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EPISODE 202 – MERIT CEREMONY (5)
“Merit ceremony?”
“Yes, His Majesty will personally reward those who have greatly contributed to resolve this incident.”
There were two reasons for that.
Obviously, the first one was to reward them, and the other one was to show that the royal family was well.
“Among those who will be rewarded this time, the two of you will specially be given the title of count, a fief… and a new surname personally bestowed by the royal family for your great contribution.”
“Surname? A new one?”
Count Bayer replied with a smile to Cordelia’s question.
“Because there cannot be two Count Bayer and Count Chase.”
Generally, it was possible to distinguish the two without bestowing a different surname to the other by referring to one as the Greater Count Bayer and the other as the Lesser Count Bayer, but this time, it was decided that they would be given a new surname.
‘I expected it, but… it seems like the royal family wants us too.’
There were two reasons why he thought that.
One was the fact that a new hero was needed to replace the Lord Protector who had fallen from a hero who saved the country and had become a traitor.
‘Because they need a hero to spruce up the current situation.’
The betrayal of the Lord Protector was not just a shocking incident.
It was the worst scandal that could hound the royal family for a long time.
‘Because the Lord Protector was a hero who saved the country.’
Why did someone who saved the country twice then betray the royal family?
Could it be that the royal family pushed him into a situation where he was forced to betray them?
Numerous speculations would be made, and rumors using these speculations would constantly haunt the royal family.
Such a problem could not be solved in the short term.
So for now, they created a new topic to divert the public’s attention.
They would use the new heroes to draw the public’s attention.
‘The other one is… Is it because… we’re competent?’
It was something embarrassing to think about, but it was true that Jude and Cordelia were competent.
If one limited it to their peers, the two would belong to the most skilled people in the entire continent.
‘It’s natural for the royal family to want us.’
So they didn’t hold back with the rewards.
They especially showed that with the giving of a surname.
‘Well, I’m grateful for what they’re doing anyway.’
Moreover, there would also be room for a deal if they were desired this much.
They would have more chances to rip off the other if they were this much wanted.
[You have a wicked expression.]
At Cordelia’s remark, Jude coughed several times, and Count Bayer said with a grin, though it was unknown if he knew what Jude was thinking or not.
“You can go back and rest now.”
“Yes, father. We’ll be leaving now.”
As he stood up with Cordelia, the two gave a bow to Count Bayer and Count Chase before they left the room.
***
[Are we finally free after five days?]
[No. We have a lot of things to organize.]
It was a big incident that simply did not end in attacking the royal family as it turned the entire royal capital upside down too.
Naturally, a lot of people were involved.
In particular, Velkian was the most problematic.
[There are five things we have to consider now.]
[Huh? Five things?]
[Yes, five.]
Cordelia blinked her eyes at Jude’s words, but she did not think deeply of it. It was just a matter of asking Jude about it.
[Tell me one by one.]
[Hey… did you completely give up thinking? Please don’t.]
[Stop with your nonsense and just explain it.]
[Hmm, all right.]
Before he explained it, Jude took a deep breath and paused for a bit. He then sent her a message via magic.
[First is Velkian.]
[Yes, you said he was in the royal capital now, right? Should we meet him before the ceremony?]
[That won’t be necessary. He must have come here to meet Pink Bomb in the first place… There’s also the chaos that happened in the royal capital, so he will not be leaving immediately.]
[Hmm, does that mean we still have some time?]
[Probably.]
Something had happened in the royal capital, so Velkian naturally remained vigilant and closely watched any suspicious movements.
[What’s the second?]
[Scarlet.]
[Eh? Scarlet?]
[Yes, Scarlet. Did you forget what you promised Scarlet?]
Cordelia blinked her eyes at Jude’s words, and soon, she tapped her thigh and said.
“Ah, that’s right. The promise.”
They were supposed to compete for the Rogue Master position.
Cordelia laughed ‘hehehe’ as if she had only remembered now, and Jude narrowed his brows and sent her a <Message> magic.
[Anyway, she’s looking forward to this, so we need to organize this too. Of course, Scarlet will not agree to having the match in the royal capital when the situation is like this.]
