IYAMD: Episode 32

Marsilia thought he must have seen something wrong. The smile that had briefly appeared on Jaha’s face had vanished in an instant.

Instinctively, he reached out and stopped Jaha from turning away.

“You just…”

He wanted to ask if Jaha had smiled. But as he became aware of the gazes around them, his mouth shut on its own. Marsilia steadied his racing heart and spoke to Jaha.

“We’re leaving now.”

Jaha gave a small nod. As they moved to where their horses were lined up, they saw the others who would be traveling with them—Gerald, Malek, and Sasha, who was assigned as both Jaha’s escort and monitor.

Sasha, holding the reins, handed them over to Jaha and Marsilia, while the priest in charge of activating the artifact approached the Expansion Stone. He turned to Marsilia as if asking if everything was ready.

Before giving his nod, Marsilia met Serez’s gaze.

Serez nodded reassuringly. Only then did Marsilia give the signal to the priest.

“Have a safe journey, Your Majesty.”

As light poured out, Serez’s farewell echoed in the air. Marsilia closed his eyes and let out a breath.

Upon arriving in Othello, the midpoint between the capital and the Ferento territory, they found that the knights who had arrived earlier were already in formation, waiting for the emperor.

There was quite a crowd in Othello as well, gathered to witness the emperor’s departure. Jaha could feel firsthand just how popular Marsilia was among his people.

It was surprising. In the Eastern Continent, catching a mere glimpse of the emperor’s face was something that might not even happen in a lifetime.

Marsilia, accustomed to such attention, waved to the people and led the procession. Behind him followed Jaha, Gerald, and the rest of their group, with the knights marching in formation at the rear.

Given that there were hundreds of them, Jaha had expected chaos. However, the knights moved in a well-practiced, two-column formation, quietly following behind their emperor.

Even as they passed through the city, people lined the streets, tossing flowers and waving toward the emperor. Marsilia, atop his white horse, glanced around gracefully, offering smiles. Occasionally, when shouts calling his name rang out from second- or third-story buildings, he would wave in their direction.

At first, Jaha simply found it fascinating. But as he grew accustomed to it, he started to feel puzzled. Was there a specific reason why the emperor was being welcomed with such enthusiasm?

No matter how prosperous a nation was, there would surely be corruption among its officials.

During his time in the Western Continent, Jaha had seen his fair share of corrupt priests exploiting portal fees and merchants being extorted through gate tolls or trade tariffs.

So how was it that the people still greeted their emperor with nothing but bright faces?

But after observing for a while, Jaha thought he might understand. Looking at Marsilia—his dignified posture, his graceful smile, and his warm green eyes, so different from the arrogant gaze of the Archduke—he could see why people would want to trust him, even if he did nothing for them personally.

His handsome face, his upright bearing, the way he exuded both confidence and kindness… Perhaps that alone was enough to make them adore him.

When the seemingly endless march finally came to an end and they exited the city, Marquis Yoncen Pablo, the commander of the Black Knights, rode forward to greet them.

Marsilia halted briefly to give him instructions and ordered the leading unit to set off ahead.

“Sable, we’ll be moving right behind the vanguard. The distance is quite long, so we need to ride fast during the day. Be careful and keep up. Gerald and Malek, if you get too exhausted, you can rest briefly and regroup with the rear unit.”

As the knights departed, Marsilia moved closer to Jaha, riding alongside him. When it was time to set off, he took the lead, and Jaha followed.

Jaha had already heard that they would be riding for three to four more days, so he had no complaints. But he hadn’t expected they would push on without rest like this.

What concerned him more was the man beside him. Marsilia, who had already used his power multiple times since morning, acted as if nothing was wrong—but he kept drinking from his flask.

Before long, it ran dry, and Jaha silently handed him his own.

Marsilia, glancing at the offered hand while still riding, smiled awkwardly before accepting it.

“We’ll resupply once along the way. We’ll stop for dinner, but until then, just make do with rations for lunch.”

After using his divine power on the pouch, Marsilia only lightly wet his lips before handing it back to Jaha, seemingly no lighter than before.

Jaha took it back but kept it ready, prepared to offer it again whenever needed.

However, even as the afternoon wore on, Marsilia never asked for water.

As the sun began to set, Marsilia called for a knight to ride ahead and signal the vanguard to stop.

It was time for their evening meal. They had to finish preparations before nightfall.

Since the troops were traveling in three separate groups, the other units would take their own breaks accordingly.

Upon dismounting, they found that the advance party had already set up a resting area for the emperor.

