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Thank you so much for making the novel accessible. You do not know how much of a lifesaver you are becuase the Wattpad translation costs THREE THOUSAND in my currency π. Which is a lot to charge for a novel, like bro I'm all for buying it but holy shit temper it down a little. I want to start reading it but since I can't pay rn I feel super guilty about reading without paying. What do I do??? π
We're very happy that we could make the novel accessible to a wider audience! We certainly understand the pain of paying a lot of cash for a webnovel... (οΏ£οΉοΏ£οΌ)(οΏ£οΉοΏ£οΌ)
That said, we quickly realized that paying for digital access to a novel is not the same as owning one. All those who paid for access to the Yonder translation, no matter how much it cost them, can no longer read the novel on there because the site no longer exists. And maybe one day Wattpad will decide hosting a webnovel won't be worth it to them either and that will be gone too.
We also want to ensure the people who made the story we love so much get paid their dues. But. BK Moon will not be affected by your choice, and he will not be hurting from a single english archival copy of the novel he wrote. Perhaps you could treat WattPad like a tip jar - buy a handful of chapters as a thank you, but feel free to finish reading on your own personal copy of the epub.
Do not stress yourself over reading the novel if it's going to ruin your day. The world is already stressful enough. We hope this silly, lovely, heart-thumping novel will brighten your day instead, however you choose to read it. (γοΏ£οΈΆοΏ£)δΊΊ(οΏ£οΈΆοΏ£γ)
oooh my goodness you are such a lifesaver. i've been having a crisis since i realized yonder was going down, and then BAM! you appeared! with the whole reason i was on yonder to start with. i love this novel so so so much and that i can now go back and read it at my leisure is SO relieving and aaaaa. you are a miracle worker. thank you thank you thank you!!!!
Hurrah!! We're so happy we whipped up this work before Yonder could be taken down! Now anyone (including us!) can access the novel whenever their heart desires. We're happy we could bring you joy! (oοΎvοΎ)(oοΎvοΎ)γ
URE SO REAL FOR HAVING THE NOVEL AVAILABLE OMG I WAS FIGHTING FOR MY LIFE FINDJNF WHERE TO READ IT
Yay, we're happy we could help you out! (βΒ΄β‘`β)/\(βΒ΄β‘`β) We understand the struggle of wanting to read the novel, and wanted to share the joy!
Hi, thank you a lot for this translation! You did amazing job and I was so happy to dive into reading without any worries about unlocking chapters!
We are so very glad you enjoyed it! It was our goal to make it easier to get access to the novel and we're very happy to have succedeed! And thank you so much for your kind words γΎ(β§β½β¦*)oq(β§β½β¦q)!!
I'm so grateful I found this blog, I trawled through reddit threads looking for a translation that I didn't have to "unlock" each day, especially since Yonder is closing now. Thank you for your hard work, I'm sure having an epub will make my reading experience a lot better
We're so happy we could provide this blog! Every day we creep closer to Yonder's shut down, the happier we are that we backed up the english translation for posterity.
We hope you enjoy your reading journey! γ½(οΏ£ΟοΏ£(οΏ£ΟοΏ£γ)γ
Thank you so much for this! I was paying on-off to read on YONDER and today when I opened the app to read a chapter I got hit by the message that they are shutting down the app and no one will have access to their unlocked chapters after July. This wasn't the only novel I was reading on there, but they all were littered with typos and editing mistakes (eg leaving in multiple versions of the same passage), I wish they could have just made the service better instead of choosing Wattpad over it ;_;
We're so so so happy to do so! γ½(οΏ£ΟοΏ£(οΏ£ΟοΏ£γ)γ
We didn't realize our work would be so helpful so quickly - the impending shut down of Yonder feels like we just barely succeeded in snatching this translation from the jaws of death. If we hadn't lit a fire under our butts (for fun!) to get this done as quick as we could, those seeking the english translation might never have had the chance to read such a charming novel after July 2025! It's disheartening that in the near future, we will have no way to officially support the novel specifically, or future translations (or better translations. We also noticed many of those sorts of errors on Yonder...). But alas. Corporations are gonna corporate.
Regardless of everything though - fandom marches on! Happy reading dear readers.
We hope you have enjoyed this novel (or will enjoy if you've just arrived at this blog)! With all 408 chapters now posted, that's the full novel available for everyone to read γΎ(β’Οβ’`)o.
It's been a joy to share our little project here, as we were simply happy to give more people easier access to this novel!
We hope to, perhaps one day soon, have an epub version created, but for now we will be taking a breather (as Lloyd would demand worker's proper resting rights). Please enjoy this blog in the meantime!
Thank you for joining us on this endeavor βΈ(ΛΆα΅ α΅ α΅ΛΆ)βΈβ§!
The king of hell flapped his wings fiercely as he flew around in the space.
Whoosh.
It was vast and mostly empty. The king lifted his chin and examined the movement patterns of every moving thing in the vicinity, before descending.
Whoosh!
Six legs were folded as the wings zapped. The former ruler of the underworld viciously and ruthlessly landed near his target.
Thud!
The king of hell satisfactorily licked his lips as he looked pompously around like the force of nature he was.
Feeble things around him grabbed his attention. The king of hell violently swept through the small crumb of chips... or so he thought. A fly swatter flew his way.
Wham!
The swatter slammed against the desk, and the king of hell barely managed to escape doom and flew away in time. He flapped his wings even more viciously to continue traveling, as colossal humans conversed with one another.
"Oh, no. It got away. You're terrible, girl."
"Ugh, it's not like I can use the spray in the hospital."
"Just give me the swatter."
"Oh, yeah? Let's see how you do it then."
"Watch and learn, haha."
The two nurses by the neatly maintained desk lightly bantered, and the king of hell instinctively knew it was dangerous here. He needed to get away. The fly's flapping of wings became even more diligent as he quickly traveled across the hallway of the hospital as the voice of the news reporter spoke through an old-school television in one of the rooms.
"Bringing news from the Lillehammer Winter Olympics. I'm sure everyone still remembers the outstretched leg of the skater who won the Republic of Korea the first gold medal in the Winter Olympics history. The same skater, Kihun Kim, has delivered another scintillating run to win gold in men's short-track skating for 1,000 meters. Connecting to a live reporter at the scene."
Buzz.
The sound from the television declined as the king of hell viciously flapped his wings and moved away from it. The fly continued traveling and headed inside the elevator, from which he barely escaped after ascending and descending a few floors. He then fiercely flew in the hallway of a different floor of the hospital, until a certain man clapped with pinpoint accuracy.
Slap! Pop!
The king of hell, who had ruled over the underworld tyrannously and mercilessly, was reborn into the body of a fly in a whole new dimension. And he just ended his new life.
"Eww. Why is there a stinking fly in the hospital?"
The man in his mid-thirties wiped his hand with the handkerchief, not realizing what accomplishment he had just made by slaying the supreme being that used to manage the underworld across the dimensions. He had no idea that the nonchalant clapping of his hands just crushed this force of nature to death. The man continued walking down the hallway until he saw an old man sitting on the bench and greeted him.
"You really don't have to. I don't want you to go through the trouble."
"No, it's okay. How can I leave, when my grandson is struggling to survive?"
"But you should still get some rest. You haven't rested for some time."
"Tsk. I can't bring myself to."
"I'm sure it's going to be alright. He's a bit underweight, but the doctor said he's breathing fine. He should be able to get out of that thing after a day or two."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
The man and the old father-in-law stared through the transparent glass and watched the incubator inside the room. A boy was resting in one of them. It was the villainous and impish, original Lloyd Frontera that had just been reborn into the body of the infant.
They speak with an interesting accent, not to mention how loudly he talks. Hmm. I suppose I am his son.
He was just born in the morning and couldn't even open his eyes to see anything yet. He could still hear the conversation from outside of the room, especially because the man and the old father-in-law spoke loudly and clearly.
They sure talk a lot.
The bum Lloyd instantly realized they were his new family. He grumbled because he had wished to be reborn as a whale out in the ocean. He wondered what kind of world he was in, as he recalled what he had just experienced at the gate of rebirth.
The gate felt so strange.
He had finally gotten some peace for the first time since his death, after bidding farewell to the fake Lloyd, Suho Kim, who had stolen his original body on the platform at the end of the underworld. Real Lloyd was able to step through the portal of rebirth thanks to fake Lloyd's kindness and help.
Ha. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be grateful or mad at him.
He chuckled out of confusion. While he resented the fact that the fake Lloyd had stolen his body and thus caused him to wander restlessly between the underworld and the human realm like an apparition, he was grateful for the help the fraudster provided after the coincidental encounter in the underworld.
Thank you, Suho.
The bum Lloyd internally expressed his gratitude and strengthened his resolve to lead a new life, remembering the kindness Suho had shown him in the underworld to help him pass through the gate of rebirth. He also regretted how he led his previous life.
Father, mother, and Julian.
It was heartbreaking to think about his family. Although there were things he particularly did not like about them, he could only think of all the mischief and trouble he had caused as the eldest son of the house. He regretted having yelled out in anger to his father. He regretted having failed to listen to his mother. He regretted having failed to treat his younger brother Julian with more love.
And Javier Asrahan.
He also recalled the dirty look his bodyguard gave him.
Right. You must have found me so despicable.
He acknowledged that it was a fair assessment of his character. Lloyd realized that he had nothing to complain about, even if the scorn was from his own parents or brother Julian. There was no room for any excuses to come into play. He was trashy and unworthy. He was a bum. He had only caused inconveniences for others.
I am so sorry, everyone.
The bum Lloyd shed tears out of regret. He repented, but it was too late. So he decided to work hard and be benevolent in the second lease in life. He wanted to lead the life that Suho Kim had, helping others instead of causing trouble. He strengthened his resolve and reiterated this to himself. He was determined not to forget this new attitude and mindset, which were going to fade away soon due to the law of rebirth.
I clearly heard what to expect after being reborn. I would retain a part of my memory from the previous life pertaining to the intellectual ability of my new body, but even that should fade away fairly quickly.
He heard he would forget all memories from his past life, the moment he heard his name for the first time. The bum Lloyd desperately tried to engrave this mindset and attitude within himself before it was too late.
The conversation between his new father and maternal grandfather could be heard from outside the room.
"By the way. Have you thought of a name for the kid?"
"Huh?"
"So you don't, yet," said the old man.
"Well, I do have something in my mind," replied the father awkwardly.
"I see. But you should still hear an old man out."
"I'm listening."
"I actually consulted a renowned shaman and got a really good name that would bring him good fortune."
"From... a shaman?"
"Yeah. Looking at the kid's birth hour, day, and year, he suggested a perfect name."
"What is it?"
"Palbong. Palbong Kim."
β...β
"Well? Do you like it?"
The man remained silent. The bum Lloyd was in a state of emergency.
Tell him no! What kind of name is that?!
Lloyd knew not what were trendy, cool names in this universe, but the name the old man just suggested sent chills down his spine for some reason.
No. I don't know why, but no. That's not the name. Come on, dad! Decline it! Who names his child Palbong?!
Lloyd genuinely began cheering for his father like a sports team. To his relief, the support seemed to have reached him.
"Well, uhm..." said the man in an uneasy tone.
"What is it?"
"Can you please reconsider?"
"Why? Do you not like Palbong?"
"Uh, well... I really appreciate how you went out of your way to get a recommendation and all, but Palbong is just... not fit."
"Why? Because it sounds too old-school? That's nothing to worry about. A boy's name should be old-school and conventional!"
"But still..."
"Hahaha, but I paid 200 dollars for this name."
β...β
"He's going to lead a good life, without any trouble with this name."
