Chapter 95

Continua Cordis Magnus was the Azure Sky Emperor.

He was the master of the thousand-year Empire and the highest authority on the entire continent.

The father of eight princes and princesses, he spoke with his usual indifferent expression.

“Whenever the three of us get together, it always brings back old memories.”

Two men sat across from the Emperor.

One resembled a lion, the other, an eagle.

Both had wrinkled faces, yet they were excessively hale for their age.

“I agree, Your Majesty.”

“Those were good times.”

The one who was built like a lion was Deballo Debius, the General Officer in charge of the military.

He was also the Grand General, the first seat of the Ten Great Generals of the Empire.

He was the undisputed greatest general in Cordis.

The man who was sharp like an eagle was Kerenneus Cansella Caseptus, the Prime Minister and the leader of the Noble Council.

He was the greatest politician in Cordis, beyond comparison.

“Hmm. I actually thought about bringing some wine.”

“Are you planning to go to the coronation drunk, you fool, Debius?”

“That’s why I didn’t bring it, you sly Cansella!”

“I thought you were losing your judgment in your old age.”

Kerenneus raised his sharp, bird-of-prey eyes.

Azure Sky Emperor Continua and his three confidants had been at the center of power ever since they saved the Empire 46 years ago.

If Continua was at the apex of the continent, then Kerenneus, Deballo and Hermai were right below him.

“Your Majesty, where is Hermai Merhes?”

“By the side of the next Emperor.”

“Wise. The rumors will die down a bit now.”

Hermai Merhes was known to be especially close to the Emperor.

By placing him at Ferbias’s side, it would give legitimacy to the next Emperor.

Since this Succession War was particularly fraught with trouble (two princes were said to have died), even the indifferent Emperor had to take such a measure.

“The name Azure Sky Emperor Continua will soon be a thing of the past.”

“It has finally come to an end.”

“It’s the natural order of things.”

The Emperor gave a small laugh.

It was a rare sight.

A hint of relief was visible.

“You, on the other hand, will still have to work hard.”

“Your Majesty won’t be able to rest either, will you?”

“That’s true as well.”

The Emperor’s smile deepened.

Being with his old confidants made him seem a little more human.

It was hard to believe he was the same old man who saw his own sons and daughters as mere street pebbles.

“What do you think of the next Emperor?”

“Is it Ferbias? He’s your grandson, so you’d know him best, wouldn’t you?”

“He’s also your Majesty’s eldest son.”

“Was he?”

Azure Sky Emperor Continua stroked his beard.

The smile vanished again, and only boredom remained.

As he grew older, he forgot many things.

Or perhaps, he never remembered them in the first place.

Kerenneus Cansella Caseptus continued to speak as if his master's behavior was not unusual.

“Ferbias is a good vessel.”

“If the vessel is good, that's enough, what more could you want? You already know that.”

“But he’s young, so his arrogance is excessive.”

“Even better that he's young.”

He sounded satisfied.

It was impossible to know what he was satisfied with, but Kerenneus didn't bother to ask.

If his master was pleased, it was a good thing no matter the reason.

“He'll act on his own whims, won’t he?”

“I’m worried he’ll run wild.”

“There’s no need to worry,”

The Emperor said, pulling the corners of his mouth.

“When you already have him in the palm of your hand, Kerenneus.”

“That’s why I worry. If he runs wild, won’t my palm be torn?”

“Hold him well. Gently, so he doesn't get hurt. Didn't you say he was a good vessel?”

They spoke of the next Emperor of Cordis as if he was not just insignificant but even laughable.

And yet, it didn't feel awkward at all.

Because one was the Prime Minister and the other was the Azure Sky Emperor.

“Deballo, what are your thoughts?”

“Hmm. What are my thoughts worth, Your Majesty?”

Deballo Debius, who had remained silent all this time, opened his mouth.

Just a blink of his eyes felt as majestic and menacing as a lion.

If he were facing anyone but Azure Sky Emperor Continua and Kerenneus, his presence would have been enough to make them tremble and collapse.

“The military will just continue its work. If the next Emperor doesn’t interfere first, nothing will happen.”

“Your grandson was also extraordinary.”

“You mean Secundus.”

Deballo didn’t find it strange that the Emperor spoke of his own son as a stranger.

