Chapter 390: Let’s Go Back
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 390: Let’s Go Back
Daybreak arrived.
I used my magic to open the curtains and, at the same time, carefully lifted the edge of the blanket.
“Mmm…”
Delia, who had been nestled in my arms, squirmed and burrowed deeper into my chest as if the light was too bright.
A smile crept onto my face as I watched her.
I stroked her bottom and closed the curtains again.
Is it 7 AM already?
There were about four hours left until checkout.
My flight out of the country was at 6 PM, which meant I had about half a day until boarding time.
...It feels like I’ve been in the UK for a long time, but it hasn’t even been a week.
I stared at the ceiling, recalling my days in England.
From getting my wallet stolen on the first day to meeting Duke Winchester, the great archmage of the United Kingdom.
For my first trip abroad, it had been anything but ordinary from the start.
I was even invited to Duke Winchester’s manor in Avalon, a place once dismissed as a conspiracy theory on the internet.
At the party I attended there, I had to fight for my life against a world-renowned terrorist group that suddenly crashed the event, and in the end, I even faced off against a giant dragon.
One day of bad luck is one thing, but this was ridiculous. At that point, it was so absurd that all I could do was laugh.
Of course, it wasn't all hardship.
Coming to the UK allowed me to meet Delia, and my contributions were recognized, allowing me to become a noble.
On top of that, I received the Vermilion Bird's True Blood from Duke Winchester and the highest-grade Holy Water from the Saintess.
The rewards were as great as the struggles.
...Looking back, it’s almost strange that I survived in one piece.
A dry laugh escaped my lips.
This was supposed to be a simple trip to commission a staff. How did things get so out of hand?
Staring blankly at the ceiling, I opened my inventory and took out a small orb.
Ting—
[Incomplete Core of Naberius]
[Grade: Epic]
[The core of Naberius, a Marquis of Gehenna.
Naberius’s avatar and most of its power, which originally resided within, have vanished.]
Yesterday afternoon, I had successfully used Tam’s ability to remove the avatar from Naberius’s core.
As a result, Tam’s growth rate had increased significantly, but even if the seal were to break and cause problems, I had ways to deal with it.
The simplest solution was to keep the Heaven-Shattering Demonic Sword in my inventory.
I didn't know what Tam's true nature was, but I doubted it could surpass the power of the Dating App.
Even if that failed, I could always just abandon it in the Tower.
In a world with transcendent beings like the System and the Constellations, even if Tam went on a rampage, it probably wouldn't lead to any major damage.
Of course, losing the Heaven-Shattering Demonic Sword would be a waste, but I could always get another sword.
I can’t deny that it absorbed a bit too much energy... but this should be just right for a patient.
If I gave an elixir that was too potent to Cheon Yeo-hwa, who was suffering from the aftereffects of poison, she wouldn't be able to properly digest it and it would only make things worse.
“So, all that’s left is to enjoy a date with Delia before I leave?”
With a satisfied smile, I placed the core back into my inventory.
I had already taken care of everything I needed to do in the UK.
I had visited Baronet Sheffield to check the condition of the Heaven-Shattering Demonic Sword after it absorbed the demonic energy, and I had also snuck into Tristan's mansion to secure evidence of his crimes from the underground vault.
Duke Winchester’s expression had been colder than ice when he reviewed the materials.
The magic leaking from him was incredibly volatile.
Thanks to that, I could vaguely guess the extent of the fury he must have been feeling.
For the record, the evidence I brought contained information on a specific organization involved in human trafficking and sex crimes.
According to the Duke, they operated in scattered cells and had been evading investigation for a long time.
But the documents stored in Tristan's underground vault also included a list of high-ranking government officials who had colluded with them, as well as nobles who had directly participated in the sex crimes, buying and selling people.
With Duke Winchester himself on the move, armed with concrete evidence, not even royalty would be able to escape.
Of course, under the pretext of preserving the dignity of the nobility, they were more likely to be assassinated than arrested, but that was none of my business.
I held Delia in my arms and passed the time leisurely, scrolling through my phone.
The peace I felt after so long was making me drowsy, but as I browsed the internet, I soon felt a strange sense of unease.
“Isn’t it a little too quiet?”
More than a few people had definitely seen me and Delia entering the hotel together.
But no matter how much I searched online, I couldn't find a single article about it.
Every media outlet was busy singing our praises.
“Tsk, just like a pseudo-democracy to be so blatant with its media censorship.”
There was no need to suspect anything else. Nine times out of ten, this was the work of the British government and the royal family.
I suppose in these chaotic times, a romantic scandal involving the young heroes the public was looking to for comfort could have a negative effect. They must have suppressed the news out of that concern.
From the government's perspective, it might have been a wise decision, but for me, who wanted to let all of Europe know that Delia was my woman, it was an unwelcome situation.
Should I just make an SNS account and post our dating pictures?
It seemed like a decent idea for a moment, but then I realized I would have to post pictures of all the other women too.
Even though I was now a noble, I couldn't begin to imagine the fallout if the world found out I was dating so many women.
I set my disappointment aside and picked up my phone.
Ting—
[Would you like to unsummon Noel Ronnidella?]
[Y/N]
Before coming to the UK, Noel had asked a favor of me.
She wanted me to unsummon her when I crossed over to Iris’s world.
It was only then that I realized Noel and Iris were from the same world.
A quick look at the Dating App showed both of them listed under ‘EB-17.’ I had no idea why I hadn't noticed it before.
In any case, Noel said she wanted to visit her hometown after a long time, and I agreed.
For the record, she didn't live on the same continent as Iris.
