Chapter 163

Chapter: 163

Daggadak, daggadak, purururuk.

The sound of hooves gradually faded, and at last, joyous sounds of arrival echoed. The coachman, petting the horse as a token of their hard work, addressed their passenger.

“This is the imperial capital, Crownhall.”

“Thank you. Your driving skills were impressive; I arrived comfortably thanks to you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Was that an old person’s tone?

The passenger spoke in a somewhat unique manner. Perhaps they were someone from afar or an unfamiliar courtesy of the upper world that a commoner like the coachman couldn’t grasp. Who could tell?

But one thing was clear: this passenger was a master of martial arts, positioned somewhere between a boy and a young man.

It wasn’t that the coachman, who had secretly identified as a swordmaster, could simply tell; they noticed after glimpsing a technique the passenger demonstrated while dealing with a wild boar that suddenly rushed towards the moving carriage.

With a burst of sound, the passenger leaped forward, and with a swing of their arms, the boar was sent flying almost at a right angle.

It was so surprising.

“Those who have mastered martial arts move as if by magic,” a frequent patron at the bar the coachman regularly visited often said.

If it weren’t for the dull repertoire of the drunken retired knight, the coachman might have thought the passenger was a magician.

At that age, such skill? No matter what path they chose, word of them would surely spread soon throughout Crownhall. The residents of the capital were always starving for tales of heroes.

Hence, the bizarre woman claiming to be the “Pure Knight” must be gaining popularity too.

By the time the passenger’s name began to wander around the capital, the coachman would have one more story to share at their drinking table. They remembered a peculiar young person they once had as a passenger—

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“… S aayeuh.”

Envers winced, breathing in through his teeth as the pain in his throbbing left arm reminded him of the earlier encounter with the boar.

He had injured himself during the process of repelling it bravely, yet didn’t want to show any signs of weakness before the coachman—so he pretended to be fine instead.

Perhaps he should have just bounced the boar off with explosive recoil without trying to show off.

His skill in delicate movements still needed improvement. Regretting it now wouldn’t make the pain go away, so Envers resolved to treat it as a practice session.

The appearance of the capital was quite different from what Envers remembered.

The wide, breezy streets, which could make anyone feel relaxed, and the regularly spaced magical streetlights were still there. The advanced plumbing facilities that couldn’t be found anywhere else remained unchanged.

The imperial capital, Crownhall, still stood at the forefront of advancement.

So where exactly was the difference?

Specifically, the cleanliness was distinguishably different. In the past, if one peered into the hidden alleys, they’d occasionally catch a glimpse of unidentified blood or filth. Signs of rampant violence were present.

No matter how splendid and majestic the imperial capital seemed, shadows existed; the bright people living in the capital busily pretended not to see such traces.

When children attempted to venture into dark alleys, parents would pinch their ears and gather promises that they wouldn’t go back again.

Even as Envers inspected the sparse, shallow alleys, those traces were nowhere to be found.

“It’s clean…”

Heard that the Second Prince, Irid Crown, was interested in the welfare of the people; could this be his doing? While deeper areas might still hold secrets, at least among the daily lives of the common citizens, there were no ominous signs present.

It had truly become a more livable place.

As Envers walked around Crownhall, he reminisced about memories of his return after a long time, planning to bring some gifts.

Brother Roderus despised sweets. He would grumble about how sweet cookies were meant for girls when those were distributed, saying he had to eat them just to replenish his energy.

So, he was thinking of bringing back some unsweetened hardtack instead. There was a shop famous for making large quantities of tasteless hardtack for broke adventurers or mercenaries around here somewhere…

“… Can’t seem to see it.”

Had it moved? Or had he simply lost his way? Envers scanned his surroundings, looking for someone to ask for directions.

Among the passersby, what caught Envers’s eye was a picturesque scene.

On the open second-floor balcony of a dessert café, two beautiful women were enjoying a delightful moment together.

“Hey, Daesu, this is really delicious!”

“You like anything with heaps of sugar. I can’t handle it; it tastes as if my side fat grows with each bite.”

Despite saying that, the fork digging into the cake showed no signs of pause.

“Oh, are you concerned about your belly fat, Daesu? That’s just deceiving! You’re so slender…”

“… Don’t put your hands inside my clothes without permission!”

One of them was a petite woman with slightly pinkish red hair and ruby-like sparkling bright red eyes, who was clinging entirely to the other woman.

The other had crimson hair flowing down to her waist, her eyes sly like a fox and enveloped in a mysterious atmosphere that caught Envers’s attention.

This wasn’t a rational craving; his heart was overflowing with thoughts of the moon. So it wasn’t merely curiosity; there was some sort of… attraction.

With that, Envers decided he would ask them for directions. He called out loudly from below the balcony.

“Hey! Can I ask for directions?!”

“… Here we go again. Sorry, but neither Kim Lulu nor I have intentions of falling in love, getting engaged, becoming friends, or having a meal with someone…”

The crimson-haired woman squinted in annoyance as if shooing away yet another man trying to pick her up. Just as she began to turn her head to brush him off…

“…!!”

She was startled enough to float about 3 cm off the ground, hastily covering her face and whipping her head around. Her heart raced, and a cold sweat began to form.

Envers Redburn—the younger brother he had kicked out of the family so long ago. Although lots of time had passed, she would not fail to recognize that face; they were siblings after all.

Why was he here when she’d heard he’s been living comfortably at the academy…?!

Calm down, calm down.

There’s no way he’d recognize me. Roderus is currently under the magical transformation of Fables magic. He wouldn’t be able to recognize me at all. However, if there’s even the slightest chance of being discovered…

Roderus’s poor soul would face societal death.

Kim Lulu tilted her head, gazing at Roderus, who was suddenly acting all fidgety. A battle-hardened veteran of downing suitors, she wondered why he was acting so worked up today.

