Chapter 66

(66)

The Solentalouon Empire, which had grown in size through conquest and alliance, was a massive nation.

For the Emperor’s command to reach the front line, it took more than a year, even if a messenger rode a good horse day and night.

Naturally, it was impossible to maintain trade networks and administrative routes over land.

They actively used canals and sea routes, and in urgent situations, they deployed wyverns.

“Lord Valenciaunos, look over there. The cathedral looks like a dot,” Rudi called out in an excited voice.

Flying in the sky was something she could never have imagined as a member of a lower noble family.

The buildings with orange roofs below appeared infinitely small.

Even the once-grand outer city walls of Solentalouon looked like a mere line.

“The world is so vast,” she remarked, as it felt as if the city she had lived in, with its hundreds of thousands of inhabitants, could fit into a single hand.

“Do you and His Majesty always see such sights?” she murmured dreamily.

The scenery around them rushed by.

Rivers flowed beneath them, fields of harvested grain and plains unfurled, and church steeples rose intermittently before fading from view, only to reveal the next steeple.

Valenciaunos spoke unusually brightly.

He sounded like a 17-year-old boy embarking on an adventure.

“Every time you see a steeple of that size, you are passing a village. The populations range from as few as 3,000 to over 5,000.”

Although these numbers would classify as a city in other countries, in a resource-rich empire, they were merely the territory of a knight.

“Lady Trentia is from a barony near the capital. As the second child, she couldn’t inherit her territory and went to the knight academy, where she made a name for herself.”

“So, the Solentalouon people live off the wheat from this plain. Ah, that looks a bit too large to be just a village, doesn’t it?”

Valenciaunos looked at the tip of Rudi’s finger.

Indeed, there were many houses, and they were surrounded by a decent wall.

“Right. That size would be a barony. The population inside the castle is between 10,000 and 30,000. This is quite a lot. Knights from the surrounding territories are often vassals of that baron rather than direct vassals of His Majesty.”

“And that baron is a vassal of His Majesty?”

“Exactly. Because it is right next to the royal territory, they cannot help but be cautious. They would come running at the slightest hint of a loyalty oath.”

“Then why not call them?”

“Something they can always have is like having nothing at all, and something they can always receive is like having already received it. His Majesty said that, but I still don’t understand it well.”

Rudi laughed for a moment and tightened her scarf even more.

“Aren’t you cold, Lord Valenciaunos?”

“Ah! Rudi, are you dressed properly?”

He exclaimed as if a crisis were at hand.

“Yes. I wore a wool coat with fur.”

“Are your pants two layers as well?”

“I was sweating just from the wyvern fit, but now it’s quite cool.”

“Make sure to wrap your neck well. Flying in this weather, you could really freeze to death. I wrapped up without worrying about appearances myself.”

Rudi wanted to ask “Give up?”

She was gradually picking up on the price tags of the upper class by following him around.

Valenciaunos wore a thick black coat lined with fur over his usual white uniform.

With thick golden tassels and lavishly knotted strings, it must have been a luxury item worth dozens of gold coins.

‘He works hard, so he must use it well.’

Rudi glanced at the wyverns around her.

“Will the others be okay? Lady Tenitia is just in armor with a cloak, and Sererassie is in a robe.”

“It’s fine. Lady Trentia’s armor has temperature control magic, and her robe is a magic tool. His Majesty is a master of fire and ice.”

“Why would there be temperature control magic on armor?”

“If you fight in full plate armor during summer, it’s so hot you could die. It gets heated by the blazing sun.”

“Ah!”

The two chatted like this as they flew behind the Emperor.

The black wyvern carrying the Emperor headed endlessly towards the setting sun.

Valenciaunos was familiar with that wyvern.

It was the black wyvern that had carried the Emperor for generations, passed down from child to child.

Whenever Jeilliris rode it to the front lines, all enemies trembled in fear.

‘If you don’t go to the front lines in this life, am I robbing you of your most vivid moments? Or am I fulfilling the duty of a loyal subject?’

He thought this while enjoying the long-awaited flight.

Before long, five hours had passed since their departure.

The wheat fields disappeared for a while and were replaced by dense forests below.

Just as the distance between the horizon and the sun was about two finger widths, Jeilliris sent a descending signal with light magic.

