Chapter 10
CRACK. BANG. CRACK. BANG.
The palace square echoed with the thunderous footsteps of two massive figures.
Crown Prince Crow’s Duck and Blanser strode through the imperial palace together, their bodies so enormous they filled the entire central courtyard.
This imperial palace was hardly different from the one where Blanser had once lived with his master, Crow’s Duck.
“I pay my respects to His Highness, the Grand Duke of the Continent—the only one of his kind.”
The words were spoken with absolute deference, every single person inside the palace bowing even lower than they had for the master himself.
Of course, the difference was there, but it was subtle.
“His Highness, the only Grand Duke of the Continent…”
“His Highness, the only…”
“Hey! How many people are there?! This greeting never ends!”
Even the imperial palace was too populous for comfort.
In Blanser’s old home, only a few hundred people had lived, but here the number was easily several dozen times that large; it was absurd to calculate.
After a single irritated grumble from Crow’s Duck, the palace staff stopped bowing their upper bodies in silent deference.
Standing before the grand hall with Blanser at his side, the duke finally deviated from his usual practice of receiving only.
“Oh! Miss Natalie. It is truly heartening to see you in such fine health once more. Are you not yet due for retirement? I worry you may injure yourself if you keep pushing yourself.”
“Hehe. It has been quite a while, Your Highness.”
‘Natalie? One of the Seven Pillars, as my master once described? I heard she has served as a Pillar for generations, yet her appearance looks no older than mine…’
Blanser, listening quietly from behind Crow’s Duck’s shoulder, suddenly shot forward and gasped in delight.
“Wow! Miss Natalie looks even younger than me! What incredible longevity!”
“Fufu. Thank you.”
Crow’s Duck gave Blanser a light swat on the shoulder as he teased him playfully.
THUD!
“Aaaah! It hurts, Master!”
“You brat! What do you think Miss Natalie is, some child? You truly have no shame. Tch. Since the Arirang clan’s children are in the Sungnyejeon, go introduce yourself.”
“Hahaha! Yes, Master!”
Blanser rubbed his reddened cheek furiously while his lips curled into a wide grin, utterly pleased with himself, and left.
KUNG. KUNG. KUNG.
Natalie watched Blanser’s retreating back, covered her mouth, and chuckled softly.
“The first meeting with Your Highness… I remember it now. You were so much like the young prince back then. Fufu.”
“Like who?! Cough! Shall we enter, then?”
Following the palace attendant’s guidance, Crow’s Duck stepped into the building with Natalie just as he was about to sit down.
“Master! Master—!”
The urgent shout from Blanser, who had rushed toward the Sungnyejeon, reached him instantly.
Crow’s Duck immediately launched himself forward, shattering the entire building in a straight line before bursting outside.
KWAANG! KWA-KWA-KWA-BANG!
“Blanser! What’s wrong?! What happened?!”
Thinking something terrible had befallen his student, Crow’s Duck’s heart nearly stopped.
But upon closer look, Blanser was perfectly fine, so the duke finally exhaled in relief.
Still, he had overreacted out of caution. No major incident could possibly occur inside the imperial palace anyway.
“Um… Master. Where exactly is the Sungnyejeon?”
“…”
‘This… this troublemaker’s child!’
Irritated by Blanser’s antics, Crow’s Duck scolded him lightly and ordered the palace staff to guide him, then turned and returned to his seat with sluggish steps.
“I am sorry for destroying the wall, Your Majesty.”
His face was still flushed with embarrassment.
“Ahahaha! It is quite all right, Your Highness. It could happen. Hahaha!”
“See? I told you.”
“Fufu.”
With that, the pleasant little incident between Crow’s Duck and Blanser concluded, and the noble assembly under the emperor’s auspices officially began.
* * *
A short while earlier, the Seven Pillars who had attended the princess’ assembly now gathered in an entirely different location.
Rather than the gloomy conference room where the princess’ assembly had once taken place, this venue was so overwhelmingly luxurious it was almost painful to look at.
On the raised dais sat a short, elaborately decorated table lined with the emperor, the Grand Duke, and several Pillars. Beneath the dais, two long tables faced each other, with dukes and high-ranking nobles seated on either side.
Despite the room’s immense size, the sheer number of attendees made it feel cramped.
The agenda was straightforward.
The first item concerned the children of the Arirang clan and the nobles who had arrived in the imperial capital. They were to be enrolled in the National Academy, the empire’s top educational institution.
Several high-ranking nobles had initially opposed it, but opposition was almost nonexistent this time.
Likely because they had personally witnessed the invasion of the imperial capital and the Western King’s capital, felt the approaching war, and recognized the urgent need for the Arirang clan’s growth and succession.
Another factor was the Machine Duke, the most powerful and influential noble present, who had happily agreed to enroll his youngest son—born to Natalie—with the National Academy.
Crow’s Duck was an absolute exception, however.
