***
The King of Pavan let out a satisfied sigh as he opened the carriage window wide, clearly enjoying his first pleasant outing in a long while.
Unlike the hurried, non-stop trip to the Continental Academy, the return journey allowed him a rare moment to savor the excursion.
“No more bowing my head to Lutinas. That ends today.”
His low voice carried a hint of deep satisfaction that he could no longer conceal.
The King’s aide, seated across from him, nodded and replied,
“Congratulations, Your Majesty. Now that the Carmedan Jungle has been dealt with, you won’t be bound by the peace treaty with Lutinas anymore.”
“Of course not.”
The peaceful scenery of the kingdom flowing past the carriage window seemed more beautiful than ever—likely because of the moment’s significance.
The mere fact that he had once bowed his head in humiliation to the Emperor of the Lutinas Empire and entered into such a disgraceful agreement was infuriating enough.
“A ‘Peacekeeping Pact’? What a joke. The Lutinas Empire is clearly preparing for war. They’ll use that as justification to strike at anything—or anyone—that stands in their way.”
In the distant past, Pavan, like Lutinas, had been an empire.
But when Pavan’s dream of unifying the continent was shattered in the conquest wars, they were demoted to a kingdom.
In that history, it was the Emblem and Gray knight orders of Lutinas that broke Pavan’s momentum.
Thus, Pavan could never hold warm feelings toward Lutinas.
“If only Pavan hadn’t been demoted from an empire to a kingdom… I wouldn’t have had to endure such disgrace in my youth…!”
The King of Pavan had long harbored resentment toward the Emperor of Lutinas.
The King of Pavan and the Emperor of Lutinas had once studied together at the Continental Academy in their youth.
Both were heirs to their respective nations and thus subjects of public fascination at the time. Yet, in truth, he had never drawn as much attention as the Emperor of Lutinas.
With the absolute loyalty of Melsia Emblem, heir to the Emblem family, and Diana Gray, heir to the Gray family, the Emperor of Lutinas had embodied the very ideal that every royal and noble aspired to.
Throughout his academy years, the King of Pavan had to suffer the humiliation of being overshadowed and overlooked, forced to graduate without ever once standing in the spotlight.
Most people didn’t even remember that he and the Lutinas Emperor had once been classmates.
“Marchian Leopardo Lutinas! I’ll repay the humiliation my kingdom once endured!”
“If both the Emblem and Gray heirs fall at once, then even though there’s still Seffield Emblem, Lutinas’ dominance will gradually fade.”
Nodding in agreement with his aide’s observation, the King of Pavan smirked with satisfaction.
After all, the treaties Lutinas had formed with the continent’s other kingdoms wouldn’t hold much weight without the Emblem and Gray households to back them.
“Hmph. That old man… It’s about time he joined the gods, isn’t it?”
“They say Swordmasters tend to live longer than most, Your Majesty. So perhaps it’s best to wait and see.”
“Still, he did lose his beloved granddaughter. That grief might shorten his days.”
The King of Pavan gave no thought to the aid Pavan had once received from Seffield Emblem and the Emblem Knights.
Such is human nature—feelings change with circumstances.
Now that the demonic monsters that had plagued Pavan had been eliminated, the help received no longer held any meaning.
“Blame everything—even the ruined graduation exam at the Continental Academy—on Lutinas. Let’s drag Marchian’s judgment into the mud for sending knights who let personal feelings ruin everything.”
“Indeed, many nations owe the Lutinas Empire debts. They too must find it uncomfortable. If Your Majesty asks for their support, they’ll gladly follow.”
“Hahaha! Thanks to Lutinas, Pavan’s influence will rise even more!”
The King of Pavan laughed aloud with delight, before suddenly turning cold and speaking in a chilling voice.
“That’s why Cherrya Emblem must die in the Carmedan Jungle. You’ve dispatched the assassins, haven’t you?”
“Yes, we’ve sent Pavan’s elite knights.”
“Cherrya Emblem may be a formidable knight when backed by her order—but alone, she’s just another skilled fighter. Naturally, she’ll die.”
Given that she was reported missing, even if she had survived, it was certain she had suffered serious injuries.
There was no way just two people could stand against Pavan’s elite knights.
Feeling as though a long-standing pain had finally been relieved, the King of Pavan leaned back comfortably in his carriage seat.
“It would be nice to hear some good news before we return to the palace.”
His gaze turned to the distant sky beyond the carriage window.
How wonderful it would be if a messenger hawk were to appear from that distant horizon, bringing news from the Carmedan Jungle.
He could hardly contain his anticipation.
“Hm?”
At that moment, the King of Pavan noticed something at the edge of his vision—flocks of birds suddenly bursting into the sky from the distant mountains.
He narrowed his eyes and fixed his gaze in that direction.
“What is that?”
In the blink of an eye, the sky was darkened by the massive cloud of birds flying overhead—so vast it was almost awe-inspiring.
“They’re probably relocating their nests to avoid monsters.”
The King’s aide, watching the same scene, gave a calm response, as if it was nothing of concern.
But neither of them could tear their eyes away from the window.
There was something about the way the birds moved—something instinctively unsettling, something that made their nerves prickle.
“Tch. An ominous sign on such a good day.”
“It could be a good omen instead.”
“Let’s hope so…”
The King of Pavan was about to accept his aide’s optimistic interpretation—until he suddenly went silent, feeling something off in his body.
His royal carriage, known for its smooth and vibrationless ride, began to tremble.
For the first time, he felt an unfamiliar vibration rumbling through it.
“The carriage is shaking. What’s going on?”
“I’ll look into it right away.”
The aide’s expression hardened as he quickly opened the carriage door and called for the driver.
“Hey, what’s going on?”
“W-Well…”
The coachman was trembling, his face pale as a sheet.
Sensing something was seriously wrong from his expression, the King’s aide quickly signaled a nearby knight on horseback and switched mounts. He then closed the carriage door behind him.
“What’s the situation?”
“T-The horses are panicking… They’re terrified. The ground… it’s rumbling.”
“Rumbling ground?”
The aide frowned, unable to make sense of the situation.
“I think we need to turn back. The tremors seem to be coming from ahead and are moving in our direction.”
“Turn back? Only the people here know His Majesty is outside the capital. Are you saying we shouldn’t hurry back?”
“I understand. Of course I do. But when the horses are this spooked…”
“Calm them down and keep going. If the carriage shakes again, His Majesty might command your execution.”
At the aide’s stern, threatening order, the coachman pounded his chest in frustration.
“That’s not the issue right now! The ground shaking like this might mean a landslide!”
“It hasn’t happened yet! Just get us through the mountain pass! Once we’re over that ridge, we’ll be right at the palace—we can’t turn back here.”
The aide was now on the verge of drawing the sword at his waist.
The coachman, clearly reluctant, had no choice but to try to soothe the horses. Though his instincts and experience were screaming that something was very wrong, he forced himself to ignore the ominous signs and pressed on.
