episode_0126

-This is quite amusing.

The Holy Sword calmly stated the obvious.

-The sight of someone wielding the Holy Sword saying, “Actually, I’m not the Sword Hero”—it’s ridiculous.

‘Shut up.’

I mentally scolded the Holy Sword for dredging up something I’d been trying hard to forget.

No, it’s not amusing at all.

I never wanted the Holy Sword.

If anything, this thing came to me through Diago.

-Hohoho… You say that, but your body’s being honest, isn’t it?

But the Holy Sword just laughed at my words.

‘Where the hell did you learn to talk like that?’

-The swordsmanship, the footwork… even the breathing—you’ve mastered everything a hero should.

‘…….’

I really had no comeback for that.

But I did have something to say.

Because.

‘You’re the one who told me to learn it in the first place.’

You provoked me, and when I mastered it all at once, you had the nerve to complain.

-Y-You shameless bastard! Do you even know how much of a treasure you’ve stolen?!

‘That’s why I became a thief.’

-…….

I could practically feel the Holy Sword’s stunned disbelief.

……Maybe I went too far.

I’ll deal with this later.

I turned my gaze to the two people staring at me blankly.

The Imperial Princess and the Crown Prince.

Both of them looked like they’d been smacked in the face with a pillow in the middle of the night.

“A thief hero? You?”

“Given your noble Imperial bloodline, it would be more fitting for you to compete as the Sword Hero.”

After saying that, I took a step back.

Then I grabbed Cheong Yurang and retreated further.

To be precise, running away was the right term.

‘……This is exhausting.’

Dealing with high-ranking people like them is a pain. Especially when they’re upright, know they’re upright, and are good at hiding their true selves…

‘I really hate it…….’

More accurately, it’s just uncomfortable.

As soon as we stepped outside, I saw Erme staring at us in shock.

Why that expression?

Following her gaze, I noticed Cheong Yurang standing beside me.

“Wh-Wh-What?! How did you two get so close?!”

“Huh? When we went to the Beastmen’s country.”

“Master, who is this?”

Cheong Yurang glared at Erme with icy eyes.

“W-Wait, Master?!”

[Tears. Master ignored my opinion and created a combat-specialized pet.]

Cheongju flailed her arms in protest.

‘…….’

Well, technically, she is an attack-type pet.

But Cheong Yurang is a beastman. She wouldn’t like being treated as a pet—

-……You’re truly something. I’ll give you that.

The Holy Sword spoke in a rare tone of admiration.

‘Don’t.’

Because.

The moment Cheong Yurang heard Cheongju call her a pet—

‘Why is she making that face?’

She looked like she was about to die from happiness. Her cheeks were flushed, her lips curled into a grin, and her eyes were crescent moons from smiling.

I’d never seen that expression before…

“That robot… has a sharp eye.”

[Disdain. A beastman who gets that happy over being called a pet? She’s practically a dog.]

“Well, Ms. Cheong Yurang is from a canine bloodline.”

Erme chimed in, her eyes sparkling. Then she glanced at me, as if wondering how we’d gotten so close.

“But what is this robot?”

[Affirmation. Cheongju, the most loyal robot of Master Han Yuseong. My rank is higher than yours, so address me with respect.]

“Can I break this tin can?”

Cheong Yurang asked me with deadly seriousness, her eyes saying she’d stomp it to pieces if I gave the word.

‘Give her a break…….’

-This is absurd. Normally, women would be fighting over you, but here they’re fighting over who’s the pet?

“…….”

I had nothing to say to the Holy Sword’s remark.

Somehow, we managed to spend a night in the city.

The Imperial Princess had been ready to fight, but for some reason, she backed down when she saw me.

Anyway, after resting for the night, we secretly left by carriage.

I sensed strange presences along the way, but they never showed themselves.

Because Vulcan took care of them.

[Oh? This one seems like a decent match for you.]

He kidnapped dozens of people and used them as sparring partners for others.

At some point, I ended up only training with Vulcan.

‘……I just want to land one hit.’

Gasping for breath, I glared at Vulcan.

Well, more accurately, I wanted to land a solid blow.

-Arthur. Ever since that last time you got him, he’s been on guard against you.

‘Figured.’

