episode_0019

By the time Lucia arrived at Dawn Castle, it was already sunset time.

I wonder if my steps were this slow.

For some reason, the speed was slower than when I was slaying the demon beasts like Siron.

Her steps were slower than when she was dealing with the continuous influx of demonic beasts… It was a strange thing, even when she thought about it herself.

‘Even if I walked a little slowly.’

Lucia lifted her free hand and rubbed her face. Siron took not only the long sword he had brought with him in advance, but also all the weapons he had taken from Bertha.

Suddenly, I realize that my leg length is different from my previous life.

Lucia was currently 9 years old and had the appearance of a girl of that age. Sometimes, you realize that your situation is different from before.

Even though it’s been 9 years since I was reincarnated, I still can’t shake off the feeling of my past life.

The short arms and legs, soft hands without any calluses, and even the internal energy revolving around my body were small and shabby to the point of tears compared to my previous life.

‘You did a good job with this body.’

Now that I look at it, I realize that I did something really reckless.

There is nothing incomprehensible about killing thieves to enter the cave.

However, subduing a person named Bertha was clearly beyond his ability.

‘I got into a mood for no reason…’

If I had known that Siron’s goal was to obtain the Holy Sword, I should have beaten Siron to a pulp and returned to the mansion.

But I couldn’t.

As for why she couldn’t stop it, there were a lot of things that even Lucia herself couldn’t understand. I have nothing to say.

Did you feel like you were possessed by something, that if you did as Siron told you, it would somehow work out?

It was like overlapping fragmentary memories from the past.

Because he was a passive person, to put it nicely, who could only do what others told him to do.

Still, I didn’t really feel like I was being taken advantage of because I was able to work with good colleagues.

Because everyone worked together to always make the best choices and achieve the best results in any given situation.

“… … .”

But now it was all in the past.

‘The stars told us,’ or the absurd prediction that the world would be destroyed. What do you mean? I hate being influenced by others more than this.

Lucia closed her eyes tightly to shake off the endless thoughts.

Before we knew it, we were nearing the main gate of Dawn Castle.

“Are you here? Miss.”

“Yes.”

There was a maid there to meet us.

She is a maid who once helped Siron train. A black-haired woman with impressive slightly raised eyebrows. I guess her name was Dorothy.

Dorothy lifted the hem of her skirt slightly and bowed her head to Lucia.

“You look quite tired.”

“… … Does it look like that?”

Dorothy nodded to Lucia’s question.

Dorothy, who was always watching Lucia, easily noticed that she gave off a slightly different vibe than usual. Of course, the appearance is also like that.

“First of all, my complexion is not good.”

“Complexion?”

“Yes. In particular, the skin under the eyes is dark and looks like someone who has stayed up all night for several days. There may be many other things, but as you walked here, you never once looked straight ahead.”

“It looked like that.”

Lucia smiled in despair and imagined how she would appear to someone.

How shabby it must have been for him to force himself to return to the castle, as he had no strength or will to chase after Siron, who was running far ahead.

Lucia looked up at the maid, clutching the hem of her coat tightly.

“Now that I think about it, what is the theory? What is Shiron doing now?”

Lucia’s voice, asking about her half-brother’s well-being, was somewhat fast. Dorothy smiled softly and nodded.

“Yes, Master, you must have gone to bed by now. Unlike usual, you skip meals. It looks like you were very tired, just like the young lady.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

What is the intention of that question? Are you trying to confirm that Master Siron has arrived safely? Dorothy guessed that Lucia’s question was motivated by family love.

Dorothy gently raised the corners of her mouth and asked Lucia.

“Would you like to eat first? Or would you like to take a bath first? However, in my personal opinion, it would be better to wash right away and go to sleep.”

“Then I will do the same. No matter what I put in my stomach right now, I don’t think I’ll be able to digest it properly.”

*

A little early before the sun rises.

Siron got up from the bed and looked at the window.

I am even amazed at the biological rhythm that has now completely become a part of my body. It’s surprising that he woke up at exactly this time even though he skipped meals and fell asleep right after showering.

‘I’m really going to fall behind because I’m not doping.’

Siron felt fortunate that he had avoided having to close his eyes in the bathtub.

Still, you can’t put off what you need to do today. As always, the place I head to as soon as I open my eyes is the training ground.

I definitely felt it this time. Unlike killing thieves, etc., you never knew when and where you would encounter each of the named characters that appeared in the game.

In order to do that, I had to have the ability to protect myself, even if I didn’t know the strength to fight them. Even if today is the day before a big event called the succession ceremony, we cannot skip the practice that is repeated every morning.

“Poetics.”

But today something is a little different. Lucia, who had rarely appeared at the gym since he started reading the book, was waiting for him at the entrance to the gym.

Did you feel any affection during the night? Siron, feeling happy for some reason, approached Lucia and greeted her.

