Adopting the Male Protagonist Changed the Genre - Chapter 236

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 236

“Regret…”

Giuseppe chewed over that word with a strange expression, like someone who had never experienced regret before.

He answered in a dry voice.

“The day I regret this choice will never come.”

Though she didn’t have the power of truth, Ophelia could tell there was no lie in those words.

Smiling with satisfaction, Ophelia whispered affectionately to the Demon King who stood there blankly, only staring at her.

“Luca, could you gather all the friends from beyond the forest?”

The Demon King’s head tilted to one side. As if finding that cute, Ophelia stroked the Demon King’s head and continued.

“We’re going to play that war game I taught you before. You remember those two people I told you not to kill, right?”

“…?”

“Oh my, I mean Belinda with the red hair and Leo, who’s around your age.”

The Demon King, who had been pondering, reluctantly nodded his head.

“Except for those two, you can eat and kill as much as you want.”

Finally, permission to play was granted.

Immediately, his tightly closed lips shot up sharply on both sides, and teeth as pointed as a shark’s flashed menacingly.

As if his expressionless face from moments before was a lie, the Demon King grinned wickedly.

As if he couldn’t contain his anticipation for what was about to happen.

* * *

The last night of the week Ophelia had mentioned.

The Northern Castle was quiet, but not because everyone in the castle was sleeping deeply.

Most people were holding their breath, unable to fall asleep easily as they prepared for the battle that would take place tomorrow.

I was the same. Even though bedtime had long passed, my gaze wouldn’t leave the strategic map.

War supplies were sufficient, and thanks to Cheri, the northern lords were showing unprecedented unity.

Nevertheless, I couldn’t be confident of victory purely because of insufficient troops.

Even if Mikhail sent an army immediately, it would take two months to reach the North.

Given the speed at which the northern forest was withering, we needed to settle things within a month, so hoping for additional troop support was a futile hope.

‘The only good news is that Vivian succeeded in improving the ‘Spring Water of All Things.”

She said it was less effective than the original ‘Spring Water of All Things,’ but it could now be contained in ordinary glass bottles, making mass production possible.

It would certainly have an enormous impact on the war situation. Of course, that was assuming it arrived on time.

Terry couldn’t move because she had to send supplies from the Royal Capital and gather information. Instead, she said she would send the improved ‘Spring Water of All Things’ with someone trustworthy.

Everything about the war situation was just unsettling.

All I could rely on was the strategy my advisors had worked out over three sleepless nights, but that strategy was the worst option for me.

Because…

“Ow. Sir, what you just stepped on was my foot?”

“Oh, sorry, teacher. That was actually my foot just now.”

“What? Saesaek-i, you say that’s your foot? When did your feet get so big? They’re not swollen, are they?”

“Judging by the size of your feet, you must be going to be very tall. Congratulations, Leo.”

“Really? I’d like to grow like a weed and become as tall as Knight.”

“Well now, look at this withered little sprout. Why am I only as big as a northern blockhead?”

“Ah, teacher is a bit…”

“Leo didn’t say he’d be as big as a northern blockhead, he said he’d be as big as me. You must have misheard.”

I turned toward the slightly open drawing room door.

Then the whispering voices abruptly stopped and silence fell over the drawing room.

Those men, really.

‘Did they really think I wouldn’t know?’

I turned completely toward the door and sat down, speaking in a thorny voice.

“What are you all doing out there?”

“…”

Well now, look at this. Are you going to play dumb to the end?

I called out to the men outside the door one by one.

“Leo.”

“…”

“Chaser.”

“…”

“Cheri.”

“…Yes.”

As soon as an ant-sized voice answered from beyond the door, criticism poured out.

“Kn-Knight! You shouldn’t answer right now!”

“That clueless blockhead, really!”

“But when the Marquess’s Daughter calls, I can’t not answer…”

Beyond the door became noisy again. I spoke coldly once more.

“Everyone come in, right now.”

After a moment, the door slowly opened and Leo entered hesitantly, watching my expression, with Chaser and Cheri in front of him.

“Sit.”

When I pointed to the opposite side with my chin, Leo sat alone on the sofa, completely hunched over.

I narrowed my eyes, glaring at Chaser on the left and Cheri on the right standing behind Leo.

“Should I interpret this as you two taking Leo’s side?”

Chaser, who had been pretending not to notice my gaze while scratching his cheek, sighed deeply and said.

“It’s not exactly taking someone’s side, but… I think doing what Saesaek-i says isn’t bad either. Saesaek-i didn’t step forward without any plan.”

“Th-that’s right! I didn’t step forward recklessly either…”

Leo, who met my murderous gaze directly, shut his mouth tight like a clam. Still not giving up his stubbornness, he reached his left hand back to request help from Cheri.

“Knight, please say something too. It’s not as dangerous as you think… Knight?”

