A Blend of Romance and Fantasy - Chapter 72

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————

72.
After my meeting with Rosalian, I teleported directly to the Imperial Palace.
William, who had been waiting for me, handed me my cloak.
“Welcome back, sir.”
“Thank you.”
As I headed toward my assigned office, William followed close behind, his words tumbling out rapidly.
“All the rifts from yesterday have been sealed. We’ve recovered all the victims, and the injured have been treated.”
“Well done.”
“However, weren’t you also wounded yesterday, sir? Nicholas mentioned that Demian’s attack had struck your abdomen….”
At William’s question, I came to an abrupt halt.
“He must have been mistaken. It was dark, wasn’t it?”
“True, you wouldn’t be standing here so perfectly fine otherwise. I spoke carelessly.”
William bowed his head, then resumed following as I continued forward.
“On the other hand, Demian appears to have suffered terribly. When I requested a visit this morning, he refused, citing prior obligations.”
“His right shin was pulverized. Magic may have treated it, but he won’t be walking for some time.”
“Then it’s the right moment for you to return to Blackwood.”
“…Indeed.”
I absently touched the sword at my waist.
“There’s also the hunting festival at Redford coming up soon. It’s appropriate that I attend as Blackwood’s representative. If things unfold as expected, the first struggle for succession to the throne will begin there.”
At my words, William stiffened slightly.
“So it truly begins now.”
Then he ventured to ask me carefully.
“…What will you do about the people of Iaphe Castle?”
Before my eyes, images of people with fire-tinged blood flickered past.
Greedy humans whose words slithered as sweetly as a serpent’s tongue, yet whose intentions were unmistakably clear.
I smiled and spoke.
“They’ll never leave that castle alive. Unless, of course, as corpses.”
“Will you allow them to confront His Highness then?”
“…They pose no real threat to me regardless. However, if Charlotte dislikes it, I’ll take other measures.”
As we walked, my footsteps and William’s came to an abrupt stop.
“Leonard! Where have you been? You’re only just arriving now?”
Charlotte stood before my office.
* * *
When I contacted him through the communication crystal, word came back that Leonard wasn’t in his office.
But I digress—my patience had always been shorter than a shoelace. A handbag strap… or rather, a mini bag’s strap.
Unable to wait any longer, I practically ran to his office, and that’s when I saw Leonard approaching with William.
As I huffed indignantly, William quickly assessed the situation and withdrew, leaving only the two of us in the office.
“Leonard, why haven’t you been answering? Don’t tell me you got lost!”
At first, Leonard looked bewildered, but soon he burst into laughter.
“Your expression right now is absolutely hilarious, you know?”
“My expression? What about it?”
His office had a small mirror tucked away in a corner. When I approached and looked at my reflection, my cheeks were flushed a deep crimson, as if they might burst.
‘I look exactly like a tomato.’
When I hastily closed my mouth in embarrassment, he approached and spoke.
“There’s no need to worry about getting lost. Wherever you go, an attendant or knight is always by your side.”
“…So you’re not denying that you have a poor sense of direction anymore.”
“What’s the point in denying it when you’ll just keep teasing me about it anyway? That would be a waste of time.”
“Hmph, so you do understand.”
I snorted and flopped down onto the sofa.
“So where have you been?”
“I went to meet Rosalian Cleur.”
My mouth fell slightly open. Of course, not in a positive way. I felt caught.
“Hmm…”
“I heard you forged her identity documents. I suppose you intend to look after Benjamin and his younger siblings as well. Or perhaps you’ve already done so. Who helped you?”
“Ah, it was Alex.”
“My, it seems Alex has already become your adjutant.”
Despite his words, his expression didn’t appear particularly angry. I spoke cautiously, gauging his mood.
“Leonard, were you upset that I acted without consulting you?”
“No. If anything, I was planning to do the same without consulting you, so we’re even.”
A brief silence fell between us.
“Then… shall we talk about what happened yesterday? Where you went, why you were injured, and how your wounds healed so quickly?”
“That’s quite a lot of questions.”
Leonard, who had been approaching me, frowned slightly.
“I’m not sure where to begin explaining.”
“Take your time. I have plenty of time. Should I have someone bring popcorn and cola?”
“…Is it really appropriate to say such things when someone was seriously injured? Your eyes are absolutely gleaming with excitement.”
Ah, I’ve been caught.
But what can I do? A gaping abdominal wound sealed itself right before my eyes in less than thirty seconds.
