The Lazy King's Errand
By the time the underworld had completely devoured the entire subterranean world of the continent and handed full control of the dark organizations over to Pride, Kain—eighteen years old at the time—made the swift decision to retire and settle down in the Ellemental Kingdom. There wasn’t any particularly grand reason behind it.
As he’d mentioned once before, the Majoan had a personality closer to that of a normal person compared to the other Absolute Beings. Even if his identity were ever exposed, the situation could likely be resolved relatively peacefully. That was one factor. The fact that this place was his hometown was another. His sister had thrown a wrench into his original plans by suddenly announcing she was getting married and dragging some random man home with her, but her constant grumbling about how rarely she got to see his face had made him think it might be nice to stay close by.
Above all, the reason he’d jumped into the underworld at the tender age of thirteen was because the shadows offered the best environment for learning dark magic—and because it was the fastest, easiest place to make money. He had reached the pinnacle of dark magic, the seat of an Absolute Being, and earned so much wealth that he could never spend it all in a lifetime. No one except the other Absolute Beings could stand against him, and any further growth could be achieved through solitary training. Kain had always been the impulsive type who preferred to do whatever he wanted. Since things had turned out this way, he decided he might as well live lavishly off the fortune he’d accumulated. The Ellemental Kingdom was the perfect place for that.
It was the heart of magic engineering and cutting-edge science. Quite literally, as long as you had money, it was a country where you could live more abundantly and lazily than anywhere else on the continent.
“…….”
Among the countless magic-engineered products that had improved people’s quality of life, the one Kain cherished and loved most was the smartphone. It wasn’t that he enjoyed games or anything like that. He could read the latest theses published by the Magic Tower in e-book form before they were even released as physical books. He could also lie on the sofa and learn every little thing happening in the world through the internet.
For example, that the Tugwi who had gone missing a few months ago had suddenly appeared near the border with the Southern Great Nature, causing quite a stir. Or that some mage from the Magic Tower had developed a new material. Or that a pack of goblins had escaped from the monster park in the Mendelssohn Grand Territory and caused chaos. Or that the culprit who had murdered an elderly couple in the Irumu Barony had fled to another territory.
Good news and bad news, major events and minor ones alike, were broadcast fairly to the public without discrimination between domestic and foreign affairs. Of course, if Kain wanted to, he could learn about anything happening across the continent with a single phone call. But he had no desire to bother the already overworked Pride just to satisfy his curiosity. It was the perfect level of distraction—his only real hobby besides reading books or sleeping.
Has it really gotten this late already?
Today was no different. After eating the meal Arina had prepared for him, Kain had thought it would be too much trouble to pick up another book, so he’d lain on the sofa watching the news. Only when he noticed his smartphone’s battery had died did he finally realize how much time had passed. The clock showed a little past six. He had received Pride’s call, gotten up, eaten, and collapsed onto the sofa a little after one forty. That meant he had been glued to his phone for over four hours straight.
At least it had died quickly because he hadn’t charged it the night before. If he had, he probably would have kept staring at it even after the sun went down.
Kain gazed out the window at the slowly setting sun and let out a big yawn. Then, as if something had just occurred to him, he spoke.
“The kid’s late.”
Did the academy always end this late? No, it shouldn’t. He’d heard it usually finished around four or five at the latest. Had he misheard?
Well, knowing that kid’s personality, she’s probably late because she went to the library or something.
Although she was a 2-star mage, in Kain’s eyes she was someone whose talent barely covered up her lack of actual skill. She had probably realized her shortcomings during class and, given her diligent nature, had immediately burned with the determination to study even harder.
Kain guessed Arina’s actions with eerie accuracy, as if he had been watching her the entire time.
“…….”
But perhaps because he was staring blankly at the ceiling instead of looking at his phone, improper thoughts kept popping into his head. The first thing that came to mind was the news he had seen earlier.
They said a murderer is on the loose.
The distance between the Imur Barony and the capital was enormous. There was no way the culprit could have boarded an airship or magic train, both of which required strict identity verification. Even if he had used some other means of transportation, the best he could manage was an automatic carriage. Unless it was one of those specially built racing models from the Magic Tower, a normal automatic carriage would take several days to reach the capital.
Come to think of it, the incident only happened a few days ago.
The next thing that came to mind was the Grant Department Store incident. Of course, something like that happening again was extremely rare. Normally, Kain didn’t interfere with underworld affairs whether they involved selling drugs or slaves, but when he had established his base here, he had given exactly one order: Don’t do anything that displeases me. Since Pride would carry out his words even at the cost of his own life, he would surely have made every possible preparation to ensure there would never be a repeat of the Beyond Department Store tragedy.
“Tsk.”
At that moment, he felt a faint hunger in his stomach. He hadn’t done anything all day—why was he hungry again? Normally, the kid would have called him over by now, saying it was time to eat.
Clicking his tongue, Kain picked up his phone to order delivery, then frowned as he remembered the battery had died.
Should I just make ramen?
Even charging it felt like too much hassle. After a brief moment of contemplation, he rose from the sofa with an annoyed expression. Still dressed in his sloppy clothes, Kain slowly walked toward the front door.
I wonder where that kid is.
And with that, he opened the door and stepped outside. It was his first time going out in a long while since the Grant Department Store incident.
＊＊＊
— Uncle, I’m going to grab a bite with a friend real quick.
Yeah, sure. If I send her off like this, she’ll figure out dinner on her own—whether that means making ramen or ordering takeout.
Or maybe she already did, assuming I’d be late.
Arina let out a deep sigh as she reread the message she had sent. Then she looked at the bowl of tteokbokki placed in front of her. It was larger than her face. Her expression turned complicated.
