episode_0011

“Hehehe…. That’s right. That’s a funny joke.”

But the king tried to brush it off with a light laugh.

Lyudmila’s expression was completely serious, and when the King realized that she was not joking, he cleared his throat and changed the subject.

“If he’s that great of a person, I’d like to talk to him too. When will I get the chance?”

“Of course, whenever His Majesty the King wishes.”

“Okay… Then let’s make a time for you to meet sometime soon.”

I slowly took my steps and tried to move away.

The king suddenly asked another question as if a thought had occurred to him.

“Oh, right. Sir Lyudmila?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“What is that staff member’s name?”

“…….”

After a short pause with deep breathing.

Lyudmila pronounced his name clearly enough to make an impression on those around her.

“I heard it was .”

After talking with Lyudmila.

The king approached the party of warriors.

“Julia.”

“Yes, Abamama.”

“You seem to have lost a lot of weight. You must have had a hard time.”

“No. I have a very small appetite. I just lost a little weight because I spent a lot of time eating outdoors.”

“Hmm… Is that so? Well, I think you’ll be fine on your own… But as a member of the royal family, always be mindful of your conduct.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

At that point, pause for a moment and then take a break.

The king resumed his story in a slow tone.

“Julia.”

“Yes, please speak.”

“Actually, I heard that you have been offered a marriage.”

“Did you say marriage proposal?”

“Yes. The imperial messenger who visited last month hinted at a proposal to match you up with the Third Prince, Garland.”

“……….”

Julia trails off, watching Hyunwoo’s expression.

Looking at her like that, the king coughed in vain.

“Of course, I know that you have worked hard to become the sword of the kingdom. That is why I have allowed you to work as an adventurer until now, and have tried not to interfere much if possible. However….”

“………”

After briefly glancing at Hyunwoo.

The king continued in a subdued tone.

“If you keep making mistakes like this, it won’t be easy for me to defend my position to the high-ranking officials and lords. If they say something like, “Rather than wasting your time as an adventurer and doing useless things, it would be more beneficial to the nation to get married while you’re still young and solidify your alliance with the empire.”… What on earth should I say to convince them?”

“………..”

“Please, don’t let me down, and I would appreciate it if you could try a little harder. Remember that you carry the duties of a member of the royal family on your shoulders.”

“Yes….Abamama.”

After a while.

The king placed the empty glass on the table and turned his gaze towards Hyunwoo.

“ Choi Hyun-woo.”

“……Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Haha, don’t be so nervous. I wouldn’t have arranged this to scold you.”

He speaks as if he is joking lightly, but his expression and tone of voice are completely devoid of humor.

When Hyunwoo nodded with a smirk, the king looked at him with narrowed eyes and shook his head.

“But…. Hmm. It’s true that the stories I’ve heard about your party lately are a little disappointing.”

“………..”

“Not only did he fail two consecutive A-rank requests, but this time he failed a B-rank request as well. And to make matters worse, he killed the client’s son… and the new party member died inside the dungeon…..”

“Your Majesty, I am sorry, but…. I did not completely fail the request. The leprechaun subjugation was a complete success, and the client’s son was already dead when we reached the depths of the dungeon. And the newbie was due to his own mistake….”

“When did Jim ask you to make an excuse?”

“………..”

“You’re probably just trying to cover up your repeated failures in your own way. But have you ever thought about how much of a failure the warrior party must look like to others? You failed the raid, so you challenged an A-rank subjugation request, and after failing that, you now challenged a B-rank subjugation request, and even after failing that, you’re constantly making excuses. Don’t you understand that the situation in which the warrior party has to make excuses about the handling of a B-rank request is problematic in the first place?”

“No… That’s not it.”

The King’s gaze was as cold as ice.

As I answered weakly and lowered my head, the king let out a tired sigh.

“Moore… Everyone makes mistakes. I still have high expectations for your party, so I would appreciate it if you could try a little harder in the future. Aren’t you the warrior who received the goddess’s oracle, Choi Hyun-woo?”

“Yes. I will definitely try to live up to your expectations.”

“…….”

Looking at Hyunwoo with a sunken expression.

The king slowly turned around.

“As expected, the empty space left by Lee Shin seems too big…..”

Although he muttered as if he was talking to himself, it could never be a soliloquy.