As soon as Marsilia entered the simple tent prepared for him, he let out a weary breath.

Jaha followed behind him, but when Marsilia suddenly wavered, he instinctively reached out in alarm.

The emperor, running a hand through his hair as he turned around, noticed Jaha’s outstretched hand and raised an eyebrow.

Then, with a playful grin, he spread his arms toward Jaha and stepped forward.

“Are you offering me a hug?”

I was only trying to catch you in case you collapsed. As Jaha withdrew his outstretched arm, Marsilia chuckled softly and gave an order toward the entrance.

“Malek, bring me a change of clothes.”

A response came from outside. Malek’s voice sounded breathless, as if exhausted from the unfamiliar march.

“Please wait a moment, Your Majesty. I’m unloading the supplies from the horse.”

It was no surprise he was uncomfortable—he had been traveling in formal attire the entire time. Without hesitation, he undid the buttons of his jacket and loosened the cloth around his neck, tossing it aside.

As he removed his jacket, his breathing seemed to grow heavier. His forehead glistened with what looked like cold sweat.

Jaha stepped closer and helped him take off the jacket before looking up at him.

‘Are you alright?’

Marsilia, reading Jaha’s lips, gave a small smile and shook his head.

“I’m not.”

And he truly didn’t look it. Perhaps it was just the dim lighting in the tent, but his complexion seemed even paler than before. Was using his power always this exhausting?

Jaha placed a hand against Marsilia’s cheek and flinched in surprise. After riding under the scorching sun all day, his skin should have been warm—but his face was icy cold.

Maybe he should rest a little.

Jaha bit his lip as he watched Marsilia slowly close his eyes.

“Your Majesty, I’m coming in,” Malek called from outside.

Marsilia opened his eyes again and leaned his head back.

At some point, Marsilia took Jaha’s hand and began idly tracing patterns over his palm. His fingertips were still cold.

“Come in.”

By the time Malek entered, Marsilia had already composed himself, his expression returning to normal.

After purifying the water Malek had brought, Marsilia drank it before allowing his attendants to help him out of his tunic.

Malek used a damp cloth to wipe him down. Jaha realized this was the first time he had ever seen Marsilia undressed.

Without meaning to, his gaze lingered on the emperor’s body. Beneath his ribs, he noticed a dark, reddish mark. It looked like a burn or a scar—an odd, unfamiliar pattern.

Noticing Jaha’s stare, Marsilia pressed his palm over the mark, covering it, and grinned.

“If you keep looking at me like that with such heated eyes, even I might get embarrassed.”

Jaha stiffened at the teasing remark and turned away. What was he even saying? Why would Jaha look at his bare skin with heated eyes?

Grumbling internally, he found his face inexplicably warm.

“You can look now, Jaha. I’m dressed.”

Now in lighter clothing, Marsilia looked much the same as Jaha. Malek tidied up the garments, moving around to make the small tent feel a bit more comfortable.

Marsilia lay down on the soft cloth Malek had laid out, then called to Jaha.

“Come lie down too. It’ll take an hour or two before dinner is ready. You should rest while you can—we’ll be riding again tonight.”

As Jaha approached and sat down, Marsilia turned onto his side and continued speaking.

“I don’t usually march at night, but in urgent situations, I have no choice. We need to arrive as soon as possible. For the next three nights, we’ll continue riding even after dark. On the last day, we’ll stop and rest before entering our destination.”

Jaha watched silently. Marsilia wasn’t just drawing random shapes—he was writing something. Letters.

“This is my name. M, A, R, S, I, L, I, A. Marsilia. These letters are inside your mouth. Have you ever seen them before?”

Jaha shook his head. Come to think of it, he had never actually seen Marsilia’s name written out before. He had heard about it, so he should have been curious at some point, but for some reason, he had never thought to look.

Marsilia chuckled softly, resting his head against his hand.

“Your indifference wounds me.”

Feigning hurt, he scrunched his nose and curled up slightly.

Because of the cramped space, his head ended up pressing against Jaha’s hip.

Just as Jaha began to feel like Marsilia was inching closer and closer, he realized—the emperor had settled his head onto Jaha’s thigh.

Jaha didn’t push him away.

It was better for him to rest properly, and a lap pillow was the least Jaha could offer.

The ground was too hard, and there wasn’t anything else for Marsilia to use as a pillow anyway.

Maybe that thought reached him somehow.

Marsilia simply closed his eyes, and Jaha gently ran his fingers through his soft hair.