MAD- Chapter 31

Queen Ryeo, Ryeo Hyeon, was enjoying her days in the Baluar Empire.

Today, she had a joint parade with Baluar, and she felt satisfied because the people of the empire cheered for the knight and the Queen more than she expected. On the other hand, she did not forget the purpose of her visit here and was diligently carrying it out.

At the request of Ilwooz, confirming 'he' and 'him'.

But the more Hyeon dug into it, the more she felt something strange. Hyeon, lying on the bed, muttered.

“It’s strange, Ra-sun. It’s truly strange.”

Ra-sun, who was organizing documents next to her, asked quietly.

“Your Majesty. Is this because of Count Targayel?”

Hyeon nodded slightly in agreement. Hyeon took a deep breath with the pipe in her mouth, then exhaled the smoke with a sigh. A thin cloud of smoke enveloped the room. Hyeon spoke as she swept the ash from the long pipe in her hand.

“Shan Cirxus is definitely ‘that’. But... why hasn’t it manifested..."

It was not for nothing that he incited Shan and Catinson to duel at the ballroom. Hyeon became a witness to the duel, declared victory, and contacted Shan. And with the divine power granted by Ilwooz, she confirmed that Shan Cirxus was 'him'.

But even after checking, there was still something that was not resolved. Hyeon continued speaking in a languid tone.

“If he had tasted so much slaughter during the Hundred Years’ War, he would have woken up long ago. Or at least let his spirits run wild. However, seeing as he is still no different from a human, something must be holding him back.”

Ra-sun hesitated and then carefully expressed her opinion.

“Is it true that Duke Seraph is the one who suppressed Shan Cirxus’s energy?”

Hyeon said, smiling faintly with a cigarette in her mouth.

“No, no. Duke Seraph was nowhere near the Hundred Years’ War.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. First of all, it would be urgent to find out whether Duke Seraph is ‘that person’.”

Hyeon put down her pipe with a growl. Then she straightened her posture and confided her worries to Ra-sun.

“I need to use the divine power of Ilwooz on Duke Seraph, but I have no chance to contact him at all. What should I do?”

“He is famous for his eccentric behavior due to his perfectionism. There will be a hunting competition soon, so it would be a good idea to aim for that time.”

Hyeon tried to find a chance to contact Duke Seraph here and there in the banquet hall. However, it was not easy. As Ra+sun said, his strictness was so severe that he rarely showed his face at banquets.

Since she had information that he was participating in the hunting competition, she had to contact him at that time. If she missed this opportunity, she would have no choice but to resort to forceful means the next time. Hyeon didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble.

“Yes, Ra-sun. If it doesn’t work out, pretend it was a mistake and just push me away.”

Ra-sun was startled and said this at Hyeon's words, which had a pretended serious expression.

“Why do you say such strange things?”

Hyeon laughed out loud when she saw Ra-sun's surprised expression. Ra-sun waited for Hyeon's laughter to stop before speaking.

“Your Majesty, why did you bring up the women’s hunting competition without consulting me?”

Before Ra-sun could start nagging, Hyeon quickly called her name.

“Ra-sun.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“That woman, Erzenes Targayel. She seems to be up to something.”

Ra-sun asked in bewilderment at Hyeon's endless words.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know for sure. It’s just my gut feeling.”

Hyeon just laid back and talked about his intuition. Ra-sun made her eyes wide and called Hyeon.

"Your Majesty!"

“But didn’t this intuition bring you here too?”

“...”

Hyeon's words were true. She had a knack for recognizing people's talents. Even when Ra-sun was still a raw diamond, Hyeon recognized her and took her.

In that way, the people that Hyeon brought in, out of a hundred, blossomed brilliantly with their talents. Knowing their track record, Ra-sun couldn't say anything more. Hyeon smiled and said.

“I am sure she will show something.”

Hyeon whispered with her pitch-black eyes shining.

“The hunting tournament will be a banquet for her.”

***

Although he didn't say anything, Shan seemed to have been busy preparing for the parade.

After staying up all night to prepare for several days, he marched today wearing heavy armor and was very alert, so he was bound to be tired.

