Chapter 85

85.

***

It had been several days since we held a rather meaningful gathering.

Since I had officially become the Empress’s husband, various obligations and rights based on imperial law and ancient customs had formally come into effect. Matters like state meetings or the highest councils of various administrative agencies.

Having reached an equal rank as Iris, I could now fully represent her in many situations. In truth, even before officially becoming the Empress’s husband, my position was nearly complete, especially after Norman Bradden’s execution.

Iris and I had already decided to divide our responsibilities, and in reality, she was mostly handling the internal administrative tasks. Even the central nobles and bureaucrats readily accepted this arrangement.

Thus, even after officially becoming the Empress’s husband, my life within the royal palace hardly changed. It could be said that my workload only increased slightly.

Matters that Iris used to handle in her spare time, which couldn’t be delegated, now all fell to me.

An utterly delightful yet terrible situation, with additional trivial tasks added to my existing workload.

Despite all this, I expected my days to be extremely busy, but surprisingly, they were rather leisurely, perhaps due to the lull after major events.

“I’ve finished today’s duties. Thank you for your hard work, Cain.”

“Is there really much work to thank for? On the contrary, I’m more concerned about Iris. I’ve heard her bedtime has been getting later and later recently. Isn’t she tired?”

“I’m used to it, so it’s fine. Your help with the paperwork doesn’t make it too exhausting…”

Calmly continuing her response, the woman suddenly fell silent.

Her face was nearly expressionless, but upon closer inspection, her delicate eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and her gaze kept wandering restlessly.

It was as if she was contemplating something. An endearing look whenever she was lost in thought.

I tried my best to suppress the slight upward curl of my lips as I awaited her next words. She soon seemed to steel herself, closing her eyes tightly before speaking.

“Ac, actually, I feel a little… tired.”

Her confident tone gradually faded away.

‘Hmm.’

She seemed to want something.

It wasn’t dissatisfaction. Based on my judgment and intuition, it was more akin to embarrassment rather than frustration.

‘Not about the knight’s gathering, and it’s not about missing out on pudding, since she ate some yesterday…’

Complicated.

A woman’s heart.

Various thoughts raced through my mind in an instant, yet no clear conclusion emerged.

Just as I was about to ask her directly, I realized that her gaze had consistently been directed towards my hands and body.

On a whim, I cautiously spread my arms open. Then,

Thud.

Iris dove straight into my embrace.

‘Oh.’

A soft sensation invaded me. Her slender arms tightly wrapped around my waist, closer than even the hug we shared during the grand festival.

Gently stroking her back, I heard her murmured voice.

“Isn’t Cain tired?”

“I don’t feel any fatigue.”

It wasn’t lies—I really wasn’t tired.

Initially, my body was on a superhuman level. Moving around the palace to handle official duties wasn’t enough to exhaust me.

Though I mostly felt mental fatigue, these days I didn’t even have time to feel mentally drained.

Most of the central organizations were busy with various follow-up issues, including the grand festival. However, very few problems reached us, the highest decision-makers, as they were mostly resolved by the upper-level agencies.

Just how leisurely had it been that I was helping out with Iris’s duties while training the knights?

“Feel free to ask whenever this helps to relax. We are husband and wife, after all.”

“…Yes. Then, could I ask for just a little more?”

After an amount of time equivalent to enjoying a cup of tea had passed,

Iris gently disentangled the embrace and stepped back.

She looked up with a brighter expression than before but suddenly spoke in a flustered tone as if something had just occurred to her.

“There was something I wanted to say but forgot. Do you have a moment?”

“Yes, no problem.”

“It’s just a quick check, so it won’t take long. Then…”

Iris briskly walked to the desk, cradled an elegant sheet of paper in her arms, and moved.

In front of the square table placed centrally in the audience chamber.

She spread the paper on the table with vigor and beckoned for me to come closer with a light wave of her hand.

