The Swordmaster Wants to Fall in Love — 58. Meteorite Request (1)
The knights and mages who had torn the room apart could not find the succubus for a long while. In the end, they apologized to Evan with bowed heads and hurried out of the room.
The messy room was then tidied in the blink of an eye by the servants who came in.
…They still haven’t noticed anything?
Inside the room, which had been thoroughly cleaned, Evan let out a long sigh and gently rubbed his spatial necklace. Thankfully, it looked as if the truth that he had summoned a succubus had not been revealed.
The fact that he had deliberately used his young age to claim he didn’t even know what a succubus was had helped deceive them.
I didn’t think there was a detection ward inside the royal palace for succubi…
While escaping from Monghwanhyang, he had sensed the magical trace of the dream world clinging to his body.
The royal mages who had suffered the pox from the succubus not long ago had rushed over and missed even that tiny trace.
From now on, he would have to be extra careful. Evan finished his morning wash in the room and called for a servant.
“─Did you call for me?”
“I’d like to eat something.”
“It’s still twenty minutes until breakfast time… Would you like me to bring you something light?”
“Uhh— yeah? Then I’ll hold out a little longer, I guess.”
After sending the servant away, Evan began looking for something to kill time during those twenty minutes. As expected, all he had was a sword.
He loved swinging a sword the most, and he loved imagining swinging a sword the most. Right now, the materials for that imagination were overflowing in front of him.
The unicorn I met at the very beginning… it was fast. The next one, the mage, was easy, but that was thanks to the arena’s characteristics…
Just like how a sky-riding horse was called a pegasus, the unicorn was insanely fast. Just like how a rainbow-flavored mage was called that, the mage unleashed a barrage of multicolored magic spells.
Both of them had eventually fallen to Evan, but each of them had been beings he could never ignore.
What if he was ambushed by the unicorn in a place with lush trees and bushes, where it was hard to notice the enemy’s surprise attack?
What if he was struck by a one-sided magical barrage from an extremely distant spot he couldn’t even see?
Both were problems he would struggle to handle.
Victory in battle wasn’t always about being stronger than the opponent.
Sometimes you could be mercilessly defeated even by someone you had beaten before.
—How can I block those?
Evan imagined swinging his sword in his mind, thinking about how to overcome high speeds and long-range attacks.
After a while, the maid who had come to him was so deeply immersed that she didn’t even hear the knock at the door.
***
“You’re late. Did you oversleep?”
“Ah… no. I, I just needed a little time to think.”
“Hmm…? Then was I interrupting? Sorry about that.”
The Spear King lightly apologized. The royal family members around him looked at him with shock, as if they couldn’t believe their ears.
Evan, who hadn’t realized that breakfast was still twenty minutes away, scratched his slightly matted hair and sat down in his seat.
This is uncomfortable…
“Let’s start eating.”
Before he could even sit, the Spear King granted permission. The royal family members who had been sitting blankly for a long time began eating with dignity.
To Evan, who had never learned proper etiquette, it seemed like a ridiculously refined display of pointless ostentation.
While Evan was wondering how to eat, he carefully and clumsily imitated the way the royal family members in front of him were eating. Of course, it was awkward.
“Hoooot— Evan, that’s not how you eat. Watch this. Try following.”
“U-uh— like this?”
“Yeah. Like that.”
Noticing the scene, Elenoa was the first to help Evan, and the Spear King frowned slightly when he saw her dropping titles with him.
“─You’ve gotten close, huh?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. We’ve even promised to get married?”
“I never said anything about marriage… We’re just friends.”
“How cruel— trample my pure heart like this. Uuuh—.”
“…You’re really crying?”
“Should I really cry?”
The Spear King stared intensely at the playful Elenoa, then immediately let his interest drop and turned his gaze to his sons.
The two princes, having received the Spear King’s gaze, stopped eating and opened their mouths at once.
“Coordination with other kingdoms is almost finished. It should be resolved shortly….”
“The task I was given will be completed by today. Since there were no major issues, I’ll submit the report….”
Watching the two princes report suddenly during meal time, Evan let out a silent laugh in his heart. What on earth were they doing while eating?
