IYAMD: Episode 91

The news of the imperial palace soon reached Marsilia as well. After checking the message, Marsilia cursed aloud, looking up at the sky.

“Damned Serez Hastings, I’ll tear you apart.”

General Des, who had been quietly listening to the curse, cautiously asked,

“What does the Archduke think? He was expected to convene the noble council and wait, but why did he suddenly commit treason?”

Marsilia straightened up, letting out a sigh before replying,

“The Archduke must know I’ve found my soulmate. Though I can’t be sure, he must be suspicious.”

“Besides, he must have heard that the dragon was defeated.”

“When the news of the Emperor’s victory spreads across the Empire, he’ll likely realize he no longer stands a chance. But it’s strange. He’s not a man to easily abandon his cause. Why is he rushing?”

Marsilia furrowed his brow and continued,

“But it doesn’t seem like he was prepared in advance. I only just received word that he had taken the imperial palace. I thought he would have moved as soon as Darren left, but it’s quite late.”

Upon hearing the his name, Darren, who had been anxiously observing, shrank even further. Marsilia glanced at him coldly before addressing the commanders.

“I’ll move out with Darren first. The rest will proceed with the planned parade. The temple may have sided with the Archduke, so we can’t use the portal. This is throwing off the schedule. Darren, find the quickest route to the capital. We leave tonight.”

“Will the three of you move together?”

Marquis Yoncen Pablo, who had been standing behind Jaha, turned to Marsilia and asked.

“Yes.”

“I think there will be quite a bit of resistance.”

“There are three Sword Masters. Even if thousands come at us, we can break through.”

A small gust of wind could be heard from behind, followed by a chuckle. Marsilia smiled involuntarily as he gave orders to the commanders.

“Make sure to show every territory the news that the Emperor defeated the dragon. Most of the lords are probably already heading to the capital, so there won’t be much interference. If there are any lords still remaining, make sure to convince them to spread the word. Let the whole continent know.”

Jaha, who had remained silent until the meeting was over, finally asked when they were alone,

“Is it necessary to spread the news of the dragon’s death?”

“It’s a basic principle of politics to control public opinion. The Archduke is already undermining his own cause. He should have waited for the council, but instead, he invaded the palace. With the news spreading that the Emperor killed the dragon for the Empire, the people will choose sides.”

“So why is that important?”

The Emperor of the East held absolute authority, and Jaha, raised in such a place, couldn’t understand the man’s words. What use was it for powerless people to pick a side?

But then again, thinking about it differently, Arhen might be a country where the nobles can openly discuss about dethroning the emperor, so public opinion might be important.

Jaha decided it was easier to understand it that way.

“Mm.”

The man, hearing Jaha’s response, laughed out loud.

“You didn’t understand, did you?”

“Yeah.”

He laughed heartily and patted Jaha on the head. At the end, he even kissed Jaha’s ear.

“It’s okay. I’ll handle the politics.”

“Then what should I do?”

The man’s eyes narrowed into crescent shapes as he replied,

“You should stay by my side. You said you’d protect me.”

Despite saying he didn’t want blood on his hands, Jaha stared at him for a moment, but the man only smiled lazily. He was certainly shameless.

After a brief nap during the day, the three of them rode out on horseback. They moved swiftly through the night, not only because time was pressing but also to avoid the potential eyes of assassins.

“Shouldn’t we be moving during the day to avoid assassins?”

Marsilia chuckled softly at Jaha’s confused question as the wind picked up from their rapid speed.

“They won’t send assassins this far. We need to close the distance as much as possible before reaching the capital.”

Darren’s planned route ended up taking longer than expected. Normally, it would have taken about half a month to cover that distance on horseback, so there was little choice.

They decided to use a portal to cover part of the journey after reaching Othello. To make it to Othello by nightfall, they had to ride hard, so they had no choice but to close the distance before the temple or assassins could act.

Even so, they barely made it in time. After reaching Othello, they entered the territory quietly, and with Marsilia’s divine power, they activated the portal.

Then, they traveled by land to the middle point, Darcy Territory, between the capital and Othello.

