"The timing on that really was perfect. I do kind of wonder if he still would have had that look of disbelief on his face after I asked that question, if Raon hadn't asked his right at the same time or if he would have been able to maintain his usual stoic look," Alberu mumbled to himself.
"He probably would have looked at you like you were stupid instead of in disbelief," Tasha commented after hearing her nephew's quite words.
"True. That does seem like something he would do," Alberu agreed.
Chapter 47: Somehow (5)
Prince Alberu could see that Cale Henituse suddenly had an expression of disbelief as Cale answered back.
"...I am human?"
"Pfft. What's with the question?" Bud* asked.
"I was still shocked at the time," Cale muttered in his defense. Chuckles filled the room at his reply and the red tint to his face.
It was an expression that seemed to be asking why the prince was asking such a stupid question. Alberu subconsciously let out a sigh.
"Sigh. Right, of course you are human."
Cale could see Alberu point at both of them before continuing to speak.
"You and I are both human."
"That just made you more suspicious," Kim Rok Soo* pointed out.
"Right? I mean, it's not something you would have even bothered to mention, if you were human," Kim Rok Soo agreed.
"That's true. Deliberately mentioning that you are human does sort of come across as a bit strange," Cale* agreed.
"I was confused since I could sometimes smell some odd scents not usually associated with humans around him and thought it was coming from Cale," Alberu grumbled.
The Black Dragon spoke into Cale's mind at that moment.
– That is a lie. He is not completely human.
"It wasn't a complete lie. I am still more than half human," Alberu defended himself.
"Still wasn't the whole truth though," Raon pointed out.
Alberu sighed and just accepted Raon's words. As the adult in this situation, it's best if he is not seen as someone who would argue with a child. His princely dignity has already taken a hit from how often he is seen bickering with his dongsaeng and that ridiculously embarrassing moment where the four brats ganged up on him to tease him.
"You are correct. I was not telling the whole truth there," Alberu admitted.
'Little Dragon, can you please stop?'
At Raon's look Cale started speaking.
"The information you shared was always useful in one way or another. I was just complaining to myself since it seemed like it would bring more work my way knowing about it."
He then gave the little dragon a pat on the head (followed by one for the other three sitting with him) and turned back to the screen.
Cale was having a difficult time maintaining his composure. However, a critical weakness existed between Cale and the Black Dragon. The Black Dragon could talk to Cale whenever he wanted to do so, but Cale was unable to talk back to the dragon. It was a one-way communication.
It was his fault for lacking any magic skills.
"Yes and no on that. You didn't originally possess any magic skills as Kim Rok Soo, but having transmigrated into my body, the lack of magic skills could technically be blamed on me," Kim Rok Soo remarked.
"True, but it's not like I would have put in the effort to have learned any even if your body did possess a talent for magic," Cale pointed out. "Ancient powers are much more my style."
"They do suit you well," Alberu agreed. "Though, it'd be nice if you stopped overdoing it with them all the time."
"I agree with my student, Cale-nim," Choi Han said.
"Me too, human," Raon added while the rest of their family all nodded and made their own comments in agreement.
– This is my first time seeing a race with such an atmosphere around them in this great Dragon's four years of life.
The dragon's four years of life. The Black Dragon had only seen himself, humans, and the Cat Tribe and Wolf Tribe members he recently met.
"I've met many more races now and even if this great and mighty me finds a race I don't know again, I'll be sure to figure out what they are and if they want to harm our family," Raon declared proudly.
"We'll help, dongsaeng," On stated while Hong said words of agreement.
"You can always ask me, little kid," Eruhaben commented.
"That's right. Goldie Gramps is old and he should know all of them," Raon happily said.
"If there ever comes a time when even his knowledge isn't enough, you can always ask me as well," Sheritt told her son.
"Your mother is from ancient times and would most likely have knowledge of races that have been in hiding or thought to have been extinct since before my own birth," Eruhaben agreed.
At Eruhaben's words, Raon and Dodam's^ eyes opened wide.
"Wow. M-m-mom is a-amazing," Dodam^ stuttered.
"Yeah," Raon agreed.
Sheritt smiled happily at the praise from her children and sent a grateful nod Eruhaben's way.
The crown prince was not any of those species. Cale started to speak toward the crown prince who was looking at him.
"Of course. Is there much to being human? We're all human if we live amongst each other."
Many smiled at those words.
"It still kind of amazes me to know there is someone out there that doesn't care one bit about someone's race," Witria* commented.
"I know. It's weird," Archie* agreed.
"I guess it would be strange for all of you still," Witria said. "We've all gotten used to it as something normal at this point."
"More than that actually. Many in our world have slowly started changing the way they view other races as well," Cage pointed out.
"That's right. The different races and tribes of our world do have much better relationships with each other now," Litana agreed.
"Even the Church of the Sun Goddess accepts those with the darkness attribute now," Jack remarked.
"That's also something that's going to take me a while to get used to," Alberu* stated.
"Ah, since it's pretty clear that I don't have a double in your group, that most likely means that my sister and I never got away from the Empire and Arm, so there wouldn't be a Saint in your world to convey the Sun Goddess' changed ideology," Jack said sadly. "That would mean the church would still be against those with the darkness attribute in your world."
"I'm sure she will make her will known to her followers, so you don't have to worry that they will be persecuted by the church there indefinitely. It will take time for the change to happen though, so you may want to keep Mary and the Dark Elves a secret until after the war has begun. Then you can reveal them to your world as allies and heroes," Cale suggested.
"Thank you for the suggestion, we will be sure to keep that in mind," Alberu* said.
"They should still be able to move covertly and dealing with Wind Island should still be fine," Cale mentioned. "That should be one of the first things you do since prolonging Eruhaben-nim's* life is important."
A small smile unconsciously bloomed on Eruhaben's* lips as Cale finished talking and unfamiliar emotions bubbled up in his chest.
"Ahem. Thank you for your consideration. I suppose it would be wise to extend my life by a couple years, so that I can do my duty since there are demons involved," Eruhaben replied after clearing his throat.
