Chapter 88
“Uh? Are you really that tired?”
Startled by Raven sagging heavily against her, Evelyn quickly readjusted him in her arms.
“Ugh.”
Behind them, the knights barely held back their laughter at the scene. Even Elliott, who had been annoyed just a moment ago, regained his composure.
“Evelyn, isn’t he heavy?”
“No, Raven’s weight is manageable. He tends to collapse easily because of his weak stamina.”
Her genuinely concerned tone completely disarmed Raven, draining him of any remaining will to argue.
The knights standing behind the Grand Duke were close to losing their breath trying not to laugh. They struggled to hide their snickers under the sharp gaze of the mage.
A wizard cradled demurely in the arms of the Grand Duchess—it was certainly a disrespectful and easily misunderstood sight, and yet somehow, it wasn’t serious at all.
Even the Grand Duke’s expression, which had begun to harden at the sight, relaxed immediately.
“I think I have a headache.”
Raven, swallowing his irritation, pressed his hand to his forehead in an exaggerated manner.
“Oh? Really? You’re not going to faint again, are you?”
“…Ha. I wish I could faint.”
His last words sounded a bit too sincere.
“Elliott, I’ll take Raven to his room and be right back. We can go over the situation report together.”
Watching Evelyn awkwardly carry Raven in her arms, Elliott clenched his fists tightly.
He shouldn’t be upset—but the sight of her holding another man bothered him.
His scoffing at the mage’s pitiful appearance was laced with frustration.
‘No one else should be closer to her than me.’
Only then, in moments of crisis, would she come to him.
That was the reason he aimed to grow stronger. And yet, he disliked it when the weak drew Evelyn’s attention.
He wanted to monopolize even the care she gave to the vulnerable. It was becoming harder to justify with the excuse of being the hero to defeat the evil god.
But the days ahead would still require more patience.
No one knew when the evil god might return—or when a person’s heart might change. So, while he had the chance, he had to seize her completely.
Like an anchor sunk deep in the sand—once she gave her heart, it wouldn’t be easy for her to leave.
Elliott knew Evelyn, as a hero, had already opened her heart to him in many ways. That was why she slept beside him each evening, their bodies close.
They shared meals often, and whenever their eyes met, she smiled.
The nervous tension she once held in front of him had vanished completely.
“Your Grace?”
“Let’s go.”
At the questioning glances from the knights when he stopped walking, Elliott turned toward the office.
“Lady Evelyn really is amazing. There’s a reason she’s called the hope of the North.”
While waiting in the office for the Grand Duchess, one of the knights spoke cautiously.
“Didn’t you say being a Sword Master wasn’t a big deal? Someone’s done a complete 180.”
“Hey! That’s a dangerous thing to say out loud!”
Rain teased, causing the knight to flail in panic.
“No one’s going to misunderstand. Well, maybe Lady Evelyn.”
“I said that for the sake of the North, but yeah… a Sword Master is definitely a powerful asset.”
The knight scratched his cheek, clearly embarrassed by his past remarks. Thanks to the Grand Duchess, the North was changing rapidly.
“I think I’m about to break through the wall soon. And some of the others too.”
The knight, coughing awkwardly, continued.
“That guy probably won’t be far behind either.”
“I’ve already surpassed it.”
Rain smiled faintly, revealing a brilliant white aura.
“Cheh. I’ll catch up soon.”
The knight burned with determination upon seeing Rain’s progress.
“What’s the level of the Imperial knights?”
“They’re around mid-level. A few might be considered high-level.”
Before Evelyn arrived, Elliott had already assessed the abilities of the reinforcement knights.
“The training facilities built by the Mage Tower are proving effective. Once they enter the ruins, they’ll grow even faster.”
Seeing the hopeful gazes around him, Elliott chuckled.
“That’s still a long way off.”
He couldn’t reveal his hand to the Emperor just yet. The frequent visits by the Imperial Princess had caused a sudden frenzy of monster subjugation missions.
Pretending to go on subjugation trips, Elliott had actually been sending the knights into the ruins for training.
