Marty awoke after sleeping-in for the first time in a while. The run last night had been thoroughly enjoyable for him as he didn’t have many opportunities to go all out. He used last night to test his level of stamina. He was pleasantly surprised to find that his stamina was extremely high as he ran for dozens of miles before becoming tired without even using Ki. Moreover, he roughly calculated his maximum speed was over 30 mph, around 40 with Ki, far faster than the average person, much less over long distances. He had made it relatively close to the wall that separated the two continents, but he decided to wait until the following night as he was somewhat tired. This was the reason why he had slept-in.

The maids had just left after they had finished preparing breakfast as Yutsuki made her way over to Marty’s room to inform him that the food was ready. As she approached the door, she heard a strange whooshing sound along with Marty grunting.

“Onii-sama, foods ready.”

“Okay, I’ll be there shortly.” He replied a little short of breath.

“Can I come in?” Yutsuki asked, a little worried.

“Sure,” Marty replied nonchalantly.

Yutsuki opened the door only to freeze when she saw Marty. “Hiii!” She exclaimed in surprise before she covered her eyes.

Marty didn’t know whether he should laugh or cry at Yutsuki’s response. He was currently shirtless, working out by wielding a giant hunk of metal shaped like Gram, his heavy sword. He couldn’t help but chuckle at both seeing her innocent reaction to seeing him shirtless as well as her failure to hide the fact that she was peeking through her fingers.

“What happened?” Gifford asked as he and Erica appeared at the doorway, considered over Yutsuki’s exclamation.

“Nothing, just finishing up my exercises,” Marty said before he carefully took one more swing and slowly set the metal chunk down upright.

Erica gave Marty a look over before she whistled and gave Yutsuki a thumbs up and a wink.

“Can you put your shirt on, please,” Yutsuki asked as she looked down with the beet-red face.

Marty chuckled as he reached for his shirt.

“Can I try?” Gifford asked as he pointed to the lump of metal.

“Go ahead,” Marty nonchalantly replied as Gifford reached out and grabbed the handle. “Just be careful though, it weighs a lot.”

Marty’s warning came just in time as Gifford became completely serious, only managing to keep the metal block from striking the ground. Red-faced, Gifford couldn’t manage to completely lift it off the ground before he used his Ki. However, swinging it around was something he felt was impossible without losing balance.

“A little help.” Gifford barely managed to say. Marty, who had quickly cleaned himself with magic and put his shirt on, took the metal block from Gifford before it disappeared in his hands.

The other three did a double-take before they looked at Marty with a shocked expression. Marty only bitterly smiled as he tapped the ring on his finger. “In here.”

“Hey, he’s rich too,” Erica said it as she winked at Yutsuki again.

“The food’s getting cold,” Yutsuki said as she turned around and ran away.

...

“Has anything interesting happened recently?” Marty asked as they all sat around the table to eat.

“Not much. Gifford has been flirting with his maid though,” Erica said with a smirk as Gifford choked on his food.

“Yutsuki, how has the training been going?”

“Very good,” Yutsuki replied with a smile. “I’m getting pretty good control of my Ki, and I already have a little control over my mana. My teacher said if I use engravings with archery, I will become even more powerful.”

“You must have worked hard.”

Yutsuki looked down, embarrassed. “I just want to become strong enough to help you.” She whispered.

Marty immediately felt warm as he looked at the sweet young lady before he turned slightly bitter as he remembered the girls waiting for him at home. He glanced at Cali, who was snuggled up at his side before he turned to address Yutsuki. “I noticed Cali has been disappearing into the room in the early morning.”

Yutsuki nodded. “I asked her to wake me up, and we chat a little bit.”

“Glad to see you two getting along.”

“Say, Marty, who is she to you?” Erica asked. “An adopted daughter? Sister?”

Marty was unable to respond because he currently had food in his mouth, but just as he was about to reply ‘she is family,’ Cali’s following word nearly made him choke. “Wife.”

Silence filled the room as Erica gave Marty a slightly cold-raised eyebrow. “You’re his wife? What does it mean that you’re his wife?”

“Sleep together.”

Erica’s vision became completely cold, Gifford was shocked, and Yutsuki looked entirely out of sorts.

“It’s completely pure,” Marty said calmly, even though he was internally trembling.

“Cali, when you sleep together, what do you do?” Erica asked.

“Sleep?” Cali asked back as though it was an obvious answer. “He makes me wear clothes. I don’t like clothes.” She quickly mumbled.

