Bianca Conti showed a look of discomfort.
She had come without an appointment but had been polite, waiting in the city for days to be summoned.
But her counterpart had ignored her and disappeared without a trace.
If she had at least been told that there was resentment against the Empire, she would have understood.
But disappearing like this?
This was a first.
"Apologies. The General is away on a mission."
"Didn’t you say he was here until yesterday?"
The man with large eyes and brown hair sighed and slightly shook his head.
His gesture was so natural, as if he didn’t know things would turn out this way either, as if he too were a victim.
Bianca Conti, a noble and a mediator from the Empire, had dealt with many people wearing masks, even when it wasn’t a masquerade ball, but it had been a while since she’d seen someone who hid their true intentions as perfectly as the man before her.
If she judged only by his words, he almost seemed unfairly caught up in this too.
"Well, he’s not the kind of person who reports his comings and goings. You probably guessed as much just by hearing his name, but he's a bit... odd."
Krais said, bending his index finger and tapping the side of his head lightly.
Krais knew there was no way Encrid would spend time chatting about marriage prospects with an envoy from the Empire.
So, revealing a part of the truth, that the General wasn’t quite normal, didn’t seem like a problem.
Even so, Bianca didn’t show any anger. In any situation, showing emotions first was a sign of weakness.
She may not have dominated the Empire’s social scene, but she had lived behind the scenes as a mediator and a go-between.
She wasn’t someone to fall for such antics.
'What nonsense.'
The demeanor and performance of the handsome man who introduced himself as Krais were impeccable, to the point where she could imagine him on the Imperial stage.
But Bianca focused not on his words or actions, but on the situation.
'Despite sending word for a meeting, he avoids me, claiming to be busy, then leaves on a mission?'
He was avoiding her.
Why?
Because she was from the Empire? Was that too much pressure?
If that was the case, she would simply approach from a different angle.
Bianca wasn’t here on anyone’s orders.
She simply believed that the subject of the rumors spreading near the Empire would become one of her achievements.
"I'll wait."
Clink.
The sound of her teacup meeting the hard wooden table echoed.
Bianca believed that if she could just have a conversation, she could easily win over the heart of a man who had likely spent his life wielding a sword.
Such men may excel in training and battle, but they were often ignorant when it came to power or understanding what they could gain.
No bear dislikes honey.
No merchant dislikes gold coins.
And no man dislikes women.
This was Bianca’s belief.
Of course, there were always those with different preferences, but she knew very well that it was rare for someone to fall outside her usual expectations.
Naturally, she was aware of the Black Flower and the Golden Witch.
But her proposal wasn’t about a simple marriage.
"You're welcome to wait, but the fort is currently under construction, so there aren’t many suitable places to stay…"
Krais trailed off in response to Bianca’s statement.
He conveyed, through just the lowering of his eyes, that while it was an honor, it was also an awkward situation.
His expressions and gestures were truly exceptional.
"Don't worry about that."
Bianca thought she could just stay at an inn.
Krais glanced at Bianca and the man accompanying her for protection.
Behind him stood Nurat and Luagarne, also serving as guards.
'The Empire, huh.'
It was difficult to gather information about what happened within the Empire from here.
Though Bianca Conti was a Countess from the Empire, she didn’t reside in the Capital or the Imperial city.
The Gigante Mountains, which were larger than the Pen-Hanil Mountains and often called ‘the wall made by the Gods’, stood between the Empire and the Kingdom.
These mountains blocked the wind and clouds, affecting the local climate.
In mythology, it was said that one of the ancient Gods molded these mountains and placed them on the land, causing rain to fall on one side, while the other remained dry and parched.
In reality, when the wind blew over the mountains, the moisture should have crossed to the other side, but the mountains acted as a wall, blocking the wind and clouds.
Krais briefly allowed his thoughts to wander to these myths before returning to the present.
"What do you think?"
Krais asked, not about whether the woman was an envoy or a madam from the Empire, but rather about something else.
"The woman doesn’t show signs of much training, and her guard is a Junior-Knight."
"I agree. She has five guards in total, and I’ve seen them. They’re all about the same—skill and temperament alike."
Nurat and Luagarne answered in turn to Krais’s question.
"Their temperament?"
"It’s clear they were all taught by the same person. They’ve spent a long time training in similar martial arts."
Krais had trained enough to take care of himself, but he wasn’t at the level of a Junior-Knight.
To be honest, looking at the people around Encrid lately, it seemed like his own head could be chopped off with a single stroke.
Not that he had any intention of putting himself in such a situation or letting it happen.
After speaking, Luagarne puffed her cheeks and blinked a few times.
She had been asked to guard and observe, but the well-honed willpower she sensed from them made her doubt her own observations.
Of course, she had stayed here out of interest in Encrid, not because these people intrigued her.
"I suspect…"
Luagarne began, then paused as if to catch her breath.
A servant poked his head in from the door, awaiting Krais's words. Krais gestured for him to wait.
"If someone had organized the process of mastering willpower and devised training methods based on it."
"And if that's the case?"
Krais, ever the attentive listener, prompted her to continue, and Luagarne finished her thought.
"People like them could start appearing."
The Empire wasn’t just a great nation, it was the only place on the continent with an Emperor.
Why was the Empire strong?
There were countless reasons. Krais felt he had glimpsed one of them.
The fact that they could use five Junior-Knights as bodyguards demonstrated the Empire’s power.
This wasn’t even an official visit, it was just a noblewoman who had come on her own.
Since it wasn’t an official visit, they weren’t Junior-Knights officially tied to the Empire.
