They Say an Age Gap Like This Doesn’t Even Need Matching - Chapter 96

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

They say age gaps of nnn years don’t even bother checking compatibility.
Chapter 96
As he approached me with an outstretched arm, he refrained from speaking further, as if determined not to embarrass me any more than necessary.
Yet an unmistakable smile played at the corners of his mouth.
Knowing he was simply happy rather than intending to tease me, I couldn’t find him annoying.
The heat in my face simply wouldn’t subside, which was the real problem.
Just as I was attempting to shift the mood by retrieving the next date guide from my pocket—
“…!”
A tremendous surge of mana washed over me, and I snapped my head up.
The source was the Western Tower of the Lord’s Castle.
The mana portal restoration work, which was supposed to take at least four days, appeared to have been completed in less than two.
“We need to go.”
Elhart nodded in agreement.
On the way to where we’d left the carriage, I made a brief stop at the Jewelry Shop.
“I came to pick up something I left here under the name Ser Brin.”
“Ah, please wait just a moment.”
The shop owner returned with a box set aside in a corner.
“Here it is.”
Inside the box lay a pair of rings.
They weren’t originally sold here; I’d left them to be sized to fit both Elhart and me.
“Try them on and see if they fit.”
“Ser, these are….”
Elhart stared at the rings with a bewildered expression.
“A married couple should naturally have wedding rings.”
“That’s… well, yes, but….”
“I happened to find something suitable.”
Even after hearing my explanation, he remained motionless.
As if he didn’t dare touch them.
“Give me your hand.”
I grasped Elhart’s hand firmly and picked up one of the rings.
Then I slipped the ring onto his finger.
“Perfect. It fits beautifully.”
After placing the ring on my own hand and laying them side by side, they looked absolutely stunning together.
“So this is… a loan, then?”
“No.”
I shook my head at Elhart’s question.
“This is a gift from me to you. I won’t ask for it back.”
His eyes widened, and he looked back and forth between the ring and me in disbelief.
“…Really?”
“Yes. If you ever don’t need it, you can throw it away.”
He hastily concealed his hand and fixed me with a wary gaze.
It wasn’t as though I intended to secretly dispose of it.
“There’s no need to worry. Absolutely not.”
His expression was so absurd and endearing that I laughed and nodded.
“You’re right—it would be better to keep it in the Treasury.”
I leaned close to his ear and whispered.
“It’s far too precious.”
Three hundred years ago, the heart of the Demon Dragon Karkelenos—who had once sent the world trembling in fear—was embedded within this ring.
‘Mikhail and I went through such an ordeal to capture it.’
Merely by wearing this, even formidable demons would hesitate to approach.
Of course, in this modern age, there was little chance of encountering demons within a city.
“Let’s go now.”
I took his hand and left the Jewelry Shop.
“Thank you, Ser Brin.”
Elhart spoke with a face radiant with excitement and joy.
“I should be the one giving you gifts.”
….
So this is why people give gifts.
Watching Elhart overflow with such unbridled happiness, I found myself wanting to bestow upon him something far more magnificent.
‘I wonder if there are any Demon Dragons left unslain. Or perhaps other apex-tier demons.’
Perhaps I could find them by searching the Snow-Covered Mountain Range where no humans dwell, or the seas beyond.
Even after boarding the carriage, he remained pressed against my side, placing our hands—both wearing the ring—side by side and gazing at them continuously.
‘Once Bardia is stabilized, I’ll prepare for a hunt and depart immediately.’
As I solidified this resolve, the carriage entered the Lord’s Castle and came to a halt before the Western Tower.
Elhart and I descended from the carriage and entered the tower together.
“So this is a mana portal.”
Elhart marveled at the azure pillar of light rising from the magic circle.
“You two finished your date, I see.”
“What are you talking about? As if a date matters now.”
Kei and Raern walked toward us, speaking.
“…Raern, are you alright?”
Seeing Raern’s haggard appearance—as though he might collapse at any moment—concern spilled from my lips unbidden.
“Hehe… I’ve upheld justice.”
…?
I couldn’t fathom what he was saying.
Was he standing here dreaming?
Unlike my bewilderment, Kei clicked his tongue as though he’d grasped something.
“Justice? Raern, look at the Prince’s hand.”
At Kei’s words, Raern glanced at Elhart’s hand and cried out in astonishment.
“Wait, why is that there!”
Raern’s pointed finger was directed at Elhart’s ring.
“You gave that precious thing to someone who isn’t even a Mage?”
Now that I thought about it, Raern had once pestered me for the heart of a Demon Dragon that was rolling around in my spatial bag.
He called it the finest magical material or something like that.
“With just that one, you could obliterate an entire mountain range!”
At Raern’s words, Elhart flinched in surprise and hid his hand behind his back.
“That’s exactly why I can’t give it to you. It’s something precious filled with memories, and if it ends up in your hands, it’ll disappear.”
“That, well….”
Raern couldn’t deny it.
Indeed, this was something that should never be entrusted to the Destruction King.
“It’s a wedding ring, so don’t covet it.”
Only then did Raern notice the matching ring on my hand, and his brow furrowed deeply.
“Answer me.”
When our eyes met, Raern nodded weakly after a moment.
“Understood, Commander. I won’t touch it.”
If I didn’t nail this down now, there was no telling what he might do next.
That’s simply the nature of Mages.
“The magical portal appears to be functioning without any issues.”
Kei spoke after testing a few things in the meantime.
“Good. Then let’s move up the timeline.”
Starting tomorrow, I could summon the descendants of the Expedition Team to the Brin Domain.
And…
“Before we begin the work in earnest, there’s somewhere I need to go.”
I looked at Raern, Kei, and Elhart in turn as I spoke.
“I need to meet with the King. In secret.”
They all looked at me with startled eyes.
“You’re saying you’ll infiltrate the Bardia Royal Palace?”
At Kei’s question, I nodded.
“Three hundred years have passed, so many systems likely won’t function properly, but it won’t be easy.”
The security system of the Bardia Royal Palace was something we had painstakingly reinforced and reinforced again.
Back then, even I would have found it difficult to breach without destroying everything.
Considering that I needed to infiltrate the King’s quarters without being detected by anyone, Kei’s concern was understandable.
However.
“It’s fine. I have a way.”
“…?”
I nodded with confidence.
“There’s a secret passage that only Mikhail and I knew about.”
“What?!”
“You secretly built something like that?”
Kei and Raern cried out in surprise.
“No, it’s not like we secretly built it or anything….”
I trailed off awkwardly.
Truth be told, that secret passage had simply… come into existence by accident.
Mikhail and I were fooling around when I accidentally punched a hole in the wall, and since I was terrified of getting scolded, I’d dragged over a massive bookcase to hide it.
After that, the two of us kept making more holes, gradually carving out a proper passage.
Kei pressed his forehead at my explanation.
“You’ve done something absolutely reckless. What if an assassin tried to infiltrate?”
“That’s why I set up quite a few traps.”
“I’m sorry, what?”
Kei’s eyes grew increasingly fierce.
“No, I mean… I was planning to tell you eventually….”
I hadn’t expected three centuries to pass.
“This is unbelievable….”
Judging by Elhart’s expression, it seemed Mikhail hadn’t mentioned the secret passage to anyone either.
I laughed nervously, “Haha, well, it all worked out fine, didn’t it? We’ll just use it this once and seal it back up properly.”
As I tried to smooth things over, I heard Elhart murmur under his breath.
“To think the Founding King and the first Commander of the Knight Order were such troublemakers….”
“I never thought the Founding King and the first Knight Order commander would be such troublemakers…”

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