Editors: sleepchaser, ASplashofMusic, Katie_WanderingFujoshi
Kenneth was a competent, straightforward man.
Although he was the third son of a large noble family, he still joined the Knights. He even volunteered to join the front lines, not caring about the jeers of him “playing around.” He incessantly tempered his swordsmanship and magic, rising up the ranks step by step. However, after accomplishing his task in guiding the hero, despite all the effort he had poured into reaching his current position, he readily resigned.
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In his own words, he would willingly get rid of his status as a noble and as a Knight Commander candidate should they hinder the hero.
Even after the king had given him a thorough scolding, he had stayed adamant in his decision. He had politely said, “I had long planned on relinquishing my noble rank. Also, I retired from the Knights’ Order due to personal reasons.”
He was a stubborn person who would always stick to his decision once he had made up his mind. So much so to the point of being awkward.
He was also extremely thickheaded.
Such was how the man named Kenneth acted.
I broke out of my reverie and fixed my gaze on Kenneth. “…What did you just say?”
“About our home,” replied Kenneth. “Is it okay if we live in my residence? Since I’m your wife, I should probably be the one moving in with you., but your current house is a bachelor pad, right?”
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He was competent, straightforward, stubborn, and extremely thickheaded. And all these traits resulted in their current situation.
For the hero’s sake, he accepted my proposal without blinking. After I had pretended it was a joke for many years. Then, relying on his family’s connections, he directly appealed to the king about legalizing same-sex marriage in the country, not long after the proposal. And not only that. He had also initiated an in-depth, trailblazing discussion with the king.
Now, without even waiting for a proper conclusion, he was already deciding on our new home with me… Wasn’t he akin to a sheep that willingly shaved its wool, offering itself up to a wolf?
Yes, I was keenly aware that Kenneth was not at all a weak sheep. But with his carefree attitude when facing me, I had started to grow worried.
“…I was taking the size of your house into consideration. Did I make a mistake?”
“No, you didn’t. But… are you really okay with this?”
“With marrying me. I may have received a
after becoming the Knight Commander, but it’s a fact that I used to be a commoner. Plus, as you know, I’m a hot-blooded idiot. If you’re looking for a male marriage partner, I’m sure you have many better options than me. When you were still in the Knights’ Order, many people approached you, didn’t they?”
Ah seriously, why did I even say that?
If Kenneth was willing to marry me, then I didn’t need to throw cold water on myself. I should’ve schemed to have him marry me with that innocent outlook intact. Then let him slowly fall in love with me.
Among the multitude of men with good physiques in the Knights’ Order, Kenneth stood out with his slim, handsome figure. And although he was of noble birth, he never put on airs. As such, many people had considered him top-quality boyfriend material back when he was still a knight.
I knew that some people had aimed to have a serious relationship with him and not simply a fling. So even though he had already quit the Knights’ Order, only making the occasional visit, it would be dangerous if I didn’t intimidate those rascals into backing off.
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Really, what possessed me a moment ago? If he decided to choose someone else as his partner now, I’d seriously shed bitter tears from the sheer frustration. So why did I—
“Denard, you don’t want to marry me?” Kenneth asked, staring at me.
I jolted. “What?! There’s no way I don’t.”
He broke into a faint smile, eyes narrowing. I could see the wrinkles near the corner of his eyes. “I see. That’s good then. I like you too.”
After many years of gloom and sadness, Kenneth finally started smiling again. My heart thrashed against my chest.
But then he had to add, “I’d rather have a trusted friend as my partner.”
I blocked out his last sentence. It was irrelevant anyway.
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We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Certainly, even if time had turned back, the country would still make the same decision. I would still remain in the royal capital, optimistically waiting for Kenneth’s return and looking forward to his occasional letters.
…And a few years later, I would still welcome a Kenneth who had stopped smiling, as well as a hero who was doll-like in both looks and expression. Still unable to find the words to say to him.
Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.
Every time the hero came to train in the Knights’ Order, he would faithfully approach me and say, “Please take care of me today as well.”
And I would raise a hand to him in greeting. Before, he was short enough that he could hide behind Kenneth’s back without a trace of him in sight, but now, he was so tall that I had to look up at him. His cute face had transformed into that of a handsome man.. I couldn’t help but feel the harshness of time.
Though his expressionlessness remained, the atmosphere around him had slackened, like the spring snow melting. He still had a cold aura about him, but there was an underlying warmth now that resembled an ice block encasing a firelight. It was a complicated atmosphere to say the least.
“I don’t mind you training here, but be modest about it. It’ll be troublesome if you crush most of the young knights’ spirits while sparring.”
“Then why don’t you be my opponent instead? It’s not worth it having a match with the young knights.”
“Don’t have strange expectations of this senile old fool. There’s no way I can handle the Hero.”
Riley squinted and said, “I don’t think that’s true.”
I pretended to lightly wipe the faux tears away from my eyes and said, “My eyes are stinging from your overestimation.”
