Chapter 116 – An Uncomfortable Relationship (1)

“Abel, by the way, how are we getting to the city center?”

The destination was Geneva, and the distance was no small matter. Thinking back to the trip to Castle Sigurðr, it had taken a little over three hours by car. If we went on foot, it would take at least two days.

Besides, this place was on the slopes of the Alps, with steep and dangerous roads. Not only were they difficult to traverse, but they weren’t even properly paved, meaning buses didn’t come through here.

In fact, all of this was Nibelung territory. Public transportation probably wasn’t even allowed in.

At my question, Abel tilted her head slightly.

“How do you think? By car, obviously.”

“In a car…? Don’t tell me you have a driver’s license.”

“No, I don’t.”

“…Then, are you going to drive without one?”

Well, considering that this entire territory belonged to Nibelung, there could be exceptions.

After all, if in Rome you follow Rome’s laws, then here, it wouldn’t be strange if a license wasn’t needed.

Besides, the Swordmaster, Siegfried, was practically the king of this country. He was the law itself.

If his granddaughter decided to drive without a license, I doubt anyone would dare to say anything.

“Hey!”

—And just when I was lost in thought, Abel’s voice snapped me back to reality.

She was looking at me as if she couldn’t believe what she had just heard.

“How did you come to the conclusion that just because I don’t have a license, I’m going to drive without one? Didn’t it occur to you that someone else would drive us?”

“Ah…”

Now that she said it, that made sense.

Maybe I was integrating too much into this world where social hierarchy was so deeply ingrained.

Without realizing it, my logic had started to drift from what was normal.

The world of *Miracle Blessing M* was more rational than I had assumed.

“Really, Geom-Ma, sometimes you’re just too weird. Well… I guess I can’t keep up with you.”

Abel sighed in resignation. I scratched my temple awkwardly.

Then, she crossed her arms and calmly said,

“Shail will drive us.”

—Ah, right. I forgot there were servants in this house.

They were so quiet that I sometimes forgot they even existed.

“I’m telling you so you don’t worry, but Shail is an excellent driver. She’s always the one who takes my grandfather or me to the city. On the other hand, Mr. Karon can’t drive because he’s terrible with directions.”

…That was unexpected.

The young and reserved maid turned out to be the best driver in the house, while the butler—who looked like an expert—was completely useless behind the wheel.

What a combination.

Just then, a car came into view.

It was a large off-road vehicle, clearly designed to handle mountainous terrain.

—Screech.

The tires scraped the dirt as it braked. The sound was rough, but the maneuver was flawless.

Without a doubt, someone skilled was behind the wheel.

The car door opened, and Shail stepped out with her usual calm expression.

She gave a slight nod.

“Lady Abel, Mr. Kang Geom-Ma. I will take you to Geneva safely.”

“Thanks, Shail. I know you’re busy, so I really appreciate it.”

Abel smiled warmly at her, and Shail responded with a slight smile of her own.

“It is my pleasure to drive the lady after such a long time.”

Shail opened the door for Abel to get in first.

She got in without hesitation, moving naturally, as if she had done this countless times.

I glanced at her briefly before getting in as well.

Shail settled into the driver’s seat. The seat sank slightly under her weight.

Calmly, she placed her hands on the steering wheel and said,

“Since Mr. Kang Geom-Ma is accompanying us today, I will drive slower than usual.”

“Yes, please. Either way, I always feel safe with your driving.”

Abel responded with a smile.

“It will take about 30 minutes to get there, so feel free to rest on the way.”

“…?”

Did I hear that wrong? 30 minutes? As mentioned before, it took at least three hours to reach Geneva. And wasn’t the path ahead full of sharp curves and steep inclines?

Not to mention the fact that the road was a series of hairpin turns and dangerous slopes.

Even an experienced driver couldn’t guarantee such a fast arrival.

Maybe if it were an F1 driver, but under normal conditions, if someone tried to speed on this road, they’d end up rolling down the cliff.

‘What the hell is going on?’

Before I could process my confusion, Shail adjusted the rearview mirror.

Her eyes, reflected in the glass, shone sharply like a hawk’s.

—Bwooooooom!

The engine roared with monstrous power.

It wasn’t a sound that should come from a car crossing a mountainous area.

I had a bad feeling and opened my mouth to protest, but Shail was faster.

“Please fasten your seatbelt properly, Mr. Kang Geom-Ma.”

“…!”

—Buaaaaaaaaaaaaang!

The accelerator was slammed down.

A cloud of dust covered the scenery in an instant.

“Wa-Wait a second!”

Before I could react, my voice was drowned out by the engine’s roar.

But Shail simply ignored my protests.

