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Chapter Text

The man could feel someone gently tapping his body.

The rough hand made the man think of the hands of an exhausted parent.

It was that warm.


"Young master, it is morning."

But the voice was very profound.

The man felt chills throughout his body and his eyes subconsciously opened.

Rather than the bright sunlight coming in through the window to warm the man's eyes, what he saw was an old man standing there with a satisfied expression.

"It is surprising to see you wake up after a single attempt."

"Huh?"

"The master wishes to dine with the young master since it has been a while. It looks like it will be possible today."

The man could see a mirror past the old man's shoulder. Inside the mirror was a red-haired man who seemed to be confused looking back at him.

"Young master Cale?"

The man turned toward the source of the worried voice to find the old man, who looked like a servant, looking toward him. But that concerned man was not the problem.

The man clearly heard it.

Young Master Cale

It was a familiar name. He slowly blurted out the name.

"Cale Henituse?"

The old servant was looking at him like he was looking at his own grandson.

"Yes. That is your name, young master. I'm guessing you are still a bit drunk."

The man felt his surroundings turn dark and he started to feel dizzy. He lowered his head and put it into his hand.

"Young master, are you still drunk? Should I call the doctor? Or will you wash right now?"

The man looked at the red hair that was falling in front of his face. It was a bright red color, much too different from his original black hair.

Cale Henituse.

He was a character that appeared at the beginning of [The Birth of a Hero], the novel the man was reading before he fell asleep last night.

He jerked his head up and looked around. He could see the bedroom that was completely different from a typical Korean design. It made the man think about Europe. Every single thing in the room was extremely extravagant and luxurious.

"Young master?"

The man responded to Ron, the old man who was pretending to be concerned and worried.

"Cold water."

"Excuse me?"

He needed something to clear his mind. He could see the face of Cale Henituse in the mirror behind the old man.

'Still looks normal.

I guess Cale hasn't been beaten to a pulp by the main character just yet.'

His face caught his attention.

The man had become Cale Henituse when he opened his eyes.

Cale Henituse. The trash who was beaten to a pulp by the main character at the beginning of [The Birth of a Hero]. That was who he was.

"Young master, I presume you will not be bathing in cold water. Are you asking for drinking water?"

The man turned his gaze toward Ron. Ron may be pretending to be a benign old man, but he is actually hiding his true identity as a cruel and vicious individual.

He made a request to such Ron.

"Please get me some drinking water."

He needed to drink some cold water and clear his mind first.

"I will prepare it right away."

"Great. Thanks."

Ron had an odd expression on his face, but he did not notice it.

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Ron had to leave the bedroom as there was only warm water in the room.

Once he was left alone, the red-haired man got off the bed and headed to the bathroom. If he really was inside of the novel, he knew that there should be a large mirror inside.

As expected, the full-body mirror was inside the bathroom.

Cale Henituse, who had a lot of interest in his appearance and physique, had this mirror set up in here. Nobody else in the household had such a mirror.

The man in the mirror had red hair and a pretty fit body. It wouldn't be wrong to say he had a body that would make any style look good.

"I really am Cale."

The man in the mirror indeed was Cale Henituse from the novel.

[The Birth of a Hero] was very descriptive about each of the character's appearances. That was why the man had no choice but to agree that he had indeed turned into Cale Henituse.

Do people usually become calmer when they are shocked?

Cale, no, Kim Rok Soo, calmly thought about the night before.

It was a typical day off. It had been a while since he had read an actual book instead of on his phone, so he went to the library to check out some books. He borrowed the entire series since he planned to read it all day long.

The name of that book was, of course, [The Birth of a Hero]. He managed to finish the fifth volume before he fell asleep.

But when he woke up, he had turned into Cale Henituse, the individual that the main character mercilessly beat up in volume 1.

'Will things go the way they did in the novel?'

He felt unnaturally calm. Once he got past the point of shock, his mind calmed back down. He started to remember the contents of Volume 1.

[The Birth of a Hero.]

This novel was about the birth of the heroes in the Western and Eastern continents, as well as their trials and growth.

The main character was, naturally, Korean. He was a student who had been transported into the world when he was a freshman in high school.

Furthermore, his lifespan became as long as a dragon's lifespan, making him pretty much never age.

"... This is bad?"

He was going to be beaten into a pulp by such a person. The important thing, however, was that he had not been beaten up just yet.

Cale was about to take his eyes off the mirror when he noticed something from his reflection.

He raised his right hand and stared at the ring nestled on his middle finger. He then lifted his shirt and saw a bandage wrapped around his torso.

Cale frowned.

'So this is why my chest feels tight. Was he already beaten up? But, I don't have the scar on my side.'

Cale Henituse, the trash of Count Henituse's family. A few days before meeting the main character, Cale was drinking and causing a ruckus. He was flinging things around and got stabbed on his side by a broken desk leg, resulting in a scar.

What an interesting character. He didn't get the scar from fighting someone else. He got it because he got angry that the alcohol didn't taste good and threw a tantrum. He meets the main character a few times after he gets the scar, and, in a refreshing cider-like scene, gets beaten to a pulp.

"Mm."

Cale crossed his arms and started to think. He then proceeded to remove his top and unfurled the knot of the bandage.

Only to freeze when he was halfway through.

'This-

Cale Henituse wasn't supposed to have this?!?'

Staring at the mounds slowly appearing as he continued to remove the cloth sent Cale's mind into overdrive.

'Is he..? Is he?!?'

Desperate to confirm his suspicions, Cale lowered his right hand inside his pants only to immediately raise it.

'...it's not here.'

Blankly staring at his hand, Cale slumped to the floor.

'Cale Henituse... is a woman?'

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Cale was somehow able to bath himself during his mental breakdown. He then heard Ron's voice coming from outside.

"Young master, are you inside the bathroom?"

He absentmindedly thought about Ron's true identity. Ron was an assassin who crossed over from the Eastern Continent by sea. He pretended to be a benign old man, but the true Ron was a cruel and merciless man.

Before he could answer, Ron asked once more.

"Or would you need some help with the bandages?"

Cale's eyes widened as he came to a conclusion. Of course, the old man knows. He was beside Cale for all 'her' life.

Taking a deep breath, he then responded to the waiting butler.

"No, it's fine. I'll be right out."

His natural response was to talk informally to the old man. Cale realized what he was doing and made up his mind about what to do in the future.

Cale expertly bandaged his torso and put a bathrobe on as he quickly exited the bathroom. Ron was standing there with a smile on his face and a tray with a cup in his hands.

"Young master, here you go."

Cale picked up the cup and walked past the old man.

"Great, thanks."

Ron's expression turned odd once again, but Cale had already walked past him. Cale took a drink of the cold water as he started to think.

'I didn't know that there was a secret to Cale Henituse's identity. And from what I remembered from the novel, the other characters didn't know either except for Ron and maybe Beacrox by extension. What about the Henituses and the citizens?

...They probably don't. If they did, Choi Han wouldn't be able to escape from beating 'her' up lightly, and the stigma of raising his hand against a powerless woman would have followed him wherever he went. And there would be no need to bandage the torso. But then... what of Ron and Beacrox who knew?'

Cale glanced at the old man fixing the bed. He furrowed his brows as he drank the cold water.

' I don't know. However, there are too many strong people here.'

In fact, there were too many of them. No matter where the main character went, there were either strong individuals or individuals with hidden secrets. These individuals were both human and other races.

'I at least need the strength to protect myself. Especially since I need to keep 'her' gender a secret as Cale Henituse did. I do not know the reason why 'she' hid it, so it's better to be safe than sorry.'

In order to live long without pain in the continent that will soon be filled with war, you need a decent level of strength. Of course, you could not be too strong. Then other complicated things will happen and he may be found out.

Cale thought about the different fateful encounters that occurred in the beginning parts of the novel. The powers that strengthen the main character and his party members. He was thinking about the ones that would help him live long without pain. There were a couple that came to mind.

He just needed to pick one of them. He'll deal with his changed gender later.

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Cale changed into the simplest attire in the wardrobe. He lightly frowned after finishing getting dressed. Even this, 'simple,' attire was extremely extravagant and not to his liking.

However, the reflection in the mirror was quite good looking.

'Now that I look again, the face is androgynous and makes any clothes look good. He is both handsome and beautiful?'  

The face really was the final piece to fashion. He looked in the mirror and fixed his sleeves before turning around to look at Ron.

Ron was once again smiling like a gentle old man.

"Ron, let's go."

"Yes, young master."

Cale walked behind Ron. It was nice that he did not need to know the layout of the estate. He just needed to follow Ron wherever he needed to go. All of the servants that Cale saw flinched and bowed respectfully before they seemed to run away.

"I will now open the door."

"Sure."

Cale nodded his head toward Ron.

"I hope you enjoy your breakfast."

"Thanks. Ron, make sure you eat a good meal too."

Cale walked past Ron and into the dining room. He could see his family sitting there. His father and the current head of the Henituse household, Deruth. Next to him was Cale's stepmother, the Countess, as well as her son and daughter. The four people looked toward Cale.

"You are late again, today."

Cale's gaze turned toward his father who spoke. [The Birth of a Hero] describes Cale's feelings for his father like this.

'His father was the one person that Cale listened to. The reason the trash did not leave the area and got everything he wanted inside the Count's territory was because of his father, Count Deruth Henituse.'

But, unfortunately, Cale's father was unlike the other strong fathers in this novel. He did not have any special skills or influence. He just had a lot of money. However, Cale liked this a lot. It was the perfect family environment to live a simple life.

He did not care if they knew 'his' real gender. This made things easier for him.

Then there were the other three individuals.

His stepmother, who knew that he did not like her and avoided him.

Her smart firstborn who found it difficult to deal with his much older brother Cale.

And the cute youngest of the family who avoided her older brother Cale.

But it wasn't like Cale bothered them or they bothered Cale. They just treated each other like strangers.

Cale thought this was such a great environment to quietly live alone.

"Take a seat."

"Yes, father."

Cale looked at the feast on the table that did not meet his definition of breakfast and sat down on his seat.

This luxurious feast that was different from the breakfast he used to eat just to fill his belly made him start to smile. He first started by cutting the sausage in half with the knife.

'It is so juicy.'

He didn't know if juice flowed out as soon as he cut into it because it was handmade or because it was cooked well, but the color of the sausage made him hungry. Cale started to smile without realizing it.

Clang.

He heard something fall and made eye contact with his younger brother Basen. He could see that Basen had dropped the fork in his hand.

"My apologies."

Basen calmly apologized. The servant in charge of the meal quickly came over to hand Basen a new fork and picked up the fork on the floor. Watching that made Cale think that it was nice to be a noble before he focused once again on the food in front of him.

Cale had found the first good thing about coming into the novel. This breakfast was extremely luxurious and so tasty that his stomach was completely happy.

The smile on his face could not disappear.

"...Ho?"

That was why he did not hear Basen's shocked proclamation. And even if he did, he would only be confused by it.

For he did not know that 'Cale Henituse' never truly smiled for years since 'his' mother's death.

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2475 words

Chapter Text

Cale was at a loss for words once he returned to his chamber after his meal with the Henituses. He received the cheque he asked the Count from the deputy butler, Hans.

The cheque that was issued through a partnership with the treasury department and the magic department made Cale's heart run wild.

'So much money?'

This family didn't seem to only have a bit of money, they seemed to have a lot of money.

The novel did mention that Cale received a large allowance, but it did not mention the exact amount.

However, he could realistically understand how large it was based on the amount listed on the cheque.

'10 million gallon.'