This time, the incredible looks were directed at Cali. Marty couldn’t help but wryly smile as he hoped they wouldn’t clarify further as the ‘clothes’ Cali was speaking of was nothing but kneesocks while her hair covered the rest.

“Anyway, my magic is coming along,” Marty said, quickly changing the subject. After a little while, they finally separated, and Marty left with a cold sweat, thankful that they didn’t look into it any further.

...

A cold wind blew up the wall as Marty looked down. It had only taken him an hour of night travel to reach. The place he currently was located was devoid of guards for the moment. Looking around, he saw several primitive elevators, the only way for troops to reach the bottom of the wall. Even though these elevators were primitive, they were reinforced both to withstand a heavy load and potential damage.

To get down, Marty had several options. The most obvious one was to Dimension Door to the ground, as he could see it. However, he decided to take this opportunity to do a little training. From his space ring, he took out and put on a parafoil pack. “Cali, wingsuit.” He whispered.

Cali, knowing what to do, promptly became a wingsuit, perfectly attached to him. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, Marty slowly walked away from the edge. Then, he took a running start and jumped over. The updraft lifted him in the air as he got his bearing from a lack of practice. However, the wingsuit was not what he intended to practice. He released his Ki and began to change from blue to red as it gathered on his back. Following his thoughts, he found it surprisingly easy to form Dragon wings. He was startled because it was the first time it had occurred so easily. He’d only successfully created the wings twice in private with much effort. It seemed his risk-taking had stimulated him on a subconscious level, helping him achieve his Ki wings. However, no matter how hard he tried, he could not create the Ki Dragon that he had done subconsciously before leaving Camelot.

Giving his Dragon wings a flap, he was surprised to find that they were quite efficient. Naturally, they would take time to get used to. After about a minute of flying at an incredible speed, he finally started to manage simple flight. He couldn’t help but be surprised at how efficient these wings were. Even though Ki was known to be massless, the amount of lift he achieved by flapping them seem to be inconsistent with the size of the wings. However, this was also a blessing in disguise as it meant that the Dragon Ki wings would be smaller, more convenient, and use less Ki.

The devil capital was several hours away by his current flying speed, so he used this time to practice his control while keeping an eye out to ensure he wouldn’t be spotted. According to what he had read, the Devils had several sub-races categorized from weaker to stronger. The weaker devils didn’t appear much different from humans being born without horns and only having a small tail, which was so short and typically kept under clothing. However, the highest subspecies of the devils had wings. Even though he knew he could get away easily with Dimension Door, he didn’t want the trouble that would come with being spotted and potentially chased. As such, he detoured around inhabited areas as well as flew low. While this was more dangerous, it also allowed Marty to gain control over his flight more quickly.

Finally, Marty reached the devil capital around 10 o’clock. Because both civilizations lacked electric lights, nearly everyone would turn in for the night as soon as sunset because regularly using candles was very impractical. At this time, the common people would currently be in bed, but the nobility, who had candles, may still be up. On top of this, the security was still rather tight as it was the capital.

If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Now, Marty had a slight headache as he had to deal with the biggest problem with flying; landing. Thankfully, there was a small open area just outside of the capital. Marty swooped down low to the ground before using his wings to come to a stop as fast as possible. Marty landed with a slight tumble forward; slightly embarrassing, but admirable for a first try. Brushing himself off, he whispered: “Cali, stealth mode.”

From the wingsuit, Cali turned into dust that surrounded Marty. If anyone could have seen it, it would’ve appeared as though Marty had disappeared with a strange dark spot in his place. Naturally, this was due to Cali’s magic. Specifically, she was destroying light that was moving out of the area she was encompassing. It took a little training, but it was extremely effective. Even though she could only keep it up for a couple of hours, Marty had camouflage that barely obstructed his vision.

Marty quickly made his way towards the capital. The moon was only at a quarter this time of year, providing some light, but not much. For Marty, the lack of light wasn’t a huge problem. His night vision has dramatically increased, and the thermal vision he had was extremely useful, especially in a pre-electric technology city. He found it somewhat easy to make his way into the castle grounds. As luck would have it, they were in the middle of switching patrols, lowering the surveillance.

Taking a look around, Marty smiled as he realized that he recognized part of the castle. He had seen the specific part when he had glanced out of the window after Lucibelle had summoned him. Using his Ki, Marty effortlessly managed to reach a window, confirming that it was the right place. To his surprise, this window could open. Even though he didn’t see them, he believed that Lucibelle had wings so this window that doubled as a shortcut. As she wasn’t the only devil with wings, the door was locked. These locks were relatively primitive, but to a civilization that didn’t understand how to manipulate or reinforce their Ki, security wasn’t a tremendous issue.

