“Your Majesty, the Empress, have you awoken?”

Upon opening her eyes, Sharon’s voice could be heard.

“How long have I slept? It feels like a lot of time has passed.”

From her perception, it seemed like she had woken up much later than her usual wakeup time.

“You didn’t sleep for that long.”

Upon gathering her senses and sitting up, she recalled that this place was her bedroom in the main palace.

“Where’s His Majesty?”

“His Majesty went to the practice field before sunrise, I heard.”

“The practice field?”

“Yes, it’s said that he will immediately attend the morning council meeting from there.”

Even after a passionate night, he was visiting the practice field again in the morning.

He truly had surplus energy it seemed.

“What an incredible person.”

Supported by Sharon, I rose from the bed and spoke.

There wasn’t a part of my body that wasn’t sore, as if I was sick.

Despite my body aching as though I had had an intense duel with a sword master the previous night, my mood was satisfactory.

“Sharon, where is the practice field?”

“It is located between the main palace and the Empress’s palace. It is closer to the Empress’s palace in terms of distance.”

“Is that so?”

Upon hearing about the practice field, my unused muscles started to twitch, despite feeling sick.

“When is it that the practice field would be empty?”

“From what I’ve heard, there is a specific time when the practice field can be used. It is closed off to knights from early evening till early morning.”

“Why is that?”

“I’m not quite sure, but there’s another practice field near the knight’s building at Dogekyo which is available 24 hours a day. Perhaps they set a specific time for the practice field within the palace?”

“I see, so there are two practice fields…”

My heart began to flutter upon hearing that the practice field near the Empress’s palace was vacant from early evening till morning.

If the entrance time is fixed, that means no one would be there during those hours.

I wanted to loosen up my body at the practice field during a time when no one else was there soon.

But why did he visit the practice field so early in the morning?

Rinel only put down his sword after breaking out in a sweat.

His longtime friend and sword master, Markrom, also laid down his sword.

Markrom was completely drained from entertaining the Emperor who had requested a duel since morning.

Until a few years ago, Markrom was the captain leading the Emperor’s first knight’s division in the Rapyon Empire.

He was by Rinel’s side when the Emperor was ambushed by a magician from the southern continent in the habitat of the wyverns, Death Valley, three years ago.

At the time, Rinel was trapped in a cursed barrier by the magician who controlled the wyverns, causing his entire body to freeze.

If Markrom hadn’t broken that barrier, Rinel might have fallen under the same curse as his younger brother, being trapped in ice.

He managed to save Emperor Rinel dramatically, but in exchange, he lost his sight.

When the curse directed at Emperor Rinel only half succeeded, the magician from the southern continent turned his anger towards Markrom.

The magician reflected the light of mana emanating from Markrom’s sword back at him, embedding it in his brave eyes.

The powerful mana turned Markrom’s sight into darkness in an instant.

After that incident, Markrom relinquished his position as captain of the Emperor’s direct knight division.

But even with the loss of his sight, Markrom was still so skilled that there were hardly any people in the Rapyon Empire who could match his swordsmanship, except for Emperor Rinel.

That’s why Rinel wanted him to continue as the captain of the Emperor’s direct first knight division, but Markrom refused flat out.

It’s a continent where wars are frequent.

In such a country, the first knight division captain, who is to protect the Emperor at the forefront, must not have any defects, according to Markrom.

There should be no occasion where the Emperor is put in danger because of him.

So, Markrom relinquished his position at the forefront of protecting the Emperor and swore loyalty from behind as an honorary palace knight.

Even after that, he was still the Emperor’s one and only sparring partner.

He was working on training his juniors in the palace’s practice field, where only exceptionally skilled knights could enter.

However,

“Your Majesty, is something wrong?”

The Emperor, who had rarely visited the practice field after the National Soul, had come to the practice field since morning today, for some reason.

“You’ve been putting a lot of strength into your sword today.”

“I couldn’t use all the strength when I had to, so it’s left over.”

Rinel retorted, pushing his sweaty hair back.

“Where did you get the strength that you’re wasting here?”

“Indeed. The more power you use, the greater your passion grows.”

“Are you perhaps… referring to Her Majesty the Empress?”

“What, you? Since losing your sight, have you gained some sort of mystical insight?”