Reader’S Regeneration Life [EN]: Chapter 230

230―――――

Karma

Staying on the balcony any longer with those gossiping nobles would undoubtedly lead to trouble, so Zion was eager to leave. He had narrowly avoided what could have been a disastrous situation, albeit by becoming a metaphorical flower himself. Now, with the task of establishing a relationship between the Northern barbarians and the Hispana Kingdom, he felt it was time to return to the party and display a friendly atmosphere.

“I don’t see what the rush is.

Vanessa and I are already building a new relationship here,” Zyan said, seemingly unwilling to return to the party.

‘Why isn’t this woman cooperating?’ Zion thought, about to say something when Vanessa stopped him.

“Politics are best done in secluded places like this, wouldn’t you agree, Zion Clauser?”

“But there are so many eyes watching.”

“The guest from the North is a woman, and I am a woman, so we can simply say we found common ground.”

“I am not a woman, though?”

“We’ll just say you were brought along to attend to two women.”

“…”

Something about that didn’t sit right with him, but it seemed accurate, leaving him speechless once again.

Zion sighed and was about to offer, “Shall I bring you something to drink?” when Vanessa spoke again.

“More importantly, were you serious about what you said earlier?”

“Pardon?”

“About being upset that you didn’t tell me about the marriage alliance until today.”

“Ah, yes…”

“You had several opportunities to tell me about it.”

“I apologize, Princess. I truly have no excuse.”

He had spoken to King Edgar IV personally, and the Margrave of Lichten knew as well. Vanessa was the last one who needed to know the truth. Zion had worried that telling her about the marriage alliance would ruin their relationship.

Though she was a princess, she was still human. She might feel hurt that someone she was fond of was being paired with someone else, feel a sense of betrayal, and ultimately harbor resentment.

‘You can know ten fathoms of the world, but not an inch of a person’s heart [meaning you can understand the world but not another person’s feelings].’

Even if she understood and accepted it, people’s feelings could change at any moment.

‘I was so busy trying to avoid Vanessa turning into an enemy.’

Plus, he had been quite busy with other women.

Admitting it was his mistake, Zion scratched his cheek.

“May I ask why you didn’t tell me?”

“…”

“If there’s something difficult, you don’t have to answer. But…”

“I was afraid. I suppose I was afraid.”

Vanessa and Zyan, who had been quietly listening, couldn’t hide their surprise at Zion’s unexpected answer.

Afraid?

That man?

He always acted so confidently, as if he had nine lives. He felt ‘fear’?

Unbelievable.

The two women stared at him, their emotions plain to see. Zion decided to be honest.

“Frankly, I was worried you would turn against me, Princess.”

“Me? Why would I turn against you?”

“Deciding on such an important matter without consulting you, and then having me become a part of your circle, would always be a source of trouble. Nobles are good at picking at such things. And there were other reasons as well.”

At the mention of “other reasons,” Vanessa stared intently at Zion.

‘Could it be that he secretly feels the same way I do?’

Was he afraid that she knew he wanted to be closer but couldn’t, and that she would distance herself in response?

“It seems you’ve made a mistake this time, Zion.”

“Zyan?”

“Though I haven’t known her long, the Princess wouldn’t abandon her people for such a reason. It might be presumptuous to say, but the Princess and I are quite similar.”

“What do you mean?”

“We both have something we desperately want to achieve, and we’re willing to sacrifice our own happiness for that ambition.”

At the word “ambition,” Vanessa continued to stare at Zyan.

The Khan of the North, understanding the unspoken question, smiled and said as if it were obvious, “For my people to be happier and live better lives. We might form a marriage alliance for that, or break one. That’s the responsibility of those in power, the duty of those at the top.”

“Not a bad ambition. Though it might be a bit difficult.”

“That’s always the case. Living well without worry is the hardest thing. It’s impossible in the North.”

Vanessa looked at Zyan with a strange expression.

At first, she had seen her as just the leader of a Northern barbarian tribe, an unimportant figure.

Her behavior at this event seemed to disregard all etiquette.

She thought of her as a rude, pretty face with nothing but brute strength.

But Zyan was the woman who had convinced Zion Clauser to accept the marriage alliance.

Especially her desire to take care of her people more than herself, which Vanessa found similar to her own.

With that thought, Vanessa saw Zyan, whom she had thought was just a pretty face or a strong woman, in a new light.

Furthermore, the promise from the Northern tribes to help if the kingdom was in trouble felt like a sincere vow rather than empty words.

‘…What is this? The atmosphere suddenly feels strange.’

The women who had been growling at each other, trying to assert dominance, suddenly felt a sense of camaraderie and understanding.

‘If this goes any further, the genre might change in a weird direction,’ Zion thought, quickly interjecting.

“Princess Vanessa, and Zyan Temujin. Shall we return to the party? If the two of you, who should be the center of attention, are absent, the nobles will be quite perplexed.”

“It seems the main character is you, Zion Clauser,” Vanessa said.

“I felt that too. The nobles’ eyes were more on Zion,” Zyan added.

The two women teased Zion and then headed back to the party.

As Vanessa and Zyan re-entered the banquet hall, the nobles, taking advantage of Prince Erader’s absence, gradually gathered around Vanessa, who was the practical center of attention in place of the king, who was watching the party from afar.

‘Damn it. Finally, an escape.’

Zion, having thrown Vanessa and Zyan to the nobles, sighed and returned to his seat. Unfortunately, Marquis Volko seemed engrossed in conversation with other nobles. Taking advantage of his brief moment alone, Zion tried to slip away.

“Master! Master, Master!”

“Lishi?”

“I brought what you asked for! I got here as fast as I could!”

