I Tried To Be Her Loyal Sword

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221st Chapter

“…So, it’s a spy.”

I nodded, trying to sort out my chaotic feelings.

An invasion was a headache enough, but an internal enemy? It was just piling on the troubles, yet it wasn’t shocking since I had expected it.

The North boldly captured the House of Cypros, invading all the way to the Emperor’s Imperial Palace. The Atara couldn’t possibly be untouched.

“If it’s just a mere servant disguised to infiltrate, it wouldn’t need to be taken this seriously. But it seems it’s not that simple. From what I tracked, among the information passed to the North, there were details unknown to anyone who isn’t an Atara noble.”

“That’s…”

“Yes. There’s a high possibility that one of the nobles is colluding with the North.”

‘Zigmund, that bastard… I always thought he had the makings for trouble since childhood, but I never imagined it would come to this.’

I pressed my throbbing temples. I couldn’t predict how far the North’s reach extended.

It would be nice to glean some clues from the original work, “Night of the Fairies,” but unfortunately, such details weren’t recorded.

‘Wasn’t it around this time in the original story that the love line between Aria and Kal began to form in earnest?’

I barely retraced my memories from the original story, glancing at the two people across from me.

“Xl_? Xl_-） -] 즈흐 O O X

‘ ■ • ■ ■ ■ • ■ 三기 才丄 1 ■ ■ ■ •

(Do you like it? I said, do you like it. You should have rejected it.)”

“……Cough, I said I was sorry.”

Could it be that accepting Lewellyn was so vexing for her? Aria whispered and fiercely pinched Kal’s side.

Seeing Kal struggling to stifle a groan while Aria tightened her grip on his hand made me question the credibility of the original work.

That was no love, but a very generous display of spite.

‘Moreover, since the original Kashmir didn’t turn into a mercenary… This world has been diverging from the original for quite some time.’

I initially thought the divergence began from the moment I begged Caesar upon carrying the dying Aria to the Duke’s mansion. But now I realized the original had gone off course long ago.

If the original Kashmir didn’t become the mercenary Mir, then he wouldn’t have met Karasho. And that means Zigmund wouldn’t have met either.

‘Are the Zigmunds of the original and the present the same person?’

I wondered what the Zigmund who hadn’t met me was like. Did I influence him in any way?

I hoped so.

He had left an indelible scar on me, but if I was nothing more than a passing thought to him, would that not be incredibly unfair?

“Although Atara also realized there’s a spy and is working on identifying him, he hasn’t been pinpointed yet, so be careful when you go. Don’t trust just anyone. Just because someone asks for help doesn’t mean you should help them all.”

Lewellyn looked quite worried, like someone sending a five-year-old child out alone in a small boat toward a waterfall. It seemed he was particularly concerned about my trusting nature.

I grumbled internally that I wasn’t that naive, yet I obediently nodded.

The truth was, I did tend to trust people too easily. That was a lesson painfully learned from my experiences with Zigmund.

“…Thank you for letting me know, Dekard, Young Lady.”

Aria, who had been listening to the conversation, slowly opened her lips. Her voice wasn’t loud, but I was sure everyone gathered at the table could hear.

I looked at Aria wide-eyed.

“Because of your advice, I think my sister will be a bit safer.”

It must have been exceedingly difficult for Aria, with her competitive nature, to express sincere gratitude to a rival, yet here she was, doing that because of me.

I stared at her deep green eyes. I noticed a soft gleam passing through Lewellyn’s gaze.

Her rose-petal-like red lips curled gently upwards.

“I also wish for Kashmir’s safe return. You don’t have to thank me.”

Her nose scrunched playfully.

“And even if you say such pretty things, I won’t be handing over the business of transporting black tea to Chardonnay to you.”

“Do I look like someone who would give false thanks for that kind of thing?”

For a moment, the atmosphere between the two seemed to brighten, but as expected, dissonance soon arose. I couldn’t help but chuckle at the squabbling Lewellyn and Aria.

The two were perfectly suited as good-natured rivals. They didn’t seem to genuinely hate each other.

“Shushu. I have something for you before you head to Atara. If there’s a spy there, this will be very useful.”

Having seemingly watched the two for a moment, Kal pulled a small box from his pocket and handed it to me.

I took the box and turned it around in my hands.

Inside the small box, I could hear a tiny something rolling. Concentrating on sensing its energy, I felt no signs of life.

‘It’s not a person. Thank goodness.’

I let out a sigh of relief. Logically, a person couldn’t possibly fit inside such a small box, but I couldn’t shake the worry that Kal might have found a way to do it with magic.

Having just received the shocking gift of a neatly ribboned Julian from El, I would be grateful for anything, even if it was a mechanical device that read the scriptures of the Sun God’s teachings.

“This is something Kal Crisis and I have been working on for you since a long time ago. Hearing that you’re going, we quickly finished it. It’s a prototype, so it’s a bit unstable, but it won’t cause any errors.”

Aria leaned in excitedly, speaking in a bright voice. I tilted my head, curious, as I lifted the lid.

“What is this…?”

Inside the box lay a smooth, black object the size of a pebble. It was perfectly sized to be held in the hand.

