Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: No Choice! Protagonist Drop!
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No choice!
Protagonist drop!
The inn where Sion and his group were staying wasn't your average roadside stop—it was a haven for merchants and traveling nobles.
In other words, it was the pinnacle of luxury inns.
That meant hardly any rowdy disturbances in the vicinity, and even the shops and restaurants catered to those high-class guests with impeccable refinement.
‘Lucia went on and on about how she'd lose her mind over milk tea, right?
She loves sweet stuff like crazy.’
Sion and Lucia sat at a café that served tea, coffee, and a few desserts.
Basking in the lazy glow of the late afternoon sun as it dipped toward the horizon, Sion took a sip of his coffee.
He wasn't quite at the level of those folks screaming, ‘I'd rather freeze to death than drink anything but iced Americano!’ but he was definitely a caffeine addict who adored coffee.
‘Thanks a ton, you damn author.
At least this novel has coffee. What a relief.’
In a world without carbonation, if coffee were missing too, he'd probably just be chugging water for the rest of his life.
He'd been sipping his coffee for a good while, soaking in the drowsy afternoon light and reveling in this rare indulgence of pure laziness—nearly letting out a satisfied sigh—when it happened.
“Um... Sion?
If it's not too rude, could I ask you something?”
“Anything at all.”
Just sitting there drinking in silence might've lulled him straight into a sun-soaked nap.
Sion accepted readily, and Lucia fiddled with her teacup, her cheeks slightly flushed, before speaking up.
“I'd love to hear your story.”
“My story?”
“Yeah.
From the rumors I'd heard, you seemed... well, how do I put this...”
“A total asshole, right?”
Sion's sudden self-roast.
It caught Lucia so off guard that she blurted out, “Yes,” without thinking.
“Y-Yes... No, wait! Absolutely not!
That's not it at all!
I-I didn't mean...!”
“Who's arguing?
Even I think I was a complete asshole.”
To be precise, it was about the guy he'd observed from outside the novel.
Anyway, there was no doubt about it: Sion Clauzen had been an irredeemable piece of shit.
The kind of psycho who never reflected on his own faults but lashed out with revenge at anyone who looked at him funny.
He got off on the brutal blade he swung, reveling in people getting hurt and dying, but the moment anything like that happened to him, he'd whine and rage about how unfair it was—a pathetic lowlife through and through.
‘To think I ended up possessing a body like this and made it this far. Talk about regression, fuck...’
Of course, like most villains, this guy hadn't exactly had a happy childhood either.
Margrave Lichten was undoubtedly an exceptional commander, a reliable soldier, and an upstanding noble.
But in his devotion to duty, he'd neglected his roles as ‘husband’ and ‘father.’
Sion's mother had weakened drastically after giving birth to him and passed away when he was just five.
A mere five years old—an innocent, immature boy suddenly robbed of his mom.
It was a time when he craved attention and love more than ever, but his father was swamped with the endless wars against Nudia, barely scraping by with twenty-four hours in a day.
He had everything in material wealth but nothing that truly mattered in his youth.
And so, Sion Clauzen had twisted further and further, until he crossed a river of no return.
‘...Bullshit.
Doesn't make the crap this body pulled any less unforgivable.’
Everyone goes through rough patches.
What matters is how you overcome them.
Take Lucia, sitting right there in front of him—she'd lost her own mother young too.
But instead of turning rotten, she'd become someone who empathized with others' pain and cared for them tenderly.
Even Kim Yu-hyeon's ironclad heart had eventually crumbled to her.
‘And yet Sion ruined her utterly, then killed her in the end.’
But now, that very Lucia—the woman who'd met a tragic end at the hands of this body's original owner—was pouting cutely, begging him to love her.
And all of it was something Sion Clauzen had achieved... but also not.
More accurately, it was the feat of the reader who'd hijacked Sion Clauzen's body.
“Nothing much to tell.
Just a father too obsessed with his duty to protect the nation, a mother who passed too soon.
