The Lord's Daughter, Jeira Gailwards (1)
Night had fallen before I knew it.
I'd changed into something comfortable and was wandering the grounds. A grand party filled the fief's central plaza — thrown in the name of Acting Lord Renata herself, celebrating the annihilation of the Amour Gang.
"Come on, everyone — eat and drink! Sons and daughters of Gailwards!"
"Wooo!"
Everyone was eating and drinking, savoring the moment for all it was worth. I'd only ever seen these people acting like NPCs, so watching them let loose like this felt strangely fresh. They seemed like actual human beings.
Not constructs of ones and zeroes. Real people.
Coming from a guy who'd been railing women left and right, that was a hell of a thought. Truth was, nobody but the pretty ones had ever registered as human to me.
But today, for the first time — after putting our lives on the line and fighting side by side — I actually felt like I was among people.
"Where's Abeiru at?"
Some hero-aspirant muttered the question half to himself, and the captain of the guard answered.
"The idiot charged the front alone, took a critical wound, and landed himself in a hospital bed."
Everyone laughed. I laughed too. What a dumbass.
I found a decent spot and sat down to soak it all in. Booze and food were piled up like a burial mound. I spotted whiskey among the bottles. Oh, hell no — I couldn't pass that up.
Glug, glug, glug. Clack.
"Gulp. Kyaaah! This whiskey is fucking insane."
Yeah, I was a whiskey guy. Not that I didn't like soju or makgeolli either.
People passing by called out to me.
"Lashu, thank you. You're the best!"
"You're the hero of our fief."
"When are you making your official debut alreadyyyyy!"
All that praise left me strangely embarrassed. Heh. A guy who'd been prepping for military service back in the real world, and here I was a hero.
South Korea really is a goddamn trash heap, I swear.
I knocked back another glass of whiskey and filled it again, then wandered with the glass in hand. Praise followed me wherever I went. Everyone was getting properly hammered.
Liza was among them, laughing heartily with the guards. Their eyes kept drifting to her chest, but she didn't seem to care. I gave her a glance and moved on. Wonder how the rest of the party was holding up.
A hand caught my arm.
"Hey, baby♥"
"Nnngh, Liza noona."
She'd spotted me and come after me before I even noticed. She wrapped herself around my left arm like we were old lovers and smiled, thoroughly pleased. The soft valley of her breasts pressed against my arm, warm and unmistakable. She looked around, then spoke.
"You worked hard today."
"It was nothing."
"The atmosphere's amazing."
"It really is, noona."
"I want to roll around with you so badly right now♥"
A half-elf milf who could go from prim little smiles to full-blown filth in a single breath. I led her somewhere the streetlamps didn't reach and kissed her.
"Mm. Mmh."
"Nngh♥ Ahhk♥ Mmmph♥"
Our tongues tangled like a pair of snakes. Heat climbed through both of us, and just as it started to rise I pulled back to catch my breath.
"A kiss with a beautiful woman after a hard day's work is pretty sweet."
"Hehe. It is, isn't it."
"Guildmaster Liza! Guildmaster!"
Someone was calling her. Goddammit. Mood, officially murdered. Liza made a face.
"Ugh, that's one of my people. Honestly, Lashu — you're way too good at stirring up a woman's heart!"
"I'm pretty good at stirring up her chest, too."
"Hehe. Still the best fuck buddy around. See you later♥"
I let her go, reluctantly. She had her own time to get back to.
I looked around again, drinking my whiskey, and realized someone was missing.
Ah, right. Annie!
I scanned the plaza twice over and still couldn't find her. Weird. Where had she gone?
Did she not come? Figured nobody would welcome her?
That stung. I'd wanted to share this joy with her, too. Honestly, Annie was the only person who'd ever shown me that kind of fanatical affection. And she wasn't here.
I was still chewing on that disappointment when the captain of the guard, thoroughly drunk, jabbed a finger in my direction.
"Look! Right there! Lashu's the one who carried this whole thing! You could call him a full-fledged Hero right now and nobody'd bat an eye!"
His voice had climbed a full octave past its usual register. The soldiers piled on.
"No kidding! Lashu wrecked both of those bastards, right?"
"Boldga looked pretty banged up, but Koldo was just a corpse!"
"Long live the fief! Long live Lashu!"
Heh. Anyone walking by would've thought I'd grown my own fan club.
I offered a few polite thanks and drifted somewhere else. The party was only getting hotter.
Well, this is the time for eating and drinking. Fine by me.
Somewhere out of sight, people were probably already fucking. Tch. I wanted in on that myself.
A few women I'd passed in the fief a handful of times were drinking and talking loud — until I walked by, at which point they all went demure at once.
"Oh my, is that Lashu? He's even cuter than I thought."
"I heard he was incredible out there. So manly♥"
"Look at those muscled arms. Built to haul water jugs."
"And those thighs. Hooo, they say guys with thighs like that are huge down there!"
I smiled just enough and kept walking. Ever since I'd cleared that quest, people had been paying me a lot more attention.
Please restrain yourself, Goddess! It's just the lust of ignorant commoners.
As expected, the Goddess's grace is vaster than the universe itself.
Her voice was sweet and honeyed. Mmm. I loved it so much.
These were the same women who'd treated the original Lashu like a worm — right up until I'd decided to become a hero-aspirant. Now they were looking at me like I was some kind of idol.
Show and prove. That really was what mattered most.
"Hehe, this booze slaps!"
Lumina's voice. I headed over and found Renata, Mom, and Lumina drinking together. From what I knew, Koldo's injuries had been Mom and Renata's handiwork.
The strongest girl squad in the entire fief, huh.
Those three could probably go toe-to-toe with the Demon King.
