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Chapter 307: The Returned Swordmaster Rescues the World Tree

Rumors began to spread that the returned swordmaster had saved the World Tree.

Claire wished to give credit to Yeon-woo for realizing it first, but Yeon-woo had no intention of correcting the rumor.

Yeon-woo’s fame wasn’t at the level where taking down two demons would make a name for him anymore; what mattered now was Claire, not Yeon-woo.

Simply being able to appeal to the nobles was already a significant achievement for Claire.

After all, Yeon-woo alone wouldn’t have been able to stop the spreading flames of the World Tree, which meant his contributions were relatively minimal.

In fact, the emergence of the demons made things easier. It was easy to imagine the day wouldn’t be long until he received the prosthetic leg.

Wow, a prosthetic made from the branches of the World Tree; surely no pirate captain in the world has ever laid eyes on such a treasure.

‘I’ll have to brag to Yeon-woo about it.’

While daydreaming of a happy future, the guest room door suddenly burst open.

There was only one person in Igrdals who would enter a guest room without knocking.

“Good work.”

It was Chloe, the queen of Igrdals. She looked terribly fatigued, as if she had been deeply involved in firefighting efforts since the unexpected incident that ended the banquet.

“Did you not sleep?”

“How could I? There were fires in the forest. Not just one, but several annoying spots caught fire, causing things to take quite a bit longer. How did the task I entrusted you go?”

“It seems to have gone well. Noble folks are probably shaking hands with the nun again even now.”

“Must be really annoying for her. I feel a bit sorry.”

“The queen is going to get scolded now. Our nun is super scary when she’s angry~.”

“I know well, having been scolded a lot myself.”

A strange sense of kinship flowed between the two. Raising his hand lightly to cut the tension, Yeon-woo spoke.

“It’s about time you prepared that item you mentioned, right?”

“Thanks to you, it looks like it’ll be handled faster than expected. Guess I’ll have to thank the demons.”

“That’s a sign that things are going smoothly. We can’t stay here for long either, so it’s better to start quickly.”

“Alright, alright. I’ll rest a bit, leave the work to my subordinates, and start right away.”

Chloe, who still looked tired, wiped her face as she spoke. Even so, it’s only right to ensure she gets some rest.

Since it wasn’t something to be rushed, Yeon-woo nodded along. The greatest carpenter Claire mentioned referred to Chloe.

Thinking about it, it makes sense. While Claire has her skills, no one handles wood better than the Grand Magus of the World Tree.

“But will you be working alone?”

“Why, want to watch?”

“If I can help, that would be great too.”

With Yeon-woo’s words, Chloe rubbed her chin thoughtfully and nodded slowly.

“That would be nice. If you could handle some chores, it’d make things easier. I’ll call you before starting, so come then.”

“Yes, please take your time. Oh, I’ve organized everything in that document, so you can take it with you.”

“Yawn, I might sleep for a while.”

With a stretched yawn, Chloe left the room. She might have had a lot to say, but when you’re tired, those things tend to fade away.

“Well then, it’s no longer my concern, so I guess I’ll just lounge around?”

The meaning of life is to laze about. Earning money, sleeping, eating, it’s all just preparation for having fun.

I’m going to sleep like a log. The elf bed is just too comfy.

*

“Ughhh…”

As the sun gradually set, Yeon-woo groaned and got up. What time is it? How long did I sleep? It felt like he’d been knocked out for ages.

After defeating the Demon King, interviews and photo shoots began flooding in, and there were even people asking for autographs in the streets, making him more famous than before, leaving him little room for proper rest.

“Was I more tired than I thought…?”

That wasn’t unreasonable. Not only had he attended an unfamiliar banquet, but he’d also pushed his limits, forgetting he was not fully fit physically.

When faced with the brink of death, everyone inevitably experiences immense stress.

Yeon-woo had thought for a moment, ‘Am I gonna die?’ so he surely couldn’t escape from that stress.

“Well, I had a good long sleep.”

Typically, when he snoozed like this, Shar or Tae-oh would wake him up for some fun, but today was different.

Chloe had assigned four guest rooms to Yeon-woo’s party: one each for Yeon-woo, Claire, and Nea, while the three children shared one.

They were probably busy playing amongst themselves. The only downside to this arrangement was not being able to see that.

His stomach growled. After sleeping from morning until evening, his body demanded food.

“I wonder if everyone’s eaten already?”

Before his return, eating alone was just part of his routine, but now he felt sad at the thought of it. Has his perspective changed with his new standing?

While he was lost in thought changing clothes, he heard a familiar sound of someone knocking.

“Are you awake? You must be getting hungry….”

“I’m up! I’ll be right out!”

