Chapter 23: The Guard Who Cares for His Junior (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 23: The Guard Who Cares for His Junior (1)
The King of the Hugo Kingdom had three sons and two daughters. There was the Crown Prince, whose abilities were recognized by the ministers; the Princess, who monopolized the love of the common folk; and the younger siblings, who were simply immature and cute.
Among them, the reputation of the second prince, Rominas de Hugo, was also quite good. He possessed a decent level of intellect and martial talent, and he was particularly gifted at identifying people of potential.
A leader of a nation must know how to utilize talent in the right place at the right time. Based on these abilities, several ministers had tried to nominate the second prince for the position of Crown Prince. However, at some point, Rominas seemed to lose his spark and began wandering outside the royal palace, devoting himself entirely to his hobbies.
While a few ministers refused to give up hope on him, the majority eventually lost interest and shifted their support to the Crown Prince. This made it easier for Rominas to move about outside while avoiding the eyes of those monitoring him.
‘Today is the day that guard is discharged from the clinic.’
Rominas recalled the name of a guard who had stood out to him among the talents he’d recently scouted. His name was Sma, if he remembered correctly.
Meeting him had been a stroke of luck. Rominas had been visiting the clinic director to get recommendations for promising individuals when, on his way out, he heard the story of a guard who had walked all the way to the clinic after slaying a Mandrake.
A Mandrake was a monster that could be neutralized with mere earplugs if one knew of its existence, but for the uninformed, it was dangerous enough to claim the life of even an apprentice knight.
Since they were mostly found within dungeons, they rarely caused significant damage, but occasionally one would leak out and cause a catastrophe. For a mere guard to discover and handle such a dangerous monster...
‘Should I grant him a reward?’
Even if he didn't interfere, the guard unit itself would likely issue a reward, but since the man had prevented the deaths of several precious citizens, Rominas wanted to give him a gift personally.
That was why he had taken charge of the guard’s treatment himself, and he was soon impressed.
The man’s physical frame was quite sturdy, and his muscles were well-developed; he was already at the level of a decent apprentice knight. Considering he was only twenty, it wasn't entirely shocking, but it was a remarkable achievement given Sma’s background.
‘An orphan. The only training he received to become a guard was basic swordsmanship and physical education provided as a form of public service. And for only one year at that.’
If an ignorant commoner could reach the level of an apprentice knight after only a year of training, what would happen if he were trained properly under a master?
The fact that he had slain the Mandrake while hearing its scream without earplugs added bonus points to his evaluation. A talent possessing both physical gifts and extraordinary mental fortitude—such individuals were rare.
Rominas began the process of making Sma one of his own. He couldn't officially invite him to become a knight, however, because his "hobbies" had a hidden purpose.
‘The international situation has been unstable for several years now. The Dwarf Kingdom to the south hasn't been able to end its war with the Orcs. In fact, their borders are being pushed back. At a time when we should be cooperating, the movements of the Stejaishi Kingdom are suspicious.’
Over the past few years, the Stejaishi Kingdom had been importing massive quantities of ore and expanding its military. They claimed it was to send reinforcements to the Dwarf Kingdom, but the Hugo Kingdom wasn't so foolish as to miss their dark intentions.
War. They were preparing for war. Since they didn't possess many dungeons, their plan was to seize the Hugo Kingdom’s abundant dungeon resources.
To prepare for that day, Rominas had to cultivate talent in secret. His older brother was raising an army, and his older sister was recruiting promising Hunters to organize a private guard.
Meanwhile, Rominas used his eye for talent to find individuals hidden throughout the kingdom.
Not just those with superior martial prowess, but administrators with the executive power to maintain a wartime footing, artists to reassure the public and stir patriotism, blacksmiths to provide a stable supply of armaments, and so on.
Elizabeth, whom he had discovered a few weeks ago, had excellent intuition, so he intended to raise her as a priestess who could stand on the front lines. That was why he had been supporting her Hunter activities with everything he had.
If he trained Sma well and paired him with Elizabeth, they would transform into a knight-and-priestess duo capable of changing the tide of a battlefield. That was the reason he had attached Elizabeth, who had been diligently clearing dungeons, to Sma.
‘I wonder if the two of them have gotten closer?’
Was it too greedy to expect visible results in just one day? Rominas entered the hospital room with a wry smile, only to find himself at a loss for words.
Three men and women were asleep in the nude, and the room was filled with the unmistakable traces of a tryst. Seeing Elizabeth talking in her sleep with a blissful expression made him let out a hollow laugh.
He had paired them up hoping they’d get along, but he hadn't expected them to get this close. She had been a woman who distrusted men just the last time he saw her; what kind of charm did this guard possess to make her have sex with him in a single day?
‘And with another woman present, no less.’
It would be an awkward situation if any of them woke up, so he decided to leave for now. Rominas quietly closed the door to the hospital room and whispered to himself.