"It would be best if you didn't attempt to save the jar for the others to use," Cale said with a pointed look in his direction. "As the eldest in that world, you will be needed when it comes time to face the White Star and the power you will need to use while facing the White Star requires you to be in your best possible state. Only extending your life by a couple years will not be enough for you to be able to safely and efficiently deal with the White Bastard."
The fact that his world lacked a little black dragon to help went unsaid, but Eruhaben* clearly understood that he would be needed to fill the gap the little one left.
"He is correct. I attempted the same in my world and while it's less than pleasant to admit it, the fact that I was still near the end of my life limited my ability to fight at my full strength," Eruhaben agreed.
Looking into his counterpart's eyes reinforced the truth of those statements. With a heavy sigh, Eruhaben* spoke again.
"I understand. I will make sure to survive to the end of this war."
Cale gave a satisfied nod at his words and turned back to the screen. Eruhaben* continued to watch the redhead for a moment longer while that strange warmth filled his chest before he turned to face the screen again. As he did, he happened to see the fond smile on a face that looked so similar and yet so different to his own.
'Ah. So that's what it is. In my 1,000 years of life, I never thought the day I was fond of a human would come.'
Cale made up his mind to forget about what the Black Dragon had said. Prince Alberu quietly looked toward Cale before starting to speak.
"You are right. There really isn't much to being human. However."
However. But. Cale was wondering if he could stop hearing these words. Prince Alberu started to speak to Cale as he was contemplating.
"I thought I was mistaken at the banquet hall, but there are some weird smells around you."
"Is that a Dark Elf thing?" Kim Woo* asked.
"Yes. Well, at least that's why I can smell the different scents of nature on him," Alberu answered. "And it's not just Dark Elves that can smell the scent of nature on him."
"That's true. We Elves can smell it as well," Adite said.
"Dragons can too," Dodori proudly declared.
"Us Vampires can smell how special my son's blood is," Fredo added.
"Huh. You learn something new every day. I thought he was saying Cale needed a shower," Lee Chul Min* whispered to Park Jin Tae*, completely ignoring the creepy Vampire's statement.
"Maybe he was and is just saving face now that everyone knows about it," Park Jin Tae* suggested, also choosing to ignore the Vampire.
"That could be it," Lee Chul Min* agreed. "Let's go with that. It's more amusing that way too."
"...Smell?"
Cale responded with shock.
"I just showered."
"Pfft. Even Cale thought the prince dude was saying he smelled," Lee Chul Min* said with a laugh.
"He actually might have after the terror attack. He was kind of covered in dust from the wind from the first explosion as well as the second explosions and then he sat on the ground right after that," Park Jin Tae* pointed out.
"True. Wouldn't really be surprising if he did and it's kind of understandable in a situation like that too," Lee Chul Min* agreed.
The crown prince opened and closed his mouth a couple times without saying anything after hearing Cale's retort. Cale could see the wrinkles on Alberu's forehead from frowning. He looked like he was contemplating something. However, he erased any traces of it from his face and got to the point of the matter.
"I was trying to figure out if you really had no idea what I was talking about or if you were playing dumb," Alberu explained.
"I can honestly say that I had no idea what you meant there," Cale said happily.
"I can see that," Alberu replied.
"It's amusing just how many instances of someone overthinking something or jumping to conclusions have happened so far and this is still only the beginning," Harol* mentioned.
"I have a feeling that there will be so very many more such instances over the two years the war lasts for them," Cage* agreed.
"I don't think there's a need for two people who are similar like us to try to sugar coat things. So, what do you want as your reward?"
Alberu crossed his arms as he asked Cale. The reason Alberu had come here so late had to do with dealing with the aftermath of the incident, but it was also because he had to look at the files regarding Cale Henituse.
"Those were completely useless. They were useless to begin with, but doubly so considering the fact that it's not even the same person the files had information on," Alberu sighed. "Would have been better to just go in blind than with the wrong information."
"Yep. Cale and I may be a bit similar in personality and a few other aspects, but we have very different ways of dealing with things," Kim Rok Soo said.
"They aren't really that different," Kim Min Ah commented. "While you are a bit more shameless in the way you deal with the annoying bastards that try and pull shit, neither of you ever take it from them and always put them in their place and even if you have different ways of showing it, you both take good care of those under you."
The rest of Team 1 all nodded their agreement with her statement.
"They are similar and yet still different, like brothers," Bae Puh Rum added.
Many nods from around the room met those words.
However, there was nothing on Cale. Well, there was something, but it was useless.
< Famous in the Northeast for being trash. >
Cale* and Kim Rok Soo smile happily at those words. They are quite proud their act was good enough to make it into the file on them the royal family uses.
Cale smiles happily at being acknowledged as trash in the royal files, completely forgetting the fact that those files only had information from before he took over as Cale Henituse.
Kim Rok Soo* looks at his three idiot siblings smiling so happily and shakes his head. There's no hope for them, but he's definitely going to become a slacker and live a peaceful life.
< Completely pushed out of the successor position two years ago but shows no complaints about the decision. >
Three out of the four members of the troublesome quartet smiled brightly after reading that line.
"That's exactly what I was aiming for, so of course I wasn't going to complain," Kim Rok Soo said.
"Same here. That's what I wanted to happen the whole time, so no complaining from me," Cale* commented.
"Lazing around as the slacking older brother of the territory lord is what I wanted, so complaining is out of the question. Ah, I will still help with some of the external affairs though, so don't worry about that, Basen," Cale told his brother.
"Thank you, hyung," Basen replied with a smile.
The rest of their watching family members smiled fondly at the softie making sure to help his little brother.
< No signs of trying to cause issues in the home. >
"I wanted to be known as trash to help Basen secure the position of lord, not make my family suffer at home," Kim Rok Soo remarked.
"I never wanted our home to become a place my family couldn't relax and feel at home in," Cale* added.
"Thank you, son, for being so kind and considerate to your foolish family," Deruth* said with a grateful smile on his face at having such a wonderful son and a sad look in his eyes at how poorly he has managed to convey his love to his child. He can't change the past or erase his mistakes, but he can, hopefully, fix them and not make them again.
