The Pushover Young Lord in a Romance Fantasy Won't Take It Anymore - Chapter 75

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Haruto

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

Chapter 75: Cardenos's Heir

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The Sun Ring and Ashen Power.

They gave me infinite energy, but they did not make me invincible.

The searing pain had not disappeared, after all.

The human body breaks when pushed beyond its limits, and the mind collapses even sooner.

In the end, the essence of it had not changed.

If I found myself in another one-on-one battle with the Demon King, it would no longer be a battle of attrition. It would be a test of mental strength.

I lightly clenched and unclenched my fist, shaking off my long train of thought.

Lying down for so long had made me feel stiff to the bone.

Before the sun set, I dragged my aching body outside.

I was headed for the outpost at the entrance to the Ashen Forest.

More precisely, I had planned to head there.

“No. Rest comes first this week.”

Lucia, Selena, and Celine blocked my path.

I had expected this, so I had prepared a plausible excuse.

“If the expedition sees me walking around perfectly fine, it’ll raise their spirits. It’ll improve the pace of the work too.”

Soldiers’ morale was too important to overlook.

Showing them my condition in person would be far more effective than simply passing along good news.

The three of them were clearly unhappy about it, but after a long argument, I finally got permission.

“Sister, when did Father say he’d return?”

I glanced at Selena walking beside me.

I had heard upon waking that he had gone to the Holy Empire to bring back an archbishop-level healer.

He could never have imagined I would recover before then.

“He’ll be here tomorrow. A letter reached him before he arrived in the Holy Empire.”

“He’s returning sooner than I expected.”

“It was my first time seeing the House Head like that.”

Selena muttered as though recalling the past.

Well, the same went for her.

“It was my first time seeing you like that too, Sister.”

“...”

Selena moved her lips, then abruptly turned her head away. Her profile looked thoroughly sulky.

Before long, we reached the entrance to the forest. Though night had fallen, the outpost was brightly lit with torches.

“Oh, Commander! You really woke up!”

“My prayers worked! If you died, I was going with you!”

“Commander, are you feeling better?”

The soldiers patrolling around the barracks saluted me. Most of the expedition had already heard the news of my recovery.

That was why attention poured in from every direction, enough to make me uncomfortable.

Inside the barracks, Jenkinson and Bagot were waiting.

They asked after me, but then flashed irritating grins.

“Peerless beauties worrying over you. Our young lord has really made it in life.”

“They say a hero loves beautiful women, and a ruler has no shame.”

“Keep talking if you want to get hit.”

They immediately clammed up.

I heard Hendrickson was overwhelmed with work in the heart of the forest as the expedition’s acting overall commander.

The elves and Ariel were also focused on the World Tree’s growth and the purification work.

‘Compared to those two, these idiots are slacking off.’

Their concern was welcome, but work came first. The schedule could not be delayed over something as trivial as visiting me.

Purifying the Ashen Forest, germinating the World Tree, and mining the mana stone vein were all vital matters.

It would still take several years for the World Tree to fully mature.

The mana stone vein was different. At least within a month, its outline would become clear.

The mana stone mining industry required astronomical initial investment and meant accepting the risk of failure.

If it paid off, the profits could exceed imagination, but the chances were extremely slim.

That was why most people remained skeptical of mana stone mining, even after hearing that we had conquered the Ashen Forest.

As if this place would really turn out to be a gold mine.

‘They only say that because they don’t know.’

If I made good use of this information gap, I would not need to envy even the Imperial Family’s treasury.

Justification, military power, and capital.

I already had justification and military power.

Once I secured capital, building up an order of knights and a private army would be easy.

And securing capital was only a matter of time.

‘...That goddamn Holy Sword.’

My gaze drifted toward the corner.

The woman in golden armor was staring at me as though she had been waiting.

The clatter of metal drew closer. It was obvious what the Holy Sword Keeper would do as she approached.

“Try holding it.”

Sure enough, she suddenly held out the Holy Sword to me.

“The first time is hard, but the second is easy.”

Without even a normal greeting, she remained utterly devoted to her duty. It was very like the Holy Sword Keeper.

Swoosh.

I carefully pushed the Holy Sword away. It had helped me greatly, but I had no intention of keeping it forever.

I had already inherited the Demon King’s power, which no longer carried a Commandment.

Crack.

The Holy Sword Keeper clenched her fist.

‘Crazy bitch.’

She was seriously considering beating up a critically ill patient.

I had no choice but to grip the sword hilt.

“...”

Ten seconds passed. The Holy Sword still did not move in the slightest.

Unexpectedly, the Holy Sword Keeper withdrew it without lingering regret. She strapped it to her back and looked at me steadily.

“Commander Astin.”

The Holy Sword Keeper extended a fist toward my chest. Her golden gauntlet was worn down from long use.

Realizing what she meant, I extended my own fist.

Thud.

Our heavy fists collided in midair.

“You were the greatest Hero I have ever seen.”

“A Hero? I’m not even qualified for the Holy Sword.”

“Even without the Holy Sword, you are more than a Hero.”

