Chapter 103

103.

“…….”

I was struck speechless by the sudden question.

Think carefully, Cain.

What should I explain? The smell?

‘I said it smelled like a woman.’

So, it means traces of infidelity were found on my body, and I am being asked to explain.

‘What kind of smell was detected and how?’

Today, I was indeed around Myna and Nia for a while. Did they catch my scent?

In Myna’s case, it seemed it was because I was too close while helping her with her work.

Nia lives untidily, so the distinctive scent that filled her workshop faintly clung to me.

“O…h.”

I closed my mouth as I intended to say “misunderstanding.”

Given Iris’ character, she isn’t the type to doubt or obsess deeply.

‘This isn’t the right answer.’

Starting with “It’s a misunderstanding” is simply the beginning of a typical pattern. What I need to do now is completely resolve her doubts and strengthen trust between us.

Once suspicion takes root, it can torment a person in the most bitter way.

Conversely, trust that’s firmly engraved also serves as the driving force for a long-lasting relationship.

‘Turn the crisis into an opportunity.’

It could be an opportunity to showcase unwavering affection for Iris.

And honestly, there was nothing to criticize.

If I were to talk about recent interactions with the opposite sex:

‘Aria, Charles, Nia, Myna.’

Including the letter exchanges with Laura Felanter, it leads to the conclusion that I interact with five people.

However, all these relationships stem from purely professional contexts.

Both Myna and Laura have shown some peculiar vibes, but I am still confident.

If there’s no wrong, there’s no fear but to march straight ahead.

“Iris.”

I tightly embraced her body, still cradled in my arms.

Holding her firmly to prevent escape, but gently enough not to hurt.

I could see her beautiful purple eyes sparkling beautifully even in the darkness.

Slowly bending my head—

“Hmpff!”

I kissed her, shocking her completely.

‘This isn’t over yet.’

Sliding my tongue out, I brushed it against her lips.

“…!”

She trembled more intensely than before, but I held her firmly, preventing her from moving.

Her body stiffened as if reaching the threshold of confusion.

‘The initiative is mine now. Just as planned.’

Gradually teasing her lips with the tip of my tongue,

Her tightly closed lips gradually parted.

‘Success.’

Advancing too quickly might lead to her shutting her teeth in shock, so I approach methodically.

I slowly and gently intertwined my tongue—

The deep kiss concluded when her breathing grew rough.

“…”

“…”

Iris lay weakly in my arms, her face faintly red.

The chilly atmosphere that awaited an explanation was gone.

Her eyes glistened, her body flushed with the rising heat.

Gently brushing the strands of hair stuck to her forehead, I spoke.

“Are you alright?”

“…”

Though she didn’t reply with words, her head moved slightly—affirmation.

It was the first time we tried a deep kiss since becoming a married couple, and it seemed to have impressed her.

‘What sudden wind blew?’

It was our first ever tongue kiss and also the first time she subtly questioned me.

Was she over-sensitive because of the recent issues and lack of sleep?

Or could it be from her worries about my participation in the war?

Considering Iris’ calm demeanor, it was unlikely that she would delve into such questions about her husband’s infidelity.

‘No. That’s not it.’

Memories of Iris’ past flashed into my mind.

A life where close ones repeatedly left her.

In other words, the experience of something precious being taken away or lost.

Could it be that this slight obsession manifested because of that?

While pondering what this mental shift stemmed from, Iris spoke.

“Cain. You’re planning to leave again, right?”

She was referring to the Northern Front.

Gently patting her back in affirmation, she continued.

“From the perspective of the Empress, I understand. I acknowledge that Cain is the only one who can face my brother’s forces. But…”

The force with which she pulled at my collar increased.

“As your wife, I wish for you to stay with me. That place… it’s dangerous like the previous war. It might even be more dangerous.”

Regaining her composed attitude, she stepped out of my embrace.

The somber look on Iris as she looked up at me.

Holding her hand lightly, I began to speak.

“I’m much stronger now.”

I summoned the mana I can now unmistakably feel.

The world seemed tinged with a soft blue glow, and an overwhelming power like the great ocean surged through my body.

“Mana Manifestation…”

Dumbfounded, Iris mumbled, to which I firmly responded.

“I will surely return this time.”

My eyes met hers, hoping my sincerity would be understood. She nodded and then, looking up said—

“…I understand.”

Raising her head, her shining eyes spoke once more.

“Let’s sleep together tonight.”

“Yes. As you wish. …What?”

Did I hear it correctly? When I was about to ask again, Iris tugged at my hand and forcefully pushed open the door to the Audience Chamber.

Walking through the empty corridor, I hurriedly questioned her.

“D-do you mean… what I think you mean?”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

Iris, answering with a strangely powerful presence, continued walking confidently.

“Now is the perfect time. Please don’t refuse me.”

“Ah, bu—”

In the distance, the entrance to Iris’ bedroom appeared.

The knights and maids on today’s watch bowed respectfully, but their eyes widened in surprise.

Ignoring their shocked reactions, Iris grabbed the doorknob and turned to me.

“Whatever happens, Cain will always be my number one. Do you feel the same way?”

“…Iris is my only one.”

“That’s all I need.”

A smile appeared on Iris’ typically impassive face.

And with that, she opened the door to the bedroom and grabbed my hand forcefully.

‘No. So suddenly?’

Will this be the grand ceremony?

Am I finally becoming a true man?

‘I’m not ready mentally…!’

Leaving behind the quiet clapping from some guild members and maids in surprise, the bedroom door firmly closed.

*

One week later, Nia’s workshop.

“Alright. The sealing sword’s complete. Go ahead and check it out.”

“…”

My whole body feels lethargic.