Was it to show that they were so busy they had to work even during meals, or was the Spear King deliberately harassing his own children at this time to affirm his authority? Evan couldn’t understand.
The amusing part was that while the princes were sweating profusely as they reported to the Spear King, the princess Elenoa was calmly continuing her meal.
She’s such a daddy’s girl.
After all, everyone said their dad was a girl’s man, and the Spear King was just one father, so it made sense.
As Evan was evaluating the Spear King, the latter turned his gaze back to Evan.
“Evan Kalshutter.”
“Yes? Yes—.”
“Is there anything uncomfortable while living in the kingdom?”
“Uncomfortable? I don’t really… not sure.”
“I see. If there is anything uncomfortable, tell me anything.”
“Ah— so then, making me work uncomfortably during meal time isn’t allowed?”
After hearing the words “anything,” Evan immediately spilled his thoughts. The royal family members, as well as the maids waiting in the background for service, all flinched, staring at Evan as if wondering if he was serious.
The people who had been staring at Evan for a long time turned their heads late, checking the Spear King’s expression. Surprisingly, the Spear King nodded with a calm face.
“If that’s what you find uncomfortable, Your Highness.”
“Even when eating, you wouldn’t even touch a dog’s bone—.”
“There was such talk? Interesting.”
“Hehe—” The Spear King laughed, and the royal family members seated at the table awkwardly laughed too.
Evan, who hadn’t known why they were laughing suddenly, tilted his head, but since it was a good thing, he started laughing along.
He just laughed.
***
After the meal ended, since Evan had somewhere to go, he headed up to his room first— the remaining royal family members and maids in the dining hall all began checking the Spear King’s expression.
1st Prince Elshadai, who had seen the Spear King’s expressionless face, cautiously opened his mouth.
“Ah, Father. Don’t get angry.”
“─Don’t get angry? Am I being commanded by you right now?”
“Ah, no— I meant it as…!”
In the next instant, Elshadai’s eyes rolled back, and he started trembling violently. The Spear King’s blood inside his body began bubbling with rage.
Elshadai, who had nearly fallen to the table, barely held on with his extreme mental strength, his head not touching the surface.
The mercy he had shown Evan until moments ago was no longer visible.
“Be careful with your words. You are nothing but filth who have only inherited my blood, having achieved nothing on your own.”
“S-Sorry… Your Majesty—.”
“I assume the meal is over? Continue your reports.”
“Yes, yes—.”
The 1st prince wiped the foam from his lips and reported his assigned task. Before his report finished, the 2nd prince began his report.
Reports continued without even a second of break, as if every minute and second mattered. The king, after hearing all the princes’ reports, nodded and answered.
“I do need to go personally… No, I don’t think I need to go personally.”
The Spear King, having recalled something, immediately turned his head and looked at Elenoa. The daughter he had been showing love to until just now was not present.
Elenoa was simply hiding, trembling, lowering her head while carefully watching the Spear King’s eyes.
“─You find this place so tempting?”
“Ah, no….”
“It could even be tempting. With the body I gave you, you could seduce a Transcendent and ultimately dirty the kingdom I built, right?”
“I-I never thought that… Father….”
“─Then, marrying an appropriate noble who has accepted my blood and bearing a child with my bloodline would be fine.”
Elenoa, having heard the words, nodded slowly while trembling. It was not her will, but the duty she had as a princess born into royalty receiving countless rights.
The Spear King briefly glanced at his sons and daughters, sighed deeply, and spoke.
“I have no expectations for any of you. After all, you are nothing but filth who can’t do anything on your own. ─Then, spread it as much as possible. That is the best you can do.”
Having finished speaking, the Spear King left the dining hall. Even after the Spear King left, silence lingered in the dining hall for a while.
***
While organizing ways to deal with the Transcendents in his room, someone came to find Evan.
“─Excuse me, Swordmaster. I’ve come to convey His Majesty’s words.”
“Yes? His Majesty?”
“Yes. Swordmaster Evan Kalshutter, listen. Head south immediately to investigate the meteor that fell in the current region.”
“Uh… is this a meteorite request? Nice.”