Ancient ruins. Ancient Relics. Ancient humans.

They were literally the stuff of dreams.

The magic known as the Blessing of the Gods had given birth to sorcery, and this sorcery had placed its practitioners at the pinnacle of humanity.

The first ancient ruin to be discovered was in Belphirn.

Upon its discovery, the envoys gathered in Belphirn raised their voices within their respective camps.

“What do you mean, Rigo?”

The ‘Rigo’ within the Granat Empire was well known in other lands as well.

The more glamorous a capital city, the more its hidden shame – the slums – became a topic of gossip.

A dumping ground for those who were not recognised as citizens of the Empire.

That was Rigo’s reputation in foreign lands.

A shameful corner of the Empire, where all the worthless mercenaries who had nothing better to do than hunt beasts lived.

And yet that was where the last ancient human had been.

“We must bring him here immediately

shouted a priest in white ceremonial robes and a tall hat.

“Who doesn’t know that already? What is the Empire doing that there’s still no answer? How could both the Emperor and the Crown Prince be absent when things have come to this?”

As a noble from a foreign nation shouted in frustration, envoys from other countries joined in the uproar, clucking their tongues.

“What, now that they’ve discovered something valuable, they’ve decided to abandon diplomacy and keep it all to themselves?”

“Ha! Do they really think they can claim everything? Even for an empire, isn’t that a bit greedy?”

“And let’s not forget the ancient ruins found in Belphirn. We’ve been sending knights there and managing the area all this time, so what do they really think they’re getting out of showing up now and claiming rights?”

“Now, now, isn’t that a bit hasty? If we look back in history, Belphirn is recorded as land belonging to our kingdom.”

“Ha? What are you talking about? If we’re going to talk about history, we have a lot to say! Didn’t your kingdom send an official letter abandoning Belphirn in the first place? Do you know how many troops we had to waste there?”

It was a mudslinging match that reeked of greed.

In the midst of it all, the noble representing the Granat Empire as envoy was sweating profusely.

Given the importance of the matter, most nations had sent high-ranking nobles or royalty as their envoys.

But the nearby Granat Empire had no choice but to send a low-ranking noble, as the Emperor, Crown Prince, and even the only Duke had all disappeared.

They didn’t know it, but the imperial palace was in chaos.

As soon as the Crown Prince ascended the throne, he had sent his rival siblings off to distant lands under absurd pretexts, and the few remaining princes had all died suddenly and mysteriously.

Everyone had believed that the Empire would remain stable, especially after the Crown Prince returned with an ancient relic – but now he was missing.

With the discovery of the ancient relic in the midst of this confusion, the Imperial side was overwhelmed.

“At this rate, this meeting will never end. How about we bring him here first and then negotiate in a proper conference? If we keep dragging our feet, it won’t just be us – distant foreign powers will soon be flooding the continent”.

“You mean we should attack Rigo first? No matter what kind of place it is, Rigo is still part of our Granat Empire!”

“We would be doing you a favour by getting rid of these useless mercenaries. The Empire should thank us, don’t you think?”

A foreign envoy scoffed at the imperial noble’s outcry.

The other envoys were already nodding in agreement.

“Hm, he’s right. Bringing more players into the mix will only make things messier. It’d be much better to move first and deal with the other countries later.”

“Well, if that’s the case… Whether it’s the ruins or the relics, as long as we get at least one first, what’s there to fear from the other nations?”

Ha ha! Without anyone saying who started it, laughter broke out and spread throughout the camp.

Only the Empire’s noble had turned pale.

***

Even without a watchtower, the thick, hazy smoke was visible.

The banners carried by the approaching army were tall and magnificent.

Seeing the array of colourful banners, Bericker clicked his tongue.

“They’re coming in like fish in water.”

He had heard it from Ethan, but to actually see thousands – perhaps tens of thousands – of soldiers with his own eyes made Bericker feel dizzy.

Grabbing hold of the watchtower stairs, Bericker descended, then jumped when he was halfway down.

