Chapter 61

"Still, the people from the eastern region have a lot of blood in their veins. They drink so much that it's astonishing."

The man, who had been watching the eastern nobles, laughed leisurely.

Since there was military duty from morning, this man and his subordinates were sipping water. The subordinates, with bored expressions, were instead devouring the mountain of food.

Near the commander of the Filoard Legion, there were always such sober knights on standby. The commander of the Filoard Legion was of noble birth and deserved to have a guard.

However, the royal prince Filoard, who was the object of protection, sighed wistfully.

"I also drink that much when I'm in Laguren. If I could go see Lucia, I wouldn't mind being forced to drink until I collapse."

"…Please spare us from situations where we get glared at by the First Army."

The sober knight wore a face of utter exasperation.

Then, some men who seemed to have no sense of the atmosphere barged in. This time, they didn't seem to be here to cause trouble; they were holding several knives in their hands.

"Hey, sir! It's your turn next!"

It seemed they were inviting him to a knife-throwing game.

Filor sighed in exasperation.

"I always tell you guys not to involve me in your games, don't I?"

"That's impossible. Even when drunk, you're the best at hitting the target, sir!"

"If you want, I can write 'Count So-and-So' on the target!"

"How about 'Albes' now? The prince, who can barely hold his hand, is a good target!"

"Talking about your beloved's brother is not good. How about the hard-headed captain of the First Army?"

"The one who always follows you from the capital to keep an eye on you? He's the last person you'd want to fight with!"

What was so funny, the knights were laughing loudly.

Sighing again, Filor ran his slightly disheveled silver hair through his fingers.

"Let me make it clear, I haven't done anything I should be ashamed of, and I think Lucia is the cutest girl in the world. If anyone disagrees, step forward. I'll take on as many as you want."

"There's no one who disagrees, so please throw the knife at the center! That will be our comeback!"

"Hey, when did sir become part of your team!"

The knights were making a loud fuss. These men, who were sober, were also valiant knights. Therefore, they were popular with women outside the fort.

Among them, the silver-haired legion commander, who was the most popular, sighed and threw the knife handed to him at the wall. Despite the casual throw, the knife hit the highest scoring part of the hand-drawn, crooked target, and a roar of cheers went up.

The night at the northern fort deepened.

It was a dangerous place, where death was always nearby, and the climate was harsh, but the people here were enjoying the moment.

The royal prince Filoard watched these men with a slightly dazed look.

He didn't dislike the atmosphere here.

The culture that valued physical strength over lineage and power was comfortable. Even if he showed all his abilities, there was no unpleasant flattery. He could be seen as a skilled warrior.

In that sense, there was no need to pretend. This land allowed him to breathe freely.

But...

Filor's eyes wandered into the void, and he sighed deeply.

"I want to see Lucia. ...Maybe I'll go see her face."

"Don't say such dangerous things! I'll tell Lucia how wonderful a superior officer you are!"

"Your sister doesn't know your cool appearance, right? We'll do our best to tell her that you're the best soldier! She'll definitely fall in love with you again!"

"...Wait, what kind of appearance does Lucia know of you, sir?"

"That's... well, it's better not to know. For the sake of mental stability."

The surrounding knights were whispering such things.

However, with the alcohol starting to affect him, Filor didn't care anymore. His usual vigilance had already flown away.

"Lucia is the cutest. But she's strong-willed, hardworking, and works too hard. The only flaw is that Albes is her brother. But because she's Albes' sister, I met her, so maybe that's a good thing..."

While gazing at the wall where the knife was embedded, he sighed and muttered.

The surrounding knights stopped moving for a moment and looked at each other.

"...Hey, sir is starting to talk!?"

"Shh! If you interrupt, he'll start saying he wants to go see her, so just listen quietly!"

"But, is it okay to listen to this?"

"It's a confidential matter. A top-level designated one. Be prepared for it."

"Understood. ...Damn, spare me!"

The knights, who had snapped to attention, sighed in exasperation immediately after.

Ignoring the tension of the knights, Commander Filoard of the Filoard Legion ran his hand through his bangs and took a big gulp from the wine glass he was holding.

"...I want to see Lucia."

Another wistful murmur escaped his lips.

The knights sighed heavily and covered their ears with both hands while looking away.

◇◇◇

Later.

A report titled "Report on Commander Filoard" arrived at Lucia's place in Laguren.

The sender was the northern fort.

