The appearance of the princess was milder than he thought. She had a small face with soft, dark brown eyes, and a smooth smile hanging from her mouth, making her features seem gentle. Though she had a glamorous dress with hair beautifully done, there was dignity and nobility in her appearance.
It was the appearance of a noble that had exceeded his thoughts. But if there was a problem, it was that the princess was too young.
"Welcome, Drake Knight."
She looks around ten years old at the most, and her large eyes and exposed forehead caused her to look even younger, so it was familiar to see such a noble impression and gesture from her.
"Ahem."
If the commander was not beside him, then Sunhyuk might have forgotten to greet her and have continued on for a while as if he had done nothing wrong.
"24th Regiment, 3rd Squad of the Heavy Cavalry, Kim Sunhyuk greets the Princess."
He hurriedly came down from the Drake and kneeled down in a bow, saluting his hand onto his chest. Fortunately, the etiquette training that he had tirelessly received along the way here came into great use.
'Let's see. After this, the Princess should tell me to raise my head, and after…'
While he was thinking of the next procedure, the Princess told him to raise his head.
"Raise your head, and lift your visor. If you want, I will permit you to take off that heavy helmet."
He reflexively raised his head and followed the procedures that he had memorized according to the plan, but he later realized his mistake. He had not raised his visor, so he was unable to reveal his face in front of the Princess.
"Thank you for your consideration!"
Fortunately, it seemed that the Princess wasn't intent on reprimanding him for his rudeness. He sighed internally, and naturally took off his helmet, placing it on top of his knees.
'Ah, I knew she was young, but she's not just young. She's a total child…'
The moment he took off his helmet, the appearance of the Princess entered his sight. Rather than beautiful, she looked very cute and lovely, and staring at her, a fatherly-like smile almost slipped onto his face. He desperately suppressed this urge and tried to maintain a stern face in wait for the next words of the Princess.
"Though the lack of consideration may be too much from holding onto you, but I cannot help but not present a reward."
She spoke solemnly, making her look even more lovely. Moreover, the Princess continued to look to the side interestingly at the Drake once she recovered from the initial shock of seeing a Drake for the first time.
"We will never forget your courage, and devotion to the Royal Family in defeating those Noctane demons, and we will provide you with an appropriate compensation for this deed.
Despite being a young girl, she did not lose her grace and elegance. But, she looked so cute and funny that he almost broke out from laughing. However, the Princess fortunately ended this meeting before his smile leaked out.
"Let us see each other again once you've recovered from the fatigue of your travels."
As if she was intent on letting him truly recover, she spoke a few more welcoming remarks before returning.
"Maintain formation and standby!"
However, due to the fact that there were a lot of people returning to the capital, the troops waited for quite a long time on standby.
Being guided by a infantry squad, they were heading to a outpost reserved for them. Sunhyuk then shifted towards Clarke and whispered.
"Um, well. That Princess…"
He cautiously told him that he never knew the Princess was so young, which Clarke chuckled before replying.
"Even if she looks like that, she is in charge of the foreign affairs of the Royal Family. Even if one is young, a tiger cub of a tiger is still a tiger. You can't overlook past her age because she's young."
Even in the absence of the Commander and the Captain Ahjussi, Clarke was extremely cautious when he talked about the Princess. Subsequently, Sunhyuk showed an awkward expression feeling the sincere respect and loyalty rather than fear in Clarke's words.
No matter how he looked at it, she was just a cute small child.
He could not comprehend the emotions and thoughts of the people of this world, as he just remembered that Princess to be a lovely girl.
"Did you see?!"
A noble who was sitting at a high place watching the scene of the Princess and the Stranger exclaimed with a shout.
"To not even raise your visor in front of the Princess, the disappointment of the Stranger is several times greater than what I had thought."
"He even looked down on her quite a long time on top of the beast before demounting. There's no mistake that he holds a grudge to them. If not, how could he act in such a way in front of the Royal Family."
In fact, Sunhyuk had only forgotten to raise his visor, and was embarrassed at how young the Princess was, but the nobles determined that they were acts sourced from his grudge.
"Not only that, his expression was also tight. He was extremely uncomfortable having to stay silent."
It was because the Princess was too cute why he was trying to maintain himself, but even that suppression of himself was misunderstood.
Thus, the nobles who did not know of the truth were completely misunderstanding the situation and confirming their thoughts.
"We must quickly calm that black heart sooner or later. He may be rude and arrogant, but he has ability, so wouldn't it be our duty to influence and serve the Kingdom?"
"Since there will be a victory ball tomorrow, we should try and step forward then."
"I'm also planning on contributing as well."
The nobles who were speaking for quite some time soon tried to contemplate other methods seriously. There were one that had offered beauties, and another that proposed giving money.
"But if it's him that had rolled around in the dirt of the borders with those country guys, would he even be able to come to his senses? I could already imagine what his face will be like."
"Rather than that, wouldn't it be ideal to have some young friends talk to him? If he were to give favor to one of them, then it would be rational."
As if Sunhyuk would already be overcome by them, the nobles were talking excitedly, and in that time, he was dumbfoundedly staring at Atiya in a room assigned to him by the Royal Family. That seductive, dazzling body with that translucent figure caused the time to go quite well.
"Ah, probably due to the fact that my dominance is rising, but you're becoming prettier."