“Guildmaster! What are we going to do?”

The mercenaries turned to him anxiously, but Bericker had no solution to allay their fears.

How could a few dozen stand against a force of this size? Even without relics or magic, they were outnumbered.

“Just hold your ground for now!”

Shouting orders to the mercenaries, Bericker hurried into the Guildmaster’s office.

Inside, Ethan and If were already there, sitting together on a couch they had claimed.

Bericker glared at Ethan, then clicked his tongue and sank into the chair opposite him.

“Haah, seriously… it’s just one thing after another. Now it’s not just the Empire, but every nation? Anyone listening to this would think we were trying to conquer the world.”

He pressed his fingers to his temple and sighed.

They said they were going to see some ancient ruins, ended up going to the Imperial Palace – then returned after beheading the Emperor, only to bring back a new headache: the whole world as an enemy.

Even now he sighed at the sight of Ethan lying on the couch, clinging to a woman.

Pressing down on his throbbing head, Bericker opened his mouth again.

“I never said… leave her, you idiot. Man, with that murderous look in your eyes – anyone would think you were about to kill me. But it’s too late to back out now. Even if we said there were no Ancients here, do you think they’d believe us? It would be the same if you left.”

“Yes… probably.”

Talks a good game.

Bericker clicked his tongue as he looked at Ethan sitting across from him.

He made it sound easy, but Ethan’s mind was clearly racing.

Their identity had been revealed.

Now it wasn’t just one nation – every nation wanted them.

“…Haah.”

The sigh that finally escaped was long and heavy.

Sitting on Ethan’s lap, If glanced between Bericker and Ethan before speaking slowly.

“Hey, Ethan.”

“What?”

“Those people… they’re trying to kill you, aren’t they? Take me away from you. Because they need me.”

“That’s right.”

“They will take me by force. And unlike that man… they won’t send me back to you.”

“That man” – she was clearly referring to the Crown Prince. Ethan nodded in agreement.

“Then… we just have to stop anyone from getting in, right?”

“What?”

“So they can’t hurt you. So they can’t touch you. So they can’t take you away from me. We just make sure nobody gets in.”

“……”

At her words, Ethan’s lips slowly parted.
Her calm, green eyes—chilled and unwavering—were fixed directly on him.

Ethan, who had followed Bericker to the window and was now staring out at the scene, let out a hollow laugh.

There was nothing left for him to protect – it had already been done.

“Is that all right?”

Her eyes, soft again, looked up at Ethan.

He pulled her into his arms as she floated towards him, her hand outstretched. A wry smile tugged at his lips.

“Now all we need is someone to negotiate with.”

***

How could anyone touch Rigo, now protected by an ancient relic?

Especially humans – who couldn’t even use magic.

Burke gave up trying to make sense of it all and let out a dry laugh.

It hadn’t been that long since they’d been in a crisis, and yet everything had been resolved by her will alone.

She hadn’t acted for any particular reason.

There was nothing special behind it – just the fact that there were people trying to separate her from Ethan had been enough for her to take care of everything.

‘Now I don’t know which of them is more hopelessly devoted…’

He had thought that Ethan was the one who clung to her all the time, but obviously it went both ways.

With a small chuckle, Burke sat down.

The meeting – which included generals from various countries and a few mercenaries – took place in an unusually modest setting.

Gathered in a circle at Rigo’s entrance, with no table in sight, the attendees cast uneasy glances at each other.

No tents, just open dirt ground.

The mercenaries had dragged over wooden crates to sit on, while the generals sat stiffly in their own antique chairs – the contrast between them was almost laughable.

As for the mercenaries, there were only three: Burke, Bericker and Ethan.

But with the appearance of the woman sitting on Ethan’s lap, using his knee as a chair,

no one dared speak carelessly.

‘And even the temple showed up…’

Burke hadn’t expected them to gather information and make it all the way here.

He glanced sideways at the figure in white priestly robes.

