Side Story Chapter 324

Side Story Chapter 324

“Love... No matter how hard I think about it, I think it’s a luxury I can’t afford.” Iruca smiled bitterly.

However, Cain didn’t give up.

“I received a special order from Queen Consort Icarus.”

“...A ‘special order’?”

“I promised her that I would get you a boyfriend before she leaves for the Magic Tower.”

Icarus had simply asked him to talk to Iruca about it, but his motto as the Martial God’s first knight was that any job worth doing was worth doing right.

On the other hand, Iruca’s attention went elsewhere.

“Hold on. She’s going to the Magic Tower?! I-Is it because of Father...?”

“Ah, yes. She got a message from Queen Consort Iceline. I guess you haven’t heard the news.”

Iruca sprang to her feet excitedly. “Seriously?!”

“Yes, I’m serious. Which is why you should get a boyfriend, regardless of whether you like him or not. You might get to meet your father, so it would be rather sad if you were the only one who was single.”

“I don’t care if I’m standing among a hundred couples!”

“It matters because your father will scold me, not you,” Cain answered.

“...Huh?”

“He’ll say, ‘You’re married even though you’re all wrinkly, so why didn’t you help my baby girl get married too?!’” Cain mischievously mimicked.

Iruca went silent.

Cain pounded his chest. “Just trust me, Your Highness. I’ll bring you a man you’ll like.”

“...I’m sorry to say this, but it’s a little—no, it’s very hard to trust you on this.” Iruca narrowed her eyes.

“Why is that?”

“You were single up until your sixties...”

Cain was left speechless.

Iruca sighed. “Give me some time to think about it.”

“I’m asking you to date someone at least.”

“I don’t want to. Do I look like I have time for that?”

“You’re still young! You can’t give up yet!” Cain insisted.

“No, I think I can give up dating in this life,” Iruca answered firmly as she made her way back to her desk. “I need to get some work done so that I can follow Mother to the Magic Tower.”

“...Gosh,” Cain muttered.

It was said that one shouldn’t mess with a person who was close to their retirement[1], but it bugged Cain quite a lot to see Valmont was napping, especially after he had just met Iruca, who was drowning in paperwork.

“Hold on.” A brilliant idea flashed across Cain’s head. Iruca and Valmont were total opposites of each other, so maybe...

“...They might actually be a good match.” Cain’s face lit up as he began to draw plans.

Marriage was supposed to be about complementing each other. And while Iruca was the most meticulous person in the world, Valmont couldn’t be lazier. What would happen if they started dating?

“It’s a match made in heaven. Hahaha.” Cain couldn’t stop chuckling at the idea of putting Valmont through the wringer just before his retirement. The age gap wasn’t much of a problem. The first time was always the hardest, but Kireua had gotten off to a fantastic start with Anna. The world couldn’t look more beautiful in Cain’s eyes as he gently shook Valmont awake.

“Hey, wake up.”

“Urgh!” Valmont tried to fend off Cain. “Who dares interrupt my sle— Huh? Sir Cain?”

Valmont sat up, blinking.

“How was your sleep?” Cain cheerfully asked.

“Huh? Umm, well, it was okay.” Valmont blankly wiped his cheek.

Cain gave him the most gentle smile he could manage. He hoped that his friend would get to experience a happy marriage too.

*

A huge lab in the Magic Tower lit up. Theta quickly put down his book, eyes wide with wonder, and ran over to Iceline where she stood in front of the light.

“D-Did it work?”

“...This is the last one.” Iceline solemnly looked at the product of her long research.

It had already been close to a decade, but she hadn’t changed much. While she still had her beauty from her twenties, she had also become elegant with age. Being one of only two Eighth Circle mages in Igrant had its benefits.

Both of the aforementioned Eighth Circle mages were working on this project, which made the impossible possible. However, dedicating both of their lives would still not have been enough without...

“Thank you, Creshua. This was only possible because of you.” Iceline smiled.

“No need to thank me. I did it because I wanted to.”

The supreme dragon already exceeded the Eighth Circle, becoming the sole living Ninth Circle mage—but Iceline suspected he might have reached the legendary level of the Tenth Circle.

Iceline shook her head. “If you hadn’t given me a piece of your heart, this research would never have met any success.”

The final key in their research was a dragon’s heart, but because of the Battle God, their race had been slaughtered—except for one. If Iceline hadn’t had the sole survivor’s help, her dream would never have come true.

“...I wouldn’t have been here if it hadn’t been for him, so don’t concern yourself with it, human mage.”

“Thank you. I’m really grateful to you.” Iceline excitedly bowed to Creshua over and over. She had endured everything for this day, so she was smiling from ear to ear. “I’m going to see you again no matter what it takes. Hold on a little longer, Joshua.”

1. The raw is ??? ??? ???? ? ?????. It’s a Korean military joke. The military tends to go easy on people who are about to be discharged from their service because people could file complaints against their officers after they’re discharged. ☜