Chapter 27: The King’s Ear are Donkey Ears (1)

“Knock knock.”

“Captain, it’s Luke. I’m coming in.”

After knocking, which is a basic manner both on Earth and in this world, I entered.

“Sit down.”

Had she opened the window?

A cold draft enveloped me.

Strange. Thanks to the salamander scales, my body temperature was higher than normal, so I usually didn’t feel the

chill even during a blizzard. Why was it so cold?

The chair looked warm, so I quickly sat down.

Once I sat, Elaine sat across from me.

“Did you make good progress with Elder Sophia’s research on abilities?”

“Since today was the first day, I explained how I use heat manipulation, and I was told that in order to use heat

manipulation more easily, I need to learn how to smoothly transfer mana to my arms and legs. There was no physical

contact during this process. In order to show the results that the Snowflake Tower wants, I concluded that I need to

first enhance my abilities. From tomorrow, I’ll be receiving lessons on mana, and we’ll also conduct a talent

assessment.”

As it is my duty as a subordinate to report in detail to my superior, I explained everything I did with Sophia in clear and detailed terms.

“I see.”

After about 238 characters of explanation, I only received a three-character response, which felt like poor cost-

performance, but it was cheap when it came to life.

I’m glad I included the TMI about there being no physical contact.

Wait, considering TMI stands for “Too Much Information,” then it wasn’t really TMI—it was necessary information.

‘The king’s ears are donkey ears…’

I wanted to say that the one being glared at wasn’t me, but rather her, especially her imposing and warm chest that

stood out even with the armor. But if I said that, it would definitely cause unnecessary misunderstandings.

I have no way of explaining how I know that the Elder of Snowflake Tower is a lesbian.

This world is a fantasy world, so I’m not sure how strictly homosexuality is viewed here compared to a medieval

reality, but given that there was still a negative view of homosexuality in the 21st century, it’s probably more strict

here too. It’s unlikely to be tolerant.

Because of this, Sophia managed to hide her sexual preferences so well that even her stepfather, Dariel, didn’t know.

Even the readers of Brave Road were shocked by the twist when they learned that Sophia, who seemed to approach

Aran’s party, was not really a heroine but was driven by pure curiosity about the power of the hero. It was a huge

revelation.

Because the main heroine of Brave Road, the mage, was a cute girl with a round face who looked great in a bob cut.

And she had big breasts.

‘The king’s ears are donkey ears…’

If I hadn’t known, I would have ignored Sophia completely, shouting “Elaine is my one and only!” But knowing this

made today incredibly uncomfortable.

‘The king’s ears are donkey ears… Damn it.’

I knew Elaine’s blonde, glasses-wearing, studious personality, but I couldn’t tell her, and the frustration ate away at me.

The blonde likes women, but he’s not the kind of reckless guy who would make others fall for him. He’s confident

enough not to lose someone, but seeing Elaine get anxious about losing her man to a lesbian—how ridiculous would

that be?

While I was inwardly fuming, Elaine let out a quiet sigh and spoke again.

“I called you because I was curious if you did well. It’s not easy to deal with Elder Sophia one-on-one, so I’m glad to

hear you did well. Opportunities to receive the Elder’s teachings are rare, so make sure to learn well.”

At first, it might seem like she called me out of jealousy but, upon closer inspection, she was probably just saying that

even though it’s awkward having a cute beauty alone with me, she trusts me to handle it well.

“The Elder is a mage, and you are preparing to be a knight. So, there might be parts of the lessons that are difficult

for you to understand due to differences in our tendencies. If that happens, feel free to come to me for advice.”

Could this be a form of jealousy too?

It seems like it.

If I said, “No, I can’t take up your time, Captain,” it would be a huge mistake. My life would be in danger then.

“Thank you.”

“Once you’re done with your report, you may leave. It’s your night shift, so rest up and recharge your energy.”

The Captain gave me permission to leave.

The work with Sophia had left me physically drained, so I was about to step away when…

“Captain.”

“Is there something you need to say?”

“Yes. When I showed the Elder my heat manipulation abilities, she asked me quite a bit about you.”

“About me?”

“Yes, she asked if you had ever learned how to manipulate mana, how you broke the ice in the Crystal Lake, and

where you trained in swordsmanship. It ended up being about you while I was answering her.”

Though it was a bit odd to realize I’d become some sort of rival for a woman, I wouldn’t be the one to reveal Sophia’s

sexual preferences.

Whether I knew how or not, discussing someone’s private tastes wasn’t a good thing to do. Still, I couldn’t help but

be concerned about Sophia’s interest in Elaine and how stressed it was making Elaine.

There was only one way to handle this.

I’d subtly guide Elaine to suspect Sophia so she could come to the realization on her own. In professional terms, it

was called giving a hint—or gaslighting, as it’s known in English.

And what I said wasn’t a lie. Sophia had indeed asked me those questions about mana manipulation, the ice in the

lake, and my swordsmanship. Of course, she hadn’t directly targeted Elaine with those questions; they were more of

a basic inquiry as a researcher.

And actually, I had brought up that I learned from Elaine first.

Well, people do sometimes change the details and nuances when relaying information, don’t they?

“Really? Hmm…”

Elaine tilted her head slightly as she thought about why such a conversation had come up, though she didn’t seem to

doubt the truth of it. She probably thought that Sophia was just curious about my foundation.

That was fine for now.

“Understood. Anything else?”

“No, that’s all.”

“Then, you may go.”

I saluted Elaine and left the room.

Phew.

Tonight, Grace’s office lights were still on, even though it was late. I wasn’t sure why there were so many lighthouse-

like lights here despite the lack of a coastline.

