episode_0041

“So, are you saying that the guys who bullied Mathias before got into a fight together and killed one of them?”

“Huh? Oh, no. I just cut my leg a little bit.”

“It doesn’t seem like a big deal, but I don’t need to know, do I? To be honest, I don’t know how to respond.”

When I looked embarrassed, Mathias scratched his head and made an embarrassed expression.

If he had killed him, he would have thought of destroying evidence or eliminating the threat in advance to prevent Mathias from retaliating, but in this world, what’s the big deal about a few stab wounds? Mathias isn’t receiving treatment on purpose, but if he receives treatment from a regular therapist, his injuries will be cured in a day.

“Mathias, are you no longer hesitant about cutting people?”

“Honestly, I can’t say that there is none at all, no, I can’t. But… if you aim to be a journalist, I think you have to eventually give up even that temptation.”

Was there a change of heart? The face of Mathias, who seemed to have made up his mind in various ways, was different from his ugly face until now. His speech also seemed to be trying to be formal and mature, rather than childish. It was cute, so I absentmindedly stroked his hair. For some reason, Ayla was watching us blankly.

“Shall I pet Aila too?”

“You don’t need it?”

No, not that.

“If you are a knight, you have to kill people regardless of whether the mission is honorable or not. Many people will fight for their own values. Honor, master, family, wealth… I am not a monk, so I will not talk about the weight of life. Just remember one thing. ”

“Kill someone, don’t kill. That is, in order to have the power of life and death, your power, Mathias, is the most important. The weak are not entitled to choose. The reason I could have easily killed Katrina and yet forgave her is because I am confident that I can overcome whatever she does. Mathias, do you have that confidence?”

“..Are you ready to beat Ki-Run once again?”

“That’s right. You may have just cut off his leg because you didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. And he may not have any intention of revenge. But remember, the enemy you showed mercy to may kill you one day.”

“..Yes, I understand, Princess.”

The face of Mathias, who answered solemnly, was the face of a man who had made up his mind—not that it was obvious, but it was equally cute, so I almost put down the hand that was stroking my hair and pinched my cheek without thinking, but I held back for a bit considering the atmosphere.

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.

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I’m bored.

Looking at the weather that has started to get chilly, it seems that summer is already passing and fall is coming. Considering that the schedule for the competition is until the beginning of winter, we can say that there is about half of the time left.

It’s not like I just did nothing and slept around after the top escort, but thanks to Mathias, who was getting stronger rapidly, and Ayla, who was originally strong, there was almost nothing for me to do. It felt like if I just supported the higher-ups, everything would be resolved on its own. Of course, that’s what a higher-up should do.

Of course, I don’t have any complaints because it’s comfortable and I don’t plan on doing anything sweaty. The important thing is that I’ve only been doing obvious and trivial tasks, so there’s a lack of stimulation.

If you think about it, most of the missions given by the guild are missions that have been filtered out for the students based on various conditions and are relatively safe, so it is only natural that they are like that.

But aren’t there things like this? The client intentionally falsifies the difficulty of the request, so when you go there, you find out that it’s full of monsters much stronger than what the request says. Or you think it’s just an ordinary escort, but it turns out that it’s transporting royalty or a huge treasure, and assassins or a group of undercover agents are trying to steal it.

Aren’t hardships and trials necessary for the birth of a hero? Of course, I don’t need them, but I needed trials of appropriate difficulty to train Mathias and Ayla.

Of course, that’s never happened before, so I’m just taking a leisurely walk like this.

As usual, Ayla and Mathias started sparring, and I was watching them blankly, but then I thought, ‘I’m getting a little bored,’ so I told Yugram that he didn’t have to follow me because I was going to go for a bit. Then I started walking around, and before I knew it, I was in the forest nearby.

It wasn’t just the temperature that was changing as autumn approached, but also the nameless trees that had been green until then were now dyed in a variety of beautiful colors. The sound of the leaves fluttering in the gentle breeze seemed to heal my mind, which was tired from hard work. Even though I’ve never done anything like hard work.

