SWNOVELXO Chapter 104
TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 104
The Desmond Household, having caused a commotion at the hospital, sat on the plush sofa with heavy expressions.
The time was 7 p.m.
It was time for dinner, but the three of them showed no intention of moving.
Olivia, who had been fiddling with her fingers, glanced cautiously at Darbav’s serious face and spoke.
“Dad, is Brother going to prison?”
“He’s not going.”
With a doubtful look, Olivia turned to Kyle, who was sitting to Darbav’s left. Kyle’s clothes were a mess from his scuffle with the mysterious green-haired head at the hospital.
Olivia carefully asked Kyle, who maintained a calm expression.
“Brother, are you going to prison?”
“…I’m not.”
“Why?”
“…Would you like me to?”
“No.”
Shaking her head, Olivia expressed her small wish that her brother wouldn’t end up eating prison food.
“Brother doesn’t like beans, after all.”
“That’s true.”
“So you can’t go.”
Touched by Olivia’s concern, Kyle’s eyes grew slightly moist. Who would’ve thought his little sister, who usually only complained about side dishes, would remember the food he disliked?
Kyle thought that, no matter whose sister she was, her care for her brother was unmatched in the world.
“My little sister, is there anything you want?”
Without a moment’s hesitation, Olivia replied.
“A Chocolate Palace.”
“…”
“Is that not okay?”
Kyle regretted his words.
“I’m sorry.”
Kyle figured the size of the Chocolate Palace he imagined and the one Olivia envisioned were vastly different. Resolving to earn more money in the future, Kyle nodded bitterly.
“I’ll give you money instead.”
“…Brother, you’re so cool.”
Olivia admired Kyle.
“So, what happened?”
“What do you mean?”
“The fight.”
There was a hint of excitement in Olivia’s eyes. She hadn’t seen Kyle’s fight with the green-haired head.
At the hospital today, Kyle had quietly put his arm around the green-haired head’s shoulder and led him outside. Neither Olivia nor their father, Darbav, had witnessed the fight, leaving them quite disappointed.
It seemed like they’d had a gentlemanly conversation, but Olivia, unable to discern the outcome, looked slightly worried.
“Did you lose?”
Kyle extended his fist, showing Olivia a small wound. Olivia, who scrutinized the tiny injury, tilted her head and answered dejectedly.
“So you lost….”
Kyle firmly corrected Olivia’s mistaken assumption. The idea of the Desmond Family, known as the Empire’s fighters, losing was utterly absurd.
With a voice full of pride, Kyle answered Olivia.
“Your brother doesn’t lose, Olivia.”
“So you won?”
“That’s right.”
With a small smile, Kyle briefly described today’s opponent, the green-haired head. Not particularly strong, but not too weak either.
In short, an average guy.
“His name was Ruin, apparently.”
“I know.”
“You know?”
“Yeah. He was a friend who often bought bread at school. He also liked getting hit.”
“…?”
Numerous question marks popped up in Kyle’s mind, but he didn’t bother asking. The guy who had cut in line didn’t seem particularly close to Olivia.
If they had been close, she would’ve at least acknowledged him. Kyle recalled that the guy named Ruin had been too busy avoiding Olivia’s gaze to even greet her.
Seeing no significant connection, Kyle decided not to dwell on it.
Kyle talked about the fight.
Olivia looked at Kyle with pride, and Kyle, wearing a pleasant smile, recounted today’s tale of heroics.
“He was a wizard who controlled flames. Quite talented for someone so young.”
“He was a disciple of the Tower Master.”
Darbav, who had been quietly listening, nodded and assured them he would handle the aftermath.
“This might actually be a good thing. I can send a meteor to the Tower Master’s face.”
“Dad, is this war?”
“No, it’s just a figure of speech.”
Internally, Darbav was pleased at the prospect of gaining an edge over the Magic Tower.
Kyle described his fight with Ruin as a gentlemanly conversation.
“I asked him, why cut in line?”
“And then?”
“He said he was in a hurry and asked if he could go first.”
“Oh…”
“He claimed to know the doctor and said he didn’t even make an appointment. Quite an arrogant excuse.”
“So what did you do?”
“I punched him.”
Kyle proudly recounted how he had settled the matter with his fists instead of magic.
Hearing that two wizards had abandoned magic to fight like dogs, Darbav nodded approvingly.
“Indeed, a man settles things with his fists.”
