Super Armor
“And yet your efforts are admirable. A lesser man would not even have tried to amuse me.”
“I am honored, Your Majesty.”
Somehow, the conversation was flowing in a pleasant direction.
Come to think of it, that was in Joren Tamer’s story too. Daisy liked Joren and wanted to grow closer to him, but Joren Tamer was such a chivalry fanatic that, though he respected his lord, he never once tried to cross the line. And in the end, he died protecting the king. It was kind of heartbreaking, the way he kept trying to protect only the queen even at the moment of his death.
In the game’s story, the proper route was for Joren Tamer to become Daisy’s captain of the guard.
I don’t really get how he could stay that wooden with such a beautiful woman right in front of him. But then again, maybe that’s only natural? Say I got hired as a bodyguard for some conglomerate heiress and she tried to seduce me—wouldn’t be easy to turn that down. Best-case scenario, I’d get fired. Worst case, I’d make myself hated by the family and end up in a world of trouble.
While Ho-yeong was spreading his imaginary Pegasus wings, Daisy was, surprisingly, having rather similar thoughts.
What if he had become captain of the guard exactly as I intended? He can be a little cheeky at times, but he is talented and of good character; he would have been worth keeping near me. How strange. At first he was utterly obnoxious, but the more I look at him, the more interesting he becomes.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
They kept up the pleasant talk for another ten minutes or so.
“I have enjoyed speaking with you, but it is time we drew this meeting to a close. Before you return, you said you would stop by the Marquis Iolid’s house, did you not?”
“That is so, Your Majesty.”
Ho-yeong explained that he would be helping Garza Iolid, the marquis’s third son, recover his magic. Of course, he did not mention the matter involving Peach.
“You truly are a good man. Or is this all part of some larger scheme?”
“You have seen through me, Your Majesty. However, I beg your forgiveness, for I cannot explain the details.”
“So be it. I say we should not speak of state matters, yet I keep dragging them into the conversation myself. And how fares your territory? I have heard the full story from your steward, Duonoraong. Joren Tamer, your deeds as a knight were impressive enough, but you are also unusually gifted as a ruler. If there is anything you need in tending to your people, speak it now.”
Ho-yeong briefly considered telling her about his talks with the Rainpa market and his plans for expanding Tamer territory’s influence, but decided against it.
Important Quest Alert! Audience with the Cliad Sect’s Leader must now be carried out. Remaining time: 7 hours
There was an important mission waiting for him. Right now, it made sense to deal with those fanatics first.
“Your Majesty, I am deeply grateful. As it happens, there are a few things I would like to ask of you, but if it please you, I would rather speak of them after I return with news of victory. I have yet to rescue the children and the soldiers, and I have not yet uncovered the truth about the Cliad Sect’s band.”
Seeing the seriousness in Ho-yeong’s face, Daisy let out a short sigh.
“Yes… there was still that matter. If I had my way, I would lead the expedition myself, but I have no leisure, for I am soon to depart on another campaign.”
She truly did look regretful.
“Time is short, so I must speak now. Joren Tamer, I wanted to apologize to you.”
“Pardon? Why would Your Majesty apologize to me?”
“I am—no, I am a petty person. Do you know why I created the title of Byeonbangbaek and sent you to the city of Auphocalypse?”
“I do. Auphocalypse had been left neglected for years, and it needed an administrator. However, since it was a border region overrun by monsters, it would have been difficult to appoint a mayor, so you came up with the idea of granting it as a fief.”
“That is correct. But what I am asking is whether you know why I sent you, rather than anyone else.”
Ho-yeong of course knew the reason, but he answered with a perfectly straight face and gave another explanation.
“I believe Your Majesty thought that a knight like me would be able to manage the people there, even in a land swarming with monsters.”
That was not entirely wrong, after all.
“…Then I will tell you the true reason. I sent you to that remote corner of the border because I was taking revenge for your refusal of the captaincy of the guard. I was foolish. I thought you would fail before long and give up your lordship.”
Daisy’s apology came from the heart.
“But you did things no one could have expected. You began by edifying prisoners and turning them into subjects of your territory, then went on to edify even monsters, defending and developing your land through brilliant schemes. You restored hope to a place that had been full only of despair. And yet I tried to make a man who possessed courage, wisdom, and virtue into nothing more than my shadow… Was that not foolish?”
“If there is any merit here, it belongs to the people of my territory, not to me. And if there is any virtue, it is thanks to Your Majesty. Because of the Byeonbangbaek title you granted me, I, who was once nothing but a crude swordsman, was able to govern a territory at all.”
“…Thank you.”
