Chapter 13
A grand banquet was held to welcome the knights, but I skipped all events like that to avoid awkward encounters with them.
‘Perfect.’
If things stayed like this, I thought I could live peacefully until the knights returned to the capital.
Of course, it didn’t take long to realize that was just wishful thinking.
“Long time no see, Ivria Oberon.”
Before I knew it, Catherine’s two “fish” were standing right in front of me. Ridan Geraint with black hair, and El Roitz with light blue hair. It looked like they had just finished bathing—both their hair was still damp.
‘Ugh, dealing with fish is such a pain. I should’ve just stuck to the plan and stayed in my room.’
The problem was that I’d been swayed by Emma’s words about a nice hot spring not far from the estate. She said it was a salt spring, good for fatigue recovery and skin care. I’d been hiding in my room to avoid troublesome things, but that had only made me more tired and sluggish. The thought of soaking in warm spring water and relaxing made it impossible to stay put.
—Erel is famous not only for its severe cold, but also for its excellent hot springs. Many people come all the way here just for them.
Since it was that famous, it seemed these fish from the capital also knew about the hot springs. I thought the knights would be busy with the wyvern subjugation, but apparently they had enough free time to visit a hot spring.
“I heard you arrived. I didn’t expect to see you here. Aren’t you busy with the subjugation?”
“We haven’t begun the real operation yet.”
Ridan answered briefly while scanning me from head to toe. Being so openly examined didn’t feel great, but I didn’t want to start a pointless argument.
‘Just say what you need to say and disappear already.’
Letting words go in one ear and out the other wasn’t hard. It was a skill you naturally picked up through social life.
Before entering Ivria’s body, I had worked as an office employee at a trading company. I was an expert at tuning out my boss’s pointless nagging, so I was confident I could handle whatever anyone said.
“You look surprisingly well, considering you caused such chaos in the capital.”
“Yes. Well, I suppose so.”
“Don’t think people will forget just because you’re hiding out here.”
“Ah, yes. I wouldn’t expect that.”
“Or are you planning another absurd incident while you’re here?”
“No. Not at all.”
With reactions this bland, there was no sense of impact at all.
‘And without impact, picking a fight wouldn’t be fun either.’
Annoyed by my half-hearted responses, Ridan frowned and pressed his lips together. As expected, ignoring someone looking for trouble was the best move.
“If you’re done talking, may I go? I came here to use the hot spring.”
“A hot spring? Must be nice, living such a carefree life.”
‘This one’s tough.’
Even after all that indifference, he still wouldn’t give up. If ignoring didn’t work, I had no choice but to respond properly. I sighed and ran a hand through my hair.
“Does it bother you that my life looks comfortable?”
“Wouldn’t it, seeing someone who tried to ruin another person’s life lazing around like this?”
“But did that person’s life actually get ruined? I don’t think so.”
In fact, she was probably enjoying life more than ever. Before, many people hesitated to approach Catherine because they were wary of Ivria, the duke’s daughter and the crown prince’s fiancée. Ivria had been the power figure in high society.
But now everything had changed. Ivria had been dumped by the crown prince and exiled to the far north. The social scene now belonged entirely to Catherine.
“Does the outcome matter? Isn’t it more important that you had those intentions and even planned to act on them?”
“I already said I plan to live quietly from now on. That’s why I’m here in Erel.”
“Live quietly? You, Ivria Oberon? Ridiculous. You must be plotting something.”
“Your Highness, do you not believe in the redemption of villains? That once someone’s bad, they’re bad forever? That’s a pretty extreme view for someone who’s supposed to embrace all the people of the kingdom.”
Apparently sensing the meaning behind my words, Ridan’s expression stiffened.
He might be keeping his head down for now, but he was still someone aiming for the throne. A brother who threatened the crown prince—if he didn’t become king, his fate would eventually be death. When I hit that sore spot, he fell completely silent. Maybe I’d gone too far, but either way, that problem was dealt with.
Now there was only one fish left.
I smiled in satisfaction and looked at El. Do you want to spar with me too? When I looked at him with that intent, he merely bowed slightly with an expressionless face.
‘As expected—he won’t bare his fangs at a lady.’
In that case, there was no reason for me to push either. I gestured behind them calmly.
“I think we’ve exchanged enough greetings. Could you step aside? You’re blocking the path to the hot spring.”
Finally, it was time to soak in the warm water.
‘This is it. This is the life.’
I relaxed completely as I sank into the hot spring. Cold air, warm water—pure heaven.
[Harry, why are you sitting so far away?]
Harry was perched on a distant rock, staring off at the mountains. Even his usually noisy mouth was shut.
[This spot is comfortable.]
[You’re too far. It’s hard to talk.]
[I can hear you just fine. What’s the problem?]
[I can’t see your face. Talking without seeing expressions is uncomfortable.]
He was so far away his face looked no bigger than a fingernail. Even if we could communicate telepathically, I still preferred face-to-face conversations.
