episode_0003

After looking at Linus for a moment, I burst out laughing.

“Are you kidding? You want me to teach the kids?”

But Linus did not laugh.

“It’s not a joke, Diane.”

Actually, I knew Linus wasn’t joking. That guy doesn’t do silly things like jokes.

He really came all the way from the imperial capital to offer me the position of principal of the academy. If it was simply because they wanted to see me, they wouldn’t have brought the knights of the Royal Guard on board an imperial battleship.

But I refuse.

“I’m sorry, but I think that will be difficult.”

“There is no need to be humble, Dian. You have what it takes to become a principal.”

“No, I’m not being humble, I really am. I can’t help you with that.”

Linus asked with a somewhat puzzled expression.

“Can I ask the reason?”

“You know. I can’t sit down and use a pen. Moreover, it is very burdensome to be in a place with such great responsibility.”

“You are not doing this alone. Several talented professors and administrative staff will assist you. You just need to properly pass on the experiences and tips from our past.”

“But that’s not it. It’s nothing else but the ‘principal’. Authority and responsibility come with it and everything is determined by my decisions, but I don’t want to do that.”

After repeated refusals, Linus sighed lightly.

“Now, the first principal is in a situation where he has a lot of hate in his face. The Imperial Palace is trying to find a successor and oust the current principal. However, although we have vetted numerous candidates so far, none of them have met the standards we wanted. This is something only you can do.”

Still, it still doesn’t work. What is the reason why I refused the title and territory and came all the way to this distant neutral port with only money? Was it because I wanted to live quietly and comfortably without any hassle?

If the Demon King were to come back to life and ask me to kill him, I would listen without hesitation, but I am a principal. It’s right to refuse this.

“I’m sorry, Linus.”

Linus, who was silent for a moment, opened his mouth.

“Actually… The Imperial Palace tried to appoint me as principal.”

“What? Is this kid really just hitting on me?”

“That’s not it, I’m planning on retiring soon… . The Imperial Palace is telling you to find the right person if you want to do that.”

“Retirement? Are you planning to settle down somewhere quiet?”

“I hope so. Actually, the baby is born next month. I plan to focus on raising children.”

“What… ? baby? parenting… ?”

I was dumbfounded by the unexpected words and asked back in an idiotic manner.

“You… Are you married?”

“Okay. I married Celine.”

“What, what!? Really?!”

Celine was a hunter in the warrior party and had a subtle atmosphere with Linus throughout the journey.

At the point before the battle with the Demon King, Linus even left a will asking him to bring Celine safely to his hometown when he dies.

We were both so cool that I was frustrated when they would confess and date each other, but they ended up getting married. Is this really good news?

“Congratulations, bastard! You’re finally married!”

A happy smile appeared on Linus’s lips as he patted his shoulder.

“Who confessed first? huh? Maybe it was Celine? Because he was more proactive than you. Is it a son or a daughter? no… wait for a sec… .”

As I was pouring out words with joy, a thought suddenly occurred to me and I trailed off.

“The baby is coming next month… ?”

Celine lost her left leg in the battle with the Demon King. A body like that cannot take care of a baby alone.

“Okay, Dian. That’s why it is like that. Can you understand why I want to quit?”

“If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be okay to hire a nanny?”

“I’m quite busy with work at the Imperial Castle. There are many cases where I go out at dawn and come back at dawn, Dian… .”

Linus said in a quiet voice.

“Up until now, I thought it was for the continent and had fun, but after getting married and having children, my feelings changed a little… .As you said, you can hire a nanny or look after the child instead of Celine in some way. But I don’t want to start a family like that. What would be the meaning of going out and seeing your family sleeping and coming back in after seeing them sleeping?”

I was so kind that I lived a life full of the spirit of sacrifice, but when someone who really needed to be sacrificed appeared, confusion arose.

I remember something from my current life. When I was in the military, a high-ranking person said this.

When I go on vacation, the child walks, when I go on vacation, the child talks, and when I go on vacation, the child goes to elementary school. At first, he cried when he saw his father, and later he said he was a man who comes home once a month, and now he calls me dad.

Although he works for his family, he becomes increasingly distant from his family. As Linus said, what does this mean?

