Marriage and Sword 8
The news of Targayel's revolution quickly spread throughout the continent.
The Kings of each country, who had been keeping a close eye on the state of affairs in the empire, reacted in various ways to the emergence of a new royal family.
Naturally, some nations were not happy about it. However, on the surface, they all welcomed the Targayel Empire without showing any discontent. This was because the main figures of the revolution were Shan Cirxus and Elze of Elijah.
They were living legends who had led the Hundred Years' War, when Baluar's defeat was certain, to victory, so no one wanted to carelessly criticize them.
In particular, the Kingdom of Britain and the Kingdom of Ryeo actively came forward to express their support for the Targayel Empire. The expression of support from the two kingdoms, which had a great influence on the continent, was a great help in clearing up the chaotic atmosphere.
Crucially, Targayel's revolution had a powerful cause: the Pope of the Church of Ines, Ilwooz, backed their revolution.
Ilwooz, who had never shown himself to the world, caused a huge stir when he personally came forward to support the revolution.
The reason for Ilwooz's intervention was clear. Erzenes Targayel was the protagonist of the prophecy that was being passed down across the continent. Crown Prince Raymond conspired with Duke Seraph to bring forth a false savior to tarnish Ines' name.
As these facts came to light, everyone was convinced of Ilwooz's involvement. But apart from all that, the fact that the Pope took the side of a country had an invaluable meaning.
For these reasons, the surrounding countries accepted Targayel's revolution.
Even within the empire, there were no major opposition forces.
Targayel was originally very popular among the people of the Empire, especially among the veterans of the Hundred Years' War and their families, and he enjoyed ardent support to the point of absolute certainty.
The two Targayel couples, who are war heroes, fought in the war and achieved great feats, and fought alongside the common soldiers. Unlike the nobles who are too lofty to even touch, they are friendly.
The people of the empire had high hopes that Targayel would do more for them than the royal family and nobles had done so far.
Of course, some nobles were so opposed that they fainted. It was Duke Wade's job to persuade these nobles. Duke Wade met with each noble one by one and tried to persuade everyone, from stubborn old nobles to young nobles.
Thanks to Duke Wade's strong popularity in noble society, those who could speak the language were fortunate enough to accept the Targayel Empire.
However, some opposed it to the end. They were people who took great pride in the fact that they were nobles. They could not bear the fact that Targayel, whom they had looked down on as someone who only swung a sword on the battlefield, had become Emperor.
However, these nobles were all those who had sworn allegiance to Duke Seraph. The majority of them were implicated in Duke Seraph's crimes and could not move.
The opposition was weak, and Targayel quickly suppressed the Empire. The Empire, which had been in turmoil due to the revolution, began to stabilize at a surprising rate.
Meanwhile, a rumor was quietly circulating behind the scenes in the Empire's social circles. It was that Shan Cirxus was the demon who appeared in the continent's prophecy.
The rumor that the Savior and the Devil were engaged to be married was so sensational that it spread widely. However, it soon lost its power and died down.
The rumor was true, but the reason it didn't spread and disappeared was simple: not many people knew the truth.
Only those on the platform witnessed Shan being a demon. Everyone else was below the platform or far away and could not see properly.
There were only a few people on the stage, and they were all on the Duke Seraph's side. Except for Duke Seraph and Crown Prince Raymond, they were dealt with appropriately on the Kalia Line. So that they could never tell the secret.
Aside from that, there was the problem of Ilwooz's declaration, but it was surprisingly easily resolved. Ilwooz declared in front of everyone that the savior was on the devil's side.
But people took it as a kind of metaphor. They considered it a metaphor and added their own interpretation, so no one suspected that Shan Cirxus was a demon.
Moreover, more than anything else, the Church of Ines was protecting Targayel. It was hard to think that the Pope would protect the devil.
Rumors that had no basis in fact never surfaced. The story of Shan Cirxus being a demon became a commonplace gossip, slowly sinking to the surface.
***
“I feel strange.”
Shan turned around at Elze's muttered words.
He had a handful of papers. And Elze was also holding them. Unable to cope with the overflowing workload, the two brought the papers to the bedroom, where they discussed the agenda and reviewed the papers together late into the night.
Elze put down the papers regarding the disposition of the lands of the punished nobles and flopped down on the sofa, patting the cushion embroidered with Targayel's crows with her hands.
