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(349)
Pale moonlight streamed down from the common ceiling.
Thud. Thud. Thud.
Valencian did not hesitate to climb up onto the platform where the Little Mermaid's shell was placed and look down at her.
Tsk tsk tsk.
Exactly a thousand years since the oath of the first emperor.
A golden net melted over the green, radiant scales.
The shackles of the dragon that had enveloped Shuv Ardella for a long time were scattered.
A look of liberation appeared on her face for a moment.
“Choose.”
The Grand Duke of Mangnani held out his right and left hands with a proud expression.
In his right hand, the power of the golden dragon's words was gathered together to form a ring, and in his left hand, he was aiming at the dagger 'Black Scale', which was like an awl.
The distance between Valencianus and Shuv Ardella was less than a span.
No wizard could beat a sword expert level swordsman at this distance.
The archduke, who knew that, continued his explanation in an arrogant manner.
“If you take my hand, you will live as subjects of Soletaras forever. If you choose my dagger… I will have to find a new princess. I will spend a lot of time and money to stop the mermaids who seek revenge and the wild fish-people.”
“…….”
“My Majesty, who has reached the pinnacle of power, beauty, and strength, the only thing he lacks is time. He will choose to endure collateral sacrifices in order to stop the activities of the fish-men and mermaids, and that will bring about the destruction of your race. Therefore-.”
Swear eternal loyalty.
Shuv Ardella had a mysterious and passionate face with a faint smile.
A voice full of despair flowed out like a beautiful melody.
“You are……more dedicated than rumors say.”
“Yeah. You’re quick-witted.”
Valencian was not finishing off Irianne.
“If I choose your hand, you will never kill me.”
“That too.”
“Then I guess I can take some cute revenge.”
Shuv Ardella's mouth opened slightly, and her sharp fangs flashed.
"plural?"
Valencian glanced back, and then his proud face suddenly distorted.
“These stinking things-!”
The red knight Tentia was wrapped in a chain of water.
All weapons were used until the end, with 'hwahan' and 'manha', large and small daggers, and short hammers for breaking helmets rolling around on the sandbar.
As if to prove her courage and skill, which were among the best among sword experts, the area around her was scorched earth.
Three sea giants rolled on the floor, bleeding profusely, two sea dragons and four octopus guardians twitched their severed limbs as they lay dying, and countless heads of fish-man warriors and coral soldiers lay dying.
A shark warrior with a split belly ran into the water clutching its wound, a crab warrior with a broken shell sat bleeding, and one side of the sandbar was dug deep to form a small lake.
“Pull!”
“I’m still pulling!”
It would take dozens of mermaids just to hold her back.
“Gyaaaah!”
Even so, she was dragged around, causing a splash every time she pulled her arms and swung her legs.
“Sleep, sleep, sleep!”
Even though the mermaids were singing the 'Song of Truth' like crazy, Tentia became more and more violent.
“Kill me! You vile sea maggots! You are neither human nor fish, you monster! You Tentia, if you die, then die. I cannot cause trouble to my lord!”
Crunch!
“Ugh!”
Only after two sea giants grabbed her with both hands did her movements finally calm down.
* * *
“I didn’t think of that.”
Valencian let out a sigh, and Shuv Ardella looked at him with eyes that were both cool and ferociously heated.
“Do you know? The contract takes about an hour. Even if it’s a verb, it’s not easy to force obedience for that long.”
“…….”
“My men can immerse her in water right now. The moment you take my command, she will already be a swollen corpse.”
The Grand Duke of Mangnani gritted his teeth.
Shuv Ardella showed the fierceness of those who were driven as far as they could.
“Now. Subdue me, my devoted Archduke. And kill your knight.”
Valencian looked at Tentia.
In the midst of the fierce battle, the armor rose slightly, revealing those proud and dignified red eyes.
'Kyung. Kyung knows what I'm thinking.'
Tentia said with her eyes.
'Your Majesty, I am ready.'
The Duke of Mangnani bit his lower lip and squeezed his eyes shut.
It was a sight that looked like the sun was setting.
Bam!
The next moment, he firmly grabbed Shub Ardella's hand with his right hand.
At the same time, the vengeful laughter of mermaids and fish-men and the splashing sound of water could be heard from afar.
