SS #37 Kang Yujin (10)

Five children were gathered in the pavilion by the pond.

There was Yuria, smiling brightly at Yujin.

A girl with dark blue hair, her eyes sparkling with curiosity, who would occasionally blush and let a smile slip, likely because of the young man beside her.

Next to that girl was a young man with a gallant appearance that was reassuring just to look at.

A pair of twins stood side by side.

The girl wore a mischievous smile amidst her elegance, as if she was enjoying the situation itself, while the boy pouted, glancing over at the dark-blue-haired girl and the young man.

And finally, there was one red-haired girl standing alone.

With her arms crossed and a defiant posture, she wore a very haughty expression, glaring at Yujin as if she were appraising a piece of merchandise.

‘Yuria’s friends.’

There were some unfamiliar faces, but he recognized most of them.

They were the children who made brief appearances in the DLC you could purchase after clearing the Perfect Happy Ending Route of Heroic Saga 2.

‘The girl with dark blue hair is Regina Bayer.’

Yuria’s aunt.

Yuder’s—no, his father-in-law’s younger sister.

She looked incredibly cute and lovely in a blue dress that perfectly matched her dark blue hair, but Yujin thought to himself:

‘Still, Yuria is the prettiest.’

He skipped over the young man next to Regina, as he was someone Yujin had never seen before.

And next to them were the blond-haired siblings.

‘They must be Amber and Aiden, right?’

The children of Gale Bayer, his father-in-law’s older brother.

The elegant girl was Amber, and the boy who seemed full of complaints was Aiden.

‘I don’t think he dislikes me… Is it because of the young man next to Regina?’

In any case, as long as they weren’t hostile toward him, it was fine for now.

And the last person.

The red-haired girl who, among everyone in the pavilion, seemed to be the most focused on him after Yuria.

He had never seen her in the Heroic Saga 2 DLC, but he knew the moment he saw her.

‘She must be Lucas and Scarlett’s daughter.’

It made sense, as she looked like a miniature Scarlett.

Pretty, haughty, and prim, but the type to be an incredibly affectionate big sister once you got to know her.

Moreover, according to the lore—

‘Yuria’s best friend…!’

And not just any friend, but practically her best friend.

Thinking of it that way, her defiant gaze seemed less like outright hostility and more like, ‘I’m going to see if you’re a worthy match for our Yuria!’

‘Alright, let’s do this. You can do it, Kang Yujin.’

After all, hadn’t his father-in-law just given him a practical demonstration?

Steeling his resolve once more, Yujin stepped up into the pavilion. Yuria, who was wearing a clean white dress today instead of her usual pink one, immediately closed the distance as if to welcome him.

“I already told them, right? This is my fiancé, Yujin-oppa.”

As Yuria spoke with a beaming smile, Regina blushed shyly, as if reacting to the word ‘fiancé’ itself, while the elegant Amber and the sullen Aiden also turned to look at Yujin.

‘I knew it. Aiden is acting like that because of Regina.’

There was no particular emotion in his eyes as he looked at Yujin.

It was just a simple curiosity, a look that said, ‘So you’re Yuria’s fiancé?’

And then there was the one gaze that was still glaring daggers at him.

Vivian scanned Yujin from head to toe with the face of a strict examiner. Yujin swallowed hard, then offered the greeting he had practiced over and over with Aunt Natasha.

“I am Kang Yujin, Yuria’s fiancé. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”

His voice trembled slightly when he said ‘Yuria’s fiancé,’ but he felt it was a pretty decent introduction.

“Hmph, he’s my oppa.”

Yuria said, linking her arm with Yujin’s. He tried his best not to react too strongly.

Then came the other voices.

“I’m Amber Bayer. It’s nice to meet you. I’m Yuria’s older cousin.”

Amber was four years older than Yuria and two years older than Yujin.

Of course, that meant they should still be speaking formally, but Amber spoke casually, perhaps as a sign of familiarity or because it was an informal setting.

But maybe it was because Amber was a beauty, or because her elegant smile held a touch of friendliness.

Her greeting was anything but unpleasant; if anything, it felt good.

