Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss

Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss – 76

EP.76 Vulgar

Cohabitation.

The dictionary meaning is simply “living together in one house or room,” a fairly mundane word. But when this word is used between non-family members, especially from someone of the opposite sex, its meaning takes on a whole new significance.

“… Co-cohabitation? The kind of cohabitation I’m thinking of?”

Charlotte asked, her face blank with shock.

Jeong-hyeon sighed softly as he looked at Charlotte, clearly flustered. The sensation from earlier, when he had been dealing with Karina, still lingered, making his body feel light and causing him to slip up with his words.

He quickly tried to correct himself before Charlotte’s imagination could run any further.

“… I said I’d do anything I could within reason, but… cohabitation? Do you mean sharing the same bed? Hold on… you have a child! Well, not exactly an ordinary one, but still… saying something so vulgar to a princess, isn’t that going too far? But then again, you’ve helped me, so maybe I should…”

Charlotte suddenly rambled on, her words spiraling out of control.

Jeong-hyeon felt a slight headache coming on and hurried to clarify.

“Not cohabitation. I was asking if there was a room nearby I could borrow.”

At that, Charlotte froze in place, blinking at him. Then, her expression shifted to one of forced calm as she spoke to him, trying to steady herself.

“Oh, so that’s what you meant? You were asking for a royal guest room?”

“Yes. I’ve got a lot to take care of, so if it’s possible, I was hoping to stay in one. If not, no worries.”

He asked casually, figuring it wouldn’t be a big deal if it wasn’t possible. But to his surprise, Charlotte said it could be arranged. She explained further.

“It’s not difficult. Except for the highest-ranking Heartlight rooms, the guest rooms can be used, so I can arrange one for you.”

It seemed like lending him the room wasn’t as complicated as he had thought. Jeong-hyeon thanked her and then added one more request.

“And could you make sure the servants don’t come to my room?”

That one sentence caused Charlotte to freeze again, her mind apparently wandering into strange territory.

“We… we’re students. No matter how close or how much we want to share a bond, it’s still better to be cautious, don’t you think? Of course, if you really want to, I could turn a blind eye, but it’s better to live within the school rules…”

It wasn’t hard for Jeong-hyeon to guess exactly what kind of misunderstanding Charlotte was having, even though she seemed to be babbling nonsense. Seeing this, a mischievous grin spread across his face, and he decided to tease her a bit.

“Oh, then would the princess like to come to my room too? It might feel awkward at first, but it’ll feel better as time goes on. You might even start to enjoy it.”

At first, it might feel strange, but with Lucia’s divine power filling the room, anyone would feel better. He purposely filled his words with as many misunderstandable elements as possible, enjoying how flustered Charlotte would become.

Charlotte, clearly flustered, waved both her hands in front of Jeong-hyeon.

“… S-sorry, but that kind of proposal… I don’t think it’s appropriate. No matter what, suggesting something so vulgar to me, a princess, feels a bit… off.”

Jeong-hyeon, seeing that Charlotte had taken the bait, feigned confusion as he responded.

“Huh? Vulgar?”

“… What?”

Charlotte, realizing something wasn’t quite right, looked at him with a slightly embarrassed expression.

Suppressing his amusement, Jeong-hyeon decided to clarify.

“I’m not sure what you’re misunderstanding, but I just meant that Lucia’s unique divine power might make you feel better. I wasn’t talking about anything else.”

Charlotte’s face froze again, her expression blank. Teasing her was fun, but he could feel the attention of others starting to focus on them. It was time to wrap things up.

“Well, anyway, thanks for your help. I’ve got things to take care of, so I’ll be heading off now.”

With that, Jeong-hyeon left Charlotte behind and started walking toward the dormitory. As he walked away, he could hear her let out a frustrated “Ah!” from behind, accompanied by the sound of her stomping her feet into the ground.

Jeong-hyeon chuckled at the sight of her venting her frustration and continued on his way to the dorm.

***

As soon as Jeong-hyeon arrived back at the dorm, Hana was the first to greet him. Despite his pants being soaked, she clung to his leg, hugging him tightly as if she would never let go.

Gently calming her down, Jeong-hyeon called out to Lucia.

“Do you have a towel?”

“I’ve already got one ready…!”

Lucia replied.

He took the towel from her and began drying himself off, recounting the conversation he’d had with Charlotte earlier.

“I think we’ll be moving dorms soon.”

Lucia, startled by the sudden news, let out a confused, “Huh?” and looked at him questioningly.

Jeong-hyeon smiled at her and explained further.

“The security here is pretty lax, and it’s small and dirty. I think it’d be better to move, especially for Hana’s sake.”

Lucia, who had apparently already been thinking along the same lines, didn’t argue with him.

Seeing her reaction, Jeong-hyeon smiled wryly and continued.

“So, we’ll be moving to the royal guest house nearby. Do you want to come with us?”

Since he often had to go out and take care of things, he figured he could use an extra hand and extended the offer to her. However, Lucia seemed to take his suggestion in a different way, as she suddenly stiffened.