The man became speechless again, causing the bum Lloyd to internally shout out more desperately.
Old man? Gramps? Are you out of your mind? Was that name blessed by priests or something? Why would you play around with somebody's name?!
He was afraid of being given the terrifyingly horrible name the old man suggested. The bum Lloyd shivered in anxiety, but it didn't conclude that moment.
"Very well, please give me some time to think about it."
"Understood."
The voices of the two men faded away. It appeared that they were going somewhere while conversing with one another. The bum Lloyd breathed a sigh of relief and felt extreme fatigue all of a sudden.
Phew. Thank goodness. For now.
It was fortuitous that he wasn't given that name at the moment thanks to his new father's intervention. It was clear his father did not like that name.
Come on. Be more assertive. It's your own son!
The bum Lloyd desperately wished for his father to express his thoughts more clearly. But he gradually felt more fatigued and tired, and couldn't overcome the urge to fall asleep.
I guess it's because I'm a newborn...
He couldn't resist. Lloyd fell asleep like that, and couldn't think of anything anymore. It was comfortable and cozy. He was sound asleep.
β£Β
He did not know how many hours had passed when he fully woke back up. He recalled how he had awakened a few times in the middle of the sleep, only to pass out again.
He tried to pay attention to his surroundings, which clearly felt a bit different. The air was different as well. The cozy warmth surrounded him as if somebody was holding him, and the voices of people were louder than ever.
"Oh, he woke up."
It was the voice of the man from before, but in a whispering manner, followed by the voice of a woman.
"Honey. Are you sure about that name?"
"Yeah. I don't think we can persuade your father, so we'll just have to do it."
"But he may be upset if he finds out about it. He even went to the shaman."
"It's okay. Do you want to name our kid Palbong?"
"...No."
"See? I thought the same. I love my father-in-law, but that's a bit of a stretch."
The conversation was clearly between his new father and mother. The bum Lloyd breathed a sigh of relief, as it appeared that his parents were intent on declining the terrible name.
I wonder what my new name is going to be.
It was going to be decided soon, and he would forget the memories from his past life the moment he was called by the new name so he could lead a whole new life.
And I won't screw up this time. I swear.
He recalled everyone that he felt sorry for from his previous life such as his family and knights in his service, and vowed again never to forget this mindset even if all memories were lost. A huge hand approached the baby as he strengthened his resolve, and cautiously and gently touched him on the forehead.
"You're so small and adorable."
"Stop. You're going to make him cry."
"Even if he does, he'll still be so cute."
"Haha."
"Alright then, we agree on the name, right?"
The woman's body slightly rocked as she held the baby. It appeared that she was nodding to her husband's response. The bum Lloyd nervously anticipated what kind of name he'd be given. He was curious about the new life that was ahead of him. He was full of worries and excitement at the same time.
And the gentle voice of his new father graced his ears.
"Do you hear me? This is your dad. I'm so excited about raising a boy."
...Huh?
That was when the bum Lloyd began forgetting things. Memories about the Frontera Estate when he was young, the picnic he went on with his family, and when he made fun of Javier and ran away began to fade away and pop like bubbles, one by one.
"My boy."
The moments he cherished and loved slowly but surely disappeared with each word his new father spoke.
"Suho Kim, my beautiful son."
The gentle touch from his father's hand on the baby's cheeks caused the former bum Lloyd to put a smile on his face. The baby Suho Kim was genuinely delighted to start anew.
The six-year-old royal princess Charlotte Frontera Magentano confusedly stared into the air, still half-asleep. At the receiving end of her gaze was the system message window.
"Random... Creature... Summon...?"
She had never seen this before. But ever since she was just a baby, she would see strange texts and hear unexpected voices telling her she had won someone's favor and some RP as rewards. The royal princess hadn't paid much attention to this, because the world was full of other interesting things to engage in, and because others were probably going through the same thing. In her mind, this was completely normal.
"...Creature?"
But it felt different this time. Charlotte quickly woke up from the slumber and examined the message again, as though she had forgotten about using the toilet.
[Would you like to perform a Conditional Random Draw?]
[YES / NO]
The child selected yes without even realizing it. She couldn't care less about anything else such as how much RP she had accumulated thus far, and how much it cost to perform the random draw. Nothing else mattered to her at the moment save the result that followed.
Ding-dong!
[Performing Random Special Creature Draw.]
The royal princess spent 500 RP. A small something transpired five steps in front of the little girl, on the floor of the bedroom.
Flash...
Pale light graced the luxurious rug, and it soon formed complex shapes to turn into a magical seal emanating mysterious glitters.
Wh-whoa...
Charlotte's small jaw dropped from the phenomenon. She knew not what was going on, but her little heart was beating fast with excitement.
Bzzt! The magical seal sparked, and something ascended from the floor. It flew towards the princess straight into her arms.
"Roo-roo!"
"...Whoa!"
Small, round butt, relatively large hind legs, smaller forelegs and paws, chubby tail, huge pupils, and round face, not to mention an adorable pouch by the belly. It was clear.
"A baby kangaroo?"
"Roo-roo!"
"Really? That's what you are?"
"Roo-roo! Roo-roo!"
"You're happy to be summoned for the first time?"
"Roo-roo!"
"I'm so glad to meet you as well!"
The small, cute baby kangaroo looked up at the princess from her arms. Charlotte quickly fell in love with the special creature and was overjoyed at the feeling of accomplishment. She had successfully summoned a creature of her own just like Papa had. This was her first special creature friend.
"Hehehehe. Hahahaha."
Charlotte jumped for joy in the spot with the baby kangaroo Roong still in her arms, who responded with a smile of its own. The royal princess glanced at Roong again and asked.
"Uhm."
"Roo-roo?"
"What about your mommy?"
"Roo-roo!"
"You don't have a mommy?"
"Roo-roo!"
"Don't you miss her?"
"Roo-roo!"
"I'm your mommy and family now?"
"Roo!"
Roong nodded robustly, before taking something out of the pouch.
"Roo-roo!"
"...Huh?"
Roong was holding a small piece of paper folded multiple times.
"Is this for me?" The royal princess asked.
"Roo-roo!"
"You want me to open it?"
"Roo!"
"...Okay."
Charlotte took the paper and unfolded it. Fortunately for her, early education in the royal capital had made her literate at a young age.
"Hmm. So this is the instruction on how to utilize you, Roong?"
"Roo-roo!" Replied Roong with glitters in its eyes. Charlotte quickly read the instructions.
[Roong Instruction Manual]
[Roong is an adorable kangaroo that needs your love and care.]
[Roong will remain absolutely loyal to the summoner. A special creature summoned this way is a life companion and family; please do NOT ever abandon the summon.]
[Roong can change its size by consuming the two types of sunflower seeds that are complimentary to the manual.]
[Red Sunflower Seed: It will turn Roong into a giant state. Giant form duration: 12 hours]
[Blue Sunflower Seed: It will shrink Roong back to its original size if consumed before the 12-hour duration expires. Roong will return to normal without consuming the seed after 12 hours pass, but will enter a state of fatigue and growth will be unavailable for the next 24 hours.]
[It costs 1 RP to purchase a set of 2-color Sunflower Seeds.]
[Roong offers a variety of skills while in giant mode.]
[Roong's Skills]
[Big Jump (Lv. 1)]
[Power Hug (Lv. 1)]
[Drop Kick (Lv. 1)]
[Recovery Pouch (Lv. 1)]
Whoa...
Charlotte was genuinely astounded. She still didn't understand what skills meant, but it certainly looked so cool.
What about this?
The child opened the small pack that came with the manual, in which were ten red and ten blue sunflower seeds. The color and shapes of the seeds were so fascinating, that she inadvertently grabbed some.
"Nom. Ugh. Ptoo."
But it did not taste great. Charlotte wiped her lips and stared at Roong.
"Roong."
"Roo-roo?"
"Do you really become big if you eat this?"
"Roo-roo!"
"Really? How big?"
"Roo-roo!"
"That big?!"
"Roo!"
Roong proudly stretched out its small arms.
"Whoa."
Charlotte wondered just how big was that big.
As big as Unco Ppodo?
Full of curiosity and anticipation, the little princess picked up a red sunflower seed.
"Roong. Can you eat it?"
"Roo-roo!"
"You want me to step back?"
"Roo-roo!"
"How many steps?"
"Roo-roo!"
"All the way there?"
"Roo!"
Charlotte quickly scurried off to the spot Roong pointed at, after handing over the sunflower seed to the small beast. She then watched ecstatically from the side, as the kangaroo consumed the red seed.
"Roo!" Nom.
And... the result was phenomenal. Roong now stood nearly forty feet tall.
Wh-whoa!
The floor crumbled from the weight of the enlarged creature, and the bedroom broke apart upon contact with the expanded butt. The head and shoulders of the summon also broke through the ceiling, and the furniture and fixtures in the process.
Crumble! Rumble! Crush!
The prestigious table passed down to all royal princesses of the kingdom shattered, not to mention the rocking chair, a cushioned sofa that served as the trampoline, the containers holding drawing and painting tools, silver candlesticks, and chandeliers. The bedroom of the royal princess had turned into an absolute shipwreck, but Charlotte hadn't sustained any injuries thanks to Roong's timely intervention with her enlarged hands.
"Whoa! Amazing!"
Charlotte's eyes sparkled with excitement. She was now holding a blue sunflower seed in her hand.
"This, too, then!"
"Roo-roo!"
The forty-foot tall, muscular kangaroo opened its mouth, and Charlotte threw the seed into it.
"Roo-roo!" Nom.
And the result was instant.
Poof!
Roong was a small, baby kangaroo again, as if it hadn't turned into a giant. Charlotte became ecstatic. She couldn't care less about the wrecked furniture in her bedroom.
"Let's do it again!"
She took out the red seed again.
"Roo!" Nom.
Crush!
The kangaroo instantly grew to forty feet again, breaking other heritage items within the bedroom. Guards on duty outside of the royal princess's chamber were flabbergasted by the mysterious event. They had been, ever since the first growth.
"Y-your Highness! Are you alright?!"
"Your Highness!"
"Urgh! The door won't budge!"
"Push harder!"
The broken bed and other fixtures had blocked the entrance to the chamber, causing the guards to panic outside.
"Break it!"
Thwoosh! Crush!
Each of the elite guards on duty was at least an intermediate sword expert. The door broke down along with the fixture blocking the path thanks to their endeavor, turning Charlotte pale in the process.
"...I think I'm in trouble."
The little child finally saw the catastrophic aftermath of what she had done.
"Roong. What should I do? I'm gonna be in trouble."
"Roo-roo?"
"C-can you take me and run away?"
"Roo-roo!"
Roong nodded robustly in response. In fact, the enlarged beast thought it was a walk in the park.
"Roo-roo!"
The kangaroo stretched out its enlarged hand and picked up the child cautiously, before placing the princess in its cushiony, comfortable pouch. Charlotte felt warmth and coziness from within, as she saw the system message window pop up again.
Ding-dong.
[You have entered Roong's pouch in giant mode.]
[Conditions for Roong's skill Recovery Pouch have been met.]
[Skill will activate immediately.]
[Recovery Pouch]
[You will recover from fatigue and most injuries with 20 times more efficiency while you stay within the pouch of Roong. It also offers unusual comfort of sleep, even to those that suffer from Swordmaster Syndrome.]
Stomp! Roong stomped on the floor while Charlotte was busy reading the message. The forty-foot, colossal, and muscular kangaroo then jumped forward and crushed the wall, leaping across in the air from a five-story height. The royal guards on duty by the royal garden saw something they could bring up again and again while having a drink with their friends.
Thump!
