Latian and his group traveled for more than a week before finally arriving at the capital.
The number of monsters they encountered along the way was beyond count.
The relentless tension over the past few days had drained both their bodies and minds.
Had they not arrived when they did, things might have taken a turn for the worse.
[‘Capital-bound Journey’ quest cleared!]
[…Reviewing success result values…]
[Success result values have been determined.]
━━⊱⋆⊰━━
[Chapter 1 –
– You have successfully navigated the perilous journey and arrived at the capital. Throughout this arduous trek, you have spent countless hours with your companions, forging bonds and creating lasting memories. Though these moments may seem insignificant now, they will one day bring about great changes.
– 『At the end of their long journey, the sight of the capital was like an oasis in the desert.』
– (❗) Your camaraderie with your companions has slightly increased.
━━⊱⋆⊰━━
Latian, his face weary from exhaustion, skimmed through the message before turning away.
At the inn’s counter, Claude and the twins were securing their accommodations.
Being Awakened, they showed no signs of fatigue.
Since it was already late and they still had a ways to go before reaching the palace, they decided to stay at the inn for the night and head there in the morning.
“Are you saying there are only two rooms available?”
At that moment, Haen’s flustered voice rang out.
‘What’s the problem?’
Sensing some kind of issue, Latian slowly approached to observe the situation.
He could clearly hear the conversation between the uneasy inn staff and his companions.
“Yes. There are only two rooms left, each with a single bed.”
“What should we do?”
“But the beds are fairly large, so two adults should be able to sleep in each one just fine… You’re a group of four, right? You could pair up and share.”
At the staff’s suggestion, the twins glanced between Claude and Latian.
Given the circumstances, they couldn’t assume other inns would have better options, and trekking to another one would take too long.
Sharing a room was the most practical solution.
Realizing where the conversation was headed, Latian tried to act first to avoid rooming with Claude.
However, the twins were faster.
“We’ll share a room.”
“The two of you should take the other one.”
Latian, missing his chance to protest, shut his mouth.
Claude, seemingly indifferent, took both keys from the staff, handed one to the twins, and followed an employee upstairs to their rooms.
The twins flanked Latian on either side, whispering in low voices.
“We did that on purpose, you know.”
“This worked out nicely, Advisor.”
Latian swallowed the sigh threatening to escape and smiled.
“Thank you.”
The twins, looking satisfied with themselves, disappeared into their room.
As Latian suppressed his rising irritation, Claude opened the door to their shared room.
Inside, an old carpet covered the floor, with a single bed placed in the center.
A fireplace and a small nightstand were the only other furnishings.
‘So I have no choice but to sleep right next to him again.’
…Surely, he wouldn’t expect me to sleep on the floor.
There wasn’t even a sofa here.
“Uh, sir. Can I wash up first?”
Latian pointed toward the attached bathroom.
Claude gave a slight nod, indicating he didn’t care.
Excited to finally clean himself properly, Latian momentarily forgot his disappointment about having to sleep next to Claude and reveled in the joy of cleanliness.
Warm water flowed freely, making him hum in delight.
In a real medieval setting, such luxury would have been unthinkable.
He was grateful that this world wasn’t entirely bound by strict historical accuracy.
By the time he stepped out, having lost track of time in his enjoyment, Claude immediately headed into the bathroom as if he had been waiting.
Meanwhile, Latian wasted no time in claiming one side of the bed.
“Ahh, this is nice.”
But despite the staff’s reassurance that the bed was big enough for two adults, it felt narrower than expected.
Latian tensed up at the thought—if he moved carelessly in his sleep and ended up touching Claude…
Who knew what kind of horror that might unleash in the middle of the night?
‘Nothing happened at the castle, but…’
This bed was much smaller.
‘If I accidentally hit him with my arm, I’m dead.’
A terrifying mental image unfolded in Latian’s mind.
Shivering slightly, he silently prayed that he would sleep peacefully tonight without incident.
He stared at the ceiling for a long time.
As the occasional sound of water splashing from the bathroom filled the quiet room, his heavy eyelids began to droop.
His thoughts drifted back to the cliffside accident.
‘Come to think of it… his body… was seriously impressive.’
At the time, his focus had been on survival, leaving no room to notice anything else.
But looking back, the sensation of Claude’s solid frame against him when he had held on for dear life had been nothing short of remarkable.
The firm, well-built chest muscles he had felt through Claude’s shirt…
‘I’m jealous. Those must be the result of real combat training.’
By contrast, his own body was… thin and unimpressive.
Even in his previous life as Kang Seyun, he had been similar, so there was no point in blaming the transmigration.
Feeling a renewed sense of inadequacy, Latian fidgeted.
‘Once I gain more freedom from these restrictions, maybe I should start working out?’
The North had plenty of seasoned rangers who thrived in harsh conditions.
He could probably learn a thing or two from them—if Claude allowed it.