But as usual, the Hero didn’t even twitch in response. He smiled so sweetly in front of Ilya. The sight was sickening-sweet enough to make me embarrassed simply by watching! But now, look at him. There was really nothing cute about him.
However… it would be disgusting to have a cute hero, though. I didn’t really mind him staying as he was.
But training with him, huh? It might not be a bad idea.
I had been training alone because none of my subordinates wanted to train with me recently. My battle instincts might grow dull if I didn’t regularly spar with other people.
Having a match with the strongest hero in the world was a bit reckless. But switching it up sometimes and fighting someone stronger than me would be nice.
I grinned and said, “What will I get if I happen to win?”
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The Hero blinked. He was probably surprised upon hearing my words.
I didn’t mention my stakes in the bet because I thought I could win.
I had a tendency to participate in bets. After all, a little fun didn’t hurt anyone. Plus, I could gather a lot of information about a person through bets.
For example, what kind of temperament did my opponent possess? How did they view me? How strong did they think I was? And how strong did they think
Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.
Another thing: if they staked something valuable for the bet, then that means they were confident in winning. If it was something insignificant, then they already felt like they would lose.
As the revered, strongest man in the world, the hero naturally had the confidence to win. So maybe he could offer something motivating?
“…I will ask Kenneth to place a big bed in your new home.”
“What? Why would you ask that of Kenneth if I win… No way, you…”
“After both of you marry, you will be living together in Kenneth’s house, right? Are you fine with sleeping in separate bedrooms?” the Hero asked, his face blank as ever. Really unfitting with that bombshell of a statement he just threw at me.
He was unexpectedly attentive.
I knew that the Hero was clever. If he were stupid and silly, he would still be allowing himself to be exploited up until now, weighed down by people’s heavy expectations of him. However, it was only after personally seeing him scheme against me with his expressionless face that I understood how clever he was. As expected of a man Kenneth brought up.
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I couldn’t possibly ask Kenneth to sleep on the same bed with me. If I were to do that, then Kenneth would likely suspect me of having ulterior motives, then grow more vigilant against me. Though there were also times when I wish he would be more vigilant against other people.
But what if the Hero were to ask Kenneth to connect his and Ilya’s beds together? He would think, “Oh, so newly-weds act like this.” And then his thoughts would move to, “Then Denard and I should also do this, right? Whether or not we actually sleep together, I should arrange a bedroom similar to that of newly-weds’, right?”
Then he would set up our bedroom without growing vigilant. This was essentially the weak sheep seasoning itself with fragrant herbs, not satisfied with shaving all its wool.
After reading Kenneth’s reactions and my thoughts, the Hero had immediately made this proposal. He sure was scary.
He wasn’t only the strongest in physicality. Even his intellect and mental abilities didn’t lag behind… Looked like my evaluation of him was still insufficient.
“It would be boring if you didn’t take it seriously,” the Hero said, his tone nonchalant.
As my evaluation of him rose by another two grades from the highest grade, I began wracking my brains for a plan to win against him.
In a direct fight, my chances of defeating him were essentially zero.
After all, he was the monster who had massacred all the high-ranking demons by his lonesome. Even though we would only wield dull blades in our practice match with no magic allowed, I still wasn’t confident in my odds of winning. If even the Master Swordsman couldn’t win against him, an ordinary person like me definitely wouldn’t be able to either.
Therefore, my plan was to attack whenever he lowered his defenses. But the moment I saw his stance right before our match, I realized the sheer naivety of that idea.
He was the Hero because he had never lost. Because he always stayed vigilant regardless of who his opponent was.
Our first exchange of blows numbed my hand. His attacks used to only focus on speed, but now they became both fast and heavy. However, I didn’t have the time to admire his growth.
I was barely on par with him in terms of strength, but the hero was superior in terms of speed and sharpness of blows. I knew that the longer the match dragged on, the harder it would be for me to achieve victory.
So I resorted to the more sneaky approach.
Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.
I close this relatively unpopular training ground for a reason. The grounds themselves were narrow and battered. Not to mention, it was located at an area in the Knights’ Order deeper than the other training grounds. No one would come train here if they had a choice, so this place saw very few people.
However, just to make sure, I ordered my subordinates to clear out any passerbys. So that he wouldn’t expect for someone to call out suddenly. In order to win against him, I had to make him lose focus. To forcibly create a gap in this unbeatable Hero’s defenses for me to strike.
And the preparations had already been completed.
From behind the Hero, someone said, “Mister Dee? Here’s the thing you asked me to bring…”
For a moment, the unexpected voice of someone who shouldn’t be here caused a part of the Hero’s concentration to drift elsewhere.
The gap! I struck my sword against his. After letting my sword fall to the ground, I grabbed the Hero’s arm and twisted it, his body also following the movement. Then I kicked the leg supporting most of his weight. As he fell, with the aid of Riley’s body weight, I slammed his body onto the ground.
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…But he wouldn’t be the Hero if it was this easy to bring him down. So I used magic to enhance the force of my throw.
“Tsk. Using magic is foul play. It’s your defeat.”
