Chapter 236

The summer that had heated the capital was coming to an end, and the cool breeze of early autumn had arrived.

The sky was clearly high and blue, and white clouds drifted by lazily, while the trees within the imperial palace swayed gently.

Jeilliris, who had come to report to me, dragged me straight to the walking path without hesitation.

“Your Majesty! The high officials will all be looking for you, crying out in despair.”

I was flustered, wondering who could stop her, and soon realized there was no one.

“My dear. It is impolite to shut oneself in the office on a day like this. With the sky so bright, how could I not enjoy it willingly?”

I wanted to suggest that she might enjoy the papers brought by the high officials, but I obediently followed her along the artificial forest path.

“……”

I kept getting confused because Jeilliris looked the same as before my return. She was now nineteen.

I could afford to take a day off.

No, even the Emperor should rest at times!

Jeilliris passed through a forest mixed with oak and chestnut trees, strolled by a pond where reeds and bulrushes grew abundantly, and raised a finger, hoping to catch a dragonfly on it.

“……It doesn’t come.”

Her voice, oddly sulking, compelled me to swiftly catch a dragonfly sitting on a nearby reed flower and place it between her fingers.

“You just need to fold the wings up and tuck them between your two fingers.”

Jeilliris sparkled her yellow eyes and asked, “Oh? When did you learn this?”

I felt my heart tighten and replied, “You taught me, Your Majesty… a long, long time ago.”

“I must have been quite clever back then, huh? Hahaha.”

Jeilliris laughed brightly, released the dragonfly, and looked up at the sky.

White clouds floated across the blue expanse.

“You are right. If it doesn’t come, we must go catch it.”

“……”

“Now I am the true Emperor of this Empire. At least the great lords will not oppose me directly.”

“That is only proper.”

“I have signed documents commanding the completion of the territorial wars entangled with five count families and two duke families before I came out. I have also elevated Purioaito to the rank of duke.”

“A wise choice, indeed.”

“Furthermore, the Church and various families have agreed to launch a nationwide campaign against the doctrine of infiltration. First, we will burn and destroy facilities like the abandoned gates and abandoned monasteries that could serve as strongholds, capture magicians without identification badges, and issue travel passes that are difficult to forge to the merchants.”

All were policies capable of drastically reducing their power.

Eliminating strongholds would make large-scale research difficult.

Capturing magicians without identification would decrease those who would voluntarily fall into the infiltration doctrine.

Issuing travel passes would make it harder for them to operate under the guise of merchants as they had before.

Jeilliris lifted her gaze from the sky and looked at me.

“It is time to turn our eyes beyond the Empire… Is the capital stable?”

Her body was here, but her gaze had returned to that of the Emperor.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Explain in detail.”

* * *

“I have completely reorganized the Street of Learning. I absorbed overflowing scholars and sword users into the elite squad of the Bronze Knights, expanded buildings to solve space issues, and created a united student council to ensure the many academies on the Street of Learning can be controlled forever. I have created a system that allows us to capture suspicious individuals and support those with ability.”

Jeilliris smiled happily, then began to retrace her steps.

I quietly followed her and continued, “I have also helped facilitate research into new prayers and uses of sacred objects. The Church’s cleansing squad will now be able to make significant achievements in the fields of combat against infiltrators and foreign entities. Additionally, in this process, the old vigilante group from the slums has been reinforced, resolving the old flood of crime in the slums.”

“Looks like that young legislator is doing well. How delightful.”

“I have rectified the red-light district and placed the smuggling of tobacco under control. The likelihood of danger to the capital through smuggling has been minimized.”

“Well done. So, what remains?”

I briefly contemplated the remaining risks in the capital.

“……I do not know when or which direction the Ivory Tower will move. I am intervening through Duke Sorelazie, but there are limits. The revised church laws do not apply within the autonomous districts.”

“And?”

“It appears that a powerful infiltration sect has developed a spell to open magical realms using the royal illegitimate child as a reagent. We have a potentially imminent danger.”

Jeilliris suddenly stopped and turned to me.

Her eyes calmly scrutinized me, and I waited silently without speaking.

She gradually opened her mouth.

“……I can seize the human world whenever I want.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“However, my enemies are beings that come like the wind and vanish like clouds, beyond that blue sky.”

“Indeed, Your Majesty.”

“To govern both worlds is a task even I cannot bear.”

“I wish to share Your Majesty’s burden. Will you allow me?”

For a moment, a sad expression crossed Jeilliris’s face.

“……Even after growing so strong.”

Her barely audible mutterings faded into the wind, and she continued speaking.

“I will conduct research on magical realms at the Ivory Tower and the Imperial Magic Guild with the capital. Now that I have learned how to forcibly open them, we might also find a way to forcibly close them. Depending on the direction of our studies, we might be able to banish all infiltrators within a certain range back to their origins.”

It was the tone of confidence returning once again.

“I shall act as the ruler of the five races and the master of all things, undertaking the tasks of the millennia. Thus, you must assist with the affairs of mankind.”

There was a tone filled with deep trust.

I silently rejoiced and listened intently.

“Go to the western border and engage with the king and crown prince of the Doroysen Kingdom. I will appoint you as a plenipotentiary ambassador. They are babbling about investigating damage caused by a meteorite that fell near the border… How appalling that they would fabricate such a dispassionate lie.”

And I bowed my head in submission.

“I will carry out my orders.”

I felt confident.

