2024-02-01 12:36:23The corners of King Swindon's lips twitched when I asked for permission to accompany Adellia to the city library. He seemed hesitant, his face adorned with a long scar that intimidated me enough to make me bow my head.
I only wanted to escort her to the library, not propose to her!"Adellia is under surveillance," he said firmly.I bit my inside lip hard. Ah, there's no point in coming here then. Had I known, I would have chosen to sew with Aunt Alexa instead. It would be better than being pierced by the king's terrifying gaze."My dear, Adellia needs to be entertained as well. We haven't allowed her to travel for several months. A trip to the city should be fine."A soft and gentle voice answered, like a kind fairy. It was Queen Azura, Adellia's beautiful and graceful mother. Her blue dress and flowing hair enhanced her natural beauty. Truly, I thought she was even more beautiful than Adellia!Adellia inherited her father's determination and gaze, but her round eyes, pointed nose, and somewhat thick lips were all copies of her mother's features.If this were my world, they would already be on the list of the world's most beautiful people! I'm not exaggerating!I quickly closed my eyes when my mind started to think of something else. The queen was trying to convince the king while I was standing there foolishly.Finally, the king cleared his throat and turned to me, "Very well, you may go. But if there are any activities other than going to the library, you will face consequences." The king didn't raise his voice, but I knew he was threatening me."I understand, Your Majesty."I left their workspace."How did it go?" Adellia greeted me with a worried look on her face; she must have been very confident that I could convince her father because she was already dressed.I weakly raised my thumb. "Done," I said.Adellia's face lit up with joy. She was wearing her wide green hat that matched her dress. Although we would be going into town in a horse-drawn carriage, so there was no need to worry about getting sweat under the scorching sun.I myself have been polished with a neat suit, but still give off a casual impression. It's all because of Adellia, she can't stand to see me in just a vest and boots. She thinks I look like a thug when I go into town dressed like that.You haven't forgotten, have you, that my physique now looks fierce and robust?On the way, for the first time in my life, I rode in a carriage like those in the royal movies I had seen. Naturally, this vehicle attracted the attention of the public, although Adellia said she had chosen a 'less flashy' carriage.It was not until I left the palace grounds that I could truly experience community life. Stalls were set up on the side of the road. They were selling food, trinkets, hats, clothes, and birds!I hope I was mistaken when I accidentally saw a bird in flames at one of the stalls.I felt like jumping out of the carriage and running to enjoy such an atmosphere. Until now, I had only eaten what the royal chef provided; I also wanted to return to my former life where survival depended on street food!"Joe, you're so enthusiastic. Is this your first time in the city?" Adellia asked, confused by my behavior.I grinned nervously. Damn Solace! If he wanted to put me in another world, he should have told me stories about my background.Then I casually replied, "Yes, most of my daily life is spent in the forest or hunting on small outskirts."Adellia nodded in understanding. "I remember your bison hunt. It was indeed large and delicious, and the meat remained even after it was cooked and eaten by the people in the palace." She used her hands to indicate how big it was.Let me try to remember. Did I met bison when Cedric take me into the forest yesterday? No, I didn't.Did I ever hunt bison? That animal is even rare in my world.Did I really hunt bison? With my abilities, I'm sure the animal would have trampled me to death.But apparently, that's the heroic imaginary story of my bison hunt in this world.I laughed bitterly as I looked out of the carriage window.Fortunately, not long after, the vehicle stopped. A coachman opened the door for Adellia, and I followed closely behind.The first thing that greeted me was a series of dozens of steps leading upwards.I immediately looked at Adellia with an expression that said, "Really?"Adellia just looked back at me. "Come on," she said while lifting the front of her dress slightly.I couldn't understand what the architects in this world were thinking when they designed it. Did they want to decrease the residents' interest in reading?After only a few steps, my feet were already numb from it. However, Adellia climbed up those steps with enthusiasm."Hurry up, Joe. Why did you stop?" She scolded me and continued climbing.Once again, I wondered why there was no protest from the royal authorities because they surely had to go through these stairs as well.I continued on this seemingly endless journey and before long we passed by other people who were coming down. It seemed like they had just returned from the library.I gathered my determination and started stepping two on each step carefully. Adellia caught up with me and when we reached the last step, we were greeted by a super