So, what was their affiliation?
They couldn’t be mercenaries. The conclusion was that they were part of a unit based in a city near the Kingdom’s border.
Even in the Empire, Junior-Knights wouldn’t serve as mere doorkeepers for a gambling den.
From this single mediator from the Empire, Krais had learned quite a bit.
And the envoy wasn’t even hiding it, her guards openly displayed their skills and identities.
The Empire’s military strength was surely far greater than this.
A shiver ran down Krais’s spine, and a cold sweat threatened to break out as he felt his two jewels shrinking between his legs.
Krais took a deep breath and steadied his mind.
He couldn’t afford to be intimidated.
One day, a city would be built on the border between the Empire and the Kingdom, and a round structure atop the walls would shine with light.
The city of pleasure was waiting for him, so how could he let fear take hold?
After her came a merchant from the South.
The Southern Great Nation, Rihinstetten, was officially an enemy of the Kingdom of Naurillia.
Krais couldn’t help but think the Kingdom had a lot of enemies.
It made sense, though. Any nation seeking to expand its territory and reach needed a foothold, and this land was fertile, abundant, and at the center of the continent.
Looking back, it was a wonder that the Kingdom hadn’t fallen apart after all the things that had happened.
From the far past, when the Demon Realm had run rampant and monsters swarmed everywhere, to the more recent rebellion of Count Molsen.
Even after multiple battles along the southern border, the Kingdom had managed to hold its ground.
The southern merchant who visited next prattled on about various things, but in conclusion, he said that if Encrid came to the Southern Great Nation, he could marry the princess.
"Have you seen the Black Flower?"
Krais, annoyed, casually dismissed the offer.
He explained that Encrid was very particular about a woman’s looks, and it would be difficult if she wasn’t more beautiful than that.
It didn’t matter if this was a misunderstanding.
Since Encrid had left him to handle all of this, it was his job to come up with a reason for refusal.
The conversation was short, with only a few words exchanged, but it caused a small stir.
"So, he's a man after all, huh?"
"Apparently, he’s especially picky about looks?"
The southern merchant had a loose tongue, and he used it freely.
Meanwhile, Encrid was gazing at the sky, enjoying the autumn weather, lost in thought.
* * *
If a Knight order had been established, it needed to be filled with members.
Was it enough to simply order people to join the Knight order?
Of course not.
Everyone had their own desires, their own will, and things they wanted to achieve.
You couldn’t force people to stay.
If someone tried to force him, would he accept it?
No way.
So, it was the same for those under his command.
In the Capital of Naurillia, there had been a lot of noise about whether or not all of them should be made Knights.
He hadn’t even told them all to join the Knight order in the first place.
It was ridiculous how people who hadn’t even thought about it were jumping to conclusions.
Not that he cared whether they talked about it or not.
With these thoughts, Encrid asked all his subordinates a question.
"Rem, what do you want to do?"
Before leaving on the mission to rescue the saintess or whatever it was, he had met with the madmen he had been with all this time, in what amounted to a series of interviews.
"I’ll make them run holding this."
To a broad question, Rem gave a very specific answer.
"What is that?"
It was right in front of him, so of course, Encrid had to ask.
Rem was holding an axe-like object, but it wasn’t sharp, and its center of gravity seemed all wrong—an axe for training.
Instead of a blade, there was a lump of iron where the axe head should be, and even the handle was solid metal.
When Encrid lifted it, it wasn’t unbearable, but the weight was no joke.
It seemed like it could be used to train arm muscles, but the balance was too off for that.
Would running while holding this be effective training?
Hmm, maybe it would.
He recalled Rem’s recoil-free axe strikes, the foundation of which was being able to control the full weight with his strength alone.
Not every strike had to be recoil-free, but even being able to do it once or twice could save a life in battle.
If all the soldiers could learn to strike like that…
It would require both talent and hard work, but if they could manage it, Rem’s unit would become a truly fearsome group.
"Not bad."
Encrid said, thinking about his own training, what Rem wanted to do, and what would happen in the future.
It wasn’t much, but there was a hint of admiration in his words.
Rem was more serious about training than expected, and this training method would benefit everyone. It wasn’t something he had come up with overnight.
It was a thoughtful approach to training.
Encrid thought it might be good to incorporate similar training for himself in the future.
Of course, if Rem’s men had heard this, they would have cursed him as a soulless ghoul while attacking with axes, regardless of how much they respected him as the Knight of the Iron Wall.
Turning his attention away from the training tool, Encrid asked again.
"Is it over once the Demon Realm is gone?"
In the West, there was the Demon Realm of Silence, and Rem wanted to erase it.
But was that all he wanted?
Would he truly be satisfied with just that?
Did Rem really want to be part of the Knight order?
"What are you trying to say?"
Rem tilted his head. Encrid often, or rather frequently, said strange things. This time was no different.
The bottom line was this: the Knight order had been formed, and there was a place for Rem in it, but if Rem had something else he truly desired, he could leave.
"What are you talking about? Wasn’t I the Deputy Commander?"
Rem asked, confused by what sounded like nonsense.
Encrid thought for a moment before answering.
"There is no Deputy Commander."
There were no ranks other than Commander. It couldn’t be helped.
He couldn’t create a position that would become a source of conflict, or worse, a raging fire of discord.
Thanks for the Chapter Bro!!! :DD
Thanks for the Chapter.
Is it updated regularly? Also what is release schedule
Creo que he leído el manhwa, talvez lo esté confundiendo.. 🤔