Chapter 68

Fortunately, it seems Kierson and Barnel did a good job at enforcing silence.

The central nobles, though their expressions were stiff, did not raise a fuss.

Iris, surveying the audience chamber, whispered.

“Cain, the nobles are unusually well-behaved.”

“Maybe it’s one of those days,” I replied in a similarly quiet voice, to which she nodded.

“It’s fortunate it’s quiet. There’s no need to make each other’s faces red on a good day.”

After muttering this, Iris closed her eyes. She quietly held my hand while regulating her breathing. Holding her cool, soft hand gently, I reflected on the situation, which reminded me of a previous conversation with her.

Just like when I asked the Holy Maiden, I once asked Iris about her thoughts on the Human-Beast race.

If she had been a radical Human-Beast hater, things could have been quite troublesome.

Luckily, she wasn’t a Human-Beast hater. Still, it wasn’t as if she was particularly friendly toward them either. She merely recognized them as one of the tributary states.

When I subtly brought up the idea of absorbing the Human-Beast alliance, Iris, who had been tapping her feather pen in thought, calmly said,

“It seems you’re planning to integrate the Human-Beast alliance centered around Ferantel.”

“That’s correct. How did you know?”

“Ferantel would provoke the least resistance from the Human-Beasts. Given that their lineage traces back to the Human-Beasts, and records indicate that the Human-Beast alliance respects that family, it’s likely their higher-ups are of noble bloodlines.”

After assessing both the Human-Beast alliance and Ferantel, she approved the merger.

Differences in values, living habits, culture, language, and appearance — merging two entirely different countries is quite the complex matter. If mergers were an easy task, the world’s disputes would have decreased significantly by now.

Regardless, with Iris’s approval obtained, all we need to do now is proceed methodically, like how persistent drizzle soaks clothing.

For the time being, we should focus on welcoming the envoy. We must ensure that the high-ranking members of the Human-Beast alliance don’t leave with unpleasant experiences.

Though their hard-liners being dominant is a bit concerning.

‘As long as we don’t provoke them first, it should be fine.’

They’re not actual beasts; they know how to discern reason.

As time passed with such considerations, we waited for the arrival of the Human-Beast envoy.

The Human-Beast envoy was, surprisingly, rather docile.

“The shaman of the Human-Beast alliance, Byran, and his envoy seek an audience!”

“The audience is granted! Visitors, observe proper etiquette!”

Boom—

With the knights’ proclamation, the massive doors of the audience chamber opened.

Upon entering the chamber, the envoy of the Human-Beast alliance didn’t bow deeply like the envoy of Kalheig, but they approached cautiously and showed respect.

“O ruler of the Empire. I am Byran, the shaman who serves the Divine Dragon.”

A girl with snow-white hair bowed respectfully.

Her fox ears sticking up and her lush tail unconsciously drew attention.

She appeared quite young on the surface, around the same age as Rani. However, Byran’s composed and elegant movements blended perfectly with her black attire, radiating a significant air of dignity.

‘That attire…’

It was an incredibly familiar style of clothing. The robes worn by the Human-Beast envoy were reminiscent of the oriental style from my previous life, specifically similar to the continent’s traditional robes.

Byran and some members wore robes, while others with intense gazes wore martial uniforms.

Although they were technically beasts rather than humans, they looked like they could have stepped out of a martial arts novel. In the Western Continent, dominated by Western fashion, their attire was quite foreign.

‘Was it influenced by the Eastern Continent?’

Before Altain, these lands were roamed by the Human-Beast race.

According to a history teacher’s meticulous lecture, because the Human-Beasts lived near the coast before being pushed out by humans, they had extensive exchanges with the Eastern Continent.

In terms of architectural style, clothing, food, and culture.

If one wishes to indirectly experience the Eastern Continent, they could do so by visiting the Human-Beast alliance.

“You have endured a long journey. Byran, shaman of the Human-Beasts, a separate space has been prepared for you to rest comfortably. You may stay there.”

“Thank you for your hospitality. On behalf of our alliance, we have prepared gifts to celebrate the union of the two of you. This is our special product…”

At the forefront of the envoy, the fox Human-Beast conversed with Iris without any particular friction, exchanging words peacefully.

The audience chamber echoed quietly with the calm voices of Iris and Byran.

Despite the Human-Beasts appearing in the audience chamber, the people remained silent. The atmosphere felt different than simply following the Duke’s orders to remain quiet, and the reason was simple.

Behind Iris and Byran,

All the gazes of the room were fixed on two members of the Human-Beasts.

Twice as tall as me, with massive builds, their solid muscle-packed bodies weren’t fully concealed by their large martial uniforms, revealing them subtly.

Unlike Byran, who only had ears and a tail, these two were completely covered in fur. Their faces took the forms of a tiger and a wolf.

They stood out significantly from the rest of the envoy in terms of height, bulk, and presence.

‘The Great Warriors of the Human-Beasts.’

The strongest members of the Human-Beast alliance, who, despite being Human-Beasts, transcended humanity to become mana wielders belonging in the realm of superhumans.

The Human-Beasts held them in high reverence, referring to them as Great Warriors.

