Chapter 176

The long day finally came to an end.

Exhausted, I returned to the villa and collapsed onto the water buffalo leather sofa.

Rudi brought me a glass of sangria, which was made with wine and fruit and then chilled.

“Drink up, Lord Valencius.”

“Thanks. But could you bring me something stronger? I just want to have a drink and lie down.”

“No way. You have to go to the main palace with me tomorrow at 5,” she replied.

That was right.

This was just the beginning.

It wasn’t all the high nobles gathering to pledge their loyalty, nor was it all the high nobles from the west; it was just one marquis from the west who had recently arrived.

I figured out his aim easily enough, but unfortunately, his goal wasn’t something that could be accepted with open arms and gratitude.

He intended to invade nearby countries and plunder their wealth due to his own research obsession.

Of course, those countries had also tried every trick in the book to kill Jeilliris before the return, and they had vowed that one day they would unleash hell, but it wasn’t going to be like this.

At the very least, they should suppress him alongside the Church under the pretext of subduing the infiltrators.

That’s when I noticed Rudi staring at me intently.

Her green eyes were softly glowing.

“Is there something you want to say?”

“Ah, no. I was just thinking that we got through today safely.”

For a moment, she wore her usual kind smile.

“That’s true.”

“I truly thought we’d be in big trouble when the airship flew by.”

“Me too.”

“I couldn’t put the magic rifle down all day, and my hand cramped up earlier.”

“Oh dear. Let me see. I’ll give you a massage.”

I loosened her fingers, and Rudi smiled gratefully as she continued.

“I was aiming for the marquis with the head of the other palace nearby the garden, just like Lord Valencius suggested. But then the marquis looked in my direction. I was shocked.”

“That fool. How did he know, when it was over 800 meters away? Was the mechanical arm better than I thought?”

It shouldn’t have developed to that extent yet… Thinking that, I heard a commotion outside the palace.

Lady Trentia entered the garden, greeted by the guards.

She was fully armored in plate mail, a helmet at her side, and even carrying a horn for summoning wyverns.

She seemed to have arrived in a frenzy, catching her breath.

She had clearly said to return to her residence right after the marquis went back…

Having ascended to a new realm today, she should be resting so as not to put a strain on her mana road…

While I wore a worried expression, Lady Trentia distorted her handsome face, hurriedly opened the window, and shouted.

“Your Majesty! It is an imperial command to appear at the main palace immediately!”

Her short, red hair was a mess, and her blood-red eyes were swirling with horror and confusion.

Even when we were surrounded in the heart of the north and had to fight off hundreds of infiltrators, or when facing dozens of the Gremoryus family’s golden knights, Lady Trentia had remained composed.

I jumped up from my seat and put on my uniform.

“What happened?”

“Just now, the Azure Knights returned from their night patrol. The high nobles from the east are coming toward the central region along the main road,” she explained.

“What’s the issue with that? They’re coming at our summons, aren’t they?”

“The number is the problem.”

I accelerated both my steps and thoughts.

High nobles often traveled with thousands of guards.

At the very least, there would be dozens of knights and combat mages, plus about 1,000 to 2,000 elite soldiers.

Adding to that all the various supply troops, servants, aides, trainees, administrative officers, cooks, and so on, it easily exceeded 3,000.

The ‘Ironblood Party leader’, Purioaito, was a dangerous and powerful figure, but even in the west, many forces kept him in check.

In fact, Purioaito, who was on his way here, had clashed several times with the past marquis.

On the other hand, ‘White Shark’, Asenorta, was the ruler of the east.

She was not just a strong adversary who could suppress solely by force, but a power broker with various influences through marital ties, connections, logistics via ports and rivers, and the protection of fleets.

She could easily mobilize around 6,000 soldiers…

“Reports suggest that, excluding supply troops, the total military strength is reaching 65,000!”

* * *

The foreign minister, frothing with anxiety, urged the administrative officers to send messengers.

“Are they dreaming of rebellion?” And then, he added.

“Minister, that statement is too extreme. How about simplifying it to ‘Why are they bringing a force of 60,000 troops while coming to pledge loyalty?’”

