely managed to find my way here.
'It should be somewhere around here.'
According to Yuuri, there should be an old shack somewhere around here.
No matter how much I looked around, I couldn't see any sign of a house, let alone a human silhouette.
'Let's take a break...'
I sat down on a rock.
Reika had also mentioned feeling an enormous amount of mana in this area. As I was resting and thinking absently about whether this place was some kind of spiritual training ground or something...
'Huh?'
Beyond the trees, I spotted a small shack that had been hidden from view.
It was so well camouflaged that you could believe it was deliberately hidden in the middle of the mountain.
'No wonder I couldn't find it...'
I had thought about resting a bit longer, but since I'd found what I was looking for, I couldn't waste any more time.
I immediately got up and headed toward the shack.
Rustle, rustle.
As I walked through the grass, I soon found myself standing in front of the door.
I knocked on it slowly.
"Is anyone there?"
Feeling somewhat like a tax collector, I waited.
From beyond the door came a very fragile voice, like thin glass that would easily shatter if touched.
"...Who is it?"
"Are you perhaps Anima Ingram?"
At my question, there was a moment of silence.
"...Yes, I am."
"I've come here by the order of Lord Yuuri. I have a message for you, Anima."
"..."
After another long silence.
Finally, a small voice barely audible through the birdsong reached my ears.
"Please wait a moment."
A few minutes later.
The door finally opened.
And before me—Anima Ingram revealed herself.
Her brown bob haircut seemed somewhat disheveled.
Her eyes, though generally giving off a haggard impression, still had a certain clarity to them.
Her attire wasn't particularly unusual except for one part.
That exception was—her right arm, which was completely covered and hidden by something like a cloak.
"Were you sent by Yuuri?"
"Yes."
"I don't recognize your face... May I ask your name?"
"My name is Swen. I joined the Aishers army not too long ago."
"...I see."
She closed her eyes, then nodded and said:
"It's humble, but please come in."
*
The inside of her dwelling felt quite familiar to me.
On the worn-out floor of the room, which contained nothing of note, there was just a single blanket.
It reminded me of where I used to stay at Jeilant Castle. Definitely.
"You've come a long way, but I have nothing to offer you. I apologize."
"It's fine."
I calmly studied her face.
Though she wore a faint smile as she looked at me... she was definitely somewhat guarded.
Since my clothes bore the emblem of the Aishers army, she seemed to believe that I had been sent by Yuuri...
"Is Yuuri doing well?"
So Anima also speaks casually to her.
Well, since she seems to be one of the founding contributors, perhaps that's only natural.
"Yes. For now, at least."
"So, what did she tell Swen?"
"She said she would like Anima to help her again."
"Is that so."
Upon hearing this, Anima let out a small sigh and said:
"How is our army doing?"
"We recently succeeded in capturing Raclaine Castle."
"Is that so? It seems things are going well even without me."
I could read a strange emotion in her expression.
At first, I thought she might be doing something like insubordination because she had been removed from her position as national strategist—
But perhaps it wasn't that... she might be thinking that she had lost her place. And that place wasn't about power, or being in the leadership... but something deeper and more personal.
Though I couldn't summarize it in a single sentence, I couldn't read any desire for power in those empty eyes.
Given the Aishers army's emphasis on founding contributors, it was obvious that if I didn't bring her back now, someone would be sent again.
Climbing this mountain was quite challenging for me. I wanted to complete the mission in one go if possible.
I carefully opened my mouth.
"I don't think that's entirely true."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. Both our lord and many others, including General Epinel, General Emma, and General Erinandorf, miss you greatly. Though I haven't been with the army long enough to know exactly, it seems you played a crucial role in the Aishers army."
"Why do you think so?"
"That much is easy to notice even after a short stay. Your name comes up frequently."
Of course, I hadn't actually heard it mentioned, and this was just MSG I was sprinkling to make my case more convincing.
But in any case, if I could bring her back, I was sure the founding members of the Aishers army, including Yuuri, would be pleased.
"..."
Anima closed her eyes again after hearing my words.
"Everyone who has worked with you is eagerly waiting to work with you again. Won't you return with me?"
She remained silent once more.
This time, I didn't press her and simply watched her face silently, waiting for her to speak.
How much time had passed?
Finally, she parted her heavy lips.
"Swen, this might be sudden, but do you know why I wear this cloak?"
"The cloak?"
It seemed a bit out of the blue—
But sensing she was about to say something important, I responded in a serious tone.
"I'm not sure."
"It's nothing special."
She said that, then used her left hand to let the cloak covering her right arm fall to the floor.
And what entered my vision was—
"...!!"
Where her right arm should have been... there was nothing.
'One-armed?'
"If I startled you, I sincerely apologize."
"No, rather... how did this happen to you?"
"..."
Anima slowly opened her eyes.
Her light brown eyes were much clearer than before.
"It's nothing special. Just... our story, I suppose."
By "our," did she mean the Aishers army?
Come to think of it—the Aishers army had an unusually strong bond between Yuuri and the founding contributors.
Why did they act that way?
Perhaps this was an opportunity to find out.
Even though I planned to leave eventually, it wouldn't hurt to hear the story while I was still part of the army.
"Would you like to hear it?"
"As much as you'd like to tell me."
"..."
Anima looked at me, nodded once.
And finally, she began to tell me about 'what had happened.'