After a brief pause, Harry moved closer—but still far away. Maybe the difference between fingernail-sized and apple-sized? Either way, still distant.
“I still can’t see your expression.”
He hesitated, then moved a little closer. Now I could barely make out his face.
“No, come closer! Is this some game I don’t know about? I call you, and you move closer by tiny increments?”
“As if.”
Sighing, Harry finally came right in front of me. Still farther than usual, but I could clearly see his face now. His cheeks were flushed, probably from the heat. The moment our eyes met, he turned away, flustered.
“Hey—don’t you have any shame? Showing yourself like that, huh?”
“Harry, I honestly don’t know what you’re talking about…”
I narrowed my eyes and examined him.
‘This reaction is kind of…’
“Are you embarrassed?”
“I—I’m not!”
“You totally are. What’s there to be embarrassed about? It’s just a body.”
When I lifted my arm above the water and waved it, Harry panicked and jumped back, hiding behind a tree. I laughed in disbelief.
“Why are you acting like you’re the one naked? I am. And I’m not even fully naked.”
I had taken off my dress, but I was still wearing thin inner clothing. It wasn’t revealing.
“This is unexpected. I didn’t think you’d be shy about something like this.”
“I told you I’m not!”
“Then come closer.”
“……”
As expected, he didn’t.
“Wow, Grandpa Harry, you’re surprisingly innocent for your age.”
“I told you I’m not a grandpa! That’s enough—get out. It’s time to go back.”
When I burst out laughing, Harry stomped over, grabbed me, and lifted me out of the spring. With a snap of his fingers, all the water on my body instantly evaporated.
“Huh?”
As I checked myself in confusion, Harry cleared his throat proudly.
“I evaporated the moisture with heat. It looks easy, but if you don’t control the fire precisely, you’ll roast the person alive. Only a great mage of the Blue Flame can do this.”
Normally I’d tease him for bragging, but this really impressed me.
“Wow. Better than a hair dryer.”
I admired him sincerely. His eyes lit up immediately.
“Hair dryer? Who’s that?”
“Oh, uh… it’s not a person… it’s something that dries water…”
Since there were no machines in this world, it was hard to explain. As I fumbled, Harry frowned.
“So someone who can do this is called a hair dryer? There’s no way anyone else can do it as well as me. Therefore, I’m the best hair dryer.”
“No, that’s not—”
He stomped his foot in protest.
“What? Are you saying I’m worse than this hair dryer you know?”
“Of course not. There’s no hair dryer better than you, Harry.”
“Exactly! I’m the best hair dryer!”
I gave up correcting him.
“…Yes. You’re the world’s best hair dryer.”
“Right? Obviously.”
Honestly, who cared? He’d never know what a real hair dryer was anyway.
‘I’d lose his mind if he ever found out.’
Smiling to myself, I headed back toward the estate. But when we reached the hot spring entrance, Harry suddenly transformed into a dog and warned me.
[Someone’s there.]
Right after his warning, I saw him—light blue hair. El Roitz.
‘Why is he here? Didn’t he already leave?’
I watched him cautiously, but just like before, he bowed silently and walked toward the estate.
‘What was that about?’
It didn’t seem like he had other business. I stared after him, confused. I wasn’t the only one watching his back.
[That guy.]
Harry crossed his arms and nodded toward El.
[Is he from the Roitz family?]
[How did you know?]
[He looks like someone I saw when I was summoned by an idiot long ago. His name was Jen Roitz. Thought he might be a descendant.]
[They look that alike?]
[Looks, sure—but more than that, the behavior. That guy barely talked either. I thought he was mute at first. When he suddenly spoke after three months, I nearly fainted.]
El was indeed known for being extremely quiet. In the royal knight order, “El” had even become a unit of measurement.
1 El meant speaking once per hour.
2 El meant twice per hour.
There was even a story about everyone being shocked the day he reached 3 El, wondering if the sun had risen in the west.
‘Meanwhile, Harry talks way too much.’
If you mixed their personalities half and half, they’d probably be normal.
Unaware of my thoughts, Harry continued enthusiastically.
[Blood doesn’t lie. Idiots’ descendants are idiots, and quiet guys’ descendants stay quiet. Maybe that family trades speech for swordsmanship?]
There was an odd hint of goodwill in his voice. It was strange—he was rarely positive about humans. I stared at him, and he shrugged.
[He’s strong. Strong humans are interesting. I like interesting humans.]
[So I’m boring because I’m weak?]
[You are boring. Not because you’re weak, but because you lack ambition. Start a big war and you’d be the most interesting human ever. How about it? Want to be interesting?]
‘There it is. I was wondering when this would come up.’
Harry had a remarkable talent for steering every conversation toward murder or war. I sighed and kept walking.
[Come on, let’s start just one war!]
He hurried after me.
[A nice, big one. Kill a few tens of thousands, and I won’t complain for a while. Yeah?]
