Episode 30
“What’s going on?”
“Oh, I came to introduce my younger brother. Thanks to you, Commander, he was able to stay safe.”
“Huh? What are you talking about? You had a younger brother?”
Looking puzzled, Ron listened as Reinolf recounted the whole story. Since Ron had known nothing about the situation, his expression kept changing as he listened. By the end, he let his brows droop and said it was such a sad story, looking more heartbroken than Reinolf himself.
“I had no idea. I’m sorry, Rai. I should have paid more attention to my subordinates.”
“It’s fine. I never mentioned it. Here—these cookies are a thank-you gift.”
“You didn’t have to… By the way, did you say his name was Ray? You really do look a lot alike.”
Standing quietly behind, Reynald blushed and lowered his head.
Bright blond hair like Reinolf’s, and big eyes that looked as if they could tumble out at any moment—
you couldn’t deny they were brothers.
After going on for a while about how similar the two looked, Ron seemed to feel guilty for letting Reinolf go through everything alone, so he pulled out a pouch of gold coins from a drawer.
Reinolf tried to refuse, but how could he win against Ron’s strength? In the end, he accepted the heavy pouch. Judging by the weight, it might be worth more than the house he had recently secured.
Just as he was about to leave the commander’s office with the gold pouch secured, Reinolf noticed a piece of paper Ron was glaring at with a frown.
“Is something wrong, Commander?”
“Oh, this…”
Ron looked down at the paper with a serious face again. Sensing the mood, Reinolf had Reynald leave the room first and closed the door.
“Is there some problem in the north? Or with Carrie’s Bar?”
“No, nothing like that.”
“Then… is it something to do with His Majesty the Emperor?”
From the ledgers that clearly showed money laundering, to the video with the Emperor’s face, to the secret documents the Crown Prince had investigated—there was enough evidence to implicate the Emperor as the one behind Carrie’s Bar.
Yet, the Emperor had emerged untouched, with only Marquis Bareil taking the fall like a cut-off tail.
Reinolf didn’t know all the details, but assumed the Crown Prince couldn’t touch the Emperor because of the power dynamics among the high-ranking nobles. Maybe that’s why Ron looked so grim…
“No, it’s not that either.”
“Then what is it?”
Not that either?
Reinolf tilted his head.
“…Sigh. Aile took a vacation.”
“…Pardon?”
“She said she’s going with Miss Mien to visit her hometown.”
If he remembered correctly, Mien’s hometown was somewhere in the south—Count Remyblanc’s territory.
That was a long way from the capital; just traveling back and forth by carriage would take ages.
“If they go by carriage, you won’t see her for a long time.”
“Exactly, and that’s the problem. Not that I’ll miss her so much—no, I mean—think of how much work will pile up if both administrative support staff are gone at once!”
Ron realized mid-sentence that he’d slipped up and quickly tried to reframe it, but the redness of his earlobes gave him away.
Reinolf chuckled softly. He already knew what was in the commander’s heart, so there was nothing new to be surprised about.
Still… if they were traveling by carriage, it would take a good month. After some thought, Reinolf asked:
“Why not use Warp?”
“Warp?”
“Yes. You have Warp passes, don’t you?”
Ron’s mouth fell open, as if wondering why he hadn’t thought of that earlier.
While Ron hurried to check Warp reservations, Reinolf quietly left the office.
He really can’t hide his feelings at all.
As he walked with Reynald toward the admin support office, he spotted a familiar silver head in the distance—the same one Ron had been fretting over just now.
“Aile!”
“Huh? Oh—ah, Sir Reinolf. And… this is?”
When she turned at his call, she looked beautiful—though she always did, she somehow seemed even prettier lately. Her delicate features and rabbit-like eyes made his heart thump without him realizing it.
No wonder Ron was so flustered around her.
Not that Reinolf was much better.
“Ray, introduce yourself. This is Aile, an administrative staff member who helps the Order.”
“Hello. I’m Reynald.”
Aile’s eyes narrowed as she looked between Reynald and Reinolf—same golden hair, and subtly similar facial features.
“Don’t tell me… your brother?”
“That’s right. He was freed when Carrie’s Bar shut down. It’s all thanks to you.”
“No way… it’s true?”
“Pardon?”
“Oh, nothing. Anyway… I’m glad. Congratulations.”