Influence increased! Daisy’s edification level has risen slightly.
Daisy’s edification rank seemed likely to reach C+ soon.
“There is more I should apologize for. I did not even realize how deeply you cared for me and for the kingdom, and because I listened to the temptations of those around me, I made things difficult for you, did I not? You must have felt wronged.”
“Oh, no, not at all. His Majesty the King acted for the sake of the realm, so how could I possibly hold any resentment?”
Even as Ho-yeong bowed his head, his inner voice was shouting.
No matter how many times you apologize, it won’t help, Your Majesty, sis. Don’t just say sorry—give me compensation. An item! Or gold at least! Or influence!
“…Did you not just go on about the importance of a ‘sincere apology’ to Peach and the Marquis Iolid a moment ago?”
Alas, it was not Daisy who heard his inner voice, but Daliha.
“I hope you will understand me deeply. As you yourself said, I am the king. The word of a king carries a responsibility heavier than ten thousand sheets of dandanum. When a king says thank you, wealth is born; when a king says sorry, debt is born. That is why I could not easily apologize in the throne room.”
“I understand Your Majesty’s feelings completely. Though I may not carry the weight of a crown as you do, I am still one who wears a knight’s helm.”
Ho-yeong thought of the all-too-common habit in modern society of avoiding apologies altogether—how saying “I’m sorry” could be treated as admitting fault, accepting liability, and so people were advised to be careful with their words.
Being king is no joke. Even a superhuman is still only human…
Looking at Daisy with her broad shoulders now slumping, Ho-yeong felt sorry for her.
“Will you accept my apology?”
“Your Majesty’s feelings have already been fully conveyed to me. Please, put your mind at ease.”
At his answer, Daisy’s expression brightened a little.
Sub quest complete! Responding to the Summons from the Capital has been successfully completed. Completion grade: S+
You faced the royal inquiry head-on, thwarted the slanderous scheme, and won the king’s deep trust. If you visit the royal palace again with tribute in the future, your position as the Guardian will be further secured.
At last! Finally! One of those nagging quests is cleared!
Completing such an important quest left him feeling light on his feet.
It didn’t complete even after the trial was over, so if it’s only finishing now… does that mean having an honest talk with sis was the real completion condition?
Ho-yeong’s guess was correct. Responding to the Summons from the Capital did not simply clear when he entered the royal palace; there had been hidden conditions to fulfill. Carrying out the royal inquiry and the private audience event hosted by Daisy had been exactly those conditions.
Sub quest completion rewards are now being distributed. - Rank reward: 200 EP acquired. Remaining EP: 1830 - Fame reward: 300 RP acquired. Remaining RP: 2,200
New content unlocked! You can now enhance equipment items.
Item enhancement can be attempted in the shop by spending RP. Enhancement conditions and effects vary by item.
Oho. Item enhancement? That’s a huge gain. Coming to the palace was worth it after all.
The point rewards were generous, and new content had even been unlocked.
And the good news still wasn’t over.
“Joren Tamer. I would like to give you a small gift.”
At the word gift, Ho-yeong’s face lit up as well.
Congratulations. Daisy is awarding the completion reward for the bonus quest Speed Run!
Huh? So the system isn’t the only thing that can hand out completion rewards. That’s a new pattern.
He had clearly completed the bonus quest, but since the reward had not been revealed, he had been puzzled. It was apparently all for this very moment.
Daisy was greatly pleased with her conversation with the Guardian. Therefore, Daisy selected one of the legendary items she treasures most dearly.
I think I get it. If I had irritated sis, the reward might’ve gotten worse—or vanished entirely. On the other hand, the more I pleased Daisy, the better the reward would be.
What Daisy brought out was a thick black leather belt.
“I hope you like it.”
It looked less like a belt and more like a piece of leather armor.
It looks exactly like a champion belt. Pretty cool, actually.
On the hexagonal abdominal guard was an image of a warrior roaring after slaying a dragon.
Legendary
Passive / Equipment
Periodically protects the wearer and nearby allies within a very short distance from hostile magic.
Cooldown: 5 hours
Tip - The cooldown is a fixed value and does not scale with the strength of the magic it blocks.
- The protection range for allies is extremely narrow. For reliable shielding, the ally must be in contact with the wearer’s body or the belt itself.
- The fact that it can block any kind of magic is both its greatest strength and its greatest weakness. It can protect the wearer from a fatal targeting spell, but it may also wastefully trigger against a stray mana bolt.
- Background -
This is a treasure handed down from the Kain royal family. It was made from the hide of the Black Dragon.
The identities of the dragon this belt was made from, and of the warrior who slew it, have never been fully revealed.