More and more people began to gather in the training grounds.

People who had rushed in noisily as if a great spectacle had occurred were pushed from the center to the edges, then from the edges back to the center, and could only gape wordlessly at the sight of the Wizard Knight Commander being beaten to a dusty pulp.

“Oof! Wait a moment! Your Highness! Ack! Urgh!”

“You’re too slow! Raise your sword and strike upwards! Again!”

Erdene’s movements as she swung her wooden sword were almost invisible.

It seemed he was managing to block a few strikes, as there were times when the wooden swords clashed with a sharp ‘tack!’ sound.

But each time this happened, far from Bellen regaining the advantage, an excited Erdene would press her attack even more fiercely.

It was by coincidence that Arkan appeared in the training grounds, dragging a panting Platt, just after Bellen had managed to block another attack.

As Platt’s mouth fell open at the sight of the Knight Commander earnestly getting beaten, the wooden sword flew from Bellen’s hand and slid across the ground. Silence fell.

“What in the…!”

As an incensed Platt tried to step forward, Arkan raised his arm to block him.

“No, Your Majesty!”

“Stay still.”

Arkan looked back and forth between Bellen, who was sprawled on the ground with limbs outstretched, and Erdene, who seemed to be savoring the most exhilarating moment of her life.

She either didn’t notice that Arkan had arrived, or that people had gathered in layers around them—or perhaps she simply didn’t care—as she kicked up Bellen’s fallen wooden sword with her toe, then caught it lightly.

“Just because you moved a bit, does a man lie down like that?”

Bellen seemed to lack even the strength to move his head, only rolling his eyes to look up at Erdene as he panted.

“That’s right… It’s supposed to be a holiday today.”

After catching his breath for a moment, he raised his upper body to sit up.

His whole body ached and he almost let out a groan, but he barely held it in due to the many eyes watching.

Erdene looked down at Bellen with the wooden sword resting on her shoulder and grinned.

The thought that he was indeed worth raising crossed her mind.

“You’ve got good endurance.”

Bellen took a breath and raised his dust-covered face.

“How did you do that?”

“Do what?”

Bellen was about to answer but coughed a few times, spat out the sand on his tongue unceremoniously, then looked up at Erdene with an even more intrigued expression.

“That last attack. You whirled around and pummeled my entire body. For a moment I thought I was winter cotton being beaten.”

Erdene grinned. She lightly tapped the wooden sword resting on her shoulder, then gripped it in the middle with both hands and spun it quickly.

Bellen’s mouth fell open.

“Are you saying you used the wooden sword like a staff?”

“Is there any reason I shouldn’t?”

Bellen seemed flustered, unable to find words to reply.

He was an excellent military officer and had participated in actual combat a few times, leading reinforcements when other kingdoms and Hirschstein were at war.

However, his way of fighting and commanding troops had something textbook-like about it.

From the beginning, Bellen Wizard was the type to execute things honestly, just as he had learned from his teachers and ingrained in his body, rather than employing unnecessary techniques in combat.

There was no way he would abandon that habit even in a simple wooden sword match.

Erdene smiled as if she had seen right through Bellen and said:

“They say most muscle-heads are stiff up here. Of course, that’s sometimes true, but if you’re going to work in a job that requires strength, this needs to work well.”

Erdene pointed to the side of her head with her finger and made a spinning motion.

Though Bellen was a military officer, he had been born and raised in a good family in Betor, so he was startled once again by her uninhibited and direct gestures.

“If you think a battle will proceed only according to the patterns you know, you’re gravely mistaken. It might be fine for small fry who can be overwhelmed with those patterns, but always keep in mind the case of facing an opponent who isn’t like that. Use your head to figure out how to end the enemy’s life in one breath.”

For a moment, Bellen almost said that there was probably only one such opponent in this continent besides Her Highness.

He hurriedly swallowed, nearly choking. When he coughed, his whole body ached.

Still coughing, Bellen asked:

“Then, did Your Highness fight like that just now? Did you imagine our match as a war… and try to end my life in one breath?”

Erdene looked down at him with a puzzled expression and laughed softly.

“If I had that in mind, you’d be dead.”

Bellen, who had been gaping blankly, gave a bitter smile.