I broke into a wide grin. “…Yeah.”
The Hero frowned and shrugged his shoulders. Just as I predicted, he hadn’t expected such a cowardly, wicked move from me. He was similar to Kenneth in that area. Ever so upright.
And speak of the devil. I caught sight of Kenneth behind Ilya. I didn’t know how long he had been standing there, but it seemed like he had been quietly watching over our match.
Whoa, that was dangerous…
Because only Ilya had spoken during the match, I was able to win. But if Kenneth had said something or if I had so much as glanced in his direction, I would’ve been the one on the ground.
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No, it didn’t matter if I lost. It really didn’t, but… the Hero’s stakes for our bet were too attractive. So I was driven to use any means to win.
“How unusual. I never thought you to be this fixated on winning.”
“Well, uh… I wanted to beat the strongest Hero in the world at least once, you know?”
“So that’s how it is?” Kenneth tilted his head, baffled.
Well, of course he was not convinced. That hadn’t been my aim at all. But if I told him it was for the sake of a bet, he would definitely ask for details. I could only do my best to deceive him.
…Stop it, Hero. Don’t glance at me. Just focus on Ilya as you always did. Well, I didn’t mind him looking in my direction if that was all he intended to do.
But he definitely couldn’t reveal our bet. No way.
For a few seconds, I even attempted to mentally transmit these thoughts to the Hero. That was how desperate I was.
As cold sweat dripped down my spine, Ilya spoke up. “Oh no, I just remembered that there’s something urgent I need to buy! Riley, are you still training?”
“No, I just finished. Let me accompany you.”
“Yay! You’ve been such a great help!”
And you’re such a good boy, Ilya. Simply amazing.
He had done well in taming the Hero. Even in this situation. Please keep this strongest Hero leashed for me.
Though Ilya was definitely the Hero’s weak point, he had also made the Hero stronger. The Hero’s dangerous aura, which had surrounded him all these years, had disappeared, and his tense face had grown more relaxed. Now that he had found someone who he wholeheartedly wanted to protect, he finally became a true Hero.
Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.
“So, what are you doing here, Kenneth? Ah, and since we’re all already gathered here, why don’t we have a meal together?”
“Sure. And I just came here to see my fiancé.”
Flustered by the unexpected word, “fiancé,” I dropped the practice swords in my hands, which I was planning on returning to their rightful storage area.
Who was his fiancé… No way, it’s me? It’s really me?
So Kenneth came to see me?
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Engagement was sure amazing.
…Though his only purpose for doing this was to expose our relationship to the world. I knew that after thinking with my brain instead of my heart. After all, even if the legalization of same-sex marriage were to pass smoothly, that alone wouldn’t be enough to change society’s ingrained views on same-sex couples. On Ilya and the Hero.
Kenneth wished to initiate a change in the people’s mindset. Enough so that the Hero and Ilya could bravely walk together without being talked about behind their backs.
“Is Riley’s sword that heavy?”
“Ah? Uh, well… that’s right.”
Kenneth picked up one of the practice swords I had dropped and turned it around so that the hilt is pointing towards me. When I took the sword, our fingers brushed against each other. I was so agitated by the sensation that I dropped the sword again.
What am I, a virgin?! How ludicrous!
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As I cursed myself in my heart, I picked up the fallen sword.
Despite the many years since I held this unrequited love, I was still utterly shaken simply by hearing the word “fiancé” flowing out of Kenneth’s lips. Acting so flustered just from the simple touch of his fingertips was too much right? I foresaw trying times in my future.
If Kenneth had prepared a big bed for the two of them just as the Hero expected, could I even get any sleep in the end?
Faced with the person I had an unrequited love for, even to the point of believing that “it was okay even if my feelings are never returned…”
Listening to Kenneth’s breathing up close while he rested and feeling his warmth next to me… Sleep? What was that? Seriously, how could I rest easy in such a scenario…?
My heart pounded just by imagining it. I pressed my lips into a thin line to hide my agitation. I took the prepared meals Ilya had sent me and turned towards my office.
With how I was snickering to myself like a fool, I should probably not mock the Hero for being smitten anymore.
It’s the end! …is what I wanted to say, but the author RELEASED ANOTHER EXTRA CHAPTER RIGHT AFTER I’M ALMOST DONE TRANSLATING THIS CHAPTER. IF SHE POSTED TOMORROW OR ONE HOUR LATE, I CAN PRETEND I DON’T SEE IT BUT NO, WHY YOU HAVE TO DO THIS AH AH AH.
Okay, I’m just kidding (probably) Author posted another extra chapter, so we’ll also release it! I have finished translating the chapter yesterday. After my editors finished it, I’ll release it!
Also lit candles to Denard… but I support you! Fighting! His inner thoughts made me laugh so much
I’ve been meaning to share this, but I keep forgetting. xD Here’s a rough sketch from the official illustrator for
Also, please consider reading my other new project, ‘Violant of Silver’~ <del>I’ll give you cookies!</del>