Chapter: 165
“Ugh… I’m really at a loss here.”
Returning to the mansion filled with traps, Lian racked his brain but not a single useful thought came to mind. No matter how sharp his comedic filter and observational skills were, it was impossible to connect the fleeting moment he had with the Necromancer to the old man.
[Partner, if you have spare time, why not practice your swordsmanship?]
“Should I?”
As Lian deepened his connection with the Magic Sword, he no longer needed the sword to control his body to borrow some of its abilities. This included not just skills but swordsmanship too.
“Gargandoa is weak to divine power, so it’s wise to practice my sword techniques whenever I can.”
Whenever Lian used divine power, the Magic Sword squealed like a little pony with its tail on fire. It created a misunderstanding that only someone with the level of power of a Pope or Saint could damage the Magic Sword.
It was just that Lian’s divine power was strong enough to match a Pope or Saint, but he had never encountered a proper priest, so he only guessed that the Magic Sword was weak to divine energy.
“Hey, my skills have been increasing faster than expected. Is this what talent feels like? Oh! That was a close call.”
Despite not practicing for long, he had already amassed the skills of a knight, almost leading him to a moment of arrogance.
“Self-satisfaction is one of the classic tropes leading to defeat. Ugh…”
Especially when a handsome guy starts to feel too confident, he often ends up in a comical fall, receiving an assessment filled with disdain, saying, “Ugh, that’s horrendous!” This was a fact proven throughout history.
“Stay humble, just train enough for exercise. Don’t forget.”
Throwing himself into training was also something to avoid, as it could bloom ‘gag skills.’ Lian began his training in the forest away from the mansion, recalling the “100 Rules for Surviving in a Gag World” in his head.
After about an hour of swinging his sword under the guidance of the Magic Sword, his tangled thoughts cleared up completely, leaving him feeling refreshed.
“Phew… yes, exercise works wonders for a cluttered mind.”
Wiping the slight sweat from his forehead, he transformed the Magic Sword into a small dagger and strapped it to his waist.
[Partner, I’m hungry.]
“I’ll wash up and then feed you. Just wait.”
[I’m hungry right now! Just hand it over as you walk!]
“Even so, I’m all sweaty. Wouldn’t that be gross for you as well?”
[It’s like humans sprinkling salt on their food, so I don’t mind.]
“Wait… Is that really how it feels? And how do you know that?”
[Well, I’ve eaten before.]
“You’ve eaten? When?”
[Remember when you stuck me in before going to bed? Humans sweat a lot while sleeping, so it’s hard not to notice.]
‘…’
Lian was left speechless at the Magic Sword’s bizarre, candid admission about licking him while he was asleep. Imagining the female form of the Magic Sword made his face heat up, yet the comment about ‘salt’ felt so ridiculous that it was oddly satisfying like food.
As they continued their useless conversation on the way back to the mansion…
“…! Brother!”
“Iris?”
Iris appeared from between the trees with a pale face and rushed into Lian’s arms. He instinctively embraced her, pondering deeply.
For a moment, he thought it was the ‘doppelganger’ that attacked the Duke, but seeing the Magic Sword’s lack of response made him realize it was indeed Iris. As panic subsided, he began to understand the situation.
“Looks like she woke up early.”
Since Iris was still shy around the Duke, she had to stay alone in the mansion when Lian went with the Duke to meet the priest. In the mansion, left to her own devices, her worried thoughts spiraled out of control.
What will I do if he doesn’t return? What if he leaves me just like this?
Tensed with anxiety, coming up with a million scenarios, she ultimately couldn’t take it any longer and dashed out of the mansion. Luckily, the timing of her dash aligned perfectly with Lian returning, allowing them to meet without missing each other.
Iris finally relaxed in Lian’s strong and warm embrace, and that sense of security lulled her into a peaceful sleep just like that.
Lian laid Iris down in a room with a blanket. After trying to recall his memories of the priest beside her, he accepted the Magic Sword’s training suggestion and was on his way back from the nearby forest.
“Where did Jess go while I came here alone?”
To ensure that Iris wouldn’t be surprised if she woke up in the meantime, he asked Jess to let her know he was taking a walk and would return once Iris woke up.