For some reason she seemed flustered, fumbling over her words. When Reynald handed her cookies, she frowned. Reinolf thought she liked sweets, since she had enjoyed them before, but when he asked, she shook her head with a furrowed brow.
After hesitating, she confessed:
“Honestly, I thought you were lying. Even the Commander said he didn’t know about your brother… Sorry.”
“It’s fine. I hardly ever talked about him, so no one knew.”
“…I cursed you out a lot in my head, though.”
“…Pardon?”
“Anyway, it’s good. I’m glad he’s safe.”
Seeing her smile softly while clutching the cookies made Reinolf’s chest heavy. He pressed a hand over his heart—it felt weighed down, yet tickled like a soft breeze.
Now he understood why Ron couldn’t hide his feelings.
Forcing himself to keep a straight face, he asked:
“I heard you’re going on vacation.”
“That’s right. I haven’t gotten approval yet, though.”
“You will. And you might even be able to use Warp.”
“Warp?”
“Yes. The Commander has Warp passes. You could get to the south instantly.”
“Warp?”
Aile blinked wide-eyed, as if hearing the word for the first time, then started asking questions. Every answer made her light up in wonder, like a child.
Her silver hair swayed in the breeze, making her look as cute as a puppy.
…Hopeless.
Reinolf covered his face with his hand, sighing, while her chattering voice made his heart ache.
Warp? In this world? That was something I’d only read about in fantasy novels!
According to Reinolf, it was exactly what I thought—a whoosh and you were suddenly far away.
Amazing. I’d been disappointed this world didn’t have magic, but to think something this fun existed!
“That’s insane…”
“What is?”
“Eek!”
A head popped up beside me, making me jump back—only for a pair of clear blue eyes to follow.
“Narrain! You scared me. What are you doing here?”
“They said I start work today.”
“Oh right, your enlistment process is done.”
After a complicated process, Narrein had become a probationary knight of the Imperial Order. I was the one who handled that paperwork, but I’d already forgotten.
Still, it felt strange to see a familiar face in the palace—especially in the navy uniform of the Order. His pale skin looked almost translucent, making him seem even more striking.
Give it a few years, and he’d probably break a lot of hearts. His sapphire hair and ocean-like features would make anyone turn their head. Beautiful wasn’t even the word—he had a rare, unusual charm. Different from Mishi’s beauty, but just as striking.
Seriously, there are too many beautiful people here. My eyesight’s going to get amazing from being surrounded by all this brightness.
“So what’s insane?”
“Oh, do you know what Warp is?”
“Of course. That’s how the knights travel to the Shinshea County every winter.”
“Shinshea County?”
“It’s the territory closest to the north.”
North.
Maybe my face fell, because Narrein playfully pulled my cheek.
It didn’t hurt, but it was embarrassing to have my face stretched in public like this. If I didn’t feel a bit sorry for him, I’d have swatted his hand away.
“So, why Warp?”
“It’s just amazing. People can go from here to there in a blink—it’s like magic.”
“It is magic. It’s technology passed down from the Ancient Magic Empire.”
“Well… when you put it like that, sure.”
Still, I couldn’t help thinking—how great would it have been if I’d ended up in the Ancient Magic Empire era? I could have seen real mages, maybe even learned magic myself. I could’ve flown through the skies!
Wait—if Warp is possible, why can’t people fly? The same magic stones power it, right? If you used them as an energy source for flying, it should work.
…Except they’re ridiculously expensive.
In the palace they were everywhere, but outside, magic stones were more expensive than gemstones.
When I nodded to myself, Narrein tugged my cheek even harder, saying he wanted to know what I was thinking.
…Okay, now it hurts. Let go, will you?
“I want to go on vacation too!”
“You can’t.”
“Why not?!”
“It’s your turn to be dispatched east.”
When Hefi heard about my vacation, she whined about wanting to come along—until Reinolf smacked her on the back hard enough to leave a handprint.
“Ugh, are the Aint bastards still doing that?”
“Yeah. Seems like they keep provoking us.”
“Crazy. What if another war breaks out?”
The Kingdom of Aint was located on the Aint Islands to the east of the Cassian Empire. It was a fairly strong kingdom, but nowhere near the Empire’s level. Still, they kept picking fights—because, as an island nation, they wanted to seize the nearest piece of mainland.
