Chapter 55
Hearing Ianhart say, “Don’t worry, I’ll match your level,” Liana felt a little relieved and started walking.
Kya-woo—Kki-woo—.
“…What is that?”
“That’s a song. They sing like this when they’re excited or happy.”
“Oh my, this is just unbelievable…”
Ianhart clicked his tongue at Leon, who was singing and wagging his tail without caring where Ianhart was looking.
He thought Leon was just being spoiled, but it seemed like he had just become a full child.
“Isn’t he usually like that?”
At Liana’s curious voice, Ianhart frowned and shook his head.
“He used to be a divine beast who was cool and dignified. He wouldn’t even transform into a smaller form.”
“Huh?”
“Have you ever seen his real form?”
Liana shook her head. Kkamang-i had looked like this from the moment she first saw him.
“He’s originally big enough to carry two grown men.”
“…Really?”
“Why would I lie to you?”
Liana’s gaze already went toward Kkamang-i, who had gone far ahead.
It seemed like he didn’t hear their conversation, as he was hopping into the training ground.
“Oh? Lord Leon!”
“Oh, you haven’t been around for days!”
The guards greeted Kkamang-i happily.
After finding out that Kkamang-i was a divine beast, the guards treated him with a little more respect.
More precisely, they kept friendly but spoke more politely.
“Ah, my lord! …Oh, Emperor Your Majesty…?”
“What? …Whoa.”
The guards’ faces froze when they saw Ianhart standing next to Liana, who they had just been happily greeting.
“Greetings, Emperor Your Majesty.”
“…Greetings, Emperor Your Majesty.”
At least Ail and Kyle stayed a bit calmer.
Finally regaining composure, the guards quickly bowed their heads after following the two.
An awkward atmosphere hung for a moment.
But it didn’t last long.
“So you’re the princess’s closest aides.”
At Ianhart’s indifferent remark, the simple-minded guards’ eyes lit up as they nodded eagerly.
“Your… Majesty!”
Fortunately, Ianhart, who patiently tolerated the guards’ poor etiquette, turned his head at a bold call.
A nervous feeling came over him. Sure enough…
“Could I request a sparring match?”
A brave and aggressive knight caused trouble.
More despairing was that the other guards’ eyes lit up at that.
“…You guys.”
“Since we’re going on a date, it can’t be long. But a short one, I can do.”
Before Liana could scold the guards, Ianhart accepted the sparring request.
Somehow, one sparring request spread to the entire guard squad, including Kion Laviel who came at some unknown time.
The sparring became more intense after Ianhart offered a top-grade magic stone as a reward if anyone could beat him by any means.
He said he’d reward everyone if even one person knocked him down, which fired up the guards’ enthusiasm.
They said it wouldn’t be fun without a reward or challenge.
The chaotic sparring ended exactly one hour later.
They challenged one by one at first, then all attacked at once at the end.
“Oh my…”
Liana’s stunned gaze fell on the sprawled guards.
One, two, three… twenty-six.
There were twenty-six people lying on the ground—every guard and Kion Laviel.
Ianhart, who faced all twenty-six, looked fine except for his slightly messy hair.
“Ugh…”
“My whole body aches…”
“If you were a bit better, you might’ve hit him once!”
“What? That’s funny. You were saved from almost dying because you acted recklessly!”
It wasn’t a life-or-death battle, just light sparring.
It was ridiculous…
Liana’s gaze moved from the quarrelling knights and the still-sprawled guards to the man who had made this scene.
He was walking toward Liana.
Ianhart roughly placed the sword he had been using next to Kion, who was lying down.
“Well done.”
“Y-yes…”
It was one of Kion’s twin swords he used to replace the broken one during the sparring.
Ianhart’s face looked a little refreshed, similar to how Liana looked after loosening up her stiff body with sparring.
“…So this is what you meant by ‘matching’?”
“They’re your people. It’s good to get along well.”
Well, there is a saying that you get closer by crossing swords…
Liana shook her head.
“Knights, really…”
“You’re a knight too.”
“Who doesn’t know that?”
Liana rolled her eyes at Ianhart and sighed as she stood up.
“Here’s your jacket.”
Liana returned the jacket she had been holding and walked among the sprawled guards.
Kkyung- kkyuyok-.
Kkamang-i snuggled up to Dana, his favorite among the guards, and acted cute.
Dana, an assassin, had tried to sneak attack Ianhart but got lightly hit by the sword’s handle.
“…Dana, I didn’t expect you to get involved in this.”
Liana sighed again, and Dana lying down smiled cheekily.
Anyway, she had dragged a few calm ones into this…
Liana’s fierce gaze turned to the mastermind behind the sparring.
“Ha ha… My lord, your expression is terrifying…”
“Ha ha, me?”
“Yes…”
The guard who had first requested the sparring quickly got up, hurt but knelt down.
The other guards who were sprawled quickly and precisely followed suit.
Watching the guards like that, Liana smiled brightly.
“I’m very proud of you all.”
At her kind and gentle voice, the guards’ faces showed the feeling of “we’re doomed.”
“I told you to be careful, but you boldly requested sparring with His Majesty on your first meeting. That’s impressive, right?”
“…No, it’s not!”
“No, it’s impressive. I love how you all ignore me like that. And seeing twenty-six of you charge and not even touch his clothes makes me a bit sad for neglecting you.”
Liana’s calm but colder-than-winter voice made the guards feel like crying.
Neglect? Since coming to the palace, they had been given some freedom, but it was only “a little.”
Who would call sudden inspections and sparring neglect?
“I don’t want my knights to all lose to one person…”
‘That person is the strongest on the continent, the Emperor…!’
Though they cried inside, Liana’s smile remained gentle.
“Well, seeing monsters every day, your bodies must have stiffened living peacefully in the palace.”
‘No! That’s not true!’
‘My body is more flexible than ever!’
A silent cry shook among the guards but none dared speak.
“After today, I’ll set a training schedule. It’ll be tiring, but if it’s for improving my knights’ skills, staying up all night for a day is nothing.”
No…
The guards’ faces, sensing their future, turned pale blue like withered leaves.
Liana’s training schedules were notoriously harsh.
The guards swallowed their tears inside.
“…Hic.”
Kion, quietly getting up and clinging next to Ianhart, hiccupped without realizing.
For some reason, Liana and Ianhart left Kkamang-i, who chose to stay with the guards, and headed to the palace’s stables.
Liana briefly wondered where Ianhart’s planned destination was.
Hmm. Why take someone somewhere she didn’t even know?
“Princess.”
“Yes?”
When she looked up at the call, Ianhart’s serious face was there.
And the words that came out were…
“When we go to the Empire, would you consider training Velrum?”
…What?
Liana couldn’t believe her ears. What was this man saying?
“What nonsense are you suddenly talking about?”
“It’s not nonsense.”
“…Then you mean it? That kind of nonsense?”
“I’m serious.”
No way…
Liana looked at Ianhart as if he were crazy.
Where did he even get that nonsense from?
“First, can you tell me why you suddenly thought that?”
At Liana’s words, Ianhart’s red eyes gleamed playfully.
—He was serious, but to Liana, it looked like a joke—
“Hmm, because I think you can do well?”
“…Are you joking?”
“Do you think everything I say is a joke? I didn’t know you were someone who wouldn’t trust the person who will be your spouse.”
Ianhart’s expression looked genuinely hurt in a ridiculous way.
No, who started talking nonsense that seemed like jokes in the first place…?
“Your Majesty.”
“Yes?”
“If you’re not serious anyway, why do you look so sullen, pretending to be upset?”
“I was somewhat serious.”
“Uh-huh.”