The landing was massive and shocking. But the beast stomped on the ground again, before it stopped shaking.
Stomp!
"Wh-what the hell is that?"
"Her Royal Highness has been abducted!"
"What?! Stop the beast!"
"S-stop what? Urgh!"
The gorgeous, well-maintained royal garden was no more, as the forty-foot tall kangaroo wreaked absolute havoc, uprooting trees and boulders from the ground and leaving royal soldiers panicking in its wake. The huge commotion reached the ears of Lloyd and Queen Alicia, who had been enjoying their beauty sleep on the bed next to each other, and woke them up.
"What's going on?" Asked Queen Alicia, looking out through the window.
"Uhm... That looks like a special summon," replied Lloyd, who was just as confused.
"Special summon? Like Sir Ppodong and Sir Bangul?"
"Yeah."
"How do you know?"
"Because that gigantic kangaroo just shouted out Roo-roo. And I can understand it."
"What did it say?"
"Well..."
"Speak."
"It said... I love playing with my new master! I love my master Charlotte!"
β...β
"So, basically..."
"That kangaroo was summoned by our child," the queen intervened.
"Looks like it."
"Are you hearing things?"
"No."
"Did you drink without my knowledge?"
"No."
"...Well, but our child isn't in danger."
"Except the royal guards probably are."
β...β
Lloyd and Alicia breathed a deep sigh at the same time as they looked out at the garden full of uprooted trees and boulders, through which the colossal kangaroo was frolicking joyfully. They then saw the face of their daughter inside the pouch of the creature, as well as those of royal guards who clearly seemed flabbergasted. Something had to be done. The wife and husband quickly made eye contact and changed into everyday clothes.
"Hang onto me, since time is of the essence."
"Okay," Lloyd followed immediately, as Queen Alicia carried Lloyd like the knight in shining armor carrying the princess and jumped out the window.
Step. Dash!
Having landed softly like a cat, Alicia did not hesitate to dash towards the gigantic kangaroo. Lloyd shouted out while hanging tightly onto her arms.
"Hey! Kangaroo! Stop it!"
"Roo-roo�"
Roong paused for the first time at the voice of a human that sounded rather familiar and friendly. It was the first time it heard a voice like this aside from its master Charlotte.
"Papa...?"
"Yeah. Papa and mama."
"Ugh," said Charlotte, before completely placing her head inside the pouch.
"Daughter! Time to stop playing! You must go to sleep!" Lloyd shouted out more desperately.
β...β
"I won't get mad! I promise!"
"...Promise?" Charlotte took a peek out again and looked down on the ground. Mama and Papa were staring at her, but not with the intent to scold her.
"Of course! I promise!" Lloyd shouted again.
"Really?"
"Really!"
"But you're gonna say that wasn't what you meant."
"I promise as well," said Queen Alicia.
"Really?" Charlotte's response was finally bright. She looked at Roong and spoke.
"Roong!"
"Roo-roo?"
"These are my parents!"
"Roo-roo!"
"Time to eat this!"
Charlotte took out the blue sunflower seed and fed it to Roong, who became small in an instant. Lloyd quickly reacted and captured the falling child with his arms.
"There. I got you."
"Tee-hee."
"Tee-hee? This isn't funny, my princess."
"...But you promised you won't get mad."
"Well, I certainly did," replied Lloyd, before turning his gaze to his wife. "Tsk."
Alicia shook her head, and there was nothing else Lloyd could do except ask Charlotte what he wanted to know.
"Are you alright? Did you get injured?"
"No. I'm fine."
"Did you get hurt?"
"No."
"Okay, then how did you summon Roong?"
"Random draw!"
"...What?!"
Lloyd was astonished by his daughter's response. He had thought he was the only one that was able to perform such a task.
"You did... a random draw?"
"Yeah!"
"Did you by any chance... see strange texts in the air?"
"I did!"
The response that followed confirmed Lloyd's suspicions.
"I have RP too!"
"You have RP...?"
"Yeah! I had RP since I was a baby!"
"How much?"
"53!"
"Haha. Hahaha."
Lloyd burst out laughing. It was surprising and cute. But he was yet to be done.
"And some circles after 53."
"Circles?! Zero, you mean?"
"Yeah!"
"How many?"
Lloyd was flabbergasted. He finally realized that the child had seen the system message ever since her birth, and saved RP as she grew.
But she didn't show any signs, not because she deliberately tried to hide it, but because she thought seeing the system message and collecting RP was a natural thing that everyone probably did. It was so natural, just like water and air in the atmosphere. She probably didn't find this strange at all.
Perhaps she grew up thinking that everyone around her was constantly being harassed by such messages, Lloyd thought.
But zeros after 53...? The estate developer wondered just how much RP his daughter had. Maybe 530... or even 5,300.
Even that was an immense amount, as he had about 7,000 RP when he was battling the king of hell, and had gathered a little more than 20,000 RP in the past eight years.
Adorable.
Lloyd was delighted to know that the child he dearly cherished had inherited this strange skill and ability. It was cute that his only daughter had gathered what little RP she could like treasure. But yet another shocking information awaited him, as Charlotte folded and unfolded her small fingers.
"Uhm... One. Two. Three. Four. Four circles!"
"...Four?!"
"Yeah!"
"Hold on a sec. So you have... 530,000 RP?!"
"Yeah!"
β...β
Lloyd felt like he was struck by an extraterrestrial being from the galaxy. It was as if he was bragging about winning five dollars in front of someone who had won the jackpot.
"W-well, I see. Listen."
"Yeah."
"Daddy will teach you how to best use RP. Okay?"
"Okay!"
"Shall we go back and get some sleep?"
"But I don't have a bed. My bedroom broke."
"It's okay," replied Lloyd with a satisfactory smile, as he picked up his daughter and gently tapped his wife on her shoulders. "You can come and sleep with mommy and daddy."
It was time for the three of them to share the bed, and it was going to stay that way for some time. Lloyd turned around, looked at everyone, and spoke with a huge smile on his face.
"Right?"
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Poor Master Lloyd, thought the silver-haired knight Javier, satisfactorily chuckling to himself. He's going to be the weakest link in the family at this rate.
He wasn't wrong. The scoundrel of a lord he served, whose body had been taken over by Suho Kim from another dimension, was once a swordmaster. That was Duke Lloyd Frontera, prince consort of the kingdom. He had even once led the attack on the underworld, eventually losing his physical body in the final battle against the king of hell before returning to the original body of Suho Kim in Seoul, Republic of Korea. He lost the mana heart and circle he had worked so hard to obtain, in the process.
I thought he was going to get them back easily, but...
Javier had expected his master to pick them back up without a problem, but he was wrong.
I had no idea how stagnant his progress would be.
In fact, those who had once made immense accomplishments found it easy to climb back to the top after years of hiatus relatively easily. However, the Lloyd who had returned in Suho Kim's body was different.
It's as if he had stolen everyone else's incompetence and kept it for himself.
Regardless of how rigorous he trained under the instruction of Queen Alicia, Lloyd had failed to make any significant progress. It's been eight years since his return, but he was still a low-grade sword expert.
I remember he said he'd saved some RP for the moment when he would suffer from the Swordmaster Syndrome.
Javier wondered what RP even stood for. Lloyd was still the same mysterious guy as he always had been.
"Unco Javia!"
A bubbly voice full of sincere delight graced his ears and woke him up from reminiscing. Javier lifted his head extremely slightly to greet the small girl who had already approached him.
"Unco Javia! I just did whoosh-whoosh! Did you see?"
"I certainly did. That was amazing, Your Royal Highness," replied Javier, as he carefully and gently stroked the child's hair with his rough hand, causing her to put a huge, satisfactory smile on her face.
"Ehehe! He said amazing!"
The child ran back the way she came like a golden retriever on the loose and began playing with the wooden training sword by the arena with the clear excitement still lingering on her face. Her movement was impressive, to say the least. In fact, it was astounding for a six-year-old girl, who was just about to turn seven in a few days of time. She was already on the verge of making the breakthrough into a low-tier sword expert.
Such an amazing talent.
Charlotte Frontera Magentano, the royal princess, most definitely took after her mother. She was already showing immense talent in sword-fighting. Javier, the swordsmanship instructor of the princess, suspected she would surpass her own father in three years at this rate.
Thank goodness she didn't take after Master Lloyd.
She did exhibit certain sides from time to time that made Javier wonder if she had gotten it from her father Lloyd, though. Right now was such a moment.
"But unco."
"I'm listening, Your Highness."
"You promised. You have to keep your promise."
Charlotte had finished her sword-play and asked Javier again. The grandmaster confusedly asked.
"Promise? I'm not sure I follow."
"You said you were going to give me a present if I did whoosh-whoosh."
"...Please don't tell me..."
"You did."
"No, no. I'm not denying the fact I made the promise."
"Then?"
"I just couldn't believe that you still remember the promise, Your Highness."
"I did!" Charlotte robustly nodded her small head. "You showed me this when I was three. You said if I do this whoosh-whoosh, you were going to give me a present."
β...β
"And I just did whoosh-whoosh."
β...β
"But you tried to get away with just amazing."
β...β
Javier wondered if the royal princess had asked for the compliment in order to see if he still remembered the promise he had made a long time ago.
β...β
It sent minor chills down his spine. Every time she showed this side of herself, Javier saw Lloyd in her. In fact, she did not care one bit about the things that did not concern her but was extremely meticulous and persistent when it was related to her gain. She did not wish to compromise one bit, down to every penny. She was the little Lloyd back when Javier tagged along to the adventures he had gone on.
Whew.
Princess Charlotte had gotten the incredible physical talent from her highly prolific swordmaster mother, and the wits from the world's cheapest father. Javier wondered just how deadly she was going to grow into, yet suppressed the feeling with a smile on the surface. He then crouched down to make eye contact with the princess and beamed the way he would never in front of anyone else.
"Please forgive me, Your Royal Highness. I really did not expect you to still remember the promise."
"It's okay, Unco Javia. It's not your fault."
"What do you mean?"
"Papa said nobody remembers the promise to give something without a written contract."
β...β
"So the person that is receiving something has to remember it."
β...β
"He said I have to think about everything I need to receive before the bedtime story every night."
"H-he did?"
"Yeah!"
β...Alright. I will give you a present as I promised."
"Really?!"
"Of course. What kind of present do you want, Your Royal Highness?"
Javier responded with a genuine smile, expecting some kind of a cute answer from the smart and talented trainee. He was ready to give candy, a new dress or shoes, or even a new training sword.
Anything.
Javier was determined to get her anything in his power.
"Special summon."
"Huh?"
"I want a summoned creature," said Charlotte, in a clear and eloquent manner. "Unco Ppodo is chubby, cushiony, and soft. Aunt Bangul is gentle and kind. Unco Hama is funny. Unco Bibo is fat and I like playing on his belly. Unco Ggomi is fun to ride on. But they only listen to Papa."
"So you want your own special summon?"
"Yeah! I want a creature of my own!"
"Your Royal Highness."
"Yeah."
"Please forgive me. That isn't something I can do."
"Why not?"
"Because I don't know how and where to get a special summon," replied Javier, with a genuinely sorry smile on his face. He cautiously added so as to avoid disappointing the child. "Sir Ppodong, Bangul, Hamang, and Ggoming were all summoned by the duke, with the exception of Sir Bibeong who was most likely summoned by somebody else in the past. Unfortunately, I don't know how to summon creatures like that."
"...Aww..."
"Please forgive me. Hmm. What if we were to try this instead?"
"Huh?"
Light returned to the eyes of the child that was about to be disappointed. Javier responded with a smile on his face.
"It will be your seventh birthday, three days later."
"And?"