It is about equivalent to 10 million Korean won. If it is like this, Cale could change his plans. Cale's brain started to quickly think about his options.

"I'll be heading out now, young master."

The deputy butler delivered the cheque and bid goodbye, but Cale did not respond. Deputy Butler Hans just treated this as normal and headed toward the door.

However, he soon stopped moving.

It was because Cale had gotten up from his seat and said something to Ron.

"Ron, let's go to the study."

Hans then became anxious at Cale's words.

"...Did you say the study?"

Cale found this odd. Was there a reason he could not go to the study?

"Yes."

He needed to go to the study to form his plan. There were no desks or even any paper in his chamber. There were a lot of expensive-looking alcohol bottles though.

'Ah, and that lone book from the drawers.'

Before Hans arrived at his chambers, Cale asked Ron to leave and searched the room.

He opened the drawers and cabinets only to find bottles of alcohol, clothes, hygiene kits, and a lot of stuff that seemed to be part of a skincare routine.

Fortunately, he found a book locked inside a hidden compartment under... well that.

He planned to read it at the study as he formed his plans. He might be able to find hidden information he might need as he continues to be 'Cale Henituse'.

Cale looked toward the anxious-looking deputy butler.

"This, we have not been able to do our morning cleaning of the study just yet."

"Is that so? It's fine if it goes a day without cleaning."

"No sir. We cannot let that happen."

The deputy butler was extremely pushy about this for some reason. He then smiled brightly and put up a single finger.

"Please just wait one hour! I will put my name on the line to make sure that the study is completely clean, not like a study that has not been used in ten years, but one that was used just yesterday!"

"Sure, whatever."

He didn't mind waiting an hour.

"Yes, young master. I will be off now."

"Okay. Sure."

Like a well-trained deputy butler, Hans closed the door without making any noise and disappeared.

He seemed to be in a rush.

Cale knew that there were three deputy butlers vying to become the official butler. Maybe that was why Hans was so passionate about it.

Ron had another odd expression on his face, but Cale put the precious cheque in his inner pocket as he asked. There was so much going on that he did not even have any time to ask about today's date.

"What is today's date?"

This question would seem odd coming from anybody else, but the servant Ron answered in a gentle voice.

"It is the 29th day of the 3rd month in the 781st year of the Felix Calendar."

"Mm, that is a problem."

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing."

Cale tightly clenched the 10 million gallons in his pocket once more. The only thing he could trust was money.

Yesterday was the 28th day of the 3rd month in the 781st year of the Felix Calendar.

That was the day that the villagers of Harris Village, the village that the main character Choi Han went to after escaping from the Forest of Darkness, the place where Choi Han felt human affection for the first time in this world, made friends, and created a second family, were all murdered by an unknown group of assassins.

Even Cale, who had read until the fifth volume, did not know the true identity of this secret organization that murdered the villagers.

Some readers may be saying something like this while reading about this situation.

'I thought he was really strong. What was Choi Han doing while they were murdered?'

It is only natural to think like that.

However, there is a reason this novel is called, [The Birth of a Hero], and not, [The Strength of the Hero], or, [The War of the Heroes].

Birth.

It was the story of a person who overcame all sorts of obstacles and carried the pains of his past as he became a hero. Love and friendship come up along the way as he meets enemies and friends.

Something that cannot be missing from a story is the 'awakening.' He may have explosive talents and have lived for tens of years in the Forest of Darkness, but, through all of that, Choi Han was still an innocent and gentle person who could not kill another human being. He had no issues killing monsters, but Choi Han had never hurt another person.

In order to turn someone like him into a hero, the novel created a situation for Choi Han. To heal the lady who treated him like her own son, Choi Han went into the Forest of Darkness to find some precious medicinal herbs.

He had to travel deep into the forest to find it, and, when he finally managed to find the herb and headed back towards the village, he found the corpses of the murdered villagers, the burning houses, and the assassins who were about to leave.

Choi Han went berserk after seeing this and killed someone for the first time. Of course, the people he killed are the members of this secret organization and this secret organization clashes against Choi Han every so often throughout the novel.

Choi Han only returns to normal after killing all of the assassins from the secret organization, before falling into a state of despair as he is unable to gather any information from the dead bodies. He then buries the bodies of the villagers before making a promise to himself.

'I will kill them all. I will kill all of the people that made this happen.'

Choi Han realized what the sadness of death was at this moment, but his first kill started to twist his mind. Of course, he starts to feel again and starts to become more human-like after meeting his party members later in the novel, and grows to become a true hero.

After Ron left to fetch his water and he was alone in the room, Cale covered his face with both of his hands.

The problem was that the city that this twisted Choi Han arrived at after leaving Harris Village was the city called Western, located in the center of the Henituse territory.

Cale who happens to run into Choi Han annoys Choi Han and ends up getting beaten up. That is when Choi Han gets his first party member, the reliable chef Beacrox.

'... I was going to head there in advance and help him out.'

The best scenario to not get beaten up is no longer available.

'I did care more about potentially saving the people of the village, but there is nothing I can do about it at this point.

Now, all that is left is to make sure I act in a way to avoid getting beaten up by the angry Choi Han, who is moving at a crazy speed to arrive at Western City by tomorrow.

Avoiding the main character is not a good idea.'

He needed to run into Choi Han so Ron and Beacrox ran into him as well. That was the only way for the three of them to leave this place together to start their official journey. Then, that left just one course of action.

'Have them run into each other and then get out of their way.'

With the best possible first impression, if possible.

"Young master."

"Ah, thanks, Ron."

Cale took a sip from the cup that Ron brought over. He then started to frown.

"It's not cold water?"

"It is lemonade."

He really is an insidious man.

He knows that just like Kim Rok Soo, the original Cale hates sour things. But he still chose to bring lemonade, which would take more work to prepare than cold water. Cale wanted to be angry at the sour taste, but he could not do so because he was afraid of that assassin old man.

He could only drink the lemonade.

"Thanks, it was wonderful."

"No problem. Young master. We should be able to head to the study soon."

"Great."

Ron's benign and gentle smile caused Cale to have the chills. The old man then spoke while still wearing his smile.

"Young Master, the Red Day may be coming in a week's time. Should I start preparing for its arrival?"

"Mhm. Sure."

'What the hell is the 'Red Day'? It sounds vicious. Will he be shedding the blood of innocent victims?'

He once again clenched onto the 10 million gallon cheque for support.

Money really was the only thing you could trust.

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1593 words

Chapter Text

Nobody said that it was easy to be a noble.

Other than breakfast, Count Henituse's family tended to take care of the other meals freely. To be honest, it was mainly because they each had their own responsibilities.

Especially if you were in administration or politics, you had to follow a strict schedule, dropping everything else if you received an order from someone above you.

Count Deruth had responsibilities as the lord of the region, making it difficult to share meals together, while Cale's younger siblings timed their meals based on their studies. The Countess was busy interacting with the wives of the influential households in the region, as well as other tasks.

'It really is best to be the trash.'

Nobody cared no matter what he did. As long as he can prevent himself from getting beaten up by the main character, it will be a good life.

And then there is the 15-year-old Basen. The three years younger brother of Cale found him difficult to handle.

Unlike the trash Cale, Basen was smart, sincere, and very responsible. The people of the family were pushing for Basen to be the next head of household. Kim Rok Soo agreed with this sentiment even after turning into Cale.

'Rather than having a complicated life being in charge of this territory, I'd rather use my position as the Count's older brother to laze around and live peacefully in a section of the territory.'

Cale did not try to argue with Basen. Once Basen becomes the head of the household, his personality is one that he would probably not kill Cale, but in order to not get hurt and quietly move to a small village, he needs to not get on Basen's nerves.

'Worst of all, he may be married off to some noble household willing to pay a dowry for him. If that did happen, I'll just make some money beforehand and go somewhere that the war will not reach.'

Cale put the fork down after suddenly remembering something.

Hans started to get nervous, thinking to himself that this was the normal Cale. He was worried because he did not know when that fork might fly toward his face.

Cale did not care whether Hans was nervous or not as he got lost in his own thoughts.

'Now that I think about it. There are a lot of experts hiding as artists or craftsmen.'

The Roan Kingdom was pretty advanced in construction and the arts, especially sculpting. It was because there was a lot of marble in the Roan Kingdom. Thanks to that, the Henituse region became the fifth-best marble mining region in the two continents, bringing in a lot of money.

Furthermore, a mountain range took up most of Count Henituse's region. Even though it was located in the northwest, the mountains were extremely fertile, allowing the residents to grow grapes in between the mountains for wine. Although there was not a large quantity of wine from these fields, it was still treated as one of the best wines in the entire continent.

However, Cale's mind was filled more with the 'strong individuals,' and not these facts. He had even almost missed lunch as he sat in the study thinking all morning.

'Why are there so many experts on this stupid land? This isn't the murim.'

There were so many hermit experts here like in the murim. That was why Cale came to a conclusion.

Do not mess with just anybody.

An average-looking chef could be a poison expert, and the person working in the repair shop could be someone who viciously killed people with his wires. This was that type of land.

A deep sigh came out of Cale's mouth. He had just completed his plan to prevent himself from dying and living peacefully.

Cale enjoyed the meal once again with a relaxed heart. Everything will be settled once he makes Beacrox run into Choi Han and leave the region. Cale had already made what he thought to be a pretty good plan to make that happen.

Just like during breakfast, Cale completely emptied the dishes. He had a satisfied smile on his face as he got up and looked toward Hans.

"Hans, why did you suddenly end up being assigned to me?"

Hans slightly bowed his head and answered the question.

"The Count-nim was concerned after hearing that the young master had missed a meal while working in the study and ordered me to make sure that the young master makes sure to eat every meal. As a result, I will be overseeing just the meal-related duties for the young master."

In other words, Hans was responsible for his meals.

"Is that so? My father did something he didn't need to do. I would eat properly on my own. But I guess I would not have realized it was time for lunch if Hans had not come to tell me."

Cale was busy writing down all the fateful encounters in the first five volumes of the novel in Korean. He decided to finish that first after opening the book he found in the drawers, which turned out to be the diary of 'Cale Henituse'.

Cale stood up and walked to leave the dining room. He then smiled at Hans.

"Hans, take good care of me."

"Ah, of course. Please take good care of me as well. I will do my best."

Hans stumbled a bit as he answered, but Cale just let it be. Cale saw Ron standing there as soon as he opened the door and started to frown.

"Ron, didn't I tell you to go eat?"

Cale told him to go away because he did not want to see this old man's face, but he would not leave. He just roamed around Cale like a fly. Ron had been waiting outside the door when he was in the study, but even that got on Cale's nerves.

"Young master, it is my duty to take care of you."

Cale clicked his tongue after seeing Ron smiling at him. He then threw a bit of a tantrum.

"Enough. I don't need it so go eat. Why don't you go eat even when I tell you to go eat? Don't follow me. You know my temper if you do, right?"

Cale threatened Ron with his gaze to reinforce that he did not want Ron to follow as he headed back to the study. When he peeked back, Ron was standing there with an unreadable expression while Hans was looking towards him with shock.

'Should I not have thrown a tantrum?'

Cale was scared of the assassin old man's expression and turned his head back around before speeding back to the study.

The desk was empty. The document that he had been working so hard to write in Korean was already burnt in the fire. Cale had done so himself. There was nobody here who knew Korean, but he had to be careful. He had also told all the servants not to enter the study without his permission as well.

'I remember everything anyways.'