Cale* returned his father's smile with happiness shining in his eyes.
"Thank you as well, son. Just know that you are always family and will have a home with us should you ever need it. You and your niece," Deruth said.
"Thank you, father," Kim Rok Soo replied with his own smile.
Maybe someday he'd be able to return for a visit. It might be possible.
It just said Cale Henituse was trash who liked to fool around and drink. That was worse than having no information. The Cale in front of Alberu was not trash.
"It really was worse than no information. Made me wonder if we could actually trust the sources that gathered our information for us," Alberu explained. "He was just far too different than what we knew about him."
For example, take the way he responded to the prince's question.
"Your highness, can you please explain what I will need to do for you first?"
There was no way a trash would ask something like this. Alberu answered honestly.
"I want you to not say anything to the nobles."
"You didn't even need to ask him not to say anything to the nobles. Dealing with most of them is one of his least favorite things to do," Rosalyn pointed out.
"True. He's really good at it though," Alberu agreed while also fantasizing about how much easier things would go with Cale as his Prime Minister.
He then immediately dismissed the idea as a terrible one. Cale would be a nightmare in that position. He'd have so many incidents to clean up after. The efficiency in managing the paperwork and such is not worth the terror his dongsaeng would cause in the role.
That was the hardest thing. That was why this was the crown's request to Cale and why they were willing to wager Cale's reward with it. Today's events were embarrassing for the crown and they could not let this affect their position of power.
"It's true that it is embarrassing to have failed to properly protect everyone or prevent the attack before it could happen, but the nobles should be sharing in that embarrassment. They hold positions in the government too and if they didn't know about it to stop it, how could the royal family? They aren't suddenly omnipotent beings just because they are royal," Cale pointed out.
Those nobles of the Roan Kingdom in the group that would have used the incident to gain an upper hand over the royal family flush in embarrassment while making sure to avoid the eye of a certain commander.
That was why he was asking Cale for this, and he was able to ask Cale this because Cale was part of the Henituse family that was not part of any faction.
"They are now," Marquis Ailan's son pointed out.
"Not really. They support Cale, not me," Alberu countered.
"But he's supporting you, so that makes them in your faction with the other northeast nobles following them also in your faction," Ailan's son insisted.
"The Henituse family is not leading a faction. The northeastern nobles are free to support whomever they wish," Deruth stated. "If they follow our example, it is because they have made the choice to."
"My support for Alberu is because of his genuine love for the Roan Kingdom and all of its people," Cale remarked. "If he had only wanted power for the sake of having power, I would have kept everything to myself and tried to manage without the support of the crown."
"Son," Marquis Ailan called out. "Stop your whining and act as befits your age and position. Young master Cale's choice was the correct one for the kingdom."
"Yes, father." With those words, the Marquis' son shut his mouth and reflected on his actions. The red coloring his cheeks and ears spoke to his embarrassment at being called out for acting immature in front of everyone.
"I also want you to praise the crown every so often if you are asked."
"And by crown, you meant you," Bud teased.
"Of course I did. I would be a fool to give up an opportunity like that when it presented itself. It was time for me to start gathering my power," Alberu confirmed.
"Including speaking about your very understanding nature, your highness?"
"Of course."
One corner of both Alberu and Cale's lips started to go up as they started to smile. Their smiles were pretty similar.
"They were really similar smiles," Raon agreed with the words. "It was my first time to see someone with a smile like my human's, so I remember it very clearly."
"That may have been the first time the two had similar smiles, but it's definitely not the last," Tasha said as she remembered several occasions when the two really looked like the siblings they claimed to be.
"Since it is an ancient power, isn't what you revealed today the extent of your power?"
"Of course. It is useless for anything else."
"Nope. Not even slightly," Archie refuted.
"Your shield is much more powerful than that, young master Cale," Mary commented.
"And that's not even mentioning all your other powers," Paseton added.
"At that time, it wasn't as strong and I didn't have any other ancient powers I could use for anything other than healing myself," Cale pointed out.
"I suppose that's true," Archie conceded.
Cale shrugged his shoulders at Alberu's inspecting gaze even though he was the one to answer. Based on what Cale read in the novel, Crown Prince Alberu knew more about ancient powers than most people.
"I'm pretty sure the dragon-nims and Marquis Stan know much more about ancient powers than I do," Alberu mentioned.
"I did study every scrap about them that I could find for years, so that's to be expected," Taylor pointed out. "And we can't really compare ourselves to the dragons."
'Now that I think about it, the Healing Star was given to him by his mother.'
All three versions of Alberu had matching soft smiles on their faces at the memory of their mother.
The smile on all three Zeds' faces were similar to their sons', only somewhat sadder.
Cale recalled this memory that suddenly popped into his mind. The crown prince had asked what he wanted as a reward. The tone of Alberu's voice made it sound like he would probably agree to anything, yet Alberu seemed comfortable.
"What is it that you want? Something for your family? My agreement to invest in the Northeastern Shoreline? Or settling the battle for power in the Northeast?"
"None of the above," Bud said with a laugh while trying to picture Cale ever accepting any of those things as a reward. He's pretty sure he'd accept something for his family or people if it was to save them, but not just for the sake of gaining power in politics.
That was why Cale responded back comfortably as well.
"None of those belong to me, your highness."
"That's pretty much the response we got when we offered him the sea route," Witria commented.
"Probably the response everyone gets when they offer him similar things," Archie added while everyone agreed.
"...It doesn't belong to you?"
Cale pointed to himself as Alberu stared at him.
"Please give it to me."
What Cale wanted was something he needed for himself.
"Money," Many voices throughout the room said at the same time.
"That's right. In order to have a proper slacker life, money is essential. The more the better too," Cale said with a serious look on his face.
The way he said it and the look on his face, as if he was a professor standing in front of his eager to learn pupils, had everyone bursting out laughing much to a certain redhead's confusion.
Alberu, who was silent for a moment, let out a snort. He had figured out what this trash wanted from him. Although Cale had lived as trash, humans, no, all living existences, wished to aim for greater heights and take control of everything.