"Why don't you ask the duke for it for your birthday present?"
"Papa? For a summoned creature?"
"Yeah. I'm sure he'll be happy too, and he definitely knows how."
Javier was pretty positive Lloyd would go so far as to summon a special creature for his daughter as her birthday gift, although he may draft an agreement with his daughter who was going to turn seven in a few days.
Master Lloyd would never give anything away for free, especially a summoned creature, even if it was for his daughter's birthday.
Javier suspected Lloyd would demand something like a 20% cut in allowance, or a kiss on his cheeks on a daily basis.
He definitely would.
But the little kid standing in front of him was no pushover in negotiations like this. She was the daughter of the one-and-only, world's cheapest Lloyd. Javier had expected amazing business dealing skills to be put on display, and he was spot on.
"Papa!"
An hour passed, and Lloyd visited the training arena just when the session was about to be over. Princess Charlotte giggled and ran straight to her father's arms.
"I did whoosh-whoosh today!"
"Haha. Really?"
"Yeah! But Unco Javia didn't give me a present!"
"Hahaha. Really?"
"Yeah! But Unco Javia said you're going to give me a present instead!"
"Ahahaha... Really."
Glare! Lloyd immediately gave Javier a dirty look, but the grandmaster only nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders as he watched the tension rise between the father and the daughter.
"Papa. It's gonna be my birthday soon."
"Yeah, it is."
"Birthday present."
"What kind?"
"Special summon."
"But that's going to be really expensive."
"How much?"
"More expensive than him," replied Lloyd, pointing his finger at Javier. The grandmaster was clearly annoyed, but Lloyd continued casually. "Just kidding. But those things cost a lot. Is that going to be alright?"
"It's okay. How much?"
"Hmm. Six hundred kisses on Daddy's cheek?"
"Can I pay in installments?"
"No. Only a one-time payment would suffice."
"That's gonna be bad. My lips are gonna pop."
"Uh-oh. That's not good. Then do you want an installment?"
"Yeah!"
"As long as possible?"
"Yeah!"
"Then I will make it a six-hundred-day installment. You give me one kiss on Daddy's cheek per day."
"Okay!"
"But you know installments come with interests, right?"
"How much?"
"Hmm. I will be lenient on you. 10 percent interest, so that will be 60 extra kisses."
"...That's too much."
"You don't have to take the offer if you don't like it."
"Uh, I don't...don't like it."
"Then?"
"Your beard hurts if you don't shave, papa."
"So you want Daddy to shave every single day?"
"Yeah."
"Haha. Okay, then it is decided."
"Decided!"
"Okay, what do we need to do once something is decided?"
"Contract!"
"Good. That's my daughter."
Javier chuckled at the sight of father and daughter nonchalantly drafting and signing a contract on the spot, as he approached the duke.
"Master Lloyd. Are you sure about this?"
"Well, I guess it'll be alright if she likes the creature that I summon."
"I'm sure. If you would allow, I would like to wrap up today's lesson."
"Right. I will see you later."
"Be safe."
Lloyd left the training arena as Javier and Charlotte waved, and clenched his fist in excitement.
β¦Nice.
He had just won 660 kisses on his cheek from his daughter. That was two years' worth of supply.
And it was getting tougher to get kisses from her as of late. Thank goodness.
Lloyd lightheartedly headed back, with one of his biggest concerns taken care of, with the intent to draw out the summon while he was at it since there was time.
And since even I don't know what kind of special creature would be summoned. Should I do the premium draw, with cute-looking as one of the requirements? I should, since I have more than enough RP anyway.
Lloyd still had RP with him even after returning to Seoul after the battle against the king of hell eight years ago. Because he couldn't really expend them, he had accumulated 27,595 RP by now.
I saved this up so I could instantly make the breakthrough to swordmaster after reaching the high-tier sword expert level. But I don't think I could make it that far at this rate.
He had saved this up just in case, but there was no reason for him to pick up his shovel or sword in battles anymore. The lack of strife and life-threatening events prevented him from making progress, but it didn't really matter.
My wife keeps me safe anyway.
The queen was the strongest swordmaster in the entire continent, second only to Javier. Since there was no particular reason to be stingy here, Lloyd decided to expend the RP and summon an awesome creature to satiate his daughter's desire. He went into the cozy living chamber reserved for himself and the queen alone and took a deep breath before summoning the system window.
[Premium Random Draw]
[Drastically increase the likelihood of drawing the special creature the summoner wishes to summon, by spending a little more
RP than usual.]
[Conditional Random Draw (2) = 1,200 RP]
[Current RP: 27,595]
[Would you like to perform a Conditional Random Draw?]
[YES / NO]
Yes, obviously.
Lloyd quickly selected YES, only to be met with an unexpected surprise.
Ding-dong!
[Your Random Draw attempt failed.]
What?
It was absolutely astonishing.
[A special summon is meant to be accompanied by you, and you alone. However, you have just attempted to summon a creature with the intent to transfer the ownership to someone else, defeating the fundamental purpose of this random draw. Therefore, your attempt has failed.]
What.
Lloyd was flabbergasted as he asked the system.
Ugh, but I'm trying to summon a creature to keep my daughter company. I can't even do that?
[No.]
The system replied adamantly.
Ugh.
Lloyd had no choice here. He couldn't override what the system had decided not to allow. No wit or clever tactic would suffice here, and Lloyd knew this from experience.
I must accept it. What a bummer.
It seemed that he had rejoiced about the deal to get a good amount of kisses from his daughter for nothing. He had to terminate the contract.
Tsk. I don't know how I'm going to explain this to her without hurting her feelings. And I wonder what she's going to demand as compensation for the breach.
Lloyd picked up some speed, as he thought the sooner he informed the other party, the less his daughter was going to be disappointed. To his relief, Javier and his daughter were still at the training arena, trying to wrap up today's session. Lloyd put on an honest, apologetic face and approached Charlotte.
"Uhm. My daughter?"
"Yes, Papa!"
"I am so sorry to tell you this, but about the contract."
"Huh?"
"I don't think it will be possible."
"What?"
"The special summon said it can't come by your birthday."
"Whaaaaat?"
"It can only come way later."
β...β
The young girl clearly became sulky, and Lloyd was flustered.
"So... I'm afraid I'm going to have to get you something else for your birthday. But Daddy will get you something way cuter and nicer."
β...β
The girl's eyes became teary. This was a state of emergency for Lloyd.
"Uh, Charlotte? Well, daddy will..."
Lloyd had to try his best to calm his daughter down for the entire evening. He was clearly having a tough time and had to endure the uneasy feeling. And he was still unable to.
Ugh. I guess I'll have to try again tomorrow.
Lloyd strengthened his resolve to successfully calm his daughter down the next morning before he went to bed next to his wife. He was willing to take her on a picnic to the outskirts of the royal capital in a nice carriage.
He had no idea that his six-year-old girl was starting to make use of the innate ability she was born with, even without realizing, that very moment.
Ding-dong!
[Random Draw]
[You may summon a special creature by spending RP.]
[The special summon will offer the summoner unconditional loyalty alongside various special abilities and services.]
[1 Draw = 50 RP]
Charlotte Frontera Magentano, the little royal princess who had woken up from her sleep to use the toilet, began seeing the system message windows in front of her as though it was fated.
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"Have you ever heard of the game of In Other's Shoes, Your Majesty?"
Lloyd's clear voice resounded off the wall of the bedroom, causing Queen Alicia to frown.
"In Other's Shoes?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Hmm. I can't say I have."
"I see."
"What does the game In Other's Shoes entail, that it will remove all fatigue from you?"
"It is a type of role-playing, Your Majesty."
"Role-playing."
"Yes, Your Majesty. To be precise, it is switching the roles between participants of the game."
"Then..."
"Yes, Your Majesty. It is just as you predict."
"So you'd dare suggest switching roles with me. What a preposterous thought."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Lloyd kept his eyes closed as he replied. Had this been an ordinary relationship between the liege and the vassal, it wouldn't be strange for Lloyd to head to the execution block immediately. It was contempt of the royal court, and could even be seen as treachery. He wouldn't have a chance to defend himself. However, Lloyd was confident.
Because I have the title Grace of Magentano, thought Lloyd as he recalled the title he had. Because I saved my queen's life once, I get absolute trust from her, and the opinion or advice I give mostly is accepted. She wouldn't ever suspect me of insurrection or treachery. This can work.
Lloyd thought while he could sustain a few punches to his throat, he wasn't going to be executed for treason. That confidence paid off, as the familiar message popped up in front of him soon.
Ding-dong!
[Your desire has triggered a certain title you possess.]
[Title <Grace of Magentano> begins to influence Queen Alicia.]
"Phew... I can't believe it."
As soon as that message popped up, the queen put up an empty chuckle on her face. She then proceeded to criticize my audacity in an ironically gentle tone.
"Lloyd Frontera. What should I say? I've never seen anyone like you."
"Y-your Majesty?"
"I mean it," said the queen as she stared at me, with a look on her face that suggested she wanted to smack me in the head. "Switching roles with me. Who in his or her right mind would dare propose something like that? You may be the bravest man I've ever seen in my life."
"Y-your grace knows no bounds."
"It's not a compliment."
"P-please forgive me!"
"It's not a threat, either."
"Th-then?"
"You have piqued my curiosity. I accept your bet."
"R-really, Your Majesty?"
"Do you think I would speak of anything without meaning it?"
"Of course not," said Lloyd quickly, before the queen changed her mind. He had to take advantage of the momentum. "Then what reward would you demand for winning the bet, Your Majesty?"
"A nighttime duel against you."
β...β
"A sparring match that is more fierce and competitive than ever."
β...β
"We will start while it's still dark, and battle against one another until the sunrise in the duel that feels like a real fight."
β...β
Lloyd was absolutely determined to win this bet no matter what now. In fact, he was already shaking from his legs at the thought of the dreadful reward.
"You wish to switch roles for the reward, while I want a sparring match. What kind of bet are we going to place?"
"I have something in my mind."
"Speak."
"Rock-paper-scissors."
"Hmm. Simple enough."
"Your grace knows no bounds."
Lloyd prostrated. Fortunately for him, the game of rock-paper-scissors was common in this universe as well.
"Just one round determines the winner."
"I accept," said the queen, as she rolled up the sleeve of her nightwear.
"Are you ready, Your Majesty?" Lloyd took a deep breath and asked.
"I am."
"Then, rock, paper..."
"Scissors saysβ¦"
The two contestants of the bet shouted out simultaneously.
"Shoot!"
Whoosh!
The two extended their respective hands, focusing on that of the opponent the entire time.
Hmm. So you're going to play... scissors, Lloyd Frontera.
Queen Alicia's eyes glittered with spark. Being one of the greatest swordmasters in the entire continent, she used her amazing dynamic visual acuity to examine the movement of joints, muscles, and tendons within Lloyd's hand in the blink of an eye. She was also agile enough to switch her hand in that short period.
I shall switch to rock, then.
The queen quickly clenched her fist, but saw another movement in Lloyd's hand. He was now clearly trying to open the rest of the fingers.
As expected.
Although Lloyd was inferior to the queen in terms of might, he was still a swordmaster too. Having realized that her vassal had decent dynamic visual acuity, Queen Alicia gave it another twist.
Whish!
As soon as Queen Alicia opened her index and middle finger, Lloyd saw the movement and internally shouted.
Urgent Foresight!
Ding-dong!
[Skill Option 7: Urgent Foresight is activated.]
[Your body temperature increases by 2Β°F due to the effect of the relic Tears of Summer.]
Whirr!
