Chapter 233
Chapter 233
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP.52 – A Lady's Heart Sways Like Reeds (2)
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I wondered if it was right to use this expression in a medieval fantasy world, but the impression naturally surfaced anyway.
'...It feels like being bewitched by a yokai.'
Crack, pop.
Every time bone-cracking sounds echoed from the body of 'her' who had taken on Arno's form, her height shifted, and the contours of her face transformed.
As she assumed a woman's skeletal structure, curves began to form across her entire body.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say she was undergoing a live sex change from man to woman, and watching it unfold felt eerily bizarre—like what it might look like if yokai really existed, perhaps even a fox spirit.
To top it off, her hair was a short silver bob...
Whoosh.
...No, it grew all the way down to her waist.
"Hoo."
A stunningly beautiful woman who could pass for her twenties—or even teens—exhaled like that, casually tying back her long, flowing silver hair that reached her waist with a handkerchief, her strangely bewitching red eyes gleaming.
......Gulp.
A dry swallow from who-knows-who.
But no one could be blamed for it.
After all, anyone would tense up in the face of the alien presence she exuded.
...And so, she—who overwhelmed the gathered group with her sheer presence—parted her lips.
"Elza, get me a cup of tea too."
"......"
...and made a somewhat deflating request.
Elza pressed her brow at the Sword Saint's call and let out a sigh.
Really...!
"I respect you endlessly, but every time you act like this, it feels like my lifespan shortens, Your Excellency. Playing pranks like this."
"Sorry, Elza. But was my acting still decent?"
"......"
"Don't be mad."
"...Hoo!"
She boldly demanded her tea with a mischievous smile, then plopped down unceremoniously.
Right between Levi and Kunta, who had frozen like statues.
"No need to be so tense. It's not like I'm about to do something bad."
"...Kunta wants to run."
"I said don't."
She patted him and stroked Kunta's head reassuringly, and each time, his massive frame twitched like prey caught by a predator.
At least...
"Th-then, what about Lord Arno...?"
Levi alone maintained his composure, asking where the real Arno was, and perhaps finding his steadfast attitude admirable, she beamed brightly.
"My grandson's probably fast asleep in the underground training hall by now. He'll wake up soon."
"......"
"Don't look at me like that. I just sparred with him to check how much stronger he's gotten. It wasn't on purpose."
"I-is that so...?"
"...You don't believe me. How hurtful."
Unlike with Kunta, she seemed notably gentler with Levi, clearly taking a liking to him.
At that moment.
"Mother, what on earth is this?!"
Ilyaad stared her down with a coldly hardened expression.
"What did you do to Arno?"
"I told you, we just sparred. My grandson was thrilled when I offered to be his partner, so I put in a little effort too. ...And then I accidentally knocked him out. I was wondering what to do when I decided to 'disguise' myself as him for a bit."
"You expect me to believe that?"
"It's true, Ilyaad. If you need confirmation, just ask him when he wakes up."
"......"
"...I admit the prank went too far. So don't glare like that—your mother feels hurt."
"Hoo!!"
For the first time, even the ever-genial Ilyaad didn't hold back his anger, and she seemed to humbly acknowledge her mistake.
She didn't apologize outright or bow her head, but there was probably no one in the current kingdom who could demand an apology from that Sword Saint.
So...
"...Lord Turtle, I apologize on Mother's behalf. To think she'd pull something like this."
"I'm fine, so no need to apologize."
More than anything...
...he already knew Aura Users were all eccentrics.
Lee Han swallowed those unspoken thoughts.
Who knew what retribution he'd face if he said it to her face.
And sure enough.
"So, kid. How exactly did you know I was 'disguised'?"
"Not a transformation?"
"Ilyaad, save the nagging for later."
She kept her own pace as always, and the one questioned scratched his cheek.
While deciding to humor this willful Aura User for the moment.
"...Well, nothing special."
"At first, I thought it was the pup—er, Arno—but as we talked a bit, something felt off."
"Where?"
"The muscles."
"...?"
"Friends or lovers might betray you, but muscles never lie. In that sense, your muscles differed from Arno's in every way. Of course—they're the body I sculpted with the intervals I taught him myself. His arms, legs, shoulders, back... I practically built them all. They're 'my work.' If I couldn't tell the difference, I'd have to give up the title of instructor."
"......"
"Of course, even after realizing, I planned to play along. No malicious intent, no bloodlust—I figured it was just a 'prank.' ...But then, at some point, you started directing this bizarre pressure at me? From all directions, overwhelming me without even knowing who it was from... Cold sweat everywhere, driving me mad."
Drip.
Lee Han lightly lifted his shirt to reveal his sweat-soaked clothes.
Sweat from blocking the pressure.
"It was scary."
No joke—he was genuinely terrified.
