Chapter 659

======[ Meiharin ]======

“Meiharin. I heard some recent rumors that someone is trying to recall the Blue Army, who were clearing the eastern Barun River, back to Ordos… Have you heard anything about this?”

Biasiren, who had invited Meiharin to her tea room, set down her teacup and spoke in a reproachful tone.

The first wife of Orhan and the first empress of Ai-shan, Biasiren, was a woman in her late forties, yet her beauty remained undiminished.

Her hair, though slightly faded, was still smooth and elegant, and her face, though stern and melancholic, was flawless.

Though faint wrinkles had begun to form under her eyes, no one would guess her age to be forty-nine.

The second empress, Meiharin, was not pleased with this.

Unlike herself, who went to great lengths to maintain her beauty, Biasiren seemed to effortlessly retain her youthful appearance, which felt like a mockery to Meiharin.

In truth, it wasn’t just Biasiren’s appearance that irked her.

The natural grace in Biasiren’s every movement, her roundabout way of speaking, and the fact that Meiharin had to show respect to such a woman—all of it was unbearable.

It was akin to a duck painted white feeling envy upon seeing a swan.

Thus, Meiharin’s tone carried a subtle sharpness as she responded.

“It seems you already know without me asking. Yes, it was my order.”

Meiharin’s thin eyes curved softly, and the corners of her lips lifted slightly. It was a serpent-like smile.

“Moving troops without Kagan’s ashes… It reminds me of a certain fool who mistook recklessness for boldness. I wonder if he’s doing well.”

Biasiren narrowed her eyes slightly and brought up Amin’s story.

It was a clear reprimand and a threat. If Orhan were to return, could Meiharin bear the responsibility for recalling the Blue Army without permission?

Meiharin, still smiling, took a sip of tea and set the cup down.

‘No poison.’

Meiharin’s smile deepened.

‘Well, a woman who considers maintaining Ai-shan’s order and laws her mission wouldn’t dare poison me within the palace. Did such an idea even cross her mind?’

After savoring the tea and confirming the absence of poison, Meiharin spoke again.

“I’m different from Amin. That child foolishly went against our lord’s will and obstructed him, but I recalled the Blue Army to protect Ordos and ensure our lord’s peace of mind while he’s away on his campaign.”

At least, that was the justification.

“I’ve also heard rumors that the atmosphere among the conquered tribes is uneasy. Isn’t it in line with our lord’s wishes to suppress any potential uprisings and stabilize the Great Plains?”

“A wife’s virtue lies in trusting her husband.”

An abrupt response. Meiharin’s thin eyes twitched slightly.

‘What nonsense is this now?’

After a moment of contemplation, Meiharin finally grasped the meaning behind Biasiren’s words.

Despite the presence of Ordos’s defense forces left by Orhan, recalling the Blue Army meant that Meiharin’s justification was mere self-rationalization and, furthermore, an act of distrust toward Orhan’s judgment.

‘Uselessly beating around the bush…!’

Meiharin clicked her tongue softly, inaudible to Biasiren, and tilted her head slightly as she replied.

“Well… I heard that after losing an arm to that infamous traitor and retreating, wouldn’t he welcome the presence of thousands of reserve troops nearby?”

Thousands of Blue Army troops could stabilize the restless atmosphere in Ordos and potentially strike at the weakened defenses of the barrier after the Imperial Army pursued Ai-shan’s main force.

Having such a force stationed in Ordos, ready for immediate deployment, would surely be more satisfying for Orhan than having them wander far to the east beyond the Barun River.

“That woman, that woman always causes trouble… Just like her mother.”

Biasiren sighed lightly and adjusted her teacup. Her tone was unusually blunt. Ai-mel-ra and Ha-shal-leur. Those two were figures who could unsettle even Biasiren.

Not because of the jealousy of a first wife who had lost her husband’s affection, but because she believed those women had broken Orhan’s spirit.

Ai-mel-ra, the blade, had softened Orhan’s strength. She had turned the wolf of the grasslands, who once burned with rage and ambition, into an ordinary man.

And the blade she had birthed, Ha-shal-leur… was a weapon sharp enough to pierce the heart of Ai-shan.

Biasiren could hardly view them favorably.

“What happened once can happen again. The myth of the Indestructible Body is now a thing of the past. If Ai-shan’s main force were to suffer another defeat… the conquered tribes wouldn’t hesitate to rise up.”