[Yes. Because our match will be a stealing contest.]
The entire royal capital had been affected by the incident, so where in the world would they rob?
There might be a place where they could search and rob, but even stealing had to observe the proper time and place rule.
Especially if it was a big shot like the Rogue Master.
[More than that, is Scarlet okay? She isn’t hurt, right?]
[She’ll be fine. She is the future Rogue Master. She’s also one of the future Four Great Swordsmen.]
[Indeed, that’s true.]
Scarlet was one of the strongest among her age.
She would be safe without a single tip of her hair undamaged unless she threw her body directly into the path of danger.
[They said that Lucas is okay, right?]
[Yes, Maja said that.]
[So did Dahlia. She told me that he even visited us when we were unconscious.]
[He really is nice. I hope it goes well with Scarlet.]
[Yeah. With Scarlet…eh? With Scarlet?]
[Ah… it’s a long story, so I’ll pass for now.]
[Eh? Wait, why are you saying that? Isn’t this something really important?]
[Uh, no. Anyway, I’ll tell you the third one.]
When Jude quickly changed the topic, Cordelia inflated her cheeks with a disgruntled face, but from Jude’s point of view, it was a reward.
‘Hmm, as expected, she’s cute.’
Jude smiled happily and brought up the third topic.
[The third one is about the demon followers.]
[The Devil’s Hand?]
[Yes, they’ll be aiming at us openly now.]
From the northern region, the wild lands, and then to the royal capital.
The two had repeatedly destroyed the plans of the demon followers.
In particular, they played a huge role in defeating the Lord Protector this time, so it was inevitable that they would receive a high level of attention.
[Umm… does that mean they’ll send mid-ranking demonic humans?]
[Maybe. But they won’t be able to send them right away.]
[Why?]
[The Sälen royal family will try to catch the demon followers like rats.]
After all, the Sälen Kingdom hated the demon followers.
Moreover, the demon followers attacked the royal capital.
They corrupted the Lord Protector, making him betray the royal family and taking the lives of several royal family members.
[Once the disturbance in the royal capital is resolved to some extent, it’s highly likely that they’ll move immediately.]
There were also several reasons for this.
One was that they needed someone to draw the public’s attention just like their need for a new hero.
‘To be exact, they needed a target of hatred.’
And the other reason was Henry II’s anger.
[The reason that the Lord Protector became a traitor was because of the demon followers. It was completely their fault that the Lord Protector was corrupted.]
At Jude’s words, Cordelia nodded with a worried face.
She felt sad when she thought of Henry II whose heart must have been torn into pieces because of the betrayal.
[He seemed to be a really pure man.]
Cordelia herself didn’t care much about him because she found him unpleasant when they argued back then.
However, she was deeply saddened when she saw how much he liked the Lord Protector.
[As I thought, you’re an angel.]
[What?]
[I mean, my princess is kind.]
The smirking Jude continued his explanation before Cordelia could say anything.
[Anyway, the Sälen royal family will be eager to beat the demon followers, so the demon followers will not bother us for a while.]
[Then, should we become stronger in the meantime?]
To the point where they could fight against mid-ranking demonic humans.
Jude smiled at Cordelia’s words and nodded his head.
[That’s right. I’ve also thought of that, and I’m not talking about the sixth door or the Angel Mode.]
Cordelia stared at Jude’s eyes and eventually understood it.
[Key Sword.]
[Correct.]
It was the key to obtaining the Ultimate Seven series.
[We’ll have to work hard in leveling up since it’s an exceptional item.]
[That’s right, that’s right. Are you skilled in playing games, though?]
[Yes, I’m skilled in playing games.]
Jude slyly responded to Cordelia’s words before he continued to speak.
T/N: The word used for ‘exceptional item’ here is 템빨 (tem-ppal), which is an item that makes you really good in playing or doing something, and not because you have the skills for it. In game terms, it means that you’re only good at playing because of your items and not because of your actual skills.
So Jude is trying to say that even if they had an exceptional item, they have to work hard in becoming stronger and not just rely on the item. He does not want them to be strong just because of their items. Cordelia agrees with him, but playfully asks him if he actually had the skills in the first place. And Jude slyly replies that he has the skills to do so.