Shan quickly washed up, changed clothes, and went straight to the bedroom before the sunset. Elze sat on the bed and watched him sleep soundly. The sight of Shan completely letting his guard down in front of Elze, sleeping without a care in the world, was someone Elze knew very well.

Elze thought of Shan's solemn expression during the parade today and superimposed it on his sleeping appearance, and she burst out laughing.

Shan lifted his heavy eyelids at Elze's laughter. Shan's arm slid around Elze's waist and pulled her close. He pressed Elze against his side and muttered in a deep voice.

“...Stay by my side.”

Why is this man like this today? But the way he looks with his half-closed eyes is cute. Elze stroked his head. His wavy hair flowed through her fingers. As she played with his dark black hair under the midday sunlight, Shan closed his eyes again.

And then he fell asleep again. But even then, he didn't forget to lean his head toward Elze. Elze barely managed to suppress her laughter at his almost sleepy behavior. She didn't want to laugh again and wake Shan up.

After lying next to him for a while, she slipped out when he seemed to be completely asleep. Then she came out of the bedroom and said something to the maids.

“Call the Elijahs to the training ground. We’re going to practice archery, so get ready.”

The reason she left Shan behind was because of archery practice. Now that the parade was over, the hunting competition was three days away. With not much time left, Elze was practicing day and night.

However, according to Rapine's assessment, God was fair and did not give Elze the talent for archery. Now, Elze could only hit the target once out of five shots.

She had a feeling that if things continued like this, instead of using fancy tools like falcons or bows, she might run around with her own sword during the hunting competition. Of course, if that happened, the next day, Countess Targayel's antics would be widely known in society.

Suddenly, goosebumps appeared on her back as she thought that Duke Seraph, who knew Elze's true identity, might be very interested in it.

It seemed like it would be best to just practice hard and catch the arrow with a bow. If that doesn't work, it wouldn't be a bad idea to throw the arrow like a thrower instead of stringing it.

Anyway, she wanted to win the hunting competition. Something that had been forgotten came to Elze's mind as she burned with fighting spirit.

She had received a call from Harbin's weapon shop. They said that the repairs to the rapier and mangosh were complete and that the production of the stiletto was also complete. Tarkun's two-handed sword would take a long time to complete, so he had to get the finished ones first.

It would have been nice to have a stiletto for the hunting competition. If necessary, she would use the stiletto to swipe an unseen spot and then pretend to have killed the animal with an arrow... Elze muttered to herself, thinking only of that.

“But I might become good at archery. I’ll just take the stilettos for now.”

Elze still couldn't give up hope.

***

Shan was given a vacation before the hunting competition. He had successfully completed the parade, so he was told to take a break and then come back to the hunting competition again.

During the hunting competition, the Crown Prince and the Queen hunted the first animal to signal the start of the competition and did not participate in the hunt after that.

Although it was a friendly competition in name only, Crown Prince Raymond was worried that the winner of the competition might go to the female knights of Ryeo. Raymond had hinted to Shan that he hoped they would win the hunting competition. It was an indirect order to win.

Of course, Shan had never practiced for the hunting competition or anything. Shan was just surprised to hear that Elze had a goal of winning the women's hunting competition, which could be considered a side event.

“Archery. I didn’t know you would be so interested in hunting competitions.”

Elze, who was having lunch with Shan, quickly separated the meat from the bones of the ribs with a knife. Then, after chewing the meat, she sighed to Shan.

“Haa... I’m at a loss. I can barely hit one in five shots.”

“I see.”

Elze hoped Shan would come up with something sharp. But Shan’s thoughts were not much different from Elijah’s. Shan took a sip of wine and gave advice.

“It would be faster to just hold it with something like a dagger and shoot an arrow.”

“...”

Anyway, it was the same for both sides. After all, practice was the only way to survive. Elze quietly changed her mind and went back to practicing archery.

Elze followed Shan and sipped her wine, then asked him.

“I’m thinking of going to Master Harbin’s weapon shop today. Do you want to come with me?”

“To Harbin?”

“I left the rapier and mangosh for repair. I also ordered a pair of stilettos.”

"Ah."

Harbin's weapon shop was also a place filled with memories of Shan. Not long after the political marriage was decided, he went there to find a rapier and mangosh, and encountered Shan.

