STD 202

That evening, while I was strolling in the garden, a guest came to see me. It was Black Bear.

“Are you feeling alright now?”

“I am ashamed to have caused you worry. Due to my lack of ability, I failed to properly stop Grand Duke Montaine.”

Not only did she bow her head like a sinner, but she even tried to kneel.

Wait, why is that your fault?

“No… It’s because the divine beast suddenly lost its power. If you think about it, it’s all Grand Duke Sarne’s fault.”

Perhaps because she felt she hadn’t done much, she couldn’t lift her head. I tried my best to comfort her by launching into a long stream of insults against Grand Duke Sarne.

“Does it make sense to try to kill a divine beast just because it didn’t come to them? Grand Duke Montaine at least had the ambition to become stronger. This one is just… driven by not wanting others to succeed….”

Swoosh!

In the middle of my speech, she suddenly drew her sword.

Why?!

As I froze in shock, she stepped in front of me with her sword raised. Only then did I realize an intruder had appeared.

A tall, slender, unfamiliar middle-aged woman. Even without the sword in her hand, her overwhelming aura made her seem like a knight… a highly skilled knight.

If she had managed to infiltrate this place when I was always surrounded by invisible guards… that meant she had either deceived them or dealt with them.

Who could she be? The answer to my question came from Black Bear, who was glaring at her as if she wanted to kill her.

“Bayan.”

Huh? That Sword Master of the Sarne family? Only then did I realize the gravity of the situation. Did she infiltrate here to target me?

“I heard you appeared when we were fighting Grand Duke Montaine. Were you following Lord Salvation around? To attack him?”

“Yes. I was ordered to kill Adeye Lu.”

Bayan admitted. Did Grand Duke Sarne order this? That bastard is really hopeless. I quickly gripped my club. However, no sooner had I prepared to fight than Bayan singled out Black Bear as her opponent.

“But killing you is a greater mission for me.”

Black Bear stepped forward.

“If you want to fight me, I will move the location, so follow me. Absolutely not where Lord Salvation is.”

Then she turned to me and advised,

“Call the guards immediately and evacuate to a safe place.”

“Will you be alright?”

“I must eliminate this woman as well. And I need to find out where the divine beast is imprisoned.”

I couldn’t stop her because I saw the determination in her eyes. I held her hands with both of my own and cheered her on.

“Make sure you win.”

A smile appeared on Black Bear’s face. But it vanished quickly, as if she were someone who found smiling awkward, but her voice was filled with determination.

“I will be back before sunrise.”

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‎

Black Bear kept her promise. Even though she limped back with blood on her leg, she had returned alive. And she had also located Grand Duke Sarne.

Next was my turn. I immediately went to where the divine beast was imprisoned and dispelled the black magic. Well, Grand Duke Sarne’s one last desperate struggle caused a commotion, but compared to all the hardships I had endured, it ended as quickly as child’s play.

My greatest ordeal was actually the freed bear. As soon as this crazy bear was released, it started performing a charades game. And at a speed twice as slow as my memory of it.

Let’s see what it wanted to say the moment it was freed. With that thought in mind, I endured the agonizing time, and finally, Mo’s interpretation arrived.

[You’re late.]

…Are you kidding me? Is that what you say to someone who just came to rescue you? And speaking of being slow, who in the world could possibly keep up with you?!

I tried to vent my pent-up anger, but the bear vanished back to its hometown, its pseudo-wings fluttering in the wind. That was how I saved the divine beast and ended up with a heart condition.

Everything was over. I wouldn’t have to get entangled with those crazy divine beasts anymore. At least I could keep my blood pressure down. And peace had returned.

There was an aftermath to deal with, and new problems would continue to arise, but at least a figure like Grand Duke Montaine wouldn’t appear.

For that to happen, there simply wasn’t enough black magic stones anymore. That also meant that Tubain was running low on its primary energy source.

But isn’t it said that if you don’t have teeth, you live with your gums? Instead of the powerful force of the black magic stones, people returned to their original ways: cultivating their magical power through training.