And the tale of a lonely kid who had to tough it out alone in between.”
“...Your mother.
I lost mine when I was little too.”
“Raido-nim mentioned that once.
That's why I'm glad, in a way.”
“Glad about what?”
“That you take after your late mother instead of Raido-nim.”
The mood had grown heavy, but Lucia caught on that Sion's quip was meant to lighten it. She flashed a bright smile and took a sip of her milk tea.
“Anyway, my story's nothing special.
Grew up a loner like that, with a body full of weaknesses—not even able to handle mana.
Then suddenly, a new stepmother and little sibling show up.
It was confusing, scary, worrisome.
Everything about myself and those around me.”
“...”
“So I decided to hide who I was.
Until I was ready.
Until I felt confident I could stand alone, even if the whole world turned against me.”
“That's why even with all those weird rumors, you didn't fight back—you leaned into them...”
Of course, that had never happened, but Sion put on a grave expression and nodded.
As if recalling it made him gloomy, he forced a smile, mumbling that it was fine now.
“Then I heard Nudia's attack was coming soon, and I knew we had to prepare.
And right around then, I happened to meet you, Lucia.”
“Ahh, that time... I was so shocked, you have no idea.”
“Thinking back on it still makes my heart skip.
You putting up with me alive is miracle enough, huh?
Anyway, meeting you was when I decided to step out front.
Yeah.
Right from the moment I met you.”
Sion deliberately emphasized ‘you, Lucia.’
Her face flushed redder than the afternoon sun.
You're that precious to me!
No woman could resist a guy declaring it so boldly!
“St-Stop emphasizing it like that.
Just remembering that time makes my heart race and... yeah, it's embarrassing.”
“Sorry, Lucia.
For what happened back then.
I punished that knight, and I'm still apologizing here. Even if you can't forgive me, could you at least understand?”
“Huh?
No, that's not...
I mean...”
What I meant was how you're looking at me with such worry.
But those words never made it out of Lucia's mouth.
‘It's too embarrassing!
Uwaaaah!’
That was the reason.
‘Kiiing!’
As if determined to melt her embarrassment into the milk tea and drink it away, Lucia gulped down the tea she'd been sipping so sparingly—now in hasty gulps.
Sion watched her quietly, then his eyes widened slightly as if spotting something. He rose from his seat stealthily.
“Sion?”
“Hold on a sec, Lucia.
You've got some tea on your lips.”
He must be about to wipe the tea from my lips.
Thinking that, Lucia fidgeted with her fingers, waiting eagerly for him to come closer.
But what Sion had in mind was a step—or several steps—beyond that.
‘...Raido's not gonna pop out of nowhere, is he?’
Truth be told, he'd long considered advancing things with Lucia.
But standing in the way was that doting-dad lunatic mage looming behind her.
He dreaded the maniac screaming, ‘You dare touch my daughter?!
In the name of ultimate girl dad, I won't forgive you!
I'll bisect you!’
‘But I can't keep stalling.
Guys or girls, if the one you like doesn't show interest, they drift away!
Gotta strike while the iron's hot!’
Should I?
Yeah, I should.
Fuck, do I really have to?
Can't I just not?
This is mortifying as hell?
A whirlwind of thoughts assaulted him, but his body was already moving on autopilot, brain be damned.
He reached out, gently cupped her chin, and tilted it up slightly.
Leaning forward to meet her gaze head-on, he wrestled with one last doubt.
‘Dude, is this really the best move?
You sure?’
Yeah, fuck it.
No other way.
Backing out now?
You'd deserve a slap.
When they’re practically offering it up, that's your golden shot, you idiot!
‘Screw it!’
Brain locked in, command issued—the body sprang into action.
To Lucia, who stared blankly with her chin held and head tilted forward, Sion's breath brushed close, and his warm lips approached hers.
It all happened in a heartbeat.
“Mm?”
A sudden kiss from the man.
