SWNOVELXO Chapter 85
TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 85
Three days ago.
The Young Lady, who had become an unlicensed driver, was practicing driving in the yard.
“Vroom vroom.”
Mimicking engine sounds with her mouth, the Young Lady fiddled with the lever, moving a meter before turning her head to ask, “How was that?” as if seeking admiration for her excellent driving skills.
I raised my thumb toward the Young Lady and said,
“You’re slower than my grandmother.”
“But Ricardo, you don’t have a grandmother.”
“That’s a savage insult.”
“…Sorry.”
The timid Young Lady’s driving skills began to improve over time.
“It’s rolling. Degururu.”
Buoyed by continuous praise, the Young Lady confidently maneuvered the stick lever.
“Drift!”
She began to display strange antics.
“Young Lady, reckless driving is a shortcut to the coffin.”
“But it looked cool. That’s all that matters.”
“Where did you learn such a strange mindset?”
The Young Lady didn’t respond, only looking at me as if that was her answer. It seemed she had been inspired by the inertial drift I demonstrated during a test drive.
As the Young Lady’s driving master, I couldn’t lift my head.
“Well, drifting is something you should try at least once in life.”
“Exactly. Life’s boring if it’s too plain.”
The Young Lady nodded and focused on driving again.
-Screech.
She turned to the right.
-Screeeeech!
Then abruptly stopped to the left, showing off a noisy stunt. The Young Lady hesitated and glanced at the red button on the armrest, gauging my reaction.
Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she stared at the button.
Like a gambler intoxicated by pleasure, her fingers twitched as she murmured,
“Ricardo, I’m ready for takeoff.”
“You’re too young to return to dust.”
“No, I won’t die.”
The red button.
Nicknamed the “Can’t Stop Now” button, it was a feature that removed the speed limit on the wheelchair, which was capped at 40km per hour. It enabled rapid acceleration, surpassing 100km per hour—a man’s dream encapsulated in a button.
During her first drive, this ill-fated button had caused her to crash through the mansion’s wall. Now, the Young Lady gazed at it with excited eyes.
“I’m good at driving now. I’m the best driver.”
“You’ll just get to the coffin faster.”
“It’s fine. I was unharmed when I hit the wall last time.”
Recalling her intimate encounter with the wall, the Young Lady answered me. She placed her trust in the barrier magic embedded in Fairy Unit 1.
As an awkward tension filled the air, I firmly addressed the Young Lady, who was staring at the button with crazed eyes.
“No.”
“…”
“Ahem…!”
“….”
The Young Lady glanced at me cautiously, then, like an F1 racer preparing for a match, tapped her helmet with her fist and nodded.
“Take this!”
-Vrooooom!!
At the roaring sound of Fairy Unit 1’s exhaust, the moment became intense.
“Hyaaah!”
Fairy Unit 1, accompanied by the Young Lady’s dying scream, began a rapid sprint toward the mansion’s wall.
Like a siege weapon flying through the air, Fairy Unit 1 made me clutch my head and shake it.
“It’s over.”
-Screeeeech!!
“Eeeek!!”
The unlicensed driver’s clumsy handling couldn’t control the wild Fairy Unit 1, and the Young Lady crashed it into the mansion’s front gate.
-Thud…
“Cough, cough…”
Amid the thick dust cloud, the Young Lady coughed.
Muttering that the wheelchair was largely at fault because her theory was perfect, the Young Lady stared blankly at the gaping hole in the mansion’s front gate.
“Huh?”
Wearing a devastated expression, the Young Lady looked as though her world had collapsed. Thanks to the sturdy barrier magic, she wasn’t injured, but unfortunately, the mansion, now a casualty of the siege, had a massive hole in it.
“Hiccup…”
Looking at the ruins of the collapsed mansion, the Young Lady spoke.
“Ricardo… I’ve conquered the mansion.”
“A splendid siege battle, Young Lady.”
“Thanks. But… what do we do about this?”
Tears welled up in the Young Lady’s eyes.
The Young Lady, who had just destroyed her entire fortune, looked at me with a trembling voice. I offered her a gentle smile and said,
“At least we won’t have to worry about thieves for a while. It’s an automatic door now.”
“…”
“It was already a wreck, so this was a good opportunity to ruin it thoroughly. Haha…”
“Eeeek… Don’t tease me.”
At my sarcastic remark, the Young Lady lowered her head sullenly.
I brushed the dust off the Young Lady’s head as she sat dejectedly in the wheelchair and let out a deep sigh.
‘What do we do now?’
Even with a rough estimate, it looked like it would take at least two weeks to fix.
Money wasn’t much of an issue. I still had plenty left from donating Pascal to the insect exhibition. Plus, I had bought the Young Lady’s bracelet at a discount through a friend.
What worried me was the cold wind blowing through the wide-open gate. In the freezing winter air, we might end up as frozen humans.
After deep contemplation, I nodded and spoke to the Young Lady.
“Since it’s come to this, how about we take a trip for the first time in a while?”
“A trip?”
“Yes. I’m thinking of remodeling the mansion.”
“Ricardo, do you have a lot of money?”
“We can fix the mansion with a small loan, so there’s no need to worry. Let’s take a trip to the capital city for the first time in a while.”
“The capital?”
The Young Lady tilted her head at the mention of the capital.
‘The capital.’
It’s where the Academy is located.
A place full of people who dislike the Young Lady.
And a place where there are people who dislike me.
We hadn’t been there since the Young Lady’s expulsion, but it felt like the right time to visit.
The Head of the Household’s birthday was approaching.