“Did something happen?”
Jess wasn’t the type to break promises, yet Lian looked at the mansion with a worried gaze.
Creak!
“Ugh…!”
Iris, sensing that Lian’s focus was elsewhere, immediately hugged him tight enough to make him gasp.
“I-Iris?”
In a situation where he felt he should be cautious, he rolled his eyes nervously and began to pat her back gently, causing her gripping arms to loosen just a bit.
“Brother… Brother…”
With a whimper in her voice, Iris kept rubbing her face against Lian’s chest, searching for him. Lian comforted her in a soft voice, as if soothing a child.
“Did you have a nightmare? Sorry for leaving without saying anything.”
“Uh-huh.”
As Lian’s scent and gentle voice filled her ears, she calmed down, and her weeping tone morphed into a bit of a pout.
“I’m all sweaty and smell bad, so let’s keep some distance first. I’ll wash up and cuddle you, okay?”
[Oh, partner, did you practice charming the ladies while I was away?]
“What are you talking about?”
Lian responded with disbelief towards the nonsensical talk coming from the Magic Sword again, then turned back to Iris, who shook her head fiercely as if refusing to let go. Just as he was about to speak again in a soothing tone, Iris spoke up first.
“I had a nightmare. A nightmare where you would leave me forever…”
“Ah…”
Whether it was really that nightmare or not, Iris’s arms wrapped around Lian’s waist tightened again. The once-relaxed tone now carried a hint of sobbing.
“Brother… you’ll stay by my side, right?”
“…”
“You’ll always be with me, right?”
Lian opened his mouth but couldn’t find words to respond.
“Ugh… please answer me.”
His hand, which had been patting Iris’s back regularly, stopped mid-air, wavering as if lost, then it clenched into a fist.
“…Of course. I’d never leave Iris’s side.”
“…! R-Really?”
“Of course.”
Lian smiled softly. It wasn’t too hard to control his expression and tone to get what he wanted.
“But there’s a condition.”
“A condition…?”
“Yes, if I’m to stay by your side, I hope you’ll see the Duke as family too.”
“…!”
Having been starved for affection for so long, Iris found it hard to refuse someone’s love. It would be even harder to cut ties if that relation turned out to be real family. Even if she promised to leave, she likely wouldn’t be able to hate the Duke if she let her heart open to him just once.
Yes, this was a white lie for the happiness of the two of them.
“…I understand.”
Lian beamed beautifully as he spoke sincerely.
“Thank you!”
And I’m sorry.
Those unspoken words left a bitter taste on his tongue as he swallowed them down.
*
…Wasn’t the scene of whispering that ‘white lie’ something cool yet bittersweet?
“Thank you, my friend. Thanks to you, I was able to have my first conversation with Iris… my daughter.”
“Haha, I’m really glad to hear that!”
So far, so good. He even felt a bit proud of himself. The problem lay in what the Duke said next.
“To think you’d propose before I even had to bring it up.”
“Huh?”
“I heard it from Iris. You proposed to stay by her side for life? Truly a romantic confession.”
“W-What?”
“Though the situation is a bit chaotic right now… we can’t let such an occasion go uncelebrated. As soon as we arrive at the Duke’s House, we’ll proceed directly to the engagement ceremony, so look forward to it.”
The Duke continued to ramble without caring how Lian stood there with a blank face like a broken doll, then swiftly left under the guise of an urgent meeting.
Drip.
Cold sweat began to silently trickle down Lian’s face.
‘No way, this is like a forced marriage ending!’
At that point, if he made a confused expression and stammered out something like ‘Huh?’, he could find himself walking into a banquet hall, then suddenly holding a baby in the maternity ward, and then at the entrance ceremony, taking pictures.
It was one of the notoriously cruel forced marriage events known even in gag worlds.
‘If I stay like this, all I’ll have left is responsibility without pleasure!’
Beads of cold sweat began pouring down Lian’s face like a waterfall. His expression had never been so serious.
‘I need to escape before returning to the Duke’s House! By any means!’
Whether it was his desperate wish that flew to the heavens or the heavens just taking pity on him…
Rumble!
“…! That’s it!”
An opportunity to flee rose from the ground.
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