Kyle mentioned that Ruin had resorted to magic at the end, calling him a coward.
“What a coward. Like master, like disciple.”
“But I still won.”
“As expected… my son. The future of the Desmond Family is bright.”
Kyle gazed at his fist with pride, muttering softly, “A man’s strength lies in his fists….”
Even if the fight had involved magic, Kyle would’ve won decisively. However, he had chosen a more primitive method to deal with the uncivilized guy who cut in line.
Darbav, too, looked at Kyle’s wound with a proud expression.
“You’ve grown, my son.”
“I’m just taking after you, Father.”
“Haha, you flatter me.”
Watching this heartwarming exchange between father and son, Rosanna pressed her hand to her throbbing forehead.
“Ugh…! You’re all so full of yourselves! So full of yourselves!”
“You’re just like him. Isn’t that right?!”
When Darbav lowered his head dejectedly, mumbling, “Isn’t that a compliment…?” Rosanna smacked his back and sighed.
“Ugh… just stop it, you troublemakers!”
Kyle spoke seriously to Rosanna.
“Didn’t you have quite the personality in your younger days, Mother? You even had the nickname ‘Red Gloves’ during your adventurer days….”
“Be quiet. That’s a dark past I’d rather forget.”
“I’m proud of you, Mother.”
“…”
Rosanna shook her head.
After a brief silence, Rosanna addressed her gathered children and husband.
“So, why did you call me here?”
Rosanna, who had been preparing dinner, had paused her work at Darbav’s summons.
When Rosanna urged them to hurry so she could get back to preparing dinner, Darbav answered her in a somewhat serious tone.
“There’s something I need to discuss.”
“A discussion?”
“Yes, a very important discussion.”
Darbav lowered his voice as he spoke.
“What is tonight?”
Darbav received another smack on his back.
*
After escorting Yuria to the dormitory, I was on my way back to the estate.
Feeling a sense of accomplishment after a productive day, I stretched with satisfaction.
“Yawn… I’m tired.”
The conversation with Yuria had been more enjoyable than I expected.
It wasn’t awkward, and perhaps because we didn’t touch on heavy topics, I found myself enjoying the conversation throughout.
It was fascinating to hear about the events in the novel directly from someone involved.
Hearing about Yuria’s emotions regarding what had happened while she was away from the Academy, as well as the detailed elements not mentioned in the novel, excited me as a reader for the first time in a while.
And, of course, talking to a beautiful woman put me in a good mood. Not as beautiful as the Young Lady, of course, but it was still pleasant to feast my eyes on her.
The time was 7:30 PM.
As I looked at the estate of the household in the distance, I shivered slightly.
“Nothing will happen, right?”
Going with Kyle should mean nothing will go wrong, but I couldn’t help worrying since the Young Lady and the Head of the Household weren’t exactly reliable.
‘I just hope everything wraps up smoothly until I return to the estate….’
It was a very minor wish, but since the Young Lady had never granted such requests before, I sighed as I walked toward the estate.
Life in the capital was nearing its end.
Only about three days remained.
In three days, the estate’s renovations would be complete, and the Head of the Family’s Birthday would be over. The thought of cleaning up and tackling the postponed household chores upon returning home dampened my mood a little, but the idea of going back after so long brought a small smile to my lips.
A journey that began with the Young Lady’s inexperienced driving.
Though it started with many worries, it turned out to be a meaningful trip where I managed to untangle two strained relationships.
The relationship with the members of Desmond and the one with Yuria. While not perfectly resolved, the softened dynamics between them and me served as a turning point that eased the suffocating tension.
The street lamps brightly illuminated the dark alley.
Perhaps because it was the capital city, the densely placed street lamps made walking alone feel less intimidating.
Though I’m personally a coward who fears ghosts and dark places, the patrolling guards and the brightly lit street lamps kept me from feeling scared.
‘Tomorrow, I’ll go on a date with the Young Lady.’
As I walked toward the estate, marking the conclusion of the long journey.
A familiar male voice called out from behind me.
“Ricardo.”
When I saw his face, I gave a slight nod.
“Lord Kyle.”
Kyle stood there, looking at me.
He wore a slightly heavy expression as he gazed in my direction.
“I need to talk to you for a moment.”
“It’s about Olivia.”
In Kyle’s hand was a small piece of paper.
[Medical Diagnosis Report for ‘Olivia’]