WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Haruto

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◈ The Pushover Young Lord in a Romance Fantasy Won't Take It Anymore ◈

Chapter 45: Does It Have to Be That Way?

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At an outdoor café somewhere in the imperial capital, with a sweeping view of the city.

I sat across from Lucia at an outdoor table bathed in warm sunlight.

“Is the tea to your liking?”

“Yes, well…”

Now that the Ashen Forest recruitment notice had been widely circulated, you would be mistaken if you thought I was merely sipping tea with a woman at such a crucial time.

There was nothing I could accomplish by staying at the house.

Irina was flawlessly handling the important practical work, including cosmetics distribution and supplying military provisions.

The expedition was not departing anytime soon, either.

The notice had only just been distributed, and we planned to recruit applicants for at least a month.

I had other work to do before departure.

Interviewing applicants and picking out the promising ones.

Even so, I did not have time to leisurely drink tea.

I had not come to see Lucia simply for a cup of tea. I had important business with her.

“…”

Lucia sat across from me, holding her teacup with a sulky expression.

Her usual graceful demeanor was nowhere to be found. Her lips jutted out in a pout.

It had taken some effort to arrange this meeting because Lucia’s social schedule was so packed.

Yet now that we were together, the atmosphere was terribly awkward.

Sip.

I took a mouthful of black tea. Lucia’s mood was making me increasingly self-conscious.

She seemed upset for some reason, but I had no idea why.

“Lady Lucia. Did you have another nightmare?”

Clink!

Lucia’s hand slipped, and her teacup struck its saucer.

“…That isn’t it.”

Lucia slowly turned her head away. Her profile was flushed red.

“Then did something happen?”

“…”

Lucia pressed her lips tightly together.

Something definitely happened. We had known each other for years. Did she think I would not notice?

More accurately, I had known her unilaterally for years, but…

* * *

Lucia knew well how she appeared to others.

The star of high society.

A title countless nobles admired and praised.

Yet to Lucia, it felt like a cumbersome facade.

Lucia believed her true worth lay elsewhere.

She was the sole student in Imperial Academy history ever to rank first in both the Swordsmanship and Magic Departments.

Already a five-star mage, she was also a peerless genius knight who had forged four Heart Furnaces.

A prodigy blessed with beauty as well as overwhelming scholarly and martial prowess. That was Lucia.

Yet people only saw what they wanted to see.

To them, Lucia was nothing but the star of high society.

No matter what remarkable achievements she displayed, they focused only on her appearance and empty reputation.

Lucia narrowed her eyes, lips pressed tightly together.

Astin sat across from her, leisurely drinking black tea.

For some reason, his composed appearance looked different today.

‘I thought this man would be different. I thought at least Young Lord Astin would be.’

Lucia swallowed her disappointment bitterly.

There was no particular reason she had expected him to be different.

If there was one, it was because he was the first man she had ever liked.

Perhaps it had been less an expectation than a wish.

Lucia was the first to break the awkward silence.

“I saw the Ashen Forest Expedition notice. You were the one organizing it, Young Lord.”

Astin slowly set down his teacup. A relaxed smile spread across his lips.

“Yes, you saw it.”

Lucia bit down hard on her lower lip. Hurt surged up from deep within her chest.

Objectively speaking, Lucia would have been a great asset to the expedition.

If Astin had truly seen Lucia for who she was, if he had paid even the slightest attention to her, he could have mentioned the expedition or even recruited her.

Astin had kept the expedition a secret from her until now.

Even after Lucia brought it up first, Astin simply smiled it off.

As if she had never crossed his mind.

“Young Lord.”

It was obvious that he thought Lucia belonged in the hothouse of high society. That the Ashen Forest Expedition did not suit her at all.

Lucia tried to steady her trembling voice as she asked,

“Please don’t be surprised when you answer. What kind of person am I to you, Young Lord?”

A brief silence lingered between them.

Astin watched her quietly before speaking.

“You are a beautiful young lady.”

The star of high society, a pretty and beautiful noble lady.

That was all she was to Astin, nothing more and nothing less.

In the end, this man was just like every other noble.

The greater her expectations, the greater her disappointment.

Unable to meet his eyes any longer, Lucia lowered her head.

“…So you came to have tea with a beautiful young lady.”

“No. There is another reason I came to see you. I came to recruit you.”

The context shifted in an instant. Lucia only blinked, as though her thoughts had stopped.

The strength slowly drained from her hands, which had been clutching her skirt.

“What did you just say…?”

“You are the sole student to rank first in both departments. Of course I should recruit you.”

Astin had precisely recognized Lucia’s true worth, which everyone else had seen and ignored.

Just as he had recognized the hardships General Vermang had endured, embedded in the Commander’s Sword.

“In my view, you do not belong in high society. I think the battlefield suits you better.”

Lucia. You suit the battlefield better than high society.

Astin had said it half sincerely and half as a joke.

The Lucia Astin knew was not the star of high society, but a comrade he could trust to watch his back.

“Pfft.”

Lucia could not hold back her laughter.

Being told that the battlefield suited her better was something she had never heard in her life.

Thinking back, he had also told her that a uniform suited her better than a dress on the terrace.

“Young Lord, are you really a recruiting officer?”

“I meant it sincerely, in my own way.”

When Astin extended his hand across the table, Lucia’s gaze naturally lowered to it.

“Am I the first person you have recruited, Young Lord?”

“You will be the last as well.”

“How can your words be so lovely and your voice so nice? Very well, Recruiting Officer. I will enlist.”

Without hesitation, Lucia took Astin’s hand.

“As you know, the Ashen Forest is the most dangerous wildland in the Empire. You could die if things go wrong.”

“I don’t mind. I already know that.”

That was why she liked the idea even more.

