Among the nobles, there are times when I can’t help but laugh at those who talk about ‘pure bloodlines.’
Of course, I don’t mean to mock bloodline ideology itself, especially since powerful mixed-blood families from heterogeneous races have been ruling the world for hundreds to thousands of years, and the man who founded the empire through marriage with a dragon is our ancestor.
Even I have used my bloodline to easily handle flame magic with little effort, becoming a magic swordsman capable of using both mana blades and spells, and I have also successfully undergone the Dragon Blessing ritual.
Nobles possess the elegant appearance and magical prowess thanks to their elven blood, the craftsmanship from dwarven blood, and the physical strength from ogre blood.
The imperial family stands at the pinnacle of these bloodlines with the addition of dragon blood.
It’s not just a ‘half’ blood, but a lineage created after mixing all the desirable blood over hundreds of years, carefully calculating the side effects and offsetting them with the blood of several races.
Thus, even I, Jeilliris, and other nobles do not particularly show signs of being heterogeneous mixed-bloods in our appearances.
Cariosa was different.
“So why has Elder Brother Valenccius come to this Cariosa’s tent at this hour?”
Her skin shimmered as if covered in scales, her nails were opaque like pearls, and her teeth were sharp like a shark’s.
Even without drawing forth any particular aura, her irises were a clear bluish-gray, and her pupils were slit vertically.
The atmosphere itself was somewhat wilder, giving off the aura of a dangerous hunter.
“Is this a gift from Her Majesty Empress Jeilliris to me?”
Seeing her with her messy light hair tied up roughly and revealing her sharp teeth made even me, who faces Jeilliris every day, feel a pang of apprehension.
The aura of the second most powerful magic swordsman on the continent was indeed formidable.
I lightly surveyed the luxurious yet orderly tent.
There was a sound of grunting coming from somewhere.
The floor was layered with leather and carpets in twos and threes, and instead of candles, large crystal magic tools illuminated the tent.
Behind her, sitting across the table, I could see a wide bed, and the walls in the front, back, and sides could all be raised.
“It seems the ones I sent before were not enough.”
Lady Trentia’s face hardened, and Cariosa laughed lightly, gesturing with her hand.
As a knight standing behind Cariosa shouted in the eastern dialect, the left wall of the tent was raised.
“Ugh! Ugh!”
Behind it, there were the couriers who had come here earlier, kneeling on the ground with gags in their mouths.
Lady Trentia’s red eyes sparkled, and I calmly asked, “No matter how much of a great duke from the east you may be, you cannot treat the emperor’s envoy like this. Have they committed some kind of disrespect?”
I could only hope that they had acted disrespectfully to deserve such treatment.
If they simply detained them because they were planning a rebellion, then I would soon find myself in the same predicament.
Cariosa grinned as she replied, “They committed the disrespect of treating me, a loyal subject of the Emperor, as a rebel.”
This at least meant that she wasn’t considering rebellion herself.
Of course, with an army of sixty-five thousand, it was too terrifying to look at it positively.
“I will apologize on their behalf, so please remove their gags and allow them to return to the palace to convey the duke’s sincerity.”
“You have a smooth tongue, unlike the rumors suggest.”
“Who on this continent would dare speak crudely before a duke?”
“I heard you were the greatest bandit, having killed two dukes and tricked another into embarrassment.”
“The most important thing for a bandit is to see where to lie down and stretch their legs. That way, they won’t lose their limbs to sea monsters.”
The knight who had made the other knights kneel next to the duke rolled his eyes.
But perhaps the descendant of Summerlin was quite pleased with my words; she chuckled and gestured.
“Red Knight. Take them away and send them back to the imperial palace. I have important matters to discuss closely with your lord.”
Lady Trentia’s red eyes lit up as she replied, “Your Excellency, I beg your pardon, but I am Lord Valenccius’ knight.”
“Ah. It truly is an impudent request, Red Knight. If I had intended otherwise, do you think you could have stopped me?”
The red eyes and bluish-gray eyes locked in the air.
Lady Trentia clenched her fist tightly and held her ground.
Suddenly, the air grew heavy, and there was a sensation as if sharp swords filled the space around us.
A fierce battle of wills erupted between the knights.
The knights from Asenorta began reaching for their sword hilts one by one.
I drew upon the energy of incantation, changing my eyes to slits and spoke as firmly as I could, “Lady Trentia!”
I heard what sounded like shattering glass, and Lady Trentia, who had been trembling in place, raised her head.
Her face had gone pale, but her gaze remained unwavering.
Cariosa raised both hands in a gesture of mock applause and made a whistling sound.
“Please handle the emperor’s knights and send them back. After that, wait for me in front of the tent.”
“Your Majesty…!”
“Quickly.”
In this continent, aside from Jeilliris, there is no one I can confidently say can defeat Cariosa one-on-one.
I don’t know about Seberik, but he is not in the capital.
Therefore, now that I have come this far, I have only two options given to me.
I can return unscathed, or I can be executed and become the beacon of war.
Lady Trentia seemed to understand this as she nodded her head.
As she left the tent, the knights of Asenorta cast looks of surprise and caution at her.
Even for a few seconds, holding strong against the second most powerful magic swordsman in the empire was no small feat.
The side of the tent closed again.
Perhaps some sound-absorbing barrier was activated, for not a sound could be heard from outside.
Maidens and attendants entered and filled a silver goblet with wine until it overflowed.
Cariosa laughed sadistically and said, “This is wine from the Oriensag region, the best in the east. It’s now cozy. So, Duke, let’s talk about love and war.”
With a voice full of excitement.
*
Valenccius had engaged in various diplomacy for 40 years before his return, ranging from the ‘Yelling Diplomacy’ that burned the opponent’s tent to those that resembled ‘Feigning Humility’ by acting subservient to others.