Whether she was working or sleeping, the duties of the guards remained the same.

Scratch, scratch.

The sound of a quill scratching on clean paper broke the quiet of the room. In the modern world, such background

noises were often used to create a sense of comfort or stimulation, forming what’s known as ASMR.

I had no idea what ASMR stood for or its scientific effects, but it helped me a lot.

Fire crackling, rain sounds, keyboard typing, and writing were among the sounds that aided sleep for me.

Maybe because of conditioning, or perhaps it had engraved itself into my soul instead of my body, given that my

brain wasn’t quite that of a modern person.

Anyway…

“I almost dozed off.”

I swallowed, just barely managing to stay awake.

I hadn’t expected to use the old trick of swallowing to stay alert here.

But, as usual, it didn’t work.

The rustling sound kept pulling me back into near sleep.

I couldn’t afford to doze off. If I did, Grace might send a sword to strike down the dragon who was eating cheesecake

and choking on a zero-calorie cola…

‘No…’

“Garen.”

“1.”

Gah! I almost nodded off completely.

It felt like some weird nonsense just flashed through my head.

Fortunately, the sound of Grace calling Garen pulled me back to my senses.

I realized the best way to wake up was simply by someone speaking.

“Yes, my lord.”

“My throat is dry. Bring me a cold glass of water.”

“Understood.”

With Garen leaving to run an errand, only Grace and I were left.

Though my eyes were a bit closed, I wasn’t nodding off, so I hoped I hadn’t been caught as I tried to stay alert.

“I’m feeling a bit sleepy, so I’ll rest a bit until the water comes.”

“…”

“Luke, how is your preparation for the knight exam coming along?”

It seemed like the Duke was feeling bored and curious about how my progress was going.

It wasn’t hard to answer, and I figured speaking would help me fully wake up, so I responded.

“Thanks to your concern, it’s going smoothly. I’ve been working on my stamina and focusing on the basic stances of

the Snow Sword. I’ve also started practicing mana manipulation with Elder Sophia.”

The knight exam was mostly about stamina and swordsmanship. I didn’t think much about mana manipulation,

since it would be covered later during training as a knight.

But… actually, mana was important too.

When I heard those words from Deputy Commander Anduril of Squad One before, I tilted my head.

• “Isn’t mana something that is learned during the knight training? Aren’t the examiners not allowed to use it?”
• “Well, that’s the conventional belief.”
• “Oh, I see.”
• “Well, think about it. Noble children receive basic mana lessons from a young age. Do you think they don’t know how to handle mana?”

In other words, it’s like sending your child to an expensive English kindergarten and getting them private tutoring to

get into a good university. In a country like ours, where private education is rampant, I was surprised I had missed

how intense the parents’ desire for their children’s education was.

But, still, I didn’t want to lose hope that the world was equal in some way.

• “Didn’t the Duke and the Captain say that mana isn’t very important for the knight exam?” They probably didn’t need it. After all, would a lion lose to a rabbit just because it didn’t have claws?
• “Ah, right.” I had to see it from the perspective of someone lower in rank. The knights I had interacted with were at such a high level that, unexpectedly, I was missing some information. It was like a student who studied using extra workbooks and test prep asking for advice from the top student who was already top of the class just by attending regular lessons.

Still, in this fantasy world where dukes and nobles existed, equality was a joke.

I had even negotiated to send Dariel to the Snowflower Tower, where the wizards who specialized in war magic

trained. I thought they’d be the perfect tutors, and never expected Sophia to show up.

‘Well, I did ask Sophia, who doesn’t even have mana, but she said it’s rare for someone like me, who uses mana for

elemental abilities.’

They had early education like those kids attending elite schools, while I had my own background handed down from

senior students. So, studying hard with this kind of advantage seemed like a way to succeed.

Thinking the time was too short to worry about it, I pushed it aside. But then, my mind was still troubled, and it

dawned on me that I had never considered it.

“Well then.” Grace, after a brief silence, stared at me as though she was evaluating something.

“Why are you so obsessed with two months? Is there a specific reason you’re sticking to that date?”

I froze. My heart raced in fear.

The plan had been going so smoothly, but now… this was Grace. The heroine who was the most competent in Brave

Road aside from romance. I couldn’t let my guard down.

That question wasn’t just a simple inquiry; it seemed like she was building her own understanding. It was no longer a

casual remark, but something more serious.

I had been careful, but now I was really under suspicion.

“Ah, no. Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrogate you or doubt you. I’ve told you before, I trust you. This is just a genuine

question. Why are you so determined to stick with the two-month deadline?”

The fact that Grace was someone who didn’t lie and had grown up honest meant she was speaking sincerely. But as I

stood there, facing her, I couldn’t help but feel a chill.

It felt like she was about to uncover something I’d been hiding with the bravado of a new recruit.

Historically, at moments like these, someone obivious would burst in and break the flow of the conversation. Right

now, I desperately hoped that Garin would show up, completely unaware, as usual.

Crash!

Yes! The cliché saved me once again.

I quickly shifted my attention to the door as if I was fulfilling my duties as a guard, internally cheering at the arrival.

However, it wasn’t Garin with a silly look and a glass of water in hand.

Instead, a beautiful woman with blue hair and holding papers entered.

“Perfect timing,” Grace said, smiling as she looked at her.

When Elaine entered, her expression was one of confusion, as if she didn’t understand what was going on.

“You should come and listen too. Now that everyone involved is here, it’s time for answers. Luke, what are you

waiting for in one month’s time?”

Oh, I should have just fallen asleep.

Drowsiness on duty might get me in trouble, but this felt far worse.

I racked my brain, staring at two pairs of eyes as I opened my mouth.