“What did I ask for…? Ah.”

He remembered his grand ambition, his majestic warrior spirit.

After almost being tricked by Prince Erader, Zion had developed the habit of always bringing a lute to parties.

Things he usually didn’t care about would suddenly become a nuisance, with people asking, ‘Aren’t you going to play the lute?’ or ‘Won’t you sing us a song?’

That was why he had brought the lute this time, but in the chaos of the Northern guest’s arrival, he had left it in the carriage.

He recalled asking Rishikida to bring the lute before being dragged away by Vanessa.

“Are you going to sing again this time?”

“I don’t plan to. Frankly, I don’t want to do that again.”

He preferred to sing or play the lute where there were no people, or use it to provoke his opponents like during the battle with Nudia.

He really wanted to avoid doing it at parties filled with nobles.

“Oh, is that so? That’s a bit disappointing.”

“What’s disappointing? I always sing for you when you want me to, Lishi.”

“I want many people to know that you’re not just a hero, but also such a beautiful person.”

“Forget it. If that were the case, I would have become a minstrel instead of a noble.”

“Hmph…”

Rishikida was even acting cute now.

‘It seems like this guy received some special training from Lilith,’ Zion thought, about to ask a probing question.

“I think there’s definitely potential,” Vanessa said, raising her voice louder than usual while talking to the nobles.

It was unclear whether she had intentionally raised her voice or if it was due to heightened emotions.

What was certain was that Vanessa’s expression was serious.

“Our relationship with the North hasn’t been great so far. I won’t deny that. But when have they ever sent someone to the kingdom like this? Especially someone who isn’t just a warrior but a tribal leader. I believe the Northern tribes are serious this time.”

Vanessa referred to them as just “tribes” instead of “barbarian” tribes.

It was just one word, but the feeling was different.

She, who was almost certain to become the next queen, was viewing the forces that had been provisionally defined as enemies as potential allies.

“If their hearts change, there must be a problem somewhere, and we can simply solve it. If they simply betray the kingdom, we just won’t trust them anymore.”

It seemed that someone among the nobles had said that it would be a big problem if they treated the Northern barbarian tribes too well or trusted them and something went wrong.

Vanessa looked at Zyan and said, “Guest from the North, didn’t you say you would make a promise? Are the warriors of the North the kind to break their promises?”

“…We do not break our promises. We will repay the kingdom’s kindness with even greater kindness. If we break this, may a cold snowstorm cover our entire tribe and bring us just punishment.”

The atmosphere became too tense. This would ruin the harmony, the joyful atmosphere, the party, everything.

‘Which idiot said something so tactless?’ Zion grumbled inwardly, wondering how to restore the banquet hall to its original state.

No, he didn’t need to worry.

He had prepared a playlist for just such occasions.

‘It’s a bit sad that I have to transform into a minstrel again.’

But wasn’t a true hero someone who enjoyed the finer things in life?

Zion reached out to Rishikida, ready to grab the lute…

‘What?’

Instead of the lute, something very soft touched his palm.

He turned to see Rishikida, smiling and rubbing his cheek against Zion’s hand.

“…Lishi.”

“Ah, yes! Yes!”

“The lute.”

“Yes, sir! Lute!”

Rishikida quickly handed him the lute.

Most of the nobles were focused on the ongoing debate. This was the perfect moment for his lute-playing hands and his supposedly decent voice to work hard.

Zion lightly loosened his fingers and began strumming the strings, revealing his BGM [background music] for this very moment before the nobles could even notice he had picked up the lute.

―Lalalala lallalal lalalalalala…

In the midst of a heated conversation, the sound of a gentle breeze suddenly filled the air.

The nobles turned their heads, drawn by the sweet sound of the lute tickling their ears.

“Oh…”

They had been trained by Zion many times.

When the sound of the lute and the song began, they naturally fell silent.

And then, a beautiful young man, like an angel, sang with a voice more melodious than any instrument in the banquet hall.

―Gathering beautiful love in each small heart
―Let’s create a beautiful world together

：

―Like the beautiful baby’s breath that shines when we are together
―Let’s gently embrace each other, everyone gather here

：

―Gathering beautiful love in each small heart
―Let’s create a beautiful world together
―Gathering beautiful love in each small heart
―Let’s create a beautiful world together

If they had simply heard those words about creating a beautiful world together, the nobles gathered there would have scoffed and said that the world was not such an easy place.

But this man was a noble who had proven his abilities throughout Hispana.

In his hometown in the East, in the vast lands of the North, and in the wide seas of the South.

That hero, that romantic young man who sometimes sang with a warmer voice than any minstrel, was strumming the lute and singing as if pleading.

If someone who had seen the most difficult and tragic things was calling for hope like that.

Couldn’t they think about it a little more positively?

If they worked together and created it, it wouldn’t just be a beautiful world in an abstract, religious sense.

Couldn’t they actually do something with their own hands?

―Sharalalalala sharalalla sharalallalala…

I was the one who had been at the scene of bloodshed, so it was ironic that I was the one who had to sing about peace at that scene.

Yes, that must be the karma of someone called a hero.

Unlike the sunny lyrics, Zion’s expression looked so sad.

“…”

“…”

Vanessa and Zyan Temujin watched Zion’s appearance.

The two women, who were so similar, had the same thought at that moment.

‘I want to have him.’

‘I will have him no matter what.’

Committing the karma of digging his own grave again, Zion sighed inwardly.

At the same time, he thanked his past self, or rather, his self outside the novel.

‘The money I spent at the coin karaoke is finally paying off.

Good job, past me!’

―――――――Author’s Notes―――――――

A Beautiful World – Glass Box//