Lloyd's mana heart was quickly operated thanks to the relic Tears of Summer. Lloyd saw five seconds into the future and changed his hand according to what the future entailed, from paper to rock, and from rock to scissors.
Swoosh! Swoosh!
In the blink of an eye, Lloyd added so many fake movements of the fingers to confuse the queen. The two contestants finally played their respective hands.
"Mmβ¦β
The queen inadvertently let out a strange noise through her beautiful lips, as Lloyd stared at her with pride in his eyes.
"You have played paper, and I've played scissors, Your Majesty."
"Y-yeah."
"So I win the bet, Your Majesty."
"...You do."
The queen seemed unhappy, but Lloyd couldn't tell if it was because she lost the bet, or because she couldn't engage him in the midnight sparring match. Lloyd nonchalantly shrugged his shoulders, while breathing a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness. Phew.
It was the first time Lloyd used this relic that allowed him to see five seconds into the future. He had always wondered about the extent of this item, but it was phenomenal.
It's more than amazing.
Thanks to the effect of the relic, he was able to see through each hand the queen had in her mind. He had lured the queen with a decoy hand, and this tactic worked perfectly and brought him victory.
I could have used the Attack Design option, but that's kinda obvious.
Forcing the queen to play a hand against her will was another option, but she was the mightiest swordmaster. There was a chance she could identify the strangeness in the air as she was forced to move in a certain way. That was why Lloyd had resorted to Urgent Foresight instead.
"Shall we begin playing In Other's Shoes immediately, then?"
"Very well. Until when?" The queen asked.
"If you would, please take a look at the constellation up in the sky," said Lloyd, pointing out the window.
"The constellation of Phenomenon?"
"Yes, Your Majesty," Lloyd added. "The constellation of Phenomenon only shows itself for fifteen minutes along the horizon around midnight during this season. And since that is up..."
"You wish to play In Other's Shoes for fifteen minutes until it disappears."
"That is correct, Your Majesty. It begins now."
"Huh?"
Lloyd's attitude and behavior completely flipped 180 degrees, before Queen Alicia could process her defeat.
"Alicia Termina Magentano."
"...What?"
"What? Do you not understand what is going on?"
β...β
"What are we doing? We are playing the sacred game of In Other's Shoes."
β...β
"How come you aren't paying me proper respect that you're required to by law?"
"...Uh, well..."
"Well?"
"Please... forgive me."
Queen Alicia's face turned red. She had never even imagined in her wildest dreams she would do something like this. In fact, even when Lloyd had made this proposal, she thought it was a mischievous joke.
Ugh.
But there she was, prostrating before Lloyd Frontera to pay him respect.
Thank goodness I ordered the royal guards to stay as far away from the bedroom as possible.
The queen had given this command because she thought two swordmasters wouldn't need any bodyguards, and for privacy reasons as well. She was glad to have done so because things could have gotten out of control had the royal guards overheard this conversation. Lloyd's demonstration of the merciless manner of speech continued.
"Ahem. Forgive you for what?"
"Well..."
"I'm listening."
"I am not sure," said the queen. She genuinely knew not why she was replying to Lloyd like this, nor why and how it came to this. It was perplexing and puzzling to put it lightly.
But Lloyd Frontera had a hugely satisfactory smile on his face, as though he was enjoying every second of fifteen minutes.
"Isk. Not knowing it isn't going to suffice."
β...β
"Alicia Termina Magentano."
"Speak... I mean, I am at your service."
"Do you enjoy working that much?"
"Huh?"
"I asked if you loved work that much."
"...Right," said Queen Alicia, containing the eagerness to slap Lloyd across the face. "I do."
"You do. How much?"
"Very much."
"More so than you love yourself?"
"...Huh?"
Confused by the question, Queen Alicia lifted her chin and looked Lloyd in the eyes, realizing he was actually serious.
That look.
It was strange. First, he had proposed the game of In Other's Shoes, then he began displaying his audacity to act as the king talking to his subject and now was asking a peculiar question with a look of seriousness on his face.
β...β
Queen Alicia couldn't make sense of the feeling that she was getting and answered honestly.
"Of course, I love the work more than myself-β
"That's not good."
"Huh?"
"Because I don't feel the same way."
β...β
"I like you more than the work itself."
"...Huh?"
"Running the kingdom is obviously of huge importance, but it's still not worthy compared to you as an individual. Oh, and please don't get me wrong. I'm talking about your presence, position, and role within the kingdom when I say they're far more valuable."
β...β
"You are the queen of the kingdom, and I do understand the responsibility and duty the ruler has. However, all that is based on the premise that you retain your health."
"Well..."
"What if you continue overworking yourself and lose your arm? What if your health declines? What if that prohibits you from continuing to work diligently?"
β...β
"Wouldn't that make you an irresponsible ruler of the kingdom?"
β...β
"It is. Your constant refusal to listen to my request to take some off your plate so we could focus on our training, in reality, is an act of neglecting your duty to keep yourself healthy so you can rule over the kingdom wisely."
"Uhm..."
"Speak."
"Was this the reason you suggested In Other's Shoes?"
"Of course it was," said Lloyd nonchalantly, appalling Queen Alicia in the process. "Why else would I have suggested this? Would you have listened to me otherwise?"
"But..."
"I pleaded with you this morning, but you did not listen at all. You simply told me to find an alternative way to make it work, because your daily duties were of more importance."
β...β
"So I had to resort to playing In Other's Shoes. That was the only way to make you listen to me. You are more important than the work you must do on a daily basis. Your presence is way more crucial. Your health is far more urgent. You weren't going to listen, however."
β...β
"That's why I tell you this. Please, please follow my advice and let your competent vassals in the court take care of the duties for just two months, and focus on your health for once."
"But two months of my absence would..."
"It would give rise to certain problems, without a doubt. I am aware of that. However, it would stop at that, and that could certainly be rectified once this is all over. On the other hand, should you lose your left arm to paralysis, it'll all be over. Your arm will cross the point of no return. Would you be happy with that?"
β...β
"Because I wouldn't."
β...β
"Nothing would sadden me more, as a matter of fact."
β...β
Queen Alicia felt strange. The look in Lloyd's eyes was earnest, and that was what made it even more perplexing.
"Hmm. I understand how you were genuinely feeling," replied the queen, with an earnestness of her own.
"...What?"
"I think I get what you're trying to say, Lloyd Frontera. Now, you may look out the window."
"Huh?"
Lloyd turned around and noticed that the constellation of Phenomenon was no longer up in the sky. The queen's satisfactory voice graced his ears immediately.
"In Other's Shoes is over."
Already?!
Lloyd couldn't believe how short the fifteen-minute period was when he still had a lot to say to her. It made him feel anxious.
I wonder if she really understood what I meant.
Lloyd had shared his honest feelings about all this, using the game as an excuse. But there was no guarantee the receiver would have understood it the way he meant it.
Please...
He desperately hoped the queen would understand, and postpone her governmental duties to focus on the training for the next two months. He slightly glanced at the queen with anticipation, waiting for her response.
"Fine, Lloyd Frontera."
"Huh?"
"I want you to lie down on the floor, face down."
"Huh??"
"Place your hands on the floor, face down. Did you not hear me?"
"Huh?!"
β...β
"As you wish, Your Majesty."
He quickly got down on the ground face-down, hearing the footsteps of approaching disaster. The queen sat on Lloyd's back.
Plop!
"...Urgh?"
"Are you having difficulty enduring my weight?"
"N-not at all, Your Majesty."
Of course he didn't because Lloyd was a swordmaster himself. It wasn't physically demanding on his body to hold the queen on his back while standing on four limbs, facing down. But the element of mischievous joy in the queen's voice became greater and greater.
"I understand how you feel. I must say I appreciate the thought."
"Your grace knows... no bounds."
"Really? Then begin doing push-ups."
"Huh?"
"I would like to suggest a bet as well."
"A bet...?"
"It was you who said you care more about me than my duties and responsibilities. So I wanted to verify the integrity of your words."
β...β
"I want to see if you can do push-ups to prove that you can withstand the weight of someone you care about."
"H-how many?"
"Until the sunrise."
"...Huh?"
"Continuously, until the morning."
β...β
"Do you object?"
"W-well..."
"Speak."
"If I succeed in doing push-ups non-stop until sunrise with you on my back, is there going to be a reward, Your Majesty?"
"Of course there is."
"What would that be?"
"I would consider listening to and following your advice with an open heart for the next two months."
"During the live-in training?"
"Yeah."
β...β
"But you still haven't begun."
"...One million and one! One million and two!"
"Tsk. Start from the beginning."
"...One! Two!"
Lloyd began doing wholehearted push-ups, which he didn't even know when it was going to end. Shreds of doubt also filled up his head in the meantime.
Wait. I think verifying my integrity is all an excuse.
Lloyd was convinced that the queen was simply paying back for the insolence he had displayed during the game In Other's Shoes. But it wasn't like he could object.
Ugh...!
Lloyd's eyes turned red as he continued pushing his body up and down throughout the night until the sun rose. He felt soreness all over his chest, shoulders, and arms while enduring the weight on his back. The estate developer, of course, internally grumbled the entire time.
Ugh. Huff. I don't know... who it's going to be... but whoever marries her in the future... Well, buddy... good luck, because you're going to need it.
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"Your Majesty. So about the two months of staying together."
"Yeah."
"I am actually confused as to what this is."
"This?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Lloyd was inside Queen Alicia's study. He nodded as he stood in front of her desk, on which was a piece of document that particularly grabbed his attention. The queen lifted her eyebrow and nonchalantly responded.
"That's the table showing my schedule for the day."
"I am aware of that, Your Majesty."
"What's the problem, then?"
"I was wondering why there was not a single blank space in the schedule."
"Because that's how the chamberlain drafted it."
"That isn't my question, Your Majesty."
"Then?"
"I was wondering why your schedule is so tight and does not allow you to take a single break in between, Your Majesty."
"Hmm. That's an unexpected question," replied Queen Alicia, casually shrugging her shoulders as if she was stating the obvious. "Because I have that much work to do. That's nothing out of the ordinary."
"Then..."
"I do this on a daily basis."
"Every single day, Your Majesty?"
"Yeah."
"For the entire day?"
"Yeah."
"What about holidays...?"
"What is a holiday?"
"...Ugh."
Lloyd inadvertently teared up a little from the saddening morning conversation with the queen. He was getting the feeling that the two-month training while living together was going to be a disaster.
Crap. This is really bad.
Lloyd realized what situation he'd gotten himself into, and quickly summarized it.
I must remain calm. No need to panic just yet. Alright, so I need to figure out precisely what it is I need to do. I must stop the enforced restoration of fate and the event that could trigger it. My queen's left arm is the trigger this time. She's going to eventually lose her arm due to the unidentifiable paralysis, and become a tyrant in the end.
Lloyd had proposed two months of living and training together to prevent that.
I need to pass down the Asrahan Core Technique to her. As long as she masters it, her left arm is going to be cured and fate would not force itself.
The estate developer had to spend time and effort to persuade the queen, and the two-month training could barely begin. He was even able to overcome the anticipated opposition.
I proved that I was a swordmaster in front of nobles yesterday, and was acknowledged as a worthy sparring partner for the queen, who officially declared the two-month live-in training.
All that transpired yesterday, Lloyd had not had a shred of a doubt this plan was going to work until last night, thinking all he now needed to do was focus on the training. He had confidently incorporated his own ideas into the training curriculum.
Why is her schedule like this...? She's doing different things literally every ten minutes, from granting audience and taking reports to attending meetings, greeting guests, and throwing parties, only to repeat the same thing all over again. And this is supposed to be the daily schedule and not a monthly one?