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The sound was soon buried in the pulsating sound of the power of the dragon's words.
Woohoo!
Under the pale moonlight, golden energy endlessly seeped into Shub Ardella's veins.
"iced coffee."
The mermaid princess smiled bitterly and dejectedly at the return of the leash that she had now become accustomed to, and the prince, who was a stern man, continued to pour out his strength.
As the moon disappeared above the hole in the common ceiling, Valencian released Shub Ardella's hand.
“Order the Tenthia Lord to be raised.”
Shuv Ardella nodded.
It was what she had hoped for too.
“Put it up.”
More than an hour and a half had passed.
Even for a sword expert, this was not a time to hold one's breath.
Choaaaak!
Two sea giants and a mermaid pulled the enemy knight up and placed him on a sandy island.
Bam.
She lay limp as if dead, seawater seeping out from between the cracks in her plate armor.
The fishman warrior approached and tried to raise his helmet visor.
“Karrrrr.”
At that moment, the enemy knight suddenly stood up and snatched the harpoon from the mermaid warrior.
“Get your bloody hands off me!”
He threw it at the neck of the nearest sea giant.
puck!
“Kueeeeek!”
The sea giant screamed, and the mermaids glared, not understanding the situation.
“What, what is it?”
“I was underwater for over an hour!”
“I saw it struggle and fall to the ground…….”
The enemy knight, as if he had never been lying down, picked up the sword, Hwahan, and Manha, rolling briskly on the sandy ground, and ran as if he was folding the ground, returning next to Valencianus.
“Your Majesty. This Tentia. I have returned safely.”
Shuv Ardella saw Valencian's broad shoulders shaking madly.
"you."
“Your Highness, call me the Little Mermaid.”
His voice also trembled as if he was trying to hold back laughter.
“Sir Tentia. Show me.”
The Red Knight lifted his helmet visor and spat out the coral amulet he had in his mouth.
Ariane, who had been struggling to get up, saw the amulet and knelt down on the floor again.
“Huh, huh? Why is that-.”
There was no room for further comment, and Tentia continued to speak proudly.
“It’s a mermaid’s kiss talisman. If it’s a magical tool for underwater breathing with no time limit, it was probably made by the princess or the adjutant who is kneeling right now.”
Fake drowning by using a mermaid's kiss.
It was one of the plans prepared in case Tentia were to become a hostage.
Shuv Ardella opened her mouth wide.
"ha ha ha."
The blue pupils contracted endlessly.
Valencian chuckled.
“Did you get a good hour of rest?”
The enemy knight shook his head.
“Even though I had my eyes closed, seawater kept getting into my eyes, and it was hard. My fingers were also wrinkled because of the salt. Even though I could breathe, it’s not a place to stay for long.”
The scoundrel Grand Duke and his enemy knight exchanged blows in a cheerful manner.
“Good work. Your acting has improved considerably.”
“Your Majesty, you really have bad taste. Do you enjoy teasing others so much?”
“Oh, my. You’ve done all this with a lot of thought. Shouldn’t you clear your mind before meeting His Majesty?”
Shuv Ardella looked up at the two and let out a hollow laugh.
“These… those Solettaras guys are worse than barnacles.”
* * *
Rumors about Valencian were divided into two main groups.
“He said he drank a keg of wine and smoked a box of hallucinogenic tobacco a day.”
“Every day they throw a party of pleasure filled with orgies and homosexuality.”
“They say he enjoys hunting humans in the slums and even spends his time doing it.”
One was a useless, half-faced, hopeless archduke who met his twin and lived happily ever after.
“They say they pushed the foreign object towards Langsowa.”
“They killed 400,000 Eastern Continent citizens who migrated to the Anchor Archipelago.”
“To keep the capital quiet during the oath of allegiance, I sold the poor people to the Northern Grand Duke.”
One was a rational, yet cruel archduke who crossed the line that should be kept as a human being.
And Nancy, the maid at the Governor's residence at the 'Port of the End', thought that all the rumors might be false.
'It seems like there's quite a bit of exaggeration involved.'
It seemed like enjoying alcohol itself was a fact.
The finest red and white wines, cognacs from all distilleries, cherry brandy, plum brandy, pomegranate brandy, pear brandy, etc.
'Good!'