[And the last one is… you know about it, right? The event in the south.]
[Yes, one of the three big events that led to the fall of the Sälen Kingdom.]
The great invasion of the barbarians destroyed the northern region.
The annihilation of the royal family brought the central region into ruins.
And the third one was ‘Black Dragon Malekith’s Attack’ which dealt a devastating blow to the 7 southern families that were the pillars of the southern region.
[If we can stop Malekith, the Sälen Kingdom will be safe for a while.]
In the game, the Sälen Kingdom helplessly collapsed because it couldn’t prevent any of those three events, but it was different now.
Since the north and the center were still going strong, if the event in the south is prevented, the Sälen Kingdom would become a huge barrier that could protect humanity in the upcoming 7 major calamities.
[Eueue… So how should we decide the order of doing those 5 things?]
[Uh, we’ll have to think about it when I give you the details.]
Having spoken so far, Jude stopped walking.
And so did Cordelia.
Because they had arrived.
They were right in front of Jude and Cordelia’s rooms, which were next to each other.
[Uh… Cordelia?]
[Yes, Jude.]
Jude and Cordelia looked at each other before they turned their heads back again.
The two hesitated before they finally spoke.
[Uh… would you like to talk in my room?]
[Eh? Uh… o-okay?]
We have a lot to discuss.
We have a lot to think about especially the things we talked about on our way here.
That’s right, that’s right. So it’s only natural for us to go in his room and talk.
Cordelia spoke to herself and lightly bit her lips. They were only going to do something that they had naturally and usually did, but for some strange reason, her heart was pounding.
[S-shall we go then?]
[Y-yes, let’s go.]
Jude answered awkwardly unlike his usual self, and he opened the door and saw that no one was in the room.
Because just like always, Dahlia and Maja had gone away in order to give the two some ‘alone time’ together.
That was why the room was empty.
There was no one in the room.
“Ahem, ahem.”
“Ehem, ehem, ehem.”
Jude and Cordelia cleared their throats for no reason and then entered the room awkwardly as they avoided each other’s gaze.
They then sat on the sofa.
However.
It was normal for the two to sit opposite each other when they were discussing something, and that had always been the case until now. But it was different this time.
Because both of them sat on the same sofa as if they had agreed beforehand.
So why?
What was the reason?
Was it perhaps because they were holding hands?
“Ahem, ahem.”
“Ehem, ehem, ehem.”
Jude and Cordelia looked at each other while coughing for no reason again, and at that moment, they both turned their heads away.
Because they remembered what happened last night.
‘Ki-ki-kiss…’
Cordelia unconsciously squirmed her lips while Jude swallowed hard.
1 minute passed.
2 minutes passed.
“Uh…Jude?”
“Yes, Cordelia.”
“W-we should talk, right?”
“Y-yes, we have to. Discuss. We have to discuss.”
They had come here to do that.
They came here to discuss and not for something else.
“T-then… will you let go of… my hand?”
“Hand?”
“Yes, hand. Uh… it’s not necessary to hold it… right?”
Cordelia wriggled her fingers, and Jude wriggled his fingers too because their fingers were still interlocked with each other.
And as they wriggled their fingers like that, they both felt strange.
Their hearts were beating faster, and their breaths were getting rougher.
And a few seconds later.
Cordelia squirmed her lips before she glanced at Jude, and at that moment, Jude also turned to Cordelia.
Their blue and green eyes met with each other.
Little by little, the distance they had between each other narrowed.
And a voice suddenly came from behind them.
“What are you two doing?”
A sullen voice.
And at the same time, a familiar voice.
At the dĂŠjĂ  vu they somehow felt, Jude and Cordelia hurriedly looked behind them and simultaneously jumped from their seats. Cordelia then burst into a bright smile.
“Scarlet!”
You’re safe!
Cordelia jumped over the sofa and hugged Scarlet who was dressed in a maid outfit. Scarlet hugged her back and then glanced at Jude.
As she faced him who now had a sour expression, she gave a strange smile that was half sorry and half pleased at his misfortune.