“Aiden Bayer. Nice to meet you. Yuria’s older cousin.”

Aiden’s introduction seemed somewhat perfunctory compared to Amber’s—or more accurately, it felt like his mind was elsewhere—but it was passable and not bad.

“I’m Regina Bayer. Yuria’s aunt. A-And this is my boyfriend… N-No. I mean, a friend who’s a boy! A-A male friend? This is Elwin-nim.”

Though no one had said anything, Regina’s face turned red as she grew flustered and didn’t know what to do with herself. When she finally managed to finish, the young man beside her smiled gently and spoke.

“I am Elwin S. Paragon. I am Miss Regina’s male friend.”

He spoke coolly with a gallant face, making him seem handsome even to another man.

It felt like he had deliberately used the term ‘male friend’ not to tease Regina, but to support her.

‘Though it seems like a bit of a strange way to show support.’

Still, it seemed Regina had taken it as encouragement.

Her cheeks flushed pink, she fidgeted with her fingers, and then, with a slightly proud expression, she said:

“Elwin-nim is a prince of the Paragon Kingdom. A real prince.”

Not just someone like a prince, but a real, actual prince.

At Regina’s not-so-humble brag, Amber smiled again, Aiden pouted, and Yujin thought:

‘But Yuria is a real, true, actual princess…!’

Hadn’t his mother and father said so?

That Yuria was the noblest child in all of Pleiades.

It made sense. Yuria wasn’t some demigod.

She was simply a god.

A true child of gods, with both parents being deities.

But as he thought that, Yujin suddenly felt shabby.

Yuria was a true child of gods, while he, though the child of an angel and an apostle, felt like he was a few ranks lower.

Moreover, when you thought about it, his father was his father-in-law’s apostle, and his mother was his mother-in-law’s angel.

In modern terms, the relationship between him and Yuria was like that of a major corporation chairman’s daughter and the son of the chairman’s personal secretary.

If Cordelia heard him, she would have scolded him for saying such strange things, but that’s how Yujin saw it.

And then there was the young man before him.

Elwin S. Paragon.

A true man’s man, handsome and cool even in another man’s eyes.

‘His muscles are insane.’

His broad shoulders and the muscles in his arms, which looked as thick as Regina’s waist.

—A scrawny fellow. Small. Thin. Weak.

Suddenly, the words Count Chase had spat at him flooded Yujin’s mind.

If only he were tall and muscular like that, he would be the one holding Yuria, not the one being held by her.

He would have protected Yuria from the chimera.

‘I have to start training as soon as I get back.’

He had a long way to go.

He had to take all the elixirs Count Chase gave him and get stronger as quickly as possible.

Yujin clenched his fists, hardening his resolve. Vivian, who had been watching him the whole time, narrowed her eyes slightly and spoke.

“I’m Vivian Hresvelg. Yuria’s best friend. So I’m asking, what is it you like about Yuria?”

It was a sudden attack following the introductions.

But Yujin felt it instinctively.

This was an attack he could handle.

Hadn’t he already been through this once before?

‘And…’

Alexei’s teaching.

A crisis is an opportunity, so maintain your reason and rationality at all times.

It was just as Alexei had said.

If he could properly answer the question from Yuria’s best friend, Vivian, he could solidify his own standing in an instant.

‘Plus, I just saw the correct answer!’

The answer sheet his father-in-law had personally demonstrated.

Yujin mustered his courage and opened his mouth.

And then—

‘Ah, I can’t! It’s impossible!’

When it came to Yuria’s good points, so many things came to mind that they filled his head in an instant, but saying them out loud was a completely different matter.

It’s embarrassing.

It’s mortifying.

What if Yuria doesn’t like it?

What if other people hear it and think it’s weird?

‘Father-in-law…!’

Yujin was once again struck by how amazing his father-in-law was.

And he also realized just how much his father-in-law loved his mother-in-law.

‘My training is still insufficient!’

It was at that very moment.

[Oppa?]

Startled by Yuria’s voice in his head, Yujin turned his head.

[It’s me, Yuria. I’m talking to you with Message Magic. I’ve connected us, so you should be able to send me a message too.]

