IYAMD: Episode 79

A few days later, Gerald returned, leading three carts. Seeing the procession behind him, Marsilia’s face turned grim.

“Darren Brims, I never issued a deployment order to you.” The man’s voice seemed to carry the sharpness of a sword. It was so low that it sent a chill down one’s spine.

Marsilia crossed his arms in front of Darren, tilting his head back.

“Explain why you’re here.”

Darren, who had knelt the moment he saw the emperor, pulled out a piece of paper from his chest and handed it over politely. Marsilia unfolded it with a sour expression, then cursed.

“Serez Hastings, that damn fool.” Jaha, who had never seen him curse, widened his eyes. What was written on that paper to cause such a reaction?

Marsilia handed the letter to Marquis Yoncen and glared at Darren.

“Darren Brims, what were you thinking listening to Count Hastings’ words?”

Marquis Yoncen, who had read the letter, also grumbled under his breath. Darren, with his head bowed low, answered the emperor’s question.

“I was told that you entrusted full authority to Count Hastings. He said that during your absence, his orders would carry the same weight as yours…”

“So, you thoughtlessly led the entire Order here? Leaving the Imperial Palace empty?”

“Count Hastings said that if Your Majesty failed to defeat the dragon, we would have no future. I believed that his words were right, and so I decided to support you, Your Majesty. Surely, you shouldn’t miss even a single person in this situation. The Black Knights exist to protect Your Majesty. Even if it means disobeying Your Majesty’s command, I deemed it right to prioritize Your Majesty’s safety above all.”

“Hah.”

Marsilia scoffed at Darren’s response and tilted his head back in a mocking laugh. Marquis Yoncen waited for the situation to calm down before stepping in.

“Your Majesty, considering the morale of the knights, would it not be better to speak privately with Lord Brims?”

Marsilia, clearly furious, didn’t hide his anger as he called in Darren and the others.

“Jaha, you come in too.”

Jaha, who had been preparing for a sparring session with the knights, looked around and nodded.

Inside the command tent, Marquis Yoncen, General Des, Baron Odette Hill, and Darren were gathered, while Marsilia, sitting with his legs crossed, scowled at them.

Jaha, unsure of where to stand among them, had taken a step back.

“How much are to guard the Imperial Palace?”

“All but the cadets who are of no use have been deployed, Your Majesty.”

Marsilia suddenly raised his voice.

“You mean, you left the Imperial Palace empty?! There’s a limit to how mad one can be! Even if we succeed in subduing the dragon, what good will it do if we have no place to return to? Answer me, Darren Brims. Have you lost your mind? Did you really follow every word that Serez Hastings said and act like this? The Deputy Commander of the Black Knights, ignoring the Emperor’s orders and acting on his own—are you out of your mind?”

Marsilia nearly exploded, looking as if he would kick Darren. Jaha, who was seeing this side of the man for the first time, simply blinked in surprise. There was no room for him to intervene, nor was there any need to.

Noticing General Des glancing at him, Jaha sent him a subtle look.

‘Help me.’

He wasn’t sure if he had read Des’ lips correctly, but when he frowned and hesitated, both Marquis Yoncen and Baron Hill gave Jaha a subtle gesture to step in.

With a soft sigh, Jaha squeezed through the others and approached.

“Mar.”

Marsilia, who had been pacing agitatedly inside the tent, stopped and turned around at the quiet call.

“What?”

The response came as calm as could be, making it hard to believe this was the same person who had been shouting moments ago. Jaha felt an odd sensation as he approached Marsilia. Standing close, he looked up at him, and Marsilia sighed, covering his eyes with his palm.

“Don’t look at me like that, Sable.” Jaha blinked quickly, not understanding his words.

“What do you mean?”

Marsilia lowered his hand from his face, keeping his lips tightly shut as he locked eyes with Jaha. After a long pause, he finally answered.

“Because you’re making me weak.”

Jaha didn’t understand what he meant by that, but Marsilia’s sigh deepened.

“You’re happy the number of soldiers has increased, aren’t you?”

Jaha’s question made Marsilia chuckle lightly.

“We might just see more bodies piling up.”

“You’ll save them, right?”

Marsilia flinched at Jaha’s words. Seizing the moment, Jaha continued.

