A Blink and the Alarm Rings
The alarm went off, but it felt like I’d only just closed my eyes. Still, after camping out in the wild for so long, lying in a proper bed felt like pure bliss. My whole body melted into the mattress in heavenly comfort, and I wanted to savor that feeling a little longer. But I’m a lord now. I can’t let my people go hungry, so I dragged myself up with sheer willpower.
“Uwaaahm~”
A huge yawn escaped as I stretched, and every muscle in my body tingled with sweet relief. When I stepped outside, the night had grown completely dark. With no artificial lights around, only the moon and stars shone in the sky.
“This is insane…”
It felt like the heavens might pour down on me. As I gazed at the densely packed Milky Way, I heard soft footsteps approaching. The gentle tap-tap sound somehow soothed my heart.
“Lord, are you awake?”
“Asne.”
Another set of footsteps followed—light and bouncy, the kind that naturally lifted my mood.
“Minsoo! You’re up?”
“Miya.”
A breathtaking night sky and two beautiful women. The scene felt almost unreal.
“It’s a bit late, but should we grab dinner? How about you two?”
“I’d love to.”
“Me too!”
“Lei’s a little far away, so that might be inconvenient…”
“Shall I contact her and ask?”
“You can do that?”
“Yes. Since we’re inside the territory, I can send a telepathic message.”
“Then could you check with her?”
“Of course.”
We asked for Lei’s opinion too. The reply came back—she’d join us. Now for the menu…
“I wanted to cook myself, but it’s getting too late. Let’s head over there and buy something.”
“It’s a shame we won’t get to taste your cooking, Lord.”
“The stuff Minsoo bought was good, but the grilled Sea Grok meat you made for me was the best!”
“Really? I’ll make a full Korean breakfast spread for you tomorrow morning. Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
“Waaah~!”
I promised to fill tomorrow’s breakfast with the lighter dishes I usually made, then we used Asne’s power to travel to Heugildo. Lei was already waiting outside to greet us.
“Late-night snack means chicken, right?!”
At the market we bought a variety—fried, seasoned, soy sauce, and green-onion chicken. One bird per person would definitely not be enough. Since we hated eating cold chicken, we decided to finish everything and just buy more if we wanted.
“This is classic fried chicken. This one’s sweet and spicy seasoned. This is savory soy sauce. And this green-onion one has a tangy kick from the mustard sauce. There are more flavors, but try these first and we’ll order whatever you like best.”
Lei loved the fried chicken.
“Wow, it’s such a pretty golden color! The smell is so rich! The outside is crispy and the inside is juicy—the texture is perfect!”
The seasoned one was my favorite.
“You call this spicy? Hmm… it just tastes sweet to me…”
The three of them said it was spicy, probably because they hadn’t eaten much spicy food before. I’d heard foreigners often found Korean food hot—this must be what they meant. I’d better make sure tomorrow’s breakfast had zero heat in it.
Asne loved the soy sauce chicken.
“It’s sweet yet salty, with such deep flavor. I adore it.”
Surprisingly, Miya went crazy for the green-onion chicken.
“Hyaak! My nose is tingling and it’s spicy…! But I can’t stop!!!”
She kept panting after every bite but refused to quit. The mustard and green onion seemed even spicier than the seasoned one, yet she devoured it. The way her fur stood on end and tears welled up in her eyes was adorable.
And of course, no chicken feast is complete without soda.
“Anyone want beer?”
“Beer? Me me me! I wanna try alcohol!”
I wasn’t sure about Asne or Lei, but Miya’s age was a bit ambiguous. She probably wasn’t a minor, but better to check.
“Miya, how old are you right now?”
“Wung? Me? Twenty… three?”
“Why does that sound like a question?”
“I don’t really count the years. It’s been about thirteen years since I left home, so twenty-three should be right.”
I’d thought she was barely twenty, but apparently not.
“Well, either way you’re an adult. Let’s have a drink~”
“Yay~!!!”
Miya was in. As for Asne…
“I’m quite curious about the alcohol of your world, Lord.”
“Asne, you’re…”
“Hehe… isn’t it rude to ask a lady her age?”
“Ah, uh… sorry.”
She was smiling, but I could feel killing intent. It was so terrifying I immediately turned to Lei.
“What about you, Lei?”
“Mr. Minsoo, do you have anything besides alcohol?”
“Of course I do. And it’s even the perfect color for you!”
“Really?”
I bought four 500ml glasses and handed them out, then filled glasses with beer for the curious Miya and Asne. For Lei I bought cola and poured it into her glass. Naturally, I filled mine with beer and raised it.
“In my country, we clink glasses lightly like this and say ‘cheers’ before drinking. It’s part of our culture.”
The three of them copied me, lifting their glasses. I gently tapped mine against the center.
Ting—
A clear, ringing sound echoed from the glasses.
“Cheers~”
“““Cheers~”””
They followed my lead. I took the first big gulp. The sharp carbonation burned down my throat. This is happiness.
“Krruuu~ It’s killer!!! Ah, but you three might not be used to it, so you don’t have to chug it all at once.”
I warned them because the first time I drank beer I’d teared up too. But Miya stared at her glass with a look of fierce determination and downed it in one go.
“Krrruuuuuaaaaah~!”