[L-Like this?]

[Yes, just like that. If Vivian’s question is difficult, you don’t have to answer it.]

Yuria smiled gently as if to say he shouldn’t feel pressured, but Yujin, who had inherited Hong Yu-hee’s blood, knew instinctively.

‘She’s disappointed!’

She was saying it was okay, but she was upset.

So, he absolutely could not just give a weak, “Okay,” in response.

[Y-Yuria!]

[Yes, oppa.]

[Yuria is—!]

And Yujin conveyed every single thought that came to his mind to Yuria, holding nothing back.

While his powers of expression were still lacking compared to Yuder’s, his passion was in no way inferior.

[S-Stop…]

Even Yuria, who had inherited Yuder’s shamelessness, had her limits.

Her face completely red, she began to squirm, looking as if she would melt at any moment. Yujin, as if delivering the final blow, conveyed his thoughts even more passionately.

Watching the two of them from the side, Vivian’s frown deepened as she thought:

‘What in the world are they talking about?’

It was obvious they were exchanging Message Magic.

And just as Vivian’s suspicion deepened and the blush on Yuria’s face began to spread down her neck and chest—

An unexpected incident was unfolding back at the mansion.

“Vivian! Vivian!”

The owner of the rather high-pitched voice was Scarlett Hresvelg.

Count Hresvelg’s second wife and a member of the Ten Sword Masters, the ‘Queen of Blood.’

But that wasn’t her only identity.

She was the Rogue Master of her generation and the mother of nine siblings, with Vivian at the head (though only two were her biological children).

“Scarlett, I asked the servants. It seems they went to the pavilion.”

Kaisa Hresvelg.

Count Hresvelg’s first wife and the heroine of her time, known as the Sea King of the South.

At the words of her best friend, who was practically a sister to her, Scarlett narrowed her eyes.

“Hmph, I guess it can’t be helped then. It’s too late to go find them now, so I’ll just talk to her when she gets back.”

It wouldn’t do for an adult to barge in while the children were playing.

But it was then.

As Scarlett shook her head and turned around, she realized that her beloved husband and the father of her nine children, Lucas, was staring intently at one spot with a very serious expression.

“Lucas? Is something there?”

She asked, but no answer came.

It wasn’t that he was ignoring her; he seemed so focused that he hadn’t heard her at all.

‘What’s going on?’

For him to be that focused.

But it wasn’t an entirely unfamiliar sight.

Lucas fell into this state every time he picked up a new volume of Bildwein’s Heroic Saga.

‘Kaisa, let’s go see.’

At Scarlett’s glance, Kaisa nodded, and the two approached Lucas, who stood like a statue in front of the table.

“A book? No, is it a notebook?”

A single notebook lay open on the table, but it didn’t look like Lucas had opened it himself.

It looked more like it had been blown open by the wind.

‘What’s written in it that’s got him like this?’

Hoping to snap Lucas out of it, Scarlett leaned her head on his shoulder and read the words written in the notebook.

It was the first time she had seen the content, but a few familiar words caught her eye.

‘Bildwein’s Heroic Saga… a fanfic?’

Thanks to Lucas, Scarlett had already read Bildwein’s Heroic Saga from start to finish several times.

Since the content before her was completely new, it was highly likely to be a fanfic written by a reader.

When Scarlett looked at Kaisa as if seeking confirmation, Kaisa, who had also become an avid reader of Bildwein’s Heroic Saga thanks to Lucas, nodded as well.

But it was at that very moment.

“No, this isn’t just a fanfic.”

Lucas, speaking in a low, incredibly serious voice, reached down and turned a page of the notebook.

“This writing style, these lines… Could this be…?!”

At that very moment.

Just as Lucas—the strongest swordsman in the Sailun Kingdom, the Heavenly Sword Saint, and the Continent’s Number One Fan of Bildwein’s Heroic Saga—was about to make a certain fact clear.

“So, you’ve seen it.”

From among the ravens that had gathered at the window, the Sword Demon Kamael revealed himself.

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Translated By: Meher (RaidenTL)

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