Chapter 116: An Awkward Relationship (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 116: An Awkward Relationship (1)
"Abel, how are we getting to the city, anyway?"
Our destination, downtown Geneva, was far. From what I remembered of the trip to Castle Sigurd, it took about three hours by car. On foot, it would easily take two days.
Besides, we were on a ridge in the Alps. A rugged, incredibly steep slope lay ahead of us. The roads weren't well-paved either, so there wouldn't be any buses coming up here.
In the first place, this was the Nibelung estate, so outside buses wouldn't even be allowed entry.
At my question, Abel tilted her head.
"What do you mean, how? We're taking a car."
"A car...? Wait, Abel, do you have a license?"
"No, I don't."
"...So, unlicensed driving?"
Then again, this entire place was the Nibelung estate—practically its own country.
Just as Rome has Roman laws, a license might not be necessary here.
Furthermore, Sword Emperor Siegfried was the king of this land. He was the law itself.
Even if his granddaughter took the wheel without a license, it wouldn't be out of the ordinary—
"Hey!"
—just as my thoughts reached that point, Abel's voice cut them short. She stared at me with an incredulous expression.
"No license, so unlicensed driving. How do you even connect those two? Don't people normally assume someone else is driving them?"
"Ah."
Now that she mentioned it, she was right. I must have blended too deeply into this world where class systems were rampant.
My train of thought had gone completely off the rails.
The world of Miracle Blessing M was more sensible than I had imagined.
"Sigh, you really are something else, Geomma. Well... not like I could ever keep up with your way of thinking anyway."
Abel muttered bitterly. I scratched my temple.
She crossed her arms primly and said,
"Shail agreed to drive us."
—Ah, right. There were servants in this house.
Their presence was so faint that I often forgot they existed.
"Just so you don't worry, Shail is a great driver. Whenever Grandfather or I go to the city, Shail drives us. On the other hand, Uncle Karon has no sense of direction, so he can't drive at all."
...This was a bit unexpected.
A young-looking maid as a master driver, and a butler who looked like he could do one-handed reverse steering being terrible with directions. Talk about a character twist.
Just then, a car suddenly appeared in our field of vision.
A rugged, four-wheel-drive vehicle with a massive body. It was a model specialized for mountain roads.
Screeech.
The tires kicked up dirt. The sound was harsh, but the cornering was smooth. This was no ordinary driving skill.
Click— Shail opened the car door and stepped out. She gave a light bow.
"My lady, Master Kang Geomma. I will escort you safely to Geneva."
"Thanks for driving us today when you must be busy, Shail."
Abel smiled softly. Shail smiled back.
"It is my pleasure to escort you after such a long time, my lady."
Shail personally opened the door. Abel climbed in with practiced ease. I glanced at Shail out of the corner of my eye and followed her inside.
Shail settled her hips into the driver's seat. The seat sank slightly. Placing her palms gently on the steering wheel, Shail spoke.
"Since Master Geomma is with us today, I will drive a bit slower than usual."
"Yes, please. I'm always at ease when you're driving, Shail."
Abel replied with a smile.
"It will take about thirty minutes, so you both may close your eyes and rest in the meantime."
"...?"
Did I hear that right? Thirty minutes? As I mentioned earlier, it takes at least three hours to get to Geneva. Not to mention, the path there was a winding mountain road.
Even an experienced driver would find it hard to guarantee such a time. Unless they were an F1 (Formula One) racer, maybe. Going even 100 km/h could easily send us rolling down a cliff.
What is she playing at?
Before my doubts could even take shape, Shail adjusted the rearview mirror. Her eyes reflected in the glass narrowed like a bird of prey.
Vrooooooom—
The vehicle let out a roaring exhaust note. It was not the kind of noise that should come from a car navigating a mountain valley.
Just as my lips parted in a sudden sense of crisis, Shail beat me to the punch.
"Fasten your seatbelt tightly, Master Geomma."
"...!"
—Vroooooooooooom!
The accelerator was slammed down, and the scenery outside the window was instantly swallowed by a cloud of dust.
"W-Wait a minute!"
A scream escaped my lips before I could stop it. Shail ignored it completely.
"We are departing."
Shail threw the gear shift. It was an extraordinary flick of the wrist.
Instantly, the car shot forward, unleashing an immense burst of speed.