As soon as I approached Iris, my gaze fell onto the paper, and quite a familiar piece of information was laid out on it.

‘A map?’

It was a map where the territories of various countries of the Western Continent were roughly indicated.

As Iris scanned the map with her eyes,

She began marking small symbols next to each country’s name with the quill in her hand.

Swoosh. Swoosh.

Her hand, drawing marks smoothly all over the map, suddenly halted in motion.

Looking at what was under the quill, a very familiar name appeared.

‘Karlheigh.’

The contents of small-scale meetings that each department head had conducted were relayed to Iris through Alberto.

Among the many topics discussed recently, two main issues were the topic of conversation: food supply problems and the possibility of Karlheigh’s war declaration.

We were designating alternative goods to gradually bring into the country, at least for now, presenting a temporary solution to the food supply.

The topic she wanted to discuss was about the war.

Iris was the Empress who received priority reports from the Black Falcon and the Central Intelligence Bureau.

Having quick access to information collected by informants embedded within Karlheigh, predicting the possibility of war wouldn’t have been difficult for her.

Although it hadn’t been addressed in the main conference yet, considering that she wanted to discuss it separately, she must have deemed preparation necessary.

I first asked based on the information she’d marked on the map.

“Are the countries marked here connected with Karlheigh?”

“Yes. After considering various factors, it was not difficult to narrow it down.”

Countries quietly supporting mana users or supplies. Even excluding Sylvester, six countries were aiding Karlheigh.

‘Is this what happens when someone knows information?’

While I only understood that such trades were going on in secret,

Iris had gone a step further, practically performing a magic trick by pinpointing the sponsor countries.

I was imprinting the names of the countries she marked into my mind while massaging my chin when I felt a tug on my collar and turned my head.

“Cain.”

Her purple eyes held a trace of unease.

“Are you stepping onto the battlefield?”

Though small and delicate, her hands gripped my collar with surprising strength.

War.

It is not a matter to be taken lightly.

My experience ends with the feud in the northeastern fief. This is my first time dealing with a war on a national scale.

Fearful? Not really.

Most fears stem from death, and there were few circumstances that could drive me to death.

Still, I sensed a vague tension creeping in. But,

“Yes, I will move personally. That is the optimal solution.”

The variable of the Ten Sword Demons is also known in advance.

The most dangerous variable has disappeared, so there’s no room for complacency.

“With the knights, I will glorify the empire’s name and bring the war to a conclusion.”

Carefully uncoupling the hands gripping my collar, I wrapped them gently.

Do you trust your brother?

Looking at Iris with that expression, she slowly nodded.

“Although peace is most important, perhaps this time it can’t be helped.”

“Since various countries are keeping a watchful eye on each other, it is necessary to sound a caution.”

The least harmful and most peaceful solution is to prevent the war. However, this time there were quite a few entanglements involved.

All eyes of the Western Continent will be on us. So, let’s show them.

Even if they think we’ve grown weak, it doesn’t mean they’ve grown stronger.

Recall the long-held memory.

We are the Empire, the rulers of the Western Continent.

Iris blinked her eyes for a moment after hearing my concise reply. Then, she fidgeted with our entwined hands and carefully began her speech.

“I believe in Cain’s might. But the knights… I am a bit worried.”

Iris trailed off.

Though she didn’t finish her sentence, I could infer the content.

The royal knights are weak, aren’t they?

Isn’t it inappropriate to send them out?

Though she worded it subtly, the conclusion was clear: she wanted to avoid sending the knights if possible.

In truth, the knights couldn’t stay cooped up in the palace forever.

Back in the day, they were a high-level military group supported by experienced knights, whereas now, the entire group was made up of rookies who know nothing.

Won’t their skills improve just by making noises in the palace?

They need to get out and gather various experiences to enhance their skills.

“I have a method. I will transform them into the greatest order of knights. I am also the captain of the knights after all.”