wide and magnificent courtyard that was truly spectacular.There was a large fountain located in its center. A statue of a goddess carrying a basin flowed water into the fountain's source.Young people (at least I thought so) walked around carrying books. I assumed they were scholars of this country.I became even more convinced that I was in a fantasy world when I had to tilt my head completely upward just to see the top of the library building piercing through the sky!Even then, my neck still hurt because I couldn't see its end properly."It's beautiful, isn't it?" Adellia remarked. She didn't seem tired despite having climbed hundreds of steps."Absolutely!" I exclaimed in awe.I was still amazed and awestruck when Adellia dragged me inside the library. Rows of bookshelves towered neatly upwards. According to the information board, there were 150 floors here.Fortunately, Solace didn't make me illiterate in this world.Each floor is connected by a kind of transparent elevator that makes my knees tremble with fear of heights. Adellia took me to the 50th floor, saying she wanted to read there.I never thought Adellia was a bookworm, but she really ran happily along the rows of books when we arrived on that floor."Here it is!" Adellia took a book with a red cover. It seems to be a romance novel because the title says, 'My Love Forever For You'.This surprised me even more because in this world, apparently there are novels with cheesy titles like that.But I thought it was normal, especially since Adellia was falling in love and her behavior wasn't much different from the melodramatic teenagers in my world."Joe, I'll read it here. You can choose first."She left immediately after saying that. I made sure she sat at a table where I could still keep an eye on her while choosing books.I'm sure this library holds manuscripts and ancient books from who knows when. Because surely there's a reason why this place was built so big. But I'm only looking for what I can see and reach.Kingdom of Swinggelir.This is my choice. I have to learn about this kingdom and decided to read where I stood to avoid suspicion from Adellia.The information I found includes; there are 10 kingdoms scattered in this world (which names unknown even though I've searched), Swinggelir being three of the largest ones. Its government is led by a sovereign King and Queen but requires prime ministers as their extended hands. Politics confuse me, so let's skip that part.One of Swinggelir's kings ruled until he reached 300 years old, which is also new information for me regarding people in this world living for such long periods of time. Swinggelir also experiences many conflicts as its inhabitants often fight over territories, even until now.I guess the reason the king sent Elliot is also for this, besides keeping him away from Adellia.The rest is not interesting as it discusses politics and conflicts. Moreover, I can see a group of young men and women surrounding Adellia.I immediately put down the book and approached them with a stern face. They need to know that I have muscles to punch them if necessary."Oh, so this is the hunter you were talking about?" Before I could question it, a young woman looked me up and down with a disdainful gaze."Adellia, I never expected you to associate with someone ordinary like him. What happened to your aides?" the brown-haired girl continued."I just asked him to accompany me here," Adellia said firmly as she closed her book forcefully.A blond-haired young man reached out his hand towards me, he seemed mischievous but I knew that not accepting his gesture would only add more trouble."I'm Max," he said."Joe," I replied.His grip tightened until it felt like my bones would be crushed. Reflexively, I returned the same gesture. And so we squeezed each other's hands while displaying mocking smiles."It's Boys Time! I'll take Joe with me and Rey." He gestured towards another boy who was looking at him impatiently. "Elena and Ruth, just accompany Adellia. We need some male bonding."He playfully punched my shoulder. I wanted to protest because being categorized as a 'boy' no longer applied to me, but he didn't even pay attention to Adellia's refusal.I rebelled. "Don't mess around, kid. I don't want to cause a commotion in the library," I threatened in a low tone."Don't be rude, Max!" exclaimed Adellia. However, Max threw the book he was holding onto the table causing us all jump in surprise together.I couldn't understand why such a mischievous child like him came to the library and read books about military matters."In short, let me borrow this Joe for now."Afterwards, Max put his arm around me until I couldn't breathe properly anymore. He was indeed taller than me and there was no way for me resist since he was incredibly strong. His friend followed us silently.He dragged me to a luxurious balcony, then grabbed my head and turned it downward."Oops, sorry. It was an accident."I was sure I wasn't dreaming when I felt my body float. I caught a glimpse of Max's grinning face as he threw me from the 50th floor.My body was floating in empty air. Was I going to die like that in this unknown world?
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Chances to Another Life 10. I Really am Okay!