Using his Ki, Marty quickly unlocked the door and snuck inside after he had confirmed that no one was inside the room. His eyes lit up as he saw the giant bookshelf as information was his primary goal. Taking one of the books, he opened it and glanced over it. However, it wasn’t the type of book he was looking for. Putting it away, he tried two more times before not knowing whether to laugh or cry as these books were not what he was looking for. After a glance around, Marty determined that none of these books were useful. Because a couple of candles were lit and a glass of wine was only half-drunk, he figured Lucibelle had stepped out temporarily and would most likely be back soon. As such, he took a book and sat on the sofa, still being hidden by Cali.

After a few minutes, Marty finally heard a female voice is perching the room.

“I can’t stand Marcus!” a female voice rang out that Marty did not recognize.

“What else can we do? Most of the nobles support him. We need to find a countermeasure, otherwise...” Another female voice rang out, which Marty recognized as Lucibelle.

“Well, I’ll sleep on it. I’m too tired to deal with it anymore.”

“Okay, goodnight,” Lucibelle said as she opened the door to her study and entered the room.

Marty was surprised when he saw Lucibelle again. During his first encounter with Lucibelle, she appeared neither arrogant nor servile and a little mischievous. Now, her aura seemed to be proud and domineering, like that of a ruler. A couple of seconds after she closed the door, her aura suddenly changed back to how Marty had initially seen her, a young lady. Marty was very impressed with this. It was as if she had a clear division between her private and public affairs. Neither side of her seem fake, yet they were separate. The fact she was like this in private also improved Marty’s opinion of her as he knew that her personality was not deceptive and instead authentic.

Lucibelle walked over to her desk and sat down, clearly tired. She collapsed on her desk before she took her unfinished glass of wine and swallowed it in one gulp. She seemed a little depressed as she looked out across the room, focusing on the point where she had last seen Marty. She continued to stare until she heard a voice that made her heart leap. “You have quite an interesting taste in reading-material, Empress.”

With a start, Lucibelle stood up in a panic as she looked at the couch at the side of the room where a black-masked figure currently was recline and reading. She couldn’t help but be somewhat afraid as she had no idea anyone else was in the room and he appeared to have been there the entire time.

“You don’t have to worry about me,” Marty said as he saw her trepidation. “If I were here to harm you, you would already be dead.”

Lucibelle took a deep breath as she looked at Marty. “Greetings, my name is Lucibelle. May I have the pleasure of knowing who Your Excellency is?”

“I’m just a traveler of sorts who likes to read,” Marty replied nonchalantly. “As for a name… I once was known as the Black Knight; so you can call me Black Knight or Sir Black.”

“Very well, Sir Black,” Lucibelle said with a slight tremble. She didn’t tremble out of fear, but out of surprise and slight excitement. Though she was wary at first, when he first spoke to her, she felt a strange sense of trust that she could not describe. Furthermore, she thought she recognized his voice, but she could not put a face to it. Finally, she trembled because the Black Knight was a character from one of her favorite romance novels. She wondered, could her hero have arrived?

“I couldn’t help but overhear that you seem to be having trouble.”

“Yes, Marcus,” Lucibelle said with a sigh. “He is the new senior general that replaced his retired father. He doesn’t hide his desire at all; for my position, and me.”

“Interesting. A few days ago, I happened to have read something about a certain senior general. It was in the classified reports of the kingdom of Regnum and how of the King had conspired with a certain general to get rid of opposing factions.”

“What!” Lucibelle exclaimed in a fury. “That bastard! Do you have this evidence? I’d like to see them defend him with this.”

“No, I do not have it, and you cannot bring it as evidence. He will say that it’s fabricated as you would have no way to obtain this information. If you did, it would mean that you have dealings with high-level human authorities, putting you in the same position as him.”

“Good point,” Lucibelle said with some surprise that she finally calmed down.

“Do you need some help?” Marty asked.

“Your excellency’s help would certainly be appreciated.” She said, thrilled at the possibility of having this expert.

“I can help, but I have some conditions. Firstly, I am not your subordinate. Treating me as you are now is sufficient. Secondly, I want access to all of your records regarding history and magic. Thirdly,” he said with a slight pause as he eyed Lucibelle and thought of a way to test her. “I want you to become my woman.”

