Chapter 89

Bam-

Riana slammed the table with her fist, hard.

Everyone around us, including the restaurant staff, glared at us because of the commotion, but Riana didn’t seem to care at all.

“Crazy, this is unbelievable. There are countless books about the Rimpos Empire. Even in our Magic Tower alone, there are dozens of them. And among all that, scholars couldn’t figure out why Empress Artemis still hasn’t formed any romantic ties with anyone. And now you’re telling me the reason is our Kairon oppa??”

“The world doesn’t know. I also think it’s an unbelievable story. But it’s true, isn’t it?”

“Plus, oppa can’t act, so it makes it even more believable that it’s not a lie. But if it’s been ten years since then…”

Riana’s eyes widened as she counted the years on her fingers.

“It’s not that far off!”

“Well, there’s still some time left. And…”

In my previous life, I didn’t even make it to ten years before I died.

Suddenly, that thought crossed my mind.

If the Vanguard collapses and demons spread across the world, Artemis would probably fight hard to protect her country and people.

She’d probably do pretty well.

“Wait. Oppa, while listening to your story, something caught my attention.”

“What are you curious about? You seem curious about everything I say.”

“Oppa, you once said that the most troublesome opponent you’ve ever fought in your life was the one you met in the finals of the Swordsmanship Competition. Does that mean that person was stronger than Empress Artemis?”

“Well, strength and weakness aren’t absolute. They’re relative. For example, a spear can defeat a sword at a distance, but in close quarters, the sword has the advantage. Artemis’s spear techniques were overflowing with power. Her spear attacks were devastating, but what was even scarier were the body blows she’d sneak in during the smallest openings.”

Thinking about Artemis’s spear techniques…

“Ugh.”

“What’s wrong, oppa?”

“My solar plexus is throbbing. I remember when Artemis planted her spear into the ground as a pivot and kicked me right in the solar plexus. If I hadn’t quickly pulled back, I might’ve been knocked out or even killed.”

“Just hearing that makes me dizzy. So, what about the opponent you faced in the finals?”

“It’s hard to even describe it.”

“What made it so hard to describe?”

“The speed. It was so fast that I couldn’t even see it properly. My swordsmanship is about conserving stamina with precision and technique, waiting for the right moment to strike. But that opponent’s style was all about continuous, light attacks. And the moment they saw an opening, they’d pour all their strength into a single strike.”

“Huh? That sounds like someone I know.”

“Who? Do you know someone who’s that skilled with a sword?”

“Who else?”

Riana casually sipped her now lukewarm drink and said nonchalantly.

“Abelin unnie.”

“Abelin…? That’s right!”

Listening to Riana, I realized the opponent I faced in the finals had a lot in common with Abelin.

The way they freely wielded a fast sword, even the type of sword they used.

But there was one crucial difference.

“But that person was a man. He was small for a man, but he used that to his advantage in his fast swordsmanship.”

“So how did you win? You said he moved so fast you couldn’t even keep up.”

“Well, we fought until both of us were so exhausted our legs were shaking. I kept taking hits but didn’t give him any openings, and he kept dodging my attacks with his speed. So, I made a decision.”

“What decision…?”

“I decided to ‘act.’”

“Bad choice. Oppa, you’re terrible at acting.”

“Well, it turned out not so bad. I deliberately started putting more power into my attacks and made my movements bigger. But then…”

“It didn’t go well, did it?”

“Let me finish, Riana. But yeah, it didn’t go well. I tried to fake an opening, but my tired body couldn’t keep up. So, I ended up creating a real opening.”

“Gasp… No, no. I’ll listen to the end. Tell me the rest!”

“Want to see this?”

I lifted the bottom of my shirt to show my side.

“Gasp, what’s that?!”

There was a deep scar there.

“That’s where I got stabbed. If he had stabbed me anywhere else, I wouldn’t be having this meal with you right now.”