Not just a quick peck—his tongue danced in, savoring her lips and the sweet milk tea residue like he owned them.
Caught in her first-ever situation, Lucia squirmed faintly, but Sion didn't release her chin.
If anything, as if urging her to get used to it, he teased her lips apart with his tongue and invaded.
“Nnngh!”
Lucia flailed in confusion, like what the hell is this?
But she didn't shove him away or pull back.
She just adorably fussed and fidgeted, unsure what to do.
When Sion's lips finally parted from hers, all that remained on Lucia's was the man's territorial mark—no trace of milk tea.
No Raido nearby?
No mana-charged madman charging in with fists blazing?
After triple-checking his surroundings and confirming safety, Sion smiled and spoke.
“There, nice and clean now.”
“Ahh?”
“Milk tea's real sweet, huh?
Right, Lucia?”
“Um...
Th-That was...”
Mid-sentence, Lucia's face turned beet red, like it might explode.
She flapped her arms helplessly, fiddling with her lips, then let out a tiny ‘Uwaa!’ of awe, only to follow with ‘Uuu!’ while clutching her head in adorable agony.
Her cuteness made Sion chuckle aloud, snapping her back to reality. Pouting tearfully, she spoke.
“You're too much.”
“What?
If it upset you, then...”
“Th-This is cheating!
You gotta give a girl time to figure out how to react...
What is this? I feel like such an idiot...”
“So you hated it?”
Sion's straight ball left her groaning ‘Uuu!’, but she slowly shook her head, face still flushed.
Insanely embarrassing, but insanely good too.
“Glad to hear it.”
“Th-That was my first kiss!
My first kiss!”
“That's why I'm glad it was me?”
Another fastball.
Lucia pondered her response, then went honest.
“...Yeah...”
Pure as ever.
Just like the heroine in the novel, who'd stuck by Kim Yu-hyeon to the end.
‘Suddenly feel a tiny bit bad for Kim Yu-hyeon.’
Looked like he'd need to snag a genuinely good girl for that glass-cannon mentality of his.
It'd ease worries about his fragile mindset and lighten the guilt when using him.
‘Oh yeah, around now, Kim Yu-hyeon's probably storming the slave market?’
Protagonist drop primed—time for reactions.
Should he wait a bit more?
Musing to himself, Sion gazed at Lucia.
“Wh-Why?”
“Just looking.
Who wouldn't stare at a beautiful woman right in front of them?”
“D-Don't say stuff like that!
It's weird!”
“I say it ‘cause it's you, Lucia.”
His vibe today: ‘Soft, sweet vanilla ice cream for my girl—whipped cream piled high on coffee, gentle and a tad cheesy.’
No clue if the acting landed, but one thing was certain.
This face was pulling overtime again.
“Anyway...”
KABOOOOOM!
Right then—the little hamster Sion had poked finally blew up.
No, little Yuhyeon exploded.
A deafening roar shook the air, the ground quaking like a massive earthquake as Viscount Conean's distant manor trembled wildly.
“Wh-What was that?
D-Did your enemies strike again?”
Unaware of the context, Lucia panicked into combat stance.
Sion gestured reassuringly and explained.
“Looks like someone's pretty pissed off.”
“Huh?
What do you...”
“You'll see.”
To Lucia, Kim Yu-hyeon was just her dad's disciple, a skilled swordsman.
In truth, he was every bit as unhinged as villain Sion Clauzen—just in a different flavor.
The upside: unlike Sion, he could rein himself in. And crucially, his heart wasn't cruel enough to stay a true antagonist.
‘Still, he could probably cleave Viscount Conean's head in two.’
For slave-hating Kim Yu-hyeon, Conean was prime honorable purge target number one.
Hoping the guy survived—for now—Sion decided to head to the manor.
Why hope he lived?
‘Gotta squeeze more cash out of him alive.’
...Truly a demon worse than Satan.
―――――――Author's Note―――――――
Choo choo choo cheo cheo cheon