Leaving a single word, sharper and colder than anything else, like a wedge in Hyunwoo’s heart.

The king left his seat.

After the banquet ended.

Hyunwoo told Julia to go back to her room first, then followed a woman through the crowd.

I came up with an idea to break through the current desperate situation.

— Thud, thud, thud, thud….

— Crack, crack, crack….

When Lyudmila entered a deserted back alley.

Hyunwoo strode forward briskly, closing the distance between him and her.

Since I set foot in this world.

Hyunwoo has never had any difficulty in winning over women’s favor.

According to God’s explanation, it is said to be the effect of a hidden skill called or something.

If you treated them just a little kindly, they would all fall in love with Hyunwoo as if they were under a spell.

Although, we only met briefly and talked before.

Lyudmila also secretly showed that she had deep feelings for Hyunwoo, so I thought that if I put my mind to it, it wouldn’t be hard to seduce him.

but…

“–Lyudmila.”

“Is there something you need, ?”

Hyunwoo couldn’t help but flinch and stop for a moment at the cold eyes staring at him.

An expression full of contempt and distrust, as if looking at trash.

“Oh, no… That’s right…”

“I don’t know what your business is, but chasing after a woman in the middle of the night and talking to her when she’s alone… This is not the kind of behavior you’d expect from a gentleman.”

“………”

“I’m not in a position where I have much free time. If you have something to say, I wish you would just say it quickly and disappear.”

Although I was bewildered by Lyudmila’s attitude, which was so different from what I had expected.

Hyunwoo took a deep breath and then began to speak.

“That…your clan’s staff member. Was he called Hire?”

“………..”

“That guy…. Could you ask him if he’s thinking of transferring to our warrior party?”

“…………..”

“These days, the Aji Dahaka Clan is doing well, but it’s just an adventurer’s clan, right? Since that guy has abilities, wouldn’t he be able to show off more brilliant performances by joining the Hero Party, the hope of humanity, rather than working there?”

“………..”

“Well… I’ll pay a generous amount of the transfer fee, so tell me to think about it. I can pay up to 3,000 gold.”

“After…..”

After a light laugh.

Lyudmila shook her head, sweeping her bangs back.

“Are you trying to bargain with them to hand over your clan members using money as bait? That’s really trash thinking that doesn’t consider party members as anything more than tools.”

“What……”

Hyunwoo shut his mouth, feeling as if he couldn’t breathe due to the direct and contemptuous remark.

Lyudmila continued speaking.

“Okay. I’ll ask you this once. A party of idiots who have failed 4 consecutive requests recently, and even failed B-rank requests like shit, and even caused the death of two party members… A party of idiots who call themselves a party of warriors or something, they offered to give them a few bucks and asked if they wanted to come over.”

“…………”

A personality that already lacks self-control.

For Hyunwoo, who was half-conscious due to intoxication, it was impossible to suppress the anger that felt like his head was going to burst.

“You…. you fucking bitch… how dare you…..!!”

He gritted his teeth and rushed forward, swinging his fist at Lyudmila’s face–

— Whirik…. Blame….!!

After lightly dodging Hyunwoo’s punch.

Lyudmila grabbed his ankle and pushed him back with one hand, throwing him to the floor.

— Kkudangtang….!!

“Ugh… Ugh…!!?”

“Hoohoohoohoohoohoohoo….”

Looking down at Hyunwoo who was lying on the floor.

Lyudmila, who was laughing maliciously, whispered to him in a languid tone.

“Don’t worry. I don’t plan on reporting to the guild or anything for being attacked in the middle of the night by an idiot like you.”

“Gasp, ugh…. Ugh…”

“If it were revealed that the hero, the nation’s idol and hope, was a piece of trash who would get drunk, attack women, and try to punch them, how much deeper would the ordinary citizens feel in sadness and despair?”

“Ugh…. Extreme…. Geee…..”

“Then I’m going to go now, so you can lie down over there and take care of yourself before you go in. Oh, and don’t beat up any of the stupid girls at your party because you’re mad~?”

After kicking Hyunwoo’s cheek a few times with the tip of his shoe.

Lyudmila quietly disappeared into the darkness of the back alley.

and….

Hyunwoo could do nothing but lie face down on the ground and let out a scream of anger.

“Ugh…. Aaaah …