TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 212
Four days before James received a mysterious guest.
A letter basket arrived at the Girls’ Dormitory of the Academy.
A letter from a distant land.
A letter from a foreign country.
A letter from a lover.
Yuria, who retrieved her letter from the basket filled with numerous letters, entered her room with a Bright Smile.
Even without checking, Yuria could guess who had sent the letter. After all, there were only two people who would write to her.
Father.
And Ricardo.
Yuria was in a good mood.
Because the letters from these two became a source of Vitality in her otherwise dull Academy life.
Holding the letter in her hand, Yuria began to tear open the envelope without a moment’s hesitation. She smiled faintly, filled with anticipation of what the letter might contain today.
“Who could it be…?”
-The North’s most Handsome Man, James.
“Pfft, what is this!”
The letter delivered by the Messenger Bird contained events from four days ago. Stories carried by birds that flew through the skies were faster than carriages. They often held relatively recent news.
With the sound of a ‘Sharpening Sound,’ Yuria opened the envelope with a letter knife and began to read the letter written in clumsy handwriting, wearing a faint smile.
-To my beloved daughter, Yuria.
As she read the letter, Yuria caught a faint scent of her nostalgic hometown, and a Subtle Smile graced her lips.
“Father…”
-Are you doing well?
The letter from her Father, who lived alone in The North, as always, contained inquiries about Yuria’s well-being.
Whether she was eating properly.
Whether she was sleeping well.
Whether her Allowance was sufficient.
Reading these words filled with her Father’s usual concerns, Yuria let out a small laugh and smiled.
“I’m eating better than you, Father… You’re the one who skips meals…”
As if answering Yuria’s murmured concern, James’s letter responded to her question.
-Father is eating well and living just fine.
-Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, but meat tastes even better. Haha, it’s ridiculous, but my teeth are still strong!
-Yuria, you know the most useless worry in the world is worrying about your Father, right? Even without you, I eat breakfast diligently every morning, so don’t worry.
Yuria let out a small laugh and smiled bittersweetly at her Father’s playful tone. For some reason, her Father’s letters always tugged at her heartstrings.
Even though the content was nothing special, seeing her Father’s letter, which understood her feelings better than anyone else, made her eyes well up with tears.
Yuria wiped away the small tears forming in her eyes and clutched the letter firmly.
“I miss you.”
After reading the lengthy letter for a while, Yuria reached the end of her Father’s letter, which contained one special piece of news.
A man and a woman who came to her Father’s Inn.
The serene smile on Yuria’s face froze as she read her Father’s letter.
‘Huh…?’
-It’s been a while since I had guests. I was feeling a bit lonely with no visitors for some time, so it was a good thing.
-They seemed to be around your age. They said they came to The North for travel, but to be honest, I thought they were crazy. Coming to The North at such a dangerous time, you know?
Yuria widened her eyes as she read her Father’s letter. Having lived her entire life in The North, Yuria knew just how dangerous The North was during this time.
Just as her Father said, Yuria thought they were not ordinary people.
‘…Strange people.’
-Even though I told them how dangerous it was, they said they already knew.
“Impressive…”
But who could they be…?
Yuria began to question the existence of the two guests who had come to the Inn. And the next part of the letter began to fuel Yuria’s unease.
-They brought a woman with an injured leg to the Inn, and I couldn’t turn them away just because they seemed suspicious. That would have been too heartless.
‘A woman with an injured leg…?’
-Anyway, they were truly remarkable people. You know how rare it is for your Father to say such things. I don’t know if they were kind… but the man was so Handsome that he reminded me of my younger days. He was also an amazing cook. He taught me a dish called ‘Gukbap,’ and I’ll make it for you next time you visit.
-He said he was an Academy Graduate. I wonder if you might know him, Yuria. He had Red Hair, and his name was four syllables long… I can’t quite remember. Anyway, do you have any decent The Man in your life, Yuria?
