Chapter 160: Winter Vacation(4)
Chapter 160: Winter Vacation(4)
"Hello! My little cutie! Good morning!"
"Morning, Adelia. Good morning to you too."
A day had passed, and Adelia had officially begun her duties as our family's guard knight. Since we weren't in a formal setting, she spoke to me casually as she always did.
I took a quick look at her simple attire—a shirt and leather trousers—before shifting my gaze to her face. I didn't know what kind of conversation she’d had with my mother, but her expression looked much brighter than before.
Relieved by the sight, I asked how she was doing.
"Did you sleep well last night? Was the bed comfortable?"
"It was a-mazing! I fell fast asleep the moment my head hit the pillow."
"I'm glad to hear that. So, you're starting your training with my father now?"
"Yeah. A guard knight needs to be sensitive to their surroundings, so I'll probably be focusing on that. It shouldn't be too hard."
Watching the overconfident Adelia, I recalled my father's training methods. My brothers and I, and even some of the young men from the territory, had been forged under his tutelage.
And there was one thing we all had in common: whenever training was in session, wails of agony echoed through the mansion. I had begged for mercy at first, too, but Father had carried on without a second thought.
Well, unlike Dave and Nicole, I was physically frail back then, so Father had stopped quite early. In fact, I heard he’d been quite spooked after I collapsed once and was bedridden for days.
‘Still, Adelia served as a teaching assistant, so she should be fine.’
To be honest, someone of Adelia's caliber could likely pass the Navy Knights' entrance test with ease. From watching the sparring matches held every weekend, I knew that Nicole and Adelia possessed terrifying levels of physical endurance.
They would spar with the martial studies students from morning until dinner with almost no breaks, yet they’d emerge perfectly fine, save for a bit of sweat. Even with short breaks in between, their "steel stamina" was undeniable.
"Alright. So, is training with Father your only daily task for the break?"
"Pretty much. But, uh... when did you say you were leaving for Helium?"
"Gartz will probably come to pick me up personally tomorrow after lunch. You've met him before, right?"
"The demon with the sheep-like horns, right?"
"Yes."
"Hmm..."
Adelia fell into deep thought at my answer, then spoke up with a slightly awkward tone.
"So... what are you going to do there? Just a simple visit?"
"Yeah."
How could I possibly tell her I was going there to have my first night with Cecile? For now, it seemed best to keep things vague.
I was about to add a more plausible explanation when she beat me to it.
"Are you going there for a formal introduction to the family?"
"Huh?"
"Actually, I heard from the Baroness yesterday. You're dating the Demon Princess, aren't you? Even if it's not official yet."
Adelia spoke with her signature bright smile. I was momentarily taken aback, but hearing that my mother was the source of the information, I could only ask in a dazed voice.
"...Mother told you that?"
"Yeah. She told me just in case I got the wrong idea. You're engaged to that white-haired lady, not the Demon Princess, right? I should have realized sooner."
Adelia placed her hands on her hips with a confident air. I stared intently at her face as she gave me a spirited smile.
Whether she truly didn't mind or was simply exercising immense patience to keep it bottled up, she showed no outward reaction. Only that characteristic, self-assured grin remained.
‘...Is she really okay with this?’
Adelia's behavior toward me had always been confusing, but I had become certain of her feelings when she arrived as a guard knight yesterday.
Adelia had romantic feelings for me. A person's heart isn't something that can be hidden just because they want it to be. Once I became aware of it, the signs were everywhere.
So, I expected at least some reaction the moment she learned Cecile and I were lovers, but there was nothing. Just what kind of conversation had she had with my mother yesterday?
‘I can't exactly ask her right now.’
Asking would only make things awkward. Furthermore, due to her tragic family background, Adelia was starved for affection.
Even if it wasn't me, she could meet a warm-hearted man and live a happy life—not with someone like me, whose relationships with women were so complicated.
Above all, I would have to reveal my identity as Xenon someday. The scope of the investigation was narrowing, and with the Holy Nation 'Savior' involved, my identity was bound to be exposed sooner or later.
If that happened, the Kingdom of Ters would very likely try to use Adelia. I was 100% certain of it.
"I... don't know if I should say I'm glad, but..."
"Ah, don't worry. My lips are sealed, despite how I look."
"You're really okay, right?"