The expedition was the best way to escape high society and earn recognition from the outside world.

Lucia knew exactly what kind of place the Ashen Forest was.

She had only taken Astin’s hand because she trusted him.

She believed he would never have planned this expedition carelessly.

“Do you remember the wish voucher?”

“You mean our cosmetics wager. Are you going to use it now?”

“Yes.”

“You don’t have to. I’m coming because I want to.”

Until she heard his answer, Lucia thought he was going to spend his wish voucher on the Ashen Forest Expedition.

“I intend to use it a little differently. Please become my adjutant during the expedition.”

“An adjutant. It doesn’t seem like you’re saying that solely because of my abilities…”

She deliberately drew out the end of her sentence, smiling mischievously.

She wanted to tease that face of his, which was pretending to remain calm.

Without changing expression, Astin moved his chin slightly.

“As my adjutant, you will have to remain by my side at all times. That means I can watch over you constantly.”

More than her abilities, that was his true intention.

A quiet intake of breath slipped through Lucia’s lips.

Her guess had been right, but she had not expected him to admit it so readily.

Heat suddenly rushed through her. She could feel her cheeks and ears growing hot.

“Young Lord.”

Lucia rested her chin in her hand and gave him a coquettish smile.

She forced out a gentle voice.

“Honestly. You really know how to toy with a woman’s heart, don’t you?”

“Not at all. An ordinary woman would have recoiled in horror. I would have gotten an earful the moment I mentioned the expedition.”

After speaking, Astin paused for half a breath.

The deliberate silence seized Lucia’s attention.

“I simply understand Lady Lucia’s heart well.”

Lucia stared quietly at Astin, her eyes wide.

She wanted to look away at once, but doing so would reveal her feelings.

Nothing exposed one’s emotions more clearly than avoiding someone’s gaze.

Astin at the debutante ball had been proof of that…

Thinking that, she realized their positions were in danger of reversing.

Lucia suddenly moved her hand. She snatched up a freshly baked piece of bread from the table.

“Mmph?”

Astin’s eyes widened as his gaze converged toward the center.

Lucia paid him no mind and shoved the bread deep into his mouth.

“Just eat and keep your mouth shut.”

She had to make him stop talking somehow.

If she heard any more, she might make a fool of herself.

‘Honestly… I can’t deal with him.’

* * *

After leaving the café, we immediately boarded the carriage.

I lightly held Lucia’s hand to escort her in first, then took the seat across from her.

Rattle.

The carriage smoothly set off, leaving the streets of the imperial capital behind.

According to the original novel’s canon, Lucia had been the one who led the forest’s development.

Having her accompany me made me feel far more at ease.

Of course, I had no intention of dumping the burden on Lucia.

Once we arrived in Cardenos, we would have to interview countless applicants.

Before that, though, there was something I absolutely had to do.

Increase my personal strength.

I currently had only two rings formed in my Core.

The Ashen Forest was not a place where I could survive with only two rings.

And was it only the Ashen Forest? I could not neglect my growth if I wanted to stop the coming destruction.

I had been busy turning the house upside down and taking over the merchant guild, but that could not be an excuse.

‘Lucia is right in front of me, too.’

In my previous life, I had woven eight rings largely thanks to Lucia standing guard over my cultivation.

This was the right time to weave a new ring.

“Lady Lucia.”

“Yes, please speak.”

Lucia turned from the window.

“While we travel to Cardenos, I would like you to stand guard over my cultivation.”

“Does that mean you are planning to weave a Sun Ring?”

“Yes.”

Lucia knew I was a ring knight. The rumors had spread far and wide.

She swept the hair that had fallen over her lips behind her ear.

“I know what standing guard over cultivation involves. But I only know it in theory. This would be my first time actually doing it.”

Deep concern filled her face.

“It is too dangerous to entrust it to me. You should ask someone more experienced instead…”

Her reaction was understandable. Weaving a Sun Ring was a dangerous act that used one’s life as kindling.

A cultivation guard could reduce the risk, but that also meant placing one’s life in that person’s hands.

“Everyone has a first time.”

“Still…”

“You don’t need to worry so much. I could do it without a cultivation guard, but I’m asking just in case.”

Lucia took a short breath and nodded.

She looked unsure, but she would be the best person for the task once she started.

After taking a light breath, I began undoing the buttons of my shirt.

One, two.

Just as the buttons came undone and my bare skin was about to be exposed.

“W-what!?”

A high-pitched scream rang through the cramped carriage.

Lucia covered her eyes with both hands and quickly turned away.

“W-why are you taking off your clothes all of a sudden!?”

“Ah.”

I cleared my throat and closed my collar.

“Normally, when your cultivation guard sits in front of you, it is better to remove your upper clothing. They need to place a hand on your exposed chest and monitor the flow of your Core and your body’s reactions.”

Lucia’s eyes widened beyond their limit. Her face had turned bright red like a radish.

“R-really? Does it have to be that way?”

“It is not absolutely necessary. Usually, they place a hand on your back, but…”

My words suddenly caught in my throat.

“I’ll stand guard, so take off your clothes. It’s been a while since I got to feel those pecs, hehe…”

Lucia was covering her vision with both hands.

It was a perfectly natural reaction, yet it felt unfamiliar.

“Y-your back is fine too…”

I shook off the old memory. Lucia filled my view completely.

“If it has to be your chest, no, even so, how can a man and woman do something so indecent… Do you really have to take off your clothes?”

Lucia was rambling as she held her cheeks with both hands.

Pretending otherwise, she kept glancing at my chest. She could not control her flushed face.

I hid a bitter smile as I looked at Lucia.

“Your back is fine. There is hardly any difference, really. There will be no issue if you slip your hand under my clothes.”

Footnotes:

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