The drinks had loosened them up; they were chatting like old friends by now.
"Ohh, so the beastkin young lady is a traveler? How fascinating."
"Uh, ah, yes…"
"I hear beastkin live freely. No need to stand on ceremony with me."
"For real? Kyaa, you're so cool! Haha!"
Nice atmosphere.
Mom, bashful even as she cradled a wine bottle, spoke up.
"I know he's my son, but he's really something. He's growing up just like his father!"
"Ohh. I'd like to formally appoint that boy as a Hero before long."
Renata dropped that bombshell like she was commenting on the weather. Sion and Lumina both stared at her, stunned.
"Really?"
"Huh? For real?"
I was just as shocked. This fast?
Renata drained her wine without a flicker of concern and answered.
"Hasn't he done enough? He accomplished things no hero-aspirant could possibly pull off alone. On top of that, he protected our fief. At this point, what else would you call him but a Hero?"
"Well, that's true, but…"
"I wonder when my own daughter will get to that point. Good grief."
I slipped away quietly. My heart was pounding. My endgame was becoming the degenerate Hero who conquered every milf in the world, sure — but still.
I'm going to be a Hero? Heh. I didn't think it'd come this fast!
Just imagining it was a rush. The moment I became an official Hero, I could expect the same treatment as a noble or a knight.
Nobles and knights had a weakness — scatter your seed too carelessly and it got dangerous. Heroes didn't have that problem. Just like Koldo had said: rape, whatever you wanted — as long as you proved your strength, they called you a hero or a champion.
That was the job. That was this world.
I was grinning to myself when I spotted Jeira drinking alone.
What's she doing over there by herself?
I swung by another table, grabbed a plate of well-carved roast chicken, and set it down in front of her.
"Hm?"
"Drinking on an empty stomach will wreck you. You need something to eat with it."
"Lashu."
I sat down like it was the most natural thing in the world and asked how she was doing.
"How are the wounds?"
"Nothing serious. It's just… haah."
"You're gonna sink a hole in the ground with that sigh, noona."
I said it while enjoying the glimpse of her chest through the gap in her hospital gown. I took a sip of whiskey, then asked her seriously.
"Why do you look so upset?"
"I didn't do anything this time. Like an idiot, I lost to you again."
So Renata had been leaning on her, whether Jeira admitted it or not. Do the hero-aspirant thing right if you're going to do it at all.
I offered her a glass, casual as anything.
"Noona, you're the best."
"…Me?"
"If you hadn't covered me, I never would've taken down Boldga or Koldo. There might be a difference in our results, but there's no difference in our skill. Noona — thank you for protecting me."
I meant every word. If I'd slipped into that sleeping state? History might have gone a completely different way. Thank god Jeira's presence detection was sharp. If it hadn't been… ugh. I didn't even want to think about it.
Jeira's face went red. Had it gotten through to her?
Time for the follow-up.
"You're a true noble — the kind who knows how to protect the weak. But if there's something you want to do… maybe it's better to take that noble yoke off for a while."
I said it with meaning. I knew she had something she wanted. The problem was her position in the family — and her position as a woman — wouldn't let her have it.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"You always look so stifled and blank. Like someone stacking up worries and never putting them down."
She let out a long, heavy sigh. The table was lucky to survive it.
"You know I… have a younger sibling, right?"
"Yeah. People call them the next Lord."
"Their health is terrible. But a woman becoming Lord? That's just not something that happens."
I tilted my head. What wasn't something that happens?
"Hmm. I don't really buy the 'that just doesn't happen' thing. Women are people too, and there are plenty of impressive, powerful ones — like you, or the Acting Lord."
Jeira gave a bitter smile.
"The world's eyes won't allow it. You know that."
"I do. What I'm saying is, do you really need to care? The pillar of a fief is the Lord. That seat should go to whoever actually fits it. Getting there by gender or bloodline alone is absurd, if you ask me."
I personally hated hereditary systems. Anyone who knew a country called Joseon would understand why.
Jeira studied me for a long moment, then smiled — easy, unguarded.
"You're so free-spirited, Lashu. Like people from the East."
"Heh. That so?"
I mean, I was from the East. South Korea, specifically. Since that country didn't exist in this world, I just drank more whiskey.
The alcohol loosened Jeira's tongue in a way it never usually did.
"I envy you, Lashu."
"Come on, what's there to envy."
"That you have a dream, and you actually work toward it. I was born the eldest, so I had to master every last family affair from the time I was little."
Yeah. Noble was noble, woman or not — and the sibling who was supposed to inherit was in that condition. She'd probably had a brutal life. That was what being the eldest meant.
"And then Father died, and now I'm trying to be the strength my sibling needs."
"You already are that strength, noona. You're strong."
"What I have now isn't enough. I have to be faithful to the seat I'm in — as the eldest, as the stepping stone that holds up the next Lord. But… holding back what I actually want is starting to wear me down."
She lowered her head, like the weight of it was too much. When she spoke again, her voice was tight.
"I'm a person too. I have dreams too. Pretty funny, right?"
"What's funny about that. Noona, think about it for a second. Ask yourself what you actually want to do. And whether you can throw everything you have into doing it."
Jeira looked at me, startled — then the blank mask slid back into place, like she was trying to hide it.
"Ugh, what am I even saying. Enjoy the rest of your night, Lashu."
She got up and walked off somewhere.
"Hey, at least eat the chicken first… tch."
I tore a drumstick off the roast chicken and chewed while I thought.
So that's what Jeira's been carrying. And I found her deficiency, too.
I stood up. Something told me I needed to follow her. If I did, I had a feeling some kind of event would trigger. Wait for me, Jeira.
I'm coming to you.