By Zephyria 
After coaxing Rosalia Pitche, who pleaded for just one sparring session upon her return, and learning and memorizing the names of those embarking on the dangerous, distant journey, I sent them off. All of them, except for Boulder and Leon, belonged to the Imperial Knights. I had also sent wedding invitations with them, so I could only hope they would return on time.
Left alone with Ruben, we discussed the monsters I would be looking after in my territory over a lavish lunch.
“Do those dazed monsters look like they can stand on their own?”
“Well. It’s better than killing them without giving them even a sliver of a chance, wouldn’t you say? I just hope that mages who grow fond of monsters don’t get hurt by approaching them unnecessarily.”
“You said they fear humans.”
“Until now, they’ve always been wearing control devices from the Magic Tower. Once they’re released near the Mana-rich Yuil Mountains, who knows? My biggest concern now is that most monsters are carnivorous.”
“Why is that?”
“I don’t know what form the food chain around Duke Ernhardt’s Territory will take when a new group of monsters intrudes. If the number of small monsters suddenly decreases, diseases from rats or insects could spread.”
“Ugh…”
“When you planted the Source of the Waterproof Forest, did it require a particularly large amount of power?”
Did it?
It felt like a very long time ago. I paused my meal, clenched and unclenched my left fist, and gauged the amount of my internal energy. My internal energy, tinged with a blue light, flowed along the edge of my hand, then faded into invisibility.
“No, I used a lot of power back then… but now I can wield tens of times more power than that.”
“…Are you talking about compared to when you sparred with Spiritus?”
“Yes. So…”
I pondered how to explain it easily, then cut a piece of meat from a large plate, about the size of my thumb, and placed it on my side plate.
“If a Sword Master could wield an energy the size of this small piece, a Grand Sword Master could wield energy the size of the entire plate supporting that chunk of meat. Roughly… there’s a difference of anywhere from ten to thirty times.”
“…That much?”
“Yes. While the gap can widen depending on martial arts compatibility or the nature of internal energy, it’s generally around that much. Professor Maelo Sanson and Rosalia Pitche fall into this category.”
“Then, Mika, what about you?”
“At the point when I planted the Source of the Waterproof Forest in the old Grimsbein Territory, meaning when I sparred with Spiritus, I could wield an energy roughly the size of this dining table. It was possible because various fortuitous encounters occurred, and I had absorbed about half of the Ninth God’s power. I was still weaker than Spiritus then, but about eight to ten times stronger than a Grand Sword Master.”
“…”
“And now, I can control an energy roughly the size of… this castle’s main hall.”
The me who faced Gano Paquin was at the Hwagyeong realm. The me who sparred with Spiritus possessed the realm of Hyeon-gyeong, and by defeating the Ninth God, I reached the realm of Saengsa-gyeong.
However, in this world, not a single human had ever ascended to a martial realm higher than Hwagyeong or Grand Sword Master. I now knew that even if I had absorbed the Mana territory’s energy step by step under the guidance of the First Goddess, instead of devouring the Ninth God, I could have reached my current state.
The realm of Saengsa-gyeong was the domain of gods.
Whether a wall reached my knees or my head, it would look equally high to an ant. Why would I need to invent a name for a new realm? The title bestowed upon me, Grand Sword Master Mikael Ernhardt, is sufficient.
Ruben, who had listened to my story and understood it, responded cheerfully.
“Then, let’s plant a good number of sacred trees in your territory to form a fence. After all, it’s a given that monsters are familiar with contaminated Mana and shy away from Divine Power.”
“Yes.”
“And if problems still arise, we can send the dangerous monsters beyond the Magic Territory.”
“Yes. Let’s do that. For now… it would be best to try adaptation training so the monsters can learn to hunt prey on their own.”
“Mm. I’ll also look into whether there’s a way to handle Divine Objects more delicately.”
As we talked, a question suddenly came to mind.
“Speaking of which, when I first arrived in Withrow, I heard about Raul.”
“Owen?”
“Yes. That… are you leaving it as is?”
“For now, we have no choice but to.”
“Why?”
Ruben moved a larger piece of meat onto my plate.
Was this lunch or dinner? But I didn’t refuse what was offered and ate it.
“As I said before… I don’t want to be a conquering monarch.”
“But…”
“Even while digging reservoirs in Floyd and luring medium to large monsters, the Black magicians didn’t harm most of Floyd’s citizens. Thanks to that, many villages, including Floyd’s capital, Galia, were spared great damage.”