"That doesn't apply to young master Cale at all. Pretty sure he's happier letting everyone else deal with all the paperwork and headaches that come with being in charge," Bud said while chortling.
"All he wishes for is that nonexistent slacker life," Lee Chul Min* whispered to his cohort while snickering quietly.
"Shhh. Don't burst the poor guys bubble. Let him dream for a little bit," Park Jin Tae* whispered back. "Reality will slap him in the face one of these days."
"It's his own fault too since he just can't seem to keep his nose out of everything," Lee Chul Min* added.
"Then it is technically possible for him to have that slacker life. He just needs to take care of every possible issue that would cause issues in the world and then, voilà, slacker life achieved," Park Jin Tae* said with a chuckle.
"In that case, fighting," Lee Chul Min* finished their conversation with his own chuckle.
In the end, Cale was the most important to himself, more than his family or the people around him.
"We wish," Choi Han muttered quietly.
"That's not true at all," Eruhaben quietly sighed.
"He says that, but always does the opposite," Deruth softly grumbled.
"If that were the case, we wouldn't be here right now," Violan whispered under her breath.
"I was so far off the mark there it's not even funny," Alberu shook his head while saying those quiet words.
Many softly mumbled words filled the room as Cale's friends and family all wished he'd put himself and his own personal safety first sometimes.
Meanwhile, said redhead was obliviously enjoying the selection of snacks his children had brought him.
"Then what is it you want? A higher title? A medal? Do you want to have your own faction in the capital?"
"Absolutely none of those," Cale said with a shudder after finally looking back up at the screen with his chosen snacks in hand.
"I know better now, dongsaeng. Those are to be used as threats instead of rewards when it comes to you," Alberu said with a grin.
"You say that, but I'm pretty sure you wouldn't like the amount of paperwork I could generate with a title," Cale grinned back. "Think about all the paperwork I generated while I had the title of commander."
"You're right," Alberu said with a grimace. "I would only be punishing myself."
Alberu's expression turned odd as he asked. Contrary to Alberu's expectations, Cale shook his head no at Alberu's suggestions. It meant that none of them were correct. He then said a single word.
"Money."
"...What?"
"Another instance of the ever so eloquent crown prince's glib tongue failing him when it comes to young master Cale and his ability to say something completely unexpected," Bud* said with a laugh.
"Haaaa....you won't be laughing when it's our turn," Bud sighed.
"Fuck. I keep forgetting you are part of his group since I've only met him here," Bud* grumbled. "Oh well. Hopefully you at least make it an interesting event."
"I thought it was fun. At least it was when we first met. Didn't stay that way though. It turned into worry when the guy didn't come back like he was supposed to," Bud said.
"I take it that something big happened?" Bud* asked.
"That was the Wind Island incident we mentioned before," His counterpart answered.
"I've got to admit I'm looking forward to reading about that," Bud* admitted.
"It is pretty epic and that's just the parts I know," Bud added.
Cale accurately laid it out for Alberu. For someone like Cale whose greatest desire was to live a peaceful life, this was what mattered most to him.
For the people in group 5, those words are a reminder that Cale could have left them all to fend for themselves and had that peaceful slacker life as he calls it. He could have gathered his money and hidden himself away from what he thought was just a regular war the heroes would take care of on their own. He didn't have to work hard, fight, suffer, and bleed for them and yet, he still chose to. He still saved them and they really never can repay him for all of it, but they can try for the rest of their lives.
"Please give me money. I don't want a medal or a higher title."
Cold hard cash was always the best. What would a title or medal do for him when a war was about to break out? It was much smarter to take cash and use it to buy food, land, or other material things.
"I really wish more of the nobles had figured that out faster. They were such a pain in the ass before the reality of the magnitude of that war really sunk in for them. So much squabbling for power and prestige that amounts to nothing if the kingdom doesn't survive for them to enjoy it," Alberu said with a frustrated sigh.
"They eventually figured it out," Cale pointed out.
"Only after we had to flex our muscles to put them in their place first," Alberu responded.
"True, but you know you enjoyed it," Cale retorted.
"You're right, I did," Alberu agreed.
Said nobles present remembered that incident and covered their red faces in shame.
The final ancient power Cale was aiming to get after the 'Sound of the Wind' was one that became stronger the more money he used.
"Please don't tell me you did what I think you did," Alberu said while looking at Cale.
The only reply he got was a wicked grin that had him groaning and pinching the bridge of his nose in an effort to mitigate his growing headache.
"What?" Alberu* asked his counterpart.
"Nothing. Nothing at all. Not going to think about it. I'm taking a page out of my dongsaeng's book and going to live in denial for as long as I can," Alberu replied while waving the question away.
"Cookie Prince, what would you need a page out of the God of Death's book for?" Raon asked curiously.
"..........."
"Huh?"
"Pffft."
"Hahaha."
The silence following the little dragon's words was broken by the sounds of laughter from two excommunicated priestesses and the ever so eloquent sound of confusion from a certain redhead.
"That's an amazing mental image," Cage* gasped out between laughs.
"I can definitely picture young master Cale tearing pages out of the God of Death's divine item like it's some regular notebook he picked up from a second hand shop somewhere," Cage wheezed.
Their comments had other's laughing while picturing the utterly ridiculous, and yet totally possible since this is Cale we are talking about, scene of said young master tearing a god's divine item to pieces.
"Raon, since when is that thing considered mine?" Cale asked in disgust after it calmed down a bit.
"You do carry it in your subspace pocket and you even used it to trap that annoying god in it, so I thought that made it yours," Raon explained.
The look on Cale's face clearly stated he did not support the conclusion Raon had come to.
"That thing is not mine. I'm simply keeping it safe since we don't want that sealed bastard to somehow get out," Cale corrected.
"I understand, human. I'll help make sure it stays safe then," Raon happily offered.
"Thank you. I'm sure with such a great and mighty dragon helping me, the sealed god will remain the sealed god," Cale replied while patting Raon and his nearby siblings.