“I suppose so. Still, it seems you got a good workout.”

“That’s right, it was quite refreshing. I should seek you out often.”

Whether because of those words, or because he had finally exhausted the strength he had been squeezing out to endure, Bellen collapsed back down and fainted.

As a few young soldiers who admired him rushed over and the military officers who had been standing around murmured in bewilderment, Erdene tossed the wooden sword aside as if telling someone to come clean it up, then turned around dusting off her hands.

Arkan was standing directly opposite her.

The moment their gazes met in midair, Erdene muttered in a small voice while pretending to roll her tongue:

“Damn.”

Here comes another lecture. Erdene thought.

But unexpectedly, instead of jumping up and down asking what this was all about, Arkan pointed with his chin, not even his hand, at the unconscious Bellen being carried away by soldiers and said:

“Don’t kill my Captain of the Royal Guard. Rare as he is around here, you know.”

Erdene’s eyes widened in surprise, then she smirked.

“I won’t kill him. Don’t worry.”

She stretched her arms out wide and yawned.

Sophia had already brought a handkerchief soaked in cold water and was carefully wiping the dirt from Erdene’s face, neck, and hands.

Despite moving so vigorously, her clothes were only dusty, without even a single tear.

Arkan gave a hollow laugh and said:

“You look quite refreshed.”

“I suppose I caught my breath a bit.”

“You say you only caught your breath after turning Betor’s one and only Knight Commander and the King’s Captain of the Royal Guard into a crumpled pie crust in front of all these people?”

“Why, Your Majesty. If your pride is hurt…”

Arkan’s eyebrows shot up. Erdene blew on her fingertips and shrugged her shoulders.

“Write it in your diary.”

There was a sound of Platt choking back a retort.

Arkan patted him to make him step back completely, then took a step closer to Erdene.

“Well, there’s nothing for me to be prideful about. If anyone’s pride is hurt, it would be Wizard’s, not mine.”

But he couldn’t help his voice trembling slightly at the end. Erdene didn’t pick up on that detail and just giggled quietly like a mischievous child.

In doing so, she failed to notice the suspicious smile that appeared on Arkan’s face.

“This works out well.”

Erdene looked up, blinking in surprise as Arkan suddenly grabbed her wrist.

“What are you doing, Your Majesty?”

Arkan replied:

“People should do everything in moderation. Those who only work become fools, and those who only play become good-for-nothings. If you only study, you go crazy, and if you only use your body, you become an idiot.”

“What are you talking about now?”

“I’m saying that since you’ve moved your body plenty, now it’s time to use your head. I was wondering when to bring this up, and fortunately, such an opportunity has arisen.”

Arkan slid his hand from Erdene’s wrist to firmly but affectionately grasp her small hand.

Then he began striding forward.

“No, wait. Your Majesty! Where are you… Ah, what is this! Look here, this is kidnapping!”

Caught off guard, Erdene squawked as she followed him.

The place Arkan took her was a library near the king’s quarters.

No. Erdene thought. This was called a library, but in reality, it was a kingdom.

It was a place where all kinds of books had gathered to create a damned country.

The high circular ceiling was wide open, and though there were windows that let in plenty of sunlight, that light never reached the bookshelves.

The translucent curtains were always closed, shielding the light to prevent the book pages from turning yellow.

The bookshelves were filled with books up to nearly twice Arkan’s height, and they were stacked in two or three layers that could be moved around.

Such shelves lined the walls without a single gap all around.

While Erdene was lost in amazement, Arkan had rushed to the dimly lit shelves and returned with a strangely gleeful expression.

He was holding two books in his hands. One was thick, but the other was rather thin.

“This is…”

“I don’t want either.”

Hearing Erdene’s immediate response, Arkan stared at her with an expression of disbelief.

“I haven’t even said anything yet.”

“Weren’t you going to have me choose one of the two? I don’t want either.”

“What are you talking about? This one’s mine, and this one’s yours.”

Saying that, he handed the thinner book to Erdene.

While inwardly relieved, Erdene didn’t even think about looking at the book.

Arkan grinned and looked around the library. Erdene had never seen him look so happy…

She had no way of knowing that Arkan had thought the same thing about her earlier in the training grounds.

“I’m glad to finally show you this place.”