“…”
“Currently, Floyd’s citizens are praising King Floyd for protecting them from the monsters that traversed their country. That’s what media control is.”
“But Owen…”
“Owen is the same. Just because I am wealthier and know more doesn’t give me the right to reform those who don’t wish to be reformed. Once I resolve the Empire’s issues and have spare capacity, I should consider ways to assist kingdoms that ask for help.”
“Hmm.”
It seemed right when I heard it. I should put out the fire in my own house before helping my neighbors. Even the gods drew lines on the land, dividing the world into ‘this is mine to rule, and that is yours,’ so it would be better for Ruben to do the same.
Deciding not to argue further, I resumed my meal. Ruben, who waited until I fully understood, smiled gently and continued.
“Still, with you in my reign, I have less worry about wars with other countries. That aside… I need to start writing the wedding invitations to House Ernhardt and House Valentia soon.”
“Now?”
“Yes. I’ve already delivered invitations in person to acquaintances who warrant it. Now I need to focus on those to be sent by mail. After sending the mail, the scribes will begin writing invitations to be distributed to all nobles of Count rank and above.”
“Come to think of it, my siblings were talking about gifts.”
“Yes. It seems… I want to prepare separate outfits for your siblings.”
“Outfits?”
“It’s common for the bride and groom’s younger siblings to wear matching colored clothes and carry bouquets. Hael and Adel resemble Mika a lot, so I thought they would look very cute dressed alike.”
That’s true. They would look lovely dressed in matching colors. Would the children like it too?
Thinking of the siblings who bickered every day, I felt a sense of contentment.
“What about Lucilla Senior?”
Ruben’s expression became suddenly inscrutable.
“She… isn’t a young sibling. And not cute.”
“You said you found her cute when she was younger?”
“She hasn’t been cute for a single moment since she turned thirteen.”
“You’re cute even now, Ruben.”
“…”
“…Hmm?”
“…Thank you…”
“Yes. Let’s ask Lucilla Senior about it once.”
Ruben, who responded weakly, covered his forehead and eyes together with his large hand.
In any case, he’s so endearingly shy even over trivial matters. Watching Ruben blush with contentment, I changed the subject, wanting to see his face.
“Ah. And I would like to take etiquette classes for another month.”
“Really? It seems you got along well with Young Lady Poplar.”
“Not exactly.”
“…Then why?”
The child peeked at me through his fingers.
It’s quite strange. Can one miss someone even more while looking right at them?
“Starting in May, the fitting for the wedding attire will begin. I want to learn everything I can before then. I also understood well by watching Mother-in-law use her fan in various ways this time.”
“…That, …Yes. Alright, then let’s do that.”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“And… for the month of April, let’s go look at rings together.”
“Yes.”
Everything was proceeding very smoothly.
❖ ❖ ❖
Time truly flew by.
Every weekend, Ruben and I spent a lot of time trying on dozens of rings, comparing which shapes suited each other better.
To me, all rings looked round and not very different, yet Ruben’s deliberation never ended. I enjoyed watching him ponder as I followed him around, and I enjoyed having good meals and going for walks, so I didn’t rush him.
Ruben was too embarrassed for us to go watch a play together. Still, it was all enjoyable and fun to visit permanent art museums displaying various artworks or to tour temples to discuss how they could be decorated and ceremonies held.
These days, I had little to do other than attend etiquette classes.
I met with friends to chat and share snacks, and I had discussions with Marianne and her seniors about the magic circle left by the Ninth God. Occasionally, I went to see plays or walked the streets with my siblings, and I spent time personally delivering wedding invitations to Michael’s friends.
I also met with the First Goddess for a brief chat.
She playfully told me to consider her an elder sibling, but when I asked for something valuable as a wedding gift, she feigned ignorance. Only after much pestering did she hint that Spiritus had a lot of money. However, neither the First Goddess nor I knew where she was now.
On the other hand, Ruben became increasingly busy.
I heard that he was often bringing forward and completing tasks that were supposed to be done later, in addition to his regular duties. Judging by his words, it seemed like he was cramming about two to three years’ worth of work into one go.
Most tasks were completed by systematically creating manuals and assigning responsible individuals, but he seemed to have many concerns regarding tasks where assigning a supervisor was difficult.
Sometimes, he would work overtime past ten o’clock at night, skipping meals.
On such days, I would visit Ruben and feed him finger foods like sandwiches, which he would accept shyly without refusal. Thanks to that, becoming close with Ruben’s aides could be considered an achievement.
And so, on Wednesday of the second week of April.
Lucilla Anti Sierran returned.