Ivan turned his head slightly, looking down at Amelia's face from below his shoulder. Amelia would cast a reproachful look, as if someone were asking, "What are you doing?" She then quietly clasped her hands behind Ivan's back, as if they had never touched before. She didn't forget to feign composure.
Perhaps due to her upbringing, Amelia was remarkably adept at censoring herself and wearing a mask. The only exception was when she was alone with Ivan.
“Besides that, let’s bring in some more people who left an impression during the game.”
Ivan's unexpected declaration turned the training ground upside down. Several commoner knights, who had assumed they were exempt, were dragged out, their faces bewildered, at Ivan's beckoning gesture. More than half of them wore black decorations on the ends of their scabbards.
Finally, the chosen commoner knights stood in line, their backs straight. The pride of being knights chosen by the Emperor must have filled them with pride.
“You still need training. You look more like mercenaries than knights now...”
An uncomfortable silence hung over the training grounds at Ivan's words. It was only natural, considering they hadn't been trained by a proper master, having risen from the bottom.
"All those chosen today will begin special training within the palace. Those who will guard the Priestess and Ian will also be subject to special training."
“...”
“Of course, we will also place someone here who will be in charge of proper training.”
But Ivan, as if he wasn't criticizing their shortcomings, added an explanation. The dark-skinned man's eyes lit up at the mention of his intention to raise them in the future.
“Those who were not chosen today were not chosen to be left in the outer world forever and neglected, so there is no need to complain.”
“...”
"If you are capable enough, you will be rewarded. It could be a large sum of money, a rotational position within the palace, or even a title of knight."
Ivan was the final nail in the coffin. The reward, of course, was a sum of money, but free access to the palace and the title of knight were things they had never imagined in their lives.
But it was Ivan's true heart, and at the same time, it was a necessary act to win their favor. He needed to get them to follow the imperial family from outside the palace. The loss of popularity outside the palace was a mistake on the part of the imperial family. It gave the nobles and the clans a chance to rise to power.
“I look forward to your performance.”
The common knights cheered at Ivan's words. Ivan smiled brightly at them and turned away. Amelia followed him, walking towards the carriage. As she turned her back on the knights, everyone's gaze naturally drifted away from Ivan and Amelia.
“I will help you get into the carriage.”
Ivan climbed into his carriage first, and the knight helped Amelia into the carriage as well. Ivan watched the scene through the carriage window.
Harry's kiss on Amelia's hand was nothing more than a simple gesture of courtesy. It was also the courtesy a knight would show his master. Ivan knew this well. But before he could even consider that obvious fact, his body moved. The only thing he could see clearly was that another man was pressing his lips against Amelia's skin.
“...”
Was that surprising? No, it was natural. Amelia was his. So he didn't want to deny the discomfort he felt. Ivan didn't want anyone touching that woman.
Perhaps Ivan himself would have helped Amelia get into the carriage, had it not been for the current hostility between them.
Ivan thought about this until Amelia's maid, who had been complaining of feeling unwell and was running late, got into the same carriage, and the door closed.
However, he didn't want to guess the reason beyond that. It was as if he had a gut feeling it would give him a headache.
Lure Chandler's voyage was still ongoing. Passing familiar lands and islands, and endlessly ploughing through the vast ocean, he found joy in the moment.
“...”
But that only lasted a month and a half. Before then, he'd occasionally come across seemingly uninhabited islands, offering the pleasure of gathering water or simple fruits. But about two weeks ago, there was truly nothing. No matter how far he went, he saw nothing but the sea, and a sudden fear of being trapped in some strange place overcame him.
“Are we on the right track?”
When asked that question, everyone on board glared at Lure Chandler. Late at night, they all sat together, except for Lure Chandler, and blew on the bottle.
“Because of one crazy guy, I’m going to be trapped in the sea and die!”
“If a sea creature dies in the sea, it is a funeral.”
“I think this guy is the real crazy one.”
Secretly embarking on this voyage, under the Emperor's command and support, they too felt awe at the boundless sea. They, facing nature, knew better than anyone that humans were nothing more than mere insignificant creatures.
“Hah, what the heck is this...”
Lure Chandler gazed beyond the clear horizon. The tranquil, clear beauty it emanated was now tiresome.
“Apparently, the ancient books of the Kingdom of Durum say that it is located if you take a boat and go straight east.”
Of course, they didn't tell him how far he had to go. So, Lure Chandler had come this far, clinging to the glimmer of hope that someday he would discover the secret lands of the ancient books of the Kingdom of Durum.
But there was nothing. Two months had passed, and all he could see was sea, sea, and sea. His only consolation was that he had survived without being threatened by a sea creature or stranded on a reef.