Shan nodded coolly to Elze's suggestion. So the two decided to visit Harbin's weapons shop together after lunch.

It seemed like the first time they had gone out together since their visit to the Kingdom of Britain. Elze chose a light one-piece dress and wore it. With Ivanna's help, she tied her hair up, put on a hat with a simple ribbon decoration, and wrapped a shawl around her, and she was ready to go out.

As usual, she decided to take Liv and the three knights of Targayel, along with Elijah, as her escort. To avoid drawing attention, she took a plain, dark brown carriage instead of a carriage with a large Targayel seal.

While riding in the carriage, Elze sat next to Shan and caught up on various things, including the possibility that Duke Seraph might actually be plotting a rebellion.

“He said so!”

Shan chuckled as he watched Elze passionately arguing that it was definitely a betrayal, saying that even the Emperor of the empire did not know the future.

“Yes, if you are a Duke, then that is certainly possible.”

It was a great shock to Elze, but Shan didn't react at all. It seemed that he had already made up his mind that Duke Seraph was considering treason. He was more focused on touching Elze. His hand brushed Elze's thigh. Elze, who was exposed without protection, flinched in surprise at the touch.

“What are you doing now!”

“Shh. If you make any noise, the coachman will think it’s strange.”

Elze said, slapping the hand that was fiddling around without permission.

“Do you know what you’re doing is extremely immoral?”

But if he was someone who could take that much criticism, he wouldn’t have done something like this in the first place. Shan smiled slyly and moved his hands a little more boldly.

“I have never been moral.”

Then he went a step further and started talking nonsense.

“Are you frustrated?”

“Wow!”

Elze eventually covered his mouth with her hand. But Shan kissed Elze's palm loudly instead, raised his eyebrows, and protested.

“It’s only natural since I haven’t been home for several days.”

“...But it’s not inside the carriage?”

Elze sternly warned Shan not to even think about touching her. Shan had to be content with kissing Elze.

While the two were bickering, the carriage passed through Manuap Square and the market and reached the deserted inner area. Since the alley where Harbin's weapon shop was located was a place where carriages could not enter, Shan and Elze got out of the carriage.

Elze walked leisurely to the weapon shop, holding Shan's hand. Then, she thought of Catinson.

Catinson, who had been beaten up in a duel with Shan at the ballroom, had also been beaten up by Elze. It was because he insisted on using a rapier and a mangosh against Harbin. She was curious about what kind of weapon he had ordered in the end. Elze said to Shan, thinking that she would ask Harbin when she met him.

“At the gun shop here before...”

Elze, who was about to talk about Catinson without thinking much, noticed a tall man standing in front of Harbin's weapon shop. Elze looked at him and muttered blankly.

“...Catinson Lovell?”

The man standing in front of the weapons store was Catinson. Catinson recognized Shan right away.

“Count Targayel?”

Catinson looked back at Elze, who was standing next to Shan. His eyes widened. It was as if he had fully realized that Elze was the 'lady' he had met at the weapon shop.

It would have been better if he had pretended not to know, but being the old-fashioned person that he was, he ended up pretending to know Elze.

"...Lady."

The desperate call seemed to be something to anyone who heard it. And when Catinson saw Elze and Shan holding hands, he suddenly looked as if he was about to cry.

Shan, who was watching the scene, narrowed his eyes. He asked Elze in a voice that clearly showed his discomfort.

“Did you know each other?”

Haa... Elze put her hand on her forehead. How should I explain this? 

Elze glanced at Shan’s face. Shan was already furrowing his brow and glaring at Catinson.

If she had explained it earlier, it would have been different, but if she were to say it like this, it would seem like she was going to get caught doing something bad. No matter what she said, it seemed like it would be difficult to clear up Shan’s misunderstanding right away. On top of that, there was a bad relationship between Catinson and Shan’s duel, so she had to be even more careful.

While Elze was struggling to come up with the right words, Catinson spoke first.

“As expected... you were Countess Targayel.”

Catinson must have guessed Elze's identity from the time he was at the ballroom. And he must have become convinced when he saw Elze walking hand in hand with Shan to the weapon shop today.