Cale could see Alberu put his hand to his forehead. He then lowered his hand as he asked Cale a question.
"To buy alcohol?"
"That is a wonderful investment," Bud called out.
"It truly is," Bud* agreed.
"I wish it had just been alcohol," Alberu grumbled to himself. "Would have been so much cheaper."
"You sure about that?" Tasha asked her nephew. "I'm pretty sure young master Cale is more than capable of presenting you with a bill for alcohol that could rival any of his other purchases."
"You're probably right," Alberu agreed. "I'm happy he blew all that money on things that were helpful at least. Although, he's not really the type to waste money."
Cale responded right back.
"How did you know?"
"Haaa.....I didn't know. I had no idea what you had planned for that money," Alberu shook his head at how naïve his past self was.
Alberu smiled and accepted Cale's request. He then got up and informed Cale about the details.
"Once you receive the report tomorrow, take a look and then let me know how much you want."
"I think I heard you mention a golden plaque earlier, so I am assuming that ended up being his reward," Alberu^ commented.
"That's right. The first of several he managed to extort from me," Alberu grumbled, but his happy grin seemed to say he wasn't bothered by that at all.
"Golden plaques are one of the best rewards," Cale happily stated.
"Only one of and not the best?" Alberu asked. He was most definitely not pouting at not having first place in the rewards department. Especially since he's already lost out on first place in the cookie department. Temporarily that is. He's definitely going to make sure to give Cale better cookies than that White Radish.
"That's right! Cookies are also great rewards. Oh, apple pies too. Chocolate cake is also good. And Beacrox's tasty steak," Raon shouted.
His comment had all the children in group 5 joining in to call out their favorite food that Beacrox makes.
Beacrox was practically glowing at the children's enthusiastic praise of his cooking and only seemed to beam brighter as a few adults and even a certain pink dragon from group 3 all added their own compliments.
Meanwhile, everyone else was left wondering how the topic of discussion had moved from golden plaques to food.
"Will you come visit me again?"
"Why? You don't like it?"
Cale responded with an extremely fake expression on his face.
"It would be the highest honor to see you again, your highness."
"Hahaha. You probably creeped him out with that response," Kim Rok Soo laughed.
"That was my goal. I really didn't want to have to deal with him again at that point," Cale explained.
"It did give me the chills," Alberu confirmed.
Alberu felt chills on the back of his neck from Cale's response and told Cale to rest before immediately heading out of the room and disappearing. Cale just quietly observed the door the crown prince closed behind him.
– But what kind of power allows him to dye his hair other than mana? Human, answer me. I am curious.
"I'm not curious anymore. It was super easy for me to figure out after I smelled the dead mana in the swamp," Raon piped up.
Cale ignored the Black Dragon's question and immediately went to bed. He was a patient from this moment on.
"You take naps even when you aren't a patient, human," Raon tattled.
Cale's flat look had everyone laughing only to then immediately turn quiet at the grin spreading across his face.
"I believe I read somewhere that naps are a must for growing children, so I am simply being a good example for my children. Perhaps we should start having a designated nap time?" Cale suggested.
The horrified look on the children's faces had the room full of laughter again.
"Um...I think I have to.......spend that time with..um, Goldie Gramps. Yeah!! That's it. I have to practice magic with Goldie Gramps," Raon stuttered.
"We have practice with Grandpa Ron," On added.
"That's right. We can't skip lessons," Hong agreed.
"I didn't even mention a time," Cale teased.
As the children continued to flounder for an excuse, Cale smirked and decided he had teased them enough.
"I suppose your lessons are more important though."
At the practically audible sigh of relief from the kids, snickers could be heard throughout the room.
"It's okay sometimes though, if we take a nap with you, just sometimes," Raon awkwardly mumbled.
"Sometimes is okay. I'm not a baby or anything, but sometimes it's good to take a break and rest," Hong added.
"Cats like naps," On stated. "Sometimes."
Their smiling family members watched as Cale gave them each a pat and agreed with them.
"Yes, sometimes it's good to take the time to relax with your family."
***
However, he was not a patient who could rest peacefully. Hans handed Cale a letter from Ron first thing in the morning.
"Mr. Ron has left as scheduled."
"You still left? Even though he had just been injured?" Beacrox* questioned.
"Yes. I was even more determined to root out Arm and exterminate them after that attack," Ron admitted. "Besides, I knew my young master had very strong protectors by his side."
Ron's eyes were on the children, who puffed up with pride, as he said those words.
Cale nodded his head and opened the letter.
< Young master. I will report to you once a month. I didn't know that you were hiding such a power, young master. Choi Han told me about how that mage looks like. I will remember it. I have also informed Beacrox about it as well. >
"I did keep an eye out for him, but he still managed to catch me off guard even then. I hadn't realized how rusty my skills had gotten," Ron sighed.
"You are much stronger now, Grandpa Ron," On consoled him.
"You are right, On. I have improved greatly since then," Ron replied as he brought her one of her favorite snacks.
Sounded like Redika would die if Ron saw him as well.
"That was my plan, but as we all know, it didn't go well. I didn't expect the mermaids," Ron said.
"There really wasn't a reason for you to suspect the involvement of a race that was supposed to stay out of the affairs of those on land," Cale pointed out.
"True, but it's still a failure as an assassin," Ron stated. "I should have been more vigilant and then I wouldn't have ended up in such a state."
"It all worked out in the end. You survived and we were able to strengthen the relationship we had with the Whale Tribe," Cale remarked.
"We were already grateful and indebted to you for saving Paseton and then aiding us with our trip to the Forest of Darkness, so your assistance in our fight against the mermaids just made us sure that we had made the right choice when we promised you our aid. Especially since you had cashed in one of those promised times for the purpose of saving your subordinate's life and still aided us in the fight instead of just having us do it all on our own," Witria said.
"I needed to get rid of Redika, so my reasons for helping you during that battle weren't altruistic," Cale insisted.
"You still could have insisted we did it all on our own as part of the deal we made with you before," Witira refuted. "Even if you had your own reasons, your help was still welcome and much appreciated."
