Chapter 165

Chapter 165

I Would Never Leave Your Side

***

‘Ugh… I still can’t remember.’

Lian returned to the mansion filled with traps, racking his brain, but no matter how hard he thought, no new information came to mind.

Even with Lian’s sharp observational skills and the power of his gag filter, it was impossible to connect the Necromancer he had encountered in that fleeting moment with the old man.

[Partner, if you’re free, why not train your swordsmanship?]

‘Should I?’

As his bond with the cursed sword deepened, Lian could now use some of its abilities without the sword directly controlling his body. This applied not only to ‘skills’ but also to swordsmanship.

‘Gargandoa is weak to holy power, so it would be good to practice swordsmanship whenever I can.’

It was a misunderstanding that arose because every time Lian used holy power, the cursed sword would scream like a horse with its tail on fire. In truth, only someone with the level of holy power of a pope or saint could harm the cursed sword.

It was simply because Lian’s holy power was as strong as that of a pope or saint that the misunderstanding occurred. Having never met a proper priest, he just assumed that the cursed sword was weak to holy power.

‘My skills are improving faster than I expected, so training is actually fun. Is this what they call talent—whoa! That was close.’

Even though his training period wasn’t long, Lian had already reached the level of a knight, and arrogance almost crept into his thoughts.

‘Arrogance is one of the classic clichés of defeat. Yeah…’

Especially when someone with good looks starts getting cocky, they end up losing miserably and receive scornful comments like “Ugh, disgusting.” History has proven this time and time again.

‘Don’t get cocky. Just train like it’s exercise. Let’s not forget.’

Throwing himself into life-or-death training could also awaken his ‘gag skills,’ which he wanted to avoid. Lian, recalling the ‘100 Rules for Surviving in the Gag World,’ began his training in the forest far from the mansion.

After swinging his sword for about an hour under the cursed sword’s guidance, his previously cluttered mind became clear, and he felt refreshed.

“Whew… Exercise really is the best when your head is full.”

Wiping the light sweat from his forehead, Lian transformed the cursed sword into a small dagger and hung it at his waist.

[Partner, I’m hungry.]

‘Let me wash up first, then I’ll feed you.’

[I’m hungry now! You can feed me on the way!]

‘But I’m all sweaty. Wouldn’t that bother you while you’re eating?’

[It’s no different from humans sprinkling salt on their food. I don’t mind.]

‘Wait… Is that really how it feels? And how do you even know that?’

[Because I’ve tasted it before.]

‘You’ve tasted it? When?’

[Remember when you were too lazy and stuck me into the ground before going to sleep? Humans sweat quite a bit while they sleep, so I couldn’t help but notice.]

‘…’

Lian was at a loss for words at the cursed sword’s brazen confession that it had licked his sweat while he was asleep. Imagining the cursed sword in its female form made his face heat up, but the thought of it saying his sweat was like ‘salt’ made him feel strangely uncomfortable.

As they exchanged such pointless banter on their way back to the mansion—

“…! Oppa!”

“Iris?”

Iris, her face pale, appeared from between the trees and ran straight into Lian’s arms. As he instinctively embraced her, Lian’s mind raced.

For a moment, he wondered if it was the ‘Doppelganger’ that had attacked the Duchess, but since the cursed sword didn’t react, it seemed to be the real Iris. Once his initial panic subsided, he began to understand the situation.

‘She must have woken up.’

Iris was still shy around the Duchess, so when Lian and the Duchess went to meet the priest, Iris had to stay behind at the mansion. Left alone, waiting for Lian, Iris had been consumed by anxiety.

What if Oppa doesn’t come back? What if he leaves me behind?

Unable to bear the flood of anxious thoughts, she had finally run out of the mansion. Fortunately, her timing had aligned with Lian’s return, and they were able to meet without missing each other.

Only after being held in Lian’s warm, solid embrace did Iris finally release the tension that had built up inside her. As soon as she relaxed, she fell asleep in his arms.

Lian had laid her down in a room lined with blankets. Afterward, while trying to recall memories of the priest, he had accepted the cursed sword’s suggestion for training and headed to the nearby forest.

‘Where’s Jess? Why did she come alone?’