“Someone go to the Church and bring back Bishop Hong! Surely they wouldn’t kill a clergyman.”

The commander of the brass knights prepared a formation in anticipation of the plains engagements and reported to Jeilliris.

“Placing 20,000 infantry and battle mages in the center, while having 1,000 knights and heavy cavalry on the right…”

The Azure Knights silently readied their magic tools and prepared for magical bombardments with the battle mages.

“Do not be afraid.”

“We are the knights of the heavens.”

The financial department officials began calculating how much grain and meat they would consume daily if they truly were a guard force and how that would impact market prices in the capital.

A little while later, Hadrian approached me and said.

“Valencius, if they are truly a guard army here only for a loyalty pledge but buy all their supplies from the capital, then the resulting inflation and economic upheaval is…”

“Just give me the short version.”

“To cut to the chase… in three months, people will begin to starve to death in the entire capital. And from one month and three weeks onward, food disputes will arise. Of course, these predictions don’t account for the soldiers that the arriving high nobles will bring.”

Whether they were enemies or allies, the situation was dire.

It was a completely obvious situation.

65,000 troops practically equated to a 15% increase in the capital’s population, but food supplies couldn’t be increased that suddenly.

Moreover, they wouldn’t be producing food; they would solely consume that 15%.

If demand increases by 15%, what would happen to prices… It’s an unpleasant thought.

Furthermore, considering the upcoming high nobles and their guard forces from the west, north, southwest, and south…

“Chief of Police! Prepare for rationing, and set up guard posts in areas prone to riots!”

I hurriedly rushed over to the foreign minister.

“Minister, is there a major city along their marching route capable of housing more than 3,000 soldiers?”

The minister, frothing, responded.

“Your Excellency! Where in the central region is there a major city?”

I flinched and nodded.

It had been less than a month since I patrolled the central region.

The central area was divided into many small baron territories.

No, it was our imperial family that had torn it apart.

The initiative to gather all the knights and barons there, choosing military strength over intelligence, belonged to the imperial family.

“My God!”

I cursed and pulled at my hair.

The worst-case scenario would be if the 65,000-strong army, disguised as guards, reached the city walls and then turned into rebels, refusing to recognize Jeilliris as emperor.

I sent a messenger to inquire about their true intentions, but I wondered if ‘White Shark’ would respond.

Before the return, she had been a part of the rebellion coalition like other nobles.

Of course, it was not Asenorta who first lit the war beacon, but Planities.

However, Asenorta was a family that could boldly say, “I cannot pledge loyalty to an emperor who ascended through usurpation!” even if it precariously disrupted the fragile balance and peace maintained in this life.

Moreover, Asenorta was a former imperial prince faction.

Cariosa’s aunt had also become an imperial consort, and she had lost her cousin sister to Jeilliris.

I was trembling and headed towards Jeilliris.

Her attendants were preparing the emperor’s black plate armor, and Jeilliris was tying up her long platinum hair.

“Your Majesty. Please allow me to go.”

The emperor replied sharply.

“I refuse.”

“I will convey Your Majesty’s wishes.”

Just a few days earlier, we had discussed granting Asenorta the title of duke and having Seberik’s Septentrio govern the entire east just as he did in the north.

“They have always longed for the old authority, and Your Majesty can give them what they desire. Cariosa is a powerful sword mage. Bestowing her the title of duke would be far from a humiliation for the imperial family.”

There was a moment of silence in the hall.

“…”

Everyone fell silent, waiting for the duke, who spoke to the Sword Master Emperor, to be crushed by the words, “Aren’t you afraid?” “Aren’t you being overly prideful?”

However, I chose to trust Jeilliris.

To change her meant believing that she would change.

It meant that rather than flying up to the heavens and preparing a meteor summoning, I would wield force, political power, and administrative influence to achieve maximum results with minimal bloodshed.

The emperor gazed at me with a drowsy yet cruel gaze.

Those golden eyes pierced right through me.

“You,” Jeilliris murmured, turning to the commander of the Azure Knights.

