Chapter 18. Even Thought About Marriage.
Three days had passed since arriving in the capital. For the first time in a while, I sat in my office, slowly working through the backlog of tasks one by one.
In the midst of that, estate manager Durka came to my office. He brought news of a visitor. It was an unscheduled visit.
“...A visitor? Who?”
“Lady Elizabeth the hero, sir.”
Ah—
At that name, the corner of my mouth twitched up involuntarily. I hadn't expected her to come here in person. What could bring her all the way out here?
“Got it. I'll be right there.”
I sent Durka ahead first, finished up what I was doing, and left the office. Down in the first-floor parlor, a familiar face sat sipping tea. It was the daughter of Valkan Duke, Lady Elizabeth.
It was our first meeting since we'd both become heroes. For a while, our paths hadn't crossed at all. Still, I hadn't thought she would be the one to seek me out first. After all, she wasn't the type to let go of her pride easily. And she must have been armed with jealousy on top of that.
“Long time no see, Elizabeth.”
“...Yeah.”
Elizabeth couldn't speak to me as casually as before anymore. We were equals now. Even so, she wasn't the type to ignore that and act out.
I offered my congratulations first.
“Better late than never—congrats on becoming a hero.”
“You too. ...I've heard the rumors. They say it's an unprecedented record.”
“Eh, just got lucky.”
Of course, Elizabeth knew it wasn't just luck. A perfect 100 points, no less. And on top of that, she'd heard I'd come back from an 80-point mission successfully.
...She couldn't even imagine how grueling that mission must have been.
After becoming a hero, she'd spent a full year completing two 20-point missions, piling up 60 contribution points. She'd been full of dreams back then. She figured she'd rank up within the next year. Sure, she was a bit behind me, but with this kind of effort, she'd catch up eventually. She'd believed that without a doubt.
But then she heard the rumors after I returned, and her mood plummeted to rock bottom. She'd scraped together those 60 points through hellish ordeals, and I'd racked up 80 in one go. At this rate, I might hit B-rank by the end of the year.
...To her, still stuck below D-rank, it felt impossibly distant.
Fated rival—
She'd once thought of me that way. But as time passed, she increasingly wondered if it had all been her delusion.
...I was pulling too far ahead.
Truth be told, there was another reason she'd come today. It was at the urging of her father, Valkan Duke.
Money, land, power—he had it all. But there was one thing the duke lacked: overwhelming military might. Sure, he had plenty of strong subordinates. But none were overwhelming.
He'd always carried that regret, and then Kang Ji-hyuk appeared like a godsend. An unprecedented genius hero. And an outsider with no family ties to boot. If they could bring him fully into the fold, they could make him one of the duke's people completely.
...How could that not make their mouths water?
—What do you think of this hero Kang Ji-hyuk?
—...Why do you ask?
—I've been considering a marriage between you and him.
Elizabeth had always known she'd be used as a political pawn someday. That's just how her father, Valkan Duke, was. To him, children were merely tools to expand his power.
But she never dreamed the name attached to that marriage would be Kang Ji-hyuk, that guy.
—Are you serious?
—I'm keeping it in mind. Of course, there's still time, so no need to rush. ...But go sound him out. See what he thinks.
—...Yes, Father.
And so she'd come. Not to decide on the spot whether she'd marry him or not. But since she'd seen me as a rival until now, she was curious how I'd been doing. And that 80-point mission intrigued her too.... Anyway, it was a tangled mess of reasons.
“Looks like you're doing well, anyway.”
Her tone came out snappier than intended. Even accounting for her prickly personality, it felt extra thorny. But I just smiled generously and brushed it off.
...Moments like this made her seem not entirely awful.
Maybe because she'd heard about the marriage talk, she found herself nitpicking me constantly, like she was grading me.
His skills were beyond reproach. A historic genius—no room for doubt there. Physically, he was impressive too. Good-looking, tall, great build.
...And his dick, uh..., is it big?
What the hell am I thinking?
Elizabeth startled herself with the crude thought. Probably from overhearing her colleagues' vulgar chatter about how a man needed a big cock to be a real man.
Anyway. He was an outsider with a lowly background, no family. But her father, Valkan Duke, seemed to welcome that. Easier to handle that way, no doubt. Knowing her cold-hearted father's nature, she was certain of it.
A noble lady had to marry eventually. In that sense, he checked all the boxes perfectly. Their first meeting hadn't been pleasant, but that was ages ago—holding onto it now would be petty.
She agonized over it for a while. Should she bring it up or not?
“...Elizabeth?”
“Yes? What?”
“What's your business here?”
Ah—
A flurry of thoughts raced through her mind.
...But in the end, something other than the truth slipped out.
“Just... wanted to hear about that mission of yours. The 80-pointer, right?”