“There were strangely many compliments about Jeilliris’s appearance written on official documents even before my return. They even tried to take me prisoner. Do I have a preference for silver hair and golden eyes?”
Throughout 40 years of a life navigating the strong and weak, he had not hesitated to utilize what he learned.
Many times he had been the weak one in the most desperate moments, often unable to choose a method to win.
“So, love stories. Let’s start with the love of the imperial family.”
Her cheerful, flowing blond hair sparkled under the light emitted by the crystal sphere, and her high, beautiful nose and deep, exhausted eyes cast three-dimensional shadows on her face. Her lips, cracked from several days of fatigue, were stained with thick drops of mana.
Seeing that drop of blood, Cariosa wet her lips with anticipation.
“I’m sorry, Duke. It’s half instinct.”
“I understand, Count.”
“I’m sorry for cutting you off. What kind of love does the imperial family have?”
“Love is trust, and trust is sharing. It’s about sharing the duties and responsibilities of power and believing that they will handle them well.”
Valenccius smoothly ordered the attendants of the count to bring in a map of the east.
Cariosa clicked her tongue at his brazen attitude, but Valenccius was an expert at drawing attention with a suitably provocative demeanor, especially in front of a legendary strongman.
“As you may know… the empire is incredibly vast. You’ve seen it for yourself on your way here, but the roads are hardly able to accommodate me. Honestly, the imperial family struggles to manage the vassals from various regions one by one.”
“Indeed. I thought it might have been better to fly here alone on a wyvern. It’s difficult to make a circuit through my vassals’ territories by land. I can understand the imperial family’s struggles.”
“!”
Their eyes met once.
Valenccius observed the carefree smile that appeared at the corner of Cariosa’s mouth.
“The ‘struggles of the imperial family.’ She is taking it for granted that she will become the ruler of the east. As expected of Asenorta. She’s no ordinary opponent.”
“So, there are two directions currently being discussed. The first is to newly appoint the strongest among the vassal counts as dukes, thereby consolidating the vassal counts and minor nobles of the region.”
Of course, it was a lie.
Such discussions had never taken place and would never take place.
But Valenccius spoke without wetting his lips, and Cariosa clicked her tongue at his audacity.
With her hunting instincts, she vaguely realized that Valenccius was just rambling, but for now, she decided to overlook it and listen to what else he had to say.
“The second is… to appoint a loyal one among the dukes as a duke and put them in charge of the entire eastern region.”
“That’s a dangerous claim, Duke. The vassal counts and dukes in other tents would be aghast if they heard this. They would lose all desire to pledge their loyalty.”
He was insinuating that the new duke would subdue them all and allow the vassals to betray.
With a smile like a hunter, Cariosa looked as if the tent door could burst open at any moment, with the vassal counts and dukes shouting about betrayal against the empire.
Yet Valenccius knew the secrets of the east.
“I fought the ‘king’ Asenorta before I returned.”
The vassal counts in the east had already begun to transition towards Asenorta to some extent.
The mere fact that the nobles gathered and marched implied that some form of tacit agreement or threat had reached its conclusion.
“Even if the traitors dislike the emperor, as long as the vassals like him, isn’t that a virtue of feudalism? Duke Cariosa, no, Count. Ha ha, that was a slip of the tongue.”
It was not merely a slip of the tongue but a nonsensical blunder.
Cariosa looked at Valenccius with the gaze of a cat who had caught on to a treacherous thought.
Then Valenccius made a proposal she had anticipated.
“I’m sorry. But I want to be a king, not a duke.”
Having anticipated the proposal, he was ready with a response.
“You can’t become a king without passing through the dukedom, can you?”
“There are ways. For instance, you could marry into royalty.”
“I’m honored, but at present, there are no suitable men for the rank of duke in Solletarass. Sererassie, Helena, and Denia are all women, and Hadrian is…”
Cariosa chuckled like a hunter.
“No. I’m referring to you, Valenccius. An elder brother should properly take on the role of husband if he wishes to receive the title of king.”
“Um… if I am not misunderstanding.”
“You are suggesting we marry.”
The titles of king, prince, and count were similar ranks, and all were addressed as ‘Your Majesty,’ yet there was something thrilling about the title of king.
Upon hearing this, Valenccius surprisingly considered it with gravity.
“There is no one among the nobles of the west, south-west, or south who could make a similar proposal. Of course, there are those who would want me as a consort, but none would dare defy Cariosa. Seberik is still unmarried, too.”
Blinking his bright yellow eyes several times.
“For now, as long as the vows of loyalty are properly made, half of my plan will succeed. If there are no internal conflicts, there will be no invasions. I must fight against the pirates from the islands, the undersea people, the infiltrators, and the tremendous beings from the sea. Cariosa had not been overwhelmed by corruption even before my return. If I become Cariosa’s husband, I can have her send her army to assist in subjugating Jeilliris.”
After all, marriages among nobles, royalty, and the imperial family were all political unions.
“This heterogeneous mixed-blood means that both of us will age slowly together and remain beautiful for a long time. If a child is born, they would be a descendant of Summerlin and dragons, very powerful indeed.”
However.
“Becoming a duke or count could convince me to trade my military for peace, but a throne involves bigger disparities between vassals and tribute states. There is a possibility that the citizens and infiltrators will believe that Jeilliris has lost territory.”
Valenccius lightly bit his lips.
His lips split open, and sweet droplets of blood formed.
Seeing that drop of blood, Cariosa again tasted her lips in desire.
“How about we continue our conversation inside the capital? After all… this is not something I can decide alone. It’s only right that I meet with the lady, no, with Your Majesty, and discuss it.”