It was a somewhat loaded question. Whether Adelia caught the nuance or not, she flinched for a split second before answering energetically.
"I told you not to worry. If you're that concerned, let me go to Helium with you. I'm your guard knight, so that much should be fine, right?"
"I'm not sure about that. I'll ask Gartz tomorrow."
"Got it. I hope the answer is yes. I'll be going now."
"Alright. Be careful. Don't overdo it and get hurt."
"Yeah, yeah. This big sister of yours is tough, so don't you worry."
Adelia gave my cheek a playful pinch before walking away. Her actions were like those of an older sister doting on a cute younger brother, but for some reason, I felt a sense of lingering sorrow from her.
It felt as if she were drawing a line, saying, 'This is as far as I go.' The moment one crosses a line they've drawn for themselves, there is no turning back. There is only the path forward.
Would the day ever come when Adelia would only look forward? Before that, she would have to resolve her conflict with the Kingdom of Ters.
I watched Adelia's retreating figure for a moment before turning around.
First, I had to go back to my bedroom and finish the remaining manuscript.
‘Mother told me not to tell her I'm Xenon.’
My mother had said that a person's true nature is revealed at crucial moments, so she told me not to reveal that I was Xenon yet.
She wanted to see Adelia's reaction when I eventually revealed my identity, whenever that might be. As I mentioned, it was highly likely that the Kingdom of Ters would recognize Adelia as royalty and then try to bind her through a political marriage.
What choice would Adelia make then? I hoped she would make a wise decision so that our relationship wouldn't be torn apart.
After finishing the manuscript in my room, I headed to the office where my father worked. Adelia's training wouldn't start until later, so he would be catching up on paperwork for now.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Father, it's me."
"Come in."
My father's deep voice drifted through the door. Once I had permission, I slowly opened the door and stepped inside.
I saw my father sitting at his desk, with a mountain of documents piled up beside him. Because the territory was developing so rapidly lately, the paperwork was increasing by the day.
Father was even wearing glasses, as if his eyes were getting dim. My heart felt heavy thinking about how I would eventually be responsible for all those documents.
‘Can't we just pass the title of successor to my brother?’
Usually, the title of head of the family is passed to the eldest son, but there are exceptions—namely, joining the military.
Most people who throw themselves into military service stay there unless there's a special reason to leave. Of course, if Dave changed his mind and returned to the family, the title would have to be transferred to him.
But Dave didn't seem to have any desire to become the head of the family, and even if he suffered a major injury, I suspected he would choose another profession that involved physical activity. Like Father, Dave was more suited to being a military official.
"So, what brings you here?"
Father set down the pen he had been busily moving and spoke to me. I showed him the mail containing the manuscript and answered.
"I'm here to send off the manuscript for Volume 14."
"Finished already? You've been writing faster lately."
"My schedule opened up quite a bit after being appointed as a recommended student."
"It's quite remarkable. Is the entire story already in your head?"
Father looked at me with an impressed expression as he took the manuscript. This was something I had heard often in my past life; my friends had been just as amazed as my father when I told them I wrote fantasy novels.
They’d ask how I could write all that content, or if I remembered everything I wrote. Many people read novels, but few write them, so I received those kinds of questions a lot.
"I just write down a rough outline and go from there. And thanks to the gift from Duke Rekilis, the process has become much faster."
"The Remover? It did seem like it would make work much more convenient."
"Yes. That, and having more time is the biggest factor."
"Hmm... I see. I'll make sure this gets sent."
Father placed the mail on his desk. Just as I was about to leave, he called out to me.
"Isaac. There's something I've been curious about."
"What is it?"
"This signature."
Father pointed to my signature on the mail. My signature was "Isaac" written in Hangul.
The characters of this world were, of course, not Hangul; they followed a completely different system. The grammar itself was similar to Korean, so learning the characters had been relatively easy.
Above all, every race used the same script, so there were no issues with communication. However, long-lived species like elves and demons occasionally used archaic words.
"Can you tell me what this means? I've been curious every time I see it."
"It's just my name. Isaac."
"Your name?"
"Yes."
"Hmm..."
Father stared intently at the signature written in Hangul and stroked his chin. He seemed lost in thought, so I waited quietly for him to speak.
I had no plans to spread Hangul in this world, and I figured that even if I did, it wouldn't have much of an impact. If Hangul were truly that superior, every foreigner in my past life would have been using it.
