“Ahh!”
“What, what!”
They jumped up and down as they immersed themselves in the conversation.
The knock rang again in the ears of Dominic, who screamed and covered his face, and Luce, who shrank.
Knock, knock–!
“W, who is it?”
“Whoa! I don’t want to! Go away!”
“Dominic, come out for a minute….”
“I don’t want to!”
Luce approached the door slowly, looking resentfully at Dominic hiding under the table.
‘Don’t tell me, it’s not, right? There’s no way a real wizard will come. Besides, didn’t he say that all wizards are dead?’
But somehow, she felt a sense of deja vu. A sudden knocking sound, an unknown guest who didn’t reveal his identity.
Luce, biting her lip, shouted more confidently.
“Who are you! There’s an adult in the house, if you keep doing that, I’ll report you!”
The guest who used to knock was now touching the doorknob.
Luce grabbed the doorknob that was about to turn around and put her ear to the door, intending to shout once more. It was then.
Click—.
“Hiiik—!”
“Why?”
The door opens.
“Why don’t you guys open the door? I waited a long time.”
“Mom!”
“Aunt! Wow, you surprised me!”
Chelsea, who was carrying both hands full of luggage and had a bag of bread in her mouth, looked at the two children as if it were absurd.
Her daughter had jumped off from the doorstep in contemplation and was sweeping her chest, and her friend’s son was hiding under the table with tears in his eyes.
What’s wrong with them?
Chelsea came in dumbfounded and laughed at Luce’s question as her lips trembled.
“M, mom. How did you knock….”
These kids, she didn’t know, but she thought they were talking about something very scary.
She answered briefly.
“Expression.”
What does it mean by expression?
Watching the two dazed children, Chelsea unpacked her luggage.
* * *
“So that is it. Dahlia, you should have seen the expressions on these kids!”
“Is Dominic really hiding under the kitchen table? It’s because this guy’s courage is so small!”
“Stop teasing me, really!”
The two mothers have teased Dominic for a long time.
Deciding to share Dietrich’s empty room with Chelsea, Luce leaned back on the sofa and thought as she waited for the mothers’ tea time to end.
‘I was scared because Dominic was talking so creepy. Anyway, now all wizards are dead, right? The tombstone with the name of the last wizard written on it, as well as the facts that Dominic and others know.’
Of course, the possibility that Luce, who is only a 14-year-old girl in the countryside, gets involved with the imperial palace, where the main incident of <The Cruelty of the Vladin Empire> occurs, is ‘0’.
The people around her were also ordinary farmers, shopkeepers, and friends her age, which made her feel relieved because they didn’t fit in with violent R-19 novels.
‘Obviously, at the time of the original, the wizard named Radanum was alive.’
So, didn’t the readers swear at the last wizard in the comments?
What’s the point of cursing a villain who’s already dead?
He must have been cursed for having lived and devised various schemes, at least at the time of the story.
It’s like the few clues that Luce, who has possessed only by reading comments and a few scenes, knows.
Luce, who had been weaving thoughts from what he knew and heard, came to a conclusion.
‘It’s a later point than the original. Perhaps the original story is a story of the past, when wizards and members of the imperial family struggled to the death.’
In a way, now that the main story is over, she might be able to feel more comfortable in the body of a girl she took over.
But it’s too early to be relieved.
‘Just because the story is over doesn’t mean the world is over. Moreover, if I think about people’s comments….’
┖ At the end, I think it will appear in my dreams that the tyrant male lead does * * * and * * *. Ah…I want to turn back the time before reading volume 3 (Comments have been filtered due to spoiler reports)
‘It couldn’t have been a happy ending. It was about a tyrant male lead killing all of them, but would the country have worked properly after that?’
It is said that how a war ends is more important than how it begins.
In other words, even if the members of the imperial family are done roasting and roasting, the lives of commoners may become more difficult.
‘It means that this mountain village may also be affected. At least the tax might go up.’
Even though the novel was over, the world of the Vladin Empire was not over.
‘It’s a completely different matter to guess the future knowing the past and guessing the future without knowing the past. It’s good to live as well as possible beyond being possessed. Well, it’s not bad to accumulate knowledge from an academic point of view.’
It seems that Rev’s passion for studying hard has moved to her. A spirit of inquiry flared up.
So, Luce decided to dig up things about magic and a man named Radanum.
‘It’s about predicting the past, the present, and the future.’
Luce opened the notebook borrowed from Dominic.
“Huh. Why did you practice signing here on the back page…?”
“M, maybe I’ll become a famous blacksmith someday!”
Luce, who complained to Dominic, wrote down the legend about the wizard she heard from him and the comments that came to her mind from time to time in a notebook. Then she heard a quiet conversation in her ears.
“Chelsea, is that enough?”