After falling for traps and tricks before, Vulcan was extra cautious when sparring with me now.

‘This is exhausting enough to kill me.’

-But the results are undeniable.

True enough.

Stats that were hard to raise outside of level-ups were increasing significantly.

That was my only consolation.

It was also the only reason I could push through such grueling training.

After a while—

“We’ve finally arrived.”

Vulcan spoke in a complicated tone.

“A lot happened before we could reach the Imperial Capital.”

……Really.

I sighed deeply.

Still, it was good that I got to do so much.

‘Now, we head to the Eastern Continent and fight, huh?’

Getting there would be quick—we’d be taking some kind of flying ship, or whatever they called it.

“So, what are you going to do?”

Vulcan asked, eyeing me pointedly.

The question was directed at the two people staring at me intently.

The Crown Prince.

And the Imperial Princess.

I’d tried to sneak away, but somehow, they’d followed me, insisting I become the Sword Hero.

‘……It’s not that being the Sword Hero is bad.’

And honestly, I could do it now if I wanted.

Cheonsa, Soyeonhwa.

I’d already beaten her once.

Sure, she was still growing stronger, but I didn’t get the sense she was that much stronger than me.

Call it a difference in learning speed.

The gap between us had only widened.

‘Well…… she’s probably still hiding a lot, though.’

I glanced at Soyeonhwa.

She blinked blankly, tilting her head when she noticed me looking.

“Then let’s start preparing. The Empire will handle the flying ship, so we just need to get ourselves ready.”

“Since the Empire is providing personnel and supplies, things should be easier now.”

“Finally, freedom from cooking.”

The moment I said that, I felt stares from all directions.

Starting with Cheongju.

[Negation. I cannot do this alone.]

“Yeah, right. And more importantly, after tasting your cooking, do you really think anyone would be satisfied with what they make?”

I glanced around.

The Crown Prince and Imperial Princess were smiling awkwardly at me.

‘……Are these really the same two who were fighting in front of the inn?’

I gave them a meaningful look and sighed.

‘Hang in there, Cheongju.’

-You’re acting like you hate this, but it’s not like you’re doing anything.

‘I’m doing plenty.’

There’s so much to handle.

-You train with Vulcan, laze around in bed, and cook one meal a day…

‘The Holy Sword doesn’t understand human struggles.’

Even that is exhausting.

Anyway, we headed toward the flying ship.

‘Wow.’

I marveled at the sight.

Its size was truly staggering.

“That thing can fly?”

“It has mages equivalent to Level 5 onboard, so there shouldn’t be any issues.”

“It’s operated directly by the Empire. Probably built this big for ‘Imperial dignity’ or whatever, but it’s just clunky.”

Vulcan and the Imperial Princess responded to my comment.

I stared at the ship. It was the size of a cruise liner—something you’d never expect to see in the sky.

‘The fact that thing can fly is impressive.’

Magic, I guess.

Then again, if dungeons have existed for a thousand years, it’s no surprise there are so many skilled mages.

As we approached, I saw a large crowd already gathered.

“Oh, perfect timing. Looks like it’s about to depart.”

Vulcan’s face brightened as he spoke.

“Do you usually have to wait long?”

“If the timing’s bad, you could be stuck here for a while.”

His tone made it clear he didn’t want to linger.

At his level, there were probably plenty of people trying to get close to him.

‘He’s at least on par with the Black Nether Lord.’

We boarded the ship.

Given our status, our clan was given a private cabin.

“The perks of being the Crown Prince, I suppose.”

“This is amazing, Your Highness.”

“……”

The Crown Prince stared at me blankly.

“You truly are an enigma.”

“How so?”

“You have the mindset of a commoner… yet despite your strength, you dislike fame—no, you despise it. And yet, you’re surprisingly down-to-earth.”

Well, I suppose that’s how it looks to him.

After being tossed around by fate for so long, I ended up like this.

Once onboard, we entered the private cabin.

A luxurious room greeted us.

‘……This is on par with a high-end suite.’

I was impressed.

A flying ship?

Basically an airplane, right? And yet, they gave me this kind of treatment just for being with the Crown Prince.

‘No, maybe it’s because the Crown Prince is here.’

That must be why.

I lay down on the bed and immediately dozed off.