After accepting Lark's offer, Irene Chase immediately started working as the king's secretary.
The position not only afforded her power on par or even higher than the ministers, it also gave her access to documents and information privy only to the royal family.
Inside her office in the king's castle, Irene and several assistants browsed through ledgers and documents.
"Wallace, call the Assistant Minister of Finance," said Irene, her hand adjusting her glasses.
Wallace was among the assistants assigned to help the new secretary.
He was a young man in his mid-twenties who'd been working for the finance department for several years.
"The Assistant Minister of Finance?" said Wallace, his voice filled with worry. Two days ago, Irene called over a priest from the Water God's Temple and accused him of corruption. And now, the king's secretary was asking him to call over the Assistant Minister of Finance while wearing a frown on her face. Wallace did not have a good feeling about this.
"Is something the matter, Lady Irene?" said Wallace.
Irene placed down the document in her hand. "Wallace. Answer me.
How far is the City of Trante from the capital?"
The new secretary terrified Wallace. It was as if she could see through everything. He almost avoided her gaze out of fear. "I-I'm not sure, Lady Irene. Probably a week or two?"
"Five days by cart, at the very least," said Irene. "The kingdom's law clearly states that all goods transported from a distance of a hundred kilometers or more will be charged with a tariff of twenty percent. But look at this!"
Irene grabbed the document on the table and raised it. "The total of all goods transported by the Old Peddlers Merchant Group is seven hundred gold coins! But upon entering the capital, they were only asked to pay fifty gold coins!"
Even Wallace could easily do the math and see the issue.
"Assistant Finance Minister Gregory granted entry to these merchants two years ago," said Irene.
She'd been combing through the old ledgers of the finance department, looking for any anomalies and signs of corruption.
Following King Lark's will, she made sure to pull out the corruption within the kingdom by the roots. It did not matter if the corruption occurred years ago. She was determined to make sure that the corrupt officials paid for what they'd done to this kingdom.
"What are you standing there for?" spat Irene. "You have two hours!
Bring him to me! If he refuses, mobilize the royal army if you must!"
Despite her pretty face, she was a demon. Wallace couldn't do anything but say yes to her every command.
"Y-Yes! Right away!"
After Wallace left, the entire room fell silent. Irene's assistants nervously gulped, recalling her words. Some of them had been involved in under-the-table deals before. They were afraid the king's secretary would find out about their deals sooner or later.
Irene leaned back on her chair. She looked at the ceiling.
Although the work was tiring, it was fulfilling. Moreover, she'd never felt this free before.
Before she became the king's secretary, she always made sure to undermine her accomplishments. She always made sure to avoid unnecessary conflict. She believed a sticking out nail would always get hammered down. Although she was the daughter of the Lord of Golden Wheat City, they were still low-ranking nobles of the kingdom. They would be helpless, if they made enemies with powerful officials.
But now things were different.
King Lark promised her he would be a sturdy shield that would protect her, no matter what.
When she accepted the position of secretary, King Lark told her to go all out. He told her to pull out the roots of corruption within the kingdom, without minding who would become her enemies.
It was a liberating feeling.
With King Lark's absolute might and authority, Irene felt untouchable.
She no longer had to fear for her safety, as long as she was under King Lark's wings.
"I'm going for some fresh air," she said as she stood up.
The assistants, relieved, said, "Yes, Lady Irene."
Irene left her office. Aimlessly, she walked through the vast hallways, looking for somewhere she could stay—for peace and quiet.
'A Training Hall?' Judging by the crest on the wall near the entrance, this was an area exclusive to the members of the royal family.
Irene was about to pass by when she heard the sound of air splitting.
The sound was so sharp that she halted in her tracks. Her gaze naturally landed on the golden-haired man swinging the sword.
The man noticed her gaze. He stopped slashing the air and stared at her.
Awkward silence fell.
At first, Irene thought that the golden-haired man would ask what a woman like her was doing there. But after several seconds passed, Irene realized that he had no intention of speaking.