Roaaar.
The vehicle glided along the mountain path.
The speedometer needle was vibrating between 180 and 200.
* * *
"Whew."
The Sword Emperor let out a long sigh. Yesterday had felt exceptionally long.
His encounter with the Spear Saint had lasted only thirty minutes, but cleaning up the aftermath took a full day.
Richard de Myura. That bastard's surprise raid had almost caused a diplomatic storm. Fortunately, it was within manageable limits, so the Sword Emperor had personally run around to wrap things up.
That muscle-brained pig.
If he had it his way, he would have stabbed the Spear Saint right then and there.
But doing so would make him no better than that ignorant fool. An old man's dignity comes from composure.
The Sword Emperor let out another long sigh to calm his mind. Letting his blood boil would only spike his blood pressure and ruin his health.
I feel like I've aged ten years.
For someone in his seventies, it was a chilling expression. An old man cannot take ten years of life for granted. The Sword Emperor reflexively shook his head.
Standing beside him, the butler Karon spoke in a worried tone.
"Are you alright, Lord Sword Emperor?"
"I'm fine, Karon. When you live as long as I have, things like this happen from time to time. Though, if that bastard Spear Saint pulls a stunt like this again, I won't let it slide."
"...You have worked hard."
Pour.
Karon filled the Sword Emperor's teacup. The gentle aroma of black tea wafted through the study.
The Sword Emperor brought the cup to his lips with a bright smile. Tea was one of his few hobbies.
Sip.
"Hahaha, as expected, the tea you brew is exquisite, Karon. I can't tell you how much I missed this taste while I was at the Academy. Medea can brew a decent cup now, but she's still no match for you. Compared to this, the black tea Medea brewed was practically poison!"
"..."
Karon could not bring himself to reply. Even though they were outside Medea's domain, Karon knew her true nature.
The Tyrant Medea. If he said the wrong thing and she caught wind of it... Just imagining it made him feel like his remaining lifespan was shrinking.
Karon simply tilted the kettle to warm the teacup. Silence leads to a long life. This was a crucial piece of wisdom he had acquired over his many years as a butler.
"By the way, did young Geomma do his morning training today?"
"Yes, he now trains on his own without any supervision."
"I see."
The Sword Emperor nodded and sipped his tea. As the old man lowered his cup, a pleased smile played on his lips.
He is certainly a boy of remarkable patience.
Talent often breeds arrogance. Countless geniuses have ruined themselves because of it. The Sword Emperor had gone through such a phase himself.
But that boy, Kang Geomma, is definitely different.
His attitude is sly, and he complains often.
Yet, he carries out his duties with a strong sense of responsibility.
A once-in-a-generation genius who doesn't shy away from hard work. Just how far will he go?
The Sword Emperor wanted to witness that end with his own eyes. To do that, he had to live a long life. He would start taking his shelved blood pressure medication again and minimize his stress.
At this rate, in a month, even that trial won't be out of reach.
A gleam shone in the Sword Emperor's eyes. He glanced back at Karon. Their eyes met just as Karon was about to refill his cup.
The Sword Emperor chuckled softly and spoke.
"By the way, where are the kids? I haven't seen Geomma or Abel at all today. Come to think of it, Shail is missing too."
"Ah, the two of them went to downtown Geneva this afternoon. Shail went to drop them off—"
The laughter stopped.
Shatter!
The teacup broke. No, to be precise, it exploded. Only the handle of the cup remained dangling from his finger.
—!
Soon, broken capillaries appeared in the whites of the Sword Emperor's eyes.
"...Karon, what did you just say?"
A venomous voice slapped Karon's cheeks. It stung.
But the real interrogation was just beginning.
"You had better explain why you let those two go just like that. Don't misunderstand; this isn't power tripping, I am strictly asking for an explanation."
"Ah..."
The butler Karon once again engraved the importance of silence onto his heart.
* * *
The moment we arrived in downtown Geneva, I got out of the car.
"Pant, pant..."
My heart was still pounding wildly. It showed no signs of calming down. I raised my eyes slightly to look at Shail.
She looked at her wristwatch and clicked her tongue.
She seemed unsatisfied with the time it took to reach our destination.
That maid is insane.
She covered a three-hour distance in thirty-one minutes. And on a winding mountain road, not a straight highway.