The schedule was that tight. It was as if a college student was taking courses from morning to evening without taking a break, and then moving on to night classes too. Lloyd could only chuckle bitterly in disbelief.
"Your Majesty. Are you sure this is your schedule for the day...?"
"It is. I already told you."
My queen was serious. Had she been an ordinary citizen instead of a swordmaster, this was the schedule that could have caused her to die from overworking. And she was doing this daily.
This is bad. Really bad.
But that wasn't because he had to accompany her to every location, with his wrist tied to hers.
This won't do. The Asrahan Core Technique will not work if she spends every day like this.
It was just as Lloyd thought. The schedule was way too full. Even if the estate developer was going to accompany her everywhere and engrave the mana route in the meantime, the queen had to take time to focus on feeling, accepting, and embracing it. That was the objective. However, the tight schedule was going to defeat the purpose at this rate.
No. This really won't do.
Lloyd concluded and spoke to the queen again.
"Uhm... Your Majesty?"
"Speak."
"I don't think this would work."
"Why not?"
"Your schedule is way too tight."
"Even if you were to tag along and work on engraving the route the entire time?"
"I'm afraid so, Your Majesty."
This was why Lloyd enjoyed conversing with the queen; she would immediately identify what the problem was, even before the estate developer explained in detail, with her wits and wisdom. And Queen Alicia had done just that.
"Hmm. I think I understand the basis of your argument, Lloyd Frontera."
"Your grace knows no bounds, Your Majesty."
"...Except I haven't told you of my decision yet."
"Please forgive me, Your Majesty."
"Tsk."
β...β
"But I understand what it is you're claiming. You're trying to point out that the live-in training to cure my left arm must be prioritized over anything else. Correct?"
"That is correct, Your Majesty."
"But I don't think that would do."
"...Huh?"
Lloyd was astonished by the response, as the queen spoke with a rough smile on her face.
"Even if the condition of my arm is of importance, this schedule was put together for the betterment of all citizens of the kingdom."
The queen tapped on the schedule on the desk with her finger as she emphasized.
"The nobles and vassals that have shown fealty to the royal court, the residents of the royal capital, and every citizen that is born and raised within my territory are affected by what I do. Don't you think?"
"However..."
"No. I will not hear of any counterarguments from you this time. The harder I work and the more tired I get, the more prosperous my kingdom and my people will become."
"However..."
"Tsk. That is the weight of the responsibility on my shoulders and that of the crown on my head. Yet you ask me to postpone these. Do you think I can just accept that?"
"Your Majesty, just..."
"Just what?"
"Just two months. Can you delegate some of the work to competent vassals in your court?"
"No."
β...β
"Not a chance."
β...β
Lloyd couldn't believe how adamant the queen was. It was frustrating to realize this.
God. I didn't know she was a workaholic.
And a severe one at that. The queen wasn't doing this for her success, renown, or wealth. She was actually on a mission to engage in selfless behaviors for the greater good of the community she was a part of. She was the most diligent and hard-working type of person.
Ugh. This is really bad.
Lloyd was getting the strong, unfortunate feeling that no persuasion attempt was going to succeed at this rate. But the queen continued to demand with a stern look on her face.
"Lloyd Frontera. Continue thinking and researching."
"Huh?"
"Find ways to pass down the Asrahan Core Technique without interruption even while I carry out my duties."
β..."
It was like asking the marathoner to play a flute while running, or asking a bungee jumper to eat a bowl of chicken noodle soup without spilling any.
This is beyond ridiculous.
Lloyd was stuck in a rut. He knew he needed something to rectify the situation. But the desperation he felt was unnoticed by the queen.
"Let's get moving. Follow me."
The queen got up and left the study, dragging Lloyd by the wrist. The immensely demanding daily schedule had just begun.
***
The day went by without a chance to catch his breath, and the night finally came.
"...Huff. Huff. Huff."
"Are you alright?"
"...Huff. Huff. Huff."
"Definitely not."
"P-please forgive me, Your Majesty."
Lloyd panted like a dog. He was out of breath, and his stamina had completely depleted. He even felt nauseous.
"U-ugh."
He plopped on the chair in the bedroom. It was a massively demanding and overwhelming day.
I had to accompany her to five meetings, as well as several audiences and greetings that I gave up on counting, not to mention two parties and several reports that came in. To top it off, an urgent meeting was summoned in the end.
All that had transpired in just one day. But a bigger surprise was still awaiting him.
"Tsk. You're such a fragile individual. Don't tell me you're fatigued by this. It wasn't even that busy."
β...β
"And I do this daily."
β...β
Lloyd drooped down. His entire body was melting. But the worries just kept getting greater and greater, as he glanced at the pile of documents on one side of the queen's desk.
"Your Majesty."
"Speak."
"About those documents..."
"Good. You've done this before."
β...Please spare me."
"But I am not going to kill you."
"But..."
"All you have to do is to put the seal on each of the documents."
"Does it have to be me...?"
"That would please me."
Lloyd thought the queen's way of having fun was definitely evil. The estate developer desperately wished to shout it out, but the bright smile on the queen's face caused this thought to subside.
"I will wash up and be back. Do change in the meantime."
β...Yes, Your Majesty."
The rope tying the two wrists together would be untied only a few times during the day, and this was one of those moments. Now was Lloyd's chance to wash up and change into comfortable clothes. The estate developer quickly changed into clothes that the royal court had prepared for him and thought to himself.
This isn't going to do.
Lloyd was serious. He wasn't able to get much work done as far as passing down the technique was concerned, while simultaneously escorting the queen to the egregious schedule. Each time he tried to stretch the flow of mana onto her left arm, the busy schedule broke his concentration, as well as that of the queen, who was certainly at the heart of each event she was a part of.
This is defeating the purpose of live-in training.
Lloyd had to come up with a solution, and the only way he could think of was to somehow reduce the amount of work on the schedule. Lloyd finished changing and washed his face using the water in the golden washbasin that the maids had brought, touching every single thought and idea that came to his mind. He took those, placed them in his brain, and blended them. Numerous tactics, strategies, and schemes came together to shed light on the best possible solution. Lloyd quickly sifted out the improbable ideas and the ones that could cause the queen to slit his throat. He finally was left with the plan that could earn him a few smacks in the head, but still wouldn't take his life.
Good. This should do.
Lloyd had only just decided, when the queen came back into the bedroom dressed in pajamas. Lloyd had never seen the queen like this. She was wearing pink, silk nightwear that kind of looked familiar.
Wait. That looks just like the one I'm wearing.
Lloyd was appalled to realize that his blue, silk nightwear was a part of the set with the one the queen was dressed in.
No. No. No. This can't be a couple's item.
Lloyd suspected the maids had made a serious administrative error in bringing this set of clothes. It was unfathomable to dress in matching outfits with the queen. He was afraid that he may be indicted for contempt of the royal court. It was nerve-wracking. Lloyd had no choice but to anxiously glance at the queen.
"What's wrong?" The queen asked.
"N-nothing, Your Majesty."
"Is my nightwear strange?"
"N-no, Your Majesty."
"But yours definitely is."
β...Huh?"
"I would call it bizarre, actually. You seem puny and pathetic in those clothes. I really didn't expect someone to look that terrible in those."
Lloyd became speechless at the sudden, unexpected insult that came his way. He continued to move his fingers anxiously as the queen added.
"I should order the nightwear for honored guests of the royal court to be changed. I hadn't paid much attention to it because I looked good in them. Tsk."
Lloyd felt a little bit more at ease upon finding out the nightwear was specifically chosen for honored guests of the kingdom.
Phew. So the queen was just using one of those without giving it much thought.
In other words, it was by no means a couple's item. But Lloyd was relieved, yet a bit disappointed at the same time.
What the hell am I thinking?
He quickly shook off the strange thought and went back to the idea he had been conjuring.
Ugh. I don't see another way.
Lloyd had to reduce the amount of work the queen was doing daily, and the only way was to turn her into a lesser of a workaholic. The estate developer contained his desperate thoughts and spoke to the queen.
"Your Majesty."
"Speak."
"Your grace knows no bounds. There is something... I wanted to propose before putting seals on these documents."
"A proposal?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"What is it?"
"To be completely honest, I am actually extremely tired."
"And?"
"But it's not like I can go against your wish and fail to carry out the task."
"Okay?"
"So, it would be really nice if I could shake the fatigue off."
"Shake the fatigue off."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"A sparring match would be perfect, then."
"N-no, Your Majesty."
"Then?"
"I was wondering if we could place a bet for fun, Your Majesty."
"A bet?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Then the winner of the bet would be getting some kind of a reward."
"Precisely, Your Majesty."
"You have my attention."
"Your grace knows no bounds, Your Majesty."
"What do you want for your reward for winning the bet, and what do you intend to do to shake off the fatigue?" Asked the queen with a subtle smile on her face.
Things looked positive. This was an opportunity. Lloyd promptly began explaining as though he was reeling in a prized fish from the river.
"Have you ever heard of the game of In Other's Shoes, Your Majesty?"
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"Haven't I made myself clear when I told you to bring that thing?!"
Crack!
The candlestick flew towards the elk antler trophy hung on the wall of the tavern. That wretched, hopeless punk and drunkard began throwing another tantrum as always. I was hoping to avoid it for once, but there it was.
How long do you plan to keep wasting away like that?
I breathed a heavy sigh. This was why I clearly told the punk not to drink alcohol today. I even explained how it was my wish to spend one day in peace.
To no avail.
To be fair, it was my fault for letting Lloyd Frontera step inside the tavern in the first place. I should not have trusted him when he said he was only going to get some dinner without any alcoholic beverage. It was only two hours ago when he argued like a stubborn child, saying I am only a personal bodyguard and should not prohibit him from eating.
I should have.
But I couldn't. That was my mistake.
Or perhaps accepting this order in the first place was a mistake.
I recalled when my liege Baron Frontera summoned me a few days ago. He had said he wanted me to escort his eldest son, with a worrisome look on his face. I had simply nodded and accepted since Baron Frontera was my lord and master, whom I was going to serve for the rest of my life. Because I admired and respected him as a person. However, his eldest son Lloyd Frontera was the complete opposite.
I don't understand why he's wasting his life away instead of trying to emulate his father.
A shot glass flew to my face this time while I was lost in thoughts. Of course, Lloyd Frontera had thrown it.
"Take a shot!"
It was extremely easy to catch the flying tankard. I could see and feel everything, including the flow of air, even with my eyes closed. The Swordmaster Syndrome, which amplified all sensations throughout my body, was bothering me twenty-four-seven already.
"Sir Javier Asrahan... Please..."
The master of the tavern looked at me desperately. His establishment was in a state of chaos with tables knocked over, chairs broken, and bottles and plates cracked. They were all Lloyd Frontera's doing. And the punk was continuing to abuse his power by wrecking everything in sight.
I decided to finish the escorting duty for the day. I had to cross the line. I walked over to Lloyd Frontera and grabbed the drunkard who was about to break another bottle of mead by his hand.
"Master Lloyd. I think this is enough."
"...What?"
"You've drunk a lot and caused enough of a scene."
"Ha."
"Master Lloyd."
To be completely honest, I had the desire to smack him across the face. This drunkard was staring at me without focus in his eyes, and faltering like someone that couldn't even walk straight, not to mention the smell of alcohol each time he opened his lips. It was detestable and pitiful at the same time.
"Master Lloyd. You mustn't do this. You must realize what kind of position you're in and your responsibility," I said, suppressing such thoughts in my head.
"Position? Responsibility?"
"Yes, Master Lloyd."
"Ha. Give me a break," replied Lloyd Frontera, as he stared at me through lightless eyes and tapped my chin with his finger. "Who do you think you are, huh?"