I closed my eyes and thought of curses for Solace, who heartlessly brought me to Swinggelir only to die.If he really is a powerful magical being, I would ask him to reincarnate me as a brave knight who can tame fire-breathing dragons!I even felt like I was in the afterlife because I could feel the hot breath. My back was hit by something very hard, but it only caused a tickling sensation. Then my head hit the hard object and I reflexively opened my eyes.Oh, is this the real afterlife?It feels exactly like the last place I died. The library building was still high above the clouds, and now I was rolling on asphalt. Splashes of water wet my face until I was fully awake.This feels so real."Are you crazy? Don't lie down on public roads!"A voice scolded me as it passed by. Startled, I quickly shifted my position to sit up. I raised both my hands and they were still fine, nothing broken.I immediately touched every part of my body until some passersby looked at me suspiciously, as if
Chances to Another Life 11. I'd Prefer Knitting If I Could
My routine was very monotonous. I used to wake up at noon because in the evening I would go to the forest near the palace to set traps (fortunately there were no thorn-tailed panthers). I'd usually catch wild boar, deer, or jumbo-sized rabbits. During the day, I would supervise Adellia in her course with Aunt Alexa. In addition to training Adellia to be a good mother and wife, I was now an expert in knitting, embroidery, cooking, and taking care of a baby. On the plus side, I gained more information about Aunt Alexa, who often fights with her husband because he can't fold clothes properly. I hoped I wouldn't lose this knowledge when I returned to my world. In the afternoon, I sat in the cottage and looked at the colorful flowers. To be honest, I hadn't really understood Adellia, let alone figured out how to separate her from Elliot. Even today, I was alone in my cottage after attending Aunt Alexa's baby bathing class. After returning from the library the other day, Adellia was b
Chances to Another Life 12. I Meet the Youngsters
I'm not an athletic person. I couldn't even go outside without getting injured—either spraining my ankle, stubbing my toe on something, or falling embarrassingly because I couldn't keep my balance. So, I cringed inwardly when I arrived at the military barracks. The barracks looked huge, with wires serving as a fence. Five two-meter-tall military men stood guard at the post, looking curious about my arrival. "Long time no see!" They called out to my guide aka the king's trusted soldier who sent me a message yesterday. Apparently that person was named Don, I only saw his name tag earlier, when he handed over the horse with a sour and annoyed expression. We didn't speak the whole way. I'm sure he hated me. But, anyway, I didn't care. They then flashed me a quick, insincere smile and whispered something that I could still hear clearly. "He's the King's entrustee?"Hearing that, I felt like a nepotist who was doing everything possible to get into the military. If only they knew, I was
Chances to Another Life 13. Duel? This Is Military!
What do people think of when they hear the words soldier and military? Of course, superior physical skills and warfare. A group of people brave enough to die in defense of their country. Unfortunately, I am not patriotic. This isn't even my country. However, I couldn't possibly put on a reluctant expression, because the threat of the military officer named Rasen seemed to be serious. "I hope you mean it, because otherwise you could get hurt at any time... even worse than that." Rasen had not yet finished his long speech about how we should behave in the military. Meanwhile, I began to twitch uncomfortably as Max continued to stare at me vengefully. I didn't even know what I had done to make him so angry. Come to think of it, I should be the one to hold a grudge against him. So I stared back at Max openly. I didn't want to have anything to do with him. I would just do my job, help Adellia and Cedric get closer and then return safely to my world. But that was certainly no easy task.
Chances to Another Life 14. That Psychopathic Brat
The bad news: I didn't die or break any bones after being thrown from the 50th floor, but I was stabbed with a dagger. I could hear the cadets' panicked tweets, but they turned to cheers when Rey pulled the dagger out and I was still standing. Don't ask, I don't know how that happened either. I pressed my stabbed stomach as hard as I could to stop the bleeding. The pain radiated throughout my body and I began to breathe heavily. But it turned out that the pain wasn't that bad. It wasn't the kind of pain that would make me scream or feel like I was dying. I looked down at my stomach to confirm that I had indeed been stabbed, my blood was still oozing, and there was a stab wound. Then I took a deep breath. Is this the so-called power fantasy I used to read about in novels? I wasn't invulnerable, but my tolerance for pain was growing. Was I also immortal? But I don't want to try anything with my life. The point is, whatever it is, I'm already very grateful for my current condition.