"A hero is fond of beauties, as they say."
Though he wasn't sure if the man would truly become a hero. He had been debating what kind of reward to give, but now he had reached a conclusion. If the man was this fond of women, he would surely appreciate it.
*
I’m discharged! A hum naturally escaped my lips as I returned to Sweet My Home. An unnamed healer had seen the state of the hospital room and started to say, "Perhaps until tomorrow..." but I made my escape quickly.
The clinic was nice, but it was less comfortable than home. Somehow, Serika and Mehya found out I’d been discharged and came to visit.
"Feeling good, are we? Real good? I’m busting my ass because of you, and you’re happy just because you got to rest?"
"It was sweet as honey, Senior."
"You look fine. Want to come to work tomorrow? Going from guarding a Mid-Rank Dungeon to a Low-Rank one is boring me to death."
Glare.
Serika glared at Mehya.
"Sma still needs stability."
"You worked me to the bone without any mercy, yet you’re so biased toward Sma. It’s because he’s a man, isn't it?"
"Gender has nothing to do with it."
"Bleh."
"Bleh? Did you just stick your tongue out at your superior?"
"I smelled something good and was just tasting the air. Were you making dinner? Let’s see how it tastes."
The two of them forced their way in and took over the dining table. When Serika saw Iruna, wearing an apron and boiling soup, her pupils shook.
"Living... together?"
"She said she was worried about me and followed me here."
"Lord Sma! Come taste this."
"Sure."
I picked up the ladle to taste the soup, but the atmosphere in the room turned ominous. I looked back to see Iruna wearing a strangely mischievous smile, unlike her usual self.
And Serika was grinding her teeth as if she’d been deeply wronged. When I looked at them, their expressions returned to normal, but I’d already seen everything.
Since I had guest plates, the four of us were able to sit around and enjoy dinner. Iruna, who was happily watching me eat the soup, asked, "How is it?"
"It’s delicious. Maybe it’s because our pretty Iruna made it, but it tastes even better than mine."
"Hehe."
"...Do you just go around calling everyone pretty?"
"Of course not. I only ever speak the truth."
"That’s a classic playboy line. I never dreamed my junior would be such a flirt."
Because you say things like that, Mehya, Serika is looking at me even more fiercely. I want to kick Mehya out. The soup going into her mouth feels like a waste.
After somehow finishing dinner, I went out to see them off and noticed a message floating over the flower bed.
[Sun Herb: Growth 67%]
[Mint: Growth 30%]
"Serika?"
"Hmph."
This lady ate a good meal, so why is she sulking? Mehya, who was grinning, was even more annoying. They say a meddling sister-in-law is worse than a hitting mother-in-law.
"I think the Sun Herbs will be fully grown by the day after tomorrow. Would you like to harvest them together?"
"Ah, right. We did have the Sun Herbs we planted 'together'."
Why was she putting so much emphasis on that?
"Since I'm here, let me take a look. Yes, you’ve been raising them well. The leaves are vibrant and the buds are clear; they’ll be top-quality Sun Herbs."
"I put a lot of heart into them since I received them from someone special."
Well, Iruna and the game system did. I haven't given them a single drop of water.
"Sun Herbs must be harvested when the sun is up to maintain their quality. I’ll come by early the day after tomorrow."
"Yes, ma'am."
Now that I’d secured an appointment, I was about to see them off for real when Mehya suddenly spoke up.
"Aren't you going to have a discharge party?"
"A party? Ah!"
She did mention that since she filled in for me at the Low-Rank Dungeon, I should set up a drinking session. I’m not one to turn down a chance to drink with two beauties.
"Of course I should. How about tomorrow?"
"That woman won't be following us there, will she?"
"Of course not. It’s a gathering for fellow guards; how could I bring an outsider?"
"Fufufu."
Serika left with a pleasant smile. Mehya looked at me with eyes that were slightly appalled.
"You’re more of a pro than I thought, Junior."
"Huh?"
"From now on, we are enemies."
"What?"
After spouting that nonsense, Mehya followed after Serika. ...Was the soup actually spoiled?
"Iruna! You didn't put anything weird in their soup, did you?"
"Huh? How could I do something like that to food?"
"I’m sure our kind Iruna wouldn't. They’re just strange people."
I was shaking my head when Iruna suddenly began unbuttoning her clothes.
"More importantly... Lord Sma. Aren't you going to have dessert?"
"Oh, you prepared dessert too?"
"Yes."
With a shy smile, Iruna lifted her firm, large breasts with her own hands.
"I’ve prepared... Iruna."
Gulp. I have to eat this, even if it kills me. I spent a lot of energy dealing with two women this morning, but surely I won't die.
The body I’ve possessed is twenty years old. It’s an age where you get an erection the moment you turn around after sex. Since tomorrow is a day off anyway, let’s burn through the night.