IYAMD: Episode 31

Jaha woke up before the early summer sun had risen. After returning from the banquet yesterday, he hadn’t put on the shackles, so after a long time, he did some light exercises and slept, feeling his body rejuvenated.

Whether it was his meridians or the abilities the man had used to help him recover, Jaha’s inner energy was flowing without obstruction.

As soon as he woke up and sat on the bed to circulate his inner energy, he heard the sound of a door being flung open and opened his eyes.

Marsilia, with sleep still clinging to his face, stood there looking flustered, holding the door handle.

“Did you sleep well?”

He asked vaguely, rubbing his face with his palm as he closed the door, not giving Jaha a chance to answer.

After he left, Jaha gathered the energy in his meridians into his dantian and then got out of bed.

Even after Jaha had finished preparing, Marsilia was nowhere to be seen. Hearing the attendant say it was time to leave, Jaha finally realized why the Emperor had been so busy since early morning.

He stood before a white horse, adorned more magnificently than he had been at the banquet yesterday. For someone about to embark on a long journey, it seemed like a rather excessive decoration.

The white uniform, with gold patterns, matched the horse. The horse’s saddle had a white cloth with gold patterns under it, and the reins and saddle had a gold and white color scheme as well.

The man, wearing a long cloak draped over his shoulders, turned around when he felt Jaha’s presence.

“We should depart now. Are you fully prepared?”

Jaha was dressed lightly, with only a sword belt around his waist. Was there anything else to prepare?

When the man saw that Jaha had only brought his sword, he frowned and smiled.

“I envy you.”

The man adjusted his collar, which had risen near his neck, and extended his hand toward Jaha. The white gloves on his hand caught Jaha’s attention.

As Jaha hesitated, the man pulled his hand toward him and kissed the back of his hand.

“I’ve prepared a horse for you separately; you can ride it. But promise me you won’t stray too far from my side, Jaha.”

The man continued, looking at Jaha with a piercing gaze.

“You promised to stay with me during this campaign, so I expect you to keep your word.”

Jaha sighed and nodded. Turning his head away from the man’s intense gaze, he noticed a black horse among the knights who would be accompanying them.

It seemed like a different breed from the Emperor’s horse and the knights’ horses, with slim and elongated legs, making it significantly smaller than the other horses.

“It’s not a warhorse, but it’s fast and agile. I don’t even know why I’m giving you this one, but I wanted you to have this black horse.”

The man smiled shyly, saying he wanted to give him a fitting horse.

“There’s no time, so let’s get going. We’ll hold a ceremony and march in front of the castle gates. I’m sure there will be quite a few spectators.”

The man, already mounted, smiled at Jaha from above.

“I’m warning you in advance not to be surprised, Jaha.”

Jaha nodded calmly and mounted the horse prepared for him.

“You can find water or light supplies in the saddlebag.”

Ashton, standing by Jaha’s side, pointed it out and then stepped back.

“Please take care of His Majesty.”

He bowed respectfully, and the attendants behind him also bowed in unison.

Jaha wanted to reply to their greeting, but they didn’t raise their heads even after the Emperor departed.

Unable to speak, Jaha could only nod and followed the procession, trailing behind those who had already set off.

It felt strange. Was it because it had been a long time since he had ridden a horse? Every time the horse walked slowly, he felt his chest sway.

…

When Jaha stepped outside the castle gates, he was stunned. It wasn’t because of the knights lined up on their horses, but because of the enormous number of spectators gathered at this early hour.

From very young children to elderly people, it would not be an exaggeration to say that everyone in the capital had gathered.

They surrounded the knights lined up in the square, and the crowd extended along the path leading out of the square. From the direction the road started, it seemed some people were craning their necks to catch a better glimpse.

Jaha positioned himself in front of the crowd, where the knights were preparing. It was near the entrance of the square, where the road began. After Jaha took his position, the Emperor stepped forward.

Carrying the weight of the people’s expectations and gaze, he scanned the knights in front of him.

Then, he drew the sword at his waist.

“We will be victorious, just as we always have.”