Because I drank dozens of bottles of expensive liquor every day, which cost tens of silver coins and even gold coins.
But not only did he not cause the accident while drinking, he also did not cause the accident while sober.
'I have no intention of swinging my lower body around carelessly.'
'There are many more enjoyable things in this world.'
Charles politely but firmly refused the prostitutes and male prostitutes that he had brought in just in case, and he also refused the various 'feel-good' drugs that Charin had smuggled from the confiscated goods warehouse.
Of course, that doesn't mean he was faithful to his so-called 'inspection duties'.
'Let's do it after the governor returns. I don't want to do the same thing twice.'
He explored the culinary culture of the South by walking along the beach from before sunrise to after sunset, visiting scenic islands for vacation, and visiting high-end restaurants.
Still, Nancy didn't think he was a gangster.
'Charles. When you display an imposing swordplay, always pull your shoulders back. That's the line that prevents boldness from becoming recklessness.'
'Sharin. Magic is arithmetic and laws, but at the same time, it is also a longing wish. Don't try to perfectly understand all the principles. Don't try to make Mana obey you. How about guiding Mana so that it follows naturally?'
He was too sophisticated to be a devilish archduke, and too comfortable to be a cruel archduke.
Everyone working at the Governor's Residence thought so.
Charlene and Josephine didn't completely let go of their tension, but their sharp edges eased a little.
Charles went a step further and even started asking questions.
'If I have it, I have to figure it out.'
* * *
Swish.
Two men walked along the beach at sunset.
Although Charles was a tall man who could stand up to most people, Valencian was more than half a span taller than him.
So when the two walked side by side, Charles had to crane his neck to look up at his face, while Valencian kept some distance from him.
I didn't know if that distance was consideration or a wall.
“Actually, I want to learn imperial swordsmanship.”
“Imperial swordsmanship? Only Your Majesty can teach you that.”
“This is just my personal opinion, but I think His Majesty intends to spread his swordsmanship throughout the empire someday.”
“Oh. Why do you think so?”
“If it’s a swordsmanship that only the imperial family can use, then there’s no need to call it ‘Imperial’ swordsmanship.”
“That makes sense. But I don’t think that’s the case today.”
During the short but continuous conversation, a pleased smile appeared on Valencian's face.
Charles had realized over the past few days that he enjoyed talking about the Emperor.
“Your Majesty. What kind of person is Your Majesty?”
Valencian kept his mouth shut, as if that realization had been a lie.
It was only after a long time that he broke the silence.
“What is your intention?”
“What, what is your intention? I was just asking…… out of pure curiosity.”
“What is the pure question?”
The voice was unusually cold.
But Charles could feel in that cold air the aura of the trials he had faced many times before.
“Just… aren’t you anxious or jealous?”
He spoke thoroughly, representing the individual's feelings.
It was a way of speaking that was only acceptable now that I was young and had no official position.
At that answer, Valencianus snickered as if he had never felt cold before.
“That’s a stupid question.”
It was an ambiguous answer that contained a firm denial while also asking if there was anything I could do about it even if I was jealous.
Charles at least concluded that Valencian was not wandering around the continent to build up his own forces from outside.
'Or even if they do have such thoughts, they may not intend to involve our Governor-General.'
That evening was a function attended by the Governor's wife, Josephine, and Charles and Charlene.
The atmosphere was friendly, there was an exchange of pleasantries, and talk of Carlon's return came up.
Valencian raised his glass and declared solemnly.
“When he gets back, let’s get down to business.”
Charles and Josephine tried to keep from laughing.
When Charles, who had secured the personal loyalty of the Red Admiral, returned, Valencian would have no choice but to return to the capital and tell Charles that he should be appointed count.
Sharin, who was excited at the thought of becoming empress, also held back her laughter.
Just the thought of her long-time rival, her older brother, calling her His Highness the Empress made her shiver.
At that moment, a red light appeared beyond the glass windows of the hall.
"uh?"
“What is that?”
Carlon's mansion was located on a high place, so the windows had a clear view of the sea.
Fireworks were shooting up from the horizon of the night sea.
Valencian smiled, tilting his glass with dignity.
“Okay. Should we start working on the luggage now?”
It was a languid laugh that was not heard of in the rumors.