eQB5XxW9

1The letter was written in characters he had never seen before, but the words soon wiggled around and transformed into Korean. There were times when Synchronization took a second or two to happen, so Seol Jihu didn’t find it too surprising.
2
3—I heard from the temple that you came back. You didn’t pick up when I called you, so I’m leaving you this message. You remember our promise, right? Come to my place tonight for dinner….
4
5A look of surprise and joy flashed in Seol Jihu’s face. The tone of the letter was light, almost like someone inviting their neighbor to catch up over dinner.
6
7The problem was that the sender was Teresa Hussey. In other words, he would need to go to the royal palace and potentially meet the king. The Haramark Royal Family was famous for abandoning formalities after their conflict with Earthlings, but the word ‘royal palace’ carried weight in Seol Jihu’s head.
8
9Even though the letter said to come comfortably, there was an invisible pressure weighing down on him as an average person going to a palace. However, for Teresa’s sake, he couldn’t skip out, and to be honest, he kind of wanted to go as well.
10
11Seol Jihu read the letter until the end. When he read the final two lines, ‘P.S. Don’t go back after dinner! Come hit up a special dessert with me so we can digest what we ate ♥’, a chuckle escaped his mouth.
12
13‘Good thing I brought something nice to wear.’
14
15It was an invitation from the royal palace. Not wanting to embarrass himself by acting like a fool, Seol Jihu headed to the library to study basic decorum.
16
17*
18
19After finishing up his afternoon training early, Seol Jihu washed himself clean. Since he didn’t know what would happen at the palace, he filled his belly up a tiny bit too. At the very least, he wanted to avoid eating mindlessly like that time he ate with Yun Seora.
20
21He changed into the clothes he picked out beforehand. As soon as he looked at himself in the mirror and thought, ‘Good, perfect’, something unexpected happened. He was about to head out, but a giant man was standing in front of the door.
22
23Of course, it wasn’t all that surprising for Carpe Diem’s office to have visitors, but….
24
25“Are you the Earthling known as Seol?”
26
27His well-toned muscles were protruding out from his 2-meter tall figure, and a long scar from a blade stretched across his nose. Just looking at his appearance, he didn’t seem like he would lose fighting an orc one on one.
28
29“I’m Jan Sanctus. I’ve come to escort you under Princess Teresa’s orders.”
30
31He had a tough voice befitting his intimidating appearance. Hearing that the Princess sent him, Seol Jihu put down the spear he subconsciously raised up.
32
33“Will you come?”
34
35He asked rather bluntly. Seol Jihu regained his composure and answered.
36
37“Of course.”
38
39“Follow me. I will guide you.”
40
41Just like that, Seol Jihu followed Yan Sanctus and entered the premises of the Haramark Royal Palace.
42
43‘Everyone’s so busy.’
44
45It was dinner time, yet the palace seemed very busy. He could often see people running about in a haste and others who were urgently shouting at a communication crystal.
46
47The atmosphere was completely different compared to the city. By walking through the palace gate, he felt like he entered a whole new world.
48
49‘Who would have thought so much is going on behind the wall?’
50
51Haramark was well known for having a strong local color even with the presence of a royal family. But as expected of the home of a king, it had all the right appearances befitting a palace.
52
53Seol Jihu asked quietly while walking through a long corridor.
54
55“Is there anything I need to watch out for in the palace?”
56
57Although he already looked up Paradise’s decorum in the library, he still asked just to be sure.
58
59“No.”
60
61Jan Sanctus returned a brusque answer. Rather than hostile, he seemed to be cold naturally.
62
63“You just have to not point your weapons at them or curse them out.”
64
65“…Doesn’t that go without saying?”
66
67“All I’m saying is that you only have to keep basic manners.”
68
69Jan Sanctus looked back at the youth.
70
71“Earthlings aren’t like us. My Lord acknowledged and accepted the difference in culture between Earth and Paradise. As long as you keep basic manners that anyone would know, there won’t be any problems.”
72
73They arrived at the entrance after a brief conversation.
74
75Apparently, when the Haramark Palace was being constructed, an emphasis was placed on aspects of communal life rather than functionalities, war, or solitary living.
76
77Jan Sanctus left once he guided Seol Jihu to the grand hall. Once Seol Jihu went inside, he was able to see a young woman wearing a pink dress, as well as a middle-aged man sitting on a throne being attended by two maids.
