Chapter 56
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: The Bluebird in the Cage
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He stood there blankly for a moment.
Rimon slowly turned his head.
He scanned his surroundings once, then casually opened his mouth.
"Princess, didn't you say you needed me here for something important?"
"Yes."
"Then what's this?"
To the black-haired girl standing beside him, Li Chingwei, Rimon asked with an even more sullen expression.
"It's an inspection."
"Inspection?"
"Yes. There are things you can't learn just from paperwork."
"No, I get that."
Rimon scratched his cheek.
He was more of an action guy than a theorist.
He figured swinging a sword once beat reading sword manuals a hundred times, so he could understand Li Chingwei's point.
Even so, the reason for his sullen mood was the location itself.
"What I'm asking is, why drag me along to inspect a rundown amusement park like this?"
A rickety roller coaster that looked ready to collapse at a glance.
A ghost house that was little more than a crumbling ruin.
A shabby magic tent that might as well have been a warehouse.
Patchy shops scattered about.
Rimon stared in disbelief at the sprawling amusement park, which had to be at least thirty years old—vast, but so outdated it resembled some ancient relic rather than anything stylish.
He glanced around and added one more line.
"And bringing the kids along, no less."
That was right.
Rimon and Li Chingwei hadn't come here alone.
Put nicely, they had cheerful companions. Put bluntly, they were saddled with a mountain of useless tag-alongs.
"Merry-go-round, merry-go-round! I've never seen one before!"
"Wow, I never thought I'd actually get to come to an amusement park."
"You guys better appreciate this! It's all thanks to me—'cause my birthday's next month, that's why we're here!"
"My birthday's today, though?"
"Huh? Really?"
The identities of those tag-alongs were kids.
All twenty-three from Hanbit Orphanage were excitedly scampering around the park.
Rimon had tagged along without a second thought, only to get half-kidnapped into hauling these kids to an amusement park. He couldn't help but feel sullen about it.
To him, Li Chingwei replied with innocent cheer.
"Well, the reason I picked this amusement park is because of you, Sword Duke—and the kids."
"What're you talking about?"
"You said it before, remember? Turn the place where that Yuna Kyung passed away into somewhere kids could play."
"Oh, that? Yeah, so?"
Maybe because he'd tossed it out so casually in passing.
After a brief loading pause, Rimon recalled it was about that empty lot where the Liberation Brigade's old hideout had been and tilted his head.
Li Chingwei's answer was simple.
"I thought about it, and an amusement park seemed like the perfect spot for kids to have fun."
The problem was how simplistic it sounded.
Rimon hovered a question mark over his head at the utterly out-of-left-field response, then wore an incredulous look.
"...So you're saying you're scouting other places for reference before building an amusement park there?"
"You always check feasibility before starting any project. It's basic."
"The fact that you're even thinking of plopping an amusement park on that barren wasteland based on one offhand comment from me makes it feel like there's not a shred of business sense involved."
"It's fine. If it won't work, we'll make it work—that's the Seven Dragon Society's motto."
With the Seven Dragon Society's resources, turning a doomed venture into a success was child's play.
Li Chingwei spoke so matter-of-factly, and seeing Rimon's subtle reaction to what sounded like an endless joke, she smiled faintly and added,
"Of course, the real goal is to score date points with you, Sword Duke."
"That was the main purpose?!"
"It's a twofer, a twofer."
"No way you slice it, that feels completely backwards..."
Rimon's expression turned complicated.
Touring an amusement park with twenty-three kids?
Anyone who'd ever raised even one child knew what a grueling task that was.
And calling it an "inspection" on top of that?
It reeked of nothing but personal motives.
"So you hate it?"
She smiled as if reading his mind and asked.
Rimon stared at Li Chingwei's face for a moment.
Then he turned away.
He spotted the kids bickering over what to ride first and resorting to rock-paper-scissors, letting out a soft chuckle.
"Never said I hated it."
That sealed it—his day would be spent enjoying the amusement park with his bride-to-be and the kids.
It was wholesome, almost heartwarmingly domestic.
Though the age gap with his prospective bride was a few hundred years, and there were twenty-three kids instead of the usual handful, setting it miles apart from a typical family outing.
But Rimon brushed off such minor details.
He just naturally slipped in among the kids and thrust out his fist.
"Rock-paper-scissors! Rock-paper-scissors! Alright, I won—so I pick today's itinerary. No complaints, right?"
"Eek! No fair jumping in like that!"
"Grandpa Lemon cheats!"
"Old man cheats, cheats!"
Thwack! Thwack!
"Waaah!"
"No complaints now? Fair warning: anyone who falls behind gets a hundred forehead smacks."
With his veteran savvy, raw strength, lightning reflexes, and utter shamelessness.
He dominated every aspect and clinched a total victory in rock-paper-scissors, then led the giggling kids around the park.
A few who wanted more free rein puffed out their cheeks in protest.
But that didn't last.
As they hit the rides, the puffed cheeks deflated, replaced by beaming smiles.
It was only natural.
Hanbit Orphanage had never been flush with cash, so for most of these kids, an amusement park was either a first or a long-forgotten thrill.
And Rimon's guidance proved surprisingly adept.
"Grandpa, bumper cars! Bumper cars!"
"Bumper cars? Line's too long right now—thirty minutes at least. Let's hit something else first."
"But I looove bumper cars..."
"Ah, I'll take you later—the red one you like."
"Really?"
"Want me to swear on my sword?"
Coaxing the kids was basic for him.
He minimized wait times while slipping in treats—balloons here, doll photos there, ice cream all around.
His skills were so polished, you could've sworn he'd been a park guide for a decade.
Mid-tour, he glanced at the kids' flushed faces and clapped his hands.
"Alright, thirty-minute break here."