A week has already passed since the day the revolution took place.
The two did not enter the palace right away but were still staying at the Targayel mansion. There was much work to be done.
First, the lion statue, the symbol of Baluar, standing in the square of the capital, was removed. The imperial palace, decorated in red, the symbolic color of Baluar, was preparing to begin large-scale construction.
The disposal of Crown Prince Raymond and Duke Seraph also remained.
How to dispose of them was another extension of the revolution. There were various opinions, but they could not be dealt with carelessly. Many secrets had to be extracted from the two people. In particular, Duke Seraph had been in constant contact with Heglatan since the Hundred Years War. To prepare for the coming war with Heglatan, they had to obtain as much information as possible from him.
After sorting out all the various matters, she planned to enter the palace. Elze shook her head as she thought about her future plans and felt her head getting complicated.
“What’s wrong, Elze?”
She had been saying that she felt strange since a while ago, but now she was shaking her head by herself, so he seemed a little worried. Shan came over to Elze, who was sitting on the sofa. He rested his elbows on the back of the sofa and looked down at Elze affectionately. Elze looked up at him and said.
“Just... kind of like that.”
Then he hesitated and muttered one more thing.
“Is it because it doesn’t feel real?”
At Elze's words, Shan raised his eyebrows. He looked down at Elze for a moment, then headed to the corner of the bedroom. When Shan returned, he was holding a bottle of wine and a glass. He sat down next to Elze. Then, he uncorked the cork and said.
“Let’s take a rest.”
Elze accepted the glass he offered without a word. Elze and Shan exchanged drinks and chatted for the first time in a long while. As it turned out, the topic of Astin came up.
“Astin and Heyla will arrive in a week.”
As soon as the revolution succeeded, she hastily summoned Astin and Heyla, who were studying at Aquis University. She planned to have a serious discussion with Astin about the throne when he returned.
“What if Austin refuses?”
Unlike Elze, who was full of worries, Shan was peaceful.
“Well, I don’t think he would refuse.”
His answer was leisurely. Elze, who was leaning on the sofa, turned around and asked.
“Why are you so sure?”
Then Shan answered with a smile.
“He has someone to protect.”
“. .”
“To do that, he needs power. Not his sister’s power, but his own power.”
Shan's voice was serious, unlike his smiling face. He continued speaking calmly.
“Because the Emperor is not a position that can be simply suppressed by force. I think that the brilliant Astin is more suitable than anyone else.”
And Shan said with a grin.
“His fiancée is no ordinary person either, isn’t she?”
Elze, who remembered the confident Heyla, smiled happily without realizing it. Shan spoke softly to Elze, who had become much more relaxed.
“Let’s proceed step by step.”
"Yes."
When Elze nodded, Shan stroked Elze's head with his hand and asked.
“Have you thought about it a lot?”
“Um, I’m a little lost as to what to do right now....”
"Now?"
Shan's eyes sparkled. His lips slightly turned up. Shan put down the wineglass he was holding. He leaned toward Elze.
“Right now, I need to focus on what’s right in front of me.”
Elze, who was sitting next to him, tried to step back as Shan approached, but a large hand pressed down on Elze’s thigh. The distance was precarious. The fluff rose slightly. Shan, who had come close enough to brush their skins, whispered.
“...Want to do it?”
The short question reeked of danger. Elze reflexively tilted her head back and said.
“There’s no time for that. If you push yourself too hard today, it’ll disrupt your schedule tomorrow.”
Although Elze enjoyed sleeping with Shan, once she did it, she was so exhausted that she was likely to collapse the next day. In these days when there was so much work to do, it seemed better to hold back. When Elze refused, Shan surprisingly gave up cleanly.
“Yeah, that’s true.”
He sat up straight. Elze blinked in surprise at Shan's meek surrender. Shan got up and brought a new bottle of wine from somewhere. As soon as he uncorked it, a fragrant smell spread. Elze's eyes widened at the sweet fruity scent.
“It smells good!”
Shan said, pleased by Elze's admiration.
“It’s a precious drink. It tastes good too.”
"Yes?"
Elze took a sip and opened her eyes wide in admiration.
"Delicious!"
And she screamed at the hot sensation that spread belatedly.
“...Ugh! Why is it so strong!”
“But it tastes good, right?”
"You...!"