“We will now proceed with departure.”

With a precise motion, she shifted gears.

The way she moved her wrist was anything but ordinary.

And in the blink of an eye—

Wuuuuuuaaaoooong!

The car shot down the winding mountain road.

The speed increased rapidly.

I looked at the speedometer in disbelief.

The needle wavered between 180 and 200 kilometers per hour.

***

“Haaa.”

The Swordmaster let out a long sigh. Yesterday had been an especially long day.

The encounter with Richard had only lasted thirty minutes, but fixing the mess he left behind had taken the entire day.

Richard of Mura.

Because of that bastard’s unexpected visit, a diplomatic conflict had almost erupted.

Fortunately, everything had remained within a manageable margin, so the Swordmaster was able to personally take care of calming the situation.

‘That damned muscle-headed pig.’

Deep down, he wanted to run Richard through with his sword on the spot.

But doing so would only lower him to that brainless brute’s level.

The dignity of an elder lay in his composure.

The Swordmaster let out another sigh, trying to calm himself. If he kept getting worked up, his blood pressure would shoot up, and that would affect his health.

‘I feel like I’ve aged ten years.’

For someone in his seventies, that wasn’t something to take lightly.

The elderly couldn’t afford to lose a decade of their life.

Almost instinctively, he shook his head, as if trying to rid himself of such thoughts.

Beside him, the butler Karon gave him a concerned look.

“Are you all right, Swordmaster?”

“No, Karon. At this point in my life, these kinds of things are quite common. Though, if that brute Richard pulls a stunt like that again, I won’t sit idly by.”

“…You’ve done well to endure it.”

Click.

Karon slightly tilted the teapot and filled the Swordmaster’s cup.

A subtle scent of black tea spread through the library.

The Swordmaster smiled in satisfaction and brought the cup to his lips.

Tea was one of his few hobbies.

Sip.

“Hahaha. As expected, Karon, the tea you make is excellent. While I was staying at the academy, you have no idea how much I missed this taste. Media is improving, but she still has a long way to go before reaching your level. Compared to this, the tea she makes is practically poison!”

“…”

Karon remained silent.

Even outside Media’s territory, he knew perfectly well what her true nature was.

The Tyrant Media.

If he said something inappropriate and that woman found out, he probably wouldn’t live to tell the tale.

Just imagining it made him feel like his lifespan was shortening.

So, instead of responding, Karon simply tilted the teapot again and kept pouring.

Silence prolongs life.

Years of experience as a butler had taught him that valuable lesson.

“Putting that aside, did Kang Geom-Ma train this morning?”

“Yes. It seems he can now continue without supervision.”

“I see.”

The Swordmaster nodded as he took another sip of his tea.

As the warm liquid traveled down his throat, a satisfied smile appeared on his lips.

‘He’s definitely a boy with exceptional patience.’

Talented people often became arrogant.

Throughout his life, the Swordmaster had seen many geniuses fall because of their own egos.

Even he himself had gone through that phase in his youth.

‘But Kang Geom-Ma is different.’

He could be a sarcastic boy who complained often.

However, when it came to fulfilling his responsibilities, he never hesitated.

A prodigy like no other, who also didn’t shy away from hard work.

How far could he go?

The Swordmaster wanted to see it with his own eyes.

To do so, he had to live long enough.

He would resume his blood pressure medication and minimize stress as much as possible.

‘In a month, he’ll be ready to face the trial.’

A glimmer of expectation crossed his eyes.

He turned his head toward Karon, who was just tilting the teapot to serve him more tea.

Their gazes met.

The Swordmaster gave a slight smile and asked,

“By the way, where are the kids? I haven’t seen Kang Geom-Ma or Abel all day… Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen Shail either.”

“Ah, the two of them left for downtown Geneva this afternoon. Shail took them both.”

The sound of laughter stopped abruptly.

Crash—!

The tea cup shattered. No, to be precise, it exploded. Only the handle remained dangling from the Swordmaster’s fingers.

“What did you just say?!”

Immediately, fine blood vessels became visible in his eyes.

“…Karon, what did you just say?”

His voice, filled with restrained fury, seemed to strike Karon’s cheek. It burned.

But the real interrogation was just beginning.

“You’re going to have to give me a very good explanation as to why you let them leave just like that. Don’t take this as an abuse of authority, it’s simply a request for an explanation, so don’t misunderstand me.”

“Ah…”

The butler Karon, once again, etched in his heart the importance of silence.

***

As soon as we arrived in downtown Geneva, we got out of the car.

“Haa… Haa…”

My heart was still pounding. It showed no signs of calming down.

I discreetly glanced at Shail.

