Chapter 64

64.

“Hazeld Bisumark. Is there something the matter?”

Iris’s inquiry, tinged with curiosity.

Hazeld, who had suddenly looked up, calmly replied with composure.

“…Please forgive my rudeness, Your Majesty. I let my mind wander for a moment due to the fatigue of a long journey.”

“The distance between the Empire and Shyren isn’t short. I too understand the weariness of the journey. Don’t worry about it.”

“I thank you for your great tolerance.”

With a look of relief, Hazeld bowed slightly and subtly rolled his eyes.

‘What are you looking at?’

After frowning and giving a glare, Hazeld slowly turned away. In the midst of this silent exchange of glances, Iris spoke again.

“The envoys must be quite fatigued from their journey. Holding them for too long would not be proper etiquette for guests. You may now take your leave.”

At Iris’s dismissal, Hazeld quickly bowed his head.

“I thank you for your consideration.”

“It’s only natural. Don’t give it a second thought.”

“In that case, we shall retire after leaving the gifts our nation, Shyren, has prepared.”

“I’ll remember the goodwill of King Bisumark.”

After calmly concluding their conversation, Iris turned her head.

“Chamberlain. Please escort them to the southern palace wing.”

“Yes. Please follow me, envoys.”

Following Alberto in a line, the Shyren delegation left the audience chamber one by one.

When the last person left and the grand doors were shut, silence enveloped the room.

‘That went smoothly enough.’

Since the first visitor was from a nation friendly to the empire, nothing out of the ordinary happened.

We managed to show them some surface matters lightly and the conversation proceeded normally.

Following Kierson’s instructions, the gifts were briefly sorted and vanished outside the audience chamber in an instant.

The procession of gifts moving to the Imperial Palace’s warehouses, one by one. Seeing this, the tension seemed to ease, and people began to engage in light conversations.

Swoosh—

At that moment, a cool sensation ran across the back of my hand.

Turning my head willingly, I met the eyes of Iris, who whispered softly.

“Cain.”

Her calm, adorable face appeared with the usual formality of the Imperial host now gone. She slightly curled the hand resting on the back of my hand and continued.

“Are you very tired?”

Though her expression didn’t change, her voice was filled with concern.

What happened all of a sudden?

We hadn’t been sitting there for long enough for me to feel tired.

‘Ah…’

For a while now, I had been busy checking plans with the Black Eagle and such, moving around more actively than usual. It seems Iris was rather worried about that.

To be honest, it was a bit tiring. When a flood of tasks comes at you all at once, it’s hard for anyone not to feel the strain.

But compared to my past life, it wasn’t quite as exhausting. I had enough sleep to recover and even some time to slack off during work.

“Perfectly fine. Does my face look like it’s worn out?”

“Ah, no. I just thought you might be tired so I asked…”

Iris lowered her head slightly, letting strands of her silver hair cascade down softly. Lowering my gaze to her sparkling scalp, caught in the light, I gently clasped my hands.

“Cain?”

“Actually, I’m worried about you, Iris. You spoke for quite a while. Are you alright?”

“Y-Yes… I’m fine. I practiced a lot.”

I knew Iris occasionally struggled with her pronunciation.

I discovered this fact while having casual conversations in her study.

She told me her pronunciation wasn’t good since childhood but improved a lot through diligent practice. However, after ascending the throne, she got used to speaking sparingly and thus reverted somewhat to her old habits.

That’s why she’s been practicing hard these days.

In fact, our short exchanges were gradually turning into longer, more complex dialogs.

‘Hmm…’

One of the reasons why Iris is practicing pronunciation so seriously is not only to fully engage in state affairs but…

The most significant reason is so she can converse with me more frequently.

Though she didn’t say it herself, Rani came rushing over after eavesdropping on the maids and told me.

The ticklish feeling in my chest prompted me to turn my head briefly.

When Iris asked what was wrong, I casually deflected, composed my emotions, and calmed my heart.

*

After welcoming the Shyren envoy, two more delegations arrived at the capital.

One was from a neutral country, and the other was from a friendly one. Therefore, everything went smoothly, and the first day ended without any incidents.

Time passed, and on the third day…

We gathered in the audience chamber once again to greet our fourth delegation.