Should I kill him?

Elze thought for a moment. Even if she couldn't kill the Seraph Duke, she could easily deal with a Viscount from a humble family like Catinson and handle the aftermath. Targayel had that much power.

Catinson was sobbing alone, lost in his emotions, not even knowing that Elze was contemplating whether or not to kill him. Elze glanced around the shadowy corner of the alley.

There, along with Liv, Elijah and the others were hiding. They were watching this way, keeping a low profile, waiting for the signal. If Elze had just moved her hand, Catinson would have been decapitated.

“...”

Shan was looking at Elze. He didn't look happy, but since Elze was someone he knew, he seemed to be thinking of leaving it up to Elze to decide.

The fact that her identity was already known was enough to take on a risky element. Although he didn't want to, he was leaning toward killing him at that moment. With a loud noise, the door to the weapons shop opened wide.

“Oh my!”

The one who opened the door wide was Harbin. He opened the door without thinking much, and when he saw the people gathered in front of the weapon shop, he was so surprised that he almost fell backward. Harbin opened his eyes wide when he saw Shan and said.

“Huh, Lord Cirxus?”

And then he found Elze and blinked.

“You...”

Since the marriage between Targayel and Shan Cirxus was so famous, Harbin must have known about the marriage between Elze and Shan. However, it seemed that he had never expected that they would come to the weapon shop and hold hands so affectionately.

“Ahem, I have that too.”

Catinson, who had been naturally forgotten, coughed to make his presence known. Harbin belatedly said, “Ah,” and pretended to recognize him.

And when he came to his senses, the three of them were sitting side by side in the weapon shop, led by Harbin's hand. Harbin stood at the counter and asked Shan.

“What brings you here, Cirxus?”

Shan glared at Catinson, then turned to Harbin and said.

“I came to retrieve the sword my wife left for me.”

It wasn't just Elze's mistake that Shan's tone seemed particularly emphasized in the 'my wife' part. Harbin also seemed bewildered by Shan's unfamiliar appearance. He made a strange expression and went out the back door. It was to get a sword.

For a moment, only the three of them remained in the store. Then, Catinson turned to Elze and began to sob.

“I’ve wanted to see you for a while. But I have no way to contact Count Targayel, so...”

“Sir Lovell.”

Elze wanted to block his snout. If he stayed still, she could at least try to cover him up, but Catinson kept digging the grave with his shovel.

He bit his molars to hold back his tears, perhaps because he was sad that Elze had cut him off, and then he spoke with reddened eyes.

“Aren’t you the one who took my first?”

Elze opened her mouth. When she turned to Shan, his gaze had become even more fierce. Elze hurriedly waved her hand, actively expressing her resentment.

Catinson must have realized that his remarks could easily be misunderstood as having garnered sympathy, and he quickly corrected himself.

“I have never experienced defeat except with my teacher. She is the one who taught me a lesson through defeat.”

“...I see.”

Shan answered instead of Elze. It seemed like they had overcome one hurdle. Elze let out a sigh of relief.

By the way, how can someone with Catinson's level of skill be undefeated? 

He may have had decent talent, but his skills weren't good enough to be called undefeated. It seemed like he was playing around like a frog in a well. That might be why he was so fearless and didn't care about water or fire.

Shan crossed his arms. And lifted his chin. His gaze, looking down with a high hand, was directed at Catinson. Catinson flinched but did not look away. Shan spoke slowly.

“As you know, my wife doesn’t want it to be known that she uses a sword.”

Shan tried to be very gentlemanly in telling him to shut up. Unfortunately, Catinson was clueless. Catinson clenched his fists and shouted loudly.

“But, how! The world knows that Targayel’s talent for the sword has not been extinguished...!”

“Sir Lovell!!”

Finally, Elze, who couldn't stand it anymore, stepped forward. If she left it to Shan any longer, Shan would get rid of that clueless Catinson without Elze knowing. Elze stood next to Shan and questioned Catinson.

“If you think back to the way you first treated me, the answer is already decided.”

“...”

Catinson completely ignored the fact that Elze, a woman, wielded a sword. If it weren't for Harbin, he probably wouldn't have even tried to deal with Elze in the first place.