Tteokbokki, huh…
Arina had lost track of time while picking out books to borrow and had left the library later than intended. The one who had dragged her straight to a tteokbokki restaurant was Marily.
“Even I think I helped you quite a lot today. So at least indulge my selfishness for this last part.”
Ever since she was in the royal palace, Marily had always harbored a romanticized view of academy life. Things like going to school while chatting with friends. Eating lunch on the rooftop during break—though it was actually locked for safety reasons. Or snacking on street food on the way home.
“It’s fine. I was actually craving tteokbokki too.”
“You’re a terrible liar. You looked clearly flustered just a moment ago.”
“……”
“Don’t make that face. In return, I’ll pay for all the food today.”
Saying so, Marily stabbed a piece of rice cake with her fork and brought it to her mouth. Her body trembled slightly as she smiled.
“It’s delicious. Spicy, salty, and stimulating. Exactly the delinquent flavor I was expecting.”
After all, the current head chef of the royal kitchen tended to pursue clean, light flavors to suit her father’s palate. Marily complained that tastes like this were hard to come by.
“Ah, that doesn’t mean the chef’s skills are bad. He was selected through extremely strict evaluations, after all.”
Honestly, anyone skilled enough to be the head chef of the Ellemental royal family would be counted among the best cooks in the kingdom. Marily’s comment wasn’t that the food tasted bad, but that she simply preferred a different flavor profile.
“……”
Is it good? Well, since it’s a franchise, the base flavor should be decent at least. Watching Marily eat so enthusiastically, Arina picked up a rice cake from the red broth with some expectation. She had made tteokbokki herself before, but this was her first time eating it from a restaurant. To be honest, she wondered if there would be much difference from homemade, and she also questioned why anyone would pay over ten thousand won for it. With mixed feelings, she put the rice cake in her mouth.
“I was worried because I heard this place is famous for being really spicy, but maybe it’s the mild version? It’s not as spicy as I expected. What a relief.”
“……”
“Hm?”
Arina’s face turned bright red. She froze mid-chew, rice cake still in her mouth. Her eyes darted around the table in a panic. Then she grabbed the water glass in one swift motion, tilted her head back, and gulped it down. It was a bold action completely unlike her usual calm and reserved demeanor. Even so, the spiciness didn’t subside easily. She refilled the empty glass and chugged another one.
“Ugh…”
Maybe she can’t handle spicy food. Watching Arina struggle to regain her composure, Marily scratched her cheek apologetically. Just as she raised her hand to order a drink—
“You complain every morning that it’s too spicy and make me add extra chili to your soybean soup. Where do you get the confidence to come here and eat this?”
Before Marily could say anything, someone set a drink down in front of Arina with a clack. Without even checking who it was, Arina immediately started gulping it down. The man who had suddenly appeared watched her with a look of exasperation and plopped down in the seat beside her.
Who is this guy?
Messy, unkempt hair. Thick horn-rimmed glasses that practically covered his eyes. A plain t-shirt with no design and black sweatpants. A man with black hair and black eyes. As he looked at Arina with an expression that practically screamed this is such a hassle, curiosity bloomed on Marily’s face.
Does she know him?
Judging from the conversation, they seemed acquainted. Family, maybe? He looked too young to be her father… so an older brother?
Marily tried to reason it out on her own, but the answer soon flowed naturally from Arina’s lips.
“Uncle?”
Arina’s eyes were still watery, the spiciness not yet fully subsided. Kain looked at her with a fed-up expression, rested his chin on his hand, and turned his head sharply.
“What brings you here, Uncle…”
“You weren’t coming back, so I came to find you.”
“You did?”
“……Why do you sound so doubtful about that part?”
Wait, her actual uncle? For a second, when he said he had come looking for her, she had almost shouted, Who the hell are you? Because her uncle wasn’t the warm, caring type who would come searching just because he was worried about her.
“More importantly, didn’t I send you a text?”
But worried that it might hurt his feelings, Arina quickly changed the subject. In response, Kain silently placed his completely dead smartphone on the table.
Yeah, so basically… the battery died, so I didn’t get any of your messages.
Wouldn’t it have been easier to just plug in the charger and call?
Why did he really come? Arina frowned, unable to believe that Kain had actually been worried about her. She could only tilt her head in confusion. Ignoring her completely, Kain casually reached out with a fork toward the tteokbokki in front of him without asking for permission.
“By the way, is that the Marily or whatever—the new friend you made?”
“Um, she’s still a princess. That attitude is a bit…”
“Whatever. She’s your friend, right? I doubt she wants me to speak formally to her either.”
Well, that was true, but shouldn’t he at least ask for permission first? Arina glanced at Marily, worried she might have been offended. Unexpectedly, however, Marily was looking at Kain with eyes that sparkled as if she had discovered an interesting person.
“So you’re Arina’s uncle? Nice to meet you. I am Marily Raymond.”
“Name’s Kain.”
As expected of a princess from the Ellemental royal family. She was quite a well-mannered kid. If it had been the imperial family of Hwan, they would have tried to cut his head off for speaking casually to a friend’s uncle.
“So, since I’m paying, can we order more from the menu? I haven’t had dinner because this kid didn’t come home, and I’m starving.”
“By all means. I was just thinking I wanted to eat more as well.”
“As expected of the princess. Unlike this stingy kid who nags even when I’m spending my own money.”
“I simply have a rather generous spirit.”
Huh? This is weird. Why are these two getting along so well already?
The two continued their conversation as if they had known each other for years. Before long, they were even exchanging smartphone numbers. Watching them from the side, Arina could only silently sip her drink, feeling an inexplicable sense of alienation because she couldn’t eat the spicy tteokbokki.