78
79Teresa gave a beaming smile when she saw the youth, but his attention was somewhere else.
80
81‘So that’s….’
82
83He met the middle-aged man’s calm eyes that also seemed to carry a spark of fire. Unlike Teresa, he had blonde hair and beard, which was groomed neatly.
84
85Prihi Hussey, the king of Haramark, one of the seven kingdoms that survived the foreign races’ invasion.
86
87“Are you the Earthling named Seol?”
88
89A clear voice resounded. His willowy appearance made him look more like a scholar than a warrior.
90
91“There’s no need.”
92
93When Seol Jihu tried to get on his knees, the king immediately stopped him.
94
95“On Earth, I heard that people are the owners of a nation, while the king exists to serve the people. I respect their culture.”
96
97Seol Jihu was surprised by his humble manner of speech. He obediently got up.
98
99“It is my honor, Your Majesty.”
100
101When he spoke with a slight bow, Prihi chuckled.
102
103“Your honor, huh. I understand what you mean by that, but it’s fine. Think of me as a village head… or if even that is not enough to make you comfortable, think of me as whatever you’d like.”
104
105The word ‘whatever’ was quite a tricky one. He felt like he was just told, ‘put however much salt you want’ in cooking.
106
107Prihi Hussey calmly stared at the youth before opening his mouth.
108
109“First, I would like to express my gratitude for your deeds. I’ve heard what you have done for this world.”
110
111“You’re too kind.”
112
113From the way he talked, it seemed he was aware of his position as a king. Seol Jihu was quite glad to learn this as he was somewhat worried the king might act like a backstreet hoodlum like his daughter.
114
115“I would also like to thank you for responding to our summons. You see, my daughter kept pestering me about wanting to meet you.”
116
117He made it sound like Teresa forced him. Prihi used both hands to slowly push himself off of his throne.
118
119“Then, let us go.”
120
121“Pardon?”
122
123“We invited you under the pretext of a dinner. How could we let our guest starve while talking about boring things?”
124
125He talked somewhat jokingly as he waved his hand around. When Seol Jihu gazed at him dazedly, Teresa skipped over to him.
126
127“Heh, aren’t you too tense?”
128
129‘Am I?’ Seol Jihu rubbed his face. His facial muscles indeed felt a little tighter than usual.
130
131“You don’t need to be so formal. Just relax. We’re just going to chitchat while we eat.”
132
133For some reason, Teresa’s eyes seemed to be sparkling with anticipation. She carefully grabbed his arm as if to link arms.
134
135“Let’s go.”
136
137He wouldn’t describe the food as delicacies, but all sorts of appetizing dishes were placed on top of a long table with a white tablecloth.
138
139Prihi asked a few questions that had nothing to do with the state of affairs, but because Seol Jihu was too busy paying attention to the way he talked, he had no clue what food he was stuffing into his mouth.
140
141Of course, he thought he was doing a pretty good job, but Teresa only smiled wryly. As someone who once ruled the high society filled with shameless scheming and secret strife, she was immediately able to tell that the young man in front of her was paying too much attention to being courteous. There was no need to even mention Prihi.
142
143“Looks like our hero doesn’t find the food to his liking.”
144
145“No, they’re excellent.”
146
147Seol Jihu immediately refuted, but Prihi continued without batting an eye.
148
149“It looks like I’ll have to do something about it. As the one who invited you, I have the duty to help you relax. Let’s see…. Ah, why don’t we talk about something?”
150
151Prihi spoke as if he just remembered something.
152
153“Have you heard of the past conflict between Earthlings and the Haramark Royal Family?”
154
155Prihi said he would help the young man relax, but the topic he brought up made him tense up more. Seol Jihu opened his mouth.
156
157“If you are talking about the revolt, I have indeed heard about it.”
158
159“Right, let’s skip the details and talk about the outcome. Sinyoung helped create a room for negotiation between the two groups. You see, since it was meant to be a place of reconciliation, I thought they would at least keep the minimal decorum.”
160
161“Did something happen?”
162
163“Yes, I’ve never experienced such disrespect before. Rather than sending the ringleader of the revolt, they sent some bastard I’ve never seen. Still, I revealed my identity out of courtesy first. And when I asked for his name, this is what he said: ‘Nice to meet you, Haramark’s King.’”
164
165Seeing Seol Jihu confused look, Prihi cleared his throat before continuing.
166
167“‘My name is Prihi’s Belly King-Sized Belly.’”