“Kalheig…”

According to communications from the western border guards, a slow-moving white wave crossed the boundary, waving banners adorned with the emblem of the sun.

Their appearance was so peculiar, one could easily mistake them for pilgrims from the Bright Sect.

That’s the characteristic of the local ethnic confederation of Kalheig, which has set the Bright Sect as its national religion.

Kalheig is the closest country to Altain and should have arrived earlier than the Shyren Kingdom. They’re quite charming friends.

“Anyway, they are here for the occasion.”

Given that the Bright Sect’s main shrine is located in Palamtiar, they might have visited to conduct a final check on the Empire’s condition.

“…Still, they wouldn’t dare to cause a commotion in the heart of our territory, would they?”

“Cain? What did you say?”

“Nothing. I was just reminiscing about the fact that today’s visitors are from the Kalheig Union.”

“Is that so.”

Iris nodded slightly and turned her gaze back to the entrance of the audience chamber.

‘Hmm…’

Even before the audience began, I already felt the strain of fatigue creeping in.

In the letter from Ferantel I had checked earlier, it was mentioned that the Human-Beast Union sent an envoy. While it was expected that they would send an envoy as vassals of the empire, the problem was with the composition of the delegation.

It was primarily composed of hardliners with a strong resentment towards the empire, including two grand warriors capable of manifesting mana.

Considering their speed, they should arrive around tomorrow.

‘Today is Kalheig, and tomorrow is the Human-Beast Union.’

Shaking my head lightly to relieve the creeping stress, numerous sounds came from outside the audience chamber.

The clamorous sound of footsteps rang out crisply in the quiet audience chamber.

“Kalheig… Huh! Stop!”

Bang!

Before the knight’s shout was even finished, the doors to the audience chamber were thrown open.

The hefty figure who pushed open the doors walked in followed by a line of tall men.

An imposing group dressed in pure white strode confidently into the audience chamber.

Ignoring all protocol, the delegation strolled in with casual ease, and the atmosphere in the audience chamber began to stir ominously.

“Those brazen barbarians…”

“Hmph. Looks like they’re taking us too lightly.”

Kierson and Barnel’s muttering brought a faint smile, but other members were also frowning and whispering in dissatisfaction with Kalheig’s attitude.

The mere entrance had set a hostile mood.

Examining the delegation more closely, I noticed a few key figures.

The towering presence at the delegation’s lead appeared to be in his fifties.

His short, grizzled hair and a diagonal scar across his face left an undeniable impression. He was shorter in stature than me, but his robust build was comparable.

Though outwardly resembling a roving bandit, he wore pristine ceremonial attire like a member of the clergy.

A ceremonial robe, white with intricate gold embroidery. Similar to a priest’s robe, but it’s a modified traditional attire worn by Kalheig’s High Priests.

Additionally, blue flames appeared to burn within the man, a sure sign of a mana manifestation user.

Kalheig’s king himself then said with a calm smile.

“Greetings, young ruler of the Empire. I am Jade Camelsson, King of Kalheig.”

A moment of silence followed Jade’s words.

Ignoring the stunned expressions, Jade casually continued as he glanced around the room.

“It’s been a long time since I have set foot in the empire…my, how much has changed. Even the empire that once ruled the world could not escape the flow of time, hmm? Under the protection of the goddess, nothing is eternal.”

Jade shrugged and nonchalantly made the sign of devotion.

At his ridiculous demeanor, the knights and nobles began to bristle but still maintained their silence.

At the moment, the audience chamber was where the heads of state were conversing. Only Iris, myself, and Jade had the right to speak.

Iris, who had been calmly observing, finally spoke.

“King of Kalheig, welcome to the Empire.”

“Ho ho. So young, yet you already have the bearing of a ruler. Thank you for the warm welcome. And… rumors can sometimes be unreliable, indeed.”

Jade’s gaze thoroughly examined Iris.

‘Now hold on, this guy.’

He probably refers to the rumors about Iris’s appearance that had spread through the marketplace. So the rumors have reached all the way here?

Still, the fact that he so casually treats Iris like a child is bothersome.

Given that she is 19, and considering the physical age of Jade which likely makes him over 30 years older, such thoughts might naturally come to his mind, knowing about the regency by the central nobles since her ascension.

Nevertheless, this is a dialogue between heads of state.