-Just kidding.
As Yuria read the letter, two lines made her catch her breath.
‘A woman who cannot move her leg.’
‘A Handsome Man with Red Hair.’
There were people who perfectly matched these two descriptions.
Yuria shook her head, thinking it was a misunderstanding, but she couldn’t shake off her unease in the face of undeniable evidence.
She began to suspect that Olivia might have gone to The North to harm her Father.
Yuria bit her nails, trying to suppress her unease.
“No…”
Yuria shook her head, Shaking One’s Head to dispel her thoughts.
“It can’t be.”
Even if the people who came to the Inn were who she thought they were, nothing would happen. She decided to brush off her complicated thoughts.
But.
She couldn’t erase the unease within her.
No matter how much they had reconciled and how Olivia had saved her life, the events that occurred with Ricardo always led to Tragedy.
At the Academy.
In the Dungeon.
And in her everyday life.
Yuria, who couldn’t fully trust Ricardo, who only thought of Olivia, lowered her head, trying to soothe her gloomy heart.
“I shouldn’t feel this way…”
Yuria was anxious.
And four days later.
Yuria ran to The North.
“…I shouldn’t have trusted them.”
She muttered words laced with Resentment.
And ran toward The North.
*
Time flows back to one day before Yuria received the letter.
A calm.
Quiet night.
Returning to the Time when Yuria would come to resent me.
*
Having received recommendations for attractions from James, I was relieving my fatigue with the Young Lady at a Hot Spring.
“Haaa…”
“Hehe.”
The Hot Spring that melted away the fatigue accumulated in our bodies.
In this paradise-like peace, I turned my head to look at the Young Lady.
“Having fun… Huh?”
The Young Lady, who had placed a Boiled Egg on her chest, was staring at it with a serious expression.
I let out an exasperated laugh and asked the Young Lady.
“What are you doing?”
“Incubating it. I’m going to hatch it and eat it as Fried Chicken.”
“That’s impressive.”
“Yup. Ricardo, do you want to try? If you do it too, we’ll have two chickens.”
“I’ll warm up a bit more first.”
“Okay.”
The Young Lady put the egg back into her Treasure Pouch and furrowed her brows. Watching her earnestly cradle the Boiled Egg, I let out a small laugh.
‘I’ll tell her later.’
Because teasing the Young Lady is fun.
Thinking about teasing her, I let out a small laugh and looked up at the Brightly Lit Moon, exhaling a weary sigh.
‘It’s tough… so tough.’
Over the course of three days, I had pondered deeply.
Even when I focused on the perspective of life. Even when I thought selfishly, I couldn’t come to a clear conclusion.
If I decided to run away, Yuria would weigh on my mind, and if I decided to meddle, I feared things would spiral out of control. My heart felt heavy.
“Haa…”
The only thing increasing was my sighs.
It was too late to do anything now.
When exactly did Yuria’s Father die?
I didn’t even know his name precisely… There was nothing I could do.
I also had to return to discuss business matters with Malik and hand over a new Recipe, but I didn’t have much time.
‘I don’t know.’
With a bitter smile, I looked at the Young Lady. Soaking in the Hot Spring, she had melted into a Slime-like state, savoring the peace.
“Heee…”
“Did you give up on Chick Making?”
“I ate it because I was hungry.”
“…?”
“I think it cooked because my body was too hot.”
“It was a Boiled Egg from the start.”
“…Cooked?”
The Young Lady looked at me with a betrayed expression. Clenching her fist, as if planning Revenge for her Chicken, she puffed out her cheeks.
I responded to the Young Lady’s anger with a small laugh.
“Eeeek!!! Why didn’t you tell me sooner!”
“Puhaha! Who knows? It might have hatched with your love.”
“I’m not a fool!”
“Puhahaha! Ahhh! My apologies!”
After a small quarrel, I stretched out while looking at the Brightly Lit Moon and spoke in a calm voice, glancing at the Young Lady, who was grinning beside me.
