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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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“What in the world did you teach Yousera?”
Elsie asked, exasperated, as she popped my dislocated shoulder back into place and applied a potion.
I felt just as foolish. But I’d had no choice.
“The armbar and the guillotine choke.”
“What are those?”
“…Wrestling techniques from my homeland.” Yousera’s eyes lit up.
“I wonder how amazing Lodreim Kingdom’s time-honored wrestling techniques are, then.” Elsie shook her head in resignation.
“I’ll demonstrate them to Mr. Seo Yoo-rang myself later.”
There was a glint of malice in her eyes. She wasn’t going to let this go easily.
“Sorry, Elsie, but you know I had no choice.”
“I understand, but like I always say, understanding and being pissed are two different things.”
“Sorry.”
“It’s fine. The misunderstanding is cleared up, and you did well.”
She finished applying the potion and slapped my shoulder. It was more of a whack than a slap. It would have bruised if it weren’t for the potion.
“Ouch… So, did you finish the operation?”
“Of course. I scattered them all over Lodreim Kingdom. Even if the entire knight order mobilized, they wouldn’t be able to collect them all.”
“Good. Then we should see a reaction tomorrow morning.”
I was certain tomorrow morning’s streets would be different.
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“What’s this?”
The next morning, people on the street picked up papers scattered on the ground. The royal guards tried to stop them, but there were too many. Elsie had distributed them all over the city last night.
“Is this real?”
Something was written on the papers in black ink. Yousera had spent the past few days writing them while cooped up in the inn. The message was simple:
I have kidnapped the princess. (Masked Hero)
But the simple message was shocking. Murmurs filled the streets.
“Kidnapped the princess? The Masked Hero?”
“That criminal…”
“He’s not even a hero. But is it true? Did he really kidnap her?” It was true. The princess was right here beside me.
“Hee hee…”
She seemed quite proud of herself. I was also pleased with the operation’s success.
‘This method worked perfectly.’
There was a reason why I’d gone through the trouble of scattering papers instead of spreading rumors like with the Masked Hero. In a rigid society like Lodreim Kingdom, rumors didn’t spread easily.
The Masked Hero rumor had spread initially because the kingdom was unprepared, but I doubted it would work again.
‘And…’ Another type of murmur arose from the crowd.
“What’s the royal family saying?”
“I don’t know. Has anyone heard anything?”
Information disseminated to the public like this was easily amplified. Even if it was unfavorable to the royal palace, with so many people talking about it, they couldn’t just silence everyone like before.
‘If this works…’
All that remained was to wait for the royal family’s reaction. We had the real princess. Let’s see what they do.
‘I have a pretty good idea.’
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A day passed. As the rumors about the princess’s whereabouts spread, the kingdom issued a statement: the princess was safe in the palace, and the Masked Hero’s cLodreim was false. But people were skeptical. The princess hadn’t been seen in public recently.
And the next morning, more papers appeared on the streets.
The royal family is lying. I have the princess. (Masked Hero) Despite the guards patrolling throughout the night, the Masked Hero had struck again. Now, people openly doubted the royal family. They were united in their concern for the princess.
But even the coup plotters couldn’t punish everyone for worrying about the princess. There was no reason to. They had a simple solution: the fake princess.
They announced that they would prove the princess’s safety during the festival, which would begin three days before Nameless Day, meaning tomorrow.
‘Of course, that princess will be a fake.’
We had the real one. I looked at Elsie, lounging in the inn.
‘The plan is perfect so far.’
The next phase, after the fake princess’s appearance tomorrow, depended entirely on Elsie. And I wasn’t sure if it would work. It was beyond my control, relying solely on her acting skills.
“Let’s get some sleep.”
Yousera was already asleep, exhausted after a furious outburst when Elsie teased her about gaining weight from being cooped up in the inn. Elsie, on the other hand, was staring blankly at the ceiling.
“Elsie.”
“Yes?”
“Are you okay?” Elsie turned her head to look at me from her bed.
“Of course. Just thinking about tomorrow’s operation.”
“Don’t overthink it. You’ve practiced enough. Your condition tomorrow is important.”
“You’re right. I should get some sleep.” I closed the curtains, plunging the room into darkness.
“Goodnight, Elsie.” As I lay down on my makeshift bed, Elsie suddenly spoke.
“How about one round?” What was she talking about?
“One round of what?”
“Lodreim Kingdom’s time-honored wrestling.” It wasn’t actually wrestling. She meant that. But there was a problem.
“I just said, your condition tomorrow is important.”
“Exactly. I can’t do anything in this pent-up state.”
“What about your stamina?”
“One round won’t even make a dent.”
That might be true for her, but not for me. But it didn’t matter; I wouldn’t be doing much tomorrow, anyway. There was still one obstacle.
“What about Yousera? Will she wake up?”
“Can’t you distinguish her breathing with your amazing hearing?”
“That’s true, but it’s a bit difficult with Yuseora. There’s almost no difference between her light and deep sleep breathing.”
I had tried to distinguish Yuseora’s breathing recently, since we were sharing a room. But they were almost identical. Perhaps she always slept deeply.
“Can’t be helped. But if we’re quiet, it’ll be fine, right?” Just being quiet?
“Can you be quiet?” I’d never seen her be quiet.
Elsie smiled and said, “Of course. We can be physically quiet.”
She took out a piece of cloth and started gagging herself. I had run out of excuses. One round wouldn’t hurt.
‘But before that…’
I reached into my inventory and took something out. It looked like a vitamin pack.
“What’s that?” Elsie, mid-gag, asked.
“This isn’t a trial. It would be troublesome if you got pregnant at a crucial time like this.”
“Does this prevent pregnancy?”
“Yes.”
“Absolutely?”
“99.9% certain?”
She blinked and said, “Pleasure without responsibility. Isn’t that too convenient?”
Well, some said it reduced pleasure, so perhaps not. I’d never used it before. My only experience was with Elsie in the trials.
As I was opening the package, Elsie suddenly said, “I almost forgot to tell you this.” She grinned mischievously and said, “I’m still a virgin.”
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After a passionate, silent night, morning arrived. One round turned into two, two into three, and I eventually passed out. But Elsie had returned to her bed.
‘Today’s the day…’
I looked at Elsie for a moment, then got up. I saw Yuseora already awake and stretching. She always woke up early since she went to bed early.
“Morning.”
“Morning.”
Her response was strangely cold. Perhaps because of today’s operation. I shook Elsie awake.
“Elsie, wake up. We need to get ready.”
“Hmm, mm…”
“The fake princess will be making an appearance, and the real princess can’t miss it.”
Elsie’s eyes opened.
“Of course not.”
She had the most important role in today’s operation. But there wasn’t a trace of anxiety or nervousness in her eyes. Only a determined glint, her usual fierceness, reflecting her resolve.
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