His voice was thunderous. The man, who usually spoke calmly, raised his voice like the roar of a lion, holding the sword high.

“May the goddess’ blessing be with you all. Draw your swords, my knights!”

The knights all drew their swords and raised them high, just like the Emperor. Jaha, startled by the sudden sound of swords from all around, looked around. Then, he briefly felt that his eyes met Marsilia’s.

When the knights shouted loudly, the crowd cheered in response. Petals flew through the air, and along with the applause, many people shouted.

“Long live the Emperor! Long live the Imperial Knights!”

The cheers echoed along the square and down the street. Hearing the voices reverberate, Jaha looked at Marsilia.

The man, who had firmly planted his sword, glanced at Jaha and squinted with a smile when their eyes met.

Now, Jaha understood why Marsilia had dressed so extravagantly early in the morning.

Jaha could see the white horse, startled by the noise, rearing up. Marsilia pulled on the reins sharply, and the white horse neighed loudly, lifting its front legs high.

Jaha realized that Marsilia had intentionally staged that scene. However, the cheers from the crowd grew louder, and the expressions of the knights surrounding Jaha became more solemn.

In the meantime, Marsilia took the lead. He waved at the crowd, smiling as he was showered with flower petals. His expression was one of complete ease.

The people of the capital who saw the Emperor’s expression today could probably sleep peacefully.

Jaha began to move forward, following the procession, and gazed at Marsilia’s back for a while.

The man walking alone in front had broad, sturdy shoulders.

The procession turned down a main street in the capital and headed toward the temple. Jaha had thought the temple was far away, but it was actually close to the Imperial Palace.

When they arrived at the plaza, Marsilia dismounted and approached Jaha.

He extended his hand once again. Truly, the man never seemed to get tired. It seemed he didn’t care about the many eyes on him.

When Jaha dismounted alone, Marsilia snorted lightly. Serez, who had been waiting ahead, approached and greeted the two of them.

“Good morning, Your Majesty. Sable, did you sleep well?”

Jaha nodded, and Marsilia immediately asked him,

“Are you ready?”

“Yes. It will work once Your Majesty uses your divine power.”

Marsilia spoke to Jaha,

“I’ll send the knights first. You’ll come with me. It’ll take some time because there are a lot of people, so wait here.”

As the knights mounted their horses and took their positions, Marsilia infused his divine power into the portal.

The light emanating from the portal spread across the plaza, covering the area where the knights stood. Jaha watched the spectacle for a long time as shadows flickered and disappeared.

Since arriving in the Western Continent, Jaha had used teleportation a few times. However, when paying the temple officials to use it, he had simply walked into a round stall-like space and emerged on the opposite side.

Horses often couldn’t use teleportation, so he assumed only the luggage they carried could be moved.

But how was the Emperor sending all those people at once?

As Jaha was lost in thought, staring at the spectacle, Serez, standing nearby, briefly explained the principle.

“What His Majesty is using is called an expansion stone. It’s an artifact used for large-scale transportation. Do you understand?”

Since Gerald will join them a little later, there was no one to translate right away. Serez looked at Jaha with a perplexed expression, trying to gauge if he understood, and Jaha merely nodded.

Even if Gerald were to translate, Jaha figured he wouldn’t have understood it anyway.

After sending a few more groups of knights, Marsilia approached Jaha. He walked toward him briskly, trying to appear unaffected, though his gaze seemed different from before.

His eyes were heavy, and Jaha could tell that the man was pushing himself.

Jaha quietly looked up at the approaching man. When Marsilia smiled, as if asking why he was looking at him like that, a sigh escaped Jaha’s lips.

He suddenly became curious. When he saved him, had Marsilia been this tired? Back then, he had fallen asleep immediately and hadn’t seen what the man looked like.

He also wanted to ask: If the same thing happened again, would Marsilia revive him without the slightest hesitation?

“Why do you look like that?”

‘I was just wondering if you were okay.’

When Jaha mumbled, the man’s expression softened. It was clear that he understood.

Jaha looked at his expression and couldn’t help but smile.

Of course, saying he didn’t understand was a lie. What a trickster.