Chapter 72
**CHAPTER 71: The Magnetic Duke's Sudden Encounter**
In the Imperial Palace, the Emperor's private study.
A place where, in the normal order of things, Karnivern would be immersed in state affairs was now occupied without permission by an uninvited guest.
"Emperor."
Even this unfamiliar figure was sprawled halfway across the high seat, issuing orders to Karnivern who was still working.
It was an insolent attitude that would have warranted an immediate slap on the wrist from any subject, yet the mysterious person acted as if it were the most natural response in the world.
In fact, Karnivern himself was the one trembling before the woman who had seized his office… From this alone, one could already guess that the intruder was no ordinary person.
"Yes, Your Highness."
"What was the favor I asked for earlier?"
"I report as follows, Your Majesty…"
"Tch. So you still haven't found it this time either."
Karnivern stammered, trailing off helplessly, and the woman called "Your Highness" clicked her tongue sharply.
The woman's identity was none other than the only other Grand Duke on the continent, alongside Crow's Duck—Yeohwarang.
Given that her status as a Grand Duke was already supreme and her personality even more blunt, it was no wonder the Emperor was being so deferential.
"Haha. Finding a man worthy of Your Highness's eye is no small matter. How did Your Highness fare?"
Feeling a little embarrassed, Karnivern tried to smooth things over with his usual smile.
"I am no different from the Emperor. Once I announce my name, everyone jumps to their feet."
"That is only natural."
Yeohwarang frowned slightly, shook her head, and brushed her hair back with one hand, while Karnivern nodded vigorously as if he fully understood.
"Ah, then why don't you give it a try, Emperor?"
"Huh? What do you…?"
"Emperor, you are still unmarried, are you not? Why not marry me? With your status, it would be a near-perfect match."
"…."
'Oh no, this is bad.'
It was clear that the woman before the Emperor was so breathtakingly beautiful it would have been a shame to rank her second on the continent.
But if he accepted so readily, the future would be all too obvious. On the other hand, to refuse was unthinkable given her brazen personality; she would grill him relentlessly, demanding he find himself a husband at once.
As Karnivern sank into agonizing silence, Yeohwarang, who had been reading his thoughts effortlessly, tilted her head.
"Hmm. Does the Emperor find me unattractive?"
"You are the continent's greatest beauty, after all. How could that be? It is merely that my capacity is too small to bear Your Highness."
Terrified, Karnivern waved his hands politely.
Her refusal only made Yeohwarang stretch luxuriously, reclining fully.
"Then I suppose I must look among the Seven Pillars."
Stretching, she fell into deep thought, then slowly curled her fingers one by one.
"Wait a minute. The first seat is of that bloodline, the third seat shares the lineage of the great one like me, and the fifth seat's age difference is too vast. Ah, by the way, didn't the sixth seat change recently? Who is it?"
"While strength is certain, he is of the same bloodline as the first seat, so Your Highness cannot wed him."
"Ah…"
"I regret that I have failed to meet Your Highness's expectations. But seats six and seven still remain, do they not?"
"I don't care about losers anymore. Seven is out. He already has a wife. If I get close to him again, Wolhyang will freeze the entire world to kill me. As much as I love fighting, I don't want to duel her again. The memories from that day still give me the chills."
The duel between Yeohwarang and Wolhyang from roughly two years ago had been legendary.
At the time, the newly ascended Grand Duke Yeohwarang had not even met Wolhyang, who was still unknown, and the battle had caused a massive sensation.
From that day, Wolhyang had crossed into the realm of awakening and claimed the vacant spot among the Seven Pillars.
Of course, only a few knew that the real reason Wolhyang had been provoked was because Yeohwarang had bluntly proposed marriage to Ran, striking her nerve.
Still, ever since, Yeohwarang had lost all interest in Ran and had somehow built a one-sided friendship with Wolhyang.
"Speaking of which, I heard she is currently staying in the Imperial Capital. Do you know her?"
"Huh? Wolhyang? I thought she was still in Seo-Wangdo with the seventh seat."
"Not only her. Crow's Duck's disciple, young Master Blanser, and the young heirs of the same bloodline are also here in the capital. If Your Highness wishes, I can take you there immediately."
"No need for that much trouble. I can roughly sense where that idiot is anyway."
After finishing, Yeohwarang turned her gaze slowly toward Karnivern.
"Emperor."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Please do better next time."
"I understand… Is there anything else I may assist Your Highness with?"
"Nothing. Except finding me a suitable husband. So find one by the next time I come."
"I will do my utmost under my limited abilities, even if I cannot give you a firm promise…"
"Then work hard, Emperor."
Tap. Tap. Boom!
The moment the audience ended, Yeohwarang kicked open the door before Karnivern could even finish answering and stormed out of his office.
"Whew-ha!"