The name of Noel’s home continent was Istria.
According to her, people on other continents called Istria the Eastern Continent.
But hearing that, I couldn't help but have my doubts.
As far as I knew, common knowledge in that world held that there was only one continent.
I had never heard any mention of an Eastern Continent anywhere.
...What if contact was cut off long ago for some reason?
It wasn't a world with advanced long-distance communication like Earth. If contact between the continents had been severed for a long time, it was entirely possible they were unaware of each other's existence.
Perhaps Iris and Sylvia, being long-lived elves, might know something.
[Y]
[Resummon Cooldown: 167:23:59]
“Well then, shall I get going?”
After placing a light kiss on Delia’s forehead, I changed my clothes and looked at the screen that appeared before me.
[Would you like to rematch with Iris Remeria Baiart Peledeia?]
[Y/N]
[Y]
My vision turned completely white.
*
I felt this every time I matched with someone, but it always took a moment of concentration to recall all the detailed memories.
One might say, ‘A mage on the verge of the 6th Circle can’t even remember that much?’
But just as a supercomputer isn't idle all day, my brain was constantly under strain, alternating between physical enhancement magic and mana detection to keep my senses sharp.
Moreover, I had to be prepared for unexpected situations, so it was difficult to allocate many resources to things other than magic.
Of course, my memory was still far superior to that of an ordinary person, but I needed a moment to focus to bring back the finer details.
The first thing that came to my mind was, naturally, Iris’s face.
She was beautiful, no matter when I thought of her.
But not all the memories were pleasant.
Iris’s homeland, the Peledeia Kingdom, had received a declaration of war from the Eustaff Empire, known as the hegemon of the north.
The current Peledeia Kingdom lacked the strength to fend off an imperial invasion.
Ever since Iris was dethroned due to Resilia’s rebellion, Peledeia had been on a path of decline.
To stop the war, Iris needed to regain her original power, and to remove her restraints, we had no choice but to head to the Santala Kingdom.
Starting from the Veilhaven Republic, we had to pass through the Nivia Kingdom and the Orsia Duchy, cross the Sutra Great Desert, and reach the ‘Flame of Ash’ enshrined in a temple in the Santala Kingdom.
Of course, our current location, the Nivia Kingdom, could hardly be called the halfway point.
As I slowly opened my eyes, a scene completely different from the hotel came into view.
It had a similar feel to the Emerald Palace overall, but the architectural style was distinctly different.
This was the royal castle of Logen, the capital of the Nivia Kingdom.
And within it, the Ruby Palace, where the First Princess resided.
“...Hyun-woo?”
At the familiar voice, I turned my head to see pink hair reminiscent of cherry blossoms and vivid red eyes.
Her name was Elisabeth Francesca Nivia.
The First Princess of the Nivia Kingdom.
“What’s wrong? You suddenly stood up and now you’re just staring into space... You’re not sick, are you?”
I gave a small smile at her worried gaze and shook my head.
“No, it’s nothing, Lady Elisa.”
For the record, ‘Elisa’ was a nickname she had asked me to use.
It felt a little strange to be on a nickname basis when we had only kissed, but since the princess herself had ordered it, I had no choice but to comply.
Acting as if nothing was wrong, I sat down and took a sip from my teacup, calmly reviewing Elisabeth’s situation.
She was currently in a conflict with the First Prince over the throne.
However, the probability of Elisabeth inheriting the throne was extremely low.
Unlike the First Prince, whose maternal family was a powerful marquisate, Elisabeth had no backing, let alone a support base.
It was too late to build a foundation now. The Second Queen, the First Prince’s mother, had carried out numerous assassination attempts and political maneuvers over the years, severely restricting Elisabeth’s sphere of influence.
The reason I had ended the last match was because I couldn't think of a way to resolve this situation.
Assassinating the prince and queen was, with my skills at the time, next to impossible, given the royal castle’s security.
Even if I succeeded in assassinating them, unless I did something about the noble faction supporting the First Prince, Elisabeth would just become their puppet even if she ascended the throne.
It was definitely worth getting stronger.
One step back for two steps forward, as they say.
Now that my magic and martial arts had reached a new level, this situation no longer felt so difficult.
Assassinating the queen and the prince was no longer a hard task, and there were ways to empower Elisabeth after she took the throne.
“Excuse me, Lady Elisa?”
“Yes? What is it?”
“I came here without telling my companions. Would it be all right if I stepped outside the castle for a moment?”
I wanted to see Iris and Amelia’s faces again after so long.
And Sylvia’s, too, of course.
“Ah…”
In that moment, Elisabeth’s eyes trembled slightly.
A mix of complex emotions, difficult to describe with words, flickered across her face.
“...Of course. Tina? Please get Hyun-woo a pass.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
After receiving the pass, I bowed to Elisabeth and slipped out of the royal castle unnoticed.
The security barrier surrounding the castle?
Compared to Duke Winchester’s manor in Avalon, it was child’s play.
What a strange twist of fate.
At first, all I needed was a letter of recommendation to cross the border into the Orsia Duchy, where a civil war was raging.
But I was at a loss for how to obtain one when I happened to run into Elisabeth, who was out incognito.
I received the letter as a reward for saving her from assassins, but after learning of her predicament, I couldn't bring myself to leave the castle.
One could say I was foolish for making such a choice when every moment was critical.
But just a few months ago, I was an ordinary university student with an uncertain future, and now I had come this far.
It had been a journey of crossing the line between life and death countless times, but it had also been a series of rewarding days where I was able to save the women I cared for.
Adding one more woman to that list wouldn't be a problem.
It just meant I had to work that much harder.