“What do you mean?”
“Is it enough to live in that house with a hole in the roof? I’m slowly building up my capital….”
“That’s enough.”
“But I’m not done talking? Even a little bit of heavy rain can pierce the house, so instead of just fixing it, you can move out. If you see that it keeps falling apart, it’s not a roof problem, it’s because the house itself is old. You know that?”
“I told you it’s enough.”
“If you are short of money, I can lend it to you. Can’t I give you that much, Chelsea?”
Dahlia was right.
They’ve been at someone else’s house multiple times because the roof collapsed as if waiting for big rain, and several of her favorite toys have rusted, or her books have been wet by the rain.
Luce liked the house. It is cozy, warm, and full of memories.
The raspberry field is also nearby, and it’s close to Rev’s house, so it’s good to go play.
But sometimes, she wondered if she could continue living here. Wouldn’t it be a big deal if it collapsed while they were sleeping?
‘But Mom was always fixing up our house. As if moving was not an option for her. Mom is quick to calculate her business, so she can’t be unaware that she would be better off in the long run if she bought a new house instead of paying for repairs all the time.’
“If it’s money, there’s no problem, so you don’t have to worry about it.”
Dahlia sighed at Chelsea’s determined answer.
Then, she glanced at Luce in the living room.
Luce hurriedly put her notebook over her face and pretended to sleep. Fortunately, she didn’t seem to get caught.
“Yeah, I know… I know money isn’t an issue. I’m just saying. I know what you’re doing.”
“….”
“It’s because of Lawrence.”
‘Daddy.’
Dahlia was saying the name of her deceased father. In a very sad voice.
“He died more than eight years ago.”
“Let’s stop talking about this, Dahlia.”
“Since he fell ill and unfortunately died, I understand that you can’t forget Lawrence.”
In the faded portrait Chelsea always cherishes, her father is smiling with a pale face.
Her father died of illness, and her Mom took care of him for a long time.
The two truly loved each other and are still in love.
It was a story she knew so far.
But Dahlia’s story after that goes way beyond what she could have imagined.
“Of course, I understand, of course. My husband was sick, too, and if something like that had happened to me, I wouldn’t have been able to stay still.”
‘Something like that?’
Luce’s body hardened. Was there something hidden behind her father’s death?
At the end of her speech, she could hear Dahlia moving. Perhaps she held Chelsea’s hand.
“You might think it’s presumptuous to say this because it’s not my business, but as a friend who’s been watching you for a long time, it’s because I feel so sorry for you. That’s it. Lawrence wouldn’t want you to do this either. I want you to forget everything and live a new life.”
“Stop.”
She could hear Chelsea pulling her hand.
“I know what you mean. But Lawrence is not someone I can forget.”
“Chelsea.”
“Thank you for always helping this mother and daughter. I understand what you’re worried about. But.”
Not Lawrence.
It’s not about Lawrence.
Chelsea answered quietly, showing a level of determination that could be described as “determined,” but she also sounded a little tired.
“Yeah, I know what you mean. But what about Luce?”
Dahlia’s words caught Chelsea’s as she tried to get up.
“You should think about Luce, you fool!”
Worrying about Chelsea herself didn’t hold her back.
But Luce’s name, at least a little, has brought Chelsea into conflict.
Chelsea, who had been standing for a long time, sighed quietly and could be heard walking. Luce held her breath.
“Luce, let’s go to bed.”
Chelsea shook Luce, who was pretending to be asleep, covering her face with a notebook, and hugged her, then walked upstairs.
The lights went out, and Luce’s notebook was placed on the bedside table.
Luce’s eyelashes, which tightly closed her eyes, fluttered occasionally.
Chelsea’s deep sigh tormented her face, but instead of bothering Luce, it broke her heart.
‘What happened, Mom?’
It wasn’t that she wasn’t curious about the story of her father, Lawrence.
She couldn’t ask at first because she was afraid of being caught possessed. She tried to ask after she got used to life in Xenon Village, but she didn’t dare to ask when she saw Chelsea’s expression as she polished the portrait.
Because she could understand her smile, which seemed to show that she was looking at something lovely but also sad and empty.
‘How it would break Mom’s heart if her little daughter, who looked exactly like her late husband, asked about her father.’
So she behaved more like an immature and naive daughter. It’s a pity for the dead father, but for Luce, the peace of her mother’s mind was more important.
She must pretend she didn’t hear anything today. Even family members can have secrets.
Luce made that decision.
Until Luce, who was desperately pretending to sleep, was suddenly grabbed by the cheek.
“You are not sleeping.”
What, how did she get caught?!
Luce opened her eyes, perplexed. Chelsea was looking at her.
Luce couldn’t see what her expression was like hidden in the darkness.
