My body wouldn’t move as I wanted.

A formless pressure seemed to crush my entire being.

It felt as if this world itself was trying to prevent me from moving, as though I were shackled or wearing ill-fitting heavy armor. My body felt unbearably heavy under the sensation.

But that was all it was.

The Duke’s sword, after hesitating briefly, resumed its trajectory and once again aimed for Roderon’s neck.

It was a slower and clumsier strike than before, but it was still sufficient to sever Roderon’s neck.

“Hmm… It worked against Bern, but it seems a Master beyond a certain level can resist it?”

“What was that just now?”

“Being called the head of the continent’s greatest swordsmanship family isn’t an empty title, it seems.”

Roderon, who reappeared unscathed despite seemingly being struck down, muttered as if slightly taken aback by the unexpected attack.

“Is it because I’m incomplete? Or was it never a perfect authority to begin with?”

“Tsk, no answer?”

At Roderon’s slight gesture, a gem identical to the one from before materialized in midair. Duke Fael, seeing it, swung his sword once again.

“Sword-based attacks can no longer harm me.”

Clang!

Before Fael’s sword could complete its arc, it rebounded off the air and left Roderon untouched.

“Could it be… dragon speech?”

“Did you only just realize? You’re hopelessly dull.”

As a Duke of the Arhan Empire, Ron Fael had, of course, heard of the dragons’ authority: their spoken word of power.

But dragon speech was exclusively a draconic power, one said to be inaccessible even to the Arhan family members who bore dragon blood, save for the 3rd and 7th emperors.

“How are you, of all people, using that power?”

The fact that Fael had been slow to recognize it wasn’t because he was dull or unobservant.

It was because the idea of someone like Roderon wielding dragon speech was so sacrilegious it defied comprehension.

Throughout the continent’s history, those who used dragon speech had always, without exception, been dragons themselves or their direct descendants.

And the only humans to inherit dragon blood were the Arhan family.

“Answer me!”

Shouting in frustration, Fael swung his sword again, but this time too, it failed to leave even a scratch on Roderon.

“My name is Roderon Edelvine,” Roderon said, conjuring dozens of multicolored gems—red, blue, green, and more—shimmering in the air.

“I am the son of Fleur Edelvine and Siya Arhan.”

The moment Roderon finished speaking, the dozens of gems shattered all at once, unleashing a barrage of devastating spells that rained down upon Duke Fael.

“So, Your Majesty, the damages I’ve incurred this time are a whopping…!”

Sigh.

I let out a light sigh as I listened to Duke Roze Triell go on about how much of a loss she’d suffered.

“Go take that up with Daman,” I replied curtly.

Duke Roze, who was lamenting the significant losses incurred by merchant guilds due to rising anti-Daman sentiment within the empire, looked at me with pleading eyes. My only thought was, Why are you complaining to me about this?

“Well, sure, but who else am I supposed to vent to if not Your Majesty?”

I barely stopped myself from saying, Don’t vent to me either.

The woman before me was an ally—a duke who was friendly toward me.

Reminding myself of this fact a few times helped me feign interest in her complaints.

“So, Your Majesty, will you finally tell me why there hasn’t been a war yet?”

Of course. That’s why she came.

“Do you know how much chatter there is among the nobles these days? Some are even saying that Your Majesty is actually a very gentle person and that your past aggressiveness was merely due to the necessity of war. I laughed so hard when I heard that.”

“Ah, so I’ve been found out. I am, indeed, a most gentle person,” I replied flippantly while calculating internally how much to reveal to her.

Was Duke Roze my ally?

Yes.

I had known her since childhood, alongside Fried. Aside from our clashing personalities, there was no real animosity between us.

For her own ambitions, she had once assassinated her father during a power struggle with the former Triell duke, and when the Lute faction tried to approach her, she had promptly informed me. There was no need to doubt that Roze was on my side.

So, how much should I reveal?

The fact that Edelvine inherited Arhan blood must be kept hidden.

That was a stain upon the royal family.

