Chapter 283

The three virtues of a knight are to eat and drink well, to make lovers wherever they go, and to win battles, gaining fame.

Some might say they are faithfulness, loyalty, and dedication to the weak, but that is closer to ideals than virtues.

Moreover, a knight does not dishonor or kill another knight recklessly.

Standing at the pinnacle of the warrior class, they possessed a commonality that even nobility could not fully comprehend.

Therefore.

“I am truly sorry, Lady Trentia. My training is still lacking, and I have inconvenienced our esteemed guest who has traveled a long way. Moreover, I have kept His Grace Duke Valencius waiting; I deserve to die a hundred times over.”

“No, Lord Jules. It is all my fault. I came as a guest and let my foolish pride take over, despite having said we should not rely on my lord’s fame. I, too, was conscious of my lord’s reputation. I have sullied my lord’s face in my efforts to forge a close relationship with your lord. How can I repay this rudeness?”

Seeing the two of them, who had fought fiercely, embrace and cry out that it was their fault, was quite a common sight when leading knights.

“It seems things are settling down gradually. How about we head out now?”

Cariosa asked, and I nodded.

“Let’s do that. I saw from above earlier that quite a crowd has gathered. I should wave at least once.”

“Once?”

Cariosa smiled meaningfully.

At that moment, I did not know the meaning of her smile.

I assumed she intended to ride rather than go by carriage.

In fact, it was rare for nobles to show their faces to commoners.

To the pure humans of the city, nobles appeared too beautiful and mysterious, while to half-blooded high nobles, ordinary folk were no different from tax-paying alley cats.

They were cute and pleasant but also felt uncomfortable and awkward to pet.

Of course, that was not because they were common but because they lacked the time and leeway to care about grooming and hygiene as nobles did. Compared to foreign countries, the citizens of the empire’s cities were quite tidy.

When they had a little leisure, they would use perfumes and scents. City folk would wash themselves daily in public baths, and even country serfs would typically wash their hair in streams before Sunday services.

Yet no matter how much they polished themselves, the nobles still emitted a fruity scent from their flesh and fluids due to their elven blood and dense mana, making them inescapably comparable.

Thus, even gentle high nobility like Seberik kept their distance from commoners, and that warm-heartedness manifested in various welfare policies, festivals, and tax reductions, indirectly caring for them.

I figured Cariosa was the same.

“Long live His Grace the Duke!”

“May there be endless glory under the banner of Asenorta!”

“Please slaughter those pirates!”

As soon as we stepped out of Wyvernfit, a thunderous cheer echoed from outside the fence.

Over ten thousand city folk surrounded Wyvernfit, cheering.

“Goodness.”

The excessive enthusiasm made it hard to breathe.

Lady Trentia looked at me with a bewildered expression.

“Your Grace, there is neither carriage nor horse.”

I gazed at the distant towering castle.

“Do you expect us to walk? While continuously receiving this burdensome cheer?”

Cariosa raised one hand high.

The cheering doubled in volume.

“Waaaah!”

“Our Lord!”

“Our Lord!”

She looked at me and grinned wickedly.

“What are you waiting for, Duke Valencius? Hurry up and follow.”

I tried to maintain as much dignity as possible.

I raised my chin, puffed out my chest, pressed my shoulders back, and wore a confident smile.

And standing next to Cariosa, I took her hand and lifted it high.

“……!”

“……! ……!”

In that moment, the cheering peaked, and her pupils dilated.

Cariosa made her way through the crowd towards the harbor.

This scene of our lord strolling through the streets seemed quite familiar, as the citizens did not rush to crowd her.

If it had been in the capital, there would have been chaos from those seeking to catch a glimpse of Jeilliris’s shadow.

“It’s our Lord!”

“Long live Asenorta!”

As I crossed paths with people on the streets, they tipped their hats or lifted the hem of their dresses, bowing their heads until she passed by, and Cariosa lightly raised her hand in response.

She exhibited behavior unbefitting a great lord who commands millions, or rather now tens of millions, of subjects, acting humbly as if she were not a noble.

“How much is it?”

She bought fruit from a vendor on the street and handed it to Lady Trentia.

“I assume there won’t be any ruckus lately?”

She entered a coffee house and emerged with a cup of coffee.

“If you see any undersea people or pirate flags, be sure to let me know. I’ll sweep in and slaughter them all in no time.”

She assured the departing captains before setting sail.

The harbor path was beautifully lined.

With the sound of waves and the shadow of sailboats draping over us.

I pondered whether she was the same Cariosa I had known.

* * *

The military harbor was quiet in broad daylight.

After all, with the ships docked, the soldiers would be on leave, and surely outsiders wouldn’t be permitted here, making it only natural.

“Quite surprising.”

Cariosa and I walked alongside the harbor road towards the castle in front of us.

Shwooosh.

As spring sunlight dazzled down upon the castle, the sound of waves echoed.

As I casually glanced, I saw Cariosa shrugging her shoulders.

“Surprising?”

“I expected a more authoritative display. Fully armed knights, strange horses mixed with sea horse blood, gigantic carts adorned with scale patterns, grand proclamators driving away commoners with shouts, and the intimidatingly fluttering White Shark flag… things like that.”

Cariosa let out a faint smile.

“Like when I came to the capital?”

I nodded.

“Yeah. Just like then.”

She shook her head.

“Surprisingly, sailors are rather equal and obedient. As long as they send me respect and love, and thoroughly obey my words, I have no need to threaten them.”

“Mmm.”

“Also, I don’t allow thieves or thugs to roam in my province. Aside from me, there’s no one else they should fear, so they inevitably have to like me.”

In the distance, I noticed a long pole over a dozen or so tall looming near the castle, each pole adorned with half-rotted corpses hanging and flailing.

