The blonde female knight took me in
The blonde female knight took me in
"Jageun! Jageun! Wake up!"
At the spirit's voice ringing in my ears, my eyes gently opened.
"Ughhh..."
A golden halo flickered before my eyes. Its sparkle looked just like stars shining in the night sky.
"Pretty..."
"Are you talking about me?"
"Ah... Agh!"
In my sleep, I'd spoken without thinking, as my instincts dictated. Then, at the calm voice that answered, I snapped wide awake.
"L-Lady Knight-nim...? What brings you here?"
"I came to thank you for protecting the Princess-nim."
I rubbed my eyes and checked over and over whether the person before me really was a female knight, and indeed she was.
"But you kept sleeping, so I waited until you awoke."
"You wasted time because of me. I'm sorry. I couldn't sleep yesterday..."
"I didn't wait long. It was entertaining in its own way."
"Entertaining...?"
"The words you murmured in your sleep were quite amusing."
"Ah... I didn't say anything I shouldn't have, right!?"
"I think there might have been some."
"If I did, I'm sorry both for being half-asleep and for the slip."
"I'm joking. Even if you did say something off, it's nothing compared to protecting the Princess-nim. Rather, I came to express gratitude, so you need not ask for forgiveness."
The Lady Knight had waited for me while I slept just to thank me.
In truth, I'd only given up on earning points because I was inevitably pushed aside by competitors, but she was instead pleased that I'd guarded the rear.
"Through my own negligence, I nearly lost what is dearest to me. But you protected it. I express my heartfelt thanks..."
At the sight of her bowing her head with such sincerity, I bolted upright and faced her.
"No, it's fine... I'm glad I could be of even a little help."
"If there's anything at all that troubles you, tell me. The Princess-nim asked me to look after you."
'Then... using your gratitude as leverage, let's have outdoor sex right now!' I almost blurted it out.
Just as I'd seen through the Summoning App before coming here, her loyal appearance turned me on. So it felt like she would grant any demand I made of a knight indebted to me.
"Is that so... Then I have something I desire."
"What is it?"
"I want to see Knight-nim's hands."
"My hands?"
The Lady Knight-nim was flustered by the sudden request to see her hands. But at my simple request, she removed her golden gauntlets and held them out.
"They're not pretty hands..."
There were many scars on her hands. I couldn't even begin to imagine how much effort she'd put in as a knight.
"Um... may I hold them?"
"Holding them... that's fine."
She was a scarred female knight, but that made her worth shine even brighter. Was she not a knight of conviction who wielded her sword for someone's sake?
The warm tenderness I felt the moment I held her hand. It transcended greatness—it was enchanting.
"Such beautiful hands."
"They're nothing but scarred. Not hands befitting a woman."
"Aren't they hands that have toiled for someone? I think the will she traded her appearance for is more beautiful than the outward form."
It was a cliché line men use to seduce women. But my Seuseung-nim had advised that one must do those cringeworthy things a lot. At first, women would frown, but with practice it would become natural, and even high-status ladies would come to feel favorable.
"Is that so..."
As expected of a loyal Lady Knight. My clumsy flirting didn't seem to work, as she reacted indifferently. It was a futile failure, but I decided to be content with the practice.
"There is something I wish to ask of you."
"Anything at all, please say it! I shall dedicate my body and join you!"
"It is not to accompany me... I simply want you to guard the Princess-nim's carriage until we reach the kingdom."
"Ah... around the carriage... Understood."
Disappointing. I'd hoped to stay close through this opportunity, but it was a vain dream.
"Don't worry too much. I'll assign one more summon to you. Do you know anyone suitable?"
Seeing me looking dejected, she must have thought defending the carriage alone would be tough.
"One more person beside me?"
"Fighting alone would be difficult..."
I pondered the Lady Knight's words. Then I remembered someone and spoke.
"I thought a newbie wouldn't know anything, but there was a bastard more like a sly old fox than the old man."
"You said you'd stay by my side and protect me, Hugo-ssi."
"I was just saying that! Tsk, seriously! My summon rating is screwed this time!"
The man in a fedora frowned the moment he saw me. He'd been planning to score points with the Lady Knight-nim from the frontline, but I'd recommended him near the carriage, preventing that.
'I can't let myself die alone, you know~'
Hugo-ssi kept grumbling and fiddling with his handgun.
"Here~ there are plenty of soldiers, so it's safe, just relax and go all the way to the kingdom~"
"Making a fool of me... I want to shoot your damn head right now."
"Haha... Please spare me that, Hugo-ssi."
Afterward, the escort force continued advancing. As it was a forest of ill repute, monsters kept appearing, and there were injuries every time we fought.
Fortunately, unlike the first battle, there were no casualties. Thanks to Hugo-ssi being a skilled gunslinger, he aimed and shot down every incoming projectile, so I only had to block the broken debris.
"Hugo-ssi, your shooting skills are art."
"Of course... I may not look it, but I was the youngest marksmanship king."
"Then can you hit what I throw too?"
"Heh... Give it a try, I'll hit them all."
I used blood magic to create the concealed weapons Angelica had used, then threw them up into the sky.
Then he immediately pulled the trigger of his handgun and hit them dead-on.
"Oh!"
I threw again, and he accurately hit the projectiles.
-Cheolkeok.
And then I raised both hands.
"Were you a vampire..."
Because, unsurprisingly, I felt the barrel of a gun at the side of my head.