“Shouldn’t the reinforcements be climbing the snowy mountain soon?”
At Rain’s suggestion, Elliott slowly nodded. They had to understand the danger of the snow-covered mountains.
That was, after all, the primary reason they had been summoned from the capital.
“Once this recent attack is fully resolved, we’ll schedule it right away.”
It had already been over two weeks since the reinforcements arrived. With a couple of subjugation runs and regular training, two months would pass in no time.
Click.
At that moment, the door opened and Evelyn entered.
“How’s the mage?”
“He’ll be fine. I think he drained his mana completely during training.”
What a ridiculous excuse.
Elliott’s mouth tightened at Evelyn’s worried expression.
“Some rest should do the trick. If he recuperates at the ruins, it’ll be even better, don’t you think?”
“Oh! I totally forgot about that.”
No matter how much mana was depleted, the ruins could restore it quickly.
Evelyn looked like she might dash off immediately, but Elliott gently held her back.
“I’ll send someone. For now, shouldn’t we start with the report?”
Evelyn looked at the hand on her wrist, then at Elliott. The gaze he gave her made her nod.
“Y-yes, that makes sense.”
The knights tried their best to keep straight faces as they witnessed Elliott use his charms in real-time.
“May we begin now?”
Unable to hold back, Rain was the first to speak.
“Whew… whew…”
Dante, the vice-captain of the 1st Imperial Knights, breathed heavily.
After an hour of nonstop sparring, his mouth tasted bitter from the exertion.
“Again.”
These monsters…
He had heard the Northern knights were strong—but not like this.
Over the past two weeks, the cocky attitude many of the Imperial knights had toward the North had completely evaporated.
Dante had hoped to prove himself by holding his own against the Northerners, but the gap in skill was immense.
‘How the hell did they get this strong?’
Gripping his sword tightly, Dante wracked his brain.
The Imperial knights were improving fast using the North’s training methods, but the Northerners had a massive head start.
Was it because they had two Sword Masters?
Gritting his teeth, Dante barely blocked the relentless blows raining down on him.
“Sir, your left shoulder is dropping.”
He heard the Grand Duchess’s voice nearby. At first, he had dismissed her as just a young talent—but not anymore.
He clenched his teeth and adjusted his stance.
“Get in closer—yes, that’s it!”
Clang!
Finally, Jeffrey’s sword flew from his grip.
“Oh? Hahaha! Congrats.”
Dante widened his eyes in surprise. His own sword was now wrapped in a sturdier, clearer aura.
“What the…?”
It really happened that suddenly?
There had been no clear epiphany, no flash of insight—yet it was real. He stared at his hand, dumbfounded.
The aura surrounding his blade was unmistakably stronger.
The key difference between an Expert and a Master was the quality of their aura.
At the lower levels, one began to sense aura and accumulate it below the navel.
Mid-levels allowed slight manifestation. Higher levels meant longer sustain and the ability to envelop one’s body freely.
And Masters—Masters could wield a solid, brilliant aura like this with ease.
Dante stared in disbelief at the aura that wasn’t fading with time.
He had heard that many Northern knights were reaching the level of Master lately.
To reach it himself in less than a month here—was unreal.
“Thank you. Truly, thank you.”
Dante turned and bowed deeply to Evelyn.
“Congratulations. It’s your hard work that made it possible.”
Her sincere congratulations made Dante clench his fist in emotion.
“No, it’s thanks to your brilliant guidance, Grand Duchess.”
Was he being serious?
Some of the Imperial knights glanced at one another, uncertain. Dante reaching Sword Master status was indeed impressive.
But the training process had been… brutal. “Guidance” was a generous word—it was more like sanctioned torture.
Now, though, those same knights were starting to reconsider.
Endure that hellish training and break through… or stay safe and remain mediocre?
Determination now glinted in the eyes of those who had wavered.
Even if they were beaten daily before setting foot on the snowy mountain—if it meant becoming a Sword Master, they would endure.
“Please beat us more, too!!”
The knights’ thunderous cry echoed across the training grounds.