Kim Rok Soo had always been good at remembering things he enjoyed. Comic books, novels, movies, no matter what it was, as long as he enjoyed it, he was able to remember the names and appearances of the characters. Of course, if he didn't like something, he would not remember anything about it at all.

Cale leaned his back onto the chair and thought about what he needed to do in the future.

'First, I need to see Choi Han tomorrow and do that.'

The corners of his lips started to slowly rise.

'I need to pick up a shield.'

To live long without dying. He had no intentions of fighting.

To achieve that goal, the first step was raising his defenses. Second was finding a recovery method. Third was being faster than anybody else. Fourth was a strength that does not hurt him but can kill others.

Of course, the most important thing was to avoid the battlefield or anywhere where there may be bloodshed.

'At least, I will not be beaten up even when the time comes for it in the novel.'

The Indestructible Shield. Cale was thinking about this first shapeless strength he was going to get as he fell asleep. The corners of his lips that had gone up did not seem like they would ever come down.

Fateful encounters did not have an owner. It was a first come first serve type of deal.

What did he need to do to calm his nerves and be successful? Cale thought the first step was to have a hearty breakfast.

He felt like the only thing he did after coming to this world was eat, but he was going to enjoy the meal since he would be busy for a while starting tomorrow.

Cale thought about these so-called plans of his as he slowly closed his eyes with satisfaction. He then suddenly opened his eyes and reached for his breast pocket.

Appearing in his hand is the diary he almost forgotten to read. Cale contemplated as he stared at the book.

'This would be considered an invasion of privacy, right..?'

His rationality and conscience fought in his mind until Rational Cale countered in a firm voice.

"But what if they found out we are not the real Cale? And kill us because of it?"

"That-"

"We could use the information here to better know ourselves. Would you prefer us dead, Conscience?"

"No, but..."

"Hmph, we'll make it up to the real Cale and apologize once we meet again. So don't worry too much, Conscience."

"Ok, I understand, Rational."

Snapping out of his thoughts, Cale blinked his eyes. He then took a deep breath before opening the diary.

He kept reading it until he fell asleep and missed dinner.

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1652 words

Chapter Text

"Mm, ahem. I heard you fell asleep in the study last night."

"It somehow ended up that way."

He casually answered his father's question and continued to focus on the food. The fact that he did not even look at his father probably seemed rude, but it was fine since he was known for being the trash.

Cale finished eating first and stood up. The screeching noise of the chair made everyone focus on him.

"I will head out first."

It was not proper etiquette, but Cale's father Deruth just seemed to like his son no matter what. He looked back and forth at Cale and the empty plates before starting to smile.

"Sure. Go ahead."

"Thank you."

Cale needed to quickly leave because he had a lot of things to do that day. But Deruth held him back for a second.

"You don't need any allowance today?"

"...I do need some."

This really was a family with a lot of money. Cale held back his smile after hearing that his father would send him the allowance through Hans and left without even saying thank you.

He saw that Ron was following him and shooed him away.

"Ron. I'm going out. Don't look for me."

Don't look for me.

That was Cale's code for letting Ron know that he was leaving the estate that was located near the rear of the city to go drinking. Whenever he did this, Ron just smiled and told him to have a safe trip.

"Will you not go to the study today?"

But for some reason, Ron asked a rare question today. Cale started to frown.

"Ron, I don't think you need to be curious about that."

"...I understand, young master. I will be waiting for you."

Cale's forehead started to show even more wrinkles after hearing that Ron would be waiting for him.

"Don't wait for me."

Cale flicked his finger to beckon one of the servants standing at the entrance of the residence over and walked out with him. Cale still seemed angry, so that servant did not say anything as he followed behind Cale.

Once he exited the residence, he could see the garden and the gate of the exit farther away. It was only then that Cale let out a sigh and peeked backward. He could see Ron's unreadable expression through the closing door.

'I'm glad I was able to shake him off.'

He was glad that Ron did not follow him. However, Cale was afraid of that expression. He was an assassin after all. Cale decided that he would treat Ron better and not make him angry starting the next interaction as he exited the estate. Of course, he was on a carriage.

✧✧✧

Ron stood before the closed doors when a voice spoke behind him.

"Are you not going to follow him, Father?"

It was his son, Beacrox. Of course, he had already felt his presence.

Ron let out a hum as he turned to his son.

"And what about you, Son? You look like you want to rush towards our puppy young master."

Beacrox let out a sigh at his words. Glancing at the window to look at the leaving carriage.

"Aren't we all?"

Ron smiled benignly at his answer.

✧✧✧

Cale arrived at his destination a little bit later.

"Young master. Is this the right place?"

The driver cautiously asked as he opened the door. He then peeked toward the shop in front of him. The driver's face was filled with confusion.

"Yes. This is it."

Cale, who was wearing clothes that would be fancy to others but were the simplest thing in his closet, walked out of the carriage. Nobody was around them, as they had moved away as soon as they saw the carriage with the count's crest on it.

[The Fragrance of Tea with Poetry]

It was a tea shop that allowed you to read poems while drinking tea. This clean three-story building looked to be pretty expensive. In fact, as the owner is the bastard son of a concubine of a large merchant guild, he is even wealthier than Cale. The only thing was that he was living here while hiding that identity.

'If I recall correctly, the owner goes to the capital around volume 3 to meet Choi Han there. It is there that he claims that, he may be a bastard son of a concubine of the merchant guild, but that he will become the owner of the merchant guild.'

The man shouts and swears to Choi Han that he will become the owner of the merchant guild. Cale only read the first five volumes and thus did not know if the man ever ended up becoming the owner of that merchant guild, but since he was one of the main character's partners, he probably would succeed.

Cale looked toward the driver who was sweating like a hog and gave an order.

"You can leave now."

"Excuse me?"

"Are you going to make me say the same thing twice?"

"No, that, do I not need to wait for you, young master?"

Cale casually answered as he opened the door to the tea shop.

"Yeah. I'll be here for a while."

Gulp

He could hear the driver's gulp behind him, but a much clearer and pleasurable noise filled Cale's ears.

Clang

A quiet but clear bell sound announced Cale's entrance into the tea shop.

Cale stood at the entrance and looked around the tea shop. It was still early, and there were not many people there. Cale could see that all of them were shocked to see him there.

Well, the novel did say there was nobody in this region who did not know about Cale. He was public enemy number one for the merchants because he tended to break everything in their shops.

"Welcome."

However, the owner of this shop warmly welcomed Cale in. Cale looked toward the baby pig-like man who welcomed him in from the counter.

'He must be the owner.'

The wealthy bastard son, Billos. His round face and full body looked like a baby pig as the novel described. His charm was his extremely bright smile.

'He looks like a piggy bank.'

Cale took out a gold coin and put it on the counter as he ordered.

"I plan on staying on the third floor all day today."

Billos stared at Cale with a smile on his face. Cale pretended not to notice as he pointed to the bookshelf.

"Any tea that is not bitter. Do you have novels here too or just poems?"

Clang

The sound of someone putting their teacup down rang through the shop. Cale just thought of it as someone putting the teacup down hard and looked toward Billos. He preferred novels to poems.

"Of course. We have a lot of novels as well, young master Cale."

"Really? Then send up the most interesting book and a cup of tea."

"Yes. I understand."

Cale's gold coin fell onto Billos's chubby hands. Cale turned away as Billos tried to give him change.

"I'll drink more tea later so just keep it."

"...But it is still too much, young master."

A gold coin was worth 1 million gallons. Having that coin, that was worth 1 million Korean won, Cale did something that he had always wanted to try.

"I have a lot of money. Consider it as your tip."

Talking about how rich you are. Who cares if Billos actually has more money than he does? He also knew about many fateful encounters that would earn him a lot of money. Cale tried to look cool as he pointed toward the tables on the first floor with his chin.

"Well, if it is too much, you can treat everyone here to a cup of tea on me."

Golden Bell.

He wanted to do something like this once. After he told his father that he needed allowance, he received three gold coins which were worth a total of 3 million gallons.

"Young master, still..."

"Ah, enough. Just bring my tea."

It really was good to be the trash.

Cale did not care about being respectful as he headed to the third floor. He could hear whispers coming from behind him, but he did not need to care because there were already enough rumors about him, the trash of the Count's family.

"Just like I thought."

There was nobody else on the third floor right now because it was early in the morning. Cale took a seat in the innermost corner of the third floor. He then looked out the window.

'This is the right spot.'

The spot where you could best see the Northern Gate of Western City. Cale planned to watch Choi Han from this location today.

'He gets chased away from the gate early in the morning.'

Choi Han headed in the direction he remembered hearing about from the villagers after he finished burying all of his beloved villagers. He was heading toward Western City.

Choi Han had been transported to this world when he was a freshman in high school, but he had lived here for tens of years already. Of course, the fact that most of that life was spent trying to survive in the Forest of Darkness made him mature in a slightly twisted way, and, as such, he was more rational than anybody would expect after such an incident.

["I need to report this to the lord at the castle."]

Harris Village may have been a remote village, but it was still under Count Henituse's jurisdiction. That was why Choi Han headed to Western City, hoping to at least prepare a small funeral for the villagers.

He was also planning on looking for information regarding the assassins he had killed when he had lost his calm, as he was unable to ask them any questions. However, sending the dead off properly came before revenge.

'If you think about it, he is an affectionate person.'

But losing all of the first people who showed him love after tens of years in the Forest of Darkness at once made it impossible for Choi Han's mind to not become twisted. In the novel, that was when Cale messes with Choi Han and touches a nerve.

He remembered what the Cale in the novel said to Choi Han.

["Why should my father care whether or not some useless villagers are dead? This cup of alcohol in my hand is worth more than all of your useless lives combined."]

Choi Han starts to laugh at Cale's words as he asks back.

["What an interesting thought. I am very curious to know whether you will change your mind or not."]

["Shall we test it out?"]

That test was beating Cale to a pulp so that he was almost dead. The amazing thing was that Cale never changed his mind even after he was beaten to a pulp.

"Ah, I'm getting the chills."

Cale started to rub his arm after seeing the goosebumps that were developing. He quickly took a sip of the tea that Billos had brought for him.

He then looked at the clock hanging by the wall. It seems like it'll be a while before Choi Han appears.

Cale slumped on his seat as he closed his eyes. Immediately, the contents of the diary he stayed up last night to read came to mind.

'Cale Henituse' wrote a lot of things. The diary's entry started when 'she' was 8 but became less frequent as 'she' grew older.

There he learned that 'she' has been hiding her gender for as long as 'she' could remember. And the only ones who knew were 'her' mother and Ron. Much to his confusion, even Deruth seems to not know.

The reasons why 'she' must hide 'her' real gender was never stated as 'her' mother passed away and did not tell 'her'. Even Ron does not seem to know.

He also came to know about the ring that rests on his right middle finger since he came to this world.

According to the book, the ring helps change the wearer's impression and suppresses aura. He took it off experimentally earlier that morning in the bathroom only to stare at his reflection.

He became more... feminine. The androgynous impression was washed away, leaving him gaping as he stared at the beauty reflected in the mirror.

He was glad for the ring's existence because he knew he wouldn't be able to continue to pose as a man with the beauty it tried to suppress.

Cale sighed deeply as looked out the window, only to get the chills right back making him forget his internal crisis.

'It's that punk.'

The moment the gates opened for the morning, a young man wearing clothes with black marks everywhere, such that it made it seem like the clothes were burnt in multiple places, approached the gate.

It was Choi Han.

Cale did not get up from his seat as he observed Choi Han.

