No matter how many times I came here, I could never quite get used to the vastness of Arnel Castle.

    Even before reaching the royal palace, the sheer grandeur of the decorations lining both sides of the road was enough to make me feel overwhelmed.

    When I arrived at the castle gates, the guards stopped me.

    "State your business."

    "I''m Swen. The lord has summoned me."

    I showed them the Brans family emblem on my clothes as proof.

    The guard examined it before lowering his stance, saluting me respectfully.

    "My apologies! Please, enter at once."

    The guards had the same emblem engraved on their armor, but was there some mark distinguishing higher ranks? I should ask Airen about it later.

    With that thought in mind, I stepped into the royal palace.

    Walking past the red carpet, I made my way toward the audience chamber where the lord resided.

    As soon as I entered, Lyn spotted me from her throne and raised her hand.

    "Swen, you''re here? Come this way."

    I walked forward and knelt down among several others who had already gathered, offering my formal greeting.

    "Swen, answering my lord’s summons."

    "Yes, yes. You’ve come at the right time."

    I took a brief glance at those kneeling beside me.

    One man and two women.

    Two of them were unfamiliar, but one I recognized immediately.

    ''Airen?''

    Had she been summoned as well?

    Lyn rarely called for Airen unless it was something important, which naturally piqued my curiosity.

    "Alright, looks like everyone’s here now."

    It seemed I was the last to arrive.

    We all answered Lyn in unison.

    "Yes, my lord!"

    "Good."

    Lyn crossed one leg over the other, tapping her fingers rhythmically against the armrest of her chair before speaking.

    "Starting today, you’ll all march to Kelstein Castle with a force of ten thousand soldiers."

    "Kelstein Castle, my lord?"

    The man beside me spoke up.

    He was fairly young, but since his name wasn’t in my mental database, he was probably just an average officer.

    In this game, C- and D-rank commanders all looked practically identical, like they were stamped from the same mold.

    "That’s right. The vanguard... will be led by Airen."

    "I shall carry out your orders."

    Lyn, seemingly satisfied with Airen’s response, grinned and continued in an exaggerated tone.

    "Originally, these troops were meant to be used in the campaign against Valharat Castle. But well... Airen, it’s rare for you to make requests like this, isn’t it? I can’t give you as many troops as you wanted, but this much should be enough. Go ahead and prove yourself. I’m giving you an opportunity, after all."

    She spoke with a smile, acting as though she were being generous—

    But anyone with half a brain could hear the underlying barbs in her words.

    Yet, Airen showed no sign of displeasure.

    Instead, she bowed even lower, speaking in a resolute tone.

    "Yes! Thank you very much. I will make sure to achieve victory."

    "Good. Now then... hmm."

    Lyn’s gaze, which had been on Airen, finally turned toward me.

    "Swen. Look up."

    I slowly lifted my head.

    Her blue eyes scanned me as if assessing my worth before she smiled brightly.

    "I wanted to give you more troops, but I couldn’t. You understand, don’t you? I can’t just accept every suggestion without proper justification. But still, since you insisted, I figured there must be something to it. So, if you can, I’d like you to prove it this time."

    I see.

    I was beginning to understand why she had called both me and Airen.

    She must have been bothered by the suggestion I made during the last strategy meeting—the proposal to send troops to Kelstein Castle and strike the northern territories.

    It must have lingered in her mind, enough for her to act on it now.

    Still...

    If an uprising was brewing, even combining our forces with the northern garrisons might not be enough.

    But that wasn’t my concern.

    "I will do my best."

    I put on the most loyal expression I could muster and bowed my head deeply once more.

    Lyn seemed pleased with my response. She smiled for a while before finally standing up and stretching out her hand.

    "Alright, you’re leaving immediately. I’ve made all the arrangements, so just head out as soon as you’re ready. Your current assignments are suspended. Now go and bring back some results."

    "Yes, my lord!"

    We all bowed to Lyn before quickly making our way out of the palace.

    "I’ll give you all an hour to prepare. We’ll meet at the north gate before departure."

    With that, Jack and Silin left first, while Airen and I returned home to get ready for the long journey ahead.

    For me, the most important preparation was packing the maps I had drawn of the northern territories during my spare time.

    I wasn’t sure if they’d come in handy, but I had drawn them anyway, so I might as well bring them along.

    Kelstein Castle.

    The very same fortress that once saved Lunarian’s forces from the northern invasion—

    Inside, seated on the lord’s throne, was a man whose face I had seen before.