Her fur bristled and tears leaked out after the first sip, but she stubbornly powered through and finished it. After draining the glass she flailed her arms and legs, letting out a lion-like roar.
“Phew… I told you to drink slowly.”
“B-buuut… hic! Minsoo’s drink is so gooood… hic! So I… hic!”
Her eyes were watery and she kept hiccupping. She was seriously too cute.
“Hmmm…?”
Asne watched her, then calmly emptied her own glass in one go. Her expression didn’t change at all. Even after finishing she looked perfectly serene.
“Haa… this is truly wonderful. May I have another?”
She didn’t seem to be lying when she said she liked it, because she held her glass out again. While Miya, Asne, and I drank beer, Lei was…
“Waa… it’s like black obsidian… sip~ Eueut…! It’s sweet but tingly!”
She happily sipped her cola while watching the three of us.
In the end we demolished ten whole chickens, four pitchers of beer, and one giant cola.
“It’s already eleven. Let’s wait just a little longer, then try summoning the Black-winged tribe before we sleep.”
“Yes, please do.”
Lei spoke with earnest eyes. She really wanted them to live here.
“Hoehh~ The worrld is spinning rooound~”
Miya had gotten drunk after about two glasses. We stopped her from drinking more, but she was still tipsy. By the way, out of the three pitchers, Asne had drunk two. She said the savory flavor and sharp carbonation were nice.
One pitcher is 1.6 liters, so… she drank 3.2 liters by herself and her face hasn’t changed at all…
The first two pitchers we split four ways, so I’d only had about one. Three 500ml glasses plus a bit more. My cheeks felt a little warm, probably flushed. But Asne, who’d drunk twice as much as me, didn’t even flinch.
I must never have a drinking contest with Asne.
Anyway, I wasn’t much of a drinker to begin with. I only started drinking a little after getting a job. Still, at least I wasn’t a lightweight like Miya.
“Hehe. Hehehe… I feel so gooood~”
Miya sat in her chair, looked at me, and grinned. Then she looked at Asne swaying left and grinned again. She looked at Lei swaying right and grinned once more. Finally she looked straight at me, then her head thunked onto the table.
“She’s out.”
She fell asleep making soft purring noises. Since Asne could carry her easily, there was nothing to worry about. After we cleaned up the table, it was almost midnight.
“Shall we summon the Black-winged tribe now?”
There are existing territory residents. You may specify a race to summon only members of that race. Would you like to perform a designated summon?
“Yes.”
Please select which race to designate for the summon: Snow Leopard tribe, Siren tribe, or Black-winged tribe.
“Black-winged tribe.”
Designated summon of the Black-winged tribe initiated. Searching for suitable residents…
The Black-winged tribe is currently in a highly satisfied state; no individuals are willing to answer the summons.
Expanding time parameters.
One individual from the Black-winged tribe 80 years in the future wishes to migrate.
Would you like to summon them?
“Oh… Lei, it looks like the Black-winged tribe is doing pretty well. Only one person wants to migrate even after eighty years. What do you think?”
“Eighty years later…? Our average lifespan is sixty… that person must have lived an incredibly long life. It’s probably the same phenomenon that happened when I disappeared. They might just want to see me before they die.”
“Really? Hmm… at least it means the Black-winged tribe lived well for eighty years after you left.”
“Right? The fact that they only respond to your summons when they want to migrate means they must be content. If a child who liked me wants to see me one last time before dying, I’d like to let them go without any lingering regrets.”
“If that’s what you want, Lei…”
A summon could only be done once per day. If I used it on this Black-winged person, I’d be wasting today’s chance. It was a shame, but the odds were high that this was someone who cared about Lei. Hearing about what happened over those eighty years would probably ease some of the burden on her heart. For the sake of their future together, it was right to use the summon even if it meant losing today’s opportunity.
“Perform the designated summon.”
The moment I spoke, light bloomed. Normally the light would fade after a short while and the resident would appear. But this time the light lingered for quite a while.
The resident has very little time left to live. Each resident is precious. The resident will be summoned after regressing to the prime of their life.
Huh? Regress? You turned back time? Whoa… you send them to the future and then pull only the resident back to the past… My awakening ability is seriously overpowered…
The light lasted about a minute before vanishing. From within it appeared a member of the Black-winged tribe. Long black hair and shining crimson eyes. She looked expressionless, yet her complicated gaze fixed on me. A beautiful woman with an explosively curvaceous figure wrapped in a black dress.
“Are you the lord who called both me and our queen?”
“Uh… yeah, that’s me?”
From the Black-winged tribe’s perspective, their queen had suddenly vanished, leaving only a single note behind. I’d expected anger, but the woman asked her question with calm composure.
“I see… Is Her Majesty doing well?”
“Um… it might be better if you see for yourself. Lei?”
“Ah, e-eh, um…”
Lei looked completely flustered. She’d probably expected an elderly woman, not this young one. She stammered incoherently as she stared at the summoned Black-winged woman.
“Ruin…! I’m so sorry…!”
When the newly arrived woman looked at her, Lei bowed her head deeply and apologized. Since this was a matter between the Black-winged tribe, Asne and I stayed quiet. In the heavy silence that followed, Miya was…
…still purring away in a drunken slumber.