His speed was admirable, as he ran like a lunatic through a distance that would normally take a carriage a week to travel, but, as a result, he looked like a mess. Of course, the events in the village were responsible for a bit of his messy look as well.

The guard blocked Choi Han's path as he walked in with his head down, looking completely exhausted. Cale didn't know what they were saying, but he could see Choi Han shake his head at the guard's question.

'I'm sure they're asking if he has any identification.'

The guards of Western City were generally gentle, but they were strict when it came to the rules. They replicated their liege, Count Deruth's personality.

"They kicked him out."

As expected, Choi Han walked back out of the gate. He did not even throw a fit. After continuously running for a day, his slightly recovered conscience told him not to kill an innocent man.

'Choi Han will now wait until the night before he stealthily jumps over the city wall to enter.'

Or that was what was supposed to happen, but then suddenly.

Flinch

Cale made eye contact with the raven-haired man.

Time seemed to be still as the two held each other's gaze. It was only when the guard started to approach the man that Choi Han turned his head and left, leaving Cale to stare at his retreating form in a daze.

Cale blinked as his brows furrowed.

'...I must be seeing things. There's no way we just made eye contact.'

Screech

The sound of the chair being pushed as he stood up sounded pretty loud. He went downstairs and informed Billos who was at the counter.

"I'll be back soon. Don't clear my spot."

"Yes, young master. I look forward to your return."

Cale ignored the smile on Billos's chubby face as he walked out of the tea shop.

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2488 words

A/N:

This is what the ring looks like:

Chapter Text

To take the first step in his plan, Cale started to look for the ancient power hidden in Western City. He knew the requirement to earn that power.

“W-welcome, Youn- young master.”

Cale just nodded his head at the baker, who bowed so low that it looked like his head might touch the ground.

Gasp

He could hear the baker gasping, but Cale pretended not to hear it.

“Give me some bread.”

“Excuse me?”

Cale pointed at all of the bread in the bakery and sternly responded.

“Everything from here to there.”

Clang

The gold coin that Cale took out started to spin on the counter.

“Pack it all up.”

The baker seemed to be frozen in place as Cale continued to speak.

“Two or three more gold coins should be enough for a week’s worth of bread, right?”

After a few while, Cale left the bakery with a bag full of bread over his shoulder.

Even though it was just bread, it weighed quite a bit. The weight made Cale start to frown, and he ignored the baker who was watching him leave as he stepped into the street.

Cale leisurely walked down the street, noticing that anybody who made eye contact with him would quickly turn and walk away. The majority of the people even ran away to avoid eye contact with him.

Cale walked past the market and toward the western part of Western City.

The slum is located to the west. No matter how wealthy a territory may be, there are always going to be poor people. In a situation like this, most people would probably expect something along these lines to happen.

‘Ah, it is a fateful encounter you can earn by sharing food with the poor.’

Unfortunately, that was not the case.

Cale could feel people peeking at him as soon as he entered the slums. This was the place where both the idlest and the most vicious people lived together.

Although the poor may not know the face of their liege, the count, they knew Cale’s face. These people who had nothing needed to pay even closer attention to the type of person that would cause a ruckus in the market, pub, plaza, well, you name it, and Cale had probably caused a ruckus there too.

“Tsk.”

The slums were on one side of a small hill and consisted of old houses. Cale was heading toward the top of that hill. As he got closer, the gazes and steps of the people following him started to lessen as well. Cale’s sharp glare probably played a role in this as well.

‘It’s better here.’

After being freed from the stench, Cale stood at the top of the hill and turned around to look down at Western City. Cale returned to his senses as he headed toward a tree fenced off in all directions. The fence, which was made of planks the width of Cale’s body, had an entrance that had rotted. It was easily broken once Cale pushed at the fence.

This large tree seemed to have lasted for hundreds of years. Trees in the slums were usually chopped into firewood or had their layers peeled off to make them useless, but this tree was not like that.

The reason was simple. The reason could be heard in Cale’s ear. These two were the only two who had followed him until the end of the slums.

“You can’t approach that tree.”

Cale ignored that warning. He heard another voice as well.

“You can’t go there. It’s a man-eating tree.”

A man-eating tree. Anyone who hung themselves on this tree became mummies overnight. Furthermore, any blood that lands on this tree instantly disappears.

Finally, there was only dirt around this tree. Grass, and even weeds, were nowhere to be found.

This was the tree that Cale was looking for.

However, before Cale could start anything, the voice became quiet making Cale breathe a sigh of relief. Cale took a piece of bread out of the bag and carefully observed a hole that was the size of an adult’s head. 

'Good. They must have left.'

However, Cale frowned as he turned his head to observe his surroundings. He noticed a girl who seemed to be around 10 years old, holding her younger brother’s hand while looking at him. Their eyes were full of tears and concern.

Even though they saw that Cale was frowning and staring at them, the siblings merely stared back at him.

“It’s a man-eating tree. You’re going to die.”

“I won’t die.”

Cale took two pieces of bread out of the bag and threw them toward the little girl. It didn’t matter if it rolled on the ground because they were all individually wrapped.

“Take that and get lost.”

The young boy instantly grabbed the bread, but the young girl kept staring at him. In the end, Cale needed to use his identity. He stood up and pushed his head outside of the fence.

“You two don’t know about Cale the Trash?”

The young girl seemed to find his words amusing, much to his confusion and finally picked up the other bread thrown their way. The younger brother then started to tug on her arm.

“Noona.”

“Uh-huh.”

The young girl looked back and forth at the tree and Cale even as she was being pulled.

“You can’t die.”

Cale clicked his tongue at the young girl who continued to say that, before making sure nobody else was around as he sat down underneath the tree. Nobody would be able to see what he was doing unless they came right up to the fence.

“Let’s get started.”

He started by taking a loaf of bread out of the bag and putting it into that hole. His hand soon disappeared into the darkness underneath the tree, and Cale could feel a cold sensation as the bread in his hand disappeared.

He felt like his whole hand might be sucked in, and quickly took it out.

The darkness in the hole underneath the tree was still the same.

“If you die with a grudge, you have to resolve that grudge.”

This man-eating tree wasn’t actually a man-eating tree. It was a tree that would eat anything. It was the side effect of the power that was left behind by the person who starved to death. But for such a thing to be related to an ancient strength… it was comical but made it seem more realistic.

‘I remember it said I need to feed it until the darkness disappears.’

The darkness in the hole underneath the tree was not the result of shade. It was darkness formed by the grudge.

This could not be done with other people. One person had to continue to provide a large amount of food until the darkness disappeared. Once the darkness finally disappeared, the light that was hiding underneath would appear.

Once he eats that light, the ‘Indestructible Shield,’ will become Cale’s.

“Eat all you want.”

Cale put the opening of the bag into the hole and emptied all of the bread into it. In a normal situation, that small hole should have become filled with bread, however, only the darkness continued to remain once Cale removed the bag.

“I guess I’ll need about ten more large bags.”

The darkness in the hole was slightly fainter than before.

Ten bags. Only someone like Cale, with 3 million gallons as an allowance, could casually say such a thing.

Rumble-

An odd cry seemed to resonate from the tree. It seemed to be saying that it was hungry and asking for more food. Cale felt like the darkness might suddenly reach out and grab him.

“…It is a bit scary.”

Cale quickly got up. He felt like he should not be here for a long time.

“Just what can a stupid grudge do?”

Gluttony was a scary thing.

“I’ll come back tomorrow.”

Cale said goodbye to the rumbling tree as if it were a person and exited the fenced area. Cale noticed the siblings eating the bread as soon as he entered the slums.

They must have liked the flavor because both of them seemed very happy.

“My my.”

Cale snorted at the siblings before ignoring their gazes.

These children were probably too scared to even go near the man-eating tree. However, it is always good to be on the safe side. It would be bad if they went up to the tree and put their head into the hole and got eaten.

[The children of the slums have no fear. It was because they treasured a single grain of rice more than a blade coming their way. Death is always around them, so they do not fear death. They fear being hungry more than death.]

It was something that was written in [The Birth of a Hero].

That was why Cale decided to speak to the pair of siblings.

“If you want to eat bread again tomorrow, don’t say a thing.”

The two siblings did not say anything and stared at him again. The young girl then put her hand on both of their mouths and pretended to not see Cale. Cale smiled and thought that she was pretty smart, as he quickly left the slums.

“Ah, young master. You are back.”

Once Cale returned to the tea shop, Billos greeted him pretty happily.

“Yes. Bring me a new cup of tea. A refreshing one this time.”

Cale headed back to his seat on the third floor. It should have been pretty busy at this time, but there was nobody else on the third floor. They were all avoiding the trash of the Count’s family. That was why Cale could relax.

“Here is your tea, young master. I also brought up some desserts.”

“Ah, great. Thanks.”

Cale only continued to look toward the city gate as he took a sip of the tea. Billos stared at Cale’s face with an odd expression before he quietly left the third floor with a smile.

Cale continued to order tea and desserts as he looked outside the window until the sky slowly turned orange and the sunset. He only got up when night arrived and it was dark outside.

It was now time to go interact with the dangerous dude who would come from outside the wall.

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1739 words

Chapter Text

It was past 9 pm. This was the time when there were more people in the bars than tea shops. Since this was the time that the people mining in the pits went to drink, the bar should be full of people.

“I look forward to your next visit, young master.”

Cale nodded his head at Billos’s statement.

“The tea was great.”

Cale shared his observations with Billos.

“And the book was good even though I only got through half of it. I especially liked the main character whose abilities are appreciated and the way he grows.”

Cale was trying to remember the contents of the book. He was so worried about Choi Han that he did not pay too much attention to it.

However, it was still fun to read while having this sense of urgency in his heart.

It might be an auto-setting from possessing the original 'Cale’s' body, but Cale was able to understand the language of this world and had no issues reading and enjoying the book.

A smile formed on Cale’s face as he continued to speak to Billos, who was standing there with a smile on his face.

“Don’t let anyone else read that book, so that I can read it whenever I come.”

“Yes! I will reserve this book only for young master Cale!”

However, Billos’s response was different from what Cale expected. Billos smiled brightly as he urged Cale to come back soon.

“Please come again soon. I will be waiting for you.”

“Sure, whatever.”

Cale didn’t want to go but had to leave to go meet Choi Han.

Ring

The bell rang once more and it suddenly felt like the tea shop became louder once Cale left.

However, it was even louder outside the tea shop than it was inside. Even though this territory was far from the capital, the fact that a lot of artists resided here and that they had a special product made it a popular location. These individuals, as well as the miners who were looking to relax after a long day in the mines, all were out late to drink.

Cale walked that street alone.

‘If you think about it, 'she' really is a unique person.’

Normally in fantasies or martial arts novels, the trash of the family tends to hang out with the gangsters or bad crowds. They drink, fool around with women, and cause a ruckus on the streets or stores.

The funny thing was that 'Cale Henituse' actually hated gangsters and scammers. In fact, 'she' despised them.

‘'She' thought that they were all scumbags.’

The worst of all scumbags. It was better to at least be the citizens who worked hard even though there was no hope for a better future.

That was why 'she' never beat people up when 'she' was drunk but had no issues throwing things at the gangsters 'she' saw.

'Now that I think about it, 'Cale Henituse's' real gender must have played a role in that.'

“Aigoo, young master, you’re here?”

The owner of the bar was extremely afraid of Cale. It was because of that one day when 'Cale' broke pretty much everything around where he was sitting to drink. In fact, 'Cale' was probably number one on the blacklist for Western City bars.

He did not respond to the owner’s greeting and just threw a gold coin at him.

