There Is No Place For Fakes [EN]: Chapter 134

Lost in her thoughts, Philomel barely noticed their arrival at the training grounds. Adjacent to the grounds was a large, reinforced cage, its purpose immediately clear.

“They keep the most unruly monsters there, the ones they can’t fully tame,” Jeremiah explained.

*Grrr.*

The guttural roars of the imprisoned monsters echoed from behind the towering iron fence, sending a shiver down Philomel’s spine.

“There’s a magical barrier in place,” Jeremiah said nonchalantly, noticing Philomel’s unease. “They can’t get past this point. Just don’t cross the line.”

A large square was marked on the training ground floor.

Philomel and Jeremiah remained outside the square as Cardin stepped inside. Stripped to the waist and unarmed, Cardin began his warm-up. Instead of weapons, intricate magic circles bloomed around him.

Philomel voiced her concern about his safety, but Jeremiah simply nodded, his expression confident.

“Let’s start!” Cardin called out.

At his signal, the wizard overseeing the monster cage began chanting. With a resounding boom, the heavy door swung open.

“Grrrr.”

“Screech!”

“Woof!”

The monsters surged forth, a chaotic mix of chimera-types and insectoids.

What followed was less a sparring match and more a one-sided slaughter.

Cardin moved with incredible speed, striking down the monsters with brutal efficiency.

Fist, kick, fist, kick. His body was his only weapon. Despite being a powerful wizard, he refrained from using offensive magic, relying solely on his enhanced physical abilities, a result of the enhancement spell he had cast earlier, according to Jeremiah.

“Kyaa! That’s exhilarating!” Cardin cheered, severing the head of the last centipede-like monster.

“But it’s still not enough… Don’t you have anything stronger?”

The monster cage manager refused, his tone firm.

“No, I can’t. The Tower Master has strictly forbidden me from releasing more than ten monsters a day.”

“Why?”

“Do you even need to ask? At this rate, you’ll wipe out their entire breeding stock.”

“Ehh, how stingy!” Cardin grumbled, arguing for a while before finally giving up and turning back to Philomel.

“Phil! Did you wait long?”

Philomel flinched, instinctively stepping away from Cardin as he approached.

“What’s wrong?” he asked, confused.

Jeremiah intervened, scolding his brother.

“You idiot! Look at yourself. You’re covered in filth!”

Only then did Cardin seem to realize his condition. His body was drenched in monster blood.

“Ah, I see. Sorry. I’ll go wash up and change before coming back!” Cardin teleported away with 이동마법 [teleportation magic], leaving Philomel to release the tension she had been holding.

“Hoo…”

Jeremiah’s sky-blue eyes turned to her, his gaze sharp.

“Were you disappointed?”

Philomel waved her hand dismissively.

“It’s not that I’m disappointed. It’s just a little…”

Just scared.

Cardin’s eyes, as he decimated the monsters, had been filled with a chilling, pure bloodlust. He seemed to genuinely revel in the violence.

‘That kind of 모습 [appearance] somehow makes him seem like not the Cardin I knew…’ she thought.

Jeremiah spoke, breaking her train of thought.

“He sings songs about his 동생, 동생 [younger sibling, younger sibling], but what that guy likes the most is fighting. If he thinks you’re a worthy opponent, he’ll throw a punch at his 동생 too.”

His tone was laced with annoyance.

“He actually sometimes asks Lughin or Lexion to fight him.”

“…Was he holding back a lot when he was in the Imperial Palace?”

“Four months is a long time to hold back.”

“I see. Four months…”

Philomel offered a weak smile.

“I’m grateful that he patiently endured it for me.”

Jeremiah clicked his tongue and disappeared, claiming he had something to do.

Later, Philomel found herself at tea time with a freshly cleaned and changed Cardin in the rose garden that the Tower Master had recently commissioned.

“What, you were here?”

“Let us join you.”

Lughin and Lexion arrived, joining the gathering.

“Oh, shall we play 주사위 놀이 [dice game] together?” Philomel suggested.

Lughin eagerly rolled up his sleeves.

“Okay. I’ll show you my skills.”

Lexion raised a hand in protest.

“If Lughin is participating, I think I’ll pass.”

“Why?”

“Why do you ask? Lughin always flips the board when he’s about to lose.”

“When did I ever do that?”

“Don’t you remember what happened when you and I played chess last time?”

“I don’t remember.”

“You really only remember what you want to remember.”

And so, 주사위 놀이 [dice game] began. Philomel became completely engrossed in the game.

‘It would have been nice if Jeremiah had been here too,’ she thought.

