Published at 15th of November 2026 6:37 am

Chapter 2190: Politics and Governance

This chapter is updated by JustRead.pl

"I appreciate the offer, my lady, but I’m afraid I’ll have to decline."

Emily raised an eyebrow. "Oh? May I ask why?"

"I’d rather continue accompanying Adam on his raids," Genevieve said. "We’ve been taking down the Covenant’s mercenaries for the past week. There are still plenty of them out there."

And plenty of people left to avenge, she added inwardly.

Since the Red Gala, Genevieve had thrown herself into the fight against the Iron Covenant. She had lost friends, and Channing and his family were among them.

The raids were her way of dealing with that loss.

Emily sighed. "Genevieve, there’s more to life than fighting."

"I know."

"Do you?" Emily leaned back in her chair, smirking. "Because from what I’ve heard, you’ve spent nearly every day for the past two weeks hunting down mercenaries."

Genevieve lowered her eyes but didn’t argue.

"Tell me, aren’t you a student of the School of Enchantment?"

"I am," Genevieve murmured.

"Then you should know better than most how powerful words can be." Emily smiled. "After all, a pen can be mightier than a sword."

Genevieve looked at her with some uncertainty. "I’m not sure how much good a pen will be against the Iron Covenant."

"Perhaps not against a mercenary standing in front of you," Emily replied.

"But what about the people giving those mercenaries thier orders? The people funding them? The people who might decide whether an entire city receives air or is left to fend for itself?

"The delegation to Greyreach isn’t just a formality, dear. The Free City Alliance has a new leader, and the decisions made there will affect every member state. After what the Iron Covenant did to Davos, do you think Greyreach will simply sit by and do nothing?"

Genevieve hesitated briefly. "I suppose not."

"Then this is your chance to learn how things work," Emily said. "To understand how alliances are formed, how decisions are made, and how a few words spoken in the right room can change the fate of countless beings."

Genevieve fell silent, mulling over her words.

Emily watched her quietly. She had another reason for wanting the young woman to accept, one she had no intention of revealing.

Valentina had contacted her after hearing about the Red Gala. Though her good friend was off-world, news of the massacre had reached her nevertheless. And she made one request very clear: keep Genevieve away from trouble.

Emily had promised to do what she could. Convincing Genevieve to leave Davos for a while seemed like a good place to start. Of course, she couldn’t simply tell her to stay out of danger. Genevieve would never agree to that.

So Emily offered her something else.

"Think about it this way," she continued. "You want to avenge the people you lost, don’t you?"

Geneveive’s expression turned solemn. "Yes."

"Then why limit yourself to the battlefield?" Emily asked.

"The Iron Covenant didn’t attack Davos because a few mercenaries woke up one morning and decided to kill people. There were plans, resources, and people behind that attack. If you want to make sure something like this never happens again, you need to understand the forces that shape the world.

"Learning the art of politics and governance can also be a form of vengeance, Genevieve. One that might save more lives than you could ever save with a bow."

Genevieve fell silent. She had never given much thought to politics. It had always seemed like something distant, something left to nobles and powerful figures who spent their days arguing over treaties and trade agreements.

But Emily did have a point.

The Iron Covenant had nearly brought Davos to its knees. And even if she spent the next year killing every mercenary she could find, that alone wouldn’t prevent another attack.

Perhaps there was more she could do.

"How long will the delegation stay in Greyreach?" she finally asked.

Emily hid her relief behind a smile. "That depends on how the discussions proceed. But I imagine you’ll have plenty of time to learn something useful."

"And I won’t be expected to sit through endless meetings without doing anything?" Genevieve asked.

"I make no promises about the meetings." Emily chuckled. "But I suspect you’ll find them more interesting than you expect."

Genevieve sighed. She thought for a few long moments before nodding. "Very well. I’ll go."

"Excellent."

She then said after a pause, "Humor me for a moment, dear. There’s something I’m curious about."

Emily waved a hand, and a moment later, a scene appeared before them. Through divination, she had conjured a recording of the Red Gala.

Genevieve paled. That was a nightmare she would rather forget.

Thankfully, Emily hid most of the recording and focused only on Adam and Genevieve fighting their way through the massacre.

More precisely, she focused on Adam.

The young man charged into the enemy ranks, blade in hand. He weaved between attacks, cutting down foes before they could react.

When enemies tried to surround him, he unleashed spells to break their formation. When stronger opponents blocked his path, he confronted them head-on, using every trick at his disposal to bring them down.

He fought with reckless abandon, yet every movement was calculated. And as he spilled blood across the battlefield, he laughed.

Adam’s strange laughter echoed through the Known Lord’s office.

The recording ended.

Emily turned to Genevieve, who now looked rather embarrassed.

"What’s the matter with that boy? Is he... mad?"

Genevieve forced a smile. "He has a condition. From childhood, I think."

Emily was secretly dumbfounded. "So he’s actually mad?"

"No! No!" Genevieve quickly waved her hands. "It’s the laughter. He just... laughs. All the time. Well, most of the time."

Emily stared at her for a few moments, speechless.

"I assure you, my lady, Adam’s mental faculties are perfectly fine," Genevieve added hurriedly. "He’s actually quite intelligent. He just has a rather peculiar way of expressing himself."

"By laughing while slaughtering enemies?" Emily rolled her eyes.

Genevieve opened her mouth, then closed it.

"...When you put it that way, it does sound a little strange."

She hesitated before asking, "Is Adam in some kind of trouble, my lady?"

Emily smirked. "Why would you think that?"

"Well, you seemed rather concerned about him."

"Concerned?" Emily chuckled. "No, dear. It was merely a passing curiosity. I’ve simply never seen anyone laugh so cheerfully while painting the battlefield red. Quite the combatant, though. I will give him that."

"I see." Genevieve let out a small sigh of relief.

She then rose from her chair and gave a small bow. "If that is all, I shall take my leave. And thank you for the opportunity, my lady."

"Think nothing of it." Emily waved a hand. "I’m sure you’ll do Davos proud."

Emily watched as the young woman left her office.

Only when the door closed did she let out a soft sigh.

She continued watching the recording of Adam’s fighting style, her eyes gleaming with interest.

So this is the Flowing River.

The Emperor’s very own sword art.

Fascinating...

Share