“...”
What would you do if you hadn't died by now?
Just as he regained his composure, a voice in his mind began to murmur. He knew that when he returned, the Emperor would be waiting, demanding double his investment. If he had actually found nothing, he might have been beheaded on the spot, branded a fraud.
No, he doubted he would even be able to return alive before then. They said they were safe on the way there, but what guarantee was there that the sea would be safe on the way back?
"Shit."
Lure Chandler's face was now horribly contorted. He was trying desperately to maintain his composure, but it was reaching its limit.
“I can’t just jump out of here and die.”
To begin with, Lure Chandler was a man who lacked the courage to jump. He loved to brag and boast about being an adventurer, but that was all. Adventure was adventure, and he knew how to cherish life.
“What should I do with this?”
Lure Chandler muttered, his fingernails scraping together. He considered sneaking off to the next island he discovered, but considering all the islands he'd encountered so far were uninhabited, he figured he'd find a place to die.
"Ha..."
He's screwed. He's completely screwed. Lure Chandler sighed, defining his adventure as a complete failure.
“Does sighing like that make you feel full?”
A passing sailor hurled a mocking remark at Lure Chandler, the man responsible for recording the passage and drawing maps of the sea, who, as always, held a telescope in his hand.
“Get out of the way, you’re bothering me.”
At first, he'd been loud and clear, but now Lure Chandler was wary of the sailor's every irritating remark. As Lure Chandler licked his lips and took a step back, the sailor stepped onto the rope and began to climb the mast.
“I can see the island!”
The sailor, nearly at the top, looked through his telescope and exclaimed in a half-hearted tone. The islands they'd passed so far had been unremarkable, so they seemed to have considered this one a mere stopover. The dot-like islands then grew to the size of a fingernail, then the palm of a hand, and until they finally landed, everyone remained impassive.
“Come down and get some water.”
“Yes.”
Since even Lure Chandler had packed several water canteens with that in mind, there was no need to guess what others were thinking.
“Put your legs down!”
A bridge descended from the adventure ship, connecting the ship to the ground. Lure Chandler hurriedly prepared to disembark, following the crew who began to disembark one by one.
“It would be nice to have some fruit or something.”
Because they had prepared food that would last a long time in anticipation of a long voyage, their meals were extremely meager. The sailors had just stepped onto the sandy beach, searching for sweet fruit.
"...Uh?"
Over the hill, several heads suddenly popped up. Naturally, they were guards, alerted to an intruder.
Perhaps due to her upbringing, Amelia was remarkably adept at censoring herself and wearing a mask. The only exception was when she was alone with Ivan.
“Besides that, let’s bring in some more people who left an impression during the game.”
Ivan's unexpected declaration turned the training ground upside down. Several commoner knights, who had assumed they were exempt, were dragged out, their faces bewildered, at Ivan's beckoning gesture. More than half of them wore black decorations on the ends of their scabbards.
Finally, the chosen commoner knights stood in line, their backs straight. The pride of being knights chosen by the Emperor must have filled them with pride.
“You still need training. You look more like mercenaries than knights now...”
An uncomfortable silence hung over the training grounds at Ivan's words. It was only natural, considering they hadn't been trained by a proper master, having risen from the bottom.
"All those chosen today will begin special training within the palace. Those who will guard the Priestess and Ian will also be subject to special training."
“...”
“Of course, we will also place someone here who will be in charge of proper training.”
But Ivan, as if he wasn't criticizing their shortcomings, added an explanation. The dark-skinned man's eyes lit up at the mention of his intention to raise them in the future.
“Those who were not chosen today were not chosen to be left in the outer world forever and neglected, so there is no need to complain.”
“...”
"If you are capable enough, you will be rewarded. It could be a large sum of money, a rotational position within the palace, or even a title of knight."
Ivan was the final nail in the coffin. The reward, of course, was a sum of money, but free access to the palace and the title of knight were things they had never imagined in their lives.
But it was Ivan's true heart, and at the same time, it was a necessary act to win their favor. He needed to get them to follow the imperial family from outside the palace. The loss of popularity outside the palace was a mistake on the part of the imperial family. It gave the nobles and the clans a chance to rise to power.
“I look forward to your performance.”
The common knights cheered at Ivan's words. Ivan smiled brightly at them and turned away. Amelia followed him, walking towards the carriage. As she turned her back on the knights, everyone's gaze naturally drifted away from Ivan and Amelia.
“I will help you get into the carriage.”
Ivan climbed into his carriage first, and the knight helped Amelia into the carriage as well. Ivan watched the scene through the carriage window.