In particular, in the case of Linus, he would want to be even more faithful to his family since he has the means to make a living for the rest of his life even if he quits working right away. The reason he served the Imperial Castle until now was to stably establish peace in the era after killing the Demon King, and the real purpose was not to make a living.

“I fully understand your situation. A babysitter is not the fundamental solution. I understand.”

“I’m sorry, Dian. He came to me after 10 years and asked me this difficult request.”

“No, for now, I was somewhat offset by the good news that you married Celine. Are you leaving at dawn tomorrow? Then I will think about it and give you an answer.”

“Okay, Dian. I’m sorry again.”

# # # # #

After Linus and the knights returned to the ship, I lay down on the sunbed on the terrace and took stock of the situation.

Two of my best friends ended up getting married and having a baby next month.

Celine’s body is not growing well, so Linus wants to retire and focus on raising children, but the Imperial Palace is telling Linus to either become a principal or find a suitable person and leave.

In this difficult situation, Linus found out about my whereabouts after I had a fight with Ferencino earlier and came here.

He could just use a nanny, but Linus thinks there is no point in starting a family if the nanny is raising the child and he is tied to the castle. I agree with that 100,000 times.

So, shall we weigh the two?

Breaking the original story, living a life of seclusion in a port city with only money and having fun vs. going to an academy and working for a couple of friends who have been through life and ups and downs with me.

Of course it is the latter. If my dear friends Linus and Celine are in trouble and I can help them solve it, I will do anything.

And, embarrassingly for the reclusive subject, after 10 years of just playing and eating, I’m starting to feel a bit itchy.

It’s a long-distance trip with the purpose of helping a friend in this situation. not bad.

But after all, the principal is a very high position. I don’t want to sit in such a burdensome position. Is there any better way?

“Dian. What are you doing?”

“You sit here.”

When Olysia came out to the terrace, she sat me down on the sunbed next to me and explained to me the options at hand. Olivia is smart, so she will think of something good.

After hearing my story, Olivia thought deeply, massaged her chin, and then snapped her fingers.

“I thought of a great way! This is a way for you to help your friend and his wife without taking on too much responsibility. Of course, this would have to be approved by high-ranking people in the empire.”

Olivia whispered what she thought into my ear. Oh, is this okay?

# # # # #

Dawn slowly dawning.

Linus was leaning on the railing of the deck covered in thick fog, looking out at the dock.

Will Dian really come? Maybe it will come. Dian is Linus’ most trusted friend.

It was shameless to ask such a difficult request after meeting after 10 years, but Linus had no choice.

I was worried about how he was doing after leaving the imperial castle and whether he had died somewhere, but there was no way to find him. Dian disappeared completely from that day on, and although letters occasionally arrived, it was impossible to trace their origin.

Dian had often said this to Linus in the past. He says that he is the main character of this world and that he has no place in the post-war era of peace.

Could it be that he was talking about his disappearance for the past 10 years? I don’t know. But Dian will help anyway.

He continued to help Linus from the time he was a junior soldier in the legion until he killed the Demon King, and even 10 years ago, he promised to help him at any time.

‘Are you a new soldier too? nice to meet. Let’s get along well’.

When Linus was sent into combat for the first time, Dian, who had enlisted around the same time as him, spoke first.

Dian, with unkempt brown hair and cheerful eyes, was somewhat different from Linus.

Unlike the honest Linus who can’t stand injustice when he sees it, Dian is like, what can I say? It was bad.

Watching the commander’s attention, he would hide and rest for some time, use various tricks to get more rations, or secretly go to the warehouse and steal new supplies.

Linus doesn’t really like that kind of person. People who just want to make everything easy and have no shame about immorality.

So I avoided Dian at first, but how could that be easy in a platoon of about 30 people? Linus unintentionally became involved with Dian.

‘Hey, Linus. Come on. ‘Let’s eat this together’.

‘Where did that come from? Did you steal it from the supply warehouse again?’

‘Stop nagging. The platoon leader kept this in his tent. It should have been given to the soldiers originally.’

‘Still, this is difficult… ‘.