It wouldn’t be easy for the time being, but I believed that eventually, everyone would adapt to this new world. While Tubain was undergoing such changes, I, too, was busy.

There was still work left to do in Tubain. Finding chili pepper. I felt that if I found the chili pepper, I could instantly lift Doctor Kim out of bed, as she still couldn’t properly get out.

So, my daily routine was to go out and search the Acorn Forest as soon as the sun rose. However, the reason Doctor Kim got out of bed was a practical one.

“So, you’re saying there is a healer among those who have awakened from the curse, and that he knows the cure for Lantuya?!”

I asked Tairok, who had delivered the news to me, but he looked somewhat displeased with my reaction.

“Are you that happy?”

“Of course I’m happy!! Who is this healer that they know something even the best healer in Tubain couldn’t figure out?”

“He was the imperial court’s top healer.”

I understood immediately. He laughed in disbelief because I was so excited.

“It seems the medicine he prescribed is already working. I heard she got out of bed and started walking this morning.”

“Why are you telling me this now?!”

“You ran into the Acorn Forest at dawn.”

He said it expressionlessly, but he seemed angry. Could it be that he was sulking because I had gone out at dawn? Whatever it was, right now, the important thing was that Doctor Kim could get well.

“I’m going to go see Lantuya…”

I jumped up from my seat, but he grabbed my arm to stop me. Why? I looked at him and he asked in the same sulky tone,

“Don’t you have anything to say?”

“…Thank you?”

I looked at him while answering awkwardly, and his eyes gleamed mischievously.

“And if you are grateful?”

Then, he rubbed my wrist with his thumb. Since he was throwing out these cheap tricks whenever he had the chance, I countered with an impenetrable wall.

“If I find chili peppers, I’ll let you taste them second.”

The smile vanished from his face in an instant.

“Is the first one your younger sister?”

“No. It’s me. I’m going to eat it first. You know how hard I’ve been working to find it.”

I revealed my desire for the chili peppers, but he let out a hollow laugh and seemed pleased instead. I wonder if he’ll laugh like that after eating them.

“And since my sister is still frail, she should avoid such stimulating food.”

“Your sister probably won’t mind. She is already facing stimulation the moment she woke up.”

“Stimulation? What do you mean?”

“She said she wanted to meet Hoiga. So I sent him to where your sister is just a moment ago. …Lu, what’s wrong?”

He asked, but I was frozen, pale with shock, and couldn’t give a proper answer.

“…No.”

“No?”

They must not be allowed to meet. They absolutely must not be alone together.

‎

‎

Thump, thump, thump.

Even though the sound of footsteps echoed loudly, I was too impatient to notice I was startling people as I ran.

“Lord Lu.”

The one who stopped me was Solongo, who had rushed over after hearing the news of my arrival. As soon as I saw her, I threw a question at her.

“Where is Lantuya?”

“She is currently talking with Hoiga in the office. Huh? Lord Lu!”

I left her behind and started running again. I let my guard down too much. I hadn’t even thought of Hoiga.

I should have met him first and shut him up. Doctor Kim was still physically weak, so if she heard something like that, she would be shocked…

My heart, which had been pounding with anxiety and worry, plummeted the moment I opened the office door. Hoiga’s voice came through the gap in the door.

“……It’s true. That’s the last sight I saw of my homeland.”

I couldn’t move and closed my eyes. I knew that the story I most wanted to hide from Doctor Kim had finally come out of Hoiga’s mouth.

I should have rushed inside immediately to check on Doctor Kim’s condition, but it was difficult to even open the door any further. What finally moved me was a question from Doctor Kim, which I heard after a long while.

“…Is that true?”

I had opened the door and stepped inside before I realized it. Hoiga, kneeling on the floor, turned to look at me with surprised eyes, but Doctor Kim glared only at Hoiga without meeting my gaze.

She was as pale as a corpse, appearing as if she might collapse at any moment, yet her voice was authoritative.

“I’m asking if that is true.”