Looking down, Valenciaunos spotted a vast clearing over 300 meters in diameter deep in the forest.

“Lord Valenciaunos, what is that?”

“A wyvern landing site. We can’t fly forever. This beast can’t land just anywhere, and it needs to eat occasionally. According to imperial law, lords of count rank and above must establish and manage one of these in their territory.”

Four wyverns slowly landed.

Rudi suddenly realized that all her muscles were tightly tensed.

“Lord Valenciaunos, I can’t stand up.”

The platinum-haired noble elegantly helped her up and said, “You were quite tense. I felt the same way.”

“When?”

“…Right now. My legs are all shaky.”

‘You seem fine, though?’

* * *

The count was someone who diligently fulfilled his noble duties.

He had constructed a landing site deep in the forest so that his subjects and livestock wouldn’t be startled when the wyverns came, and he employed a steward to manage it diligently.

However, just because the count was diligent didn’t mean that the steward was equally so.

The steward, who was supposed to be on-site near the landing site at all times, only came running over an hour after they had landed.

“My lord, I apologize.”

I scanned him up and down.

His face bore a rosy hue, suggesting he had been drinking since early evening.

It was understandable.

It was already unusual for a high noble to visit while riding a wyvern.

Expecting him to wait all day, diligently preparing for someone who only visited once every five years at most was my own arrogance.

“There’s an upstream brook over there to water the wyverns.”

So, I spoke with a measured tone and a sense of authority, “Are the bedding and meals prepared? I brought spices, so that’s not necessary. I would like to offer the wyverns some old sheep and a young lamb to His Majesty.”

“Pardon?”

The steward sported a look of someone who was hearing this for the first time.

Honestly, I expected this.

Before my return, when I received an order from Jeilliris to tour the empire, it was mostly like this.

Managing a wyvern landing site wasn’t just about managing a clearing; it required accommodating the wyverns and their guests, for which they naturally received a budget.

Looking at the steward’s flashy clothes, it seemed the lord had adequately given money to build a private pasture.

But he still wore a dull expression.

“You’ve eaten all of it, haven’t you?”

“My lord, it’s not that…”

“No, I understand. How exhausting and futile it must be to raise sheep for someone whose arrival you can’t predict! Selling wool and milk to make some extra income, then starting to siphon off a sheep here and there until the pasture is empty.”

Sererassie, Lady Trentia, Rudi, and His Majesty were looking at me.

“Sounds like you have experience?”

“It seems you know a bit more than usual.”

“You truly are my kin.”

“Your Majesty…”

Even in the dim light, I could see the steward’s face turn pale.

I closed my eyes and drew my sword.

“However, I cannot overlook the insult you directed towards me and his Majesty.”

To protect my honor, I needed to set an example.

“My lord! Just spare my life!”

I pressed the tip of the sword against his chest and said, “Bring me a sheep within an hour. If you return empty-handed, I’ll cut off your limbs and feed them to the wyverns, and if you don’t return at all, then I’ll go and find the count myself.”

I wanted to provide one last opportunity before that.

He hurriedly mounted his horse and galloped away.

Fortunately, there was no need for him to make a statement like ‘Your Majesty, I’ll meet with the count.’

He returned in due time with four sheep for the wyverns, one sheep for us, and some wool bedding.

“You little rascal! Get the proper bedding before I toss you into this fire pit!”

After lighting a campfire, Lady Trentia brought over the disassembled sheep from the brook, and I kicked the steward’s behind while giving him a shout.

While grappling with whether to set an example.

He screamed and dashed away again.

Sererassie, who was sitting by the fire, tilted her head slightly.

“Valenciaunos.”

“What is it, sister?”

“Can’t I just zap those idiots for you? Why go through all this trouble?”

She defined her identity as a mage rather than a noble and sometimes displayed a magnanimity that transcended social rank.

However, I was a bandit of noble rank.

“We don’t need to take on the consequences of that fellow’s laziness, do we?”

After thinking for a moment, she nodded.

“That’s a valid point. I don’t want to admit it, but it’s true.”

“Do you really have to say that in front of the meat? It ruins the taste.”

“Don’t we always have to speak the truth? Especially in front of His Majesty.”