Chances to Another Life 15. The Youngster in the Cottage
Here's the recap of my comrades' battles: Willem lost, Frans also lost, Dean tied, Ben won, Liam tied, and I won. Now we were sitting on our respective beds with bandages here and there. I slept on the middle bed, below me was Willem, and above me was Frans. After the fight, which took until late afternoon, we no longer had the energy to do anything. All five of my companions had miserable faces with the sound of rumbling stomachs that were already loud. We were waiting for dinner time which felt like an eternity. Since almost all of the cadets were seriously injured, it was the military officials who prepared the dinner, which was probably why it took longer because they were reluctant. "I almost died! Damn it," Dean babbled. His eyes stared blankly, the result of his series score was that he was now wearing a neck cast. His opponent was a cadet who had hulk-like punching power, which caused the field to crack and a small earthquake. "But you did well to draw against him," I sai
Chances to Another Life 16. I Came to The Forest
Apparently, the spells mixed into the food along with the herbs are very effective in healing. Early this morning, all the cadets were gathered in the field while still dozing. We were still wrapped in bandages, but those with casts were able to remove them and return to normal activities. That's amazing. I'll have to ask for the recipe when I can. Even so, I could apparently still feel the strangulation marks on my neck. I don't know if I was dreaming or not, but last night I really felt like a shadow was coming to strangle me. There weren't any scars on my neck, but I kept holding it because I felt uncomfortable. The voice I heard was also somewhat familiar. Then I tried to look at the cadets and found Max and Rey talking. This must be their work. They were already in the stage of terrorizing me. But I didn't tell my colleagues so they wouldn't worry. If I had the chance, I'd like to punch them both in the face. "You will go by room number, and each of you must tame a Pegasus
Chances to Another Life 17. I Ate Mutton in The Forest
The goats bleated like normal goats, but they were not. The two animals stared at me with their big greenish eyes, their horns standing proudly on their heads, their snow-white fur splattered with red spots, also known as blood. They looked at me, still chewing. I rubbed my eyes a few times to confirm that they were eating a wolf. What the hell was that? Had the goat species in this world turned into predators? This was even more frightening than the vulture sightings I'd encountered on the hunt. "Come on, be a good goat!" I muttered as I aimed the arrow. The goats bleated in rapid succession, as if communicating whether or not to mow me down. The point is, the animal then ran towards me as I released an arrow into one of the goat's legs. I had to paralyze it first and make it unable to stand. Because the two goats were so big, I had to use six arrows. Even that did not seem to have any effect on them, but instead made them bleat angrily. I quickly climbed up to the nearest tre
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136. Lived the Life You Love
I gasped like a fish on land, truly, it felt like I would die on the spot as soon as I crossed paths with Solace. My knuckles were even colder, and my fingernails suddenly turned blue. Cold sweat poured down my back, and my chest was tight. This can't be a coincidence, there must be a purpose for Solace to appear like that, even though he never cared about me before. The grip on my shoulder reflexively made me jump. Leon was also surprised and released his hand on my shoulder with a worried expression. "Are you okay, Joe? You look sick all of a sudden," he said. I tried to neutralize my breathing and realized I was in an alert position, my hands clenched into fists as if ready to punch someone. Damn it, why is the effect of Solace's existence making me this anxious? "Oh, yeah, I'm just sleep-deprived," I boasted. Leon then gave me a bottle of mineral water and at that moment I realized that we had arrived at Mr. Jaden's residence, even the landlord had gotten off the carriage with
135. The Evidence
"From the report of the investigating team, it can be confirmed that there is no evidence whatsoever around the hut and the surrounding area. Even so, the charges will still be dropped because the defendant cannot defend his innocence."I immediately stood up with a fierce face surpassing Leon's lawyer who also showed an expression of shock. This old fart had really eaten bribe money! However, I then restrained myself after receiving a sharp glare from the judge. I wasn't afraid of him, but I kept my promise to Mr. Jaden who was now looking at me as if to imply to stay calm. Leon, on the other hand, just looked down and didn't answer any of the questions the magistrate threw at him, further corroborating the accusation. "That's not true, Your Honor Judge. Leon had a strong alibi at the time of the theft," argued the lawyer. Then, the head of the investigation team spoke up. "That still doesn't confirm anything. Who knows he may have destroyed evidence, because even Mr. Josse's res
134. The Investigation
By the authorities, the entire area from the cottage to the estate was heavily guarded by security guards in all black uniforms. No one was allowed in, except the investigation team who were carefully searching for evidence of the case. Mr. Jaden watched from his terrace with a hawk-like gaze. Mr. Josse and his henchmen had returned home after making a scene on the way here. This incident was more like a search of an accused smuggler or terrorist than a search for evidence of a missing diamond necklace. I let out a long sigh, remembering Leon who was still in temporary prison. He didn't deserve all this mistreatment. I kicked the scattered pebbles as I moved away from Mr. Jaden's employees who were whispering excitedly about this case. I was pessimistic about Leon's eventual fate at the hands of the judges who clearly favored Mr. Josse. I also didn't trust the authorities because they could have been bribed to fabricate evidence against Leon. I had to rely on my own two hands. I ce