"I'm not a vampire! I'm a normal person who just uses blood magic!"
"...Well, if I'd seen someone sucking blood, my device would have reacted right away."
Hugo-ssi removed the barrel. I let out a sigh of relief and lowered my hands.
"It seems you dislike vampires, Hugo-ssi."
"I owe those bastards a debt. I became a vampire hunter to pay them back in kind."
Hugo-ssi said he had taken up the gun for revenge. When I first saw him, he was so cheerful I thought he had no dark side, but in truth, his smiling face was a mask to hide his sorrowful past.
"By any chance, would you also go kill vampires from other worlds?"
"Just say the word. Even if they're not vampires from my world, I'll track them down and blow their heads off."
"Haha... No."
Even though it's a different world, thinking that Professor Scarlet was out there made me decide to take that secret to my grave.
"The Golden Wall is in sight!!"
A week had passed since we set out and I'd spent time with Hugo-ssi. The mission, long or short depending on perspective, was finally coming to an end.
"Ughhh!! We've finally arrived~!"
Hugo-ssi stretched and a smile settled on his face. The soldiers' cry of 'Golden Wall' was that welcome.
In any case, after three meals a day sleeping rough and fighting, for a whole week against nothing but monsters, we were finally able to arrive at the Golden Kingdom.
"Open the gates! The great Princess-nim has arrived!"
As we reached the gates, the Lady Knight-nim's booming voice echoed off the castle walls. At her single word, the gates opened and the cheers of many people began to be heard.
As the escort's long procession entered the citadel, the surrounding people all threw flower petals into the sky to welcome us.
Thus we reached our destination, and the King wearing a golden crown appeared.
"Aah...! Magnificent! Now we are!..."
It was only after enduring the King's long and tedious speech that the escort troops were hailed as heroes and entered the citadel.
"Captain of the Knights-ssi, when's the reward?"
"I'll issue it immediately, in proportion to your hard work."
The woman holding a pipe and smiling slyly had somehow gotten close enough to even link her arm with the Lady Knight-nim's.
Seeing the Lady Knight-nim accepting such friendly contact without any resistance made me envious. If I had been strong, I could have stood at the frontline and shown a manly side.
Was this the feeling they talk about, of having the woman you love stolen away? Of course, it's the same gender, but I couldn't help feeling jealous.
"Newbie, what's your reward?"
"Me? Just... I don't have money, haha..."
"You're planning to get something like a gold bar, huh. Well, when you first use the Book, money does come first. I remember my first time too. Phew..."
Hugo-ssi looked at me with reminiscent eyes, as if recalling the past. Then he took out some small wrapped candies from his pocket, shuffled through them, and smiled at me.
"Newbie, take this."
I caught the flying candy with both hands and blankly stared at Hugo-ssi.
"This is..."
"I was about to throw it away, so you have it."
"Hugo-ssi... what is this?"
"Eat it. Your sluggish body will get a bit faster."
At Hugo-ssi's words, I unwrapped the candy and put it in my mouth. Then the candy gently melted and disappeared inside.
And I definitely felt a change in my body. It became lighter, and even the objects before my eyes seemed closer.
"It's a Hawk's Candy worth 30 points. As a newbie, stat boosts are what you need most over anything else."
As Hugo-ssi said, I checked with the Summoning App, and my agility had gone up by a whole 10.
"Wow... thank you, Hugo-ssi! I love you!"
"Ugh.. gross. You brat... Don't die a meaningless death. Survive to the end and achieve what you desire."
"Yes! I'll use it well!"
"Haha, my my~ I'm the only one who helps newbies, you know~"
With those words, Hugo-ssi turned and walked toward the Lady Knight.
Left alone, I idly fingered the candy wrapper.
To receive a stat item here—I never even dreamed of it. It was like being given an item by a veteran to a clueless beginner in a game.
I didn't get to be with the Lady Knight, but having Hugo-ssi with me was the best choice.
'Alright, next, I'll win the blonde noona's love too!'
I came to my senses and approached the place where the summoned were gathered.
"Evelyn-nim... are you really fine with just that door?"
"Yeah, this is enough~ My lab door got blown away in an experiment, so I really needed this door. Then I'll be off~ Call me again anytime you need something, Knight-nim~"
"Thank you, Evelyn-nim."
Just then, the Evelyn ajumma who used to call me 'oppa' hoisted a huge door and vanished before my eyes.
The other summoned all received their rewards one by one and disappeared.
'Hmm... the line is a bit long... Should I go look around elsewhere?'
The line was long. And since everyone wanted different rewards, it seemed like it would take quite some time.
After watching Hugo-ssi disappear into the distance holding a golden apple, I stepped out of the line.
Anyway, since my reward required being alone with the Lady Knight, I decided to wait leisurely and tour the Golden Castle in the meantime.
"User-nim, is there anything I can help you with?"
While I was on my little adventure inside the castle, a woman in a golden dress spotted me and approached.
"No, there are many people receiving rewards, so I was touring the castle while waiting."
"I see~"
Since I had passed through the dangerous forest alongside the Princess-nim, even a beauty I was seeing for the first time looked at me favorably.
"If by chance you're injured or hungry, you may have a meal and then return to your original world."
"A meal, huh... I was just hungry, so that's great."
As expected of a kingdom with plenty of gold, the treatment of summoned individuals was exceptional. To even prepare food—I decided to find the dining hall right away.
"Do you happen to know where the dining hall is?"
"I shall guide you there. Follow me."