Shan, who had been giggling in front, clinked his glass lightly. With a clear glass clinking sound, Shan laughed like a mischievous child and said.
“I want to challenge you to a duel, Elze.”
Elze accepted Shan's challenge to a duel, burning with fighting spirit. Elze gulped down the remaining alcohol in one gulp and shouted proudly.
“Don’t regret it. I can drink a lot, right?”
“I know.”
Shan said mischievously, pouring a glass full of wine.
“Let’s have a showdown.”
Starting with that, Elze and Shan started emptying the bottle like whales, giving and receiving.
Only after the bottles of liquor were lined up on the table did Elze begin to realize that something was wrong. Elze’s drinking capacity was no different, but Shan’s was crazy. He hardly seemed to get drunk.
"Hey..."
Elze called Shan with a red face.
“Why aren’t you drunk...”
Her tongue was twisted on its own. Unlike Elze, who was completely drunk, Shan answered with a completely normal face.
“I'm the devil.”
And Shan's answer was true. Shan's body had recently been regenerating from wounds and was no longer affected by poison. So naturally, he didn't get drunk. Elze, who realized the truth late, lamented.
“I got fooled..."
But she was already drunk. Shan gently hugged Elze, who was still sitting and staggering. Then he licked her neck for a long time. Elze shrugged her shoulders at the ticklish sensation. The wine glass in her hand shook precariously.
“Ah, Shaan... I think I’m going to spill my drink...”
But Shan didn’t stop, and the wine that had been shaking eventually spilled over the glass. The red wine that flowed down soaked the entire front of her dress and splattered messily on her white skin. Elze grimaced and groaned at the damp sensation.
"Ah..."
"This."
Shan frowned slightly. Elze, who was covered in wine, slowly looked up at Shan. He spoke while caressing the area around her wine-soaked chest with his hand.
“Your clothes are all wet.”
Shan whispered with an evil smile.
“I’ll change your clothes for you.”
Shan started to take off Elze's clothes. Elze pushed Shan away. However, Elze's hands kept going this way and that. Shan giggled at the swaying hands. Elze frowned and got angry when she heard Shan's laughter.
“You... are dying...”
Elze put the empty glass down on the table. But she didn't put it down straight, so the wine glass ended up falling over. Elze muttered next to the glass that rolled around the table.
“You mean, huh? If it weren’t for me... the rebellion wouldn’t have succeeded...!”
Shan barely managed to suppress his laughter as he answered.
“Without you, I would be nothing.”
Her lips, red from the wine, kept bothering him. Shan impulsively licked Elze’s lips. A faint fruity scent lingered on the tip of his tongue. A sweet yet tingling sensation spread.
But Shan had to stop kissing her because Elze pushed him away. Shan whispered, licking her lips again, wanting to taste a little more.
“I must have lived a really boring life.”
He held the half-naked Elze tightly in his arms and asked her softly.
“Then, later on, I became a real devil and destroyed the continent?”
At Shan's words, Elze pressed her hand against his cheek and scolded him in a pretended stern voice.
“Don't say that.”
The pronunciation was unclear, but the message was clear. Shan smiled silently and nodded.
Elze, who was watching the scene, called out to Shan.
“Shan, Shan Cirxus.”
At the repeated calls of his name, Shan slightly lowered his body and faced Elze.
Their eyes met. Their gazes were strongly attracted to each other like magnets. Elze smiled faintly amid their gazes. Just looking at the blue eyes in his curved eyes made her feel good.
Her fingers caressed Shan's cheek and then moved to his lips. Elze whispered softly, tracing his lips with her thumb.
“...My husband is really handsome.”
It was an unexpected surprise compliment. It was rare for her to speak so frankly. Elze took a deep breath and exhaled in front of Shan, who had frozen for a moment.
The fruity scent of wine flowed out mixed with the hot breath. As he smelled the dispersing scent, Shan felt dizzy for some reason. Even though he was clearly not drunk.
As Shan gulped, Elze furrowed her delicate eyebrows and muttered.
“Ugh... It’s hot...”
It seemed like she had a fever because she had drunk too much. It must have been so hot that Elze rubbed her face against Shan's skin.
She felt the hot heat. She actively clung to him as a little bit of cool air was transmitted. Shan also actively accepted Elze’s clinging. Elze, who was drunk, had lost her sense of reason and was therefore very bold.
