Chapter 4: Pleiades (4)
The next morning.
Jude thought as he woke up with a groan.
‘I’m really weak.’
Although he was healed by Cordelia, his Gueumjulmaek had still not changed.
When he woke up, his body felt heavier than usual and he felt dizzy too.
‘I must hurry too.’
He couldn’t bear to wait for a month, let alone half a year. He had to cure his Gueumjulmaek as soon as possible.
‘We don’t have time.’
There was still a few years left until the Great Summons occur, but the problem wasn’t just the Great Summons.
It was the various events and items that appeared in Legend of Heroes 2.
They were literally left unattended. In other words, it meant that there was a lot of possibility that someone other than Jude or Cordelia could get their hands on it.
In the first place, even in Legend of Heroes 2, if a certain deadline was missed, there were many cases where a person, who didn’t participate in an event or collect an item, wouldn’t have a chance to do it again, so it would be even more true in this world where everything had become reality.
The things that he could do were too limited because even a little night walk in the garden was too much for his body that was in a bad condition.
He needed to regain a healthy body as soon as possible, so that he could begin his optimization strategies for his ‘character.’
‘Okay, first, the date… no, let’s start my strategy in asking her out for a quest, not a request for a date.’
Cordelia had accepted his offer, so while striving to maintain his peace of mind from the word ‘date,’ Jude got up from the bed and began his morning routine.
Wake up, wash up, and eat his meal.
If it was the usual times, he would have greeted his parents too, but now, both his father and mother were away from home.
‘Thanks to that, it’s easy to ask her out for a quest.’
Spending a full day outside while riding in the carriage…no, it was a ‘picnic,’ so if it was the usual Jude with his weak body, being allowed to do so would have been difficult.
‘Of course, it’s unlikely to be easy even now.’
Upon returning to the room after finishing his meal, Jude secretly looked around. Maja’s gaze on him was different than usual, because she was thinking of his mysterious conversation with Cordelia yesterday.
Her eyes were mixed with worry, concern, and doubts that the young master had something really wrong with his head, and so on.
‘In the meantime, how should I make an offer to Cordelia for a carriage date?’
Come to think of it, why the hell does he need to ask her out?
Unlike their past life, it would be impossible for them to pick an appointment place through a messenger app, meet up, and then have a conversation, all on the same day.
‘No, wasn’t there something similar?’
According to Jude’s memory, he could write a letter asking for a meeting and send it to Count Chase, and if Count Chase and Cordelia consented to it, he would have to write again to decide when to meet.
‘It’ll take about one or two days.’
But he couldn’t help it. Although they were engaged, they were both minors and one of them even had a weak body.
“Hey, Maja.”
“Yes, young master.”
“That…how should I say it…”
“Yes, young master.”
“That… Yellow…no, I mean, Lady Cordelia…I’m asking her out for a quest…no, I mean, a dat-…uh, do you have any sites to suggest? That…well, like going out for some drinks in a good place nearby the mountain…uh, yesterday! That’s right, when she came to visit yesterday, we couldn’t talk properly.”
Out of everyone else, why do I have to say that I want to go on a carriage date with Yellow Storm?
Jude was seriously distressed right now, but what mattered the most now was Maja’s assistance, and not his mental distress.
Even if his parents were away, it was not possible for Jude to do everything as he pleased.
It was impossible to go out of the mansion without the help of Maja, who was virtually like his elder sister and was highly renowned and recognized by his family.
Therefore, Jude nervously looked at Maja’s lips.
He had done a lot of ‘nonsensical’ stuff in the past few days, but what if he was told to just stay home and get drunk here?
‘Please, please Maja! Don’t make me say out of my mouth that I want to date Yellow Storm again!’
Did Jude’s earnest heart reach her?
Maja nodded with a faint smile instead of a cold expression.
“I understand, let’s get ready.”
And then Maja smiles again, with her face expressing what she was thinking.
I see, you actually wanted to get closer to Cordelia. You did that because you were embarrassed yesterday, and I thought my young master had all grown up, but you still haven’t. Or perhaps, because you’re a grown up now, so you did that? Ufufu – I think I can see the true intentions of your heart.
‘Sob, sob, it isn’t okay? It’s not like what you’re thinking, okay?’ (Jude)
However, Jude was in a situation where he could not openly deny it.
“Then let’s quickly begin by writing an invitation to send to Lady Cordelia. In the first sentence, how about To my Dear Lady Cordelia whom I deeply love?”
Maja Tantalotte.
Jude Bayer’s exclusive maid.
She was usually called the Ice Princess because of her usual cold expression, but in reality, she was a foolish young woman who had the tendency to meddle in everything.
“Y-yes…”
With a long sigh, Jude conceded as he lifted his pen and began to write a love letter to send to Cordelia.
***
Two days later.