“Ha, but if the Countess shows her skills...”

Catinson's rebuttal naturally trailed off. Elze sneered. He knew it too. No matter what he said, it wouldn't look good for a woman to hold a sword.

Catinson closed his mouth with a gloomy face. And then, quite appropriately, Harbin appeared. Harbin, who returned carrying a long bag, a large box, and a small box, noticed the ominous atmosphere and rolled his eyes.

“Madam, would you like to check it here?”

Habin, conscious of Shan, put the bag on the counter while using the highest honorifics to Elze. Elze, not wanting to show anything more to Catinson, shook her head slightly. Shan gave Catinson a crooked look and said.

“Let’s take care of this guest first.”

Harbin motioned to Catinson without saying anything, although he wondered if it was really necessary to use the word 'processing' in that context.

And Elze put down her sword for a moment and put Catinson's on it. She opened the box long enough to fill the counter and found the bastard sword. As soon as she saw the bastard sword, Elze muttered without realizing it.

“It’s already finished...”

Elze's rapier and mangosh took so long to make, but Catinson's bastard sword took less than a month. Harbin smiled and answered Elze's question.

“It was my life’s work and the sword Madam will use for the rest of your life, so it took a long time, but this is just a passing process, so it was completed in no time.”

At first glance, it seemed like pedantic nonsense, but upon closer examination, it was actually a very smart statement. Elze's swordsmanship was perfect. She would continue to use the rapier and the mangosh, and there was no need to change swords. So Harbin poured all his efforts into creating a masterpiece.

But Catinson was just beginning to blossom. He would much rather train with a decent sword than with just one famous sword, and find something that suited him better.

“When you actually use the Bastard Sword, you might feel that it’s not quite right. In that case, I’ll make you another sword.”

Catinson bowed his head to Harbin and thanked him. Every time Elze sees him, she thinks about him, but he's not a bad person, just short-tempered and oblivious.

Catinson, holding the sword in his hand, held it up horizontally. Then he suddenly turned around towards Elze.

“...?”

She wondered what he was going to do next. Elze took a step back for no reason in the ominous atmosphere, but Catinson said.

“I give up the Imperial Knights.”

"Yes?"

Elze still vividly remembers him talking about becoming a knight of the royal family and raising up his family. But he gave up already. It didn't fit with Catinson's personality of charging forward without thinking about the consequences.

Elze was about to cautiously ask if there was any trouble in the house when Catinson suddenly knelt down in front of Elze. Then he raised his sword as if offering it to Elze and shouted.

“I beg you to take me as a knight of Targayel!”

Catinson began to ramble on in a chaotic tone in front of the bewildered Elze.

“If you would accept me as your vassal, even if it is a small one, I will do my best to be loyal...”

But he couldn't finish the story.

"No."

It was because Shan had rejected him in one word. Catinson had a blank expression on his face as if he had never guessed that Shan would reject him. He looked like he couldn't understand how Shan could reject someone as talented as him.

Then, since no one accepted his sword, he felt a little embarrassed and put the sword he was holding down on the floor. Shan looked at Catinson like that and asked in a low voice.

“Is the name Targayel so light to you?”

"Ah..."

Catinson's eyes widened at the heavy reprimand. Shan asked again expressionlessly.

“If you want, you can become a vassal at will... Is that what Targayel meant to you?”

“...”

Catinson said nothing. Catinson, speechless, lowered his eyes. He was in a pose like a large dog with its ears folded and drooping. Shan let out a short laugh and said, “Ha.”

“This is incredible.”

“...I’m sorry.”

Although Catinson apologized, Shan seemed intent on driving him to the point of no return.

Elze had already seen Shan destroy Demis, the caretaker of Himov, with just a few words. She knew that if he wanted to, he could make someone as snotty as Catinson cry.

Elze sneaked up to Shan and linked arms with him. She held his arms tightly and looked up at him. Shan’s expression softened even more. Elze called his name softly.

“Shan...”

She told him not to bother Catinson too much. Shan let out a faint sigh. Shan, who always couldn't win when it came to Elze's words, said to Catinson as if throwing it out.

“You don’t have to be Targayel’s vassal to be loyal.”