β...β
"You're a bodyguard. Act like it."
"Master Lloyd."
"How dare you."
β...β
"Dude. Don't you think I have it rough?"
β...β
"Because I do. Why the hell did I have to be born to a countryside nobleman? Huh? I can't go anywhere and act like one because I'm so freaking embarrassed. Don't you think?"
"Not at all."
"What?"
"You're obviously taking it all for granted."
"Ha. You little..."
Slap!
My face turned red from the slap. Of course I saw Lloyd Frontera's flying hand, but I did not dodge because it wouldn't even hurt. But perhaps my nonchalant response caused the pathetic man to flinch a little.
"...Well."
Lloyd Frontera behaved as if he hadn't expected me to get slapped in my face. But it didn't last long.
"Ugh. You're ruining the fun."
Gulp. Gulp. Gulp.
Lloyd Frontera chugged down the bottle of strong alcohol next to him. I could see that it was a brand with high alcohol content. I anxiously examined Lloyd Frontera's reaction and breathing pattern. And I waited. It finally paid off.
"...Ugh... Damn it... This is unfair. Ugh. I... hiccup! have so many... things... ugh... I want to do... but my house... is so impoverished. Hiccup! Ugh..."
Lloyd Frontera was visibly nearing his limit. His eyes completely lost focus, and he couldn't even move his body properly.
Finally.
That drunkard was severely drunk. He wasn't going to remember anything that transpired starting right now. I signaled to the master of the tavern.
You didn't see anything. Understood?
The master of the tavern, who was holding his prized, broken elk antler trophy in his arms, nodded. With the owner's approval, I began the work.
"Master Lloyd."
"...Huh?" He instinctively turned his head towards me. And I threw a punch to his stomach.
"Urgh!"
Lloyd Frontera's body shook from the impact.
"Ugh. Agh."
He held onto me with his arms for a short while, before drooping down to the floor, unconscious. The peaceful silence that ensued in the tavern was so refreshing.
Perhaps I should have resorted to this earlier.
Except I couldn't bear the consequences of my actions, should this failure of a man remember the incident. That was why I waited until he nearly passed out, and that was why I only punched him in the stomach. This way, he wasn't going to remember what I did to him tomorrow. The pain in his stomach was going to be covered up by the hangover. I picked the knocked-out man up on my shoulders and turned toward the master of the tavern as though he was a comrade-in-arms on the battlefield.
"Are you alright?"
"Whew. Not really."
β...β
"First, my mother falls ill, and now this."
The master of the tavern was about to burst into tears, and I could understand why. This establishment was one of very few decent businesses in the small countryside village. It was where hunters from other regions would stop by during the hunting season, and use it as a base so they could acquire some fur and hide from the eastern mountains. Lloyd Frontera had wrecked the business, and that was obviously a huge blow for the master of the tavern who was expecting to greet seasonal visitors.
"I... will speak to the baron about what happened today," I apologetically replied.
"About the compensation...?"
"Yeah."
"But the rumors I've been hearing suggest that even the baron has been struggling financially..."
"I will speak to him anyway. I don't know if it would work, but..."
"Whew. I really appreciate your kindness, sir knight."
"I appreciate your patience. Please accept my apologies for what happened today."
I couldn't dare look the master of the tavern in the eyes. I quickly scurried off with Lloyd Frontera on my shoulder. It was already past midnight, and the misty night sky welcomed me.
"Whew..."
I inadvertently breathed a heavy sigh. To be completely honest, I was lost.
I wonder what's going to become of House Frontera.
I really had no idea. I couldn't understand why and how the eldest son of the good baron was such a hopeless punk, and if he was going to succeed the baron. I didn't want to accept it.
I wish Master Julian was the eldest.
Master Julian was hard-working, wise, kind, and had the potential to make an excellent lord of the estate.
But it is only a pipe dream.
I shook my head in disappointment. Master Julian couldn't become the next baron, because he was the second son. He couldn't inherit the estate. That was why he had gone to study abroad in the royal academia.
That leaves this drunkard as the only person who could inherit the house and the estate.
Things were absolutely hopeless. I couldn't fathom how much further this estate would decline and the downfall of this house, to which I had sworn fealty, when that day would come.
"Whew."
I breathed another heavy sigh, as I glared at the stars in the sky.
β¦Huh?
That was when I saw a shooting star that flashed intensely for a brief moment and disappeared. I was reminded of a sudden phrase I had heard in the past.
Wait. If I make a wish to the shooting star, it's supposed to come true.
It was a childish superstition. I knew it was only a myth. But I was driven by an unknown desire to count on that dumb saying, most likely because I did not see a way out of this tight spot. I gave myself leeway from facing the harsh reality and glared at the sky, waiting for another shooting star.
Flash.
And it did. I quickly iterated my wish.
My wish is for the man I'm carrying...
Swoosh.
A shooting star is always too short for anyone to complete the wish. I couldn't finish my sentence either.
...to come to his senses and start behaving like a proper young lord.
The latter part of my wish was nothing more than a mumble, as the shooting star had already disappeared. I chuckled bitterly without realizing all this.
"What the hell am I thinking."
I found myself ridiculous. I had just made a wish to a falling star, while carrying a hopeless drunkard on my shoulder at night. And I couldn't even do it properly.
I should get back.
I picked up a little bit of speed, holding the pathetic feeling inside. Lloyd Frontera continued to mumble like the clueless punk he was.
"Ugh... I'm so sick and tired... of working every day... I hate... my tiny room..."
I couldn't make sense of what the drunkard was saying.
"Tsk."
I could never bring myself to have a good opinion about this man. I hurried and headed inside the mansion, before tossing Master Lloyd on the bed. I then sat down on one of the chairs in his room to spend the night. Of course, I couldn't fall asleep because of the Swordmaster Syndrome.
β...β
The sound of the breeze against the window frames, the flapping of owl's wings from the woods, the heartbeat, and every single sound that existed at the moment rattled my ears without giving me a moment of peace. The worst of them all was the sleep-talking noise of the drunkard, Lloyd Frontera.
"Manager...? I really need to get paid today. You can't hold it off any longer."
β...β
"But you clearly promised last week you were going to."
β...β
"I'm going to get evicted if I don't get paid today. I'm already so behind on my rent."
β...β
"Please, manager! How is this a good thing, when I'm struggling to pay rent? I'm being serious!"
β...β
The strange murmuring by the drunkard was so clear, and it woke me up immediately. And I was just about to fall asleep, albeit lightly.
What the...
I wondered what kind of dream he was having for this hopeless punk to desperately plea with someone. But it continued even as I looked at him with curiosity.
"I'm so sorry, father and mother."
β...β
"If only I had gone home early that day. If only I hadn't taken that job."
β...β
"Javier Asrahan..."
"Huh?"
"He was so cool when he took care of the Wall of Namaran. Ehehehehe."
β...β
I couldn't make sense of anything the drunkard said. It appeared that he was having ridiculous dreams due to the effects of alcohol. And I realized this.
Whew. There goes my chance to fall asleep, again.
It was all because of the Swordmaster Syndrome. I wondered just when I was going to overcome this, so I could get some much-needed sleep. I was getting sick and tired of getting a few minutes every now and again. I leaned on the back of the chair hopelessly and looked at the ceiling in the midst of darkness. Lloyd Frontera's strange sleep talk continued.
"I just... want an ordinary life. I hate this... I don't want this anymore... Living day to day sucks..."
β...β
"I want it easy. I want to live in the land flowing with milk and honey... Maybe I should go to the convenience store to get some honeyed water... But that's probably just sugar in reality... And it's expensive too... Screw that... I could get something to eat with that money... Ugh..."
β...β
"Honey..."
β...β
I plugged my ears with my fingers, but still couldn't stop the drunkard from murmuring. That was how I spent my night waiting for the morning to come, enduring Lloyd Frontera's meaningless murmuring throughout.
"Javier Asrahan... what a Chad."
β...β
I wondered if he was just talking crap about me. I couldn't tell anything, save for one.
That's still miles better than his usual sleep-talk.
Even the tone in which he spoke as he mumbled was more diplomatic than usual. That was enough for me. Although I had clearly failed to iterate my wish in whole to the shooting star, I decided to take this as a form of wish granted. That made me feel slightly better.
"Good night."
I placed the blanket, which Lloyd Frontera had kicked away, over him in the hopes that he may be a slightly better person by the time the sun rose in the morning. I just wanted him to make the slightest progress towards being a decent human being come the sunshine. I knew it was a preposterous thought, but I needed the hope to go by.
And the miracle really did happen. Lloyd Frontera had become a new person.
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Javier's cruel analysis of the state I was in irritated me. I questioned on what basis he would make such a claim, but the grandmaster's response was even colder. He walked to the corner of the groom's room and picked up the full body mirror and carried it this way. And I looked at the reflection of myself dressed in the white tuxedo with a bright smile on my face.
"See? I look just fine," I fixed my posture in front of the mirror and looked back pompously. But Javier's response was not positive.
"Whew. You certainly would have looked a lot better in your previous body."
β...β
"And a lot more proportional."
"...Dude."
"And a lot less disturbing to look at."
"Hey."
"Yeah."
"Let's be real. Don't I honestly look better than when I was in my previous body?"
"No. Never."
"You're just refusing to admit it. If you examine the features carefully-"
"I see the resemblances here and there, but you've definitely gotten uglier in detail," said Javier in the coldest fashion yet with a serious look on his face. "To compare, your previous face was like a potato."
"And what about now?"
"An identified object that resembles a potato."
"You're fired."
"Seriously?"
"Of course."
"For real?"
"Yeah."
"Do you mean it?"
"Why do you keep asking the same question?"
"Jeez. I know I should never have brought you back from that tiny room of yours."
"I chose to come back, dude."
β...β
"Because you desperately begged for me to return, explaining how it was impossible to go on without me. The estate would be in shambles, the skeletal corp wouldn't listen, and things would just be in horrific shape. Master Lloyd, please come back and rectify things again! was what you said. Wasn't it?"
"Did somebody smack you hard in the back of the head?"
"No."
"Strange. You don't seem to have a fever either."
"I'm perfectly fine."
"Perhaps the anxiety and nervousness about the marriage has messed your rationale and memories up."
"I'm not that anxious or nervous."
"Except you've been sweating profusely for some time."
I became speechless because Javier was actually spot on. I plopped on the chair in the waiting room, letting out a sigh.
"Ugh. I really did not expect to be married off to Her Majesty without a chance to process anything, within two weeks after I returned."
I was being honest this time. I recalled the incident that transpired two weeks ago when I was crying all by myself behind closed doors while trying to munch on the only meal I had for the entire day, drowning slowly but surely in the bottomless lake of despair and hopelessness. That was when Javier appeared and stretched out his hand of salvation. He took me back to the Frontera Estate.
I did have my share of concerns about returning, however. It was the phenomenon of enforced destiny being restored. I was genuinely afraid of the curse that might haunt me again, but it did not take me long to shake these worries off.
Because Lloyd Frontera's body has gone through the gate of rebirth and is no more. Because I'm here as Suho Kim.
The tragic fate did not enforce itself on me again. The dreadful curse had been lifted finally.
Although I no longer have the mana heart or the circle since I am in my original body.
But I still had the RP, CP, title, and measurement and engineering skills with me, not to mention greater respect and love shown by everyone.
The first people that rushed to greet me back to the estate were...
"How goes the preparation, my son?"
"...Huh?"
The voice awoke me from the moment of reminiscing. When I looked, the count and the countess were inside the waiting room.
"Father?"
"Yeah. Your father is here. What were you daydreaming about?"
"Oh, it's nothing."
