Chapter: 737
It was definitely warming up outside.
The gentle breeze brought both warmth and a touch of coolness, while the blooming flowers flaunted all their vibrant colors. Even the fish in the lake seemed to have doubled in number. Guess they were busy breeding because the weather was just too nice.
Anyway, if I were to exaggerate a bit, I’d say it was half water, half fish in that lake. Thanks to that, every time I tossed my fishing line toward the water, it practically guaranteed a trophy catch.
“Dinner’s definitely gonna be grilled fish.”
“Are we heading back to the mansion for dinner?”
As I mumbled to myself while watching the pile of fish grow, Risianna, who was dangling from the fishing line, jabbed me in the gut. Like, are you seriously thinking about dinner after being thrown out on the streets?
Her brutally straightforward remark made me silently throw my fishing rod into the lake.
“Come on, sleep—!”
As if on cue, the naughty Risianna, who’d just blurted out that harsh statement, disappeared beneath the water.
‘Fishing really is half about the bait.’
I nodded, watching the bubbles rise to the surface.
The bait I had on my fishing rod wasn’t your regular worm or maggot; it was Risianna. Since her physical body was merely decoration, tossing her into the water wouldn’t bother her at all.
So, I declared that I wouldn’t pull her up until I caught a fish, making sure to signal every time I brought in a decent catch. This was the easiest and most delightful fishing I’d ever had.
‘Gotta at least earn my keep.’
Yeah, I had to show some worth. After all, I was the one who had been kicked out.
‘What now?’
I let out a sigh as I recalled what had happened two hours ago.
Mar, transformed from the lady of the Krasius family into a major, unleashed her furious wrath that left me trembling with fear. I mean, you can only imagine how desperate I was to flee to this lake.
Of course, I couldn’t blame Mar for her dark transformation; that was all on me. I didn’t exactly bring Risianna along because I wanted to. This was the best result after wracking my brain.
‘If the soul connection starts loosening, I need to act fast.’
Atelius told me that if Risianna’s hair started turning back to its original sky-blue color, it meant the soul connection was weakening. Therefore, it made sense to keep her close, so I could monitor her immediately. If I left her far away and something went wrong, who knows what kind of trouble could arise?
‘I’d much prefer to seal her away in the Holy Kingdom.’
I sighed softly and rubbed my neck.
If I sealed Risianna away, it would weaken the soul connection, or during the sealing process, news of the Four Kings’ existence could leak out. Sealing something or keeping it sealed invariably requires multiple people to be involved.
So, what choice did I have? Managing the Eleven Evil Deities as it was meant I had to deal with the Four Kings as well.
‘I should’ve at least mentioned it first.’
The issue was that I went ahead with managing it without consulting anyone.
Should I tell Mar, “Hey, this is actually one of the Four Kings?” Admitting the truth is better than getting caught in a lie, but that doesn’t mean honesty is always a free pass. In my fixation not to hide things, I forgot the proper procedure of discussion.
It’s quite embarrassing. As head of the Information Department and a regular husband in my family, what’s the point of acting like a bureaucrat at home?
‘No matter how careful I try to be, I end up in these situations still.’
Another sigh escaped me, perhaps the umpteenth one. After all, I’d been a civil servant since I was 17—it seems I’ve picked up some bad habits along the way.
“Carl?”
I jumped at the voice that came from behind me while lost in my thoughts.
“Father?”
My dad was here at the lake.
Surprised by his unexpected visit, my eyes widened. It’s not like I got a heads-up that my father and his friends would come, but to have him surprise me like this?
“Have you been kicked out?”
I nodded glumly in response to his question.
I wanted to just sink into the ground. Of all people, I couldn’t believe my dad had to see me in such a state.
“Well then, what about you, Father?”
If Father had come to the lake alone, it implied something was happening to him as well.
A slight sense of peace washed over me. At least I wouldn’t be the only one feeling embarrassed.