That was just who he was. All his confidants knew this well.

“I have sent him to the Horm region. I thought he should gain some experience.”

“Is that boy the next Debius?”

“Hmm. He will be.”

Kerenneus abruptly chimed in.

“I’m jealous. I have to raise the next Caseptus all over again.”

“What are you talking about, you old politician? You should be honored, since he'll be the next Emperor.”

“Calling me old. Anyone would think I’m the only old one here. We're the same age.”

Deballo and Kerenneus exchanged words.

Their conversation, while sharp, held a strange sense of familiarity.

They had spent so much time together as the pillars of the Empire that a bond had already formed between them.

“That’s enough.”

The Emperor raised a hand.

The Prime Minister and the Grand General fell silent at the same time.

“Can’t you hear it?”

From a distance, the sound of people could be heard.

It was so noisy that even Continua’s old ears could hear it.

It was the bustle of preparation for the next Emperor’s coronation.

“The next chapter has arrived.”

***

“Brother Secundus…”

“Hmm, Kateka.”

The 2nd Prince, Secundus Debius, was still three heads taller than everyone else.

The 3rd Prince, Kateka Keshulei, was still small and still at his half-brother's side.

“The battle is in its final stages. Should we chase the defeated soldiers?”

“No, let them be.”

Secundus gestured with his hand, watching the group of people running away, kicking up dust.

“They’re not elite, they’re hastily assembled soldiers. There’s nothing to gain from catching them.”

“It could affect public sentiment?”

“Yes. You’ve learned well.”

To the southeast of the Empire was a country called Horm.

They didn’t share a direct border, but rather a nearly desert-like plain lay between them.

The nomadic people of this vast plain had long coveted the Empire’s fertile land, leading to constant skirmishes.

Ever since the Succession War, Secundus and Kateka had been fighting the nomads on this eastern plain.

The fights were too small to be called wars but too brutal to be called mere skirmishes.

It had only been a few months, but even the Reclusive Prince Kateka had grown accustomed to the sight of blood and iron.

“…Then I’ll order a retreat.”

“Do so.”

Kateka Keshulei blew a horn trumpet.

He blew it with all his might, infused with mana, so it echoed across the entire battlefield.

The young men of the military stopped pursuing the enemy and gathered around them.

Secundus led the way, and Kateka skillfully guided the soldiers.

The way back to the main camp wasn’t far.

Since they had won, there was joy despite the injuries.

“The momentum of the Obet tribe has been broken compared to the beginning…”

“It’s to be expected, since their proud warriors have been falling constantly.”

“I think it might be because you punched their chieftain away, Brother…”

“Hmm. I thought I held back a bit.”

Secundus Debius laughed heartily.

He had torn a lion's jaw when he was nine.

There was no one on this plain who could stand against him.

“We might be able to return in about ten days.”

“…Ah, finally!”

Kateka’s smile deepened at the thought of washing the dust from his body.

“…I just can’t get used to not being able to wash properly.”

“The capital’s cleanliness is a strange thing. It’s not called the best on the continent for nothing.”

Kateka, who was talking about this and that, suddenly remembered something and opened his mouth.

“…Oh, isn't it today?”

“Hmm. It should be.”

Secundus Debius’s brow furrowed.

It was a topic he wasn't happy to bring up.

“Ferbias, the damned… no, our brother will finally become His Majesty.”

“…I’m a little worried.”

Kateka Keshulei asked cautiously.

“…Is it really okay for us not to go to the coronation?”

“If we participate in the ceremony, who will protect the people here? It’s an unavoidable duty for the people.”

It was an excuse.

The eastern front of Cordis was solid.

There was no reason for the lives of the people to be threatened if Secundus was absent.

Ferbias probably knew this, so he brazenly announced his absence in a letter.

“I’ve sent a sufficient gift in my name, so it’s fine.”

“Wouldn’t it have been better if I had gone?”

“It would have been good. At least it would have saved some face.”

Secundus stroked Kateka’s head.

Even though they were half-brothers, they were family.

At least Secundus thought so.

“But I can’t send you to the capital alone. I can’t burden you like that.”

“Actually, being on the battlefield is more of a burden…”

“Hahaha. You joke!”