“Did you enjoy the Northern Travel?”
“Yes. I’m glad I came to The North. It’s a shame I couldn’t see everything I wanted, but… it was fun.”
“That’s a relief.”
The Young Lady stretched her arms wide and leaned them against the pile of rocks. She seemed to have fully transformed into a Slime, her face wearing a languid expression.
‘Hmm?’
Naturally, my gaze shifted to the Grand Treasure Pouch wrapped in a Towel. It wasn’t intentional; I was just worried she might be cold. I swear on my conscience.
With a smile, I nodded.
“I think coming to The North was a good decision for me too.”
The North.
It doesn’t seem like a bad place.
The Young Lady looked at the open Ceiling above and smiled with an Eye Smile.
“There’s no one else in the Hot Spring. And the stars are so many.”
At the Young Lady’s obvious comment, I suppressed my shaking shoulders and responded confidently to her.
“Isn’t that obvious? I rented the entire Hot Spring.”
“Hiiiik…! You rented it?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“For a peaceful bathing experience?”
In truth, I had spent a fortune because I didn’t want anyone else to see the Young Lady’s bare body, but since revealing such trivial reasons isn’t cool, I indulged in the extravagance of wealth and told her.
“This much is easy to do.”
“Hooo…”
The Young Lady raised her Thumb with a grin. Even with her small movements, the Grand Treasure Pouch swayed, and I felt my money had been well spent.
As expected of the Innkeeper.
I thought about giving the Innkeeper a generous tip when we returned to the Inn.
After staring at the stars in the Night Sky for some time, the Young Lady turned her head and stared at me intently.
“Ricardo.”
“Yes.”
“Ricardo, your body is amazing.”
“…?”
Admiring my Pectoral Muscles, the Young Lady let out a sigh of awe. As if she was about to touch them, her hand moved closer, and I covered myself, letting out a ‘Kyaa!’ sound.
“What is this? That lewd comment.”
“It’s just… I never realized your body was this good, Ricardo.”
“It’s always been good.”
“You’re insufferable.”
“Excessive modesty is…”
“Eeeek! Shut up!”
The Young Lady scooped water into her hands and began splashing it onto my face.
“Are you challenging me?”
“Heehee!”
I appreciated the Young Lady’s consideration, as she didn’t call my scar-covered body disgusting. It was surprisingly uncharacteristic of a Villainess.
With a small laugh, I joined in her Water Play, spending time together.
“Butler’s Authority, Chapter 1.”
“Hiiiik!”
The Hot Spring surged with waves due to intense Water Play.
Perhaps because I misjudged my strength, a massive amount of Hot Spring water began to splash toward the Young Lady’s face.
“Eeeek!!”
The Young Lady waved her hands, trying to defend herself.
Facing the torrent of water like a Swordsman about to become a Sword Master, the Young Lady flailed as she took the water cannon head-on with her Entire Body.
“Stop it!”
“You started it, Young Lady.”
“Eeeek…!”
And then.
-Slide.
“Huh?”
“It came off…”
“…?”
“Eeeek!”
I decided to give the Innkeeper a massive tip.
*
After finishing our Bath, the Young Lady and I were drying our wet hair and drinking Milk. Despite the slightly embarrassing incident, the Young Lady, with her strong sense of pride, quickly overcame her Shame, so it wasn’t a big issue anymore.
“Ricardo, pervert.”
“…”
Touching my tingling cheek, I endured the Young Lady’s Whiny Complaints. Still, having seen paradise with just one slap, I thought it was worth it. Personally, I even wanted to get slapped again to see it once more, but I buried that honest desire deep within and started walking toward the Inn.
And then.
Upon seeing the Inn, I stopped humming and clenched my Fist.
“Huh. The Inn’s lights…”
“…are off.”
The time for a decision had come.
I felt it instinctively.