It was as sharp as killing intent from a master spearman, like being stung by hornets hundreds of times a second.
The kind of pressure that could topple even elite mercenaries or knights.
And roughly...
"After holding out for about thirty minutes, I thought I was done for. That's when I begged you to stop."
Lee Han shrugged lightly.
But despite his casual tone, his eyes were ice-cold.
In other words...
"...Your eyes aren't friendly at all."
"Why would I feel good about being treated like this as a guest?"
"......"
Lee Han was on the verge of snapping.
"No, let me correct that. What was I expecting from an Aura User? My mistake for hoping for decent treatment."
Thud.
"Hmm..."
Lee Han placed the dagger Baltar had given him on the table.
And then.
"Let's go. Family visit's over."
"Master?"
"Want to stick around longer?"
"...No. I'll go with you."
Like thread following a needle, Levi prepared to follow Lee Han.
As if refusing to stay where he didn't want to be.
"Lord Turtle..."
"Family Head, let's meet elsewhere next time."
"...Agreed."
Ilyaad seemed oblivious to it all, so Lee Han held no grudge against him—and since he personally liked the man, they promised a future meeting, with Ilyaad nodding in understanding of his feelings.
"......"
Suddenly, the situation wrapped up into a subdued atmosphere, and amid it all, she stayed silent.
As if observing him, and when Lee Han actually moved to leave...
"......I'm sorry."
"?"
"I know I played a mean prank. Won't you give me a chance to apologize properly?"
"......"
"Of course, it won't just be words. How... will you accept my apology?"
"...Hmm."
Lee Han looked at her—Felicia—with curious eyes.
He never imagined he'd hear an apology from an Aura User.
This was like getting a heartfelt "I'm sorry for being a political idiot" from a powerbroker—something rarer than rare.
"...First, let's confirm the pup's safe."
For the record, Lee Han believed in giving chances to those who apologized.
Click.
"To start with an excuse, I wasn't intentionally pressuring you. Anyone else might've felt a vague unease, but not reacted as sharply as you. Your senses are probably dozens of times keener than an average knight's, so you might've perceived my 'observation' as a threat."
"That was observation?"
"Baltar sent you, so I got curious. I can guess why, too."
Felicia set down the dagger she'd been fiddling with.
"Mm, it's genuine. One of the daggers I distributed long ago. With this, you can ask one favor of me."
"...A favor?"
"Back when I was weak, I received help from countless people. This dagger was from then—I gave one to each who saved my life. About ten in total, and I've gotten nine back. Now the last one's returned."
"......"
"D-don't glare like that. I apologized..."
"I didn't say anything?"
"You're looking at me like 'You threatened and pranked the guy who brought something so precious'..."
"And you can tell..."
"...I'm sorry, okay?"
Felicia fidgeted her hands apologetically, looking dejected.
"Good grief..."
This was an Aura User?
'...No, she's at least ninety, so why the mood swings like a teenager?'
As far as Lee Han knew, Felicia was older than Baltar.
Yet her speech and actions had the emotional volatility of a teen.
Was it just her looks that stayed young?
"...Lord Turtle, let me apologize again. She wasn't like this before, but she just had to change like that..."
"Change?"
Ilyaad apologized once more, giving Felicia a complicated look.
Less like a gaze toward his mother, more like toward a spoiled daughter.
Lee Han wondered why, but the next words made it all too clear.
"...Nine years ago, Mother conducted an experiment."
"An experiment?"
"With aura—spreading her life force into every single cell. She kept it secret even from family and experimented on herself, and in the process, Mother... ended up rejuvenated."
"...?"
"Haa..."
Lee Han's blank expression made Ilyaad clutch his brow.
Even he lacked a word to define this 'mysterious phenomenon' despite explaining it.
So he had no choice but to describe what he'd witnessed in detail.
To help Lee Han understand.
"...She literally grew younger. Mother already looked younger than her age, but the experiment turned her into a ten-year-old child. And not just that—to prove it wasn't mere mimicry, she aged gradually again. In other words, she truly 'rejuvenated.'"
"......"
"...It was tough. She's over ninety, but her behavior and mental age reverted to her teens. Wild mood swings, endless pranks—what a twist of fate..."
"...Ah."
"Lord Turtle?"
"Ah, no, it's nothing..."
"??"
"......"
Lee Han felt a bit absurd.
He knew exactly how to define the phenomenon.
First described in ancient texts like Biographies of Divine Immortals from the Western or Eastern Jin eras, originating from the Eight Elders of the Grotto who didn't just grow young but reverted to childlike forms...
The name of that phenomenon...!
'Return to Youth.'
...Lee Han began seriously suspecting this world might be a romance-fantasy skin over something like Investiture of the Gods or Journey to the West.