That was what Cale was thinking as he looked toward the people who came to visit him after Hans.
"...I heard you were seriously injured."
Eric Wheelsman. Cale had never seen Eric looking so worried. However, Cale did not say he was okay. He needed to be loyal and play his part.
"I'm glad you were just acting there," Eric said. "I feel silly now for overreacting, but that's better than you having been actually hurt."
"I agree," Amiru added. "I prefer knowing that you were just pretending."
"I have no strength in my body."
"...Cale."
But Cale had no strength in his body because he had slept all day.
"Pfft. The master at misunderstandings is at work again," Archie* said with a laugh. Many other voices joined him in his amusement.
"My stomach feels weird as well."
This was because Cale just laid around eating when he wasn't sleeping. He was so full that there was no room for anything else.
"He technically told us the actual truth of how he was feeling and it was just us that misunderstood it," Gilbert muttered. "Although, I'm sure he was deliberately saying it that way so we would get the wrong idea."
"It's actually kind of amusing now that we know the truth," Amiru said.
"It is. I'm sure it's not even close to the last time it happened either," Eric agreed.
"Is it weird that I'm sort of looking forward to seeing all the other times it happened?" Gilbert asked.
"I don't think so. I am too," Amiru stated.
"Same here. It's amusing to read," Eric added.
Eric looked concerned, Gilbert had a stiff expression on his face, and Amiru looked like she had made up her mind about something. The kittens who had been looking back and forth at the three visitors and Cale started to shake their heads.
"Pfft. Judged by the children," Bud chortled.
"That's even more embarrassing than just knowing how far off the mark we were," Eric said while covering his red face.
"Maybe I'm not looking forward to knowing all of it," Gilbert mumbled as he hid his own pink face.
"It's fine. I'm sure everyone here will have their turn to be embarrassed by past actions," Amiru said with her head held high. Her crimson ears made it obvious that she was also rather embarrassed.
"Let me know if you need anything."
"Yes, please do. We will get you whatever it is."
Cale just nodded his head and asked.
"Sounds like you are not just here to check in on me?"
Eric, Amiru and Gilbert exchanged glances after hearing Cale's question. After seeing Amiru and Gilbert nod their heads, Eric took a document out of his pocket and handed it to Cale.
"This is the updated request for the Northeastern shoreline tourism investment. We brought it with us since we were heading to the palace to see you."
"I had no idea you already knew about it and thought you'd be surprised," Eric pouted.
"I was also kind of looking forward to seeing your reaction to the proposal, but you stayed so calm with not even a flicker of surprise. I suppose we should have suspected something at that point," Gilbert added.
"Even if it had been surprising to him, it probably wouldn't have shown on his face," Amiru pointed out.
"True. He really doesn't show what he's actually feeling on his face most of the time. When he does, it's mostly because he's acting a part. There's probably been a few times though," Rosalyn agreed.
Cale turned the first page of the document. The first word on the next page was Navy. Gilbert also seemed to have made up his mind.
Cale peeked toward Amiru who smiled at him. Based on Eric's actions, it looked like Amiru kept it a secret like Cale had asked.
"Of course I kept it a secret. You asked me to after all," Amiru stated.
"It was much appreciated," Cale said. "I didn't have to deal with most of the annoying paperwork because of that."
"The news will soon reach the Henituse territory along with our proposal."
"I see. Then will you be meeting with the crown prince?"
"Yes. We are scheduled to meet him tonight. We can only start moving if he shows any interest in it."
Cale looked toward Amiru and Gilbert and casually started to speak.
"I'm sure it will work out."
His voice was full of confidence. It was because he was sure. Eric and the others felt a sense of relief after hearing Cale's statement. Cale waved the document in front of the three of them and started to speak.
"Your words and the confidence you had while saying them really were a relief to hear," Eric admitted.
"I hadn't realized just how nervous I was until then," Gilbert commented. "Your words helped lessen that."
"They really were reassuring and exactly what we needed to hear in order to bring our proposal to the crown prince with confidence," Amiru added.
"You can send such documents like this via a servant in the future. I know it is difficult for you to come visit, so you do not need to come."
"You were just trying to avoid having to interact with people, weren't you?" Lee Soo Hyuk* asked.
"Yes," Cale answered.
"It's cause he wouldn't be able to ignore it if they were actually standing there in front of him instead of just having the documents he can toss off into the corner somewhere," Choi Jung Soo* commented.
"......I wouldn't have tossed it into a corner," Cale muttered. "I would have at least put important documents away."
"Pfft. You aren't denying that you would ignore it though," Kim Rok Soo laughed.
"Since all decisions would be made by my father, there wasn't really any need for me to know," Cale responded.
"In the end, you were the one representing your territory the most at the naval base, so the information would have been at least a little useful to you" Amiru pointed out.
"True. I did end up spending more time there than I had originally planned," Cale agreed.
"No, we will continue to come. You need to know about it as well."
Cale just casually nodded his head at Eric, Gilbert and Amiru and then sent them out. It was difficult to greet people while leaning on his bed wearing a patient robe. That was why Cale kicked the blanket away and comfortably welcomed the next group.
"Difficult? What's difficult about that?" Marquis Ailan's son* asked.
"It was difficult since I had to make sure I kept my act up the entire time. It was much more comfortable when I didn't have to worry about acting hurt around whoever was in the room," Cale explained.
"Oh. I guess that would be hard to do."
He started to speak to Choi Han who was standing there like a sinner.
"More like a chastised puppy than a sinner," Lee Chul Min* commented.
"I can actually picture that," Park Jin Tae* responded. "Complete with the droopy sad puppy ears and tail."
"Yeah, scolded puppy definitely suits that guy better than sinner," Lee Chul Min* stated.
Unfortunately for the two merry idiots, they weren't quite as quiet as usual and were overheard by the nearby Choi Jung Soo* and company.
"Hey Jung Soo*, it's been a while since I took the time to train some of our vanguard fighters, hasn't it?" Lee Soo Hyuk* asked with a grin.
