March 16th, early morning.
A gentle breeze lifted the curtains, letting sunlight sneak into the room.
Ron André woke from meditation, still holding the soft, smooth-skinned Nora in his arms.
"Phew~"
He lightly blew twice against her cat ears, then pinched her cheek with a smile. "Time to wake up"
"Mmm…"
Her dark cat ears twitched slightly as Nora rubbed her face against Ron's chest, then drowsily lifted her head, eyes half-open.
The next moment, she saw Ron's face rapidly filling her vision.
"Mmm… B-Boss…"
A few minutes later, after a long, good-morning kiss, Ron got dressed in his training clothes and left the room.
Behind him, Nora sat there with her purple hair loose, cheeks flushed, quietly wiping the corner of her lips.
After his personal morning training, Ron sparred with Husky in the courtyard.
Aside from his Battle Aura, Ron also began trying to incorporate magic into close combat.
The result?
Terrible.
Even worse than just using Battle Aura alone.
In close combat, the effort spent casting magic often wasn't as effective as simply throwing a punch.
If punching counted as casting… that'd be perfect, Ron thought afterward.
A mage who doesn't want to be a warrior isn't a proper melee fanatic.
A battle mage—that's the real goal.
After breakfast, Nora finished washing the dishes and hurried off to the magic battle arena to check on the second day after the Gold tier opened.
The staff went to open their shops, while Husky continued recovery training in the yard.
As time passed, his Battle Aura Vortex had gradually repaired itself.
At the moment, he could mobilize strength equivalent to a first-tier warrior.
Given enough time, returning to his original fourth-tier strength wouldn't be a problem.
Only Yuna, watching everything, knew—
He wouldn't just recover.
Advancing to higher tiers—even legendary—was entirely possible.
The resin Ron provided didn't just extend lifespan—it fundamentally improved one's physique.
"So boring."
A shadow dropped from the study ceiling onto the desk, transforming into Yuna's mature form, her legs swinging off the edge.
"If you're bored, read more," Ron said, using Heartvine to turn the pages of his book. "People with strong limbs but simple minds get looked down on."
"Heh. And this is what a 'smart' person reads?" Yuna pulled out an illustrated booklet with a rather suggestive cover and waved it teasingly.
Seeing the booklet, Ron calmly controlled Heartvine, sending a vine shooting out—
and missing.
Yuna dissolved into shadow, dodging easily, then reappeared behind him, tapping his shoulder with the booklet.
"Hmph. Men."
"Your brains are full of this kind of stuff."
"Yesterday you were peeking at us applying resin—and then you even shamelessly asked if you could come in."
"Pervert."
Ron shook his head helplessly. "You didn't lock the door. How was I supposed to know what you were doing?"
"And afterward? You still wanted to come in—how do you explain that?"
"I realized my mistake and wanted to apologize in person."
"Excuses!" Yuna wrinkled her nose, then grabbed the book Ron was reading. "Analysis of Territorial Noble Laws… why are you reading this?"
"Preparation."
Ron took the book back with Heartvine and explained the situation.
"…So basically, I might become a count soon. Go on—call me 'My Lord Count' and let me hear it."
"Dream on," Yuna scoffed, then asked, "If they're targeting you, why not just refuse?"
"Why refuse?" Ron looked at her strangely. "If something this good lands in my lap, of course, I'll figure out how to take it without choking. Rejecting it outright would be stupid."
"I don't get this kind of thing," Yuna said bluntly. "If there's someone you need dealt with, just tell me."
Most of what Ron was doing now, she couldn't really help with.
At best, she managed the shop occasionally or mixed drinks at the bar and café.
Most of the time, she stayed in shadow, silently protecting him.
The Yuna working in the bar and café was actually her puppet version.
"I'm a peace-loving youth of the empire," Ron said with a grin. "How could I possibly send assassins?"
"Now give me back that booklet."
"In your dreams." Yuna rolled her eyes.
Just then, she sensed footsteps outside the study and immediately dissolved into shadow.
A few seconds later—
Knock knock knock.
"Come in."
Sylvie entered, greeting him respectfully while briefly glancing at the ceiling before looking away.
At this point, she and Yuna had reached an unspoken understanding.
As long as their goal—protecting Ron—aligned, Sylvie chose to overlook her presence.
"Your Highness Ron, I've brought the map. Would you like to review it now?"
"Yes, let me see."
Ron nodded, using Heartvine to pull over a chair. "Sit."
Sylvie sat down and took out the map from her storage space. It was spread open before Ron.
A complete map of the Human Empire.
To the north lay the Frozen Tundra of the beastfolk.
To the east stretched the Forest of Freyst, home of the elves.
To the southeast lay the City of Chaos, and beyond it, the Bondelers Mountains, where the dwarves resided.
To the south ran the Darle River, stretching thousands of kilometers—beyond it lay the Dwarven Kingdom.
To the west rose the Manchester Mountains, half within the empire, half within the Dwarven Kingdom.
The Darle River—known as the mother river of the Rixis Continent—originated from the central Manchester Mountains.
Looking at the empire itself—
The western region covered nearly three-fifths of the land.
The northern region took up about one-fifth.
Of the remaining fifth, roughly 70% belonged to the south, while the eastern region was comparatively small.
Yet in reality, the trade volume of the east and south was dozens of times that of the west and north.
A massive economic disparity.
On the map, the Forest of Freyst stood out prominently in the central-east, with the Royal Capital and its surrounding territories just to the east.
The map was a patchwork of colors—reds, purples, yellows, blues—with scattered green dots across it.