Anyone who witnessed such an extraordinary ability would be desperate to hear the full story.
“I’m sorry. Are you angry?”
Leonard shook his head slightly and sat down on the sofa.
“I should be angry, but I find I cannot be.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your face is far too amusing for me to maintain a serious expression.”
What’s wrong with my face…?
I gently touched my cheeks once more and let out an awkward cough.
“But I cannot help myself. A person with a punctured abdomen standing up in less than a minute? It reminds me of a certain character from a Marvel comic who possesses a healing factor.”
“I was more of a DC fan. I liked the Bat-man.”
“You don’t know anything. That hero was a wealthy billionaire. To truly represent the common people’s hero, one must be both pathetic and kind—like the Spider-man.”
As we bantered back and forth, we both suddenly burst into laughter.
“It feels like it’s been a while since we talked about our past lives. Do you happen to know how Avengers X ended?”
“Don’t spoil it for me. Ah, well, even if you did spoil it, I won’t be able to watch it once I go back anyway.”
“That’s true. Now I can never return to South Korea….”
Silence descended abruptly.
My memories of my past family were the worst, but my surroundings were ordinary.
But Leonard? This place must be the worst for him—wouldn’t his past life have been happier?
“Leonard, do you wish you could return to South Korea?”
Leonard looked at me with surprise.
“Do you wish to return?”
“Not particularly. If I had to name something I miss, it would be smartphones and the conveniences of civilization, but since magic is so developed here, that makes up for it.”
Besides, I have money, I’m beautiful, I have wonderful friends and a kind older brother. But you….
He seemed to sense what I was about to say, and a faint smile crossed his face. Yet that smile carried a hollow emptiness—as if he’d reached for an old memory only to let it slip away.
“Strangely, I cannot remember well.”
“What?”
“Long ago, I possessed this body, but what kind of life I lived and how I spent those days… I can no longer recall them clearly.”
His words trailed off quietly, as if strength had drained from his hands.
I possessed this body nine years ago. They say a generation changes in ten years, so it’s been quite a long time.
To be honest, I also cannot remember what happened to me in South Korea.
It’s no different from asking a nineteen-year-old high school student to recall events from when they were ten.
But his meaning seemed slightly different from what I had thought.
“So answering that question is rather difficult for me.”
A brief pause.
I could no longer bear his faint smile. I clenched my fists and cried out unconsciously.
“…I’ll make you happy!”
“What?”
“At least while I’m by your side…. Well, I’m confident I can be amusing.”
As I mumbled awkwardly, he laughed loudly once more.
“Yes, watching you is always delightful. I ask for your continued kindness.”
“…Anyway!”
I set down the chocolate cookies and lemonade that Dorothy had brought, then asked again.
“So, what exactly is that healing factor?”
“….”
Leonard did not answer. Soon after, instead of opening his mouth, he turned his gaze toward the window outside.
His crimson eyes sparkled with a poignant gleam, as if searching for something deep within, something buried away.
“I didn’t want to speak of it, yet it seems I’ve been found out after all.”
* * *
Leonard reminisced that his life had begun in absolute chaos.
Though he had possessed this body, he was unfamiliar with that very word.
Whose life he had inherited, what he had been before—all of it had long since sunk beyond the reach of memory.
Any peaceful existence that might once have been was now a distant, blurred dream, nothing more than a phantasm born from the flames of hell.
Blake, a nation said to have inherited the blood of dragons.
They burned hotter than flame, stood more stubborn than mountains, and were crueler than the wind itself.
They deemed defeat shameful, embraced battle with fervor, and believed strength was law.
Thus they conquered the nations surrounding them.
Not merely for pleasure’s sake.
Beneath Blake’s soil flowed ley lines suffused with dragon’s breath—currents of mana that pulsed with ancient power.
Life struggled to flourish in such barren earth, and so they took up sword and spear to escape this desolate inheritance.
Consequently, Blake harbored countless political enemies.
Yet it was not the formal Knights’ Order—composed of nobility—who confronted these adversaries. Their blood and sweat were far too noble for such work.
Those expendable souls who could perish nameless beyond the borders—they were Thanatos.
A Punishment Unit forged from criminals.

—————

This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

—————