"I could use a sparring partner to practice Uncle Choi Han's sword art with," Choi Jung Soo* replied with his own grin.
Kim Rok Soo* sat watching the two squirm as they realized they had been caught joking around with a very satisfied smile on his face. It's always refreshing to see the idiots get a beating.
"Go."
Rosalyn bit down on her lips. She had removed her magic and was standing there with her original red eyes and red hair. She also got rid of her robe and was in formal attire.
"I'm sorry, young master Cale. But I need Choi Han and Lock."
"You were probably happy I was asking to take them with me, weren't you?" Rosalyn asked.
"I was. It was a relief that things were starting to return to being at least somewhat like they were in the novel," Cale admitted. "I figured things would continue to self-correct until it got back on track."
"I can honestly say I'm glad you didn't realize I had every intention of coming back and bringing them along with me," Rosalyn said.
Now that Rosalyn revealed herself in the palace, she needed to return to the Breck Kingdom as fast as possible. Since it was revealed that she was still alive, the people who attempted to kill her may start to hide the evidence.
"I didn't really give them the opportunity to hide anything," Rosalyn said with a vicious smile.
"Seems like you didn't really bother much with being stealthy," Rosalyn* said while thinking about her own revenge.
"I did at first, but once I was back, spoke to my family, presented the evidence I had, and heard the evidence they had uncovered I did away with the stealth and confronted the Archduke head on," Rosalyn explained.
"Your way was definitely more bold than mine," Rosalyn* commented.
"Your way still generated plenty of work to get everything settled afterward," John* tattled.
"At least I didn't explode anything," Rosalyn* countered.
"I guess I should be thankful you kept it moderate then," John*conceded.
But she could not go back on her own. This incident revealed that she was a very skilled mage, which meant that the enemy will make sure to have stronger forces when attacking her. That was why she needed strong allies.
"To be completely honest here, I really didn't think much of your backup when I first saw them. They just seemed like kids and, while Swordmaster Choi Han didn't seem as weak as Lock, I didn't exactly trust them to keep you safe. After seeing the destruction the three of you caused together, I couldn't help thinking that my first impression was completely wrong and you were a bit overpowered for the situation," John admitted.
"Was it really that bad? Not just an exaggeration?" John* asked.
"Let's just say that they not only made the Archduke's household's name disappear from the Breck Kingdom, but also the Archduke's house," John answered.
"Definitely glad you kept it moderate," John* said to his sister.
Lock was standing by the door just fidgeting without approaching Cale. Cale looked at Choi Han and Lock before speaking as if it was only natural.
"What are you sorry about? Miss Rosalyn, you helped us out with a very difficult situation. Then we should help you out as well."
Rosalyn could see that Cale was smiling.
"Miss Rosalyn is Lock's noona and Choi Han's friend."
"...Thank you for putting it that way."
"That's what the three of you had been calling each other. I was just reiterating it," Cale said. "There wasn't any need to thank me for that."
"Not everyone would have so easily accepted and acknowledged that relationship between us. Especially the nobility," Rosalyn explained.
Rosalyn may have been close to death because of the assassination attempt, but she was certain that this was going to be her turning point.
"It really was too. I took my first official steps toward my dream then," Rosalyn happily stated.
"I did as well, just a bit less flashy," Rosalyn* teased her counterpart with a grin.
"I blame young master Cale's influence for that," Rosalyn replied with her own grin.
"Me?" Cale questioned. "Why would you blame me for that?"
"You do tend to follow the go big or go home way of doing things," Rosalyn explained as everyone else that knew what Cale has been up to happily nodded in agreement with grins on their faces.
"You can't really say you don't since we've only just met you and just from what we've heard so far, even we figured out that's the way you do things," Bud* added.
"What gave you that impression?" Cale asked.
"You blew up an island," Archie* answered flatly.
"It was the most efficient way to screw over Arm and the mermaids," Cale protested.
"Efficient or not, it's definitely a go big or go home type of situation," Alberu* stated and everyone else in the room muttered their agreement.
"And that's just one of the examples we've heard about. There are plenty more," Bud* pointed out.
"They are right, dongsaeng," Alberu joined the conversation. "You do tend to do things in a very flashy manner and on a large scale."
"True, but I hadn't done it yet, so she didn't get it from me," Cale insisted. "In fact, those three were the first to cause massive property damage, so maybe I got it from them."
"Nope. We didn't do that here and the only difference is their exposure to you, so your hypothesis is incorrect. You are definitely the source of your group's tendency to explode or destroy things," Rosalyn* refuted with a cheeky grin.
"I'm just being efficient," Cale grumbled to himself.
His sulky mumbling had many in the room chuckling.
Cale took a step forward and looked at Choi Han.
"Cale-nim, I have to protect you."
"Choi Han."
Choi Han needed to go in order for Cale to rest in peace and prepare to hide during the war. Choi Han could see Cale's uniquely relaxed smile.
"You didn't hide at all," Archie pointed out.
"He did the exact opposite of that, as usual," Eruhaben pointed out.
"He probably at least slept peacefully since both Choi Han and Ron were gone at that point," Cage said with a laugh.
"It was relaxing for a bit and then Toonka showed up," Cale complained.
"Hahahaha. That was a great time," Toonka laughed happily while remembering all the fun he had after meeting Cale.
The look on Cale's face said he didn't find that time to be fun at all.
Toonka* sat and watched the two wondering just how that meeting went. He was kind of looking forward to reading it and that was a weird feeling for him. He usually doesn't like reading.
"I will not die."
'I plan on making a ton of money and getting just strong enough to run away as needed to live peacefully. I'm going to do everything I can to live as long as possible.'
The judgmental looks he got had Cale feeling defensive all of a sudden.
"What? I meant that. I want to live as long as possible."
"And that's why you've almost died at least two times and continue to pull off stunts that should have killed you," Eruhaben rebuked.
"I didn't do any of those things thinking that I wouldn't survive it and even when it was dangerous, I trusted my family to have my back," Cale insisted.
"And your method to get rid of the White Star?" Alberu questioned.