Though her face still looked like Ahn Yoojung, with his increase in attribute dominance, the change in appearance of Atiya who was strangely shining was surprising itself.
"Because of you, my eyes for women are becoming too high. Seriously"
Staring at Atiya's naked self the whole day, his heart that used to jump excessively from a slight exposure of skin turned into a cast iron. He became fully numb to the stimulation of Atiya, whose few important parts were covered in mosaic, in the end.
'I have no fault, Master.'
And what did he do about his title. From Atiya's sentence, Sunhyuk sighed. Though lust and desire was accumulating in him, his heart did not move so freely, as this physical and mental incompatibility caused him to ache in the end.
"Right. What fault do you have? It's the demon inside me that's the problem."
Shaking his head, he soon began to contemplate on the growth of Atiya. At one point, it felt like Atiya was going to undergo a change, but she remained the same, and there was no change in his attribute dominance that was stuck at 99.
At this time, he was wondering if submission was also capped at 99, but seeing the Drake, it felt that it wasn't that as well. Just like his attribute dominance, it seemed that his submission could also overcome the limit of 99 as well.
[Kim Sunhyuk]
[Level 7]
[Dragon Rider]
[Possessed Attributes]
Contracted Elementals
Basic Wind Elemental (Atiya)Tamed Dragons List
Drake (?) / Submission 99Condition: Hunger, Peace, Sleep
[Strength 29 / Endurance 28 / Agility 31 / Magic Resistance 37 ]
[Possessed Skills]
<< Dragon Taming >>
<< Dragon Riding >>
<< Charging (Wind) >>
<< Wind Piercing (Wind) >>
<< Attribute Weaponry (Intermediate) >>
<< Advanced Horsemanship >>
<< Standard Kingdom Spearmanship (Advanced)(Wind) ←→ Standard Kingdom Mounted Spearmanship Skill (Advanced) (Wind).]
<< Standard Kingdom Swordsmanship (Basic) ←→ Standard Kingdom Mounted Swordsmanship Skill (Basic) (Wind) >>
<< Heavy Armor Maneuvers (30kg) ←→ Heavy Cavalry Maneuvers (75kg) >>
<< Infantry Shield Skill (Intermediate) ←→ Cavalry Shield Skill (Intermediate) >>
<< Advanced Work Skills (Civil Engineering) >>
What was most disturbing thing was the question mark that was beside the Drake posted on his Status Window. However, he had no way of knowing what that meant.
Even if he were to try and devise, no method would appear to him, causing him to close his eyes. Then, after some time, his exhausted body soon made him enter into a drowsy state.
Knock Knock.
When he was about to sleep, he heard a knocking at the door. Knowing that there was no one, even the Royal Family, that should be looking for him he asked who in a low voice before a reply was heard.
"It's Ahn Yoojung."
Then, he recalled how Yoojung told him to look for her first as soon as he arrived past the royal road, he bitterly smiled before raising his body.
"It's been a wh…"
Yoojung who was about to warmly greet a welcome soon shut up looking past his shoulder.
"Atiya. Return."
'I hate that woman!'
With Atiya being in that naked self, she expressed a complaint. However, knowing that a conversation wouldn't properly unfold, he forcefully returned Atiya and showed an awkward expression.
"You're still the same, Sunhyuk, and that Spirit too."
Not having much to reply, he stared at her, and she soon pushed herself inside the room.
"I heard. You're now an Advanced?"
"Yes. Well. It just happened."
Having heard of the rumors already, Yoojung had come to congratulate him.
"Are you uncomfortable with me coming here?"
Seeing him still standing at the door, she asked.
If he were to ask honestly, he was definitely uncomfortable. He was uncomfortable with the proposition of joining her faction, and was also uncomfortable talking with her who had the identical face of the naked Spirit.
However, if he were to answer like that, even she would become awkward so he roughly answered.
"Close the door and sit down for a bit."
Closing the door and sitting on a chair, she quickly got to the main point.
"We don't need you to necessarily join our faction. I've already been declined a few times, and it's not a situation where I'm desperate enough to ask again."
It has been quite a long time, but it felt like the influence of the dominance was somewhat diminished as Yoojung looked a bit free. It felt as if he returning to when they first met.
"However, even if you do not plan on being with us, do not decline the propositions of others as well."
This was also a surprising suggestion. Usually, if one wasn't able to recruit one to their side, they would advise that person to not join the others as well, but she spoke the exact opposite.
"Are you stupid? Don't you know how the mood of the nobility is?"
"I just arrived so I have no way of knowing."
He answered with a bitter laugh, in which she explained the reason why.
"The nobles will be clinging onto you greatly."
"I have no plans on being won over."
"That's what you may think. However, don't take the nobles lightly. They will probably offer you an offer you can't refuse."
Even so, he had already received everything he wanted, so he didn't really need anything more. He replied with a silent, cool expression, causing Yoojung to speak frustrated.
"The nobles are talented in targeting unknown weak points and offer what you lack."
She was living up to her ability by being wary of the nobles. Due to her earnest tone, he did not stay negligent any longer and listened to her.
"And about now, they probably found what Sunyuk needs the most."
TL Afterword:
Calvis: N/A
PR Afterword:
T0ngan: Vote = Rate us in NU!
Borderline Masochist: N/A
Translator: Calvis
Editor: T0ngan/Borderline Masochist