“When will you finally believe in me…”

Kateka chuckled.

The two, who didn't look alike despite being brothers, continued to ride.

Secundus Debius showed off his even sturdier forearm and said:

“Don’t worry too much, Kateka. Our great brother, His Majesty, has more urgent things to do than us.”

Becoming the master of the continent is no easy feat.

It cannot be.

It’s the same even for Ferbias Caseptus.

Even more so when his predecessor is the Azure Sky Emperor Continua.

“So, you have to diligently build up your military achievements to establish your position. So that even His Majesty the Emperor can’t easily touch you.”

“…Yes, I understand.”

“Hmm. You’re reliable.”

Kateka Keshulei was called the Reclusive Prince.

It was a strange thing to be traversing the battlefield with him like this.

He was now, in name and in reality, Secundus’s subordinate and his right-hand man.

‘Sigh, we only spent a short time together, but why do I keep thinking about him…’

He felt a sense of an empty space.

Another brother who he wanted to be his left-hand man, if Kateka was his right-hand man.

The little boy with the blue eyes, whose secrets he couldn't guess, and whom he would probably never see again.

‘…That rascal Zionis.’

***

“Princess Leniar. Do you not have to go to Lutilium?”

“I told you not to call me Princess, Etsi.”

The 1st Princess of Cordis, Leniar de Volmark, gently chided her twin brother, Etsi.

The world knew them as cousins.

Since they were twins of the same age, it was strange for him to call her Princess.

“Right. I forgot.”

“Goodness…”

Leniar couldn’t scold her sickly brother any further when he laughed.

Leniar, known for being cool-headed, cold, and aloof, always softened when she was with Etsi.

He was her twin brother, whom she would give her life for without hesitation.

‘Poor Etsi, who will pay for your lost youth.’

Etsi was sitting on his bed.

His illness was over.

The cure from the Great Witch, which he had obtained thanks to Shion, had instantly driven away his severe illness.

But he had been bedridden for thirteen years.

There was no way of knowing how long it would take for his weakened body to recover to at least the level of his peers.

‘Thirteen years because of a disease that could be cured so easily…’

Just thinking about that plucked chicken, Jeberk, made her blood boil.

To have the audacity to take tribute in the middle of a deal with the Great Witch.

If it weren't for Shion, Etsi would still be lying in bed, wouldn't he?

Leniar vowed that if she ever met Jeberk again, she would roast him on a charcoal fire.

“Anyway, is it really okay for you to be absent from the coronation?”

“It’s fine. That rascal Secundus isn't going either.”

“Doesn't that make it even more necessary for us to go? Our absence would be felt even more, which would irk the next Emperor.”

Etsi tilted his head.

Despite having spent so long in bed, he had an excellent political sense.

He was a true twin brother to Leniar.

“If I did, I might get caught and have to live in the imperial villa for the rest of my life.”

Leniar ran her long silver hair through her hands.

“I don't know about my brother Ferbias, but Kerenneus would definitely have done that.”

Being a born politician, Leniar knew.

She knew how cruel and terrifying a man the Prime Minister, Kerenneus Cansella Caseptus, was.

His thoroughness was not comparable to his grandson, Ferbias.

“Without the Haider Warrior Corps Captain, Lutilium is too dangerous to walk around in.”

“Commander Yosef, because of me…”

“Why is it because of you, Etsi.”

During the Succession War’s Grand Convergence, Yosef Haider failed in his attempt to kill the 5th Prince, Zionis.

He was still paying the price for that outrageous act.

He was probably in some unknown prison.

A sigh welled up in Leniar’s throat as she thought of the loyal old man.

But she suppressed it.

She didn't want to make her precious younger brother worry more.

“Don’t worry, Etsi. You don’t have to worry about anything…”

Leniar de Volmark’s life was for this younger brother.

She had decided so when she was little.

For Etsi’s sake, going to find the Great Witch of the Silver Dragon Magic Kingdom or ruling the Duchy of Volmark was no trouble at all.

“…It’s okay, everything will be okay.”

Even if the Emperor changed, even if that Emperor hated the Duchy of Volmark, or even if the sky were to fall, what would be so difficult?

For Etsi’s sake, what couldn’t she endure?

“Just trust your older sister, always…”

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