The wolf Human-Beast seemed irritated and had a scowl on his face. Meanwhile, the tiger Human-Beast…

‘Hm?’

Our gazes met, and soon after, blue flames lit up in his vertically slit eyes.

Hoooom—

A gentle breeze circulated around the tiger Human-Beast, followed by a swirling blue light that enveloped the space.

A pressing sensation weighed on my shoulders.

An intangible force pressed down, constricting like a noose.

“……”

Glancing around, the others seemed calm.

A power that ordinary people couldn’t perceive.

Even more concealed as the mana wasn’t openly displayed but rather focused on a single individual.

If one isn’t a mana wielder, they wouldn’t even dream of knowing the tiger Human-Beast was causing trouble. In fact, only the knights who could see mana had their hands on their sword hilts, entering defensive stances.

Among the royal knights, Milene alone seemed slightly discomforted and looked around, but most maintained their fixed posture.

Then,

Flaash—

A mana swirl erupted from the wolf Human-Beast.

The pressure intensified.

It felt like being crushed by a dump truck. My neck succumbed to the intangible force and began to tilt forward.

Looking at the tiger Human-Beast, the wolf who had been scowling since entering now wore an amused grin.

Our side’s mana wielders raised their own pressure, but the two Human-Beast Great Warriors showed no reaction to the mana flooding in from all sides.

Their gazes firmly fixed on me, reading my reactions like a challenge.

Of course, that’s expected, isn’t it?

Why would you remain peaceful?

“Haa…”

With a light sigh, Iris’s body twitched.

Despite still conversing with Byran, her violet eyes discretely moved toward me.

‘Irritating.’

Unlike Kahlheig, they subtly provoked us. Considering they targeted me, not Iris who isn’t a mana wielder, there’s at least some consideration.

I’m not a mana wielder.

I cannot emit mana through my sword.

However, I can confront mana wielders and see the mana spreading in the world with my own eyes.

This is only possible in my case.

If an ordinary person were in my seat, they would have been pressed face down by the tiger Human-Beast’s pressure alone.

‘Alright, let’s see what happens.’

Focusing strength into my arm, I followed the flow of mana.

In the audience chamber bathed in blue light, the amount of mana wielded by the two Great Warriors was substantial. Slightly less than Idan, who just had a toe in transcendence.

At first glance, it seemed chaotic, but upon closer inspection, subtle flows could be discerned.

Similar to the situation when I tampered with Nia’s core at her workshop. Breaking that flow would dispel the pressure.

I extended my palm and smirked as I locked eyes with the Great Warriors.

Before the tiger and the wolf could frown in response,

I struck the air with my palm, a bolt-like motion that struck the flow of mana.

“……!”

“Ugh!”

The mana vortex dissipated as if evaporating.

With the light fading from their eyes, the two Great Warriors kneeled.

Thud!

The massive figures hitting the floor caused a heavy sound to fill the hall.

While the audience chamber continued with the conversation between Iris and Byran, the dull sound clearly reached my ears, drawing everyone’s attention to the source of the noise.

“Adeumu! Byul!”

Startled, Byran hurriedly approached them.

The ones startled were not only Byran.

Everyone’s eyes widened as they inspected the kneeling Great Warriors. It was only natural.

“What’s going on? Suddenly bleeding….”

Slowly rising at Byran’s concern,

Trickles of blood dripped down their sleek fur and martial uniforms. Both Great Warriors were spitting out blood.

Unlike the wolf Human-Beast, who wobbled and shook his head, the tiger Human-Beast calmly wiped the blood and spoke.

“The confirmation is complete. Byran.”

“Exactly when did you…?”

“Apologies, noble members of the Empire. On our journey, we ate mushrooms in the forest, which seem to have been toxic. Since it was a new experience, we wanted to test it ourselves.”

The tiger Human-Beast’s casual explanation sparked quiet conversations among the people.

Though the details of their murmurs were similar. Apparently, the beasts are uncouth and don’t know shame for eating things off the ground.

Clearly attempting to cover their coordinated provocation with an excuse.

Unfortunately, their awkward explanation only opened the mouths of the nobles, rendering our efforts of enforcing silence meaningless.

“Hmph.”

Casually clenching my left fist,

I struck the armrest of the throne forcefully.

Bang!

“Silence!”

With a furrowed brow, I called out sharply, and the central nobles immediately complied.

“Do not forget where you are.”

Pouring more coldness into the atmosphere, I turned my head toward Iris.

Our eyes met, and the dazed Iris quickly collected herself and addressed the envoy.

“The audience has concluded. You may retreat. Follow the Chamberlain. We will dispatch a healer immediately, so wait for them at your lodgings.”

“Thank you for your consideration.”

Byran bowed respectfully.

As the envoy departed with Alberto, she suddenly turned her head just as she reached the rear.

Her shimmering golden eyes met mine.

When she stared as if to pierce me, I met her glare, causing her gaze to shift slightly.

My heightened senses caught her focus—it landed on the left side of my neck, where the Goddess seal had branded Myna’s lips upon her descent.

“Does the shaman Byran have something to say to our Duke?”

Iris’s calm voice resonated in the audience chamber.

“…No.”

Byran bowed respectfully one last time before swiftly exiting the audience chamber.

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