Even though we had been cast out of the household, we weren’t so shameless as to ignore the Head of the Family’s birthday. Back when we lived in the main house, he had allowed a slum vagabond to become the Young Lady’s butler and had treated me warmly in his own way.
I thought this was a good excuse to visit and at least show my face.
‘Not that he’d agree to meet us.’
There was also Malik’s suggestion to check out a tteokbokki shop that had recently opened in the capital.
For various reasons, I asked the Young Lady if she wanted to take a trip to the capital.
Lost in thought, the Young Lady pondered deeply, then hiccupped once more as she looked at the crumbling wall.
“Ugh…”
“Let’s just have some fun until the repairs are done. We can also stop by the chocolate shop you like. How about that?”
“But… the capital.”
The Young Lady hesitated.
Because I knew what the capital meant to her.
A place of dazzling past glories.
At the same time, a place where people who disliked the broken Young Lady resided. While avoiding them wouldn’t be an issue, caution would still be necessary.
“We can also buy chocolate.”
“…”
“And go shopping after a long time.”
“Shopping? I can’t do that because I don’t have money.”
“…This time, I’ll make sure to borrow plenty.”
The Young Lady smiled faintly and held my hand.
“Then I’ll help you pay it back too.”
“Are you planning to attach eyes to teddy bears again this time?”
“Yes.”
“You’ll get scolded.”
The Young Lady nodded with a bashful smile.
“Then, Ricardo. There’s something I want to do.”
“Something you want to do?”
The Young Lady spoke with a bright smile.
“Let’s go watch a theater play.”
And so, that’s how we ended up heading to the capital.
***
The streets of the capital.
After seeing off Yuria.
The Young Lady and I, unable to contain our humming shoulders, were on our way to the chocolate shop.
I was excited at the thought of indulging in luxury after a long time, and the Young Lady was thrilled at the idea of eating chocolates from her favorite dessert shop for the first time in two years.
Our footsteps, though childish for two adults, couldn’t help but reflect the excitement of a long-awaited trip.
With an elated voice, the Young Lady spoke to me.
“Ricardo.”
“Yes.”
“What should we buy first? Scones? Ice cream? Or should we start with chocolate?”
The Young Lady, spinning her wheels of hope.
Though her face was hidden under the red helmet, her passionate voice, more excited than ever, painted a vivid picture of her expression in my mind.
With a smug smile, I, whose wallet was now thick thanks to a loan, said to the Young Lady.
“Buy everything that catches your eye.”
“Eek…! Ricardo, are you planning to live like there’s no tomorrow today?”
“No.”
Even at the Young Lady’s question, which reflected her exceptional concern for my wallet, I maintained a confident smile.
“I have too much to live for to only live for today.”
“Ooooh…! Then can you buy me the shop too?”
“…No.”
To the Young Lady’s ever-exceeding demands, I simply shook my head in response.
“For now, today…”
I pulled a small notebook from the inner pocket of my jacket. A notebook filled with the itinerary for this trip to the capital.
It was a notebook brimming with passion, written with the hope that this long-awaited trip would leave unforgettable memories for the Young Lady.
“At 10:30, we’ll go shopping at the chocolate shop.”
“Oh…”
“Then we’ll visit the newly opened tteokbokki restaurant in the capital to evaluate its taste.”
“You seem busy, Ricardo.”
“I am busy.”
“Liar. There’s nothing else on the schedule after that.”
“…”
[Day 1 Travel Schedule]
1. Unpack at the lodging.
2. Visit the chocolate shop at 10:30.
3. After that, visit Malik’s newly opened shop in the capital.
-End-
How the Young Lady managed to see through the blank space left in the itinerary, I was startled by her insight and remained silent.
Wearing her helmet, the Young Lady nodded and said to me.
“Right?”
“…Yes.”
The Young Lady let out a small chuckle, “Hihit.”
After walking for about ten minutes.
We arrived at the chocolate shop and looked up with dazed eyes.
“Oh… It’s ruined, isn’t it?”
[Closed Down.]
The signboard, written in large red letters, had faded to a dark hue, as if it had been there for a long time.
The shop, once filled with a sweet aroma, was now completely empty, and I could indirectly feel the aura of sadness emanating from the disappointed Young Lady.
It was pure despair.
I looked at the Young Lady with trembling eyes, but she stood frozen, unable to say a word.
“Ricardo, I think my eyesight is failing.”
She rubbed her eyes, trying to escape reality. This time, she took off her helmet and looked closely, but the empty scene only deepened her frustration.
“Oh no… This shouldn’t be happening.”
“My condolences, Young Lady.”
“Eeeek!!! This is so unfair!”
The Young Lady raised her voice, pouring out complaints and grievances against the world.
While she stared at the world with empty eyes full of resentment.
A deep, middle-aged voice came from behind us.
“It closed down two years ago.”
It was a strong voice.
A voice that felt steadfast and unyielding.
The middle-aged man was speaking to us.
“There was a customer who accounted for 60% of the sales, but they suddenly disappeared, causing the shop to falter significantly. At the same time, many competing shops opened, so it’s been a long time since it closed.”
“My daughter really liked it, though.”
The middle-aged man spoke in a wistful tone.
His voice carried sadness, and I could feel the bitter smile that accompanied his words.
It was a familiar voice.
With a stiff body, I turned my head.
Seeing the middle-aged man in a deep navy uniform, I felt as if the world had stopped.
Black hair.
A man with sharp, upright eyes.
At the same time, a man who chooses death for his family in the latter part of the novel.
“It’s been a while.”
The head of the Desmond family.
Desmond Darbav was looking at us.