“I just came out for some fresh air. Teresa is busy playing with a bear, so I thought I’d take a break.”
While I was lamenting my misfortune, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of shame at the contrast between my lost self and his relaxed demeanor.
‘What a crazy guy.’
No, it was beyond just feeling ashamed; I felt self-loathing.
If my father was kicked out, it was normal for him to be worried, yet he seemed relieved… Talk about a disgraceful son!
“I’m glad that Inae has made a good impression on Teresa.”
After a long stretch of silence, I spoke up softly.
Inae, enjoying her break at the Tailglehen County, seemed to have charmed Teresa with her soft fur and squishy jelly-like paws.
Yeah, I suppose a bear would be good for Teresa to ride on. It might be even more comfortable than those hoofed creatures.
“Anyway, Carl, how did you end up at the lake—”
“Maybe it’s because the weather’s nice today, but I caught a bunch.”
“…Alright. I’ll take just one.”
My desperate attempt to change the subject led my father to play along.
I felt so guilty for being a useless son.
“I caught one! Pull it up quickly!”
“Oh.”
At that moment, Risianna poked her head out from under the water, signalling enthusiastically.
“Seems you’ve picked up something strange again.”
“Yeah, it just kinda happened.”
“It looks sentient since it’s talking, so make sure to take care of it.”
“I’ll remember that.”
The sight of a finger-sized human holding onto a fish’s gill was definitely bizarre, yet my father didn’t question what it was.
I was just grateful for his consideration.
As the blue sky turned red, the command for Mar to return came down.
I was all set for the possibility of roughing it out, but for her to allow me to return on the same day—Mar’s grace was truly higher than the heavens and deeper than the seas; it made me want to cry.
“Carl.”
“Yeah…?”
“You do know what you’ve done wrong, right?”
“Sorry! I won’t bring back any more strange things without permission again.”
My immediate apology and remorse earned me a slight nod from Mar.
“Alright. If you’d only apologized, I would’ve sent you out again. But since you’ve promised not to do it again, I’ll let it slide this time.”
Her incredibly merciful words made me feel a swell of tears in my heart. I had a wife too generous for this useless husband and son.
“Honestly, I’d prefer to toss that one elsewhere too.”
Mar glanced at Risianna and sighed deeply, then gave me a gentle hug.
“If it’s something Carl brought, there must be a reason behind it. Since I said I’d overlook it this time, I won’t be throwing it out.”
“Really? Are you sure? If you tell me to get rid of it, I’ll figure another way to do that.”
“It’s fine. Besides, with eleven evil deities already on my plate, adding one more Four Kings isn’t going to change anything.”
I felt like my conscience was being crushed under a meat grinder, so I couldn’t muster up the courage to speak.
“And aside from me and Carl, it seems only four others on the continent know about this, right? It’s going to be a problem if it becomes common knowledge.”
“Counting Elder Atelius, that’s five people who know…”
“It’s alright. He’s a dragon.”
That made sense, and I thought over it. Humans can’t help but share information with other humans, but a dragon living alone in a cave wouldn’t spill any secrets. Essentially, he was the safest kind of vault for secrets.
…
Wait a second.
‘One more exists.’
Now that I thought of it, there was one more being who knew the Four Kings were still alive.
‘Jizz.’
I had been so focused on treating Jizz like a mere beast that I completely overlooked that. I had called Risianna out in front of Jizz, and she even encountered Jangsaeng while she was at it.
‘What now?’
Cold sweat began trailing down my back unconsciously.
Atelius is the world’s most cautious vault, but Jizz is more like a lightweight, chattering automatic door.
Of course, if Jizz had half a brain, he’d probably know to keep his mouth shut. But unfortunately, Jizz’s sense of discretion is…
‘Oh no, I’m screwed.’
Once I realized how badly I was in trouble, I desperately sought out the eternal blue sky in my mind.
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