    Rashion, the lord of Kelstein Castle.

    "Airen Juliet, along with three others. By the lord’s command, we have arrived at Kelstein Castle with a force of ten thousand."

    "You’ve arrived, General Airen. I’ve been expecting you."

    Rashion, still seated, spoke in a tone of mild dissatisfaction.

    "I appreciate the reinforcements... however, unless an emergency arises or our lord issues a direct order, my men and I will remain focused on defense. We might be able to send some support to General Carlints'' stronghold, but as of now, there are no plans for an offensive. I trust you’ll keep that in mind."

    Rashion was one of the few who had been close enough to witness my discussion with Parfalle.

    Since the one who had initially proposed this plan—Airen—had arrived with troops, it was only natural for him to suspect some connection to the idea of a northern invasion.

    She could have easily stated that the plan was mine rather than hers—

    But instead, she simply nodded and answered,

    "Understood. We will await orders."

    "Good. I would appreciate it if things remained quiet for now... Talk of invasion is nonsense."

    Rashion clicked his tongue in disapproval before shifting his gaze toward me.

    Even if he stared all he wanted, he wouldn’t find anything useful.

    "I heard from the lord that your group is not formally assigned to Kelstein Castle. You won’t be given any specific duties here. Rest while you can—I’ll summon you if needed. Just make sure to stay out of trouble."

    ""Yes, my lord!""

    With that, the brief audience ended.

    As we stepped out of the castle, Jack let out a short sigh.

    "Whew... Rashion really is as intimidating as they say."

    "I want to go back to Arnel Castle already..."

    Silin nodded in agreement, but I couldn’t help but disagree.

    Intimidating?

    This was Rashion—the same Rashion who, if captured as a prisoner and recruited, would always join without fail? The most notorious turncoat in Garland Eternity Saga?

    "Rashion... no, Lord Rashion has a fearsome reputation?"

    "Oh, right. Swen, you’re still new, so you might not know. Kelstein Castle is always embroiled in warfare, so the discipline here is a lot harsher than in other strongholds. It’s not exactly a desirable post for officials."

    "I see..."

    This sounded less like a military problem and more like the grievances of overworked bureaucrats.

    Sensing the mood, Airen changed the subject.

    "I’ll arrange rooms at a nearby inn. As Lord Rashion said, we are free to move about for now. You’ve all been working hard, so take this time to rest."

    "Oh, in that case, I’d like to visit the market for a bit. I have some things to take care of."

    "Me too. Would that be alright?"

    "Of course. Just mention my name at the inn later, and they’ll prepare a room for you."

    With that, Jack and Silin left.

    So, we’re free to move around for now... But if my suspicions are correct—

    Something was bound to happen soon.

    I stepped closer to Airen.

    "Hm?"

    "Airen. I believe it would be wise to have our ten thousand soldiers remain on standby for deployment at any moment."

    "......!"

    She scanned our surroundings briefly before speaking.

    "You think we’ll have to mobilize?"

    "Yes. Most likely."

    "...Hmm."

    "It’s just a precaution. If nothing happens, then that’s that. But it doesn’t hurt to be prepared, does it?"

    That’s right.

    I wasn’t asking her to march them out immediately—just to make sure they were ready.

    "Understood."

    I stepped away from her.

    Of course, ten thousand men wouldn’t be nearly enough to handle a large-scale rebellion—

    But I wanted Airen to know that her instincts weren’t wrong.

    The real problem comes after this...

    And so, for now, we settled into our temporary residence in Kelstein Castle.

    ***

    Sunlight peeked through the bedroom window.

    The room was adorned with exquisite decorations—luxurious silk embroidery draped the curtains.

    At its center stood a grand bed, carved from the finest mahogany, the kind one would expect to find in a royal palace.

    And seated in the middle of it—

    Was a woman with dazzlingly golden hair.

    Her skin was pale as ivory, her beauty so divine it seemed almost worthy of worship—

    A figure so close to godliness that it was hard to believe she was human.

    Her golden eyes, reflecting the morning light, shone like liquid sunlight.

    And beneath the thin, white nightgown, her curves were impossible to ignore.

    She was perfection, sculpted by the hands of the gods themselves.

    And as she slowly roused from sleep, she murmured—

    "...A dream... again."

    Once more, she had dreamt that same dream.

    A dream that had plagued her, over and over.