“… W-well, let me think about it for a bit! Just give me a moment!”

With that, she quickly ran off as if she were escaping from something.

Watching her retreating figure, Jeong-hyeon couldn’t help but think she might have misunderstood the situation, much like Charlotte had earlier. He decided to leave her be until she calmed down, then turned to Hana and started speaking to her instead.

“Are you not cold?”

Jeong-hyeon asked, puzzled. His pants were still damp from the rain, and with Hana clinging to them, he figured she must be feeling the chill as well.

But Hana shook her head vigorously and replied with a bright smile.

“Nope. I like you, Daddy.”

He had been referring to the wet pants, not himself, but seeing her response made him chuckle awkwardly. Scooping Hana into his arms, he asked, “Is there anywhere you want to go?” Since they had promised to go out, he thought it was time to decide on a destination.

Hana just blinked up at him, her gaze blank and uncomprehending. Jeong-hyeon, slightly confused, looked at her, wondering what was wrong. It was then that Lucia chimed in, her expression a little excited.

“Hana’s never been outside before. That’s probably why.”

Hearing that, Jeong-hyeon gave a bittersweet smile and turned to Hana with a touch of guilt.

“How about we go for a walk when the rain stops?”

He suggested gently.

At this, Hana fidgeted with her fingers, her voice small but hopeful.

“Really…?”

Her bright, innocent smile spread across her face, and Jeong-hyeon couldn’t help but feel his heart soften. Nodding, he watched as Hana reached up to gently pat his cheeks, clearly delighted by his promise.

Jeong-hyeon smiled back, pleased to see her so happy.

‘It’s going to take some time to find the elves anyway.’

So, he decided that in the meantime, he would focus more on Hana and spend time with her. Stroking her hair, he noticed Hana becoming even more excited.

“Daddy, look! I made something big today!”

Hana exclaimed eagerly, holding out something in her small hands.

Curious, Jeong-hyeon looked closely and saw that the shard of divine power she held was even larger than the one she had shown him before. When he inspected it, a description popped in front of him:

*-*

[Large Fragment of Divine Power created by the World Tree]

– Increases training efficiency significantly when used.

*-*

It was more powerful than the last one. Suppressing a laugh, Jeong-hyeon patted Hana’s head and praised her warmly.

“Thanks. I’ll make good use of it.”

Hana’s eyes sparkled at the praise, and she beamed at him, her expression bright like Lucia’s when she was happy. As she nestled into his embrace, Jeong-hyeon took a moment to relax, but then he heard the door open. Someone entered, soaked from head to toe.

“…I’m back.”

Looking up, he saw Miria standing there, drenched from the rain. Jeong-hyeon handed her a towel with a sympathetic smile.

“You’ve had a rough time, huh?”

Miria sighed as she took the towel and began drying herself off.

“I never thought I’d see the day I’d have to put on a performance…”

Jeong-hyeon shook his head as he watched Miria. She was shaking out her hair, droplets flying everywhere as she spoke.

“So, what happened with the second princess?”

Since she had only heard the stirring tales and hadn’t seen the details herself, it seemed she was curious about the outcome. Jeong-hyeon gestured toward the subspace pouch and replied briefly.

“I’ve put her inside here.”

“…What?”

Miria looked astonished, unable to believe he had actually stuffed the second princess into the same space he had used with Bishop Lea. She quickly covered her face with her hands, her expression a mix of disbelief and exasperation.

“Oh my God… to think you’d kidnap a princess, especially one who’s at the crossroads of inheriting the throne. This is insane.”

“Watch your mouth in front of the kid.”

Jeong-hyeon chided lightly.

“Wait…! No, I mean…! You’re not wrong, but…”

Miria trailed off, her frustration evident as she repeated “no” over and over again, finally conceding,

“Anyway, what are you going to do now? What’s the plan with the second princess?”

“I need to have a chat with her.”

“A chat?”

“Interrogation.”

“…Ah.”

Miria pressed her hands against her temples, as if trying to ward off a headache, then crossed her arms, looking skeptical.

“Are you serious?”

“Not immediately, but once we move to the new dormitory.”

He explained.

“You’re moving dorms?”

Oh, it seemed he hadn’t mentioned that to her yet. He filled her in about the royal accommodations he had secured from Charlotte. Miria’s expression turned slightly envious as she replied,

“Well, that does sound nice. It’ll be spacious and quiet… Anyway, I got it. I’ll head off to rest now.”

“Wait a moment.”

He stopped her before she could leave.

“Could you gather some information about the elves after you rest?”

“Elves? Haven’t heard about them in a while. Sure, I’ll look into it.”

Miria said, sounding somewhat intrigued.

“Thanks.”

“No problem.”

Miria nodded, looking truly worn out as she shuffled toward the door. Jeong-hyeon watched her leave, his mind racing with thoughts.

‘Once we move dorms, I’ll interrogate Karina and find out what her plans are regarding the magic circle.’

He pondered, feeling like the truth about her schemes would soon come to light. As he gently stroked Hana’s cheeks, he decided he could wait just a little longer.