Chapter 63: Name

“……It takes a bit of courage for me to set foot inside this residence.”

Following behind the maid, I arrived at the grand estate of the Newsbeck Ducal House, only to find my steps slowing… and then stopping altogether just before the entrance. The towering gates and stately architecture exuded a quiet authority, as if testing the resolve of anyone who dared approach. An involuntary tension crept into my chest.

“……Is something the matter?”

“Well… something like that…”

The House of Willard and the House of Newsbeck were not particularly close. If anything, the relationship between the two could best be described as lukewarm at best. I still vividly remembered the time I had done business with the head of the Newsbeck family—how I had been relentlessly battered by a storm of sharp, cutting sarcasm. That encounter alone had left a lasting impression, one that made me instinctively uneasy whenever I had to deal with them again.

“Still, there’s no point standing here overthinking it. We’re going in. Could you guide me to General Newsbeck? Lilith.”

“Yes, leave it to me.”

Calling the maid by name, I entrusted myself to her guidance.

“This way, please.”

I followed her through the interior of the Newsbeck estate, the atmosphere inside just as imposing as its exterior. Every polished surface, every silent servant, every carefully arranged ornament seemed to remind me that I was standing within the domain of a powerful ducal house. It wasn’t outright hostility—but there was an undeniable sense of discomfort that clung to me as I walked.

Eventually, we came to a stop before a single door.

Rather than me, it was the maid who stepped forward and knocked.

“My lady, I have brought the guest.”

“Mm. Enter.”

“Excuse us.”

Passing through the door Lilith opened, I stepped into the room where General Newsbeck awaited.

“Oh! Brigadier General Willard. I’ve been waiting for you.”

“My apologies for keeping you waiting.”

“No need for that. How goes the East?”

“There have been no issues. Governance over the former territory of the Kingdom of Poln is proceeding smoothly. His Majesty King Yarkies has also been formally crowned as a member of the royal family. What remains now is securing official recognition from the other nations.”

“Mm. It would have been difficult to fully control Poln with only our own people. It’s good to hear the locals are being utilized effectively.”

As soon as I entered General Newsbeck’s office, our conversation naturally turned to the eastern front.

Two soldiers, face to face—it was only natural that our discussion revolved almost entirely around matters of war.

“And the West?”

“It’s disastrous. The front has completely collapsed. The southern line held, but the north is finished. They’ve pushed as far as the Kingdom of Lunoa’s territory… even the most critical region in the west—the mining city of Lames—has been occupied.”

“…That’s…”

Hearing her report, I couldn’t help but frown deeply.

The situation was far worse than I had imagined. Lames Mining City was the largest mining hub in the Kingdom of Lunoa, a vital source of iron and numerous other resources. Losing it was no small blow—it was catastrophic.

“The tide of the war… has completely turned, hasn’t it?”

In the early stages of the war, the Lunoa Kingdom’s forces had successfully launched an offensive, seizing the mining regions of the Kingdom of Friez. That victory had given us a slight advantage in terms of resources.

But now, with this failure in the west… that advantage had been reversed.

“…Yes. That’s how it is. The south held. The Friez Kingdom’s mines in the southern region are still in our hands. We haven’t been pushed into complete resource inferiority… not yet.”

“We’re still fighting on two fronts. Victory is starting to look… impossible.”

“Do not give up yet. The reason I called for you, Brigadier General Willard, is because your company has already spread its roots throughout the mining city. I was thinking—perhaps those connections could be used to drive the Friez forces out of our city.”

“…I see.”

For a moment, I felt as though the strategic map in my mind—once clearly painted in confident strokes—was being wiped clean, all its certainties erased into a blank, empty white.

And yet, standing before General Newsbeck, I forced myself to nod.

“…I’ll do what I can.”

“Good. I’m counting on you.”

That said, my company prioritized business above all else. How much we could truly contribute in a situation like this… was uncertain.

Still… more than anything, the shift in the western front weighed heavily on me. Far too heavily.

“Let’s stop with the gloomy talk.”

Perhaps noticing the shadow that had fallen over my expression, General Newsbeck suddenly spoke in a brighter tone.

“Let’s discuss something more uplifting. Do you have any good news?”

“Eh…?”

Unfortunately, that responsibility had been unceremoniously dumped entirely on me.

“Ah, right. Lilith—the item I entrusted to you.”

“Hm!?”

“Here it is.”

That was when I remembered the gift I had brought. Taking the paper bag from Lilith, who stood beside me, I stepped forward.

“This is a souvenir I selected in Warmir. I hope you’ll accept it.”

“Ah… thank you.”

General Newsbeck accepted the bag and looked inside, taking out a box of famous confections from the Kingdom of Poln. She offered her thanks—but something about her expression seemed… oddly stiff.

“General Newsbeck?”

“……Y-yes?”

“What is it?”

“Well… there are many within this estate who bear the Newsbeck name. So I was thinking… perhaps you could call me by my given name here.”

“Hm? Ah, that’s true… in that case—”

I nodded at his suggestion and opened my mouth to say her name—

Only to stop.

“……”

“……W-what is it?”

“……Um, my apologies. What was your given name again, General Newsbeck? Now that I think about it, I don’t believe I ever heard it.”

In noble society, it was rare to call someone by their first name. Typically, one would address others by their family name along with their title or status.

The only exception that came to mind was Princess Emma—the Second Princess—who openly insisted on being called “Emma” because she disliked being addressed by her royal title.

In a society like that, it wasn’t strange that I had never committed her given name to memory.

“Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!?”

“G-General Newsbeck!?”

Upon hearing my honest question, General Newsbeck’s face contorted into utter despair—before she let out a truly unrestrained, almost soul-shattering scream.