Chapter 243

There was a bit of commotion, but Lee Yeon-joo and Danyerin managed to have a not-really reconciliation with each other.

Building trust might take a long time, but at least there won’t be any life-threatening situations like before.

Lee Yeon-joo realized that glaring at Danyerin would only give the Hwan Empire more justification, so she would likely keep quiet for a while.

“Hey, wanna grab some food? I’m hungry.”

“Sounds good. When’s Grace coming?”

“She should be here soon.”

Now mealtime felt as natural as breathing. Even Grace was managing just fine with it.

But for some reason, Grace didn’t show up until late in the evening. She said she was busy, and it really seemed like she was.

In the end, before it got too late, I had dinner with Danyerin. For the record, Lee Yeon-joo was there too.

Originally, Lee Yeon-joo had planned to make a run for it, but Danyerin blocked her. She also said she was curious about something.

“Why do I have to sit here too?”

“Think of me as a guest.”

“No way. What kind of guest holds a knife to someone’s neck?”

“You know exactly what you’ve done, so just stay quiet.”

“……”

Thanks to Danyerin’s not-so-logical logic, we ended up sharing a table.

Lee Yeon-joo shot her a bewildered look, but there was no way she was running away now.

While they were sitting there, I started cooking as usual. Today’s dish was, as always, meat.

‘I’ve only been buying meat incessantly.’

When I lived in the forest, I’d eat whatever I could get my hands on, meat or not.

Internal organs also count as meat, right? I even used to eat them raw back then, but here that’s not the case.

Anyway, you can cook anything over fire. The only downside is the lack of stuff like blood sausage.

At least my taste buds had fully entered the civilized realm. Occasionally, I’d still munch on bugs, but that’s just a snack.

“Wow… you actually cook really well!”

“Tasty, right?”

“Yeah. Way better than what I make.”

Lee Yeon-joo genuinely admired the steak I made, nibbling away with her tiny mouth.

If it were up to me, I’d love to cook in an Eastern style, but I don’t really know how. Maybe I could get rice.

I did give them rice to eat with, but that’s not enough. It would have been even better if we had kimchi or something.

‘Now that I think about it, I didn’t even think of kimchi?’

I guess since I ate whatever was available, it completely slipped my mind. Suddenly, I found myself missing Earth’s food.

Thanks to active trade in this world, spices are pretty easy to come by. It’s like we’re in the Age of Exploration!

Of course, I’ve heard that pirates are running amok, too. There’s even a lawless island where pirates live.

‘Did they say there’s a Pirate King?’

While there’s the Destruction King Hector in the desert, they say there’s a Pirate King in the sea.

At least Hector has restrained himself from plundering after establishing his nation, but the Pirate King is a whole different beast.

That idea of sea romance sounds strange in multiple ways. But his strength and power are so overwhelming that dealing with him seems painstaking.

“Speaking of which, don’t you miss your hometown food?”

“Of course I do. The Academy has a lot of varieties, but it just doesn’t have that unique taste.”

“I can relate. The Hwan Empire is known for its strong flavors, but here everything is mostly bland.”

Maybe I should throw in some cilantro later. There are places selling it, but it’s a food that’s pretty divisive, so I didn’t buy any.

And of course there’s Grace. I seem to be okay with any flavor, but Grace might not be.

“Why is the Hwan Empire so greedy anyway?”

“It’s not the empire; it’s people who are greedy. Then, why did Johan sit there quietly?”

“You guys barged in and forced your army to annex us.”

Of course, things weren’t flowing smoothly. Most of the time, Lee Yeon-joo tended to be a bit prickly.

On the flip side, Danyerin handled things more flexibly with a maturity that didn’t match her age. As if saying she doesn’t care.

“Oh, by the way. I heard about an interesting culture in Johan. Can I ask?”

“What is it?”

“I heard that old parents are taken to the mountains and left there… was it called Goryeo Burial?”

“That’s such nonsense! Who said that?!”

“It’s widespread across the Hwan Empire.”

“Wasn’t that you who spread it?!”

And that’s how it went. Lee Yeon-joo was in a fit, while Danyerin stayed silent.

It was practically an unwinnable argument. Given the path Danyerin had walked so far, it made sense.

Lee Yeon-joo has been jumping around for her country’s independence, but she’s hardly felt a life-threatening crisis.

Considering their personality differences, this was something I could just overlook.

“Huh… you should make some sense. No matter how I think about it, it’s ridiculous.”

“That’s why culture can be so terrifying. It’s a crucial reason our empire can’t assimilate other nations.”

“But you know…”

Lee Yeon-joo looked at Danyerin with newfound contemplation.

Currently, Danyerin had finished her meal and was casually having a drink. That meant she was drinking alcohol.

Normally, she’d drink as if she were an alcoholic, and what used to be nightly drinking had become part of her routine.

Fortunately, her tolerance was high enough that she didn’t turn into a drunken mess. The next day, there wasn’t even a hint of a hangover; only a pleasant scent remained.

“How old are you anyway?”

“What?”

“I mean your age. You seem to know a lot. You’ve got to have a ton of life experience, right?”

“……”

At Lee Yeon-joo’s blunt question, Danyerin showed a rare expression of fluster.

It’s not surprising, considering that Danyerin is relatively older than most people.