“Can you rise up to the clouds?”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Using the border magic tools, we can remain above the clouds for up to two hours and, with the concealment magic tools, avoid detection for an additional three hours.”

“If Duke Valencius is in danger, save him.”

I bowed my head to Jeilliris.

Lady Trentia blew two horns, one for her and one for me, pointing towards Wyvernfit.

The wyverns, having been magically trained since they were young, are able to recognize their owner’s horn sound.

Jeilliris stepped towards me.

Although she was clearly an inch shorter than me, I felt quite overwhelmed.

In a flat tone, but with a hint of concern, she said.

“You must, once again, catch that White Shark as if casting a spell. I see before me a mage who has mastered incantations and circle magic, and I can guess at your achievements just by watching; yet, why do you lack confidence in your talents? So… do you have self-assurance to catch that White Shark as if by magic? Or will you instead end up being devoured?”

I smiled brightly and reassuringly.

“Trust me, Your Majesty. Just as Gremoryus did, I will finish it swiftly and return.”

I tried not to reveal that I had no thoughts on the matter.

* * *

Asenorta’s army was about 70 kilometers away.

The Azure Knights reported that dozens of flags were fluttering.

I asked one by one about the designs of those flags and soon learned one piece of fortunate news.

Asenorta did not raise the 65,000-strong army alone, but rather, all the high nobles from the east had come together.

It was indeed problematic that those monsters had unified their opinions and arrived together.

Thinking about whether “Let’s take this chance to become independent!” or “Let’s just have a light-hearted conversation while going to pledge loyalty together.” was more likely to unite the high nobles was simple enough.

As the knights of the Azure Order began climbing to higher altitudes, Lady Trentia and I slowly descended.

Bright beams of light shot towards us from a height of about 800 meters.

It was a light so bright it split the darkness of night.

“It’s a wyvern!”

“Someone from the imperial family is here!”

Lightning raced through the clouds, and down below, spells like destruction and enchantment were cast, emitting blue light.

The marquis’s knights and elite soldiers gathered around a large tent, while another group of elite soldiers and mages gestured to us with red and green lights.

It was a landing guide.

Lady Trentia and I obediently followed the guidance and landed in a clearing right in the middle of the encampment.

Elite soldiers, battle mages stirring up storms, and knights who had fought sea monsters swarmed around us, surrounding us.

The torches seemed to number over 300.

Somehow, I felt as if I were in the midst of a collective hunt like prey, or an infiltrator.

Lady Trentia drew her sword, while I raised a hand to stop her.

These starving shark pups went wild at the sight of blood.

Before they had the chance to ask me anything, I introduced myself.

Changing my eyes to vertical slits.

“I am Valencius Solletaraon Solletarass, the imperial duke and chief of police for Your Majesty. Where is Marquis Cariosa?”

There was no one here so foolish they wouldn’t recognize I was of royal blood, looking at my hair and eye color.

A faint murmur spread, and after about three minutes, one side of the encirclement parted, and a woman stepped out.

“I didn’t expect you to come find me tonight, Duke.”

‘White Shark’ Cariosa Summerlin Asenorta.

Her hair was translucent like water, with pearlescent skin that shimmered like scales, sharp teeth like a shark, and slit eyes like mine.

Clad in armor made from shark-scale-like steel plates, she wore a splendid coat on top, and at her waist hung two swords named ‘Tempest’ and ‘Gentle Breeze’; she was a sword mage ranked below Jeilliris.

Despite being 27 years old, she had the appearance of a seasoned veteran, towering taller than Lady Trentia, exuding an atmosphere akin to the calm before a storm.

This was the hunting instinct possessed by Asenorta’s family.

Like a White Shark that turns ferocious at the scent of blood.

“Come in. It seems we’ll have time for a glass of wine on this summer night.”

Considering I had braced myself to be tied up and dragged off, this was quite a generous treatment.

However… if I hadn’t misjudged just now…

“Lord Valencius.”

“I saw that too.”

She licked her lips while looking at me.

Her face was flushed.