168
169“Pft.”
170
171Cough. When Seol Jihu coughed and looked up, he saw Prihi calmly slicing his steak. He didn’t seem to be joking.
172
173“…Did that really happen?”
174
175“I’m not talented enough to make up such stories. The people who know this story are too many to count. Ah, there’s a live witness right here.”
176
177When Prirhi looked at Teresa, she immediately nodded her head.
178
179“He’s right. It was so shocking that I still remember it clearly.”
180
181“I can’t believe….”
182
183“That’s not all. The bitch sitting next to that bastard went a step further and said this with a smirk, ‘Nice to meet you. My name is Teresa Pink.’”
184
185“Princess.”
186
187Seol Jihu quickly cut her off. However, Teresa wasn’t fazed in the slightest.
188
189“Just listen, the pink part doesn’t matter all that much. So after saying that, she….”
190
191“Princess!”
192
193Seol Jihu’s voice went up. Teresa shrugged her shoulders, while Seol Jihu massaged his temples and asked the king.
194
195“You stayed silent, Your Majesty?”
196
197“The man insisted his name was Prihi’s Belly while his surname was King-Sized Belly. Once he got angry and asked if we were making fun of the name he received from his parents, there wasn’t much we could say.”
198
199“What a bunch of psychopaths.”
200
201“I agree. They’re a bunch of lunatics.”
202
203Prihi agreed with dignity.
204
205“But that’s when I began to realize how the Earthlings thought of this world. A fun game. Nothing more, nothing less.”
206
207He suddenly rubbed his beard.
208
209“Well… We got to learn an important piece of info because of it.”
210
211“By that, you mean…?”
212
213Prihi continued.
214
215“We found out they had a spy in the palace.”
216
217Hearing this, Seol Jihu fell in thought. The king found out there was a spy because of the rude man making up such an absurd name? That was hard to understand.
218
219“Why did you think so?”
220
221“Think about it. If they didn’t have a spy in the palace, they would not have known about our physical traits so clearly.”
222
223Prihi said in a firm tone.
224
225“He’s right. Since they were able to acquire information about our private regions, the spy must have been fairly close to us.”
226
227Teresa added bashfully.
228
229“….”
230
231Seol Jihu gave up on thinking.
232
233“We were angry… but we laughed and let it slide. We refused to give in to such an obvious provocation.”
234
235“I see…. That must have been tough.”
236
237“It certainly wasn’t easy. But this is quite a surprise. The Earthlings I’ve met so far giggled whenever I told them this story.”
238
239“My apologies. I do not believe it’s a laughing matter.”
240
241Seol Jihu was straightforward. Prihi stared at him fixedly.
242
243“…You don’t need to apologize.”
244
245Just when it was looking like the conversation was coming to an end….
246
247“Oh, yes, I heard you slept with my daughter.”
248
249The king’s sudden question made Seol Jihu calmly spat out the water he was drinking. He thought that was certainly better than spraying it everywhere.
250
251“…Your Majesty.”
252
253“Hm? What’s up with that sour look? From what Teresa told me….”
254
255Seol Jihu quickly turned to Teresa. She was acting embarrassed with her hands over her cheeks.
256
257‘Why is she blushing…. No, why is she pretending to be coy all of a sudden?’
258
259When he stared at her intently, Teresa shook her head.
260
261“Geez, Father, say we shared a bed. Sleeping… that’s too candid.”
262
263“What are you talking about… I understand the phrasing was a bit explicit, but you’re the one who told me to….”
264
265Suddenly, the end of his speech blurred. Prihi dropped his head and groaned, but Teresa played with her steak knife as if nothing happened.
266
267“That hurt.”
268
269“Hoho, I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
270
271“Hm, I should’ve known from when you put on a dress for the first time in eight years.”
272
273“I told you to say it jokingly to help him relax. Who told you to say it so bluntly? Ah, how embarrassing.”
274
275Words Seol Jihu couldn’t understand went back and forth.
276
277‘What did I expect….’
278
279He smacked his lips. He experienced it when he met the Princess for the first time, but… they were quite an extraordinary father and daughter duo.
280
281“I apologize for the unsightly behavior.”
282
283Prihi sighed and brought a piece of cloth to wipe his mouth.
284
285“Anyways… there’s no need to be so tense. This isn’t a place for punishment or arrest. Rather, it is a place to grant awards befitting one’s achievements.”
