I was slightly taken aback by the unexpected voice of a woman.

    But after double-checking, this was indeed the correct house on East Arnel, Street 32.

    I slowly opened my mouth to speak.

    "I have come here under the orders of my lord, Lady Lyn."

    There was no immediate response—

    But after a brief silence, the door finally opened.

    "......."

    Before me stood a woman wearing what appeared to be a simple white nightgown.

    Pale skin, as white as frost.

    Long red hair cascading down her shoulders.

    Violet eyes that gleamed in the dim light.

    I knew this woman’s name.

    Airen Juliet.

    A warrior known as both a knight and a siege specialist, thanks to her rare [Siege] trait—an S-rank ability that made her unparalleled in the art of castle warfare.

    Her combat stats were exceptional, and her loyalty to her lord, Lyn Brans, was absolute. She would never betray her.

    And yet, ironically, Airen was fated to die by Lyn Brans''s own hands.

    Their compatibility score in the game was nearly -100—so much so that whenever the CPU controlled Lyn, Airen would almost always meet a tragic end, executed by the very ruler she had devoted her life to serving.

    The only way for players to truly utilize Airen’s talents was by personally selecting Lyn and manually altering their fate.

    Back when I was still with Lunarian’s Army, Airen had led the Brans Army’s siege against Zeilant Castle while I was away as an envoy.

    Lunarian didn’t show it at the time, but had I returned even slightly later, the castle would have fallen.

    Given how siege warfare required far more troops than standard defensive battles, Airen had undoubtedly been Brans Army’s best possible choice.

    Despite her immense talent, her fate was already sealed.

    Airen Juliet was destined to die by the hand of the lord she served.

    The thought made it easy to understand why I had been sent here.

    "Lyn and Airen have an inherently bad relationship."

    That alone explained everything.

    Lyn was simply mistreating Airen.

    She had essentially dumped me here, saying:

    "Take in this new ''male'' officer as your roommate. What, you don’t like it? What are you going to do about it?"

    It was blatant mockery.

    This wasn’t the kind of treatment a promising young female general should receive.

    Even in this medieval-fantasy world, the basics of etiquette and respect hadn’t changed that much.

    Airen blinked her large violet eyes.

    Then, as if she had already figured everything out, she nodded.

    She didn’t even sigh.

    Her self-restraint was remarkable.

    "You must be the new recruit...?"

    "Yes. My name is Swen. As of today, I serve Lady Lyn Brans. My lord has ordered me to reside here as a roommate for the time being."

    "I see."

    Her response was short and to the point.

    She then silently studied my face.

    It felt odd to call it returning the favor, but I decided to examine her as well.

    I hadn’t fully realized it in the game’s pixel graphics, but this woman—

    Her chest was insanely large.

    She was carrying two things that were practically the size of her own head.

    If she had been wearing armor, it might not have been so noticeable.

    But right now, dressed in loose, comfortable clothes, her figure was impossible to ignore.

    "How the hell did she manage to fight on the battlefield carrying those around? And she still earned the title of ‘Knight’? That’s actually impressive."

    I couldn’t help but admire her in a strange way.

    After a moment, I decided to clarify something.

    "...I did not expect the resident here to be a woman. If this arrangement makes you uncomfortable, I can stay at an inn instead. Please speak freely."

    To be honest, I was the one feeling uncomfortable.

    Living with a woman I barely knew?

    That was bound to be a hassle.

    But Airen shook her head.

    "No. It is fine. If my lord has given an order, I shall follow it. You may enter."

    "......."

    I didn’t want to waste time arguing, so I nodded.

    "Then, excuse me."

    And just like that, I ended up living under the same roof as Airen Juliet.

    A large city. A fine house. A beautiful, well-endowed roommate.

    To an outsider, this might have looked like overnight success.

    *

    Airen’s home was incredibly simple.

    She had an elegant face and an almost regal presence—

    But at her core, she was a warrior.

    Where most women might have decorated their homes with fancy furniture, Airen had—

    Two training dummies covered in blade marks.

    Which meant—there was nowhere else to sleep except for that bed.

    "And you, Lady Airen...?"

    "I''ll sleep on the floor. I don’t want to make things difficult for a newcomer."

    Normally, I would have said, "No, really, I’m fine," and refused, but—

    Given my absurdly low physical strength, I was already exhausted from walking all the way from Zeilant to join Brans Army.

    If the march had been any faster, I probably would have collapsed along the way.

    Sleeping on a bed was obviously better than the floor.

    "...In that case, I gratefully accept your kindness."

    "Think nothing of it."

    She smiled again.

    Her manner of speech aside, she was actually a rather charming woman.

    Seeing her in regular clothes instead of armor made it even more noticeable.

    I slowly made my way to the bed.

    It wasn’t that soft, but compared to the pathetic excuse for a blanket I had back at Zeilant, this was nothing short of a heavenly sanctuary.

    For some reason, it even smelled oddly nice.

    "Good night, then."

    "Sleep well, Lady Airen."

    She extinguished the lantern and settled into a comfortable position against the wall.

    I felt a little guilty, but—right now, recovering my strength was my top priority.

    And so, my first night living with Airen Juliet came to an end.

    ***

    ...Huh?

    When I regained consciousness—I found myself standing in an unfamiliar place.

    I looked around.

    The surroundings consisted of white brick walls and blue rooftops—a beautiful coastal town.

    "Where... am I?"

    The question weighed heavily in my mind as I scanned my surroundings.

    There was no one here.

    The town was filled with picturesque buildings, yet not a single person was in sight.

    It felt eerily empty—like a deserted film set.

    I wandered through the empty streets, climbed a hill, and eventually arrived at a plaza.

    A plaza that overlooked the entire harbor town.

    At the center of the plaza, beneath four stone pillars supporting a domed roof, she was sitting.

    "......Swen."

    I stepped closer.

    She wore a simple white dress, pristine and elegant.

    Golden eyes blinked at me.

    Sunlight caught in her golden hair, making it shimmer in the wind.

    And that hairpin—

    It stood out, unmistakably unique.

    She was—beautiful.

    More beautiful than any woman I had ever seen.

    "Swen. Come here."

    Her voice was like a siren’s call.

    As if hypnotized, I slowly walked toward her.

    But—I couldn''t reach her.

    The closer I got, the further away she felt.

    And then, the ground beneath me—collapsed.

    I plunged downward, unable to grasp anything.

    Why?

    Why... can''t I... reach... ■■■■—

    ***

    "Swen, are you alright? Swen, Swen! Wake up!"

    Consciousness returned, slowly.

    The first thing I recognized was—the voice of my new roommate, Airen.

    I sluggishly opened my heavy eyelids.

    ...A dream?

    Was it... just a dream?

    If so, it was one hell of a nightmare.

    I was still in a half-dazed state, but my back was soaked with sweat.

    As my eyes adjusted to the sunlight streaming through the window—

    The room came into focus.

    And then—

    Hah.

    I let out a short breath.

    For a brief moment, I genuinely wondered if I was still dreaming.

    Because—right before me—

    Airen Juliet, clad in nothing but her undergarments, was leaning over me, shaking me awake.