His own disciple Blanser was originally supposed to attend the academy, but after one stern word from the duke, the emperor ceased all further resistance.
“Your Highness, I have heard that this generation possesses disciples of the same caliber as those children. What are Your Highness’s thoughts on this?”
“It is fine, Your Majesty. I would rather teach them myself than let them be taught in that school.”
“Very well. As Your Highness wishes.”
The second matter was the plan to bring the Arirang clan into the imperial capital.
Officially justified as protection after the recent attack, the nobles immediately pushed back hard.
Beneath their polished exteriors, fear lingered that the Arirang clan’s influence might weaken their own power.
Some dukes who had lost their nerve actually argued fiercely despite the presence of Pillar Feltics of the Arirang clan.
“Your Majesty, this is simply not possible!”
If Crow’s Duck had not stepped in to mediate, a full-scale uproar might have erupted.
“Then I shall take them under my own protection.”
His tone had grown steadily louder, but Crow’s Duck suddenly cut in with a sharp glare that brooked no more argument.
“I am not someone who can be ignored so easily.”
Every eye in the hall turned toward the duke.
“Huh? Your Highness…”
BOOM!
“If bringing them into the imperial capital is the issue, then I shall simply protect them myself. If anyone here has a problem with my decision, step forward. I want to see the face of the one who dares oppose me.”
“…”
No one dared raise a hand.
The duke’s eyes radiated lethal intent; the silent threat was clear—if the slightest commotion arose, he would crush the offender where they stood.
Consequently, most of the attendees fell deathly silent and lowered their gazes.
“Hic!”
A few discreet hiccups could be heard from the corners, enough to confirm that some had been thoroughly intimidated.
The emperor and several Pillars nodded with satisfaction, while the Arirang clan’s allies observed the scene with quiet pleasure.
Satisfied with the outcome, the emperor swiftly moved on before anyone else could speak.
“Then let us move on to the final agenda.”
The last matter concerned the duel between Wolhyang and Modeus.
The date was two days from now, at noon, at the hostage site outside the imperial capital’s main gate.
Observers would include the emperor, the First Pillar, the Fourth Pillar, and originally the Seventh Pillar. However, since Wolhyang was needed to escort the Arirang clan children to the academy, the Seventh Pillar’s role would be taken by Crow’s Duck.
The emperor concluded with a stern reminder to use the recent attack as a lesson and prepare thoroughly for any unforeseen crisis.
The assembly ended there.* * *
RATTLING RATTLES.
The meeting had concluded, and they were walking back toward the Sungnyejeon.
Ran, heading toward Haru, noticed a minor commotion near the entrance of the Sungnyejeon and focused her hearing.
“Is this the right place? Master said it was here…”
“You seem to have come to the wrong spot. Please return.”
‘Huh? What is this ruckus?’
The voices of a still-immature child and Jubern overlapped in the distance.
Curious, Ran quickened her steps, only to see Jubern and someone else arguing behind the wall.
It was less a shouting match and more one party rudely insisting on their way while the other remained silent.
Ran approached the Jubern guarding the main gate and asked.
“What is the problem?”
Ran’s voice from behind drew the attention of both Blanser, who had been stubbornly refusing to listen, and Jubern, who had been silently listening.
Upon hearing the question, Jubern glanced at the boy beside him, then approached Ran and whispered in her ear.
“They somehow learned of our presence and insisted on seeing the young master. I have managed to hold them off, but they are stubborn and have been causing quite a stir. Since their exact status is unknown, I have only been able to block them for now.”
Ran listened quietly and nodded slowly.
“How did you arrive here?”
The man who had been arguing with Jubern was actually a boy—Blanser—who greeted Ran with a light bow.
“Wha?! Are you not Ran-nim, one of the Seven Pillars? Nice to meet you! I am Haru’s disciple, Aaron Blanser!”
‘Aaron? Never heard that name before. Now that I think about it, Master called him Blanser and rushed out earlier. Was that because of this kid? Same generation as Haru-nim… yet he doesn’t look nearly as strong.’
Ran’s inner comment was the same, but she greeted Blanser warmly anyway.
“It is nice to meet you. Is your master His Highness Crow’s Duck?”
“That’s right! Master told us there were children of that clan here, so I came to visit!”
‘A disciple of Crow’s Duck… or rather a son. This boy should be fine.’
After a quick glance up and down at Blanser, Ran decided to arrange a meeting between him and Haru.
“You have found us properly. Then come with me. You two, please bear with us for a moment longer.”
Before the words had even finished, the men who had stood like iron walls just moments ago stepped aside without resistance.
Blanser watched the scene with wide eyes, then fixed a fierce glare on Jubern and approached him.
“Why the lies…”
“What happened with us blocking you was simply fulfilling our duty. I hope you understand.”
Blanser’s burning eyes met Jubern’s indifferent whistle as the man turned his gaze elsewhere.