Hearing Nea’s concerned voice, Yeon-woo quickly put on his clothes and opened the door. There stood Nea with a worried look outside the door.

The moment their eyes met, her expression softened and it was just too cute.

“Did you sleep well? I figured since you weren’t responding to my knocks, I’d let you be…”

“I slept way too well. You helped prevent the kids from waking me up, didn’t you? Thank you.”

“Thank you, please. Hmph.”

Noticing something was different in Yeon-woo’s demeanor made Nea place her hand on her chin. A sudden cough and her slightly trembling eyes hinted at something she wanted.

Seeing Nea behaving like a middle school girl on her first date, Yeon-woo turned his gaze elsewhere to spot any differences.

‘Aha.’

Though Nea had been fond of wearing elven attire since arriving in Igrdals, today, she looked quite different. It was similar to the dress Claire wore for the banquet.

It appeared restrained, yet elegantly accentuating the wearer’s beauty, making it incredibly alluring.

It seemed Nea wanted to flaunt that she wore such a dress.

A dragon, who wouldn’t be lacking in transcendent qualities, being so adorably appealing like this, made Yeon-woo smile without realizing it.

At the sight of Yeon-woo’s smile, Nea’s face flushed, but she raised her chin, as if she wanted him to respond if he understood.

“You’re beautiful, Nea. It’s hard to believe my love is this pretty.”

“Just a bit more.”

“Your curves are so soft and flowing that they catch the eye like a goddess of the wind! The black within those angelic features wonderfully complements your brilliant golden hair!”

“Th-that’s enough! Just stop there!”

“Understood.”

Unable to endure the barrage of compliments from Yeon-woo, Nea raised the white flag first. So unfortunate, he could have dished out fifty more compliments.

“Phew, anyway…! Your every action is just too much!”

“I only do this for you, Nea. Will you understand my feelings, my love?”

“Hmph! Let’s go eat!”

Realizing she couldn’t hide her smirk while pretending to act cool, Nea sharply turned her back.

Well, if she could find joy in something so simple, Yeon-woo was delighted. This is something he could do indefinitely.

Following behind Nea, who began walking with her staff, Yeon-woo occasionally thought about deepening their love.

‘It feels like it’s about time for the Ice Palace Lord to make her move…’

While “make her move” sounds dramatic, it’s not as if the Ice Palace Lord caused any incidents around this time before his return.

If remembered, the Ice Palace Lord cared for her daughter, the little princess Baek In-hwa, very dearly. So much so that she thought any prospective son-in-law should at least take down a Demon King.

And that was the issue. During his visit to the Ice Palace, he had received positive feedback from Baek Joo-han. Something about how he was a courageous young man or something.

In light of that, Yeon-woo held a significant achievement in defeating the Demon King.

While there were mixed opinions on whether a Sword Expert could have taken down a Demon King with just three Masters, one fact remained unchanged: he had made remarkable contributions to the Demon King’s downfall.

He could have buried any controversy by showcasing the shard of the Demon King he possessed, but one reason he refrained was the presence of Baek Joo-han.

It felt as if that would lead to a proposal of, “Shall we marry our daughter?” with a knife at his throat.

Thinking of loving one girl while contemplating another was already too sinful, it felt like a grave offense.

‘Life isn’t easy at all.’

Before his return, he had been troubled by a lack of popularity, but now he found himself surrounded by people who liked him.

If his previous self had heard of this situation, he would have slapped him for being so spoiled.

Hmm, better not think too much. The more he overthought, the more his romantic instincts would die off, leading to nothing but bold clumsiness.

“Life really can’t be this difficult.”

“What’s with the sudden melancholy? Anyway, let me tell you. At lunch today….”

As they neared the dining hall, Nea seemed to forget her earlier embarrassment in her excitement and began rambling about events and meals from lunch.

In moments like this, Yeon-woo realized that Nea was just like an ordinary person.

In fact, there was no significant difference between an entrap dragon and a toddlers taking their first steps.

Everything in the world was wondrous and curious to both sides.

With sparkly eyes, Nea excitedly shared her experiences with Yeon-woo, making him feel a tight sensation in his chest.

Was this the dark side of love? He wanted to hold onto her so tightly, not allowing anything but himself to touch her.

To cover that emotion, Yeon-woo suddenly spoke.

“…Um, did I mention I love you?”

“Didn’t you just say that! Ugh, alright then. You’re really persistent!”

Upon Yeon-woo’s sudden declaration, Nea coughed awkwardly as if lost in thought.

“I love you too…!”

Having squeezed out that declaration with effort against her embarrassment made Yeon-woo fall backward.

(To be continued)

 

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