Though I could strongly feel the magic from Kal and Aria, I couldn’t guess its use just by looking at it.

Kal smiled confidently.

“It’s a people detector.”

“A people detector?”

“Yes. It’s a magical tool that detects whether someone is trustworthy or not because you’re so susceptible to people.”

“Can it really do that?”

I blinked widely. I had never heard of anything like it.

As I fiddled with the magical tool in my hand, Aria tilted her head victoriously.

“Actually, rather than confirming that someone is trustworthy, it’s more about stacking dozens of mind magic and detection magic to catch the culprits, but still, it might be useful at times. If you stand in front of someone you should never trust, the device will vibrate.”

‘When two geniuses team up, they can come up with something, huh?’

I stared at the magical tool for a while before carefully placing it in my pocket. Here, I could feel the strong magic from Kal and Aria, so I thought it would be nice to hold it sometimes when I missed them.

“Thank you. I’ll be sure to use it well.”

I flashed a bright smile. More than the usefulness of the item, I was simply pleased that the two had put so much effort into it for me.

“And promise me one thing, sister.”

Aria met my gaze directly. Her eyes were ablaze with determination.

“When you return safely from Atara, I’ll be going to the next battlefield too.”

My heart sank.

It had already been a concluded discussion, and I had said I would respect Aria’s choice, yet the very notion of her going to war still felt unreal.

In truth, I still wanted to urge her not to go. I wanted to beg her to stay in a safe place.

But I also knew she wouldn’t listen.

“…Alright. Let’s go together.”

If she had to go to war, it was better to have her beside me. So that I could continue to watch over and help her.

“That’s all I needed to hear.”

Aria tightly grasped my hand. Her once small and soft hand had grown, its contours more defined.

Her sky-blue eyes still held concern, yet they also showed a trust she had for me.

“Go and come back safe. I’ll be waiting.”

‘Have a good trip. I’ll make sure to protect the home.’

That farewell reminded me of Aria, who had seen me off when I ventured into danger as a mercenary. I felt my heart ache, as it always felt like I was doing nothing but wrong by Aria.

I suppressed the pain and managed to smile.

“Yeah. I’ll be back.”

Wherever she was, that was my home.

My answer was always the same.

The day the reinforcements departed for Atara dawned. I packed light—though it would be for an extended period, being a mercenary, I was used to camping and quickly packed my belongings—and headed to the Imperial Palace.

“Hello. I’m Jonathan Aimery, the adjutant who’ll be working under Lord Crisis during the deployment period.”

“Nice to meet you.”

I looked at the somewhat familiar man with black hair and eyes, a rather stoic appearance, as he extended his hand for a shake.

I had heard I would have an adjutant, but it felt strange to be receiving one after having been an adjutant just a while ago.

“I’ve heard you aren’t accustomed to administrative tasks.”

“I’m only familiar with actual combat and military orders.”

“I was appointed as your adjutant to assist you in that regard. Just give me your commands and I’ll carry them out. Don’t worry about it.”

Jonathan spoke rigidly.

His face bore no trace of emotion and his mannerisms were mechanical; I could believe he was a magical tool meant for adjutancy. Though such a thing didn’t exist.

‘Moreover, he doesn’t seem to like me much.’

I, who was accustomed to all kinds of malice, could instantly feel it. Jonathan Aimery was unsettled by my presence.

‘He probably finds it hard to accept a newcomer like me, someone suddenly popping up.’

After reflecting on the explanations I had heard about Jonathan, I managed to convince myself.

In his eyes, I would look like an undeserved parachutist. Perhaps many would view me that way.

‘It’s up to me to make them trust me.’

It was my responsibility to prove myself, not to blame them. I smiled broadly and shook his hand.

“I’ve heard you’re quite capable. I look forward to working with you.”

“…I look forward to it as well.”

Jonathan replied with reluctance as I released his hand. His pitch-black eyes—indistinguishable between pupil and iris—briefly scanned me before diverting away.

I didn’t mind much and made my way toward the assembly point. He followed me like a shadow.

Since it was quite a distance to Atara, moving all the reinforcements via teleportation in one go was unfeasible.

Traveling via a combination of teleportation and walking would take about three days.

To prevent risks with the forces moving together, half the troops would head out first as an advance party, while the other half with myself included would follow as the rear party. I received word yesterday that the advance party had reached halfway to their destination.

I glanced back at Jonathan.

“Are you planning to go dressed like that?”

“Yes?”

“The province we’ll reach first is quite cold. I recommend packing at least a fur coat.”

Our first stop was in the North. Jonathan’s thin coat wouldn’t do the job there.

He blinked momentarily, and before long, the assembly site came into view. Countless soldiers fixed their gazes on me.

Everyone was waiting for my orders. I had to issue commands to them.

That realization pressed heavily against my chest like a rock, but I only smiled wider. To show no signs of fear or hesitation.

“Greetings.”

I mirrored the mannerisms of the leaders I had seen so far. I thought of Helios’s light-hearted seriousness, Noah’s gentle charisma, and Caesar’s overwhelming majesty.

I poured all those qualities into my unwavering voice.

“I am Kashmir Crisis, your commander.”

Now, I had to lead these troops.