It was a continuous series of spine-chilling corners. The road wasn't paved, so there were plenty of rocks. Yet, the speedometer never dropped below 200.
I asked Abel,
"Is it always like this when you go to the city?"
"Yeah, pretty much. Though Shail actually slowed down a bit today. Normally, it takes less than thirty minutes."
"No... Whatever. You got motion sickness on the airport bus. Why are you perfectly fine now?"
"Oh, I only get motion sickness when things are slow. Speed doesn't bother me."
Abel shrugged.
Right, what was the point of arguing?
"I will return to pick you up in four hours, at eight-thirty. Please have a wonderful time."
With those words, Shail turned the key in the ignition. Her foot slammed down hard on the accelerator.
As if determined to set a new record, she sped off with ferocious momentum. Just like that, the car driven by Shail rapidly vanished from sight.
A baby face with the soul of a speed demon...
Grab.
"Hey, what are you spacing out for? You said you wanted dinner, and we only have ten minutes left until our reservation."
Abel grabbed my wrist as I stood there dazed. In reality, she was dragging me along, but to onlookers, it looked like we were linking arms.
Instantly, all eyes gathered on us. Envy washed over the faces of the men nearby.
Abel drew attention wherever she went.
To use a technical term, she was a walking crowd control effect—CC.
And that attention was spilling over to me, standing right beside her.
"Hey, Abel. Walk a bit further apart. Can't you see everyone staring?"
"Unlike Korea, the streets in Europe are old, so it's easy to get lost without a guide. There aren't any signs either. And those people are only staring because your hair color is so eye-catching, so just ignore them."
"..."
Let's just assume she's being innocent. Otherwise, my fantasy of Abel would shatter. She was the very reason I had spent money on Miracle Blessing M.
...And if they're staring just because my hair color is unusual, isn't that basically discrimination?
I endured countless glares as we walked down the street. Question marks practically hovered over people's heads. Then, startled, they would whisper among themselves.
This is definitely going to start some weird rumors.
Please, just don't let this reach Chloe's ears.
We arrived at the restaurant Abel had reserved. It was a place that served a dish called Raclette.
Raclette. Apparently, it's a dish where melted cheese is poured over meat or sausages. Along with fondue, it's said to be one of Switzerland's signature dishes...
Just hearing about it made me crave kimchi.
...Well, we came here instead of eating sushi.
Besides, I had a favor to ask Abel. Proposing that she join the Undead Dungeon party. This dinner was the stepping stone for that.
We entered the restaurant.
The interior was simpler and cozier than I expected.
Of course, I had no time to look around as Abel's forceful escort continued.
We sat at our reserved table. Abel ordered without even looking at the menu.
"The usual, please."
She spoke like a regular. Feeling my gaze, Abel made a subtle expression.
"...This is a place I used to come to often with my parents when I was young."
A faint nostalgia flickered in her eyes.
When she was young, with her parents...
Those words felt rough in my mouth. I didn't know what Abel's family history was like. Honestly, I was curious, but I had no intention of asking.
Scratching an itch only leaves a scar. Even a casual question can leave a scratch on someone's heart. Having experienced a turbulent family life in both my past and present lives, I knew this all too well.
In times like this, it's best to stay quiet.
While a brief, awkward silence hung in the air, the food arrived.
Meat, sausages, bacon. There were no vegetables.
Next, a man who appeared to be the chef emerged carrying a wheel of cheese. He melted the cheese in his arms over a candle flame and poured it directly onto the plate.
The meat was buried under a waterfall of cheese. Even before taking a bite, I missed the cup ramen sleeping in my suitcase.
"My lady, young gentleman, I hope you have a delicious dinner."
"..."
Leaving behind his greasy remarks and the food, the chef made his exit.
I stared blankly down at the cheese-covered mess.
A fork on the right, a knife on the left, resting neatly on the tablecloth.
A knife.
That stubby little blade... it was particularly bothersome to look at.
"Are you eating with your eyes? It's really good here."
Abel teased playfully. On the other hand, I was deep in serious thought.
Was it right to say something like this at a place where I had to make an important proposal? The scales in my mind tipped back and forth.
...Thirty seconds passed. After calculating countless scenarios, I reached a conclusion.
I pushed my plate toward Abel.
"Hey, Abel."
And then, I made my request.
"Could you cut this for me?"