How long has it been since I’ve walked alone leisurely like this? It felt refreshing to feel lonely after such a long time. Yes, before I was cursed… No, come to think of it, I’ve never been alone, not even in the palace. Wherever I went, my maids were with me. So for ‘Lillianne’, it was the first time in her life that she had time alone.

I’ve been recalling my past life’s emotions quite a bit, but now? I was walking slowly, and felt a sense of discomfort. Then I raised my hand and touched my face. Soft cheeks. The identity of the discomfort─it was that I couldn’t feel the excruciating pain of the curse that was always eating away at my body.

Is this a dream? Thinking so, my eye level also felt higher than usual. My limbs were clearly longer. Am I now an adult? I thought it was a pity that I couldn’t see properly because there was no mirror, but then I naturally ‘knew’. If I continue to grow normally like this, I thought that in a few years, I would become like this.

I was supposed to be in the middle of the forest, but I was in a place I had never seen before. The floor that my shoes hit was made of properly processed stone. The stone was polished as smooth as a mirror, and I could guess how great the craftsman’s skills were. No, no. This wasn’t something polished by a craftsman.

I felt the memories of my past life, which I had never thought of before, flooding my mind like air leaking out of a balloon that had opened its mouth. What I was stepping on was marble. It was not natural, but artificially created, though I did not know how.

When I looked around, I saw that the place I was in was an office. There was no one there. The area was divided by partitions, a computer was placed at each desk, various personal items, and documents were piled up at each desk. I didn’t miss it. That’s because I hadn’t experienced it myself.

This is the space I used to see in dramas I often watched. I’m stupid, so I never had a proper job like this.

As we walked slowly, the scenery kept changing.

A very slightly sloping road and the snack shops and stationery stores around it. Is this a memory from when I was in elementary school? Maybe it was because this snack shop was near the school, but even at a young age, I felt that it was especially cheap compared to other places.

Lots of computers and chairs. A dark room. It was a PC room I used to frequent. I wasn’t very good at games, but it was fun to go there and play with friends.

Old yellow flooring. A faint scent of the sea. This is the guesthouse I went to on my MT when I was a freshman. I remember it as being just plain fun.

And─ the damp smell of sweat. The unpleasant squeaking noise of the floor and the soles of shoes sliding, even though it was not audible. The place was always filled with the cheerful and heavy sound of hitting the sandbag and mitts.

This is the gym where I spent the most time in my life. And even after coming here, I couldn’t remember ‘who’ I spent that time with. Is it because it’s limited to the part that is related to me?

Before I knew it, even the gym had disappeared, and my surroundings had been transformed into beautiful trees again. However, unlike the forest I had been in until just now, the trees around me were beautifully shaped, as if they had been touched by a gardener, and the path was also neatly organized.

I walked slowly along the path. I didn’t pay attention to the beautifully maintained garden trees and flower beds, but walked straight ahead. In the middle of the garden, at the table for the tea ceremony, someone was already sitting and enjoying tea. I pulled out a chair and sat down.

He was an ordinary man, but he was not ordinary. Depending on the standard of ‘ordinary’, it would be clear how to describe him. If it was ‘Lillianne’s’ standard─ a man with uncommonly black hair, slightly brown-colored black eyes, and a dress that looked like a uniform or banquet attire, but was something I had never seen before, would have felt very strange.

But if you think about it from the perspective of a past life, the man just looks like an ordinary office worker you’ve probably seen hundreds or thousands of times.

“Who are you? Did you invite me here?”

I couldn’t figure out why the expression ‘invitation’ was used so naturally.

“That’s right. I want to talk to you, the reincarnated person. Which title do you prefer, Lilianne or Shin Minjae?”

─That’s right.

Shin Min-jae.

This is my name, which I had forgotten until now. It doesn’t seem that important, so I don’t know why I couldn’t remember it.

“And I think you can just call me a warrior.”

The warrior put down his teacup and smiled.