The air defense system of the institution has been significantly reinforced.
It’s at the level of creating something from nothing.
Although it was modeled after the air defense network of the desert development area, the size of the anti-aircraft guns was on a different dimension.
They have started to use all the annihilation cannons that were deployed as coastal guns by the navy as anti-aircraft artillery.
If Tiltitz appears over the institution, one could experience countless barrages that would rip the body apart merely by grazing it.
However, the silence of Tiltitz is not solely due to the construction of the air defense network.
It might sound a bit unlucky, but it’s because of my existence, Schlus Hainkel, the Majin.
Now I have almost equal power to Tiltitz in normal situations, and for five seconds, I can overwhelm Tiltitz significantly.
This means that surprise attacks against me are no longer possible.
Thus, if we engage in a full-scale war, there’s absolutely no chance of victory for Tiltitz.
There’s only one way.
Coming with more than one.
So, it’s likely that Tiltitz is quiet because she’s persuading the other Majins.
Even though it was the night before the storm that would come later, it was nice to have a quiet time without any big issues.
I decided to fully enjoy this brief moment of peace.
For a while, I had to cross the continent, shuttling between the Great Forest, the kingdom, and the desert.
The treaty I signed with the Freya Empire Federation turned into a problem, causing me to be treated as if I were equivalent to a nation.
The allies of the Trud Kingdom, the Great Forest, and the desert were the Freya Empire Federation.
So, as a Majin, I became a part of their alliance’s allies.
Since I was anxious that I might get backstabbed later if I didn’t make direct one-on-one alliances, I was busy moving around, stamping my seal under love calls pouring from everywhere.
‘Should I just set up a country?’
A fool like me couldn’t go around stamping treaties all by myself, so I needed an intellectual to accompany me.
I wasted quite a lot of time because I couldn’t use teleportation technique while bringing Emilia along.
I wanted to just sit down and tell them to come over and stamp the treaty, but the only place I could call home was the Chairwoman’s Residence at the Imperial University.
I couldn’t just ask the leaders from other countries to come to such a place.
I even had the impulse to set up a country in one place altogether.
Of course, I didn’t have enough money, land, or people to run a country, so I decided against it.
Then, I formally allied with Schulzenburg.
Now that Schulzenburg, with its vast land and quality mercenaries, was on my side, my position within the empire was larger than when I was a head of state, certainly not smaller.
Once again, it was a marriage alliance.
Of course, the fiancée was Trie.
While to others it might seem I married a woman I don’t love just to form an alliance, in reality, it was the opposite.
In fact, allying with Schulzenburg was something I could take or leave, so it was closer to forming an alliance for marriage.
After all, I couldn’t treat the head of a household as just a concubine.
“You’re saying you want to go to school…? Really? Are you serious?”
“Yeah.”
The second semester had ended, and winter had passed.
Now, it was time for the first semester to start again.
When I declared that I would go back to school, I received a strange look from Emilia.
“Why? Do students not go to school?”
“You have to think about your identity.”
“A Majin can’t go to school? No matter how strong I am, I don’t want to be thought of as an idiot. I need to graduate.”
“Well… Just entering the Imperial University should keep anyone from thinking you’re uneducated…”
I understood well what Emilia was worried about.
She was likely concerned about the repercussions of having a former head of state, now treated as a quasi-national being, attending school.
“Brother, if you go to school, it’ll be a big deal. You know that. The professors will be terrified, how do you think everyone else will look at you?”
“That’s fine with me.”
“What?”
“If I can see how flustered the professors are, then of course I should go. Especially Professor Ludwig. If I can see that guy’s flustered face, I can do anything.”
“Why do you hate him so much…?”
“Who knows? I wonder why.”
I thought for a moment.
Why do I dislike Ludwig so much?
Unless he’s an evil villain, I have some affection for all the characters, so why do I want to get under Ludwig’s skin so badly?
“Must be love.”
“What…?”
“Maybe I just want to torment the girl I like or something similar?”
“Please don’t say strange things…”
“Hehehe.”
There are jokes meant to be made and ones that shouldn’t be.
Suddenly, a wave of nausea hit me.
Just then, Emilia pushed a teacup toward me.
That was a little too generous.
“I brought tea.”
“Thanks.”
“So, they say the Saintess is pregnant?”
“No, she isn’t… huh?”
My hand holding the cup froze.
I felt my sight fade momentarily; it became a blank space.
How does she know that?
“The Saintess’s barrier is pretty simple. After sticking around for about an hour and interpreting it, it was broken.”
“Oh, no… Did you… hear that…?”
“Yeah. Did I just hear? I just slightly opened the door to peek, and they didn’t seem to know. It was amazing to see a dying person overflowing with strength. Maybe it’s some breeding instinct?”
“Emilia…”
“I’m not blaming you. It could happen. If she was pregnant, I would’ve really been mad, but since she isn’t, I can forgive you.”
“But I’m engaged to Iris so what are you forgiving-”
“Are you talking back right now?”
“…”
Emilia climbed on top of me and put a finger on my lips.
It was a gesture that didn’t have any physical restraint, but I couldn’t speak as if my mouth were sealed.
The factual matter wasn’t important at all.
What mattered was that if I said something now, Emilia would get upset.
“You’re marrying the Saintess? Fine. You have your own position. And what’s the relationship between a couple? That doesn’t matter. If you marry and leave each other alone, that’s sad, just like Trie. But there’s one thing I can’t compromise on.”
“What’s that?”