Just then, Claude emerged from the bathroom and returned to bed.
He frowned slightly as he glanced at Latian, who had only his face peeking out from under the covers.
Latian deliberately gave him a bright, innocent smile.
Without a word, Claude lay down beside him.
‘At least he didn’t tell me to sleep on the floor. Thank goodness.’
Feeling the subtle proximity of their shoulders almost touching, Latian’s eyes darted around nervously before he carefully spoke up.
“Sir. This will be my first time attending a noble banquet.”
“……”
“So… I was wondering what exactly I should do there, how I should behave… Could you give me some general guidance?”
“For what reason?”
“I might make an embarrassing mistake.”
He was being completely honest.
Though their alliance was temporary, Claude had entrusted him with a task, and Latian wanted to do well.
He didn’t want to make any foolish mistakes.
If there was anything he could prepare in advance, he would.
“If you do something dumb and stand out, that would actually work in our favor.”
“…No, I need to look competent. That way, ‘they’ will approach me.”
“That’s a fair point. No one wants to make contact with an idiot.”
With a cold chuckle, Claude continued.
“There’s not much to it. I’ll enter separately, but the twins will be with you, so just follow them into the banquet hall. Since you have no title or reputation, no noble will approach you directly. If anyone does, the twins will handle it.”
He explained it so smoothly, as if he had always intended to.
So he was just messing with me earlier.
What an ass.
“So I just blend in, make myself inconspicuous, and slip out at the right moment? Somewhere away from prying eyes?”
“Exactly. Do what you do best.”
I’ll make sure to snare one of those imperial bastards and wipe that smug look off his face.
As Latian vowed this to himself, the bed suddenly creaked loudly.
Claude had turned to face him.
A shadow loomed over Latian’s head.
The gaze looking down at him was too close.
Feeling tense, Latian blinked before subtly turning his head to the side.
Though they weren’t close enough for their breaths to touch, the air suddenly felt stifling.
“Since we’re on the subject, let me ask you something.”
“Huh? About what…?”
“What were you before?”
“…A hostage….”
“Before that. Were you a commoner or a noble? What did you do? Do you have any family? If so, where are they?”
He had wondered why this part of his past hadn’t been questioned before.
Feeling dizzy, Latian clung tightly to the edge of his blanket as if it were a lifeline.
“Ah. Um. I might have been an orphan….”
“Might have been?”
“To be honest, I barely have any memories of myself.”
“No memories?”
“Yes….”
A cold sweat ran down his entire body.
Claude’s half-lidded eyes scrutinized him like a blade slicing through flesh.
“This raises another question. Information about Variants is classified—only a select few in the Empire can access it. So how did you come to know about it?”
“…Well?”
“Well? Is that really your answer?”
“…….”
“The world seems to be full of convenient coincidences in your favor. Don’t you think?”
A scoffing laugh fell from above him, making it clear that Claude didn’t believe a word he said.
‘But I can’t exactly tell him that this world is exactly like a novel I read in my past life and that I somehow ended up possessing a character in it, can I?’
Feeling extremely uncomfortable, Latian resorted to his last-ditch escape tactic.
“Ah. I’m really sleepy, so… Good night, brother.”
He shamelessly closed his eyes and pretended to fall asleep.
Inside, he was trembling, afraid that Claude would see through him and start yelling at him in suspicion.
Before long, he felt a fingertip lightly tap the bridge of his nose.
Startled, he flinched violently.
A soft chuckle, light as the wind, tickled his ears, but he ignored it.
Eventually, Claude wordlessly extinguished the lamp and turned over in bed.
‘…Phew. I survived.’
Tomorrow, he needed to find a way to drag out an Imperial officer and clear any lingering doubts.
With his tension finally easing, drowsiness crept in, and before he knew it, Latian, who had been pretending to sleep, had drifted off for real.
* * *
The Next Morning.
Setting out early, the group made their way to the palace.
Upon reaching the first gate, they boarded a carriage sent to escort them.
They only disembarked after passing through the second inner gate, where they were met by a man who had been waiting after receiving word of the Duke of Ocellania’s arrival.
“It has been quite a while, Duke Ocellania.”
The man had wavy golden hair and striking green eyes reminiscent of summer foliage.
He looked to be around Latian’s age or perhaps even younger—a youthful man with remarkable beauty.
If Claude was a man who embodied winter, then the one before him could be said to embody summer.
But after being around otherworldly beauty for so long, Latian wasn’t particularly awed.
He merely observed him in quiet appreciation, as one would admire a living masterpiece.
Then, their eyes met in midair.
The man fixed his gaze on Latian and approached.
Caught off guard, Latian’s eyes widened.
“And who might this adorable gentleman be?”
The man, now standing directly before him, bent at the waist with the grace of a gentleman, took Latian’s hand, and pressed a light kiss to the back of it.
“You’re my type. I feel like seducing you.”
Comment