No, I’ve long surpassed the state where physical fatigue affects me. This is likely a form of mental fatigue, not simply a physical one.

“Cain? Cain? Are you listening?”

I was clearly in a state similar to a vacation, so I shouldn’t have been busy.

‘Only getting two hours of sleep a day must be affecting me.’

Though technically two hours, there was no refreshing sense of rest.

Apparently, sleep deprivation plays a significant role in mental focus—as I’ve come to learn firsthand, and it isn’t a pleasant realization.

“Has this guy gone crazy…? He looks like he’s lost his soul. He looks terrible. What happened in the last week?”

I’ve heard murmuring sounds ever since.

My mind is foggy, but I had stepped out in my sleep. Where was I supposed to visit today?

Just as my fuzzy consciousness started to clear a little,

“Hey!”

BANG!

A sudden loud noise blinded me momentarily, and I instinctively threw a punch towards the detected movement.

“AAAHH! AHH!”

“…!”

A familiar scream pierced my ears.

I immediately pulled back my outstretched arm, stopping the punch mid-air.

POOF!

A blast of shockwave erupted, tossing various items in the workshop around violently.

Flying shards of torn paper.

All kinds of scattered junk rolling around chaotically.

The golden liquid from an overturned oak goblet poured out from midair.

Drip.

“…Are you alright?”

“Am I going to be alright?”

Nia, drenched in apple juice, stood up.

“Ugh. What kind of punch starts a small-scale storm? I almost died.”

Using her fingers to wipe her body clean, Nia complained.

“Why the sudden assault?”

“Reflexively reacting to a surprise attack—developed unconsciously from my mentor. Usually, I just suppress the attackers, but since I’ve become a mana manifestation, it seems my technique has evolved to a lethal point.”

Originally, it was supposed to just subdue them lightly.

But now that I’ve become a mana manifestation, it seems the power has grown strong enough to deal serious damage.

If I hadn’t controlled my body midway, Nia’s head might have exploded.

Nia also seemed to realize this, as she trembled visibly with a pale complexion.

“What happened that you couldn’t maintain presence of mind? Did anything significant happen in the past week where even a superhuman would get exhausted?”

“That’s…”

Something big did happen—mostly during the night, for the entire week.

“A tremendous—extremely tremendous—trial happened. A week ago, I was dead, but now I’ve been reborn as a true warrior.”

“What?”

Nia’s response was filled with incredulity at my words, but there was no way to clarify her doubts, as this was personal between me and Iris.

‘Could her stamina actually be that good?’

From the first night, Iris would awake every day and lead me into the bedroom, engaging in intense patriotic activities until the sunrise.

‘Looking back, I strangely felt my mana getting drained.’

This is likely the main reason for the heavy accumulation of mental fatigue.

And where exactly did that drained mana go? Probably towards Iris.

‘She was remarkably full of energy.’

Even while conducting ‘patriotic’ activities together, Iris woke up with a face brimming with vitality.

‘Tch.’

The image of her smiling softly under the sunlight popped into my head, and I involuntarily shook it off. Time to get down to work.

“Is that the sealing sword? It looks more like…”

“It’s a spear. I just conveniently call it sealing sword.”

In the center of the workshop stood what appeared to previously be a work table, now replaced by a single silver spear embedded in the ground.

The intricate characters densely carved into the spear’s pole extended all the way down to the blade piercing the floor.

Clack.

As I gently pulled the spear and began examining it closely, Nia’s voice, filled with exhaustion, spread throughout the workshop.

“This time, the Order handed over a relic weapon. The last time, it was jewelry, so I melted it down to create something new, but this time that wasn’t necessary.”

“So that’s why it’s in spear form.”

“Yeah. Let’s call it a sealing spear to avoid confusion.”

Nia nodded, and I summoned mana, recalling that mixing solar and lunar powers disperses mana.

I conducted a light experiment, flowing mana into the sealing spear, and the result was as expected.

Whoosh.

The faint light shimmering on the spear dimmed.

Tracing the flow of mana with my eyes, I observed that the mana emitted from my hand evaporated as soon as it touched the sealing spear.

“It works perfectly.”

“Of course. This is only a temporary measure, but considering who made it and whether it’s performing properly, it was worth the effort. Otherwise, all those three sleepless nights would be wasted.”

“Did Nia stay up all night too?”

“Ah…”

Nia sighed and gave the sealing spear a look of exhaustion.

“To harness the power of the moon, we had to do the forging at night. If we had the Silver Moon relic, it wouldn’t have mattered, but we don’t have it now.”

“…Thank you for your hard work.”

Looks like Nia also had intense nights.

“The spear’s shape is somewhat fortunate. There’s no need to think hard about how to manage the flow of mana.”

“Do you have a good plan in mind?”

“I intend to thrust it as a spear.”

“Ah, got it.”

Originally, even without mana, my body had already entered the realm of the superhuman.

Even without mana, I could perform long-distance spear throws with just my original strength.

If I can toss something as heavy as Calion, a light spear would be easy.

“Alright. The sealing… spear is complete, so we can depart now.”

“I also brought out the invention we’ll be using this time. It’s probably the next most important item after the sealing spear. You can look forward to it!”

I nodded at Nia’s confident demeanor.

All that’s left is to inform the Order of the completion of the sealing spear and schedule our departure.

“Alright. Let’s leave in five days.”

“Five days?”

“Yes. I have something to take care of before heading to the North.”

Given the expectations of long-term deployment to the North, it’s likely I’ll have to be away from the Imperial Palace for some time.

Iris and Alberto will manage well, but I’m uncertain whether Kierson and Barnel will stay idle while I’m absent.

So, I should drop some subtle hints for planning and leave the capital smoothly. Once the Northern issue is resolved, it’ll be easier to make our next move.

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