Before my return, most of my notoriety stemmed from discussions in the meeting rooms.

* * *

I first headed to the general workshop.

Today, my disciples and apprentices were wandering around with dead eyes while sucking down coffee, and two mad geniuses were scribbling complex formulas on scrolls.

“The circuit for destruction spells should be as simple as possible. Wouldn’t it generate enough breakthrough power if arranged like this in a triangle?”

“But structurally it should be a bit more unstable so that it can collapse easily, creating a crack in the magical realm.”

“This is difficult. Well, for now, I’ll just organize the materials and transfer them to the imperial magic guild. Her Majesty will handle it.”

“How can you say such a thing? …Alright. I think that way, too.”

It seemed like Sorelazie and Marcus had come to some agreement.

“Lady Sorelazie. Marcus.”

I explained the orders I had received to both of them.

“……So it seems we have to go together. Marcus, you will be the guide, and you, dear sister, will act as the magician. It’s almost certain that this meteorite tale is a deception, but we can’t be sure.”

“How troublesome… But if it’s about a meteorite, there’s no helping it.”

Sorelazie appeared to be intrigued, her mismatched eyes sparkling.

Meteorites were rare reagents by nature.

If, by some chance, a real meteorite had fallen, a skilled magician would be necessary to appraise its value.

I turned my head to Marcus, who was looking up at me while seated in a chair.

“Please do not worry that I will escape and return to my territory to lay siege.”

His mechanical arm and real eye pierced through me like a snake, and his leather attire adorned with bronze buttons exuded a strange aura I had never seen before.

He emanated the imposing demeanor of the most respected great lord from the west.

“……I’m also uneasy. But it is better than leaving you alone in the capital where Lady Trentia is not present. A guide familiar with the local terrain is needed, and someone to tend to Lady Trentia’s mechanical armor if any issues arise.”

Marcus smiled softly.

“I’ll be stepping onto my homeland after a long time.”

The party was put together quite simply.

It consisted of me, Sorelazie, Lady Trentia, Marcus, and two mechanical knights—a total of six.

If they were truly only there for an investigation, there would be no need to bring many. If they came to invade, bringing a few would only be a burden.

To be honest, I could only hope nothing would happen.

The fact that I wished for that was already a sign that something was about to unfold.

* * *

Six wyverns crossed the autumn sky.

Autumn was the best season for flying.

“H!”

Lady Trentia, with her bright red short hair trailing behind her, showcased a three-loop aerial spin.

“Not yet! My lady!”

I spun in sync with my wyvern, performing four consecutive loops, demonstrating vertical ascensions and descensions.

Under normal circumstances, Saint Matheos would be screaming, but the only sounds were applause, making it somewhat awkward.

We flew all day long and landed each night at the wyvern landing station found across the countships.

“How many days more do we have to go?”

On the tenth day.

Sorelazie asked in a somewhat tired voice.

“You are starting to feel weary, aren’t you? Perhaps you should do some exercise?”

“Lady Trentia has a point.”

Lady Trentia feigned consolation, and Marcus chimed in.

“……I brought vitality potions, after all.”

Sorelazie retorted playfully as she cracked open a potion, and I attempted to take a sip only to be elbowed in the nape.

Marcus pointed to the map and said, “We have come this far.”

“Are we nearing Instrumentum?”

“We need to go all the way to the western edge.”

“Why is the territory so elongated to the side?”

Sorelazie sighed deeply.

As we approached the west, the scenery beneath us became more rugged.

Instead of fertile farmlands, sheer cliffs and valleys came into view; instead of lush greenery, moss and thick briars covered the landscape; and the number of villages and small towns decreased steadily.

“Naturally. There’s a reason this region became the border in the first place.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Imagine drawing a border across the middle of a fertile plain. Daily wars would ensue, and eventually, one side would take over.”

Marcus chuckled, while I provided further explanation to Sorelazie.

“It’s simply that this place divides itself naturally enough to form a border.”

In other words, Marcus had considered crossing these rocky mountains and valleys to invade the neighboring kingdom.

…Considering the Nibelungen existed, it made sense, I suppose.

“Marcus, what kind of raiders have crossed over here?”

“Your Grace, when people get hungry, they will do anything.”

“Over there, I see some devastated villages; it couldn’t be due to your symptoms, could it? I noticed quite a few sizable cities had fallen as well.”

“……Actually, we haven’t been able to come here due to administrative issues along this border. You know how weak my foundations are, right?”

Our flight continued for just over two weeks.

We landed our wyverns on a mountainside and discovered flags fluttering in the basin below.

“……Doroysen.”

Two swords crossing behind a shield flag.

A country ruled by a sword master for hundreds of years, known as the land of swordsmen.

Yet, hypocritically fond of using spies.

That was my knowledge of Doroysen.

“Your Highness, it seems obvious that they did not arrive here purely for a research endeavor.”

Lady Trentia spoke while donning her mechanical armor with Marcus’s assistance.

As she said, there were well over a hundred tents visible below.

There were also banners representing various knights, mercenary groups, and dojangs for swordsmen.

In the center rose a flag displaying a silver shield with a sword laid diagonally.

From the elevated position where the flag stood above the national flag with the two swords crossing, it was evident that its owner wielded considerable power.

“The crown prince is here.”

Lady Trentia’s eyes sparkled with competitive spirit.

“Is he strong?”

“He is known to be an exceptional sword expert.”

However, I continued, “He also seems to know how to win without fighting.”