The name of a knight who had stayed in Laguren was also added.

The report listed dates and the actions of a certain commander.

While reading through the several pages, Lucia was perplexed.

"...Brother Albes, is it okay for me to see this?"

"Since they sent it, it's fine."

"But, this... it's more like a..."

"Just an observation diary."

Albes, who had read it first, sighed deeply.

He had carefully considered whether the content was appropriate for his sister to see. Military common sense was not the same as civilian common sense. Bloody topics should not be shown, and topics related to dignity should be deleted.

As a brother, he had taken various precautions.

But, it was a wasted effort.

He had carefully read the first few pages, which had detailed explanations and justifications in the handwriting of a friend with a distinctive style.

However, as soon as he reached the latter part without any additional notes, Albes's expression turned sour. He skimmed through to the end but then threw it on the table carelessly.

Lucia, who had been reading it carefully, tilted her head while looking at her brother's expression.

"Brother Albes, these detailed notes are in Filor's handwriting, right?"

"Yes."

"But, they disappear halfway through."

"Probably because Filor's censorship was not applied. ...They seem to have sent this without Filor finding out."

"Without him finding out..."

Without their superior officer, Filor, noticing, they had secretly written such things.

...What were the knights of the northern fort doing?

She tilted her head in confusion but then cleared her throat.

"So, does this mean Filor is very energetic?"

"He seems to be ridiculously energetic. ...To talk about wanting to escape every day, does he have any sense of responsibility as a commander?!"

"But, it also seems that he is doing his job properly..."

"He is extremely skilled in military operations. He also has the patience to entertain troublesome nobles. But, everything else is a mess. And..."

He glanced at the report still in his hands and sighed.

"...This top-level confidential matter is probably about you."

"Me?"

"There's no way anything he said while drunk would be classified as a top-level confidential matter. He used to be more careful about such things..."

Albes's voice gradually faded, as if losing strength.

Lucia cautiously picked up the report from her brother's hands.

There was a sentence about him speaking a top-level confidential matter after getting thoroughly drunk. But she hadn't imagined it was about her.

"...So, what exactly?"

"In other words, he was probably flirting. The Third Army swears absolute loyalty to him, so it shouldn't leak outside. But... he's too relaxed!"

Saying it as if spitting it out, Albes finally buried his head in his hands.

Lucia looked at the report again.

That part was written in a strangely roundabout way, but when she applied the image of a drunk Filor she knew, it did seem to fit.

"I see. That makes sense. Filor gets drunk there too, doesn't he?"

When she secretly smiled, she noticed the gold ring on her left hand.

The heavy, wide gold ring had the emblem of the royal family and a delicate flower emblem.

This was a gift from Filor, a symbol of their engagement.

He had given it to her as the royal prince Filoard, not as a friend of her brother Albes. He had also said she could take it off anytime.

The ring was heavy. But now, even its weight felt comfortable.

As a symbol of her engagement to Filor.

She smiled softly and then suddenly became serious.

"...Wait. What did Filor say about me?"

Albes didn't answer.

He gave her a sympathetic look but quickly turned away.

"Hey, brother, what's that reaction?!"

"Don't worry. He retains a minimum level of common sense even when drunk."

"What does that mean?!"

"In other words, he doesn't say anything vulgar. Probably just that you're cute, your home-cooked meals are delicious, and you sometimes sing in the kitchen, that kind of thing."

"Lie! Did he hear me singing!?"

"...No, it's fine. I was the one who told him such things when I was drunk. I'm sorry."

Albes said that, but...

Lucia, who had lived as a sister, knew this was her brother's kindness.

In reality, Filor had also heard her singing secretly. He might have mentioned it in conversations with Albes and even in front of the knights at the northern fort.

"……!"

Lucia covered her blushing face with her hands.

Seeing her like that, Albes muttered, "I'll definitely get him for this."

◇ The End of the Extra Chapter "Daily Life at the Northern Fort"

Thank you for reading to the end.

【Book Information】

From SQEX Novels, "I Was Invited to My Ex-Fiancé's Wedding Even Though Our Engagement Was Broken. I Can't Refuse, So I'll Go with My Brother's Friend." is now available in two volumes.

(Volume 1 is equivalent to the main story of the web serialization, with significant additions and revisions. Volume 2 is a new story.)

【Manga Information】

Serializing on Gangan ONLINE! (Volume 2 is scheduled for release on January 12)

For more details, please see the activity report.