“What’s going on? After you leave the training ground.”

“… … Speak clearly. Not long ago, I came out first, right? I’ve just been busy with some things to do recently.”

Lucia glanced at Siron disapprovingly and opened the door to the training hall.

I came first and waited, but they gave me nothing.

With that in mind, Lucia ran out to the warehouse ahead of Siron.

A while later, when Siron arrived in front of the warehouse door, Lucia looked at Siron curiously and held out a wooden sword.

“Take it!”

Siron opened his eyes wide and received the wooden sword.

“What is it? Suddenly.”

Shiron is just wondering what kind of wind is blowing to make this happen.

“Yesterday, I told you to hit me if you tease me.”

“… … Surely we want to spar?”

Siron’s face stiffened for a moment.

When I tell you to hit that bastard, do you mean to beat him like a dog with a wooden sword?

“ Hey, I didn’t tell you to hit me with a wooden sword.”

“What do you think of me? No matter how much I do, I will never hit you with a wooden sword.”

“Then?”

“It occurred to me when I saw you fighting yesterday, and I felt like I needed to learn how to swing a sword.”

“… … .”

“And, I’ll teach you how to swing a sword… What… ”

Lucia turned her head away from Siron and scratched her cheek.

“Can we work together…?”

“No. Well, I would be grateful if you told me to teach you.”

Siron let out a sigh of frustration. Did he have a change of heart while we were away for a while, so he would cooperate so obediently?

‘I didn’t even want it to get to this point.’

Rather, it saves you effort.

*

“Now that I think about it.”

The moment I was swinging my sword while sweating for a while. Lucia, who was watching from the side, spoke up.

“Can’t you see the maids who always serve you by your side today?”

“Ah. That.”

Siron responded without stopping swinging his sword.

“Tomorrow is the succession ceremony. In the first place, they helped me out when they were free, so when I’m this busy, I have no choice but to do it alone.”

“But. Is it okay to practice leisurely like this?”

Lucia stopped swinging her sword and looked beyond the mansion.

“I think someone came. That too, a lot.”

“Is that so.”

Siron wiped his sweaty forehead with a towel. Is it already time to arrive?

When I looked up at the sky, the sun was already high in the sky.

I was absorbed in receiving Lucia’s one-on-one guidance. Surprisingly, Lucia was good at teaching. I thought he was a genius and all, so he taught sensibly.

“Then let’s go.”

Siron buried the wooden sword in the snowdrift and handed the towel hanging around his neck to Lucia. Lucia hesitated for a moment, then took the towel and wiped the sweat from her face.

The two headed towards the main gate of Dawn Castle with slightly hurried steps. As if someone had arrived, all the residents of the mansion were lined up.

“Are you here? Master.”

And among them is Yuma, the general manager of Dawn Castle…

“Hello.”

There was Bertha, who bowed her head.

Unlike what she saw in her brother’s coffin, Bertha looked quite human. I wore eye makeup and smelled a little of perfume.

I guess he was planning to say hello to the person approaching from a distance.

Eventually, the gates of Yeomyeongseong Fortress were completely opened.

It had never been completely open before, but looking at his actions, Lucia could roughly guess that the person coming now was quite an amazing person.

Above all, the energy radiating from afar was truly amazing.

A man wearing armor walks towards where Siron and Lucia are.

She had red hair like Lucia. He was a middle-aged man with a thick beard that covered his entire chin.

‘Hugo Prien.’

The older brother of Glenn Prien, leader of the Changcheon Knights and the head of Prien’s family.

Siron’s eyes widened as he saw one of the most powerful people in the world. Is this really enough to save the empire from destruction? When I actually met him, I felt very intimidated, not only because of his size, but also because of his size.

“It’s been a while since I saw you. My nephew.”

“… … hello. Uncle.”

“Haha. This guy. You’ve grown a lot since I haven’t seen you in a few years. It was only yesterday that we were toddling around saying uncle, uncle.”

The man had a scary appearance, but when he saw Siron’s face, he smiled brightly and hugged Siron and Lucia. Lucia’s social skills were not so impaired that she refused his favor. At least I know what childlikeness is.

“And this one…?”

“This time, the head of the family brought in a new girl, Lucia.”

“… … hello. My name is Lucia.

“I see. nice to meet. I am your father’s older brother.”

At Lucia’s introduction, Hugo smiled brightly and looked at Yuma.

“Yuma. You don’t get old no matter how many years pass.”

“… … Unfortunately, yes.”

“So? Is this the end of what came to meet me?”

Hugo looked around at people other than the people he led behind him. Because the person he was looking for was not among them.

The person who must appear at the succession ceremony, an important event for the family, was not here.

“Glen… Where is Glenn?”

“The head of the family… … .”

“Glen Where is this son of a bitch?”

At that fact, Hugo’s face distorted like a goblin.