There was some light skinship, short kisses, and moans. Elze took shallow breaths and then grabbed Shan’s clothes.
“You should take this off too...”
There was no reason to resist the hands that were tugging at him roughly. Shan obediently took off his clothes as Elze told him.
A solid, bronze-colored upper body was revealed. A white hand was placed on the upper body with small scars and muscles. Elze's hand gently stroked his chest. A tingling sensation enveloped his entire body. Shan just smiled with a troubled face.
“Elze...”
His insides were already boiling hot. He felt like he would soon lose control and rush in. Whether or not she knew Shan’s situation, Elze was exploring Shan’s upper body to her heart’s content.
Shan barely managed to muster up the patience to wait for Elze to move as she wanted. Of course, she didn't stay still for that long. While Elze was moving, Shan also moved diligently.
Shan slowly touched Elze's body. Everything he could hold was small. The small head, the thin neck, and the slender arms were all in one hand.
The very act of holding her brought a strange sense of satisfaction to Shan. The possessiveness that had been peeking out naturally seeped in. The desire to have everything about Elze rose. Before he knew it, Shan's hands were tightening.
“ ..”
Shan tried to control her anger, which was about to boil over. Even though he always said he was careful, there were several times when he had almost hurt Elze.
Shan focused on moving again. As he slowly kneaded her soft chest, Elze's eyes widened. Shan smiled as if he didn't know and continued their skinship. Then, as if she couldn't give in, Elze reached down and pressed Shan's genitals.
"Ha?"
The hands that were caressing him were very rough. Shan was taken aback for a moment, but soon a good idea came to his mind. Shan tilted his head slightly to Elze and whispered quietly.
“...Should I bet on this too?”
Elze's eyes sparkled at the word bet. Shan, with a mischievous smile, twirled Elze's hair around his fingers. He kissed the top of her hair with a soft sound and then made a proposal to Elze.
“The first one to surrender loses. What do you think?”
Elze was a woman who loved victory. Having lost once in a drunkard's bet, the chance to win again was bound to be tempting. With her reason clouded by the alcohol, Elze fell headfirst into Shan's trap.
"Good!"
Shan grinned in front of Elze, who was burning with competitive spirit. It was the expression of looking at a fish caught in a net. However, Elze could not see Shan’s face, and Shan was an expert at hiding his true feelings in front of Elze.
“Yes, Elze... Like this...”
Shan whispered affectionately and took Elze's hand to him. And he gently told her how to touch his penis. Elze listened intently to Shan's words, eager to win. A white finger was placed on the penis which was already stiff and throbbing. The hand that rubbed the tip and stroked the shaft was quite skillful.
Feeling a sense of accomplishment for teaching her, Shan put his hand between Elze's thighs, and the two of them began to move little by little.
“Uh... Ugh...”
Elze confidently took on the second match. However, once it started, the odds couldn't be this bad. At first, it seemed like they were even, but their limits were quickly revealed.
Shan dug into the gap between the covers, inserted his finger into the slightly damp area, and poked at the exact spot where Elze felt most comfortable.
“Huh...!”
Elze moved her hands and her body shook violently. She must have realized that she couldn't move at this rate, so she gradually moved her buttocks toward the corner of the sofa and retreated. Shan chased after Elze, who was running away, and nibbled on her earlobe. She licked Elze's earlobe, which was making her shiver, and asked mischievously.
“Where are you going, Elze? The match isn’t over yet.”
“Ah, oh, that’s not it...!”
The voice that came with the wet sound was already soaked in pleasure. Shan laughed heartily at the sight of Elze struggling and groaning.
“Surely... Surrender already?”
"No!"
Elze got angry and started to fight back again. However, she was quickly defeated by Shan's attack. Before she knew it, Elze was leaning against Shan and groaning.
“Haa, haaang, uh...”
If a knight who is fully armed and sober fights a knight who is drunk and naked, which side would have the advantage?
It was a match where the answer was already decided from the beginning. However, Elze was the only one who didn't know. Elze, who had been struggling for a while, finally surrendered with her shoulders shaking.
“Uh, ah, surrender...!”
But Shan didn't stop even after the declaration of surrender. Instead, he started to push Elze even harder. Realizing that something was seriously wrong, Elze belatedly shouted in regret.
“Shan, wait, ugh!”
But Shan answered firmly.
“It's too late.”