“Ahh!”
“What, what!”
They jumped up and down as they immersed themselves in the conversation.
The knock rang again in the ears of Dominic, who screamed and covered his face, and Luce, who shrank.
Knock, knock–!
“W, who is it?”
“Whoa! I don’t want to! Go away!”
“Dominic, come out for a minute….”
“I don’t want to!”
Luce approached the door slowly, looking resentfully at Dominic hiding under the table.
‘Don’t tell me, it’s not, right? There’s no way a real wizard will come. Besides, didn’t he say that all wizards are dead?’
But somehow, she felt a sense of deja vu. A sudden knocking sound, an unknown guest who didn’t reveal his identity.
Luce, biting her lip, shouted more confidently.
“Who are you! There’s an adult in the house, if you keep doing that, I’ll report you!”
The guest who used to knock was now touching the doorknob.
Luce grabbed the doorknob that was about to turn around and put her ear to the door, intending to shout once more. It was then.
Click—.
“Hiiik—!”
“Why?”
The door opens.
“Why don’t you guys open the door? I waited a long time.”
“Mom!”
“Aunt! Wow, you surprised me!”
Chelsea, who was carrying both hands full of luggage and had a bag of bread in her mouth, looked at the two children as if it were absurd.
Her daughter had jumped off from the doorstep in contemplation and was sweeping her chest, and her friend’s son was hiding under the table with tears in his eyes.
What’s wrong with them?
Chelsea came in dumbfounded and laughed at Luce’s question as her lips trembled.
“M, mom. How did you knock….”
These kids, she didn’t know, but she thought they were talking about something very scary.
She answered briefly.
“Expression.”
What does it mean by expression?
Watching the two dazed children, Chelsea unpacked her luggage.
* * *
“So that is it. Dahlia, you should have seen the expressions on these kids!”
“Is Dominic really hiding under the kitchen table? It’s because this guy’s courage is so small!”
“Stop teasing me, really!”
The two mothers have teased Dominic for a long time.
Deciding to share Dietrich’s empty room with Chelsea, Luce leaned back on the sofa and thought as she waited for the mothers’ tea time to end.
‘I was scared because Dominic was talking so creepy. Anyway, now all wizards are dead, right? The tombstone with the name of the last wizard written on it, as well as the facts that Dominic and others know.’
Of course, the possibility that Luce, who is only a 14-year-old girl in the countryside, gets involved with the imperial palace, where the main incident of <The Cruelty of the Vladin Empire> occurs, is ‘0’.
The people around her were also ordinary farmers, shopkeepers, and friends her age, which made her feel relieved because they didn’t fit in with violent R-19 novels.
‘Obviously, at the time of the original, the wizard named Radanum was alive.’
So, didn’t the readers swear at the last wizard in the comments?
What’s the point of cursing a villain who’s already dead?
He must have been cursed for having lived and devised various schemes, at least at the time of the story.
It’s like the few clues that Luce, who has possessed only by reading comments and a few scenes, knows.
Luce, who had been weaving thoughts from what he knew and heard, came to a conclusion.
‘It’s a later point than the original. Perhaps the original story is a story of the past, when wizards and members of the imperial family struggled to the death.’
In a way, now that the main story is over, she might be able to feel more comfortable in the body of a girl she took over.
But it’s too early to be relieved.
‘Just because the story is over doesn’t mean the world is over. Moreover, if I think about people’s comments….’
┖ At the end, I think it will appear in my dreams that the tyrant male lead does * * * and * * *. Ah…I want to turn back the time before reading volume 3 (Comments have been filtered due to spoiler reports)
‘It couldn’t have been a happy ending. It was about a tyrant male lead killing all of them, but would the country have worked properly after that?’
It is said that how a war ends is more important than how it begins.
In other words, even if the members of the imperial family are done roasting and roasting, the lives of commoners may become more difficult.
‘It means that this mountain village may also be affected. At least the tax might go up.’
Even though the novel was over, the world of the Vladin Empire was not over.
‘It’s a completely different matter to guess the future knowing the past and guessing the future without knowing the past. It’s good to live as well as possible beyond being possessed. Well, it’s not bad to accumulate knowledge from an academic point of view.’
It seems that Rev’s passion for studying hard has moved to her. A spirit of inquiry flared up.
So, Luce decided to dig up things about magic and a man named Radanum.
‘It’s about predicting the past, the present, and the future.’
Luce opened the notebook borrowed from Dominic.
“Huh. Why did you practice signing here on the back page…?”
“M, maybe I’ll become a famous blacksmith someday!”
Luce, who complained to Dominic, wrote down the legend about the wizard she heard from him and the comments that came to her mind from time to time in a notebook. Then she heard a quiet conversation in her ears.
“Chelsea, is that enough?”