“Bring a bottle of my usual. Oh, and roasted chicken breast. Don’t put salt on it.”

“Excuse me? Y-you don’t want to find a seat first?”

Cale started to frown. The owner immediately waved his hands and bowed his head.

“Immediately! I will bring it immediately!”

The owner was moving quickly, but it looked like he was smiling. It was because it looked like Cale was not planning on sitting down. Cale looked around the bar which became quiet once he walked in.

Everyone was avoiding his gaze and turned their heads. It was like they were wondering why he had to choose this bar of all bars in the city. The gangsters and scammers in the bar were all extremely nervous right now.

“Tsk.”

The sound of Cale clicking his tongue could be heard through the silence in the bar.

“Young master, here is the bottle you requested.”

“Great.”

Cale grabbed the bottle and bag of chicken. It was the alcohol he drank often. It was probably the most expensive alcohol in this bar. He accepted the bottle with no regret and left the bar.

Cale immediately opened the bottle and drank about half of it as soon as he stepped out of the bar.

“Oh.”

The alcohol tasted pretty good. Since 'Cale' had a high tolerance to alcohol, it did not affect him at all to drink half of the bottle at once. 'She' just flushed easily, making people think 'she' was a lightweight.

Cale quickly walked along with the bottle in his hand.

He walked back past the tea shop he stayed in all day until he saw the guards stiffen up after seeing him. Seeing them acting like that made him want to go out of the gate, but unfortunately, that was not his destination.

“Ah, I’m starting to get hot.”

Cale felt himself heating up as he continued to drink. He walked a bit further until he reached the city wall not too far away. The tall city wall that started at the gate seemed to defend against any potential intruders.

‘Well, it depends on the person.’

Cale recalled the information from the book.

‘Approximately 100 steps from the city gate.’

That was the location where Choi Han jumped over the city wall. Cale clenched the bottle in his hand as he quickly ran toward the location. There were not many people on the streets because it was the residential area.

Cale took a deep breath once he arrived at the calculated location.

Exactly 100 steps away from the city gate. It was a corner of the residential area so there wasn’t any other light other than the torch the guards put on top of the wall, as well as the lights coming out of the residential windows.

But that was enough light. Cale slowly approached his destination after letting his eyes adjust to the dark.

‘Just as I expected.’

He could see something curled up underneath the city wall. Actually, there were multiple things.

Delicate-looking things that were shaking because of the cold. Cale continued to walk toward the location. He could hear the voices of the curled-up lifeforms.

Meow

Meeeeeow

Two cats were meowing as they lay curled up underneath the city wall. Cale started to smile.

‘It’s right here.’

He found the right spot.

The moment Choi Han jumps over the wall, a baby kitten is body slammed by the alpha cat of the neighborhood and gets sent tumbling to the city wall. Choi Han quickly twists his body to avoid landing on the kitten. This was a world where coincidences played a big role.

‘He really is a good guy.’

Choi Han twists his ankle after unexpectedly twisting his body to avoid hurting the kitten. He had run like crazy to reach Western City after killing tens of people for the first time and burying the corpses of the villagers. His body had reached its limit making him unable to land properly after making such a movement.

Meeeeow

Meeeeeeow.

Cale gazed at the kitten curled-up kittens. He then turned his gaze.

He turned to look at one of the alleys that was close to where was standing. He could see him.

‘Found him.’

The man was wincing in pain while looking like one of the homeless who lived in the slums. Cale could see the shaggy black hair and the old and burnt clothes.

According to the novel, Cale and Choi Han will meet tomorrow. Tonight was the night Cale got drunk and got the scar on his side. Things were already different than in the novel, even though it was just minor details.

Cale stood up as he crouched down to look at the kittens. Choi Han must have felt his gaze from a few moments ago, as Choi Han slowly raised his head and his eyes focused on Cale through his shaggy black hair.

‘Damn it, I’m shaking.’

Cale could hear his heart going crazy.

Although it was too dark to see clearly, Choi Han’s eyes Cale could see through his hair were extremely cold(?).

Cale thought that it was a good idea that he chose to drink.

Cale congratulated himself for making such a smart decision and calmed himself down as much as possible. He needed to leave a good first impression.

Cale took a deep breath as he started to speak to Choi Han who was staring at him.

“You look like you are hungry.”

Tsk tsk

Cale clicked his tongue and took the chicken breast out of the bag. Then with an extremely gentle movement, Cale offered the roasted chicken breast not to Choi Han, but to the kittens.

“You poor things. Go ahead and eat it.”

Cale didn’t know that the kittens would be this small. He hoped that they could still eat the chicken breast.

Tsk

He clicked his tongue as he ripped the chicken breast into pieces so that the kittens could eat it better.

He was wondering what the hell he was doing crouching here feeding these kittens.

To be honest, Cale did not like cats. However, Choi Han treasured small animals.

The injured kitten must have understood Cale’s dislike for cats as it bared its teeth, but Cale started to pet the kitten’s silver fur as he looked into its golden eyes. Much to his confusion, it did not avoid Cale’s hand.

“You poor things. Eat this and get better soon.”

Cale decided to ignore the strange kitten's behavior. He thought that he has more important matters at hand.

“Do you have somewhere to go?”

He did not hear a response. However, Cale continued to speak. The guards would soon come to patrol this area, and he needed to make a move before Choi Han started to limp away to avoid the guards.

“Or a place to stay?”

Cale petted the silver-furred kitten with golden eyes and pushed away the red kitten that was trying to attack him as he asked. The red kitten kept trying to hit Cale for some reason. Its golden eyes, which matched its sibling’s eyes, shined brightly even in the darkness.

But Cale needed to focus on Choi Han.

“Are you hungry?”

There still was no response. Cale had expected this.

Choi Han was probably observing him right now, but he also probably wanted to rest.

Both his body and mind had reached their limit. In addition, he had received a huge shock just the other day.

For someone like Choi Han who had lived on his own without any human contact other than the villagers of that small village, Western City was completely foreign to him. He may have lived for tens of years already, but he was still young.

“Are you not going to say anything?”

“…Are you talking to me?”

Choi Han finally seemed to have decided that Cale was weak.

Cale was weak enough that he could easily kill him even though he was at his limits. That was why Choi Han felt that it would be okay to accept Cale’s goodwill even though he had no idea why Cale was being nice to him.

Cale stood up and walked toward Choi Han. The guards would soon come patrolling through this location.

“Hey.”

He could see Choi Han’s situation better once he got closer. However, unlike what was said in the novel he did not seem to be injured. He still seemed like a mess and maybe it was because he was the main character, but his eyes were clear. The black hair and black pupils that showed that Choi Han was Korean were quite nice to see.

Cale smiled as he tried to casually speak to Choi Han despite his inner turmoil.

'Why isn't he injured? Wasn't his ankle sprained? Why is it different from the novel??'

“Follow me. I’ll feed you.”

Sighing in his mind, Cale decided to leave this for future Cale to think of. For now, he has to make the best first impression, which is providing delicious food.

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2063 words

Chapter Text

Choi Han stopped leaning against the wall and pushed his body up.

Cale glanced at him to check if his right ankle was uncomfortable, but it seemed his worry was unfounded as Choi Han walked fine for someone who supposedly twisted their ankle.

Cale blinked his eyes and decided to ignore this for later. He then told Choi Han to follow him as he started to walk towards the Count’s estate. However, an existence blocked his path.

Meeeeeeeeow

The red-furred golden-eyed kitten ran toward Cale and rubbed its cheeks on Cale’s shoes. Cale started to frown. He didn’t like cats, but this one seemed pretty cute.

Suddenly, he felt chills all over his body. Cale moved his eyes only to find Choi Han staring at him.

‘Damn it.’

Cale awkwardly started to pet the kitten.

“It seems like it likes me. But I have to go. See you next time.”

Cale never understood why people talked to animals. However, Cale, who had now become that person who was speaking to animals, quickly stood back up and walked away from the kitten.

It was at that moment.

Meow!

One of the kittens suddenly jumped at him, making Cale reflexively catch it. The silver-furred kitten nonchalantly licked its paws once it settled in his arms. It even meowed at its brother, seemingly asking it to hurry and join it where it perched itself.

Cale stared dumbfoundedly as the red-furred kitten followed after the silver fun. He strengthened his hold lest he throw the two away or lose his hold on the bottle of alcohol.

Cale once again glanced at Choi Han before clicking his tongue. The best first impression that he worked hard for would be for naught if he followed his instincts and threw the two kittens.

Said kittens merely raised their heads at him and gave him a lick to his face.

Meow, meoooooooow

Cale furrowed his brows as he stared at the two before heaving a sigh. He gave up on understanding these strange creatures. He can't think of any reason why would these two felines follow a trash like him.

Cale paused at that.

Could it be that 'Cale Henituse' has a natural disposition where animals seem to adore him? He heard that some people are like that. That couldn't be, right?

'No way.'

Shaking the thought out of his head, Cale motioned for Choi Han to follow and started the walk back to the estate.

Cale took a peek at Choi Han to see if he was keeping up with him but flinched as they immediately made eye contact.

He quickly turned his head back causing Choi Han to smile amusedly at him.

'Cute.'

And so with two kittens in his arms and a bottle of alcohol awkwardly held by his right hand, the two(?) passed the residential area.

They then passed the residences of the wealthy and finally arrived at the Count’s estate located at the rear of the city.

“Y-young master—?”

As soon as Cale stood at the main entrance of the estate, the guards and knights stumbled over their words as they greeted him but froze once they saw what was nestled in his arms.

‘Sigh. I wish they would stop with that y-young master business.’

It was odd hearing them stumbling over their words every time.

Since he possessed the body of a trash, he was trying his best to act like one. It was easier to be a trash young master than a noble young master. He was trying to make his life as easy as possible.

Cale frowned at the guards’ stumbling words while the guards quickly snapped out of their stupor and hastily opened the gates.

“Please head on in.”

Cale turned back to look at Choi Han. The rest of them looked at Choi Han as well. They were so preoccupied by the very unusual sight of the noble that they only now belatedly noticed him. The knights then observed Choi Han with suspicion in their eyes.

“Follow me.”

Choi Han should know of Cale’s status by now. He continued to walk as he approached Cale. Cale looked calm and turned back as soon as he saw that Choi Han was behind him and entered through the gate.

But his heart was going crazy as he unconsciously hugged the kittens to his chest.

‘I’m sure he’s thinking about taking me hostage if something dangerous happens. That is probably why he stood right behind me.’

He was sure that Choi Han would not kill him. However, just thinking about being taken hostage caused serious mental strain. Cale frowned as he looked at the two knights who were following them.

“Don’t follow me.”

The knights flinched at Cale’s clear order. They looked back and forth between Cale, the kittens, and Choi Han before one of the knights approached Choi Han and Cale with a stiff expression on his face.

The knights cared about their creed more than anything else. It was fitting of the knights that Deruth treasured.

‘Well, I guess they have to act like this to be good knights.’

Cale was satisfied at the knight’s response to this beggar-like foreigner and left the knight alone to follow them. He just led Choi Han to the entrance of the Count’s residence.

“Young master, you’re back.”

“…Yes, Ron.”

This scary old man. He had been waiting for Cale outside the door. Cale didn’t expect him to really be waiting. Cale was scared but thought that it was actually for the better.

Ron’s gaze turned towards Choi Han and the kittens, and to Cale's horror, his benign smile suddenly widened. Choi Han also stared back at Ron and nodded his head in greeting while the kittens meowed joyfully at him.