Lian had asked Jess to take Iris for a walk and to tell her that he would be back soon if she woke up, so she wouldn’t be alarmed.

‘Did something happen?’

Jess wasn’t the type to break a promise, so Lian looked back at the mansion with a worried gaze.

Squeeze!

“Ugh..!”

Iris, sensing that Lian’s attention was elsewhere, clung to him so tightly that he let out a small groan in surprise.

“A-Iris?”

Feeling like he needed to be careful, Lian awkwardly patted her back, and the arms that had been squeezing his waist as if to break him in half loosened slightly.

“Oppa… Oppa…”

Iris, rubbing her face against Lian’s chest, called out to him in a tearful voice. Lian, used to comforting her, spoke gently, as if soothing a child.

“Did you have a nightmare? I’m sorry, I should have told you before I left.”

“Mm.”

As Lian’s familiar scent and gentle voice reached her ears, Iris seemed to calm down, her tearful voice now tinged with a bit of a pout.

“I’m all sweaty and probably smell right now, so let’s separate for a bit. I’ll hug you after I wash up, okay?”

[Oh, Partner, did you practice seducing females—no, women—while I was gone?]

‘What nonsense are you spouting?’

Lian responded in disbelief to the cursed sword’s usual absurd remarks. He opened his mouth again, trying to soothe Iris, who was shaking her head, refusing to let go. But before he could speak, Iris beat him to it.

“I had a nightmare. A nightmare where Oppa left me forever…”

“Ah…”

Whether she had really dreamt it or not, Iris tightened her grip around Lian’s waist again. Her voice, which had softened earlier, was now trembling with tears.

“Oppa… you’ll stay with me forever, right?”

“…”

“You’ll always… always be with me, right?”

Lian opened his mouth, but no words came out.

“Please… answer me.”

His hand, which had been rhythmically patting Iris’s back, froze in midair, then trembled slightly before forming a tight fist.

“…Of course. Oppa would never leave your side.”

“…! Really?”

“Of course.”

Lian smiled softly. Controlling his expression and tone to give her what she wanted wasn’t difficult.

“But there’s one condition.”

“Condition…?”

“Yes, I’ll stay by your side, but I want you to consider the Duchess as part of your family too.”

“…!”

Iris, who had long been starved for affection, couldn’t easily reject someone’s love. Especially when it came to family, she wouldn’t be able to sever those ties.

Even if Lian broke his promise and left one day—once she opened her heart to the Duchess, she wouldn’t be able to hate her.

Yes, this was a well-intentioned lie for both of their happiness.

“…Okay.”

Lian smiled brightly, speaking with sincerity.

“Thank you!”

And I’m sorry.

The unspoken words left a bitter taste in his mouth as he swallowed them down.

***

…Wasn’t the scene where I whispered that ‘well-intentioned lie’ supposed to be cool yet bittersweet?

“Thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to talk to Iris… my daughter, for the first time.”

“Haha, I’m really glad to hear that!”

So far, so good. In fact, I even felt a sense of pride. The problem came with the Duchess’s next words.

“I never expected you to propose to her before I even brought it up.”

“Eh?”

“I heard from Iris. You proposed to stay by her side forever. It was a truly romantic confession.”

“Wha?”

“Things are a bit chaotic right now, but we can’t delay such a joyous occasion. As soon as we return to the duchy, we’ll proceed with the engagement ceremony. You can look forward to it.”

The Duchess, ignoring Lian’s dumbfounded expression and strange noises, continued speaking before quickly leaving for a meeting.

Drip.

Cold sweat trickled down Lian’s face.

‘This is turning into a forced marriage ending!’

If I keep standing here with a blank face, the next thing I know, I’ll be walking down the aisle, then holding a baby at the hospital, and finally taking pictures at a school entrance ceremony.

This was one of the most infamous forced marriage events in the gag world.

‘If I stay here like this, I’ll be left with nothing but responsibility and no pleasure!’

A bucket of cold sweat poured down Lian’s face. His expression was more serious than ever.

‘I have to escape before we return to the duchy! No matter what it takes!’

Whether it was thanks to his desperate plea reaching the heavens or simply because the heavens took pity on him—

Rumble!

“…! That’s it!”

An opportunity to escape had risen from the ground.

End of Chapter