Marianne the Sword Empress Shines in the Sword Dance Festival, and the Lecherous Geum Taeyang Seduces the Imperial Guard Captain
‘Whoa...!!!’
Bianca, seated on the step-stone seats for the main tournament qualifiers, gaped in awe. She had already encountered plenty of extraordinary people lately—quite by accident. She had seen the king of the Grace Kingdom and even the Sword Empress herself. Each of them radiated an aura that felt utterly untouchable. Yet the moment Emperor Darmina appeared, Bianca experienced something on an entirely different level: an aura so absolute that it would never tolerate anyone else existing above it.
A being just beneath the gods themselves—the supreme ruler of the continent, the Emperor of the First Empire.
“Ninety-five years ago, His Late Majesty brought down Kushan.”
The colosseum erupted in prolonged cheers for the emperor who had ushered in the empire’s golden age. Once the roar subsided, Emperor Antoinette began her opening address for the Ulysses Sword Dance Festival.
“History records that Kushan summoned countless monsters and plunged the continent into peril. Yet before the blade of the Great Emperor Ulysses, all of it crumbled into ash.”
Antoinette’s rich, low voice filled the vast arena. Every spectator had fallen silent, hanging on her every word. The prestige of the late Emperor Ulysses was that immense within Darmina. The current absolute empire had been founded by him.
“This Ulysses Sword Dance Festival exists to honor that great achievement. Therefore, I ask that all participants give their all and display magnificent swordsmanship, and that the audience reward their efforts with thunderous applause.”
With those words, the main tournament officially began.
“To celebrate this festival, just as we did during the second tournament, I have invited the person this emperor respects most.”
After concluding her speech, Emperor Victoria took great care in making the introduction.
‘Oh! That person is...!’
Even Bianca recognized the figure.
“The Sword Empress, Marianne Nahoja, the continent’s absolute sword.”
The Sword Empress had arrived.
‘Now do you understand, Bianca? That is why this master told you to wear a mask.’
Geum Taeyang wore an extremely smug expression at Marianne’s appearance. He was the kind of man who lived for surprise performances, after all. Bianca’s stunned face upon seeing the Sword Empress was a sight to behold.
The emperor and the Sword Empress met regularly once a year, but during the Sword Dance Festival the number doubled. At Antoinette’s earnest request, Marianne had been attending since the previous tournament. The presence of the Sword Empress lent the entire event far greater weight.
“As expected, little Josephina isn’t accompanying her. I’ve actually started bringing her along to social events from this year onward.”
Marianne offered a respectful bow to the emperor and the audience without saying anything further. Josephina was nowhere to be seen at her side.
“You can do it, Master!”
The main tournament’s round of 32 began immediately afterward. While the preliminaries were completed in a single day, each stage of the main tournament was given a two- or three-day interval. The first reason was that the minor Sword Dance Festival for ordinary participants was held during those two days. The second was to allow every contestant to perform at one hundred percent. During those two days, injured participants received treatment from the empire’s medical team.
‘I’m right here, Lady Sword Empress! Your disciple who learned your external sword art!’
Geum Taeyang also competed in the first round of the tournament. Yet he showed far more interest in the emperor and the Sword Empress than in his opponent. As a dopamine addict, he was genuinely delighted that both the emperor and the Sword Empress were present in the stage he had orchestrated.
“I won, Masteeer!!”
“Of course you did. I already told you, Bianca. The championship belongs to this master. No need to make such a fuss, you silly girl.”
“Hngh...”
As expected, Geum Taeyang breezed through the first tournament match. Even though his opponent was one of the talents who had reached the main stage, he overwhelmed them with nothing but raw physical ability, without even borrowing the power of the legendary sword.
‘By the round of 16, the guard captain will definitely be scouting my strength more thoroughly.’
During the two-day gap before the next match, other participants would naturally be checking their physical condition and studying their opponents. But Geum Taeyang had no reason to do any of that. One might think he would feel bored, yet he showed no sign of it. He already had a plan for how to spend his time.
“Wow~~ The treatment really is different starting from the round of 16!”
After finishing his first main-tournament match, Geum Taeyang and Bianca headed to their new lodging. With only sixteen contestants remaining, the empire had assigned them accommodations that were practically penthouse level.
“It’s because of Ulysses’ influence. Ever since he brought down Kushan, Darmina has treated warriors exceptionally well. Reaching the round of 16 means you’re recognized as a warrior worthy of representing the continent.”
“Wow! Our master is representing the continent!”
“Don’t be stupid. This master is the continent’s greatest warrior.”
As they entered the lodging, Geum Taeyang flaunted his knowledge to Bianca without restraint. Darmina was a nation that revered both martial arts and science. The martial arts were represented by the Great Emperor Ulysses and this very Ulysses Sword Dance Festival, while science was symbolized by the Imperial Academy and the countless magic-stone workshops that outnumbered those of all other nations combined.
“Oh my, Master, where are you going?”
After unpacking and finishing dinner, the two were chatting idly when Geum Taeyang suddenly struck a pose as if he were about to head outside. Going out was one thing, but Bianca’s exaggerated reaction came from his current state of dress. He had stripped off his upper garments.
“I’m going to train.”
“Train? But you said you didn’t need training because you’re already too strong.”
“I never said that.”
“You said it just yesterday...”
“Shut up.”
He was indeed going out to train. Bianca tilted her head in confusion. She had assumed he would need to analyze opponents and train hard, yet he had ignored all of that. Now he was suddenly declaring he would train shirtless in the front yard of their lodging. What on earth was he thinking?
“You’re going out without your mask?”
“Yeah. I don’t need it right now.”