Even Kara, who gets treated like an older sister, is only about two or three years younger, so they can be considered peers.

“Being older doesn’t automatically mean having more life experience. It depends on what you’ve done in that time.”

Danyerin tried to respond wisely, bringing up a meaningful point.

“Stop talking nonsense. Easterners can’t really be distinguished by just their faces. The Academy allows entry regardless of age.”

“……”

“You’re definitely older than me… but if I had to guess, I’d say around mid-twenties?”

Dead on. Danyerin’s age is her only weak point.

Some might say looks and a hot body are all that matter, but come on, consider the era.

In a world where many get married at just 19, being 25 is practically ancient. Especially with the Eastern conservative culture.

“I don’t care about age. Ever since I decided to become an emperor, it lost all meaning.”

“But earlier, you said it was a means to achieve your goal. Shouldn’t you start caring a bit?”

“……”

Was Danyerin feeling a little riled by Lee Yeon-joo’s snarky comment? Her grip on the table tightened.

This wasn’t how I expected things to go. Danyerin usually brushes off Lee Yeon-joo’s teasing.

Her real goal was to become an emperor. To achieve that, she completely sacrificed her life as a woman.

But not anymore. It seemed like there was some impact, even if it wasn’t severe.

“Huh… actually, I realize that’s true. I never considered my life as a woman. Who would’ve guessed something like this would happen?”

“Right?”

“But still…”

Danyerin gave Lee Yeon-joo a thorough look, her typical empty gaze lingering on her.

Starting from her pretty face down to her curvy figure. Then her gaze stopped at her chest.

“……Heh.”

And then she let out a confident laugh, as if savoring her victory. All just to enjoy another drink.

Lee Yeon-joo, not being foolish, wigged out a little at the corners of her eyes. It was more than just a flutter; it was a full-on tremble.

“……So, do you have anything to say?”

“No, just… I want to tell you to hang in there. Have you been sleeping poorly lately?”

“You really…”

This was turning into a grand fight, and I didn’t want to get caught up in it.

If I meddled in, it’d probably end up being a headache. First, I checked the time.

‘Has Grace eaten yet?’

I was worried it was getting too late. What if something happened along the way?

Although Godin would never do anything to jeopardize her, I couldn’t help but feel concerned because of that incident.

‘First, let me just make a simple lunchbox…’

If she was in the research room, she probably didn’t have a proper meal. I quickly whipped up a warm lunchbox.

The lunchbox’s ingredients included meat and various vegetables. That should be enough.

“I’m heading out for a bit.”

“Where are you going?”

“To check on Grace. She hasn’t shown up.”

“Go on then. We’ll keep things pleasant here.”

“What do you mean by pleasant? I’m going too.”

Just then, Lee Yeon-joo returned to her dormitory. It seemed we didn’t have to worry about fighting each other.

After getting the lunchbox ready, I headed to the research room where Grace was. I found myself speeding up for some reason.

‘Why is she taking so long?’

Godin tends to push his assistants, but he doesn’t keep them late.

On the flip side, if Grace was sitting there passionately learning, that’s probably not Godin’s issue.

Finally, I arrived in front of Godin’s research room and sensed something else behind the door.

‘…There’s another person?’

I could hear voices chatting behind the door. But when I checked, there were clearly three people inside.

Two were Grace and Godin, and I had no idea who the other one was. But there was no need for concern.

Knock, knock, knock—

I lightly tapped on the door and waited quietly. The moment I knocked, someone approached.

Creeeak—

“Who… Sivar?”

“Hi.”

It was Grace. Her eyes widened in surprise, as if she didn’t expect me to come.

“Have you eaten?”

“No, not yet…”

“Here, eat this.”

I handed the lunchbox I had prepared to Grace. At first, she looked taken aback, then she started alternating between looking at me and the lunchbox.

Her purple eyes glimmered with emotion. She probably thought I packed this for her, right?

Which is true, so I let it slide. Right now, I needed to find out why she was so late.

“Why are you late?”

“Well… please come inside for a moment.”

Grace answered with her actions instead of her words. I stepped into the door she opened.

“If you do this spell this way… it’ll save mana. The unfolding will speed up, too.”

“Hmm… I think differently. Is there a way to alleviate the overload here?”

“Oh. You don’t have to worry about that. Just like this…”

And then I saw the chalkboard filled with hieroglyphics, along with two people discussing in front of it.

One was expectedly Godin, and the other was a girl with sky-blue bobbed hair.

It was Jane, who had been chosen as Godin’s graduate student. She was wearing the same shabby shirt from before.

“…What is that?”

I pointed at the two and asked. They were completely lost in their own world, unaware I was there.

“I don’t know either.”

Grace answered as she unwrapped the lunchbox. She seemed quite hungry; elegance was nowhere to be found as she shoved food into her mouth.

“Jane always does this when she comes. I have no clue what they talk about.”

“Isn’t that magic?”

“It is magic, but it’s mixed with machinery, so I don’t get it. I understand the principles of magic, but engineering is a mystery.”

“Hmm…”

I stared ahead again at those two.

“Oh! That’s how it’s done!”

“And this is…”

Time passed, and I stood there for an hour, just observing blankly. I really couldn’t interrupt them midway.

‘So that’s why Grace couldn’t come.’

Looks like she couldn’t focus because she was busy sneaking glances.

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