286
287The king spoke in somewhat of a heavy tone. Seol Jihu wanted to tell him it was too late to act dignified, but what actually came out of his mouth was “Thank you for your kindness.”
288
289“At first, I thought the rumors were exaggerated.”
290
291Prihi spoke as he put down his napkin.
292
293“But since Teresa said the same thing, I had no choice but to believe it. I’m not so doubtful as to not trust the words of my own blood.”
294
295“I’m humbled, Your Majesty.”
296
297“…Can you stop with that way of talking, please?”
298
299“Pardon?”
300
301“I got used to the Earthling’s culture after years of painstaking effort. Trying to match the proprieties of my position is only confusing me.”
302
303In Paradise, the concept of nobility was faint. Even if one looked to find one, they would only come up with a lord in charge of a large town. Even then, the lord would be close to a village head.
304
305Furthermore, many Paradisians had either died in the long war or escaped their birthplace to survive.
306
307‘…So this is why.’
308
309Seol Jihu began to understand why the Haramark Royal Family abandoned formalities. He spoke quietly.
310
311“Got it.”
312
313*
314
315The dinner ended quietly. The maids cleaned up the table and brought out tea. After enjoying a sip, Prihi put his cup down before opening his mouth.
316
317“The Haramark Royal Family is always fair when it comes to rewards and punishments.”
318
319“….”
320
321“Your achievements…. Yes, you saved the Ramman Village, came up with the plan for the rescue operation and helped greatly in the rescue and the subsequent destruction of the laboratory….’
322
323Hearing Prihi’s words, Seol Jihu felt an unknown sense of incongruity. The way he was listing out his achievements… how should he say this, rather than for praising him, it felt like it was for a clear payout.
324
325Prihi ruined the mood by throwing in jokes here and there, but for some unknown reason, the king looked like someone who had ‘given up’ since the first time they met.
326
327“After much deliberation on rewards befitting your achievements, I came to a conclusion.”
328
329When talk of his reward came up, Seol Jihu’s ears perked up.
330
331“I truly hope you like it.”
332
333Despite saying this, Prihi sounded confident that Seol Jihu would love it. He gestured at his maid, who promptly returned with a plate covered by a white cloth. Seol Jihu’s eyes opened wide.
334
335“This is….”
336
337A quiet moan escaped his mouth. Sitting on the plate was a rectangular, shining bar of pure gold that emitted a reddish light. Seol Jihu was entranced by its beauty, yet he couldn’t keep his eyes open properly.
338
339‘A gold bar?’
340
341Considering how jealous Chohong and Hugo were of a pinky-sized piece of gold, a whole gold bar was well beyond his imaginations.
342
343Gulp. He swallowed hard, and his Adam’s Apple twitched. On Earth, the power of money was absolute. Although Paradise was currently in a state of war, the value of gold shouldn’t be any less.
344
345‘With this….’
346
347It would be quicker to count the things he couldn’t do rather than counting what he could do.
348
349Greed slowly rose from the young man’s eyes. At that moment, a thought crossed his mind.
350
351“…Ah.”
352
353Seol Jihu suddenly closed his mouth. His ecstatic expression disappeared, replaced by a frown. He stared at the gold bar with a complicated expression.
354
355“This item is extremely easy to convert to Earth’s currency. In terms of gold coins, I believe it should be… hm?”
356
357Prihi stopped when he looked at the young man.
358
359“Do you not like the reward?”
360
361“…Pardon? Ah, no.”
362
363Seol Jihu shook his head vigorously as if the notion was absurd.
364
365“You don’t look satisfied.”
366
367“No, it’s not that….”
368
369“Hm, then what? If there is something you want, then speak without reserve.”
370
371Hearing Prihi’s benevolent voice, Seol Jihu stared at the gold bar conflictingly and nibbled on his lower lip.
372
373[We don’t have a place to go. We’re not living outside the city because we like it.]
374
375There was the village head who gave his precious rudium to make a foothold for the rescue mission’s success. But… couldn’t he be satisfied with buying food and sending it to the village?
376
377[Come again.]
378
379There was the ghost saintess who saved his life and became the Gift-Giving Tree. But… but….
380
381After much internal conflict, he activated Nine Eyes instinctively. When he saw the gold bar, his face contorted and he went “Ah!”
382
383Soon, Seol Jihu let out a deep sigh. He then opened his mouth, a bit calmer than before.
384
385“There’s something I need to tell you.”