Even if Duke Roze wouldn’t spread such knowledge, it wasn’t in the royal family’s best interest to let another person know such a secret.

There’s no need to tell the duke everything.

At most, I could reveal that there’s a shadowy figure behind the rebellions in Lute and Giore, and that the mastermind might be a survivor or descendant of Edelvine.

That much should suffice.

“Duke, do you know of the Kingdom of Edelvine?”

“Edelvine? Of course I know about it.”

“That’s the country famous for its abundant gemstones, isn’t it? I even own quite a few accessories made from Edelvine gemstones.”

As Duke Roze Triell answered confidently, I explained my theory: that a survivor of Edelvine might still be alive and working behind the scenes in the Kingdom of Daman.

“And that’s why I’ve been reluctant to hastily go to war—I don’t want to be manipulated by them.”

“Ah, so the ones who broke those Lute scoundrels out of our mansion’s prison were probably them, weren’t they?”

“Most likely.”

“I figured as much. Well, I’ve tightened the mansion’s security since then. Even if it’s just remnants of a fallen kingdom, the insult was too much to bear.”

Duke Roze added that she had demoted all the knights on guard duty that day. I quietly added my own commentary.

“I know. You even called back the hidden Masters during that process.”

At my remark, the duke froze mid-reach for her teacup, an awkward smile spreading across her face.

“Haha… So, you knew?”

“While investigating the incidents in the east, I expanded the network of informants within the empire. That’s how I came across the information.”

Watching Duke Roze glance nervously at me, I couldn’t help but laugh along with her.

“Haha, there’s no need to be so wary of me. It’s practically an open secret that the vassals secretly train Masters.”

In the past, I might have reacted more sensitively to this.

But the Triell family was friendly toward me, and now that my power had grown, I no longer had to worry about assassinations. There was no need to make an issue out of it.

“Even the Giore scoundrels had hidden Masters. Though they died at the hands of the Demon King’s lieutenant, and the Lute faction had their own as well. Frankly, I would’ve been more surprised if the duke didn’t have any Masters.”

“… I thought I’d brought them back quietly enough, though.”

“There’s no place in the empire beyond the eyes of Arhan.”

Well, there used to be, but I’ve since patched those gaps.

Had my own growth softened me? As I exchanged light banter with Duke Roze, I realized how much I had changed.

As I solidified my identity as the “Emperor,” I understood I no longer needed to cling to authority.

Even Roze’s casual demeanor, which might have irritated me in the past, now felt oddly endearing.

Oh, come to think of it, I haven’t contacted the Grand Duke since leaving the north.

He probably knows I’ve grown stronger by now, but he’ll be sulking about it. I’ll have to invite him to the capital soon.

As I pondered this, Duke Roze, back to her usual self, interrupted my thoughts.

“Your Majesty, what are you thinking about?”

“Hm? I was thinking about the Grand Duke. I’m considering inviting him to the capital soon. When that happens, I’ll introduce him to you.”

“… Hmm?”

“Hm?”

I thought I was being generous by offering to introduce her to the Grand Duke, but her reaction wasn’t exactly enthusiastic.

The Grand Duke, who had been guarding the empire’s northern territories ever since the imperial guardian dragon returned to the Valley of Dragons, was a legendary figure among the empire’s high-ranking nobles. I had assumed she’d feel honored.

Does she dislike dragons?

While entertaining such trivial thoughts, I heard a knock on the audience room door.

“Your Majesty, this is Dia Verger. May I enter?”

Why would Dia knock, knowing I’m in the middle of a meeting with the duke?

A sense of unease crept over me at the rigidity in Dia’s voice.

“Enter.”

At my command, Dia entered immediately, first apologizing to both me and Duke Roze for interrupting our tea time. Then she approached me and whispered her report.

“Your Majesty, there’s been a battle between the Edelvine faction and the Fael family in the Kingdom of Daman.

The survivors, including Duke Fael and his lieutenant, number fewer than ten. During the battle, Daman’s king was killed by Duke Fael, and as a result, his successor has declared war on the empire.”

What…?