‘Hey, Linus. Since it’s annoying, let’s not set up a tent and sleep in the bushes over there. When I looked at it, it looked nice and fluffy.’

‘You cannot leave the garrison, Dian. And how do you plan on getting out of today’s roll call?’

‘The deputy sub-commander said he was on duty. Let’s do a rough roll call and stay up all night. Let’s go quickly’.

‘Are you really okay…? ‘.

Dian always cared for Linus, who came from a rural background and had no close comrades due to his inflexible personality. And when we actually got to know each other, Dian surprisingly had a nice side to her.

Moreover, surprisingly, Dian had a natural talent for combat and saved Linus from death several times.

‘Hey, Linus. That’s my personal opinion. Let’s move this way. I guess it has to be like that.’

‘But the platoon commander’s order is to charge. That’s a protest. Resistance is capital punishment.’

‘You idiot. If you charge into the current situation, you will die. ‘You don’t want me to die because of a foolish order before you can achieve your wish, do you?’

‘That’s right… ‘.

‘Hey, Linus. Let’s catch that one.’

‘Nonsense! That guy is coming! ‘Wait for support!’

‘If you just listen to me, it’s enough for the two of us. Let’s pick that bastard’s head and get a medal.’

‘Dian! Dian! Come back! Damn it! Come with me!’

With Dian’s help, Linus crossed countless lines of fire and was eventually recognized for his contributions and promoted to officer alongside Dian.

Even when he was drafted to join the special team for the Demon King’s Castle, Dian was always with him. Even in battle with the Demon King… .

“Hey, Linus.”

Dian and his maid Olysia appeared through the fog on the dockside. Both were carrying large suitcases in their hands.

“Dian! You came!”

Linus jumped over the railing and landed in front of Dian.

“I knew you would come too! Have you made up your mind?”

“The principal decided not to do it.”

Linus’ face hardened at the unexpected answer. Surely you didn’t come here because you accepted the offer? Then why on earth is that suitcase?

Dian continued speaking while looking at Linus who was confused.

“The principal doesn’t do it. However, I am willing to be a professor at an academy.”

“Professor?”

“When you become a principal, you have to take responsibility for troublesome things. But if you’re a professor, it’s a different story. And anyway, isn’t what Hwangseong wants to do is educate the academy kids using my know-how? Not management. As you know, I am not sincere enough to do a job like a principal.”

“That’s true.”

Linus thought deeply about Dian’s new proposal. The conclusion is not bad.

The Imperial Palace had their sights set on Linus and rejected all the candidates he recommended, but it would be different with Dian.

Dian has outstanding talent in combat and has a lot of practical experience. Even if I’m not a principal, a professor position would be a good compromise.

“If you do that… .”

As Linus opened his mouth to speak, tears suddenly filled his eyes and he had to grit his teeth.

Since I didn’t know his whereabouts, I couldn’t send him a greeting letter during that time. When we met for the first time in 10 years, even though I made an unreasonable request, Dian… .

Celine. Once again, we had Dian’s help. As expected, Dian is my most trusted friend and helper.

# # # # #

“You… If you do that… .”

Linus burst out laughing with tears in his eyes.

“Good. Well then, since we’ve decided, let’s go right away. I’m going to take him too, is that okay? Why should I leave you alone?”

“Of course. Hurry up and get on board.”

Linus took the lead and guided us to the boat.

“Anyway, it seems like your friend knows how annoying Dian is.”

“Be quiet, Olisia. It’s called leisure.”

As I crossed the plank leading to the boat, I rebuked Olysia’s joke.

” Let’s set sail! Everyone to location!”

With the captain’s shout, the sailors moved in unison and began to unfurl the sails and untie the ropes.

I stood on the slowly moving bow of the ship, looked at the sea, and thought.

‘I was trying to live quietly’ but I didn’t want to make a fuss, so I helped Linus and met the ending. And now, I was really trying to live quietly, but after 10 years, the main character asked me for help again.

What can I do? I have no choice but to do it. I promised to help 10 years ago, and Linus and Celine are truly precious friends to me.

From now on, my latest goal is to become an academy professor and ensure childcare activities for Linus and his wife, the main characters of the original work.

An academy professor… . You can do just about anything. Well, it’s difficult.