Cale eyed their interaction. His eyes sparkled in delight and he was glad that his plan was working. He will ignore how scary the old man's smile is for now since he is not yet done.

“Follow me.”

Cale called out to Choi Han and started to walk inside. The servant, Ron, quickly followed Cale.

“Young master, this Ron will take care of this guest and the kitten-nims if you tell me what is needed.”

“No need.”

Someone else approached Cale as Ron was speaking.

“Young master. You returned after drinking today.”

It was the deputy butler Hans.

‘Ah, he was responsible for me.’

Cale clicked his tongue and ignored Hans’s statement. Instead, he lifted the alcohol bottle and pointed toward Hans. Well, attempted to. The kittens were still nestled in his arms making the action a bit difficult.

It was at that moment.

“Gasp!"

Hans had a confused expression as his eyes opened wide. He seemed to be shocked. Hans’s eyes started to shake as he exclaimed in a loud voice.

“W-what cute and lovely kittens!”

This deputy butler did seem to be butler material. Cale carefully put the two kittens in the hands of the extremely excited Hans.

The two kittens, that were dangling in Hans’s hands, continued to look at Cale, even when they were in Hans’s arms.

“Young master, may I take care of these two lovely kitten-nims?”

“Do whatever you want.”

Hans started to smile in joy. Cale started to walk past the excited Hans as he added on.

“Put this away.”

“Yes.”

Ron received the alcohol bottle from Cale with a benign smile on his face. Hans seems to have forgotten their presence and began cooing at the kittens in his arms.

Cale clicked his tongue at Hans who flinched and turned pale. Cale did not seem to care at all as he continued to walk.

With the inclusion of Hans, there were now a total of four people following him.

Cale peeked every so often to make sure they were following him properly and arrived at his destination.

Kitchen #2.

Cale pushed the door open as soon as he saw the sign.

“Young master?”

He could hear Hans’s confused voice behind him. However, there was a thick smile on Cale’s face. The end was near.

Now, Beacrox and Choi Han will meet. Cale’s heart was beating fast. The door easily opened. Cale’s expression stiffened at the scene in front of him inside the door.

Clang. Clang.

Second Chef Beacrox was smiling while sharpening his blade. He seemed to be enjoying himself while sharpening his blade all alone in kitchen #2. However, that smile did not disappear even when he saw Cale and his entourage, causing Cale to flinch and step back.

And Cale swears he saw Beacrox's smile widen. What a sadist.

Cale was scared. It was always scary to deal with lunatics. You never knew what crazy things a lunatic would do.

Taking a deep breath, Cale made a move before Beacrox could do anything(?). He put a hand on Choi Han’s shoulder and pointed at him.

“Give him something to eat.”

“...”

Beacrox gazed at him with an unreadable expression on his face. The sharp blade in his hand was shining as it reflected the light. Cale calmed his shaking heart as he said it once more.

“Give him something to eat. He’s hungry.”

The knight let out a shocked noise from the back, but Cale did not have the time to pay attention to that right now. He waited for Beacrox’s response with anxiety. Finally, Beacrox answered with a stiff expression still on his face.

“I will do as you instructed, young master.”

It was done.

Beacrox and Choi Han. And even Ron, someone that he did not expect. The three of them were connected now.

A bright smile formed on Cale’s face. He could finally relax as he gave Beacrox another order with a slightly higher tone.

“Also prepare something for me. I’m hungry.”

Cale thought about the steak from last night’s dinner.

“Your steak last night was the best. You are a great chef.”

It was indiscernible, but Beacrox's eyes brightened at his words. Unfortunately, Cale already looked away from him because he found the chef's current expression scary.

“Something like that steak would be a wonderful meal. Prepare it quickly.”

Cale was about to turn around but then suddenly the two kittens leaped from the ginger-haired butler and settled in Ron's arms.

Hans had a devastated expression on his face as he gazed at the kittens who turned away from him.

Cale raised his brow at their display and was about to speak, however, Ron beat him to it.

"It seems the kitten-nim's has taken a liking with this old man."

Cale gazed skeptically at the two felines. First, a trash now an assassin? These cats have no good judgment of character. He was worried about leaving such vulnerable creatures in the hands of his vicious butler but then again Ron wouldn't do anything to jeopardize his disguise.

Besides, the two seem to be at home in the old man's arms.

"They do seem so. Ron, you take care of them."

Cale then turned around without waiting for anyone's response. He left the kitchen and headed towards his chamber. The knight and the sad Hans followed him.

Hans then asked as he tried hard to maintain his professionalism despite his inner despair.

“What should I do about that guest?”

“I guess he is my guest. You take care of it.”

Since he connected the three of them, he didn’t want to deal with anything else for today. Also, he had a lot to think about regarding his earlier encounters.

In the novel, Beacrox originally swears his loyalty to Choi Han because of his strength, so he should pledge his loyalty after figuring out Choi Han’s strength this time too. Of course, Cale had some other plans in the case that Beacrox was unable to determine Choi Han’s strength.

All Cale had to do was make Choi Han beat someone or something up, without it being him. Oh, and Beacrox had to be there to watch.

Even if it might have some holes, Cale had thought about a lot of different things.

“Hans. Stop annoying me and just bring the meal over to my chamber when it’s ready.”

As expected, Ron did not follow him. Cale left the knight and Hans outside his chamber door as he closed the door and laid down on the bed. He was happy. His exhaustion and the alcohol made him fall asleep before the food ever showed up.

That was why he did not know that Ron, Beacrox, the two kittens, and Choi Han quietly stared at one another after he left before Beacrox’s cooking knife slashed toward Choi Han’s neck and that Ron’s sharp dagger was flung toward Choi Han’s heart. Of course, both of their attacks had failed.

Well, this was a situation that nobody, other than the five involved individuals, would know about.

For now, that is.

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2139 words

Chapter Text

“Young master, you were sleeping so soundly that I did not wake you up.”

Meow meow

The two kittens had their paws on his face when he opened his eyes. He sighed as he lifted and placed them on the bed as he stood up to dress himself.

Cale had slept in. The fact that Ron brought lemonade instead of cold water again made things even worse. However, Cale could not say anything about it.

It was because there was a bandage around Ron’s neck. Cale glanced at it as he buttoned his top before finally opening his mouth to speak.

“Are you hurt?”

"Are you worrying about me?”

“No. It’s just annoying to look at.”

“It is nothing much. I was just scratched by the kitten-nim's claw.”

Meow!

The indignant meow from the red kitten startled him but what was more absurd that this old man had the audacity to put blame on such small animals.

'Did you have to shamelessly blame the innocent kittens, old man?'

Cale was sure that someone would have had their fated meeting last night. He avoided the gaze of Ron, who was smiling strangely, and headed toward the chamber’s window. He needed to move faster because he slept in.

He picked up the two kittens and walked towards the door. The lavender scent wafting from the two's fur made him wonder how much care Ron gave them.

“Will you be heading out right away?”

“Yes. I’ll take care of everything on my own outside.”

“I understand. Oh, young master.”

Cale let go of the door handle and turned to look at Ron. Ron had an odd smile on his face.

“What do you think about the lemonade?”

“Great. It’s delicious.”

It must have been his imagination but Ron’s voice had a hint of amusement.

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

‘What kind of question was that?’

Since Ron was someone he could not ignore, Cale just answered the question as nicely as possible while opening the door.

Slam

He then quickly closed it right back.

“…Ron.”

Ron approached Cale at his calling and whispered with a smile on his face.

“Young master, were you surprised? Your guest from yesterday is waiting for you outside.”

Cale was surprised. Cale had seen Choi Han staring at him as soon as he opened the door, which caused him to close the door in shock. His hand headed to the inner pocket of his shirt. The 10 million gallons in his pocket calmed him down.

Ron gazed toward Cale as he continued to speak.

“I didn’t have a chance to tell you because you opened the door right away. I told him to wait comfortably in his room, but he insisted that he needed to see you and waited outside the door.”

‘Didn’t have a chance to tell me my ass.’

Cale could not say anything to this terrible old man who definitely had the chance but chose not to tell him. Cale moved a step away from Ron as he opened the door again.

“What’s going on?”

Cale pretended like he never slammed the door as he started to chat with Choi Han. He was paying attention to Choi Han’s appearance as he asked.

After taking a shower, fixing his hair, and wearing new clothes, a pure and clean feeling was coming from Choi Han.

However, it was difficult to think like that after seeing his eyes. Choi Han was still in a twisted state.

—Or he should have been, but why does this dude seem too happy to see him?

The way Choi Han was staring at Cale made him feel a bit scared. He internally gave a sigh of relief once the raven-haired man started to speak.

“Pay you back.”

“Huh?”

“I will pay you back for the meal.”

Strangely enough, Choi Han was speaking formally like yesterday. More importantly, Cale started to frown at the words, ‘pay you back.’

‘Pay me back? Is he trying to make me have a heart attack?’

Who in their right mind would use Choi Han for manual labor? Cale just wanted Choi Han to get out of this city as soon as possible.

Of course, Choi Han would agree to help Cale out if he said it was to pay him back. He was that kind of person. However, Cale didn’t have anything he needed from Choi Han.

“No need. Is there anything else you need?”

He quickly rejected Choi Han’s offer and asked if there was anything else he needed. Choi Han started to observe Cale even more closely. That gaze made Cale think about how Cale got beaten to a pulp in the novel, and his arms started to develop goosebumps. Choi Han started to speak at that point.

“There is something I would like to request for your help.”

Cale closed his eyes at the word, ‘help.’ He did not want to get involved with Choi Han. The, ‘help,’ that Choi Han would ask about could be nothing other than something regarding Harris Village.

The Cale in the novel called the villagers of Harris Village useless and ended up getting beaten up because of it. Cale thought about that as he opened his mouth.

“Tell Hans your request. He will take care of everything.”

After opening his eyes again, Cale made eye contact with Choi Han, who was standing there as still as a statue.

“He is a talented deputy butler. He will be able to help you out with almost any normal request.”

Cale then put a hand on Ron’s shoulder. Cale decided to get both of them out of his sight at the same time.

“Ron here is pretty useful as well. He will also be able to help you out. Ron, he is my guest. Make sure to take proper care of whatever he needs.”

Cale also gave Ron an order before moving his hand off of Ron’s shoulder. He then heard Choi Han calling out to him.

“But you don’t even know who I am.”

Cale turned around to look. He could see Choi Han still observing him. The slightly scary feeling emitting from him had disappeared, and Cale could only feel an unexplainable purity coming from Choi Han.

“Why do I need to know who you are? Is there a reason to help someone who does not have as much as I have?”

Choi Han started to frown a bit at Cale’s words. It was very faint, but Cale, who had been closely observing Choi Han, definitely saw it.

‘Is he annoyed that I said someone who does not have as much as I do?’

Cale quickly continued on.

“Based on your situation, I doubt you’ll ask for something difficult. Well, if it is something difficult, I’m sure Hans will know where to draw the line.”

He pushed Ron toward Choi Han as he turned away from the two of them.

“Then goodbye. I have a lot of things to do.”

Cale quickly headed toward his father's office. He needed to get a large amount of allowance today. He could hear Ron’s voice coming from his behind him.

“Young master, I will do as you commanded.”

‘I don’t care whether you do or do not.’

Frying and stirring was for them to do as the main characters, not Cale. Wouldn’t they get closer to each other faster since they met four days earlier thanks to him?

Ron looked toward Cale, who was moving away from both of them, before looking down at the empty cup in his hands.

“Interesting.”

'His Young Master never changed.'

Ron touched his neck. The look the puppy young master gave him earlier when he woke up deeply amused him.