"Ehh?"
"No breaks! More rides!"
"You little brats, quit whining. Old folks like me need our pit stops."
Of course, Rimon wasn't tired in the slightest.
He was just looking out for the kids starting to flag.
He timed the cafe break perfectly, buying drinks for the kids, and Li Chingwei watched with a soft smile.
"You really know how to handle kids."
"Eh, comes with the years."
"Not everyone with experience does, though."
"They ain't Sword Masters."
"Does being a Sword Master make you good at childcare?"
"Nah, but it means you can play with 'em all day without your back killing you."
Rimon chuckled.
Li Chingwei nodded deeply, looking impressed.
"Guess masters stand out no matter what they do."
"...Don't take the joke so seriously. Unlike your Seven Dragon Society hotshots, I'm just a simple sword-slinger."
Rimon looked sullen.
The Seven Dragon Society's elites were paragons of versatility.
With innate psionics and honed secret arts, their combat prowess rivaled top-tier players—not to mention their superhuman talents in every field imaginable.
That was how the society had endured for centuries.
Politicians who read minds.
Actors with hypnotic charm.
Chefs of astonishing skill.
Businessmen who could spot veins of ore at a glance.
Vets who conversed with animals.
The psionic masters of the Seven Dragon Society excelled wherever they turned their hand.
They didn't flaunt it openly, but plenty had come seeking their power anyway.
That accumulated foundation let them legitimize and survive even this Iron Age.
That was psionics.
The latent might stemming from those seven dragons that once devoured even gods—a force that had ruled the world.
Hearing such talk from the society's princess left sword-obsessed Rimon feeling more awkward than amused.
"Is that really true?"
That explained it.
The puzzled look Rimon shot at Li Chingwei as she tilted her head.
"What?"
"No, I just wonder if you can really call a Sword Master a 'simple sword-slinger.'"
"What's so special about it? Just means you're good with a blade and won't kick the bucket from old age."
"Hmm..."
Li Chingwei wore a strange expression at the unconvincing words from the man who'd slain demon gods and attained immortality.
But Rimon didn't bother convincing her.
He just gave her a sudden once-over.
"Speaking of, you actually wear stuff like that?"
"Doesn't suit me?"
"Nah, it suits you fine... but it ain't exactly princess attire."
Shorts baring her slender legs.
A slightly baggy boxy tee.
And a cap to top it off.
Swapping her usual Eastern-style dress for casual wear, Li Chingwei looked so different she could've passed for someone else.
Did it suit her?
Absolutely.
Her inherent beauty made her look as cute as any pop idol.
Some laws of nature never changed.
"Hehe, even I want to mix up my wardrobe sometimes. It's also for disguise, of course."
"Dunno about that. Walking around with me kinda kills the disguise vibe."
She seemed pleased by the compliment.
As Rimon scratched his cheek at her unusually bubbly smile,
a girl with dull, corpse-like eyes approached the pair.
"You two done chatting?"
"Why? Hungry for more snacks?"
"Nah, break time's almost up."
"Oh, yeah?"
At Sia's words, Rimon glanced at the kids, scratched the back of his head, and stood.
He pulled out the park map, unfolded it, and asked casually,
"Where to next?"
"The place that catches cute, empty-headed kids, locks 'em up, and sells 'em to customers so they earn money with their bodies."
"...Just call it a zoo. Don't use creepy phrasing that'll give people the wrong idea."
"It's the truth, though."
"Truth the kids don't need to hear."
Grumbling at Sia's remark, Rimon still herded the kids toward the zoo.
Perhaps due to its age.
Like the other rundown attractions, the zoo was shabby, with just a handful of animals listlessly rolling around in their cages.
"Whoa, a lion! Lion!"
"Lion, look over here!"
"Grandpa, can I give the lion some candy?"
"No."
But even those few animals had the kids thrilled.
They'd argue over whether it was a squirrel or a mouse, only to freak out learning it was a monkey.
Or get caught sneaking food and earn a forehead flick.
Or stare blankly with those rotten-fish eyes, scaring the animals witless.
They were having so much fun that Rimon almost felt guilty for not bringing them sooner.
'Na-kyung would've caused total chaos if she were here.'
Maybe because they were from the same orphanage.
Or perhaps they'd picked up her energy.
As Rimon wryly smiled at the kids—so lively they bordered on foolish—
"Grandpa. Bird, bird."
"What, wanna rest?"
"No! Bluebird, bluebird!"
"Hm?"
At the end of the kid's outstretched finger.
In the center of a massive cage, perched alone in a nest: a single baby bird.
Rimon pulled a strange face.
Fluff as blue as an autumn sky all over.
A single white feather tuft sticking up on its head.
And its tiny chick size.
The baby bird was cute in every way, standing out among the zoo's scant few birds.
But Rimon's odd expression stemmed from something else.
'Why does it look so damn wiped out?'
As if even being gawked at had exhausted it.
It had turned its back fully to the visitors, wings drooping limply.
It looked so utterly listless that without the fluffy blue down, it could've passed for some weathered old bird at the end of a turbulent life.
"Grandpa, gimme that one!"
"Hey, kid. Zoo animals aren't for sale."
The kid's shout must've been loud.
The baby bird, hunkered in its nest with its back turned, only swiveled its head slightly.
It glanced indifferently at Rimon and the kids, started resetting to its original pose—then jolted in shock and whipped back around with a snap.
The momentum was so fierce you half-expected its chubby neck to snap clean off.
But the baby bird didn't care.
As if flaunting the flexibility of youth,
it frantically whipped its head side to side, scanning all twenty-three kids.
With each face it clocked, its eyes grew wider—until finally, after Sia, it locked on Rimon and gaped its beak.
Piiik?!
A shriek tore through the air.