As Yeohwarang vanished, the Minister who had been waiting outside rushed in the moment the conversation ended.
"Hah. It always feels like facing the Emperor is exhausting. My heart is racing. Still, compared to the old days with Crow's Duck… ah, thank goodness."
Karnivern let out a deep sigh and wiped the beads of sweat from his forehead with the handkerchief the Minister offered.
* * *
Upon arriving in the Imperial Capital, we decided to have a simple dinner near the National Academy before heading back.
At that very moment, while we were scanning the surroundings in search of a restaurant.
Suddenly, someone behind us gave Blanser's backside a light shove.
Boom! Thud.
"Kyaa!"
Blanser, caught completely off guard, let out a scream and crashed forward.
It looked like he hadn't suffered any serious injury, but the problem was that we had felt no presence at all until the one who kicked him approached.
And the strongest among us, who was stronger than Junior by pure body reinforcement, had simply been "lightly" pushed and collapsed helplessly.
Curious, we turned to look, only to see a completely unfamiliar woman standing there with a mischievous smile on her lips, watching the fallen Blanser calmly.
Her long, lustrous dark hair, tied high, reached all the way down to her waist. The one-piece outfit clung tightly to her body, as if it might burst at any moment.
Where Wolhyang was cold as ice and Mirpia warm as sunlight, the beauty before us possessed both traits yet carried a certain sharpness.
"Eh? Eh? W-why is she here?"
Blanser, who had been lying face-down, sprang up and spun around, only to freeze in shock and blink his eyes rapidly.
Tap-tap!
The mysterious woman giggled and delivered a sharp smack to Blanser's forehead.
"This person? Is this how you greet your older sister after so long? Anyway, how is my uncle?"
Seeing her call him "older brother" made it clear they knew each other.
"Master? Well… I haven't seen him in a while, so I'm not sure."
"Bragging?"
Tap-tap! Tap-tap!
With her playful face, the woman continued raining smacks on Blanser's head, each one accompanied by a metallic clanging sound that echoed around us.
Every time the clanging rang out, Blanser's head was knocked sideways.
Utterly frustrated, Blanser grabbed his throbbing head and howled.
"Aaaah! It hurts! Older sister! Stop it! It hurts, I said!"
"Hoh. Look at your attitude. You think you've become grown enough to rebel against your sky-like older sister?"
With annoyance creasing her eyes, the woman seemed to lose interest and turned her gaze toward us.
"Now, who are these people…? Ah, the children of the bloodline the Emperor mentioned."
"Yes, they are my lords."
"Lord? You?"
"Yes."
After answering shortly, Blanser gave a quick introduction to the woman.
"This is my master, one of the Seven Stars, descendant of Arirang, and the current Grand Duke. Ah, her name is Yeohwarang, known across the continent as the Magnetic Duke."
The Magnetic Duke.
By nature, such a name was crafted to perfectly highlight the person's most striking trait.
The fact that it was "Magnetic" likely indicated she possessed an Ineung related to magnetism.
After the introduction, Blanser began to explain us to her.
"Hmm… This one here is just one of the others. Consider him normal."
"…."
For Maru, Teraden, and myself, he explained in detail, and finally mentioned Junior with a single word.
"Son of Amerk the Duke, right?"
"Yes, Amerk Junior."
"Indeed. Thankfully, I am always indebted to my younger sister."
"Your servant is honored, Your Highness."
"Hmm… Oh?"
Following Blanser's words, Yeohwarang, who had been scrutinizing us carefully, suddenly sparkled in her eyes.
Without warning, Yeohwarang grabbed Teraden's chin and pulled him close, giving him a predatory glare.
"You really have some interesting Ineungs, don't you?"
"Ah, Hwigwang? Well, it's just…"
"No, not that. There's one more."
"…!!"
It was a well-known fact across the continent that Teraden's Ineung was Hwigwang.
But this woman, Yeohwarang, clearly had no knowledge of it. Not only had she not heard of Hwigwang, she had seen straight through the Ineung hidden behind it as well.
If she truly possessed an Ineung that could read others' abilities or information…
She might even have learned about his Steal.
"What an expression. One of the Ineungs I possess is the Status Window, which lets me see every single thing—words and numbers—of anyone I look at. So tell me, how many Ineungs do you actually have?"
How many…?
Startled, Teraden's hand twitched violently.
His eyes burned with the fury of a Grand Duke who had revealed his abilities and a hothead who would snatch them away on the spot.
Realizing this, Yeohwarang softened her smile the moment their eyes met.
"Don't worry. I'll keep your secret."
With her gaze off Teraden, she turned it toward me.
"I'm sorry, but I haven't awakened any Ineung yet…"
"This is… what is it?"
Her relaxed expression gradually hardened as she scanned me from head to toe.