As they neared the capital, they encountered the assassins lying in wait. Jaha, sensing the presence of hidden assassins along the road, handed the reins to Marsilia.

“Keep going.”

With those words, Jaha leapt from his horse.

“What?”

The sound of Marsilia’s horse could be heard behind, but before it reached him, Jaha used his qinggong. Drawing his sword, he slashed, and the tightly packed trees along the road fell with a crash. Assassins hidden beneath them immediately charged forward.

Jaha showed no mercy, swinging his sword as assassins fell one by one. Meanwhile, Darren and Marsilia moved ahead, continuing their run.

Jaha quickly dealt with the remaining assassins and the two he failed to kill were taken down by Marsilia and Darren.

As Jaha caught up with them using his qinggong and climbed onto his horse’s back, Marsilia grumbled and handed him the reins.

“This is really unbearable.”

After a couple of such disturbances, the three stopped their horses in front of a bridge with a view of the capital in the distance.

The council was scheduled to meet at noon today, so we had to get into the capital before daybreak.

However, on the other side of the bridge, as if they had been waiting for them, thousands of soldiers were densely packed. Torches held by the soldiers in the middle of the bridge stretched endlessly.

Jaha sighed and looked back at Marsilia after seeing the human shield that was built that it was difficult to even escape to the side.

“Should I kill them all?”

Marsilia asked Jaha with a rare look of bewilderment.

“what?”

Jaha repeated the same words as if to confirm.

“Shoul I kill them all?”

Marsilia had a look of confusion on his face. Jaha wondered why he was making such a face

“Are you okay?”

“what?”

“You talk too lightly about killing people.”

Jaha thought for a moment and then answered his question.

“If you worry about other things, you might lose what you want to protect. I d on’t want that anymore.”

Jaha lowered his eyes and then met Marsilia’s gaze.

“Marsilia, I am not your subordinate, and you are not my master… but I still want to protect you.”

The man frowned at Jaha’s words.

“I don’t want that from you. You should know that by now, right? I’ve told you several times.”

Jaha laughed quietly.

“I know!”

Jaha continued speaking, scanning the people beyond the bridge with narrowed eyes.

“But this is for my good too. You should know that.”

It occurred to him that perhaps his innate murderous nature was meant for this moment. If that was fate, Jaha was ready to accept it.

“I’ve lost a lot of things that are precious to me. I don’t want to lose them again. So, I’m going to cut down anything that stands in my way.”

The sound of someone swallowing came from Darren’s direction. Jaha looked at Marsilia.

“All you have to do is point the way. I’ll carve that path for us,” Jaha said, his eyes seemingly gleaming. Despite the dim, dark night with only the faint light of the hidden moon behind clouds, a soft light like fireflies reflected in the man’s eyes.

Jaha narrowed his eyes and turned toward him, who seemed as though he might cry.

“I’ll be your sword, Mar. Just show me the way.”

“Hah.”

With a somewhat damp sigh, Marsilia rubbed his chin with his palm and pointed in one direction.

“Other paths are probably blocked too. That means there’s only one way forward. Go straight, Jaha. Darren and I will guard your back.”

“Yeah.”

Jaha soared into the air. As he moved through the air, his energy shifted, and golden swords rose up behind him, surrounding him in a circular formation.

The night suddenly brightened. Marsilia sighed lightly as he watched the swords dancing behind Jaha.

“Wow, what’s that…?”

Darren, unable to continue his sentence, was filled with admiration. Marsilia turned to him, taking Jaha’s reins and holding them together with his own.

“Darren, if you fall, we’ll leave you behind,” Marsilia said firmly.

“I’ll follow, Your Majesty. Leave the rear to me.”

“Haha.”

Marsilia laughed softly and spurred his horse into motion. As they sliced through the wind and rushed forward, the scene ahead was already unfolding into a hellish one. With a single wave of Jaha’s sword energy, the shadows of people crumbled like leaves swept away by a storm.

But why did it feel so comforting? Was it because there were two people beside him who would enter that hell with him? For someone who had always endured alone, it was an unfamiliar situation.

His chest grew hot. Marsilia clung to the fire in his heart and followed Jaha closely. Somehow, this fire seemed like it wouldn’t be extinguished easily.