She checked her watch and clicked her tongue.

She seemed dissatisfied with how long the trip had taken.

‘That woman is completely insane.’

A three-hour journey covered in 31 minutes. And it wasn’t even a straight highway, but a road full of tight curves.

Every turn was a terrifying experience. The road was full of bumps and rocks, but the speedometer never dropped below 200 km/h.

I turned to Abel and asked,

“Is it always like this when you come to the city center?”

“Yeah, more or less. Actually, Shail was slower today. Normally, we get here in less than 30 minutes.”

“…I don’t even want to ask. But hey, didn’t you get carsick on the airport bus? Why are you fine now?”

“Oh, I get carsick when things are slow. If it’s fast, there’s no problem.”

Abel shrugged indifferently.

Yeah… there was no point in asking any further.

“I’ll come pick you up in four hours, at 8:30. So, enjoy your time.”

With that final remark, Shail turned the car key.

The accelerator roared under her foot with reckless abandon.

It was as if she was trying to break a new record.

In a matter of seconds, the car disappeared from sight, leaving only a cloud of dust behind.

‘A young face with the soul of a street racer…’

Thud.

Suddenly, I felt a tug.

“Hey, what are you doing just standing there? You said you wanted dinner, and we only have 10 minutes left before our reservation.”

Abel grabbed my wrist and started pulling me along.

From an outsider’s perspective, it probably looked like we were walking arm in arm.

In an instant, all eyes were on us.

The men were looking at me with obvious envy.

No matter where she was, Abel always attracted attention.

She was, in practical terms, a ‘walking crowd-control machine.’

And that attention also fell on me, simply because I was beside her.

“Hey, Abel, can you step a little away? Can’t you see people are staring?”

“In Europe, unlike Korea, the streets are old, so without a guide, it’s easy to get lost. There are no signs. And the reason people are staring is that the color of your hair stands out, so don’t worry about it.”

“……”

I decided to think of it as something innocent. If I didn’t, my idealized image of Abel would shatter. After all, the reason I paid for Miracle Blessing M was because of her.

‘…And if they’re staring because of my hair color, wouldn’t that be a form of discrimination?’

I received stares as we walked down the street. The question marks floating above people’s heads were obvious.

Then, they flinched and began whispering among themselves.

‘I’m sure weird rumors are going to start spreading about this.’

Please, I just hope they don’t reach Chloe’s ears.

Finally, we arrived at the restaurant Abel had reserved. It was a place that served raclette.

Raclette. A dish where melted cheese is poured over meat or sausages. It’s said to be one of Switzerland’s signature dishes, along with fondue…

Just thinking about it, I started craving kimchi.

‘…But I came here instead of having sushi.’

Besides, I had something to ask Abel. It was the perfect moment to propose that she join the party for the Undead Dungeon.

This dinner was the right occasion.

We entered the restaurant.

The interior was simpler and cozier than I expected.

Of course, there wasn’t much time to admire it, as Abel continued leading me with her usual decisiveness.

We sat at our reserved table. Abel didn’t even glance at the menu and simply placed her order.

“I’ll have the usual, please.”

It seemed like she came here regularly. Abel noticed me looking at her and frowned.

“…This is a place I used to come to with my parents when I was little.”

A nostalgic expression crossed her eyes.

‘When she was little, with her parents…’

Those words got stuck in my throat.

I didn’t know anything about Abel’s family.

Honestly, I was curious, but I had no intention of asking. Scratching an itch only makes the wound worse. Even casual questions can leave scars. And with my own complicated family history, I understood that very well.

‘In these kinds of situations, it’s best to stay silent.’

An awkward silence passed as we waited for the food.

Meat, sausages, bacon. No vegetables.

Soon after, a man who seemed to be the chef appeared, carrying a large portion of cheese. He melted the cheese with a small flame and poured it directly onto the plate.

The meat was completely covered by the melted cheese.

Before even tasting it, I already felt nostalgic for the instant ramen I had left in my suitcase.

“I hope you both have an excellent dinner, miss and gentleman.”

“……”

The chef left after making his cheesy remark.

I looked indifferently at the cheese-covered dish.

To my right was a fork, and to my left, a knife. Both rested neatly on the tablecloth.

‘The knife.’

That small, sharp tool… it irritated me just looking at it.

“Are you just going to stare at it? This place is delicious.”

Abel spoke teasingly. Meanwhile, I was completely lost in thought.

Was it really appropriate to bring up something important in a moment like this? My mind swayed back and forth.

…After 30 seconds of thinking, I reached a conclusion.

I pushed my plate toward Abel.

“Huh, Abel.”

And I asked her,

“Can you cut it for me?”