The carriage that departed from Count Chase’s manor and stopped at Count Bayer’s was now running smoothly over the road leading to the Belkain Mountains.
Four people were inside the carriage.
The first two was Count Bayer’s youngest son, Jude Bayer, and his exclusive maid, Maja Tantalotte, and the other two were Count Chase’s second daughter, Cordelia Chase, and her escort knight, Dahlia Ale.
The people of both families sat on seats that faced each other.
In other words, Cordelia sat opposite Jude.
‘Do you not like it? I don’t like it either.’
Because Cordelia also had to reply to the love letter that Jude had sent.
Cordelia’s letter was also a love letter, saying something along the lines of going out on a date in a carriage and having some drinks together.
‘Yes, I know how you felt.’
He felt the same way when he wrote the letter.
However, instead of a deep sigh, the corners of Jude’s mouth was slightly raised. It was because of the appearance of Cordelia in front of him.
‘She’s completely wearing something perfect for a date.’
She was going to see the flowers with her fiancé.
She wore a wide-brimmed hat to keep the sun out and her white and heavy dress, with a long skirt filled with laces, made her pinkish-red hair stand out.
It absolutely and completely looked good on her.
Because anyone had no choice but to admit that Cordelia was an incomparably beautiful girl.
Jude honestly thought that if he separated the fact that she was Yellow Storm, her appearance was pretty and cute enough to the point of applause.
‘Yes, if only she was not Yellow Storm.’
As he thought of the incomparably beautiful girl in front of him as the Yellow Storm who asserted that ‘f*ck’ was an exclamation, he let out a giggle.
‘Well, I’m in the same situation.’
Jude also came here dressed in the best clothes for a date. Furthermore, Jude was also an absolutely handsome boy. Therefore, Cordelia’s cheeks were red when she saw such a Jude.
‘As expected of Yellow Storm. You’re faithful to your instincts. You’re very much like a beast, a beast.’
‘No, I’m not? It’s not like that? Aren’t you the one whose eyes are wide open?’
They only exchanged glances once and they felt like they could hear each other’s thoughts.
Then Maja and Dahlia looked at the two, each with a happy face.
And Maja and Dahlia very happily looked at the two.
‘They’re a good match.’
‘You’re both cute.’
And as the couple argued and sneered at each other with just their eyes, the other two misunderstood their exchange and an even more happy smile came to their faces.
Half a day passed by like that.
The carriage finally reached their destination, the middle of the Belkain mountain range.
***
“I-isn’t the weather so nice?”
“Yes. The flowers are very pretty. O-of course, not as much as Lady Cordelia.”
“D-dear heavens! No way. If you make fun of me like that…”
The two walked for a few minutes while exchanging words awkwardly as if reading a Korean book.
After the two barely gained some distance from Maja and Cordelia who were looking at them happily, they let out a long sigh.
“F*ck, I really can’t do this.”
“I don’t care if you say ‘f*ck’ but do it with a smile. Because they can see your face.”
“Oh my goodness, f*ck. Really f*ck. I can’t do this, f*ck.”
At the terrible sight of an incomparably beautiful girl who kept saying ‘f*ck,’ Jude’s mind was in chaos as he also felt a sense of shame that his heart was beating at her who kept saying ‘f*ck,’ so he opened his mouth.
“Anyway, hold it in. We’ve already come all the way here.”
“But what are we going to do now? It’s still quite some distance from here to the seal.”
“I have an idea. Rather, did you bring everything that we needed?”
“Hmph, of course. Who else do you think I am?”
“Yellow Storm who’s 2nd in the server.”
“Yeah, I’m the server’s… DIE! No, should I just go back?”
“Aww, our second place, don’t be upset. Don’t forget your smile as we’re still being watched from behind. Now, smile?”
Cordelia gave him a middle finger instead of a smile, as she glared at the smiling Jude, who said after clearing his throat.
“At least, you’ve got the items.”
“Hmph, did you know I was troubled hiding it under my skirt?”
As she said that, she lightly shook her skirt.
“Good. As expected of Yellow Storm. I believed in you. That’s my Yellow Storm.”
“I don’t really want to be your Yellow Storm, so tell me the plan first. How do you intend to go from here to the seal?”
They didn’t know if it was just the two of them here, so Maja and Dahlia were watching the two in alertness.
Jude gently moved his body, completely turning his back on Maja and Dahlia, and said in a quiet voice.
“It’s simple. See that cliff over there?”
“I see it. It’s the end of the flower field.”
“Once we get there, you carry me and jump off.”
It sounded crazy, but Yellow Storm agreed to his plan. She could tell that Outboxer009 could say this to her because he had a ‘map’ of this place.
“Is there a secret passage under the cliff?”
“It’s not a secret passage, but about 10 meters downwards, there’s a path under the cliff. We’ll use that way to go to the seal.”