“Hey, Daesu, what’s wrong? Did you get a fright? Do you want me to bring you some water?”

“… Don’t call me by my name. Don’t use my full name.”

Since there was a chance she could associate “O Dae-su” with “Roderus.”

“What’s up with that? If you don’t like him, do you want me to flatten him and chase him away?”

“No, no! Just… please stay quiet.”

“Don’t worry! I have someone I care for! I genuinely wanted to ask for directions. Do you happen to know where that Whale Bakery I saw earlier went?”

“… ”

Breathe in, breathe out.

Roderus barely managed to calm his startled heart and decided to quickly provide information and send the sibling away.

“The Whale Bakery has officially contracted with the Mercenary Guild and… moved right next door to the guild.”

“Oh, nice! I’ve come to the capital for the first time in a while and wanted to bring a snack for my older brother, whom I haven’t met in ages. Thank you for letting me know.”

“… D-Don’t mention it, not at all! Kugh…”

Did I have to imitate a noble’s tone to avoid being discovered? Roderus felt the rapid existential crisis while weighing whether being exposed might be better than pretending to be someone completely different.

Seeing this, Kim Lulu’s eyes ignited with jealousy.

Kim Lulu’s high-performance brain deduced a cold, clear logic.

1. O Dae-su.

2. The moment she glimpsed a new guy, she covered her face in embarrassment.

3. She used a hyper-feminine tone she’d never used before.

This was a green light…

To Kim Lulu, it was a stark red warning light. She couldn’t let the undeserving crimson-haired tan loser steal Dae-su’s love away.

O Dae-su and Kim Lulu had maintained a pure relationship. One was aware but deliberately chose not to act, while the other was unaware and felt shy.

If you were to ask how far they’d come, all they’d done was hold hands shyly on a rainy day. But with an external threat now appearing, from the depths of her heart, possessiveness soared to the surface.

This was the moment to act.

“Hey, you!”

“… Are you talking to me?”

“Yes, Dae-su is mine, so don’t even think about it! I’ll show you…”!!

Like a beast marking its territory, Kim Lulu grasped both of Dae-su’s wrists and buried her face deeply into his neck.

“Wha—wait, Kim Lulu! Hey…!!”

Juljaaa!

Then, with her lips glued to his, she began to suck, leaving a deep kiss mark on his neck. O Dae-su twisted his body, shaken as if he’d been hit by a hammer. What on Earth was happening?

Caught off guard by the unexpected physical attack, O Dae-su literally saw a blue screen in his head.

Chok chok chok.

“Oh, no, stop…!!”

“… ”

Envers, who witnessed the scene unfold from the front row, thought to himself how Crownhall had become an incredibly open place lately. He cleared his throat awkwardly and said,

“Um, have a beautiful love. I won’t disturb you further.”

“Stop it, Kim Lulu…!!”

“I want to hear you say you love only me!”

“… ”

He bolted from the scene where flowers of love bloomed in a hurry.

Envers managed to swing by the mercenary guild and successfully bought some hardtack. He also picked up a dagger and a bottle of wine.

If the opportunity arose, he wanted to have a drink with brother Roderus and have an open-hearted conversation.

As he walked, a sense of darkness loomed larger the closer he got to the mansion. Past wounds flickered before him, staining his heart’s sky black.

Yet, a black night is when the moon rises. Envers didn’t falter or hesitate in his steps.

After passing a long way, he finally reached the front of the mansion. The Redburn mansion looked exactly as it had. A flag on the roof, roses in the garden, guards at the front gate.

“There are no invited guests today. Who are you?”

“I am Envers Redburn. I am one of those who carries the blood of Redburn, so I have the right to enter.”

Yet the guard’s eyes bore a condescending disdain.

“Envers… so it’s you, Young Master. I finally see your face. You truly think you have the right to enter this place, not being able to even tap into your magic properly?”

“… ”

“Running away like a sick dog, you should have just lived like that. If I were you, I wouldn’t have the embarrassment to even think of returning.”

Ping.

The guard tossed a gold coin onto the ground.

“If you’ve come begging for money, take this and leave. There’s no place for useless people in the Redburn duchy.”

“… Huh.”

Right, that was it. This was the place.

Envers bent down to pick up the gold coin. Just then, the guard’s foot shot out, stomping on Envers’s hand. The back of his hand pressed against the metal armor.

Laughter echoed mockingly from above his bowed head. This place held no respect for mere blood. The measure of hierarchy was determined by how strong one was and how devotedly they provided to the family with that strength.

It was akin to the demons; I’ve heard that the Demon Guild follows the law of the strongest.

“Well then, you should be the one bowing down.”

“Hrm.”

“The guards are the face of the family. Since you’ve failed in your duty as a guard and insulted a guest, you’re just as guilty of harming the Redburn duchy.”

And…

Creeeek.

The weight on Envers’s pinned hand began to lift slowly.

The guard, alarmed, put all his weight onto him, but despite it all, Envers’s hand slowly rose. And at one moment—

Puhuhng!

The world flipped upside down.

It was all over in the blink of an eye. The guard’s whole body spun in a half-circle. His legs were up while his head was down.

He had no inkling of what had just happened. It was a style of martial arts he had never seen before; the only foggy realization he grasped was of having his own power manipulated against him.

Before the guard could even register what had just transpired, Envers’s kick had already slammed into his face.

Pak-!! Crashbangbang!!

The sheer force sent the guard hurtling forward, slamming through the gates of the Redburn mansion. Screech. The broken gate sounded mournful.

“Since I’m stronger, you should stay lying down, commoner.”

Through the chaos, Envers Redburn, Namgoong Cheong-Hwi, boldly strode past.

It was a return.