Meiharin smiled, satisfied at having unsettled Biasiren, who rarely showed such open disdain.

“Who do you think the tribes, who dared to rebel against a weakened Kagan, would target first…? I don’t need to spell it out, do I?”

Even without Meiharin’s explanation, Biasiren knew well.

If the other tribe’s Khans dared to rebel, it would mean Orhan had fallen in battle, and Ai-shan’s main warriors had suffered near-total losses.

In such a situation, the Khans would first target Ai-shan’s capital, Ordos, and the wives of Kagan. With those two as spoils, they could claim to have inherited and absorbed Ai-shan.

In other words, Meiharin was essentially saying that she had recalled the Blue Army to protect herself and Biasiren, so Biasiren should keep her mouth shut.

“Such a confident smile. Da-ha-mei always smiled like that too. Though she didn’t smile much after remarrying.”

“Indeed. It was such a grand wedding with so many guests. I wonder why. I’d love for you to enlighten me later, Biasiren.”

“……”

“Well then, I’ll take my leave now. I feel ashamed for taking up so much of your valuable time, Biasiren.”

Meiharin, who had returned the threat with a threat, stood up with her smile still intact.

Though meeting Biasiren was always unpleasant, this encounter had left her with a sweet satisfaction, like honey-soaked fruit.

With the Blue Army’s recall confirmed, all Biasiren could do was bark.

‘The command of the Blue Army lies with Sahallyeon, and Orhan and Targien are busy invading Dane, so they won’t be able to intervene here for a while. If Orhan falls in battle or perishes with the Empire, your future will be nothing but barking like a dog. Pray hard that Orhan returns victorious.’

Meiharin smiled.

It was a sinister, serpent-like smile.

======[ Ha-shal-leur ]======

During the march and repeated encampments toward the border of Dane, I spent all my free time training.

Not in the brute manner of Nigel, who lifted boulders like dumbbells to build strength, nor in the repeated sparring of Joshua, Frederick, and Heinrich to hone their skills.

My training was much more static compared to theirs. To others, it might have looked like I was just staring blankly at a sword.

– Crack!

A sharp cracking sound. The blade of the Black Iron Sword I was holding shattered into pieces. Dark fragments scattered in all directions.

Ah, I did it again.

I clicked my tongue and tossed the now handle-only Black Iron Sword aside, drawing a new one. Since I had anticipated the swords breaking, I still had seven spare Black Iron Swords left.

Originally, there were twenty, but thirteen of them were now fragments littering the ground like caltrops.

“Ah, it broke again…”

Leonor, who had been watching me during her break, wiped the sweat from her neck with a cloth and sighed.

“You’ve broken nearly a hundred Black Iron Swords, do you know how much that costs…? If you’re going to break them anyway, wouldn’t it be better to practice with a Steel Sword? The quartermasters’ faces have been turning a similar color lately.”

“That won’t work for my training.”

I answered as I summoned the Life Force Technique’s lightning onto the newly drawn Black Iron Sword.

With a crackling sound, crimson spikes danced along the blade.

Thunderous Rend. A Life Force Technique where the lightning from the sword’s slash tears through the inside.

Up to this point, it was perfect… but the next part was the problem.

I took a deep breath and focused all my attention on the blade, attempting to overlay a new layer of lightning onto the Thunderous Rend.

– Crackle…!

The lightning on the blade mixed with the new lightning—

– Kzzzt!

No, instead of mixing, they tore into each other and scattered.

The overlapping forces didn’t merge into a stronger force but instead attacked and canceled each other out, leaving only immense strain on the blade before exploding.

– Crack!

Naturally, the Black Iron Sword couldn’t withstand the shock and shattered along with it.

‘This isn’t easy…’

[ Simply overlapping them won’t stabilize them. You need to overlap at least three layers of Thunderous Rend, suppressing them so they don’t cancel out or explode, but maintain balance. Do you think that’s easy? ]

Hersela, who had woken up sometime yesterday, clicked her tongue and offered unhelpful advice.

Easier said than done. Overlapping Thunderous Rend felt like trying to make three rabid dogs play train without biting each other.

It wasn’t a technique that could be mastered in just a few days of practice.

Even with the Black Iron Sword, it couldn’t perfectly withstand the strain of just two layers of Thunderous Rend.

…It seemed today’s training would also end without much success.