Catinson, who had been hunched over with his head almost on the floor, suddenly raised his head. Shan looked down at him and spoke as if giving him orders.

“Join the Imperial Knights, and become the eyes and ears of Targayel.”

“...!”

Elze and Catinson both looked at him in surprise after hearing Shan's words.

During the Hundred Years' War, Shan had gained a firm grip on the military of Baluar. But there was one place he could not reach: the Imperial Knights.

The Imperial Knights were a knightly order mainly composed of children of high-ranking nobles. It was impossible to join if you were not of noble birth. Because of this condition, it was difficult for Shan's subordinates, most of whom were commoners, to infiltrate the Imperial Knights.

In addition, the Imperial Knights were also a place where conservative nobles held on. Therefore, even if they had the qualifications and skills, those who were thought to be part of Shan's forces were excluded from the beginning.

Shan raised his eyebrows as he finished his brief explanation.

“But since you would never have imagined being under my command, I think it would be possible for you to join.”

Catinson's eyes sparkled as he listened to Shan's explanation. The slumped appearance he had just moments ago was nowhere to be seen.

Anyway, he was a really simple person. Tarkun was also teased by Elijah every day for being simple-minded, but not to this extent. Catinson, who had a surprisingly simple brain structure, shouted.

“I will work hard and definitely become a member of the Imperial Knights!”

The voice was already full of military discipline. Shan nodded roughly to Catinson.

Anyway, it was a warm ending. Elze thought he was lucky, but Catinson suddenly wiggled his fingers. It wasn't something a big man would do. She wondered what he was doing, but he mumbled.

“And if I join the Imperial Knights and become worthy to serve Targayel...”

Catinson asked Elze with a blush on his face.

“Will you accept my sword then?”

“...”

Anyway, she thought it would end well, but she couldn't let her guard down. Just now, she had saved what Shan was trying to do, but Catinson caused another accident.

At least you should have said it when Shan wasn't present, and I didn't know what to do if you kept talking so openly. 

Elze was in a difficult position, almost dying. But surprisingly, Shan answered instead of Elze.

"Of course."

It was even a cool permission. Shan had a faint smile on his face and even gave Catinson some words of encouragement.

“I will accept your sword as soon as possible, so continue to strive.”

Elze couldn't believe it. Could it be that Shan had hit his head somewhere while she wasn't looking and become mentally ill? Or that it was another creature wearing Shan's shell.

Elze looked at Shan with great suspicion. But he seemed fine on the outside. He even had a few friendly words with Catinson. Shan said goodbye to Catinson in a rather affectionate manner and sent him out.

“See you next time, Sir Lovell.”

“Thank you, Count!”

Catinson hugged the bastard sword tightly to his chest and bowed his head repeatedly. With a tinkling sound, Catinson exited.

And as soon as he disappeared, Elze asked Shan with a very suspicious look on her face.

“...Are you sick somewhere?”

Shan chuckled at Elze's words. Not only Elze, but also Harbin, who was watching all of this, seemed very curious as to why Shan acted that way.

Shan looked back at Elze and Harbin and said.

“Because it’s not easy to join the Imperial Knights.”

The Imperial Knights unconditionally gave priority to the children of high-ranking nobles. After giving them their assigned gardens, it was difficult to even have a single spot left.

When children of high-ranking nobles flocked to the entrance exam held once a year, there were cases where they did not even get in. Dozens or even hundreds of people competed for that one position that may or may not be available.

For a knight without backing to join the Imperial Knights, he had to have overwhelming skills and luck on his side, enough to defeat countless competitors.

After hearing the whole truth that Shan had told her, Elze looked at Shan with bewildered eyes.

“No, then... Can Catinson join the Imperial Knights?”

Shan answered leisurely.

“No way.”

This man, knowing all this, told Catinson to join the Imperial Knights. It was ridiculous that he was so generous when he asked him to do something that was almost impossible. Shan said with a smirk.

“Isn’t it true that a little bit of hope is more painful?”

Elze was speechless at the sight of him speaking confidently. Elze was dumbfounded for a while before speaking.

“...As expected, you were a villain.”

Shan laughed out loud at Elze's words.

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