This did not feel unfamiliar.

I remembered hearing something similar from the Holy Sword Keeper in my first life.

“The Holy Sword does not matter. You are already a being more noble than that.”

“We cannot understand the gods’ intentions. Even I cannot understand Solari’s will. At this moment, I do not even know whether Solari’s decision was right.”

“...Isn’t that blasphemous? Are you allowed to say that?”

“Doubt is not the seed of disbelief. It is merely the process of strengthening one’s faith.”

“Faith blooms amid doubt. Doubt without end.”

A female body, rigid yet flexible-minded.

The Holy Sword Keeper had not changed at all, then or now.

Tap.

Her golden fist passed mine and touched my chest.

“I will keep doubting until the day you die. Astin, you are worthy.”

“Why don’t you just give it up already? Even if I die, I bet you’d raise me as a Death Knight and put the Holy Sword in my hand.”

“That would be true blasphemy.”

That was what she said, but the Holy Sword Keeper let out a small laugh. Smiling as well, I shrugged.

A Death Knight becoming the Holy Sword’s master. Even as a joke, it was a blasphemous thing to say.

If someone other than me had said it, they would probably have been beaten up.

“I will visit from time to time. I look forward to the day we meet again.”

“So this is goodbye.”

The Holy Sword Keeper had been fated to wander for eternity.

It was not a Commandment, but life on the road was her unchanging fate until she found the Holy Sword’s owner.

“Astin of Cardenos. In Solari’s stead, I offer you my respect.”

The Holy Sword Keeper added nothing more.

Her cloak fluttered in the night wind as she turned around.

Her footsteps, mixed with the scrape of steel, grew distant.

Even after she vanished completely from sight, the faint sound of armor clashing lingered behind.

I stood there silently, staring down the path where the Holy Sword Keeper had disappeared.

“She left.”

Lucia murmured softly while looking in the same direction. Then her sidelong glance fell on me.

“If I were her, I would have stayed by your side, Young Lord. I would have been certain you were the Hero.”

I barely managed to hold back a laugh.

She had no idea that she herself was the Holy Sword’s true owner.

* * *

The next day, Astin slept deeply until noon for the first time in a while.

Bathed in brilliant sunlight streaming through the window, Astin had just risen from bed.

At that moment, he heard bustling movement outside the door.

Knock, knock.

The door opened after the knock, and the head butler bowed neatly.

“Young Lord. Have you awakened?”

“Yeah, I’m up. What is it?”

“The House Head has returned.”

“What? Already?”

Astin’s eyes widened in surprise.

Selena had said he would return the next day, but he had come back much earlier than expected.

“Yes. And he has just summoned you to his office.”

“Me? He isn’t coming here himself?”

“Yes.”

Astin tilted his head.

He may have gone for a walk yesterday, but he was still a critically ill patient who had only just woken from the brink of death.

His father was not an unfeeling person. Naturally, Astin had expected him to come visit his sickroom in person.

‘If he is calling for me despite my condition, there must be another reason.’

As though noticing Astin’s thoughts, the head butler added,

“The young ladies have also been summoned. He ordered all three of you to gather.”

Astin’s eyes narrowed.

Gathering the direct bloodline of the family in one place did not sound like a simple check-in or expedition report.

What was Father thinking?

As Astin pondered Valdemar’s intentions, he headed for the office.

Before long, he reached the corridor outside it. Selena and Celine had arrived first.

Selena looked at Astin with an unreadable expression.

In contrast, Celine raised both hands and waved them wildly. Her lips repeatedly formed the words, “Brother!”

Valdemar was inside, so she could not say it aloud.

Astin approached and gave them a small nod. His head was still full of questions.

“My adorable-as-hell Celine. Did Father tell you anything beforehand?”

“Tell me what?”

Celine tilted her head.

If this was merely to ask after Astin, only Astin needed to be called. If it was to reward their merits, only Astin and Selena needed to be called.

There was no reason to summon all three at once.

At those words, Celine crossed her arms and hummed thoughtfully.

“Actually, I ran into the House Head in the corridor this morning. I think it might be because of what we talked about then.”

“What did you talk about?”

Celine pressed her lips together before finally speaking.

“I said that the three of us would go flower viewing together. We were going without the House Head, so maybe he felt left out. Um... maybe he worked up the courage to call us here so he could ask to come along? I think I would have, if it were me.”

“...”

“No, no. Thinking about it again, I don’t think that’s it. I mean, I would have done that, but the House Head is...”

“Right. I don’t think that’s it either.”

“Ah! Could he be planning to have another family portrait painted?”

That did not seem right either, but Astin did not say it aloud.

Celine tapped her cheek with an index finger. Tap, tap.

Astin hummed along too, adding to their collective brainpower.

They really did not know.

Unlike her younger siblings, who were making guesses, Selena had already reached a conclusion.

‘The House Head must have made his decision.’

There was only one reason to gather the direct bloodline of the family. He had decided on the heir.

The next head of Cardenos had been Selena’s lifelong dream.