“Lead the way.”

'Don't you know the way already?'

Ron turned his gaze toward the source of the voice. He could see Choi Han looking at him with disgust. That's why he smiled as he answered back at him.

“Sure.”

This punk, who also gave off a similar scent of blood, was pretending to be clean. Ron still found it funny that such a twisted punk was acting that way.

‘I was foolish.’

Ron thought about the events of past as he started to talk to the boy who seemed to have gone through a lot.

“Follow me.”

Ron started to walk in order to follow his puppy young master’s order, and Choi Han followed behind him. Choi Han’s gaze momentarily headed toward Cale’s direction before turning back to Ron.

✧✧✧

Cale held a bag that was twice the size of yesterday’s bag as he headed back up to the top of the slums. The two siblings weren't there to greet him.

Cale frowned as he glanced at the two small bags he hid inside the bigger bag. He then heaved a sigh as he turned around and headed towards the man-eating tree.

His day so far isn't going as he expected. First, he woke up to Ron possibly torturing an innocent soul. Then, the protagonist bastard plotted to scare the shit out of him. And now...

The children he expected to be waiting for him is not on their usual spot. Could they have become impatient and left? Or did something happen to them...

'What if some bad guy took them away?'

Cale blinked his eyes once he reached that thought. He shook his head as he heaved another sigh.

'Forget it. Don't get attached, Cale. It's not like they're your children-'

Cale froze on his steps. He just had an absurd thought. Is his changed physical gender affecting him in some way?

'I should look into this.'

He decided to think about it more when he returned. For now, he has a tree to feed.

Oooooooooooooong-

“…It’s a bit scary.”

The black tree without any leaves seemed to be moving its branches to welcome Cale. This eerie feeling made Cale nervous, but he still poured the contents of the bag into the hole underneath the tree.

The bread quickly disappeared.

It was at that moment.

“…More, give me more.”

‘…It’s driving me crazy.’

The response he read about in the novel showed up. It was the voice of a weak girl.

Yes, the person who starved to death was a priestess who served a god. However, unlike the present day priestesses of the temples or churches, the ancient priestesses were shamans. The majority of the ancient shamans could be considered people who had superpowers or natural forces under their command.

Cale quickly grabbed the bag and started to move.

‘Cale, come to my study tonight.’

That was what his father, Deruth, had said to Cale when he went to get some allowance. Although he did gave Cale a weird look when he came in with the kittens. He left the two to Hans since he had to move fast and had to leave here before evening at the latest.

‘Half.’

He came here with the intention of taking care of half of the gluttony of the tree today. He went back down the hill to get more bread.

“Tsk.”

Cale frowned and clicked his tongue as he walked past the two siblings' usual spot.

He then walked to the street where there were a lot of bakeries. He had already swept the stock of the bakery he went to yesterday this morning, so it would take them some time to restock. That was why he needed to look for another bakery.

It was at that moment.

“Y-young master.”

A woman’s voice made Cale turn his head. A middle-aged woman smiled awkwardly as she pointed to her shop. Her hand was shaking and she was full of fear, but she still had some confidence.

“We have a lot of bread.”

Cale started to smile. Now this was a woman who knew how to do business. The other vendors were peeking their way while looking at what was going on.

Cale threw her a gold coin and the woman quickly caught it.

“Give me everything you have. Pack it quickly.”

In that instant, the smile on the middle-aged woman’s face grew wider. She instantly went into the store and immediately came back out with a large bag full of bread. She had already packed it all up in advance.

“Here it is, young master.”

‘Wow. She really is a good merchant.’

This was someone who knew how to make money.

“I can also prepare some more.”

Cale liked this woman even more. However, at that instant…

“Young master! We can make even more bread than that!”

An old man across the street raised his hand as he rushed over. He was wearing a baker’s uniform. Cale liked his fitting outfit and threw a gold coin to him as well.

“I will head to your shop next. Have a bag ready.”

“Thank you very much!”

Cale was amazed by these vendors. They were still afraid of him because of his identity as the trash of the Count’s family, but they had no issues coming up to him to make some easy money. It was probably because they knew that Cale did not hit anybody who was not a gangster, but he still could see why the Henituse territory was doing so well.

The fact that Cale had spent a gold coin to buy a bag of bread yesterday had already spread like wildfire.

1 million gallons.

The others gasped at the week’s worth of profit while their eyes started to sparkle.

‘I can go around to those three places tomorrow to get bread.’

Since he gave each of them a gold coin, he should be able to get another bag from them tomorrow. Cale was happy that things were going so smoothly.

However, there was someone who was watching him from afar.

“Hmm.”

It was the chef, Beacrox. Just like his father, he had a bandage around his neck, and he was watching Cale from behind a corner. He just watched Cale buy the bag of bread and some medicinal herbs before heading back to the slums.

“...she never changes.”

Beacrox was worried that a lady like Cale was going in and out of the slums. That is why he followed her on her outing only to witness the Young Lady's actions.

Beacrox’s eyes started to sparkle.

✧✧✧

Billos, the owner of the tea shop with the highest view, took a sip of his tea as he received his subordinate’s report.

“Young master Cale has been going in and out of the slums?”

“Yes, Billos-nim.”

“I see.”

“We also received communication from the capital.”

“Is that so?”

Billos’s round eyes, which were hard to see because of his fat, opened widely. The subordinate flinched for a moment before continuing his report.

“Yes. It mentioned that the crown would soon gather people. That is why they wish for Billos-nim to return and get to work.”

Clank.

Billos put the teacup on the table as he motioned with his chin.

“You can head out now.”

The subordinate quickly moved into the shadows and disappeared. Billos stared at the spot his subordinate had stood in as one corner of his lips twisted upward.

“Do they think I will be their dog and watch the house again?”

His gaze headed out of the window. It felt like his gaze could reach the faraway capital.

✧✧✧

Oooooooooooong.

-More, give me more.

“Yes. Eat it all.”

Cale dumped the whole bag into the man-eating tree without knowing how it landed. He was not afraid. The bread instantly disappeared into the darkness now too light to be called darkness. Cale could now see a new grey light. However, it would only seem grey to him.

‘I guess it is paying off for the money I spent.’

Cale poured the other bag of bread into the hole as he headed back home. However, to his pleasant surprise, he saw the two children on his way back home.

‘They're here?’

The two children stared at Cale. Cale did not want to cause a scene, so he just rummaged through his bag and took out the two small bags and the medicinal herbs. He did not know where they had gone but he thought they might have been hurt so he increased the amount of cake and meat, and bought some medicinal herbs.

"Here."

The two children continued to just stare at him so when they finally took the bags, he turned around as he headed back home.

He felt oddly satisfied.

However, when he got home he then heard something from his father that almost made him faint.

“… Could you please say that one more time.”

“Yes. Cale.”

Basen was standing next to Cale as well. The story of the Henituse family that was not mentioned in the novel was happening in front of Cale’s eyes.

“You shall go to the capital as our family’s representative.”

Cale could feel a headache coming.

“Originally, Basen was supposed to go. However, you are the firstborn of our family.”

Cale just opened and closed his mouth repeatedly as he watched Count Deruth sitting there with a gentle smile. Going to visit the crown at such a time. Cale was quickly thinking about the contents of ‘The Birth of a Hero’ as Deruth continued to speak.

“The crown is hosting a big event, and the noble families of each territory have been invited to gather. It will be your first time to go visit the crown, but Basen has been going to similar functions for the last two years. However, I am hoping for you to go this time.”

The big event hosted by the crown. That made Cale think about a single incident.

The Plaza Terror Incident.

A secret organization commits a terrorist act when many of the citizens of the capital are gathered in one place. Our hero Choi Han is the one who manages to block about half of their plot. That would be the fourth time that Choi Han and the secret organization would come into contact with each other.

As a result, Choi Han is able to save a lot of the citizens at the plaza and becomes connected with the crown prince. They then quickly develop a friendship with each other.

Cale suddenly got the chills.

Since the novel describes the event from Choi Han’s point of view, it does not talk much about the gathering of the nobles. All it mentioned was that Choi Han gained some party members before and after the incident, as well as the strong backing of the crown prince.

But he had to go to the scene of that terrorist attack?

Of course, he did not know whether the nobles would gather in the plaza as well. Cale started to recall the information in 'The Birth of a Hero'.

[Tons of people were gathered in the plaza. The platform was still empty. It was for the royal family that would soon arrive. Choi Han could see some other people who looked like they held important positions. However, more important to Choi Han, was the fact that a lot of citizens, young, old, male, and female, were gathered here. Choi Han’s heart started to beat faster.

He did not want to see a group of innocent people dying ever again.]

Would people who looked like they held important positions include the nobles?

Cale turned to look at Basen even as his father was continuing to speak. Basen stood there stoically, looking at his father without giving Cale a single glance.

‘Father said Basen normally goes to events like this. Should I tell him to go?’

Cale’s mouth continued to repeatedly open and close. He did not want to go to a dangerous area. However, he could not bring himself to say Basen’s name.

A relationship that was neither good nor bad. That was the relationship between the original Cale and Basen. Basen found Cale to be difficult, but that was it.

Cale’s mind started to get complicated. Would Cale have gone in the story? There was no way Deruth would send the trash to the capital. Just why was he trying to send him then? Cale was wondering if he had done something wrong to have caused this to happen.

“You will leave in five days.”

Five days later.

Hearing Deruth say that, Cale knew that the Cale in the novel had not gone to the capital.

In the novel, he was beaten to a pulp by Choi Han four days later and carried into the Count’s estate. There was no way he could go to the capital in that condition.

“Cale, before Basen started to do it, you had participated in all of these ceremonies. Think back on those times and have a relaxed journey.”

“Father.”

Deruth looked toward Cale at his calling. Basen slowly turned to look at his older brother as well.

“I am a bit anxious because of this sudden development. I have not gone to any of these since two years ago. I don’t understand why I would suddenly have to go. Please let me think about it.”

Deruth agreed and told his two sons that they could leave. The siblings quickly left the study. Cale was busy thinking about all sorts of things. If Cale threw a fit and caused a scene, Deruth would probably send Basen, but that would leave a bitter taste in his mouth.

It was at that moment.

“Hyung-nim.”

Cale could hear his young brother, Basen’s voice. Cale turned his head. He could see Basen still stoically walking without looking at him. The 15-year-old Basen always talked like this without ever making eye contact.

“Hyung-nim, there is no reason you cannot go.”

Sigh.

Cale let out a sigh.

Basen did not even look at Cale as he left the study and headed to his room. Cale stared at Basen for a long time.

“…It’s not supposed to go like this.”

Cale had been pushed out of the successor spot. Cale could not stop acting like trash even when his younger brother flat-out acted like he was the family’s successor two years ago. He was the joke of the family.

That was why there were a lot of reasons he should not go as the family representative to the crown’s summon. However, Basen was saying that there were no reasons not to go to the event.

Basen was saying that there were enough reasons for Cale to go as the family representative.

‘Things will become complicated like this.’

Cale started to frown. He did not like how things were going.

But the other problem was…

‘It’s worth a shot.’

He thought it was worth going through the events that were about to come up.

The reason was that the chances of Cale coming back without dying or getting hurt were pretty high.

‘It will also make it difficult for me if Basen dies without being able to take the Count position.’

For Cale to live a peaceful life, Basen needed to survive. There was still their youngest sister, Lily, but she was too young.

Furthermore, Cale needed to head out of Western City after taking the ancient power located at the man-eating tree to take some other ancient powers located outside the Henituse territory.