However, Leo’s left side had been empty for a while now.

Soon Leo’s eyes, having spotted Cheri, trembled with shock.

“Wh-when did you get behind Belinda…”

When? Ever since I asked if they were taking Leo’s side.

Cheri avoided Leo’s gaze and explained in the smallest voice I’d ever heard from him.

“…I was just used to standing behind the Marquess’s Daughter.”

“That’s a cowardly excuse!”

At Chaser’s pointing finger, Cheri couldn’t even lift his head, but he still continued to guard my back.

The reason Leo and I ended up fighting on opposite sides like this stemmed from the strategy the advisors had proposed.

To explain the Northern Alliance’s strategy, it was roughly this:

Engage in siege warfare where the forest’s corruption begins, reduce the number of demonic beasts to some extent, then strike the rear of the beast horde to cut off their escape route before attacking all at once to annihilate them.

It sounded like a plausible plan, but there were very, very fatal multiple problems with it.

One, two forces from the left and right had to simultaneously ambush and completely surround the rear of the beast horde.

Two, to strike the rear of the beasts, troops had to pass through the Barrier Forest.

Three, it was impossible to quietly lead troops through the Barrier Forest that bewitches people.

Four, the only one capable of this was Cheri, who received the forest’s blessing.

Five, when everyone was racking their brains, some tall boy quietly raised his hand and said, ‘I think I could guide the way.’

Six, that boy was none other than Leo.

Upon hearing these six pieces of news belatedly, I gave Leo’s back a severe beating for the first time in my life and shouted.

“Even if you cause trouble, how could you cause such a major accident? Do you know where that place is! You greenhorn! You chestnut-head!”

“I’m not a greenhorn anymore, I’m a rooster with a comb! Ow! And there’s no chestnut this big either! Ow ow!”

“Whether you’re a rooster or a giant chestnut, no means no!”

After barely calming down thanks to Chaser and Cheri’s restraint, an inevitable sense of helplessness washed over me.

It was because I realized there was no other way except for Leo to step forward.

If only I could at least go with Leo.

[Name: Leo Blanche]

[Age: 15 years old]

[Intelligence: 612/699]

[Stamina: 645/699]

[Divine Power: 352/399]

[Magic Power: 673/699]

Compared to Leo, who had desperately trained over the past two years and built up abilities comparable to any decent knight or mage, I was in a position where even protecting myself was burdensome.

In fact, what truly angered me wasn’t Leo’s stubbornness, but my own incompetence in being unable to protect the child.

I sighed and pressed my forehead.

Leo, who had been flinching at the sound of my sighs and watching my mood, spoke in a completely deflated voice.

“It’s not like I’m participating in the war. I’ll just guide the Northern Knights to the edge of the forest and then withdraw immediately. The teacher said he’d come with me, and on the way back, the Elders of the Mage Tower promised to escort me.”

“Leo, I’m not curious about how thoroughly anyone will protect you. What matters is that you could be in danger.”

Leo’s head dropped. I spoke in a much gentler voice, as if comforting Leo.

“You’re still young. Exposing a child to danger is absolutely…”

“But…”

What suddenly left me speechless wasn’t Leo’s small voice trying to argue against my words.

It was because Leo’s eyes looking up at me were filled with some kind of conviction.

Leo no longer avoided my gaze and met it directly, continuing calmly.

“But even if I’m young, I still feel regret and guilt.”

“Leo, you don’t need to feel guilty. No one can blame you, and they shouldn’t.”

“I’m not afraid of other people’s judgment. I would regret it. Because I didn’t do something only I could do. If I don’t step forward here, I have a feeling this regret will follow me for the rest of my life.”

At that moment, for some reason, I remembered something Mikhail had told me long ago.

Those words about how great power and authority come with corresponding duties.

In the end, I couldn’t offer any rebuttal and closed my eyes.

A moment later, when I opened my eyes again, I was met with Leo’s firm gaze waiting for my answer.

I sighed for who knows how many times and spread my arms wide.

“You little chestnut that hasn’t even shed its burr yet. Come here.”

Leo smiled brightly and leaped over the table, throwing himself into my arms. I stroked Leo’s back, which I had been hitting wildly, and said.

“Promise me you’ll return without a single hair harmed.”

“Of course! I’ll pinky promise.”

Leo’s little finger intertwined with mine.

Satisfied with the peacefully resolved argument, Leo left the drawing room.

I called out to Chaser, who was about to follow him out.

“Chaser, could you stay?”

“…Protagonist, I’ll say it again, it’s not that I necessarily took Saesaek-i’s side…”

“I’m not trying to blame you for that. I wanted to discuss something about the incomplete immortality you told me about before.”

Chaser’s expression immediately became serious.

I began to share with Chaser and Cesar the information I had seen through fragments of Ophelia’s memories.

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