Judging by the size of the hat, it was probably a high priest.

“Ahem, first, perhaps we should start with introductions -“

“What’s the point of introductions if you came here to start a war?”

Ethan sneered, cutting off the noble who had just cleared his throat to speak.

A vein popped in the noble’s forehead, but under If’s calm, unblinking gaze he could only grit his teeth and swallow his anger.

‘If we fall out of favour with the ancient human, our nation is finished.’

It was a thought they all shared.

And no one understood it better than Ethan, who smiled wryly.

With the protective barrier created by the Ancient Human, Rigo had become the ultimate fortress.

Stripped of their ability to use magic, the opposing nations had no breakthrough in sight.

All they could do was stand back and watch.

In the midst of it all, the message they had received had thrown them into utter confusion.

With the forced end of the war, the nations had no choice but to gather here, as instructed by the contents of the message.

Watching their tense expressions, Burke finally broke the silence.

“Well, there’s no point in dragging this out, so I’ll get straight to the point. The Ancient human has no intention of going anywhere.”

“Outrageous! How dare a lowly mercenary speak such nonsense!”

“Why don’t you ask her yourself?”

Burke shrugged and gestured to If with a tilt of his chin.

“Ahem, the ancient human is far too noble for that – she should come to our kingdom of Berenice -“

“What are you saying?! If anything, she should come to our kingdom!”

“Well, if that’s the case, then our kingdom would be a better choice. Your so-called kingdom is all bark and no bite – just a big piece of land with nothing in it.”

What a mess.

Burke stared at the bickering crowd with an exasperated look.

The one they were all arguing about didn’t care in the least.

“I’m not going anywhere without Ethan.”

If’s single sentence brought the argument to a stop.

“Ethan… you mean…?” a noble asked hesitantly.

In response, If boldly wrapped her arms around Ethan’s neck.

“I’m going to marry Ethan and we’re going to live here.”

***

“Pfft.”

Ethan chuckled, his body vibrating slightly on the bed.

If, lying on top of him, pouted with a sulky expression and only then did he finally stop laughing.

“Come on, how could I not laugh after seeing those faces? Cut me some slack.”

Every single one of them had been completely stunned, panicking as they threw money and jewels around.

As if they could buy someone without even knowing who they were dealing with.

“It wasn’t funny at all.”

If replied curtly, pressing her cheek against his firm chest.

Her voice, unusually grumpy today, was full of annoyance.

They’d been busy all day and although she didn’t show it, the stress was definitely building up.

Ethan gently stroked her long hair.

As he watched her melt under his touch, a smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

Pulling her waist closer, he planted a kiss on her flushed cheek.

The soft, playful peck quickly turned into a deep, lingering kiss.

She looked full of complaints and yet she accepted him – it was incredibly endearing.

She was obviously unhappy about a lot of things, but she liked the kiss enough to go along with it anyway.

Holding back a laugh, Ethan wrapped his arms tightly around her.

Money, jewellery, clothes – things any woman would normally love – she rejected them all, choosing instead to hold on to him.

Throughout the meeting she wore a sulky expression.

Every time someone made a derogatory remark about him, her lips curled into a pout and her round eyes narrowed sharply.

In the end, with nervous gulps and mouths agape, the generals of each nation had no choice but to retreat – empty-handed.

As Ethan pulled away from the kiss, he stroked her cheek gently.

Still sulking, her flushed skin felt hotter than usual under his touch.

“I don’t care anymore. I’ve heard it so many times it doesn’t even make me angry. I’m not even interested.”

“I still don’t like it.”

As if any of them really cared. Even then, they couldn’t bring themselves to say anything really cruel in front of her – just half-hearted insults.

And yet she puffed up with anger.

Ethan let out a soft laugh and pressed his lips to her rounded shoulder.

“Mm…”

Even the slightest touch now elicited soft, sweet moans from her.

Ethan closed his eyes as if enjoying a beautiful melody.