“Yes…”

Shaking her head, she opened her mouth with a serious expression.

“Well then, I will consider the short-term battle plans.”

With a resolute look, she declared this and lightly embraced me. Then, I moved my steps outside the audience chamber.

*

The day I had a brief conversation with Iris.

The knights began living at the training grounds, excluding duty and rest periods.

For the novices who had their physical endurance built up, I began teaching them swordsmanship earnestly.

For those who didn’t know anything, I used the Imperial sword technique, and for those with previous martial arts skills, I outlined their direction while assigning various assignments.

Until their basic skills reached an appropriate level, it would be enough for other senior knights or knight captains to supervise them.

I only warned them to watch so that bad habits wouldn’t develop. Thus, we decided to handle the novices’ training on a rotational basis for now.

I focused on wielding the sword together with Milene, the knight captains, and the senior knights.

“You are putting in too much force into your shoulders. Be mindful to use it only when necessary. Moving like that will make you tire quickly and stiffen your body.”

Clang!

I lightly smacked the side of the slowly extending sword, and the sword slipped from his hand, flying into the air.

Thud.

The sword stuck helplessly into the ground.

The senior knight, massaging the trembling hands, grabbed the hilt again. His trembling blade and labored breathing indicated he was quite exhausted.

“When you concentrate force on a single point, you achieve strong penetration power, but as you just saw, it can be easily nullified by interference halfway through. Leading an attack can also make the counterattack more effective. Therefore, you must be mindful of distributing your strength. Next!”

Though his eyes burned with determination, pushing a tired person to the limit would be unwise in the long run.

The senior knights were training with real blades. When the body gets tired, so does the brain, and as focus falters, the risk of serious injury increases.

Glancing at the senior knight readjusting his breathing and returning to formation.

I quickly engaged in practice with temporary knight captain Hexon.

“Expand your field of vision. Even though your eyes should fix on the opponent, your senses should sweep around the entire area.”

I swung my sword toward Hexon and extended my arm lightly.

The steel blade slicing through the air. Just before the swords clashed, I lightly stepped aside to avoid the collision and kicked his exposed abdomen.

“Ugh!”

Approaching the one who coughed dryly and stepped back, I said,

“Your mercenary king’s swordsmanship is characterized by simplicity and freedom due to its refinement in actual combat. Plus, since it’s optimized to efficiently target vital points, its goal is predetermined. Once you know the goal, it’s simple to avoid or block it.”

As he readied himself again, I lifted my hand and continued,

“But most of the people who faced the Mercenary King either had their heads cut off or their hearts pierced. Even though they must’ve known the target, why do you think that happened?”

“…Vision, and adaptation, perhaps?”

Nodding at his confident question,

“Yes. Due to the battlefield’s nature of chaotic fights, the vision of the Mercenary King is extensive. Focusing on a single spot means risking being hit by blind arrows. Thus, with his wide-range vision, he anticipates numerous variables and determines the optimal approach.”

The Mercenary King’s swordsmanship consists of multiple stances and links designed for quick improvisations.

Since it lacks a rigid form, mastering it is rather challenging, but once adapted, it becomes quite bothersome for the enemy.

Add to that the superhuman strength of mana,

‘And you’re dead before you know it.’

After sending him back to the line who was lost in thought, I surveyed my surroundings.

‘Is Hexon the last?’

The senior knights were covered in mud, either discussing with each other or practicing their swordsmanship. The same was true for Hexon and the other knight captains.

“Deputy Captain Milene!”

“Yes, sir!”

Milene was guiding the most physically proficient Russell and a few others in the Empire Sword.

Counting them, half of the royal knights were practicing this sword technique.

Perfect.

This is a good opportunity to teach them and show what it truly feels like.

I pointed at the sheath as the swift Milene approached.

“This is our last practice of the day. Approach with full force.”

“…”

Milene gave a firm nod and swiftly drew her sword with a determined expression.