He threw Elze down on the sofa and moved his fingers roughly. Before he knew it, two fingers had entered, and they bent and rubbed the place Elze felt without hesitation. Elze's eyes opened wide and gradually became unfocused. A slight tremble spread over her body. Elze weakly grabbed Shan's wrist with her trembling hands and pleaded.
“I, uh, I think I’m going to... just a little bit, slowly...”
She was doing this because she was afraid of the great pleasure that was about to come. However, Shan really liked the sight of Elze struggling, buried in the overflowing pleasure. Kissing Elze’s sobbing lips, Shan moved his hands even faster.
“Haa, ah...!”
In the end, Elze let out a cute sound and ran away. As he sucked on her tongue that was slightly sticking out from between her open mouth, she gradually came to her senses. Then she looked at Shan with eyes that seemed to want to protest. However, Elze and Shan both knew.
“My victory.”
The second match was also Shan's victory.
“Ugh...”
Shan smiled proudly and strode up onto Elze, who was drooping down. A dark shadow fell over Elze. Shan narrowed his eyes languidly and whispered.
“Then shall we try to eat the loser?”
His face was buried in Elze's nape. The feeling of hard teeth pressing against her flesh was followed by a stinging pain. Shan bit Elze's skin, leaving a large red mark. He sweetly declared, leaving a kiss mark.
“I’m going to eat everything from now on.”
Elze opened her mouth at the hot sensation rushing in. A short moan escaped her lips, unable to be suppressed.
"...Ah!"
From then on, it was uncontrollable. There was no time to even tell him to stop. Elze was eaten from head to toe by Shan.
***
A dry cloth was rubbed against the scabbard. The fine dust and fingerprints on the scabbard were wiped away cleanly.
As he was wiping, a few strands of hair fell out.
Blahar brushed his flowing hair back, neatly tucked it behind his ears, and returned to focusing on sharpening his sword.
“...”
Blahar, who was always cheerful and excited, had an extremely serious expression on his face at this moment. It would have been easy if he had asked his subordinates to do the work, but he always took care of the sword himself. He would leave all other chores to him, but he would not give up the sword.
It wasn't just the silk sword. Blahar never threw away his most important and precious possessions. He always managed and looked after them himself. While he was busy fiddling with the Flamberge, Serev came in quietly.
“Your Highness.”
Blahar nodded vaguely at his appearance, his hands still moving busily.
Seeing Blahar like that, Serev started to report on his own.
“Targayel’s rebellion has succeeded.”
"Yes?"
Blahar held up Flamberge's sword to the light. Flamberge shone brilliantly in the light. Blahar, who was looking at Flamberge, which was burning brightly as if it had been ignited by flames, said indifferently.
“They are great people.”
It was as if he had known from the beginning that this would happen. Serev was calm, just like Blahar, who was not surprised at all.
“It is said that Duke Seraph has been stripped of his title and imprisoned.”
At Serev's words, Blahar sighed deeply and muttered.
“That’s what I thought.”
Blahar put the Flamberge back into its scabbard. With a swoosh, the twisting, flame-shaped sword disappeared into the scabbard. Blahar grumbled as he set the Flamberge aside.
“You bad boy. You can lie so blatantly.”
Shan Cirxus promised to leave Seraph alone in exchange for Heglatan's obedience. However, as soon as the rebellion was successful, he broke his promise. It was expected, but it was still shocking to see him act so blatantly.
Serev simply raised his eyebrows at Blahar’s grumbling. Blahar, who had been mumbling curses at Cirxus for a while, quickly gathered his strength and stood up from his seat.
“Well, I can’t help it!”
He said, stretching.
“It was one of those things that was expected anyway. If KCirxus had listened to me obediently, I think I would have been suspicious of that as well.”
“I think so too.”
“Yeah, yeah...”
Blahar smiled faintly. The smile spreading across his clean face was at once innocent and sinister.
“We need to move too. If we continue like this and fall behind Cirxus, how embarrassing it would be. Isn’t that right, Serev?”
Serev slightly lowered his head in response to Blahar's question. He spoke in a serious voice.
“I am ready to follow Your Highness's will at any time.”
Blahar patted him on the shoulder for his honest remark. Then he smiled and said,
“Thank you as always, Serev. Then, it’s time to...”
The red pupils swayed subtly as if blood was pooling in them.
“Should I start a rebellion against the Prince?”
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