We should be respecting each other, particularly since this was a joyous occasion. Some formality is expected, at least.

Even as I was suppressing the mounting irritation, the conversation between Iris and Jade continued.

While their dialogue was ongoing, it was Jade who dominated the exchange, with Iris being somewhat drawn into it.

The delegation, which had initially been tense, seemed to relax, and in proportion to that, the people in the audience chamber grew increasingly red-faced.

Eventually, some nobles started scolding the delegation for their insolence, demanding they observe proper etiquette, but Jade paid them no mind.

After all, everyone is under the Sun God, kings merely represent and lead temporarily; he dismissed the complaints insisting he had already shown enough respect.

At that moment, a private voice reached from behind the throne.

“Shall I kill him?”

“…Be patient.”

Though Charles, the master assassin, could sever his head in an instant, it’s an official occasion, and cutting heads over a slight provocation could create problems.

Additionally, this country has deep connections with the sect, so everyone was trying to suppress their anger.

‘Tsk.’

This is an utterly absurd scene.

To be invited to another nation’s event and then disregard them so blatantly—Silvester doesn’t act this way. Do they have some kind of confidence?

Iris’s eyes were already carrying hints of anxiety. Though she appeared calm and regal to others, I, her husband, saw right through it.

We know Kalheig’s position well enough; there’s no need to listen to more.

So, I tapped the armrest of the throne with a little force.

Bang!

A crack formed on the armrest, and people turned their heads at the unexpected sound.

Whether their confidence comes from the sect or something else, it’s irrelevant to me.

I opened my mouth, lightly addressing Jade who was observing me with interest.

“Your Majesty has faced guests without rest; perhaps I may take over for a moment.”

“Ho? The one sitting beside the Empress—so you must be?”

“Cain MacBilian. Consort to Her Majesty the Empress. And let me add, this is merely a personal observation.”

Leaning my chin on the armrest, I looked down at Jade.

“Looks like you still need some education, street barbarian.”

“…!”

The expressions of Jade and his delegation hardened.

“Street barbarian.”

This implicit expression dismisses Kalheig as barely recognized as a nation.

“People can dress in proper clothes, imitate language, and convert to the Sun God religion, yet everyone knows the history—that you used to be lowly insects eating dirt.”

“….”

Jade and the delegation’s faces turned red. The blue light flaring in Jade’s eyes; correspondingly, the other mana manifestation users also began to gather mana.

The ominous momentum from both sides soon filled the audience chamber.

At that time, an elderly man with a cunning expression emerged from the delegation and whispered to Jade.

“Your Majesty. This man is known to execute noble heads like a mad dog. We must calm down.”

“…More unhinged than I had heard.”

Jade, maintaining a deep breath after hearing the elder’s words, spoke to the delegation while ignoring us.

“This is the Empire.”

Summoning Calion, I continued.

“The thing I do best is severing the heads of empty-headed folks. As one person, if you wish to return safely to your homeland, observe the proper etiquette of a guest.”

Kwang!

Calion burst through the wall into the chamber.

The massive form of the sacred sword planted next to the throne. Grasping Calion’s handle firmly, I glared at Jade as the royal knights stepped forward.

The intense and menacing stance was ready to wield swords at any moment. Family mana manifestation users also stared at Kalheig with glowing blue eyes.

“Do not forget your history. If not, do you want to test it now?”

“Remember your past under the control of the Empire. Bow your head now or lose it.”

“Our check is done, so we must withdraw for a moment. That fiery-haired man’s strength… .”

“…Hmph. I’m aware.”

After a brief exchange with the elder, Jade bowed his head.

Following their king, the delegation also bowed respectfully. Jade took a deep breath and resumed speaking.

“…I offer my congratulations. To the ruler of the Empire and his consort. Having longstanding ties, we’ve brought modest gifts. I hope you’ll accept them.”

The delegation then pushed forward carts filled with various treasures. In response, Iris calmly issued her dismissal.

“I shall accept it with gratitude. King of Kalheig, after such a long journey, you must be fatigued. Please ensure you recuperate fully in the prepared rooms.”

“With all your busy schedule, please avoid unnecessary disturbances and take your time enjoying the festivities.”

“Understood… I’ll keep your advice in mind.”

With my warning concluded, Alberto opened the doors of the audience chamber.