Duke Yuma was climbing the stairs after finishing his morning walk. His mind was filled with all the things he had to tackle moving forward.
First, he started worrying about the demon army he would face in five months.
Cough—!
Suddenly, he spat blood. He managed to cover his mouth with a handkerchief and wiped away the blood.
This was from the side effects of the [Poisonous Fruit of Immunity] he had consumed yesterday, as his body transformed his blood into poison-resistant blood, expelling impurities in the process.
Yuma thought again about the demon army.
Time left: five months.
“Not much time left….”
He needed to properly plan his upcoming schedule.
With his worries lingering, Yuma continued up the stairs.
*
“….”
Bell felt as if the questions that had plagued her mind were suddenly unraveled.
Why did Yuma only use his sword energy at the moment of defeating an enemy?
To defeat them with minimal effort.
‘To avoid overexerting himself…’
If he continued to utilize his aura in his weakened state, it was inevitable that it would jeopardize his life.
Swipe…
Bell gently wiped away Yuma’s blood that was faintly speckled on the stair railing with a handkerchief she had taken from her pocket.
Finally calming her racing heart, Bell ascended the stairs.
‘The method.’
Was there a way to extend Yuma’s lifespan?
However, having just stepped out into the world from the land of white nights, Bell couldn’t come up with a method to prolong Yuma’s life.
And deep down, she knew that such worries were futile. Given Yuma’s temperament, he wouldn’t have overlooked any possible solutions.
Gritting her teeth in rising helplessness, Bell resolved, ‘No more.’
And she made a vow. ‘I must make sure Yuma never has to use his sword again.’
She had self-proclaimed herself as “Yuma’s Sword,” but she needed to make that more than just a self-title.
“Haah…ah.”
As she took a deep breath, Bell wiped away the tears that had welled beneath her light pink eyes.
‘Should I tell them?’
Bell fell into deep thought. Should she inform Princess Brigitte, Cloney, and Hestia about Yuma’s condition?
As she pondered, she slowly shook her head while climbing the stairs.
Yuma had mentioned being a bit tired yesterday and wanting to be alone, which weighed heavily on her mind.
‘It was probably worse than now…’
That’s why he probably hesitated to go outside.
He was desperately trying to hide it.
Bearing his pain on his own.
Bell didn’t want to make Yuma’s efforts and his consideration for them meaningless.
‘How much time do we have left?’
Yuma’s life, that brilliant flame of existence, has only a limited time left until it flickers out—
Does he have the courage to ask Yuma about it?
His heart began to race again.
The overwhelming sense of helplessness pressed down on him from his crown to his whole body, much stronger than when he faced the White Night Clan’s legacy at the tender age of four.
At sixteen, the boy he used to frolic with could no longer withstand the clan’s confines, crossed over the boundary, and his heart stopped—he died.
Because of that, he barely ate anything for a week.
The sheer wretchedness and helplessness that had weighed him down then replayed throughout his body.
Bel slowly climbed the stairs.
Very slowly.
*
At the First Princess’s breakfast table.
Swoosh!
“You’re here, Yuma.”
Creak—
Brigitte sprang to her feet the moment she saw Yuma, suddenly pulling out the chair next to her.
“Sit down.”
Seeing that strange display, Yuma couldn’t help but say something.
“What kind of royal heir pulls out someone else’s chair like this? Isn’t there such a thing as authority?”
In response to Yuma’s very reasonable comment, the First Princess, Brigitte, cleared her throat lightly.
“…I noticed you seemed a bit tired. I was just being considerate in my own way.”
Brigitte’s brutally honest words, clearly relayed through Chief Attendant Royan, made Yuma stifle a laugh.
“That’s so uncharacteristic of you. Don’t worry, I’m just a little tired.”
Brigitte and Cloney, who sat to Yuma’s right, nodded in relief at his words.
Come to think of it, the leader of the Dawn Revolutionary Army, Cassiela, was missing from the First Princess’s palace.
“Where’s Cassiela?”
Brigitte’s eyes lit up.
“Oh, your subordinate you sent? Indeed, Yuma. Seems like someone worth trusting. Instead of guarding me, she decided it was better to completely monitor the First Prince. She’s stationed in front of the First Prince’s palace and surrounding buildings, always keeping an eye on the First Prince, Schwarze. She’s going around with half her strength.”
“I see.”
Yuma thought Cassiela’s judgment wasn’t bad.
Unlike the submissive demeanor she showed him, Cassiela had always lived her life aggressively. So, it seemed she made a more aggressive judgment this time as well.
“She said she would keep watching from there until my enthronement ceremony is fully completed.”
Nodding, Yuma pointed out another missing person.
“Where’s Bel?”
At Yuma’s words, Cloney slowly opened her delicate lips.
“Big sis Bel said she wasn’t hungry right now and would eat separately later.”
“Is that so?”