“……”

Jeilliris was sitting beside me, while her maid and Rudi were biting into lamb ribs grilled by the fire, tearing at them like carnivores.

The crimson juices adorned her lips beautifully.

“I am accustomed to the lies of my vassals, so it matters not.”

I feigned surprise and asked loudly, “How dare anyone lie to His Majesty?”

“The one who doesn’t tell the whole truth stands before me.”

After some thought, I shifted the point of my sword.

“Lady Trentia, what facts are you hiding?”

I was sitting diagonally beside Jeilliris; the one truly seated directly in front of me was Lady Trentia.

“Your Majesty, why do you wish to drag me into the fire pit? No matter how much of your guard I am, I cannot protect you from His Majesty.”

Lady Trentia exclaimed, abandoning my side.

Sererassie looked at me and laughed lightly.

“If a knight tries to die alongside their lord, they are a loyal subject, but if the lord tries to die alongside their knight, they are a bandit.”

“I have no words. Do not worry, Lady Trentia. I do not intend to die with you.”

“Are you thinking of living alone?”

Having committed sins, I couldn’t say much.

“…… When is that fool coming? The one who brought the sheep shouldn’t have forgotten the wool bedding.”

At that moment, I heard hoofbeats and something approaching from a distance.

“Seems like he’s coming.”

I stood up as if escaping from the campfire.

As strange sounds, vibrations, and a heady scent I hadn’t noticed before filled the air.

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud, thud.

“Your Majesty.”

Jeilliris wiped her fingers and lips stained with juice and blood with a handkerchief.

“I’ve noticed.”

“I’ve heard from Korel in the slums that these days the displaced peoples coming into the slums are mostly fleeing from the orc groups in the west.”

She stood up, refusing the sword offered by her maid.

“I…”

“No, that’s enough. Listening to the noises, it seems this is an army that a rural lord cannot contend with. We received hospitality, so we should reciprocate.”

Her eyes glinted with a non-human gold.

With a thunderous crash!

The forest split apart as hundreds of Greenskins leapt out.

Goblin figures had thin childlike builds with green skin and grotesque features, and the larger orcs with pig-like faces made a mass.

There was a mix of orc boar riders armed with spears and goblin archers wielding crude bows among the throngs.

Leading them was that damn steward.

I told him to bring bedding, and he brought this instead.

“My lord! Please spare me!!”

As Jeilliris brushed past me, she let out a small sigh.

“Protect her from me.”

I was all too aware of what she meant.

As the horde of Greenskins poured into the landing site like a raging tide, Jeilliris stood firm to block them as if she were going on a spring outing.

I gritted my teeth, still only seeing their backs.

I had to grow stronger.

Jeilliris monotonously intoned, “Leave my empire.”

The wind howled, and the mana in the area converged into a single point.

Lady Trentia and Jeilliris’ platinum knight flinched as if chilled, while Sererassie and I sensed the flow and shivered.

“Lord Valenciaunos?”

I covered Rudi’s ears and shielded her eyes before pulling her into my embrace, turning my back to the Emperor.

* * *

The mana gathered with the wind took on Jeilliris’ golden hue.

She collected it all forward and shouted a brief incantation.

“Breath of flames.”

A curtain forming the vague shape of a dragon’s mouth appeared, and in the next moment, a massive flame erupted in a fan shape, shooting out 700 meters.

Trees were incinerated without leaving a trace of ash, rich red earth flowed downwards, and vaporized snow exploded upwards like a torrent.

Boom!

A tremendous heat wave exploded forth, shaking the area.

The Emperor’s platinum hair fluttered, towering trees swayed, and the wyverns let out shrill cries.

Valenciaunos shielded Rudi from the searing heat, and Lady Trentia and Sererassie laughed fake laughs.

Orcs “so insignificant” had already vanished from their minds.

“It’s been a while since I used such a grand spell.”

Jeilliris smiled languidly as she turned back from the demon.

Sererassie lowered her head before her, paying her respects as a mage.

“Your Majesty.”

“Why the sudden formality?”

“Thank you.”

Her deep blue and yellow eyes blazed with passion.

A genius who enjoyed himself did not falter when faced with a strong opponent.

Sererassie silently made a vow similar to that of Valenciaunos.

She would stand beside him unwaveringly.