"I was assured that it wasn't dangerous to me at all and would actually be a benefit," Cale explained. "I do mean it when I say I want to live as long as possible."
The serious look on his face and confident way he said it told his family that he really did mean it and they all felt themselves relax ever so slightly. Logically they already knew it, but the saying actions speak louder than words came about for a reason and his actions always scream sacrifice.
Cale was also thinking that with the Black Dragon by his side, there was no reason for Choi Han to protect him. In fact, in front of the Black Dragon, Choi Han himself was just baggage.
The extremely proud look on two little dragon's faces combined with the depressed puppy look on a certain trio had loud laughter erupting from many in the room.
"I see. I worried for no reason."
Cale turned away from Choi Han who looked a bit better and looked toward Lock. He then flicked his finger to call Lock over to him. Lock flinched at Cale's motion before slowly approaching. Why was this coward so scared?
Lock (and Lock*) were most definitely not pouting at once again being thought of as a coward.
"I wasn't scared. I was just worried about what was going to happen to my siblings since I was leaving before paying you back," Lock defended himself. "I was also still nervous around nobles since I had never been around them before and didn't know what was appropriate behavior. I had heard and read stories about nobles beating or even executing commoners for offending them."
"That is, unfortunately, a very real possibility with some nobles," Deruth said.
"While it has gotten better, there are still too many that view commoners as lesser beings they can treat however they like," Alberu sighed. "Too many have forgotten that their ancestors were once commoners themselves before this kingdom was founded."
"I don't think the nobles have realized that the kingdom actually runs off the hard work of its citizens and the minority here are the nobles themselves," Cale pointed out.
"True. I am hoping to change the way the nobility views the common populace once we have everything settled," Alberu said. "It's unlikely to happen with many of our current heads of the family, but it's possible for future generations. Especially with the example all of you will set for them to follow."
The 'you' Alberu was talking about didn't include every noble in the room and they knew it. Those included in that 'you' sat straight and proud at their future monarch's belief in them.
However, Cale had no plan to give any thought to such reaction.
"Technically you already did give a thought to it," Lee Soo Hyuk* teased.
"Any further thought," Cale deadpanned. "It's not my fault the writer keeps misunderstanding me."
"Lock, I will take care of your younger siblings. Go and come back to the Henituse territory in 3 months."
"...Excuse me?"
"What is the excuse me for? Did you forget about our deal?"
"I didn't forget. You just hadn't given me any other information about it, so how could I know that's what you were referring to," Lock mumbled to himself as he pouted.
His family found the image of the sulking teen rather cute.
"Ah."
Cale thought about how he was going to use Lock as Lock blankly stared at him. He then handed Lock a map. It was a map of the Northeast territory that he got from Hans.
"Henituse. Come to the one that's marked like that. I will be there with your younger siblings, so you must come back."
"...Somewhere to return to-"
"I know you didn't mean it like I thought you did at that time, but hearing you say I had somewhere to return to made a tension I didn't even realize existed loosen. I really needed to hear that," Lock admitted.
"I do mean it now," Cale said softly and quickly turned his face back to the screen.
The happy smile on Lock's face refused to fade for quite a while after those words.
Cale didn't care for the mumbling Lock and clenched Lock's shoulder as he started to speak. Lock needed to come back for Cale's life to be easier.
"Yes, somewhere to return to. Remember. You must return within 3 months."
"Yes- yes sir! I will definitely come back within 3 months."
After taking care of Lock's issue to the point that Lock vigorously nodded his head, Cale felt a sense of relief. The story from the novel was twisted quite a bit already, but at least the major point was flowing as it was supposed to.
"I don't think even the major points were still flowing as they were supposed to by then," Alberu^ commented.
"Sort of? Maybe?" Lee Chul Min* pondered.
"Not really. I mean, if you count the war still happening, then I guess, but even that wasn't going the same as it did in the novel since he had already started preparing for it and screwing Arm's plans over," Bud reasoned.
"I guess that true," Lee Chul Min* agreed.
"We'll just say things were going slightly as they did in the novel since the war still came, but that's pretty much it as far as following the novel goes," Cage suggested.
Agreeing nods met Cage's suggestion.
This was good because he would know more about the future the more the story followed the novel. Cale was disappointed that he could not send Beacrox with them as well, but he could always send Beacrox with Ron after Ron came back from his time off.
"It was actually a good thing that Beacrox came along. I got to continue enjoying his food, had a caretaker for the Wolf children, and a babysitter for Hilsman," Cale happily declared.
The various looks on the faces of the mentioned individuals had the room full of laughter.
The Wolf children smiled happily at remembering their time helping Beacrox care for Cale, Hilsman pouted at the thought Cale saw him as useless enough that he needed babysat, and Beacrox's face went from pleased that Cale enjoyed his food so much to pale at the reminder of the chaos those 10 eager Wolf pups caused in his kitchen.
Cale laid down on the bed with a more relaxed heart than ever before as he proceeded to look at the people around his room. He then turned to look at Hans who had opened the door and entered.
Hans looked at Choi Han who was protecting the door like a knight, then at Lock who was playing with the kittens, then at Rosalyn who was leisurely reading a book about magic, and finally Cale who was relaxing on the bed. He then quietly approached Cale and whispered.
"There is a rumor going around that his majesty wants to bestow a medal to you, young master."
"Terrible rumor. So glad that didn't happen," Cale said.
"You didn't take our medal, but you did end up taking the Empire's," Alberu pointed out.
"That was done for strategic reasons. I didn't really want that one either," Cale responded.
Everybody in the room stopped moving after hearing what Hans had to say.
Hans then quietly handed Cale a document. It was a document that contained the rumors going on about the Plaza Terror Incident. Cale had just one reaction after reading the first line.
"You hated it, didn't you?" Kim Rok Soo asked.
"Yes. It was far more attention than I wanted," Cale replied.
< Cale Henituse, the noble who showed the pride of the Henituse family that protects the Kingdom from the Forest of Darkness >
"Haaaaaa."
It was a deep sigh.
He had expected it, but it was still so very annoying.
"The horrible nicknames," Cale whined.