Lucibelle was slightly shocked by his final condition. “The first condition I can comply; the second condition is not a problem; the third condition, I cannot comply.” She firmly replied.

“Can you mention why not?”

“Because I’ve already promised myself to another.”

“Who?”

“... Do you know about people from another world?”

“Yes, I’m quite informed on the subject. Humans summoned their heroes.”

“My sources have told me the same. Well, I also used our summoning magic. I desired his help, and that was one of the conditions I gave him. Unfortunately, something went wrong summoning. I don’t know where he is or if he is even still alive.” She replied with a sigh.

“You are refusing because you made a promise to someone that you only just met and aren’t certain if they are even alive?”

“I’m a person of my word. I have offered myself and will never offer myself to another again.” She replied resolutely.

Marty was somewhat taken aback by her resolution. “Did he accept you?”

“He did not. The accident happened as soon as I offered.”

“What if he shows up and rejects you?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“What if he is married?”

“Does that matter?”

Marty sighed, but if this was her decision, he wasn’t going to try to change it. He didn’t suffer a loss in any case. “Well, that’s fine by me. The third condition was a joke.”

“Then, you agree?” Lucibelle asked back, surprised, and happy. She did not doubt her charm and figured, so she was afraid she was going to lose this opportunity.

“I might as well help where convenient. You should know what I’m referring to is helping you keep your position, not fight in a war.”

“Yes, yes, very good.” She said with a smile.

“Do you know what Marcus is plotting?”

“You should know that my Empire has a council of twelve. According to law, if enough of the Council vote on any subject, they can overrule the decision of the Empress. If at least eight on the Council vote, they can vote to challenge to the current Emperor.”

“And you think that Marcus is obtaining support to challenge you?”

“Yes. The reason why I became Empress is that there was a large majority of people who gave their support in respect for my late mother. Even though I’m a genius with magic, there is a limit to what I can do. I’ve also been trying to work with Ki, but I’m not skilled enough to fight with it. Recently, my supporters on the Council have been dying under mysterious circumstances, including in the past war. I always wondered why the enemy seemed to know our movements. Marcus is taking advantage of the long permeating hatred between the humans and us to drum up more support by saying that I am unfair to our ancestors and things of the like. I believe he will move very soon.”

“How does this challenge work?”

“It’s a one-on-one duel by the current leader and challenger or someone who represents them.”

“If that happens, give it to me.”

“Really? Marcus is a young genius with Ki, and he is already Ki Rank 10 peak.”

“What does he fight with, and does he know magic?”

“Heavy sword and no.”

“Then it is not a problem,” Marty said with a slight shrug. He believed that the three principles of Ki were not known by them, which would make them have closer to Rank 8 strength.

“Good,” Lucibelle said as if a heavy weight lifted off her shoulders. She could tell that this expert was very fierce and, at the very least, confident.

“Then we have a deal. Where’s the library?”

“I can take you there.”

“You do not need to. I don’t want to bring attention to myself. Just tell me where to go.”

Lucibelle nodded and relayed the information. Then, she stared on blankly as black dust suddenly departed from Marty and shoot off through the door. They made small talk for a couple of minutes.

“Well, I’m going to go read for a while. I’ll come here every night that I can around this time to check-in, so you need to let me know if you need me during the day; at least the night before.

“I will, and thank you.”

“No problem,” Marty said with a smile. Then, in front of an astonished Lucibelle, he snapped his fingers and disappeared.

Marty found himself in an extensive library. At this time of night, the guards would patrol outside of the library, leaving plenty of time for Marty to read. The books were well-organized, and he quickly found the ones he was looking for. Impressively, he found two additional books on space magic as well as one that theorized the summoning magic. The main idea behind the summoning magic was to summon a being to help them fight the war. It’s unclear which side first had the idea, but both sides attempted to develop magic for this purpose, and they both succeeded, though with different results.

Time flew by. Once a week, Marty would disappear. Only he and Cali knew that he had gone back to Earth to participate in the class to check up on the girls. This made it seem as though he’d never left and allowed him to take care of some things. In the afternoons he would help train the crown prince’s troop; In the evening he would train Gifford, Erica, and Yutsuki about Ki so they would have it in a pinch; At night, he would jump into Lucibelle’s quarters where she would be there waiting for him. Every night, they would talk for a while but on varying subjects and had become friends. Lucibelle even mused that if she didn’t intend to stay faithful to Marty, she might have tried to seduce him. Naturally, Marty did not know this, and most of his thoughts were focused on developing his very own magic. Eventually, one month passed.