“I’ll help.”

Jaha extended his hand. Marsilia, looking down at it without a word, then tilted his head as Jaha urged him to take it. Marsilia lifted his head, his brow furrowed in confusion.

“If we have no place to return to, I’ll just take it back for you. For now, let’s focus on what’s in front of us, okay?”

Marsilia smiled, and Jaha tilted his head, looking up at him. Marsilia tilted his head back, lowering his voice.

“You’re making this hard for me, Jaha.”

“You’re the same.”

If you’re going to call me, call me one way. Why do you keep mixing it up?

“Am I making this hard for you?”

“You’re making me angry, so everyone keeps telling me to do something about it.”

As Marsilia’s gaze shifted towards General Des, Jaha heard a sound from behind him.

“I don’t like it when you’re angry either.”

When Marsilia’s eyes returned to Jaha, he responded.

“I prefer being kind.”

Jaha’s smile carried a subtle emotion.

“You prefer kindness?”

“Yeah.”

Noticing that his voice had lost some of its strength, Jaha let out a sigh of relief. Marsilia, who had lowered his head, whispered into Jaha’s ear.

“Then, can we make a bet?”

Since Jaha had continually refused, their duel continued without any bet. The current score was 2:2, a draw.

Jaha furrowed his brows and looked up at him. It didn’t matter if there wasn’t a bet; they still kissed each other anyway. The man, catching the expression on Jaha’s face, lightly blinked his eyes and began to beg.

“Hm?”

Jaha was starting to feel overwhelmed by the man. The more the man’s pleas started sounding like childish whining, the harder it became for Jaha to refuse him as he had before. Moreover, it seemed like the man had sensed Jaha’s weakness, as he lightly sighed and whispered. His personality was truly frustrating.

“Fine.”

“Does that apply to what we did before?”

“You really do seem like a scammer.”

As Marsilia’s mood lightened after getting everything he wanted, the others let out a sigh of relief. Only Darren, unfamiliar with the situation, kept glancing around nervously, turning his head repeatedly.

Jaha, feeling slightly irritated, tried to move away from Marsilia, but failed as he was caught by the arm.

The man, who received Jaha’s blatant glare, smiled shamelessly as he always did. Seeing such a smile, Jaha couldn’t help but feel a little annoyed.

As the tension in the room eased, the meeting resumed. Darren handed Marsilia the document about the dragon that Serez had organized. Marsilia, fully focused, flipped through the paper before handing it to Marquis Yoncen Pablo.

Marsilia explained to Jaha, who couldn’t read, and the others who hadn’t seen the document yet.

“According to the ancient manuscript, dragons were also called Gatekeepers. Dragons are also famous for having nests full of treasure.”

“Then, does that mean the dragon is guarding something now?”

“Yeah, it seems like our guess was right.” Marsilia said, his expression much lighter as he spoke to the commanders. “Now that we know we have enough time, we’ll prepare thoroughly before starting the hunt. However, the problem is the other side. If it stays in the valley, we’ll have to move.”

At Marsilia’s words, General Des stepped forward.

“Transporting the ballista is tough, but fighting in a narrow space might actually be better. If the dragon’s movements are limited, our accuracy could improve.”

Marsilia sighed deeply, crossing his arms as he responded.

“It might be a better option for using the ballista, but the problem is with the close-combat forces. There won’t be enough space to dodge the dragon’s magic, and the damage would be too high.”

“Darren has brought some priests, so creating a barrier should be easier. Since we have no other choice, we’ll have to charge in and see how it goes.”

“Before the battle starts, how about provoking it once? Jaha, what do you think?”

Jaha, who had been listening to their conversation without much thought, lifted his head. He lowered his gaze again, feeling burdened by the expectations of those around him, who seemed to be anticipating something significant.

“Strategizing is your job. I don’t really know much about this, so just let me know what I have to do once everything’s decided.”

When it came to taunting the dragon, there would be limited personnel able to take part. Jaha shrugged and concluded.

“I’m stronger than you think. So don’t worry about whether it’s possible or not. Just decide what has to be done. I’ll handle the rest.”

As Marsilia’s eyes narrowed, everyone else’s gaze fell on Jaha. Feeling the weight of their expectations on him, Jaha straightened his neck to avoid slouching.