Chapter 47
Translator - Zofu
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Si-woo and Han So-young headed toward the village along a well-maintained road.
To the right was a lush green forest, to the left a wide field.
Walking along the road at a leisurely pace and looking around, the scenery refreshed a corner of one's heart.
And all of this had been created for just one person: Han So-young.
More precisely, the path they were walking on.
Because at the end of the road was nothing but Han So-young's mansion.
Aside from the forest and fields, there was nothing around it. The road ended at the mansion, and it had only been maintained after Han So-young bought the mansion and started living there. Before that, it had been close to a rugged area where carriages could barely pass.
'Thinking about it, it's really amazing.'
Han So-young was that incredible of a being.
An SS-rank hero.
In the Glayzer Empire, she was treated like royalty, and in other countries, even more so. She held a position where an individual could push around a nation. It was the result of not just physical power, but various symbolic factors combined.
'Now she's just innocent... huh?'
Si-woo's expression stiffened.
Han So-young, who had been excitedly looking at the scenery just moments ago, now didn't look well.
She looked slightly pale; to someone who didn't know better, she'd look like she was suffering from a serious illness.
"Auntie? Are you okay?"
"...Yeah. I'm fi-fine... hah, ah...."
"......."
There was no way Han So-young was sick, and it was nonsense to think she'd suddenly been cursed or poisoned.
Si-woo could think of only one reason for her pale complexion.
'This place is also related to her son.'
He didn't know what memory it was, but her expression changing from happy moments ago meant her husband or son had come to mind. Considering that she had walked to the village alone with her son on dates, there was a high probability there were memories around here.
"...Auntie."
"Huh, yeah?"
Si-woo called out to her and took her hand.
At the sudden warmth on her hand, Han So-young flinched slightly.
"Ah...."
Si-woo didn't do anything else. He simply squeezed the clasped hand tightly, making his presence known to her. Yet that alone was enough to gradually calm Han So-young down.
"......Thank you."
"Don't mention it."
"...Really. Thank you."
It was a thanks so heartfelt it was almost embarrassing.
Si-woo nodded with an awkward expression and started walking down the road with her again.
That's when a minor problem arose.
'The hand.... when should I let go?'
He couldn't find the right timing to let go.
If he had held the hand on the same side, he could have let go immediately, but he had mistakenly held the opposite hand. Thanks to that, they ended up walking down the road while holding hands. Moreover, it was a handhold with their fingers intertwined, reminiscent of lovers.
He snuck a glance at Han So-young's expression, but she either didn't notice or didn't think it was a big deal, remaining perfectly calm.
'But from what I could see....'
The corners of her mouth were forming a faint curve.
Still, Si-woo didn't say anything.
Not only did the sensation of holding hands feel nice, but it wasn't too difficult to accommodate Han So-young's mood this way. If this made her feel better, he could do it all day long.
"......."
Han So-young's hand was slender and warm.
And it was too soft to be the hand of someone who wielded a sword. It looked like a hand that had never held even a kitchen knife, let alone a weapon.
As he was squeezing and playing with her hand, savoring the feeling, she suddenly spoke.
"...It was like that back then too."
"Huh, what?"
"Back then too... I walked like this, holding that child's hand."
"......."
"You know this world is like a reversed world, right? So my son felt more like a daughter. Plus he was fifteen. Still a very young age. He really loved holding my hand and walking around...."
"......."
He had thought she might talk about her son, but he was a bit flustered when she suddenly brought it up while they were holding hands.
Still, she seemed aware that she was holding his hand. In other words, the act of holding his hand gave her a sense of security while simultaneously bringing back happy memories with her son. Though they probably weren't all happy memories.
"Sorry. You don't like this kind of talk, do you?"
"No. It's fine."
"...Really?"
"Yes. Really."
"But these days, kids don't like being compared to others, do they?"
"Ah. That's different. And what do you mean 'these days kids.' What's with that expression."
Si-woo deliberately changed the subject by commenting on her expression. It was a topic related to age that women reacted sensitively to. Even though Han So-young knew that, she willingly fell for his intention.
"Well, it's because I'm old. How old do you think I am?"
"How old are you?"
"Not many months left until the first digit changes? Hehe."
Han So-young laughed, thinking about her age.
40 years old.
It felt somewhat strange.
It was an age where she could be called "auntie" depending on the situation, a very sensitive period for a woman. But Han So-young didn't seem to care much about her age, perhaps because of her appearance, or maybe her health. Or perhaps it was because of the grief that still hadn't ended.
"Time flies. Who knew I'd experience the first digit of my age changing three times in this world."
"You've lived a long time."
"Right? I'm a bit old...."
"No, not that."
"Then what?"
"That you've lived a long time in this world. You were suddenly dragged here and became a hero, right? Many people died along the way. I'm really glad."
"Huh?"
"That I can meet Han So-young noona like this."
"...What? Noona?"
"Huh? I said auntie?"
"No.... I'm pretty sure you said noona...."
She tilted her head, mulling over the memory from moments ago.
He had definitely said noona. She always paid close attention to Si-woo's words, so she was certain.
"Haha. That's right. I said noona. Honestly, looking at your appearance, noona is more fitting, isn't it? Plus, we're almost at the village, and it would be strange to call you auntie."
"...That's true. Probably not many people in that village know my face."
The village they were heading to wasn't some closed-off, nameless rural village with fewer than fifty households. Though called a village, it had quite a number of households, various local specialties, and a fairly developed industry.
