<Chapter 29>
BEST
NoahItsAuntieThis guy’s 100% the male lead LOLLOLOLOLOL
What the heck… What on earth is this?
Male lead? What? What’s going on?!
‘Dear readers! Can you please follow the five W’s and one H?!’
Is this supposed to be essential advice for me? How could something like this be the best comment?! Am I being scammed by God here?
I was swallowing my tears over the wasted divine oracle token when suddenly—
You currently possess 3 divine oracle tokens. Would you like to use 1 token to reveal deeper insights?
Yes / No
The first divine oracle is already pointless, and now they’re offering me deeper insights?
It feels exactly like buying an all-access pass on an OTT site, only to discover, “This movie requires an additional purchase.”
My frustration skyrocketed.
But what can I do? If I’m not careful, I’ll lose my life. Besides, I can’t receive a new divine oracle until I resolve the events surrounding this one.
‘Fine. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.’
I pressed the “Yes” button.
The still-floating divine oracle window glowed white before a small button appeared at the bottom.
BEST
NoahItsAuntieThis guy’s 100% the male lead LOLLOLOLOLOL
…What’s with that speech bubble?
It looks oddly familiar…
‘Oh nope. No way. It can’t be.’
I desperately wanted to believe it wasn’t, but the moment I clicked the bubble, what appeared was—
ㄴCake7thLayerConqueror
100% the male lead, 222222222. I swear! Anyone can tell he’s the male lead, even if his face isn’t visible or he changes his voice and tone LOLLLLLLLLLLL
The endless stream of “2s” confirmed it.
The deeper insights were nothing more than the replies under the best comment!
* * *
Was it just my imagination? The castle seemed unusually restless today.
Temenos attributed it to the approaching wedding and brushed it off as nothing significant.
That evening, however, David brought him unexpected news.
“Your Grace, the Prospective Duchess has been performing healing services at the chapel today.”
“Healing services? At the chapel?”
“Yes. Apparently, after she treated so many people at the landslide site, especially Sir Klein’s restored eyesight, some retired knights sought her out.”
Temenos furrowed his brow.
“Surely, they didn’t barge in demanding to be healed?”
“Well… Something like that.”
“Of all people, they chose the North’s future duchess to pester? Make sure nothing like this happens again.”
“Understood, Your Grace.”
“Now, where are these fools?”
There was a faint sound of gritted teeth.
The oppressive atmosphere made David feel as though even breathing had become difficult. For a moment, he thought about how long it had been since the air had felt this suffocating and carefully gauged Temenos’ mood.
“All those healed by the Prospective Duchess are currently in the confessional.”
“The confessional? Why there?”
Temenos recalled a directive he’d given recently.
“Wasn’t that place under renovation?”
“Yes. While they were replacing tiles and repairing the roof, the retired knights grabbed hammers and shovels to assist, saying they wanted to repay the Prospective Duchess’s kindness.”
The confessional was behind the chapel, and the tiles and bricks stacked nearby made it obvious to anyone walking past that it was under construction. The retired knights were no exception. Upon learning it was a building attached to the chapel, they all rushed in to help.
“Thanks to them, the confessional renovations will be completed in two days.”
It seemed there was no longer a need to verify whether the knights’ injuries had truly healed.
Temenos accepted the document David handed him with an exasperated expression. The listed injuries were severe—so severe the word injury felt like an understatement.
After all, why would a physically capable knight retire?
They’d lost an arm, a leg, or suffered some other life-altering wound that made wielding a sword impossible.
And yet, all of those wounds had been healed.
This was no feat of skilled medicine; it was a bona fide miracle.
“Furthermore, the healed knights have submitted requests to return to service.”
David placed a stack of documents on Temenos’ desk with an embarrassed look.
“However, about those reinstatement requests… Most of them want to serve as the Prospective Duchess’s guards.”
“Why?”
“They say they want to repay her. Many of them have pledged their lives to her in gratitude.”
“They’re completely out of line.”
David found it natural that Temenos’ mood had soured.
Those men were knights of Winstein. The person they had sworn loyalty to upon being knighted was the Duke of Winstein.
Retirement aside, even though their severe injuries had been healed by Inosensia, they had abandoned their original pledge of loyalty in favor of devoting themselves to her.
Sure, Inosensia was destined to become Temenos’ wife, but still—there was a proper procedure for everything.
“David. Gather every single one of them in the training ground.”
“All of them? To the training ground, sir?”
“Yes. Even the finest blades rust if left unattended. These men, who haven’t trained properly in years, dare to vie for the Duchess’ guard? Let’s remind them of their place.”
A cold smile spread across Temenos’ lips.
“Let’s put them in their place.”
* * *
Late into the night, the retired knights hammering away at the confessional were summoned to the training ground.
Somehow, word spread that they were being gathered to compete for spots as Inosensia’s guards. Misunderstanding the situation entirely, the knights grew fiercely determined.
When Temenos arrived at the training ground, he was greeted by the sight of fervently eager retired knights.
“What the…”
“Your Grace! Among everyone here, my inactive period has been the shortest! Unlike the others, who’ll need at least a year to regain their peak form, I can return immediately!”
“What the hell is this lunatic saying? Your Grace! Forget talk—let me prove myself through a duel with him!”
“Me too! I’m confident as well!”
“I’ve been mentally practicing for this day! I’m the most prepared candidate!”
It was utter chaos, each knight claiming superiority over the others.
Whatever their skills, it was clear they lacked discipline.
Temenos unsheathed his sword and slammed it, scabbard and all, into the ground. The force of the impact sent tremors through the floor, silencing the entire yard.
He glared at them with cold, piercing eyes.
“Big talk for a bunch of civilians who’ve abandoned their swords.”
The oppressive aura emanating from Temenos left the knights too terrified to breathe.
Looking down at their bowed heads, Temenos’ expression remained one of displeasure.
“Before you work on your bodies, work on your minds. Run until you drop.”
Though they’d long since retired, the knights had once been soldiers. Without a word, they formed ranks and began running.
Temenos put them through grueling drills. Relentlessly.
But much to his surprise, their enthusiasm didn’t waver.
If anything—
“I’ll train hard and regain my former glory!”
“Please allow us to take the guard test once we’re ready!”
Despite his attempts to crush their spirits, the knights’ resolve only grew stronger, leaving even Temenos taken aback.
In the end, he resorted to drastic measures.
“If even one of you so much as scratches me, I’ll give you the position immediately.”
“Isn’t that a bit much?!”
“Even active knights couldn’t do that!”
Some of the knights flopped to the ground in protest, whining. Temenos was so taken aback he couldn’t even respond.
‘Are they… not afraid of me anymore?’
Temenos touched his left cheek, where he could feel the cool texture of his scales.
‘In the past… no one would have dared act this way in front of me.’
He vividly remembered their names and the reasons they’d retired, though he’d never cared to memorize their faces.
Today, however, everything felt different.
As he scanned their faces, something dawned on him.
<To be continued>
Brought to you by Gourmet Scans
Translator: Japchae
Editor: Maize
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Even I was exasperated by this oracle.