I had no way of knowing her real intentions, so I took it at face value. She was the jealous type, after all. Probably hoping to snag a high score herself after hearing the details.
I had no intention of hiding anything. Talking about it wouldn't change much. And hearing it wouldn't make her bungle some mission either.
...No need to make enemies. She didn't seem to harbor real ill will toward me, coming here in person and all.
I treated her kindly even when she was brusque. I already knew her temper was nothing great.
I began recounting it calmly. She started off sitting stiffly, but soon got drawn in. She never imagined I'd gone to the infamous Monster Plains of all places. The story was riveting.
Elizabeth found herself leaning forward without realizing it.
She'd traversed vast grasslands, slogged through treacherous swamps, delved into a sinister demon labyrinth. The tale ended with slaying the demon Genevy.
A moment of lingering silence followed. The lady belatedly noticed her undignified posture and quickly schooled her expression, straightening up.
“I heard you out. ...Incredible stuff.”
“Sounds impressive told like this, but living it would chill your blood.”
“Yeah, I wouldn't go to the Monster Plains even for 100 points.”
It was nonsense, of course. She'd go right now if offered 100. But in front of me, she wanted to act superior, even knowing it was pointless.
“I see.”
I didn't mock her, just smiled faintly and let it slide. In a way, it was kinda cute—clinging to her pride to the bitter end.
A brief silence fell. She kept gulping down the cooling tea. No good conversation topics came to mind.
I glanced outside. It was around noon. I turned back to her and casually asked if she'd stay for lunch.
She nodded eagerly, like she'd been waiting for it.
“Sure, if you're offering.”
I had a maid prepare the meal. We headed to the dining room.
Elizabeth pondered as she cut her meat. Bring up the marriage or not?
...For some reason, the words wouldn't come out.
By then, I'd noticed she had something weighing on her. But I still couldn't guess what.
The meal began in silence and ended the same way.
Once finished, she couldn't linger any longer. Time to go.
“Thanks for the meal. Next time, I'll treat you.”
“Looking forward to it.”
We walked side by side. She was still lost in thought. She had to say it, but couldn't bring herself to.
The two of us soon reached the mansion entrance. I escorted her all the way to her carriage—a gesture to keep things amicable.
“Well, I'm off.”
“Yeah, safe travels.”
Elizabeth climbed into the carriage slowly. She agonized inwardly the whole time. I have to say it...
“Hero Kang Ji-hyuk.”
“Yes.”
“...Thanks for the hospitality.”
“Sure.”
I wondered what she was hemming and hawing about. But she never brought it up, just shut the carriage door with a thunk.
Damn—
The carriage rolled off. I watched it briefly, then turned away.
...But suddenly, it screeched to a halt. The door flew open, and Elizabeth hopped out. Face set hard, she marched straight toward me.
I'd turned to head back inside and now stared at her in bewilderment.
She came right up to me, her face beet red.
“What is it...?”
“Hero Kang Ji-hyuk.”
“Speak.”
Elizabeth took a deep breath. She licked her dry lips. Her gaze, which had dipped, lifted to meet mine again.
“...What do you think about marriage?”
Thud. The carriage door shut.
“Hurry up and go! Quick—!”
Elizabeth yelled that, then buried her face in her hands.
I'm insane. Totally insane, me.
Going to the house of a guy I'd treated like an enemy, eating a meal so casually, and then blurting out marriage?
...Her head must've short-circuited for a second. Why hadn't she just kept going smoothly instead of stopping midway...!
She was mortified, on the verge of madness.
Damn—
The carriage set off again. It soon left my mansion and hit the main road.
—...What do you think about marriage?
She regretted it the instant it left her mouth. But the water was spilled.
My eyes widened slightly. Clearly not expecting that.
—Marriage?
I thought for a moment, then spoke.
—It's sudden..., but I could consider it positively.
It was an ambiguous answer. But pressing for something firmer was impossible—her head was swimming with embarrassment. She just wanted to escape this moment.
—Got it.
Elizabeth answered that and bolted straight back to the carriage.
I'm crazy, crazy for real—!
Her feet kicked out involuntarily. She couldn't sit still.
...But seriously, what's wrong with giving a straight answer? This damn jerk.
—I could consider it positively.
Still, humans are strange creatures. She instinctively spun it as positively as possible.
...Saying he'd consider it positively meant he had some interest, right? If not, he'd have just said he'd think about it.
...Yeah. Why add positively otherwise?
Clutching that one word, Elizabeth let her imagination soar. Yeah, I've got nothing to be ashamed of either—! Noble lady, hero, pretty, good personality... He couldn't have zero interest in her.
The hero brimmed with confidence. Where else you gonna find a woman like me? He'd be on his knees the second marriage comes up—!