Yuma spooned some soup. As expected, the royal chef’s cooking was perfect, even the soup was exquisite.
It was perfect even to the last detail.
Yuma’s gaze shifted back to Princess Brigitte, the First Princess.
“Have the dates for the coronation ceremony been set?”
Brigitte nodded.
“It’s twenty days away. The announcement has already been made to the nobles. It was approved at the Grand Nobles Conference… Even if Father wakes up and names my brother as the next Emperor, it won’t be easy to change the course of things.”
After taking a sip of water, Brigitte continued.
“If Father hears everything that has happened until now, he wouldn’t pick my brother.”
So the coronation would happen at the end of August.
Yuma put a piece of steak in his mouth. The juices flowed out elegantly.
“Are there any sea-dwelling races that are friendly to humans?”
In [Loop Blood], the merfolk and whales were friendly to humans.
The merfolk were close to sea warriors.
Whales represented the tranquility of the sea, protecting it.
Brigitte answered the question.
“It’s the merfolk and the whale folk.”
It seems that, just like in this world, the races friendly to humans were the merfolk and the whale folk.
Yuma got to the point.
“The Demon Army.”
Brigitte, Cloney, and Hestia frowned slightly.
“They said they would invade in five months. That guy.”
That was what God Incrinew had said.
“As you all heard, he mentioned something called the Revelations. As if there’s a prophecy book only the Gods can see.”
[The Revelations].
“He hinted that there’s content about the Demon Army in there. So the invasion of the Demon Army is probably a predetermined sequence of events.”
Take what is necessary.
Yuma planned to prepare for the Demon Army with Brigitte.
Brigitte realized what Yuma meant with his previous words.
“Got it. Right after the coronation ceremony, I’ll prepare to head to the western coast of the Empire. I’ll make sure to gather maps, customs of those races… their cultures. Current situations. I’ll tell you to prepare everything.”
The demons wouldn’t limit their invasion to land or sea.
Historical records left in the Empire from a thousand years ago also showed that the Demon Army invaded simultaneously by land, sea, and air with tens of thousands of troops.
From the Emperor’s perspective, building relations with the neighboring races was essential. Especially in situations where the Empire might find itself in crisis.
Brigitte paused her steak and stared at Yuma.
Feeling Brigitte’s intense gaze, Yuma halted his right hand, which was gripping the fork.
“Do you have something to say, Brigitte?”
“…I’ve become so very embarrassed. Yuma, seeing you contemplate and act relentlessly in preparation for the storm.”
Huff! Huff!
The black-haired, golden-eyed mage, Cloney, who had quietly been eating soup, nodded fervently as if agreeing with the princess’s words.
The mage, Cloney, nodded vigorously as if to express her agreement with the princess’s words.
Duke Yuma slowly opened his mouth.
“I’m just trying to do something. Staying idle will get us nowhere. Time is running out.”
It was Yuma’s honest words.
He felt like he was alone adrift in a vast ocean.
Like a shipwrecked person relying on a dilapidated rowboat.
There were too many enemies.
The seven Evil Gods waiting far away.
And the demon army waiting nearby.
That’s why Yuma couldn’t afford to remain idle.
If he moved diligently, he might unexpectedly gain something.
“Duke Yuma.”
Cloney gazed at Yuma with her clear golden eyes.
Her gaze held firm belief and deep affection.
“I’ll work harder too. To be of help.”
To be of help to Duke Yuma.
Cloney swallowed her main subject in a tide of her blind affection and loyalty, aware of the burden it might place on him.
“So please, don’t push yourself too hard. Duke Yuma.”
Cloney’s words trembled as they finished.
“Yesterday, when you didn’t come out of your room, I really worried….”
As Cloney finished her sentence, Princess Brigitte’s voice could also be heard from beside them.
“Right, you don’t need to worry about the thinking part too. I’ll try harder.”
Yuma couldn’t understand why these two were suddenly acting this way. He had just spent a day cooped up in his room.
And then the Cat-Folk Swordsman, Hestia, joined in.
“When a fight breaks out, I’ll kill at least one more of them! So don’t push yourself, Yuma.”
Hearing that they were worried, he nodded slowly.
“Alright, I’ll try not to cause any more worry.”
Having finished his meal, Yuma headed towards the training ground next to the princess’s palace.
He had an inexplicable certainty that Bell would be there.
There he spotted a woman in her twenties.
Swish─!
With blue hair fluttering, a swordswoman was striking her sword up and down with precision, hardly caring about the sweat trickling down her forehead.
‘Martial arts, huh.’
Indeed, people who are immersed in something are beautiful.
Yuma thought this as he slowly approached the swordswoman.
“Ah, so you were here, Bell.”
Bell quickly wiped the sweat off her face and collar with a towel.
“Ah, my lord… Uh, what brings you here?”
For some reason, Bell’s voice sounded weaker than usual.
Yuma approached Bell, noticing her condition.
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