Han So-young hadn't been one to visit this village often to begin with, and since her last visit was several years ago, the villagers might not know Han So-young's identity, let alone that she was a hero.
"I'll call you noona only while we're in the village. Is that okay?"
"Yeah. That's fine. But you have to call me auntie again once we leave?"
"Got it."
At her words, Si-woo felt a bit disappointed.
Personally, the title "noona" felt more natural and friendly.
Leaving aside how awkward "auntie" sounded, it didn't match her face at all. Anyone would mistake her for a noona, or even a younger sister at that.
Walking while holding hands, they soon saw the village and reached its fence.
They showed their IDs to a spear-wielding youth who looked more like a militiaman than a guard. It was something they had received beforehand from the mansion's butler. He said it was a free pass indicating they belonged to Han So-young's mansion. Thanks to that, instead of causing a commotion by revealing their identities, the two entered the village without incident.
"Identity confirmed. Please enter."
"Oh. This is definitely nice."
"Yeah, it is."
Han So-young's expression had been nothing but awkward since they got close to the village.
Perhaps due to nervousness, she squeezed their clasped hand even tighter. Moist sweat seeped along their joined palms. Si-woo thought he was sweating, but it was all Han So-young's.
Perhaps because holding hands alone wasn't enough to relieve her tension in the village, she pressed her arm against his as if crossing them, clinging to Si-woo. Even her chest beneath the lightly worn coat touched him slightly, making Si-woo nervous instead.
'Good thing I released several times yesterday....'
Even that light touch felt soft and firm.
He thought it would have been a big deal if he hadn't extracted semen several times as material for making manjus.
Surely his genitals would have become erect just from her chest slightly touching his arm. And that wasn't even bare skin. Though his penile strength had been gradually increasing before, recently the rate of increase had strangely become even more severe.
'It would be fine as long as it doesn't reach a point where I can't control it....'
"Should we go over there?"
"Ah, you want to?"
The place Han So-young pointed to was a clothing store.
"Are you buying clothes?"
"No. Si-woo, yours."
"Huh? Mine? No, why suddenly...."
"Just because. For you to wear later when you become an adult... no, a hero."
"......."
Si-woo's eyebrows twitched.
Perhaps this clothing store was also a place she had visited with her son three years ago. He felt a bit like he was a stand-in for her son. And that feeling became clearer as the village date grew longer.
Restaurants, inns, flower shops, etc.
Whenever they entered another shop or looked at sights around them, that tendency grew stronger. Through slips of the tongue or actions, she would reveal that she had definitely been there with her son before. Though he knew they were unconscious mistakes, sometimes it was slightly suspicious.
'...But it doesn't feel bad.'
Was it because Han So-young was a beauty?
He liked how she took care of him like a son.
Even if she was retired, being the son of an SS-rank hero didn't seem too bad.
'Should I become her adopted son and ask her to return to active duty....'
Upon careful consideration, he thought even she wouldn't go that far.
"Then where should we go this time..."
"Hey. Are you a couple? Nice atmosphere~!"
"......?"
Truly out of nowhere, female thugs picking a fight.
A group of four women approached them.
Even if one wanted to be generous, their looks weren't particularly outstanding. Despite being women, some had rough features, and while some had fair faces, they were muscular with good builds. Si-woo responded coldly to them—at least two had visible rough edges.
"Get lost."
Flinched.
"......?"
The women flinched slightly when a man, rather than being scared, responded harshly.
But soon they approached the two with sly smiles.
"Whoa, our pretty one has some spunk, huh?"
"Right, hehe. Don't play with your little sister, play with us, okay?"
At the thugs' words, Si-woo turned his head to look at Han So-young.
She was quietly looking at the thugs without any particular reaction. Her expression seemed slightly blank, making him worry that perhaps another trauma had struck.
Looking closely at her face, her eyes were moving as if wondering how she should react. Relieved, Si-woo grinned and tossed a comment at her.
"You heard that? They said little sister, noona."
"...Yeah. Th-that's right? ...Hehe."
Han So-young laughed like a fool.
Even if she didn't care about her age, there were almost no women who disliked being told they looked young.
"What, she's not your little sister? Crazy baby face."
"No, that's not the important part, you crazy bitch. These punks are ignoring us."
Anyone but a fool could tell the man and woman were completely at ease. And that wasn't all. They also seemed to think little of them.
Though they were thugs who roamed in groups in a small village and had been asked by others to pick fights with couples, they still had their pride. Even if it was shallow and petty.
"You fucking lesbian bitches...."
Si-woo interrupted the words of the thug who appeared to be the leader.
"Hey."
"Hey?"
"Get lost."
"What? ...Ha, are you really a stone?"
The leader was a brute cracking her knuckles loudly and loosening up. He didn't know if it was for show, but she rolled her neck around, making bone-cracking sounds.
'Rolling your neck when you loosen up is bad for your bones.'
Si-woo was full of composure.
If guns were the best defensive tool on Earth to crush someone's spirit, here it was mana.
Wooong─
"...Huh?"
"M-mana...?"
"...Fuck."
Si-woo's right hand glowed blue with infused mana. That alone ended the game. Though the village had some size, there was no way thugs in a rural village could handle a mana user.
"I'll give you three."
"Wh-what?"
"Three.... two... one.... tsk tsk."
By the time he finished counting three, slightly shorter than three seconds, the two were already gone.
"Then shall we go, Little Miss?"
"Hehe. Shall we, Oppa?"
Though it was a minor incident lasting only a few minutes, their relationship had grown closer in that time.
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