“But you’re not supposed to kill, right? Like with Empress Artemis and this opponent. Why do you keep almost dying?”

“That rule, in other words, means you can do anything as long as you don’t kill. Anyway, the moment I got stabbed, the pain snapped me back to reality. And I realized. Right now, my opponent is within arm’s reach. So, I grabbed him with my free hand and slammed him to the ground.”

“You managed to move even with such a deep wound?”

“People say you become stronger in a crisis. I guess that’s what happened to me. Anyway, I pinned him down with my weight and strength, and then I held my sword to his throat.”

“Is this really a swordsmanship competition? With all the kicking and weight differences… It sounds more like hand-to-hand combat than swordsmanship.”

“Hey, don’t overanalyze. The ideal in swordsmanship is to become one with your sword and body, right? If you think about it, spears shouldn’t be allowed either. In the end, a fight is about winning, no matter how.”

“…I see.”

“…Gasp!”

A voice suddenly came from beside my shoulder.

I quickly turned to see Abelin standing there, looking down at me with a cold expression.

“…So that’s how it was.”

“Huh, what?”

“Nothing.”

“Anyway, how long have you been standing there?”

“Since you were talking about how Empress Artemis ordered you to hug her.”

“That long ago? Wait, then Riana, you’ve been watching this whole time? Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Hehe…”

Riana smirked mischievously.

“Because it’s fun.”

“…You’re not even old enough to drink, yet you’re treating me like a snack. Anyway, Abelin, how’s your body?”

“I’m well enough to move now. I escaped the hospital’s terrible food.”

“Good. Sit down. As you know, Lady Rostia is paying, so order whatever you want. The food here is pretty good.”

I scooted over to make room, but Abelin gave me a cold look and sat next to Riana instead.

“Uh… Abelin, did I do something wrong?”

“Sometimes, not knowing is a sin.”

“I need to know what I did wrong so I don’t repeat it.”

“…”

At my words, Abelin’s gaze grew even colder. She grabbed my drink and downed it in one go.

“Kairon.”

“Yeah, are you going to tell me what I did wrong?”

“…Do you really not remember?”

“What?”

“…Sigh,”

Abelin sighed as if she expected this and called over a waiter.

“From here to here. Give me everything.”

“Uh, really? You’re going to eat all of this? Thank you! But, all of these are sweet desserts. Are you sure?”

“I won’t calm down unless I eat this much. Please.”

“Okay, thank you! We’ll prepare it as quickly as possible!”

The nervous waiter rushed into the kitchen.

“Emergency, emergency! We need to prepare every dessert we have, one plate at a time!”

“What kind of glutton ordered that?”

“Watch your mouth! It’s not a glutton, it’s a very, very grateful customer!”

What kind of order caused such a fuss?

I decided to ask Abelin.

“From here to here, where exactly is that?”

“Simple. From here, to here.”

Following Abelin’s finger, I looked where she was pointing and blinked silently.

But no matter how many times I blinked, what I saw didn’t change. Realizing this was reality, my pupils started trembling uncontrollably.

“Really?”

“Really.”

“You’re really going to eat all of this? Every single dessert this restaurant has?”

“I told you. I won’t calm down unless I eat all of this because of you!”

Now Abelin was getting a bit irritated.

For some reason, Abelin kept emphasizing that it was my fault, so I couldn’t even defend myself and had to endure her angry gaze.

Soon, desserts started coming out one after another.

And with the desserts came an additional punishment from Abelin.

“Cut them all for me. Into bite-sized pieces. Not too small, not too big. Got it?”

“…This size?”

“Smaller.”

“Then this size?”

“That’s so small you wouldn’t even feel it on your tongue. Bigger than that!”

“Ugh…”

And so, for nearly an hour, I had to meticulously cut the desserts as if I were crafting jewels.

“Hehe…”

And Riana, watching me serve and Abelin silently eat, smiled for some unknown reason.