It seemed they had hung the corpses, and even after they had become the undead, they were still tied up like that.

Lady Trentia’s swallow could be heard.

The military harbor was massive, yet it wasn’t so far that it couldn’t be seen from the trading harbor.

In other words, all citizens could see the corpses hanging in front of the lord’s castle.

A subtle warmth glowed in Cariosa’s gray eyes.

“Those are pirate captains. A few traitors are mixed in as well.”

A vengeful smile graced her lips.

“Examples must always be shown clearly. The East is always at war, and people hesitate to betray those they fear more than those they love.”

Whooosh.

At that moment, the wind changed direction, blowing towards the sea.

Thud.

Cariosa dashed forward, tightly grabbing my arms.

Her gray eyes gleamed brightly right in front of me, and her mouth, filled with ivory teeth, opened slightly as if to devour me, her scale-like face flush with color.

Merchants delivering goods and the most dangerous sailors from the sea rushed towards us, pointing fingers as we stood together in the military harbor in broad daylight, but as soon as they caught sight of the lady with flowing blond hair, they quickly bowed their heads.

Cariosa looked up at me without giving them a single glance.

Even though my gaze was above her, I felt utterly overwhelmed.

“Why are you so tall?”

I then realized how she ruled over this eastern land.

To decisively execute dissenters, while showing her superiority to those below her, establishing authority.

Her confident smile shone.

“Valencius.”

“Indeed.”

“This land and the sea are my domain. Providing sustenance is only natural.”

“I see.”

“No one can stop me, no matter what I do.”

Rather than answering, I secretly admired her confidence, causing blood to rise from the inside of my lips due to blood magic.

Cariosa forcefully shoved her finger into my mouth, tapping the blood with her pearl-like nails.

Lady Trentia murmured as if she had never seen someone so crazy.

With a low, throaty voice, Cariosa said, “I didn’t expect the two of us to come. You’re too off guard.”

The heat danced within her gray eyes.

Breathless, I replied.

My uniform had slightly come undone, so I quickly tidied it.

“It wouldn’t have made a difference even if three of us came. As the duke said, this is the duke’s fishing ground.”

Cariosa kissed the bloodied finger and wiped away the scarlet hue.

That was the hand I had grabbed and lifted high earlier.

“… That was too much of a provocation. I thought I was losing my mind. You know I crave the authority of the imperial court, don’t you? Isn’t that right?”

She wanted the image of royalty coming to recognize her as a queen, and I had immediately provided that.

That natural predator simply couldn’t help but get excited.

There was nothing more she wished for.

And to let my transgressions be tolerated.

I smiled confidently and said, “Of course. That was the intention.”

Cariosa clicked her tongue, and I faintly heard Lady Trentia mumbling how they were all the same.

* * *

We crossed the harbor as it was and climbed the stone steps on the hillside.

Each step was wide and high, making it difficult to run quickly, and there were collapsible columns intended as defensive lines at intervals, should the need arise.

“Honestly, this doesn’t seem to be a palace but a fortress.”

“I saw the undersea people land at this harbor when I was thirteen. This place isn’t as safe as His Grace thinks. Didn’t you see on the way here? The white walls stained with red marks?”

“Is it that easy to attack since it’s the largest harbor?”

“They can travel inland deep along the river. This is the best stronghold for the undersea people and pirates.”

The only paths leading to the castle were this one and the two up front, and even those merged into one at the top.

Between the towering outer and inner walls, there was an additional double wall, and steel barriers were hidden in corridors, while loaded ballistae were visible everywhere.

“If a battle breaks out here, isn’t that already a mistake?”

“My true stronghold isn’t this city but the dozens of harbors connected by sea routes. I must have at least minimal defenses.”

As the greatest lord of the East, her castle was likewise splendid.

The grand chandelier in the central hall adorned with enormous corals and pearls was oddly yet beautifully designed, and the corridors decorated with amber from the ceiling to the walls and the floor left me gaping even as someone who had indulged in luxury—while the long tapestries adorning the walls of the reception room depicted the history of the Asenorta family.

The family’s beginnings with the love of Summerlin, battles against the monstrous sea creatures, the terrifying undersea people, the endlessly encroaching pirates, and the victorious history of overcoming all that.

“Is that the duke?”

The final tapestry depicted a young girl fighting in the harbor.

Looking at the radiant halo of the girl and the undersea people being slaughtered, it felt less like a depiction from ten years ago and more like the creation of a mythical tale.

Cariosa proudly nodded.

“Yeah. That’s me. I was thirteen. The waves were crashing violently, and every time, monsters emerged from the sea. And I slaughtered all those monsters, proving my worth to become a lord.”

Pride lit her features as one who stands tall.

“Now, you’re trying to prove your worth to become a king.”

“Exactly. I will slaughter all the pirates in the Nayt Archipelago. Then I will start colonial ventures targeting the serfs of my newly acquired vassals, to prevent any possible revolts. I need to keep them a bit subdued.”

“Revolt, huh.”

I smiled bitterly, and Cariosa dramatically shrugged her shoulders.

“Revolt or whatever. If they had a complaint, they should have defeated me instead.”

“I liked that attitude. It resonated with me.”

“I knew you would. Next, I’ll develop the mines, cultivate the farmland, and build fortifications. We must exterminate those damned pirates’ lineage.”

“I suppose I must behead all the pirate captains. Who is the most dangerous one?”

Cariosa furrowed her brow.

“Pirate king Aquila. He built a fortress in the Nayt Archipelago.”

“Is he strong?”

“I don’t know if he’s strong, but he looks delicious.”

Meaning he exuded the scent of mana from his blood.

“He must be strong.”