I felt the heat on my face from embarrassment, realizing I had just called the count "Father" inadvertently.
Ugh. This is awkward.
Immediately upon my return back to the estate two weeks ago, the count and the countess had given me the warmest hug ever. I've decided to call them my father and mother since then. They had told me that even though they discovered everything and found out that I wasn't Lloyd, they did not care and were grateful that I helped the real Lloyd's soul pass through the gate of rebirth. They appreciated all I had done for the estate and had already accepted me as their own child a while ago. They told me that while embracing my wet cheeks and drooping shoulders.
"I suppose I'm a little bit nervous because this all happened really fast before I had a chance to sit and process everything in my head."
"But rest assured," said the countess, my mother, as she tapped me on my shoulders and glanced at my father. "I felt the same way on the day of my wedding with this man. I was so nervous and out of it. Weren't you as well?"
"Haha, was I? I think I was calm and poised if I remember correctly."
"But you dropped the ring while you were putting it on my finger."
"Oh. That."
"And you almost put it on my toe instead because you were so nervous."
Father was defeated, just like that. Mother put a smile on her face and spoke to me again.
"Anyway. You should feel a bit more at ease. Her Majesty is so gracious towards you."
"That's true. But I really did not expect her to hold the sword-fighting contest as she had said."
Honestly speaking, it was a terrifying contest. The first thing my queen said the moment we reunited with one another two weeks ago was appalling and frightening enough.
You are terribly fragile, now that I think about it. How can you call yourself a man, if you get bullied and pushed around by the king of hell like that, before dying without much resistance?
That was what she stated, looking straight into my eyes.
This won't do. The more I think about it, the more I realize I can't leave a feeble man like you all alone. It's about time I did something to find you a spouse that could protect you for the rest of your life, she had added.
I will thus hold a contest of might, in which all female citizens of my kingdom could participate. The mightiest female warrior in the kingdom staying by your side to keep you safe β that would put my mind at ease, so she had continued.
Of course I will compete myself as a contestant. And I will do my absolute best, she had reassured.
And the outcome was so obvious. It was so blatantly one-sided throughout the tournament. My queen defeated all challengers that came her way and declared the moment she seized the trophy, dragging me towards her. She proclaimed that no one who harms this man would be forgiven: that her blade of ire would execute the perpetrator immediately.
That was just yesterday.
"...Ugh. And the wedding, just the next day."
My queen was indeed a woman of zero patience. But I couldn't dare stop her from proceeding with it, because I feared I could actually be kidnapped and taken away to the royal capital.
"Her Majesty clearly favors you. You must accept her kindness with gratitude."
"Very well. It's not like I'm dissatisfied about it, anyways."
"Do you mean it?"
"Yeah, if I'm completely honest."
I smiled at my father. And it was true. The people I thought about the most were Javier and my queen, throughout the day on which I returned to the tiny, moldy room in Seoul and withered away in despair. Javier was like a brother to me, with whom I spent the most time, and I hadn't had a chance to share my true feelings for my queen.
I felt extremely sorry. I regretted. I had been drenched in sorrow.
That was why I was genuinely happy for today despite the nervousness and anxiety. The second phase of my life was going to be side-by-side with someone who could face a hell's knight and come up victorious, but I was truly excited. The blessings of the people I knew added to the joy.
Shriek! "My friend Lloyd is different! His eyes, nose, and mouth became weirdly handsome!" Shriek!
The entrance to the groom's waiting room became crowded. I noticed the orc Arosh waving at me with his canine teeth shining so brightly, and the elf chief Moira next to him delivering the polite greetings.
"Congratulations. I was a bit surprised by your new outward appearance, but you are who you are."
"...Well, thanks."
"Don't pay too much attention to your looks, because what really matters is the inside."
"Uh, okay."
"Besides, you are now blessed with a spouse that truly cares about your character instead of your looks."
I wanted to burst out in anger at the elf for speaking the harsh truth while sugarcoating it as words of encouragement, but I could only inadvertently shed tears.
"You look so funny in that outfit, big bro," said the familiar voice in a mischievous tone.
Julian was trying his absolute best to hold his laughter in. Next to him was Lady Scheherazade, who was clearly nearing her due date. And that wasn't the end of the parade by visitors.
"...Mermaid?"
"Whoa. Look at all those muscles."
"Her abs are... perfect."
The mermaid queen showed up amidst the praises of everyone in the vicinity, as well as the centauri chieftain grabbing people's attention with his wild full-body tattoo and the clacking noises of the horseshoes. Angel of Thrones Raphael's fiery ring blazed even more intensely, as the hell's knight Sir Giolexius and the skeleton corp made creaking noises of their bones.
But not all visitors were here to congratulate me. Someone was making a challenging demand right on the spot.
"Alright, when are you going to set me up with a blind date as you promised?"
Solitas had found his way into the waiting room, passing through the crowd of visitors. The young red dragon was clearly agitated by the lack of fulfillment as he asked.
"You promised to set me up with a beautiful female dragon after the battle. Why are you getting married before me, when you were supposed to introduce someone to me first?"
"Ahahaha..."
I could only sweat nervously. I knew not what to say because I had actually lied about the blind date. It was a card I played out of desperation because the situation was extremely dire. I had been thinking of looking for someone after the grand battle against the king of hell.
"I really had no idea I was going to get married so quickly like this."
"Having had no idea isn't going to suffice."
Solitas grumbled and I felt the sorrow of someone that stayed single for a thousand years in my bones. I was only saved by the intervention of an unlikely savior.
"Excuse me. Are you the human Lloyd Frontera, set to marry another human Alicia Termina Magentano?"
"...Huh?"
A young woman had silently approached me and asked me a peculiar question with a smile on her face.
"Are you the human Lloyd Frontera... I mean Suho Kim?"
"I am. Who might you be...?"
"Me?"
"Yeah."
I couldn't tell. I had never seen a young woman with wavy, pink hair that seemed to have just become an adult. The answer was even more unexpected.
"I came here because my brother sent me."
"Your brother?"
"Dragon king Verkis."
"Oh," I got up from my chair immediately and prostrated to show respect. "Uhm... How should I address you, my lady?"
"Ggo... never mind. Call me Flores."
"It's a pleasure. But what brings you all the way here, by the way?"
"What else would I be here for? I'm here to congratulate you on your marriage. My brother supports you, so he was supposed to be here but... that lazy bum is taking a nap again. No wonder my sister-in-law always nags at him. So I came in his stead."
"I-I see."
"Here. A gift for you."
"Huh?"
"Take it."
Flores, the younger sister of dragon king Verkis, snapped her fingers at me.
"Long life without any illnesses."
"...Huh?"
"You defeated the former king of hell, and the underworld voted in a new, more diligent, and competent ruler. So you kinda deserve a good reward for your deeds. Goodbye, then."
Flores, the dragon king's sister, chuckled and left for the garden outside of the waiting room. I caught a glimpse of five beasts that seemed to have accompanied her.
"Grr... Grrr!"
"Creak. Creak!"
"Cawww!!"
"Dadadak. Dadak."
"Badumtss. Badumtss."
Old manticore, living armor with a soul, gargoyle, flaming salamander, and a huge ice golem were engaged in a conversation with my summons.
"Ppodong! Ppodong!"
"Bangul! Bangul!"
"Hamang! Hamang!"
"Bibeong! Bibeong!"
"Ggoming! Ggoming!"
"Grr. Creak, Caw! Dadak! Badumtss!"
"Ppodong! Bangul! Hamang! Bibeong! Ggoming!"
"G! C! C! D! B!"
"P! B! H! B! G!"
The strange conversation between five monstrous beasts and special summons covered the entire wedding hall with noise, in the midst of which Flores disappeared without a trace.
"...Forget about the blind date," said the red dragon Solitas, who had just been harassing me with the demand.
"Huh?"
"Issue settled," said he, chasing after Flores with a blank look on his face.
I couldn't believe how unfortunate the red dragon was, because he clearly seemed to have fallen for the younger sister of the dragon king.
...I wouldn't go after that woman if I were you.
I could see a series of proper beatings by the dragon king, but that thought soon subsided. I had to care about my own safety.
"Why do you tremble like a leaf?"
"...Your Majesty?"
The only non-visitor in this establishment today was standing right in front of me, wearing a white bride's dress with a mysterious smile on her face.
"Hmm. I think I get it. The marriage with me must have been so exciting and ecstatic for you."
"O-of course it is. Except..."
"Except?"
"Aren't we supposed to not see each other before the actual wedding ceremony?"
"We're not?"
"Uh, yes, actually-"
"Because of the superstition that forbids the groom from seeing the bride in the wedding dress before the ceremony?"
"..."
"I knew it."
"Your Majesty."
"It's really okay," said my queen with a consoling smile on her face. "No superstition would get in the way today, because I decided so. Anyone that speaks of such nonsense today will be incarcerated."
β...β
That is obviously an abuse of power, I thought to myself. But I did not have a chance to hint that it was kind of a tyrannous move.
"I gave it a lot of thought overnight."
"Huh?"
"As to where we're going to go for our honeymoon."
"Well..."
"We should head south. I heard there was a gorgeous beach with beautiful sunshine in the region of Canaria."
"I see."
I actually loved the idea of spending some time in the warmth of the beach. My queen continued in an excited voice.
"I heard there's a prestigious training arena by the beach. Many renowned warriors and knights supposedly spent time honing their skills there."
"...Huh?"
"Training you there would make it a perfect honeymoon."
"...Pardon?"
"You've lost both your mana heart and mana circle."
"I did, but-"
"Then you gotta get them back."
"Your Majesty?"
"I'm listening."
"Why can't you just protect me-"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because I can't wait to cross blades with you in sparring matches."
β...β
"I am overjoyed just at the thought of spending time wisely during our honeymoon. We'll swing blades while enjoying the picturesque scenery of the beach and the sea, and you will struggle. It's going to be absolutely beautiful."
"Uh... So are you suggesting an endless session of sparring matches during the honeymoon?"
"Yeah."
β...β
"For the entire day, from sunrise to sunset. Actually, even at night."
β...β
"Is something wrong?"
β...β
Everything was wrong. There wasn't anything right about the itinerary. But I couldn't dare bring it up, because of the genuine smile on her face. I could only put up futile resistances.
"Uhm... but if you go too tough on me like that..."
β?β
"I might die, my queen."
"It's okay, because I will protect you."
"...Ugh."
I smiled but was crying on the inside. But my queen continued regardless.
"Anyhow. The time is drawing near, so I will be off to make some final preparations. Lloyd Frontera... I mean, Suho Kim."
"...I'm at your service."
"I ordered a nice, warm drink for you to calm your nerves with. Take a sip and be at ease. Understood?"
"As you wish, Your Majesty."
"Hmm. You're still calling me that."
"...Huh?"
"You were addressing me differently before."
"Well, there are too many people around us."
"Then when we're alone?"
"Yeah."
"Good," said she, as she stroked my cheeks and signaled with her eyes to meet again in a few moments. It did not take long for Javier to bring something on a plate.
"Master Lloyd. Your Majesty has sent you a drink."
"...Yeah."
I could see the steam from the cup of tea that was gently placed on the table. I chuckled without even realizing it. I couldn't hold it in. I prayed and hoped to enjoy this much warmth and happiness for the rest of my life. I genuinely wished for everyone around me to be full of this much joy. I was confident that I could make it happen.
"Don't you think?"
"I don't know what you're talking about, but congratulations nonetheless."
"...Thanks."
Javier had an unusually big smile on his face. I nodded towards my best man and picked up the cup of tea and took a warm, honeyed sip.
"It's so sweet," I inadvertently smiled out of genuine joy.
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