Irene scratched her cheek. "I'm… just passing by. I apologize for disrupting your training, soldier."
The golden-haired man remained silent. After some time, he spoke, "You're master's secretary. Lady Irene, is it?"
Master's secretary?
Irene was surprised that the golden-haired man knew her.
"You… are?" said Irene quizzically.
Seeing her puzzled expression, the golden-haired man spoke, "Anandra. King Lark's first disciple."
Irene finally remembered. Indeed. There was a golden-haired man among King Lark's disciples. She'd been so preoccupied with the kingdom's matters that she'd failed to recall this fact.
Anandra did not speak after that.
The silence was so awkward that Irene unconsciously told him the reason she was here.
"I was looking for a quiet place to stay while awaiting the Assistant Finance Minister's arrival," she said, a bit bothered by the golden-haired man's beauty. He reminded her of the statues of knights sculpted by master artisans.
Still not hearing a response, she added, "I'd planned to sit in the garden.
I should be able to enjoy some peace and quiet there."
Anandra stared at her for several seconds. Finally, he said, "The castle is large and the garden is in the opposite direction from here. They're currently reconstructing the garden path near the servants' quarters. You won't be able to enjoy your break if you go there."
Anandra pointed at the luxurious-looking bench near the wall. It was where the members of the royal family usually rest after training. "I'm the only one using this Training Hall as of the moment. As long as you stay quiet, you can sit there in the corner."
Irene hadn't expected King Lark's disciple to make such an offer. And to her surprise, she didn't dislike it in the slightest. It was peculiar how she looked forward to sitting there, silently watching the man train.
"T-Thank you," she said.
Irene sat on the bench and Anandra immediately resumed his training.
Irene almost gasped in awe as she watched the trajectory of his sword.
It was beautiful. Each strike was simple, but just by the sharp cutting sound alone, she knew that it was a strike honed to perfection.
For over an hour, Anandra continued training, and she stayed there, silently watching. The awkward silence became comfortable, and the slash and stab of the sword became a mellifluous background.
After Anandra was finally done with his training, Irene stood up and commented, "That was beautiful. Who taught you how to wield a sword?"
Anandra sheathed his sword and wiped his sweat with a towel. "I've always known how to wield a sword from a young age."
Had others said this, Irene would have found them overbearing and arrogant. But strangely, she was certain the man was not lying.
A natural genius. The only befitting description for King Lark's first disciple.
Irene knew that even Sword Saint Alexander had a master who taught him the way of the sword. For a moment, she wondered how far this man would soar in the future. Several years from now, he would probably be a swordsman far more powerful than the remaining Sword Saint.
"I need to train the royal guards after this," said Anandra. He went toward the entrance. After noticing that Irene did not understand what he was implying, he frankly said, "Only those with permission from the royal family can stay here. Since I'll be gone, you need to leave, miss secretary."
Irene's ears flushed. "O-Of course! I'm leaving!"
What a straightforward man, Irene thought.
The two of them left the Royal Training Hall. Anandra locked the room and hooked the keys to his waist.
Seeing that the two of them were going in opposite directions, Irene decided to speak what was on her mind. "Do you always train here, at this hour?"
Anandra gazed at her, his face difficult to read. "Yes."
Irene fiddled with her fingers. She mustered up her courage and said, "Then… can I watch you train again? Tomorrow?"
The man was really quiet, and the cutting sound from his sword was strangely soothing to the ears. Irene couldn't explain it, but she was certain that this place was far more peaceful than the royal garden.
This is so embarrassing. What are you doing? Asking a man such things when you've only just met him, she thought.
She was afraid that Anandra would say no outright. But to her surprise, an entirely different response came out of his mouth. "As long as you do not disturb my training, you can come again tomorrow, miss secretary."
Irene's eyes glimmered and a smile bloomed on her face. She happily said, "Then, I'll see you again tomorrow, mister disciple."