“What do you mean?”
“Is it enough to live in that house with a hole in the roof? I’m slowly building up my capital….”
“That’s enough.”
“But I’m not done talking? Even a little bit of heavy rain can pierce the house, so instead of just fixing it, you can move out. If you see that it keeps falling apart, it’s not a roof problem, it’s because the house itself is old. You know that?”
“I told you it’s enough.”
“If you are short of money, I can lend it to you. Can’t I give you that much, Chelsea?”
Dahlia was right.
They’ve been at someone else’s house multiple times because the roof collapsed as if waiting for big rain, and several of her favorite toys have rusted, or her books have been wet by the rain.
Luce liked the house. It is cozy, warm, and full of memories.
The raspberry field is also nearby, and it’s close to Rev’s house, so it’s good to go play.
But sometimes, she wondered if she could continue living here. Wouldn’t it be a big deal if it collapsed while they were sleeping?
‘But Mom was always fixing up our house. As if moving was not an option for her. Mom is quick to calculate her business, so she can’t be unaware that she would be better off in the long run if she bought a new house instead of paying for repairs all the time.’
“If it’s money, there’s no problem, so you don’t have to worry about it.”
Dahlia sighed at Chelsea’s determined answer.
Then, she glanced at Luce in the living room.
Luce hurriedly put her notebook over her face and pretended to sleep. Fortunately, she didn’t seem to get caught.
“Yeah, I know… I know money isn’t an issue. I’m just saying. I know what you’re doing.”
“….”
“It’s because of Lawrence.”
‘Daddy.’
Dahlia was saying the name of her deceased father. In a very sad voice.
“He died more than eight years ago.”
“Let’s stop talking about this, Dahlia.”
“Since he fell ill and unfortunately died, I understand that you can’t forget Lawrence.”
In the faded portrait Chelsea always cherishes, her father is smiling with a pale face.
Her father died of illness, and her Mom took care of him for a long time.
The two truly loved each other and are still in love.
It was a story she knew so far.
But Dahlia’s story after that goes way beyond what she could have imagined.
“Of course, I understand, of course. My husband was sick, too, and if something like that had happened to me, I wouldn’t have been able to stay still.”
‘Something like that?’
Luce’s body hardened. Was there something hidden behind her father’s death?
At the end of her speech, she could hear Dahlia moving. Perhaps she held Chelsea’s hand.
“You might think it’s presumptuous to say this because it’s not my business, but as a friend who’s been watching you for a long time, it’s because I feel so sorry for you. That’s it. Lawrence wouldn’t want you to do this either. I want you to forget everything and live a new life.”
“Stop.”
She could hear Chelsea pulling her hand.
“I know what you mean. But Lawrence is not someone I can forget.”
“Chelsea.”
“Thank you for always helping this mother and daughter. I understand what you’re worried about. But.”
Not Lawrence.
It’s not about Lawrence.
Chelsea answered quietly, showing a level of determination that could be described as “determined,” but she also sounded a little tired.
“Yeah, I know what you mean. But what about Luce?”
Dahlia’s words caught Chelsea’s as she tried to get up.
“You should think about Luce, you fool!”
Worrying about Chelsea herself didn’t hold her back.
But Luce’s name, at least a little, has brought Chelsea into conflict.
Chelsea, who had been standing for a long time, sighed quietly and could be heard walking. Luce held her breath.
“Luce, let’s go to bed.”
Chelsea shook Luce, who was pretending to be asleep, covering her face with a notebook, and hugged her, then walked upstairs.
The lights went out, and Luce’s notebook was placed on the bedside table.
Luce’s eyelashes, which tightly closed her eyes, fluttered occasionally.
Chelsea’s deep sigh tormented her face, but instead of bothering Luce, it broke her heart.
‘What happened, Mom?’
It wasn’t that she wasn’t curious about the story of her father, Lawrence.
She couldn’t ask at first because she was afraid of being caught possessed. She tried to ask after she got used to life in Xenon Village, but she didn’t dare to ask when she saw Chelsea’s expression as she polished the portrait.
Because she could understand her smile, which seemed to show that she was looking at something lovely but also sad and empty.
‘How it would break Mom’s heart if her little daughter, who looked exactly like her late husband, asked about her father.’
So she behaved more like an immature and naive daughter. It’s a pity for the dead father, but for Luce, the peace of her mother’s mind was more important.
She must pretend she didn’t hear anything today. Even family members can have secrets.
Luce made that decision.
Until Luce, who was desperately pretending to sleep, was suddenly grabbed by the cheek.
“You are not sleeping.”
What, how did she get caught?!
Luce opened her eyes, perplexed. Chelsea was looking at her.
Luce couldn’t see what her expression was like hidden in the darkness.