Language is a culture where superiority cannot be judged. In fact, ranking them is a form of supremacism and chauvinism.
In fantasy media, races often have their own unique languages. Even if Hangul appeared, it would be treated much like the languages in The Lord of the Rings.
"Did you create these characters yourself?"
Father, who had been staring at the signature, suddenly asked. Part of me wanted to say it was created by King Sejong the Great, a legendary sage-king. But if I said that, he’d think I was insane.
I rolled my eyes, debating how to answer. It would be strange to say I’d known the script all along, but my conscience pricked at the thought of claiming I’d created it.
But sometimes in life, a man has to sell his conscience. After much deliberation, I finally spoke.
If I said it was a "script I already knew," Father might think I was a prophet or a regressor. I wanted to avoid that at all costs.
"I just made it because I was bored. It doesn't have any special meaning."
"You created an original script because you were bored... Knowing how to write and read it means you understand an entire writing system, doesn't it?"
Uh-oh. Damn. Is that how he sees it?
I flinched at Father's sharp observation. As expected of a former commander of the Navy Knights, his powers of observation and judgment were exceptional.
However, I was no stranger to spinning a yarn myself. I calmed my nerves and spoke in a nonchalant tone.
"I suppose you could say that. But as I said, it doesn't mean much."
"Could you write my name for me once?"
"Sure."
At Father's request, I used the magic pen and notebook I usually carried to write his name.
Soon, the name 'Hawk Ducard Maishal' was written in the notebook. I tore out the page and handed it to him.
As soon as he received the paper, Father put on his glasses and stared at it. My heart pounded with a strange sense of tension.
"It feels... like geometric shapes. And why are there so many straight lines? Is this really a script?"
"Yes."
"And you're going to include it in the Xenon Biography?"
"Uh... I'm not sure about that. I don't really have a place to use it."
I wasn't lying; I meant it. I saw no need to force Hangul into the Xenon Biography, and it wouldn't fit the internal logic of the story.
If I were to include it, I’d probably mix in 99% lies and say it was convenient for using magic. To prepare for the full-scale war against the demons, humans would create a script for easier and more efficient magic.
Magic was difficult partly because of complex calculations, but also because magic itself wasn't developed by humans; it was passed down from demons and thus wasn't standardized. This happened because demons, like elves, could use magic as naturally as breathing.
‘It would be pretty funny from my perspective.’
I thought it would be hilarious to hear people in this world shouting "Fireball" or "Ice Arrow" in Korean.
While I was chuckling to myself, Father gazed at his name written on the paper before placing it on his desk. Fortunately, he seemed to let it slide without further comment.
"Alright then. I'll send the mail to the publisher shortly."
"Yes, Father."
"I should be going as well."
Father stood up, likely heading off to train Adelia. Perhaps because he’d been sitting at his desk for so long, a series of loud cracks echoed through his body as he stretched.
"Would you like to join us this time?"
"I'll pass."
"Tsk. Fine."
I had a battle to fight tomorrow; why would I waste my energy now? When I firmly refused, Father merely looked disappointed and didn't push further.
‘By the way, should I actually try using it?’
I entertained that useless thought.
I planned to visit Helium and ask Lady Mora for her advice directly. If I wasn't careful, I might make magic even more difficult. Since I was a complete novice when it came to magic, I might just end up being criticized.
And so, another peaceful day of winter break passed.
"Hello, Gartz. It's been a while."
"It has been a long time, Lord Isaac."
The next day, Gartz arrived at our mansion via teleportation.
"But what's that in your hand?"
"Eye drops. Don't you occasionally experience dimming vision or a decline in eyesight?"
"How did you know?"
"Since you enjoy reading and even write novels, it was easy to anticipate. So, I brought some eye drops. They were formulated by the royal pharmacist of Helium, so the efficacy will be excellent."
"..."
He had brought me a very useful gift. In fact, my eyesight had been gradually declining lately, so it was a perfect present.
"Thank you. I feel bad for always being on the receiving end."
"Not at all. In exchange..."
"In exchange?"
"Ahem."
Gartz cleared his throat awkwardly, then spoke in a small voice.
"Well... in the Xenon Biography..."
"In the Xenon Biography?"
"...It's nothing. Let us head to Helium first."
"?"
I wondered what he had wanted to say.