Jude had checked the this and that of the terrain before coming here.
And he was sure of one thing.
Although there were some slight differences, if he looked at the situation as a whole, the terrain of this world and that of Legend of Heroes 2 matched.
Of course, Jude was sure of that possibility because he was someone who had reached rotten water status among the stagnant waters.
“Won’t Maja and Dahlia chase after us?”
“Because it’s 10 meters down, they won’t be able to come down immediately. And we have a solution for that too.”
“What is it?”
Instead of promptly answering Cordelia’s question, Jude paused for a moment. Cordelia was frustrated and tried to say her usual unique ‘exclamation,’ but at that moment, he opened his mouth.
“Just make one promise first.”
“What promise?”
“Promise to hear me and not call it bullsh*t. And also to not hit me.”
“…What are you going to say?”
“Is that a promise?”
“Yes, so what the hell is it?”
“So…”
Jude started talking in a low voice.
And after a while…
At the edge of the flower field.
Jude looked behind his back and signaled to Cordelia.
‘Now!’
As they had talked in advance, Cordelia suddenly held Jude’s hand. Maja and Dahlia, who saw the bold skinship, let out surprised voices, but there was still more to be surprised.
“Run!”
Jude and Cordelia ran towards the cliff edge and leapt without any hesitation.
“Young master?!”
“Miss?!”
No, what were those who were already engaged doing now? It was not like their love was unachievable in this life, so they were trying to achieve that in the next life.
As the two had those thoughts, the startled Maja and Dahlia reached the cliff edge in the blink of an eye. And they both breathed a sigh of relief.
Because they had witnessed the sight of Cordelia carrying Jude in her arms, and landing on the ground with magic.
“Young master!”
“Miss!”
Maja and Dahlia each raised their voices and incessantly looked around. They were trying to find a way down.
‘As expected!’
Dahlia did not know how to use magic.
Jude hurriedly urged Cordelia, and Cordelia shouted with a completely red face.
“I-I want to spend some time alone with Mr. Jude! We’ll be back before dinner, so just wait! Don’t worry about us!”
“Miss!”
Dahlia turned pale from astonishment and cried out, and Jude urged Cordelia again.
“Quickly! Say the next line quickly!”
“W-we’re not going to do anything strange! So don’t worry! Mi-mister Jude is a gentleman!”
That much was enough.
Maja and Dahlia were the only ones out here anyway. Count Chase’s coachman was taking a nap far away at a distance so if only Maja and Dahlia were to shut their mouths, the coachman would not know.
In any case, they succeeded in getting away from Maja and Dahlia, and they also finished making an excuse to buy some time. The only thing left now was to head for the seal quickly.
“Let’s go! Quickly!”
Cordelia reacted quickly to Jude’s prompting. It was also because she felt like she wanted to hide herself in a mouse’s hole.
And after a few minutes…
After moving to a place where they could no longer completely see Maja and Dahlia, Cordelia burst into anger.
“Ah, seriously! Why did I have to do it! No, carrying you while also jumping off a cliff, making excuses, and then I felt like you tried to hit me!”
She said all that with a frustrated face.
For such a Cordelia, Jude explained in his calmest possible tone.
“I’ve already said it once, I have Gueumjulmaek. I can’t carry you with these thin arms. And how will I hit you? It doesn’t make sense if I hit you. Come on, I’m a man with Gueumjulmaek.”
“That b*stard Gueumjulmaek! Gueumjulmaek! Just heal that Gueumjulmaek!
“Yes, I’ll carry you when I get better, I’ll also let you hit me.”
“No thanks? What is this crazy b*stard saying?”
“Yes, yes. Anyway, are you feeling better now? Then let’s hurry up. We don’t have much time.”
The possibility that Maja and Dahlia would really wait for them was zero. They had to finish their task before the two found them.
“Haa, really. Just heal that Gueumjulmaek.”
“Yes, as soon as it gets better, I’ll bake or boil or do whatever you want, so let’s go to the seal first.”
“Take the lead.”
“Come along then.”
Looking back on the surrounding terrain, Jude walked in big strides.
I take back what I said about this series using mostly German names. First, Dahlia Ale’s name is Anglo-Saxon in origin, and the Ale is not pronounced as “al”, but as “eyl”.
Next is Maja Tantalotte’s name. I couldn’t find a European equivalent to its Korean pronunciation. However, there was a Korean translation of a Japanese manga called Karubania Monogatari where one of the characters is named Tantalotte too. I used that instead of the English translation’s name, which was Tantalot, as Tantalotte looked fancier than Tantalot, haha.
Lastly is Belkain Mountains, which obviously alludes to the Balkan Mountains, but their pronunciations are different, so I opted for Belkain to make it fit this series’ fantasy setting.
The sourc𝗲 of this content is free(w)ebnov(𝒆)l