133. Suddenly I'm in Court
"Your Honor, allow the witness to give his statement regarding this case and the accused." The man in the smart blue suit spoke with a very convincing and confident gesture. He gave me a quick glance as if to indicate that it was my turn to speak. The lawyer was directly appointed by Mr. Jaden to handle Leon's indictment case. That's right, last night I couldn't resist those rich men from searching my and Leon's cottage. As a result, all the contents of the cottage were taken out and left in ruins. I was worried that they would find my gold coin and accuse me of stealing it, but as it turned out... guess what? That gold coin wasn't anywhere! It seemed like Solace didn't include it because this was the last world before I returned to my original place. But, what right does he have to do that? I could have used that coin to bribe the judge so that this case would be over quickly and I wouldn't be looked down upon by those rich people sitting across from me. "Brother Joe, please give
132. The Wealthy Neighborhood
House—I mean, Mr. Josse's mansion was only two houses away from Mr. Jaden's residence. My guess must be correct that the countryside here is filled with wealthy landlords who own mansions and thousands of acres of land. If the countryside is like this, I wonder how life is in the city? Or are there narrow slum alleys like where I used to live. I parked the brown stallion pulling Mr. Josse's cart of ordered goods. I then ducked in front of his towering fence, trying to find the bell because there was no way I could just yell 'package'. Besides being rude, I'd only get a sore throat from it. Soon the gate was opened by two men dressed as servants. "Please take it directly to the back kitchen," one of them said. I pulled the horse's reins and entered the enormous courtyard, filled with well-decorated weeds, not to mention bonsai that I'm sure would be worth hundreds of dollars if sold. However, those bonsai seemed to be just yard ornaments that had no value here. I shook my head in a
131. I'm Close to the Trouble Makers
Fertilizing the fields turned out to be very tiring, I thought with my previous experience I would suddenly become turbo-charged, but it was the same with the scorching sunlight in the morning. I then put down the sack of stinky fertilizer, and endured the nausea while drinking soothing water. I'd been working since early morning, but this vast field seemed endless. Maybe it's because there are only two of us working, so it feels like it's taking forever. By the way, I'm a farm worker for a rich merchant with a gothic mansion-like house. It's quite a distance from the fields and the cottage, but it's clearly visible from here. I haven't met the owner either because it seems like the workers are scheduled to work at certain hours. I just followed along when my colleague said that the fields were ready to be fertilized. Now I'm just watching the man tirelessly working, since I came, he hasn't even sat down or had a drink of water. He was tall and strong looking, though. "Leon, take
130. Start A New Role
I'm now like a spirit floating through the air, passing through a line of soldiers to a small cemetery at the edge of a village in the middle of nowhere. Time in a vacuum is indeed different from time in the ordinary world, then it seems that I have passed through a lot of things because now Adam's body and the civilians who were hit by the bomb have been buried. I stare at the tombstone bearing my friend's name, along with a picture of him smiling slightly in his military uniform. He's exactly the Adam I saw last time, I've only known him for a short time but the sadness is overwhelming. The soldiers saluted and carried out the military funeral procession as a last respect with great solemnity. Next to Adam's grave, the graves of his other family members were lined up and I couldn't hold back the tears I had been holding back. They were good people, but why did they have to suffer such a tragic fate? I'm leaving this world, and Adam will never return to the military. He's now sett
129. Solace
Even though my vision wasn't completely clear, my body felt like it was moving on its own to beat up the Solace in front of me. I was sure I had exerted all my strength to give him the greatest punch of my lifetime, but all I felt was like punching a very hard wall. Solace was flat-footed, and the look in his eyes clearly showed that he was bored. I felt even more compelled to turn him into a punching bag. I punched again, several times, but to no avail, instead my knuckles turned red and cracked. "Crazy bastard." I cursed as I kept my distance from the creature. "How could you show up without a single guilty look? I know you're not human, but you're even worse than that."It hurt so much when I thought of Adam who had suddenly died at a young age, along with Celine who was alone, and Adellia with her destiny for the kingdom. "You seem to only want to make me a patient of the mental hospital after this. What help is that? It looks like I'm making their lives even more miserable!" I
128. I Wish I Could Run Away
I never took dreams seriously, but this time I really wanted to wake up and escape from everything that had happened. This memory was very vivid because of the pain I was still suffering all over my body after being bounced around by the bomb blast. Particles of dirt were wafting through the air so my vision was limited, but I could faintly hear screams and bodies clad in army uniforms in the distance. It would undoubtedly be fine if I got hit by a bomb, after all, I wouldn't be able to die. However, what bothered me the most was the sergeant's remark that Greenish had been destroyed. That was impossible. How could that be? According to the information I knew, Greenish and other food supply areas had very strict guards and not just anyone could enter there. I even had to go naked to be checked to make sure that I wasn't carrying anything suspicious when I visited the village with Adam. Then, at the same time, my eyes closed because it was so hard to maintain consciousness. I was