“I will be the first to have a child.”
“Is that even up to you?”
“What could stop that? As long as I don’t have relations with another woman until I’m pregnant, it should be fine.”
“…”
That was a simple yet ingenious solution.
Except for one problem.
“Are you unhappy with that?”
“I’m not, but… that only applies starting now, right?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Unintentionally… it might be possible for someone else to get pregnant before you… or maybe not…”
“What? Who else did you—”
“…”
A chill ran down my spine.
I was leaning so precariously that I felt like I might fall off the sofa while facing Emilia’s cold gaze.
“Brother, I can’t hide anything from you. You know I’d have my subordinates dig into your background, so you better speak nicely.”
“Trie…”
“Aha. So it was Trie… I see…”
“And.”
“What? And?”
Oh no.
Emilia’s voice was getting increasingly agitated.
I closed my eyes tightly and decided to let whatever happen, happen.
“Pelaine…”
“Brother.”
It’s over.
I instinctively felt that I was done for.
“These days, your sexual desire must be overflowing, right?”
“Ah, no…”
“Not at all! What on earth are you doing, darting from mansion to mansion every day? Looks like you’re busy for another reason, huh?”
“Emilia, that’s…”
“Shut up and kiss me…”
It looked like she was beginning to calm down slowly.
I welcomed Emilia as she leaned in and tangled her tongue with mine.
Though my upper body was precariously hanging off the sofa, I could hold on just with my leg strength.
“You said you wouldn’t forget me, but I honestly can’t believe that. How could you remember one girl for thousands, even tens of thousands of years, or even longer?”
“I will remember.”
“Even if you do remember, it’ll just be the name. You’ll quickly forget what I look like.”
“No, I won’t.”
“This isn’t about your will. Everyone forgets. But strong memories linger. No matter how hard you try to forget, they come back to you so clearly. So I just need to embed myself into your strong memories.”
“Emilia?”
“Yeah. Exactly. I’ll make it so you can never forget me. I’ll make you only think of me. I’ll make it so you can’t live without me.”
“…”
A sense of foreboding washed over me.
Unlike others who might just talk, Emilia is someone who would truly act upon her words, and that made it even more frightening.
*
Imperial Palace.
In a solemn atmosphere, Aria spoke up.
“Pelaine Armstrong, please come forward.”
“Yes.”
“Are you prepared to protect and dedicate yourself to me in any situation?”
“I am.”
“Are you ready to forsake all personal desires and live a pure life only for the Empire?”
“I am.”
“Good. Pelaine Armstrong, I hereby appoint you as the Empire’s Supreme Sword.”
Pelaine became the Empire’s Supreme Sword.
What Aria originally wanted was Trie, but she was rejected.
Although compared to Trie, Pelaine might be slightly lacking in skills, considering her command capabilities in the unit, she was far more suited to be the Empire’s Supreme Sword.
Since the position of Supreme Sword cannot have dual roles, the leadership of the Holy Knights would be taken over by Taylor, who was the deputy leader.
Having led the civil war to victory while guarding the Emperor in the palace and producing the Empire’s Supreme Sword, the Holy Knights’ status rose day by day.
Watching the soaring stock, I couldn’t suppress my laughter.
I originally intended to raise it moderately and then sell it.
However, with it growing this much, selling it was no longer an option.
The Holy Knights were now rated to be of similar value to the Schulzenburg’s mercenary group.
Thinking of it as my personal soldier group made me feel at ease.
“Your Majesty, what does it mean to forsake personal desires?”
“It’s literally putting all desires aside. You cannot take on other occupations, nor can you possess wealth.”
After the appointment ceremony, I sat down with Aria and Pelaine.
However, Pelaine’s question was somewhat unexpected.
It seemed she knew absolutely nothing about the position of Supreme Sword… and it made me uneasy.
“Then what about families?”
“You cannot have families. If you have one before the appointment, you must sever all ties and become single.”
“Gasp! So, can you not even have relationships?”
“What do you mean by relationships?”
“I mean the relationships between men and women…”
“Cough! Cough! Ahem!”
I choked on my tea when she looked at me while saying that.
How could she speak such things while looking at me?
Thanks to that, I could savor Aria’s surprised eyes.
Maybe realizing something, Aria alternated her gaze between me and Pelaine, unable to continue her words.
“So, it’s my misunderstanding, right? Isn’t that right? Speak, no, please speak… Schlus Hainkel.”
“I roughly know what you’re thinking, but probably that’s correct. It’s not a misunderstanding.”
“Ah. Aah… Aaah…”
Aria seems to have malfunctioned.
The shock must have been too great, as she stood up from her seat and began to spin around the room while making strange noises.
“Shall we call it a day? I need to think about something for a moment…”
“Should I leave too?”
“You… No, Schlus Hainkel, please stay.”
“So, can we have relationships or not, Your Majesty?”
“How could that be forbidden? If I were to control something like that, wouldn’t it be treating a person like a tool?”
“Why are you getting angry?”
“Get lost! Schlus, stay!”
When Pelaine left, only Aria and I remained in the room.
Even after the door closed, Aria kept glancing at me while hesitating to speak.
The atmosphere felt quite awkward.
“Schlus Hainkel. You…?”
“You can speak comfortably, like before.”
“Ahem. Schlus Hainkel, I never imagined you to be a subhuman enthusiast. They call it… furry? Anyway, I wish you had told me a bit sooner…”
“What?”
I was taken aback.
What on earth is she talking about?