Before she knew it, the sense of alienation she had felt while watching the book and Cardin’s sparring had begun to dissipate.

Four months. Yes, it had only been four months since she had been with them. It was a long time, but not enough to truly know someone deeply.

‘I can get to know them from now on,’ she resolved.

She decided to set aside her doubts and trust them as she had seen them so far.

* * *

Angelium City.

As he walked down the street, listening to Philomel recount her day, Nasar spoke.

“주사위 놀이 [dice game]. I would like to play with Philomel’s family someday.”

“Well. I don’t know if it will be fun…”

The image of the Tower Master “accidentally” hitting the game board with his elbow when he was about to lose flashed through her mind.

He had clumsily put the pieces that had fallen to the floor back in place, ensuring that Philomel’s piece, which had been trailing behind, would take the lead.

‘Thanks to that, I ended up winning…’ she thought, cringing.

Lexion had merely clicked his tongue, as if he had foreseen the whole thing, while Cardin had been furious, demanding to know why Lughin was in second place.

In the end, the game had descended into chaos. Frankly, it was a sight too embarrassing to share with Nasar.

Whether he sensed her hesitation or not, Nasar was resolute.

“Please wait a little longer. I will quickly improve my skills and meet my father’s conditions.”

Philomel simply replied,

“Good luck.”

Nasar had been staying at a lodging in Angelium recently. Since he was barred from entering the Magic Tower, Philomel had no choice but to meet him outside.

Lughin was unhappy about her meetings with Nasar, but he refrained from saying anything directly.

“Just don’t come back too late,” he’d said, his words tinged with paternal concern.

In any case, Philomel and Nasar met every day, enjoying their time together in Angelium.

When Philomel finished her work at the Magic Tower, he would always greet her with a bright smile. Often, Nasar would be practicing his swordsmanship in the yard near the Magic Tower.

The reason why the training area was so close to the Magic Tower was obvious: to steal a few more moments with Philomel. But it seemed to be escalating.

While walking through the market, Nasar spotted a tarpaulin for sale at a general store, and his eyes lit up.

“Are you going to buy it?” Philomel asked.

“Yes. Tarpaulin is a material for tents, isn’t it?”

“Why a tent?”

“Actually, I’m thinking of setting up a tent near the training area and sleeping there. It’s too much of a hassle to go back and forth to the 숙소 [lodging] every day.”

“…No, is 소공작 [Young Duke] going to be a 노숙 [homeless person]?”

“It’s okay. Even though I look like this, I’m a knight. I have plenty of experience sleeping outdoors.”

Was that really the same thing?

The Duke in the capital would surely weep if he heard that his precious son was 노숙 [homeless] because of a woman.

Nasar waved his hand, explaining at Philomel’s somewhat horrified expression.

“Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying I’ll stay there every night. I’ll come back to the 숙소 [lodging] whenever I have time, and I’ll be thorough with hygiene…”

“That’s not what I’m worried about.”

“Then?”

“I’m worried that your body will be ruined.”

Nasar’s eyes widened slightly, then he smiled.

“You don’t have to worry about that. I’m fine.”

“Really?”

“Of course. If my body is damaged by just that much, I’m not qualified to be a knight.”

Philomel decided to drop the subject. He was a man of his word.

“Okay! Then today’s date will be about buying things you need for 야외 취침 [sleeping outdoors].”

Philomel whispered, winking.

“I’ll sneak into the tent later.”

“…It’s too shabby for Philomel to be there.”

“It’s okay. I’ve always wanted to try it. 야외 취침 [sleeping outdoors].”

“Yes? What do you mean…?”

The end of his sentence trembled. His jewel-like red eyes were also shaking violently. The following words were enough to shatter the 소공작’s [Young Duke’s] composure.

“There’s a place for me to lie down next to Nasar, right?”

“Th, th, th…”

His white face turned as red as it could possibly get.

“Th, that’s a little… No, it’s not that I don’t like it… But still…”

Philomel stared blankly at Nasar, who couldn’t seem to form a coherent sentence, like a broken 녹음석 [recording stone].

And after a few seconds, she realized how suggestive her words had been. Having only learned about romance from novels, she was rather naive in this regard.

“No! I didn’t mean it with any ulterior motives!”

“Ah, I know! I’m not a pervert, I know… But, I’m a man, so I need to prepare my mind…”

“What kind of preparation of mind are you talking about!”

“I swear it’s not a strange meaning, just purely…”

The two of them continued to stammer, exchanging nonsensical words before finally falling silent.