Harry's kiss on Amelia's hand was nothing more than a simple gesture of courtesy. It was also the courtesy a knight would show his master. Ivan knew this well. But before he could even consider that obvious fact, his body moved. The only thing he could see clearly was that another man was pressing his lips against Amelia's skin.
“...”
Was that surprising? No, it was natural. Amelia was his. So he didn't want to deny the discomfort he felt. Ivan didn't want anyone touching that woman.
Perhaps Ivan himself would have helped Amelia get into the carriage, had it not been for the current hostility between them.
Ivan thought about this until Amelia's maid, who had been complaining of feeling unwell and was running late, got into the same carriage, and the door closed.
However, he didn't want to guess the reason beyond that. It was as if he had a gut feeling it would give him a headache.
***
Lure Chandler's voyage was still ongoing. Passing familiar lands and islands, and endlessly ploughing through the vast ocean, he found joy in the moment.
“...”
But that only lasted a month and a half. Before then, he'd occasionally come across seemingly uninhabited islands, offering the pleasure of gathering water or simple fruits. But about two weeks ago, there was truly nothing. No matter how far he went, he saw nothing but the sea, and a sudden fear of being trapped in some strange place overcame him.
“Are we on the right track?”
When asked that question, everyone on board glared at Lure Chandler. Late at night, they all sat together, except for Lure Chandler, and blew on the bottle.
“Because of one crazy guy, I’m going to be trapped in the sea and die!”
“If a sea creature dies in the sea, it is a funeral.”
“I think this guy is the real crazy one.”
Secretly embarking on this voyage, under the Emperor's command and support, they too felt awe at the boundless sea. They, facing nature, knew better than anyone that humans were nothing more than mere insignificant creatures.
“Hah, what the heck is this...”
Lure Chandler gazed beyond the clear horizon. The tranquil, clear beauty it emanated was now tiresome.
“Apparently, the ancient books of the Kingdom of Durum say that it is located if you take a boat and go straight east.”
Of course, they didn't tell him how far he had to go. So, Lure Chandler had come this far, clinging to the glimmer of hope that someday he would discover the secret lands of the ancient books of the Kingdom of Durum.
But there was nothing. Two months had passed, and all he could see was sea, sea, and sea. His only consolation was that he had survived without being threatened by a sea creature or stranded on a reef.
“...”
What would you do if you hadn't died by now?
Just as he regained his composure, a voice in his mind began to murmur. He knew that when he returned, the Emperor would be waiting, demanding double his investment. If he had actually found nothing, he might have been beheaded on the spot, branded a fraud.
No, he doubted he would even be able to return alive before then. They said they were safe on the way there, but what guarantee was there that the sea would be safe on the way back?
"Shit."
Lure Chandler's face was now horribly contorted. He was trying desperately to maintain his composure, but it was reaching its limit.
“I can’t just jump out of here and die.”
To begin with, Lure Chandler was a man who lacked the courage to jump. He loved to brag and boast about being an adventurer, but that was all. Adventure was adventure, and he knew how to cherish life.
“What should I do with this?”
Lure Chandler muttered, his fingernails scraping together. He considered sneaking off to the next island he discovered, but considering all the islands he'd encountered so far were uninhabited, he figured he'd find a place to die.
"Ha..."
He's screwed. He's completely screwed. Lure Chandler sighed, defining his adventure as a complete failure.
“Does sighing like that make you feel full?”
A passing sailor hurled a mocking remark at Lure Chandler, the man responsible for recording the passage and drawing maps of the sea, who, as always, held a telescope in his hand.
“Get out of the way, you’re bothering me.”
At first, he'd been loud and clear, but now Lure Chandler was wary of the sailor's every irritating remark. As Lure Chandler licked his lips and took a step back, the sailor stepped onto the rope and began to climb the mast.
“I can see the island!”
The sailor, nearly at the top, looked through his telescope and exclaimed in a half-hearted tone. The islands they'd passed so far had been unremarkable, so they seemed to have considered this one a mere stopover. The dot-like islands then grew to the size of a fingernail, then the palm of a hand, and until they finally landed, everyone remained impassive.
“Come down and get some water.”
“Yes.”
Since even Lure Chandler had packed several water canteens with that in mind, there was no need to guess what others were thinking.
“Put your legs down!”
A bridge descended from the adventure ship, connecting the ship to the ground. Lure Chandler hurriedly prepared to disembark, following the crew who began to disembark one by one.
“It would be nice to have some fruit or something.”
Because they had prepared food that would last a long time in anticipation of a long voyage, their meals were extremely meager. The sailors had just stepped onto the sandy beach, searching for sweet fruit.
"...Uh?"
Over the hill, several heads suddenly popped up. Naturally, they were guards, alerted to an intruder.
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