The fact that he was going without the mask suggested he had some very specific scheme in mind.
‘The moonlight is quite beautiful. Swinging a sword under that moonlight should make for a striking scene.’
Geum Taeyang stepped outside holding Luciena in its heroic-sword form and gazed up at the bright moon. It was still February; although no snow had fallen, the night air remained cold. Nevertheless, he intended to swing his sword shirtless beneath the moonlight.
—Vwooooom! Vwooooom! Vwooooom!
The sword danced through the air with powerful, deliberate swings, as if deliberately showing off. The sound of Geum Taeyang’s sword cuts carried clearly through the night.
‘At this hour, in the yard? Not even in the private training hall?’
Someone had indeed heard him.
‘That’s the lodging where Sir Dark Knight is staying, isn’t it?’
Geum Taeyang’s supporting heroine—Evelyn Nefertari, captain of the imperial guard and the emperor’s personal secretary—had heard the noise. Evelyn was one of the emperor’s most trusted confidants, having served as both guard captain and chief secretary. Because the emperor was pouring her full attention into the Ulysses Sword Dance Festival, Evelyn had been paying especially close attention to the contestants from the round of 16 onward. She had just finished checking the medical facility usage and lodging conditions and was on her way back to the imperial palace when she heard the sound of sword swings.
‘As expected of someone who reached the round of 16. He never showed any sign of training during the preliminaries.’
Evelyn quietly approached Geum Taeyang’s lodging. She had already taken notice of him during the preliminaries. She had assumed he would train before the first main-tournament match, so she had sent subordinates to observe him—only to find that Geum Taeyang had spent his time lounging about.
‘There’s too little data. He ends his matches far too quickly. I looked into it and discovered he was recommended by Lady Camilla.’
If he had been a well-known supreme warrior, she would have accepted it. But Dark Knight was clearly a pseudonym, and he wore a mask—an unknown wandering swordsman. When she investigated who had recommended him, the name that came up was Camilla. Because the emperor respected the Sword Empress, the imperial family had grown closer to Grace. As the emperor’s secretary and guard captain, Evelyn was quite familiar with the key figures in that kingdom.
‘Hm? He seems to have taken off his mask.’
Determined to resolve her many questions, Evelyn reached a spot from which she could see the front yard of Geum Taeyang’s lodging. She immediately noticed that he was not wearing the mask he usually had on. The next moment, her eyes widened dramatically, countless exclamation marks flashing through her mind.
‘Evelyn Nefertari—childhood friend and comrade who has been with the emperor since they were young.’
Geum Taeyang had observed Evelyn standing behind the emperor during the opening ceremony earlier that day. Power struggles were fierce in Memphis and the Grace Kingdom, but they were even more intense in the Darmina Empire. Antoinette had several siblings, and she had eliminated them all to become emperor. The person who had stood by her side through childhood and through the entire process of becoming emperor was none other than Evelyn Nefertari.
‘A loyal subject with an extremely upright personality. Evelyn has devoted her entire life to serving the emperor for twenty-eight years.’
Evelyn came from a highly strict noble family. When her house fell into ruin, she had been living in the countryside when she happened to meet Antoinette, who had temporarily fled there to escape palace turmoil. That encounter had bound her to the emperor’s side ever since.
‘In other words, this is the most peaceful time. Antoinette has become emperor, her foundation is secure, and she no longer needs to fear threats from her siblings.’
Evelyn found managing the Sword Dance Festival genuinely fulfilling. The previous succession struggle had been hellish, after all. Her liege, two years her junior, was now praised as a monarch worthy of succeeding the late Great Emperor. Because peace had finally arrived, it was only natural to think about the future. Evelyn, who had just turned twenty-eight this year, was considered a spinster by the standards of this world. The emperor sincerely wished for her most upright and beautiful friend to find a partner. Even if Evelyn married, she could still remain at the emperor’s side.
“Evelyn, what kind of man are you looking for?”
Thus the emperor Antoinette had been actively trying to set her up. When asked about her ideal type, Evelyn’s answer was simple and absolute.
“I only care about the face, Your Majesty.”
The loyal Evelyn was a hopeless face-connoisseur.
“Is that so?”
The emperor was quite surprised. It was not the condition she had expected from Evelyn’s usual image.
“Then it should be simple.”
Yet when it came to matchmaking, this condition was actually far easier to fulfill than others. There were plenty of strikingly handsome young nobles close to the emperor within Darmina. However—
“You think Duke Vincent is ugly???”
“Yes, he is ugly, Your Majesty.”
Evelyn’s standards were simply too high.
“What about Duke Donovan, Evelyn? Duke Donovan is the most popular man even in Darmina’s social circles.”
“You mean that man who looks like a male courtesan?”
“.....”
Even the empire’s greatest beauty was nothing more than a male courtesan in her eyes.
“The only man who would satisfy my eyes would have to be something like the male god Mateus from ancient mythology.”
“How could such a person exist in this world, Evelyn...”
“Exactly. That is why I have already given up on marriage. I, Evelyn Nefertari, will remain by Your Majesty’s side for all eternity.”
“This is...”
The male god Mateus from the age of myths, who had seduced countless alpha females—the standard of the ultimate face-connoisseur Evelyn Nefertari was that high. Yet on a certain winter night beneath the moonlight, filled with cold air—
‘Mateus! The male god Mateus has descended to the mortal realm!’
Evelyn found herself face-to-face with Mateus who had come down to earth.
Vwooooom! Vwooooom!
“Hah! Hoooh!”
The identity of the Mateus Evelyn encountered was none other than the barbarian mixed-blood man Geum Taeyang—shirtless, swinging Luciena with magnificent pressure.