The scale inside Cale’s mind started to tilt.

He started to stare at deputy butler Hans who was heading his way. Hans’ expression was intense, but not dark. He seemed to be a bit bitter, but his eyes were clear.

“Young master, the request that your guest has asked for–”

“Hans.”

Cale cut him off as he said something else.

“Bring that guest here.”

“Excuse me?”

Cale was not going to be pushed around. If he was going to have to move, he might as well do it in a way that was most comfortable for him and in a way that was most beneficial for him.

“Ah, if he doesn’t want to come, just tell him this.”

Based on Hans’ expression, Cale was certain that Choi Han’s issue was settled properly.

In the novel, Count Deruth gives a proper funeral for the villagers and takes care of everything even after Choi Han beats Cale to a pulp. That shouldn’t have changed at all.

“Payment.”

“Pardon?”

“Tell him to come because a way for him to pay me back has come up.”

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4060 words

Chapter Text

Choi Han had arrived. 

Hans opened the door, and Cale could see Choi Han standing outside. Cale waved his hand to send Hans away, and Hans bowed his head as he quietly exited the study. 

Only Cale and Choi Han were left in the room.

Cale kept the desk between them as he pointed at the chair across from him.

“Come sit down.”

Choi Han slowly looked around the study as he sat down on the chair. After looking around for a long time, Choi Han’s gaze finally landed on Cale.

“What is the payment?”

‘Getting right to the point.’

Cale smiled looking at how Choi Han didn’t beat around the bush.

Payment. 

Choi Han was thorough when it came to debts he owed.

Cale, Kim Rok Soo, realized that he had changed the contents of the beginning of ‘The Birth of a Hero.’ He could see that even more things would change because of it.

That was why he was trying his best to not change too many things, but…

He had to go to the capital. Then even more things will change.

Also, it seems the novel is not as accurate as he had thought. He needed to be cautious moving forward.

Cale put a piece of paper on the desk as he looked toward Choi Han.

“There is a way for you to pay back for the meal, but I need to first determine whether you will be capable of doing it. In simple terms, this is an interview.”

“Please go ahead.”

Choi Han immediately agreed to Cale’s talk of checking his qualifications. Cale started to ask.

“Do you know how to protect people?”

“… What do you mean?”

Choi Han flinched for the first time and asked after a moment. Cale’s gaze started to turn sharp. He was looking at the piece of paper on the desk and not at Choi Han. 

That is why he didn't see how Choi Han's eyes glazed as he stared at him.

Although he had to quickly change the plan, it might bring him more gains than before. He could prevent Choi Han’s party from getting the ancient powers while taking the ones that he needs for himself.

Those powers were useless to them anyway.

Cale kept his gaze on the paper as he continued to speak.

“Simple. Are you capable of protecting people instead of killing people?”

Silence filled the room.

Choi Han did not have an answer. Cale removed his gaze from the paper and looked at the person sitting on the chair. Choi Han was sitting there with his head down, but eventually answered.

“I am not sure.”

Tsk

Cale clicked his tongue. This was why it was dangerous to provoke Choi Han right now.

“But you can kill someone?”

The answer came easily this time.

“Absolutely.”

Cale flinched at the sudden bloodlust pouring out of the man. He didn't expect such an extreme reaction, but he should have seen it coming with everything Choi Han had been through in the past few days.

Cale cleared his throat before he opened his mouth once more. This time more cautious of the man before him.

“Then you should be able to protect people as well.”

Choi Han’s eyes shook for a moment before he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

“That is difficult.”

“But difficult does not mean impossible.”

Choi Han had a bitter smile on his face as he opened his eyes and stared at Cale.

“I guess that’s true.”

“Yes, it is. Now the final interview question.”

“Yes. Please ask.”

Cale ignored the man's strange reactions and looked into Choi Han’s firm gaze as he asked the last question.

“What is your name?”

At his question, the man, Choi Han, smiled at him.

“You don’t know my name?”

Cale blinked at that and deadpanned in his mind.

‘Of course, I do. You’re the person who was going to beat me up.’

“I have heard from other people, but I want to hear it directly from you.”

“Choi Han.”

Choi Han, still with that smile on, reached his hand out.

“My name is Choi Han.”

Cale shook Choi Han’s hand.

“Great. I am Cale Henituse.”

The short conversation called an interview quickly finished. Of course, it was a passing grade. Even with the strangeness of it.

Cale pushed the paper on the desk toward Choi Han.

“The way you can pay me back is simple.”

There were two names written on the paper. It also indicated where he would meet them.

“Go to the capital with these people.”

These were the party members Choi Han would meet on his way to the capital. Beacrox and these two people would grow and get strong with Choi Han until volume 5.

Rosalyn and Lock.

One was the princess of a neighboring kingdom who was returning to her kingdom after surviving an assassination attempt, and the other was an injured kid. Of course, that kid was the heir to the Wolf King. It was possible for him to transform into a wolf.

Princess Rosalyn was strong and cold. She had the most explosive strength after Choi Han and used her strength logically.

She was not interested in taking control of the throne. Instead, her goal was to create the continent’s greatest Magic Tower, and she would grow into a hero as she moved closer to her goal.

‘The Archduke of the kingdom, who attempted the assassination on Rosalyn, will be tortured by Beacrox in the future.’

Cale’s heart started to shake as he recalled just how clear and descriptive that torture scene had been in the novel. His heart seemed to be shaking quite a bit these days.

“Rosalyn. Lock.”

Cale nodded his head at Choi Han’s voice.

“Yes. Those two people. I’m glad you know how to read.”

Choi Han continued to stare at the two names. Cale’s gaze fell on the name Lock.

Lock. 

This world had other races such as Elves, Dwarves, and Beast People. However, the most secretive of all races were the Beast People.

Beast People. 

This included beasts, birds, and even insects. Beast People were different from monsters because of the existence of a conscience.

‘Lock has the purest blood of the wolf people.’

Lock had received the bloodline to dominate the wolves. The Beast People with the purest bloodline tend to look weak and average when they are in their animal form or their human form. However, once they enter their berserk state, they become more cruel and violent than anyone else. And Lock was the only survivor of the entire Blue Wolf tribe.

Cale took a map out of a drawer and opened it up on the desk.

“You will start the journey with me.”

He then pointed to a location on the map.

“We will separate at this point. You just follow what I wrote on the paper.”

Choi Han didn’t ask any questions and just quietly listened. Cale watched Choi Han for a bit. There was a reason Choi Han had to go with him until that specific point.

‘I need to avoid the crazy dragon.’

The beginning of ‘The Birth of a Hero.’ Like any other novel, new villains had to appear after 'Cale'. However, those villains were not easy picking like 'Cale'.

The next villain involved a Marquis who led one of the noble factions. Throughout the beginning of the novel, he gets in the way of the crown prince and Choi Han. He ends up being ruined around volume 2, but Choi Han runs into the Marquis for the first time on this trip to the capital.

‘That bastard raised the crazy dragon.’

It definitely was a crazy dragon.

It was still just a baby dragon. That black dragon was being tortured by the Marquis’s future successor in secret. They were training it to obey the Marquis’s commands.

‘They’re crazy too. Dragons are the strongest beings in the world. How dare they think they will be able to tame a dragon?’

The Marquis managed to get his hands on a Dragon egg through the secret organization and chained it down with mana restricting chains as soon as it hatched. Cale could not fathom the extent of the strength of that secret organization.

But would dragons be called the strongest beings in the world for no reason?

This black dragon, that was less than 5 years old, was still a dragon. In the end, the dragon goes crazy and berserk.

It may be young, but in the novel, it exploded with enough mana to remove the mana restricting chains. Since its mana was restricted, the mana it exploded was actually its own life force.

After living in a cave and being tortured every day without ever being able to see sunlight, the young dragon cuts into its own life force to find freedom.

After managing to escape, the dragon ends up losing its rationality and goes berserk.

The village that Choi Han is staying at the time almost ends up in danger because of the berserk dragon, and Choi Han ends up fighting against the black dragon.

[Choi Han gazed at the small dragon that was less than 1 meter long. It managed to blow up a mountain with that small body and put the villagers in significant danger. However, Choi Han could not easily attack this dragon.]

[The eyes of this dragon that had lost its rationality, were in pain and full of sorrow. However, the black dragon’s mouth was smiling. Choi Han found that to be extremely sad.]

Choi Han ends up killing that black dragon and gifting it the freedom called 'death'.

Cale had to go to that village.

‘Either Choi Han takes care of it or I prevent it from going crazy and find a way to release it.’

There was no other choice because it was on his way to the capital. He would need to take an extremely long detour to avoid that village, and that would require a long time and change the flow of the story. He would also be late in arriving at the capital if he took that detour.

‘For being a crazy dragon, it’s described as being a really cute dragon.’

The novel described it as a cute black dragon with short legs. It mentioned that it was even scarier that such a cute existence had gone crazy and caused chaos. 

Cale had another reason he did not speak out loud; he could not stand the thought of a child being in pain when he knew he could do something about it.

Cale decided to stop thinking about the dragon for now, and instead gave Choi Han the rest of the order.

“Come to the capital with the owners of these two names. That is your way of paying me back.”

Choi Han asked a question.

"I just need to protect these two people?”

“If you want to.”

These two people should be strong enough to not require Choi Han’s protection. Especially princess Rosalyn, she wouldn’t even budge an inch even if a truckload of Cales with the Indestructible Shield attacked her at the same time.

“Do as you wish. However, you must definitely come to the capital. You must also meet me there without being injured. You can at least keep yourself safe, right?”

Cale and Choi Han should have no reason to meet again after that. Choi Han has another negative encounter with the secret organization after getting involved with Lock. Meeting with Lock should allow Choi Han to stop the danger in the capital like in the novel.

Cale noticed Choi Han gazing viciously(?) at the paper and spoke up before the poor paper is torn to shreds.

“Why are you not answering? Can you do it?”

Choi Han’s clear gaze snapped back to him.

“Yes. I can do it.”

Cale relaxed a bit after seeing Choi Han put the paper in his chest pocket.

‘I should have been drinking as I did that.’

It was really tiring to talk to Choi Han with Cale’s body.

“You can leave now.”

Cale waved his hand at Choi Han. 

However, Choi Han did not stood up as he expected him to.

He stayed seated on his chair and stared at Cale. 

'Does he have more to say??'

Cale started to have cold sweat at his intense gaze and gave a sigh of relief when the man finally opened his mouth after a long silence.

"This is not enough."

Cale looked confusingly at him. What did he meant by that? Thankfully, Choi Han continued his words.

"This is not enough payment for everything you have done for me."

Cale once more blinked at him. His brows furrowed as he thought over what he said only to come up blank. Wasn't it his Father and Hans who helped him with Harris Village? He merely gave him food and lodging, and he was already paying for it with the escort request. So what did this bastard mean by that?

Unfortunately, it seemed like Choi Han had no plans to elaborate as he stood up and declared.

"I will be paying you back soon, Cale-nim."

Choi Han started to walk toward the door without waiting for Cale's response. Cale blankly watched Choi Han reach for the door before starting to speak again.

“...Everything we discussed here is a secret. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that?”

Choi Han looked back at him and smiled brightly.

“Of course.”

It was only when he was alone did Cale regained his composure. Never in his wildest dreams did he expect Choi Han's reactions. 

'It seems... he wasn't as affected as I thought? Damn novel, how inaccurate can you be???'

Cale sighed tiredly before taking out a piece of paper and pen and started to write in Korean.

He had given up on understanding the protagonist.

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The next day, Cale Henituse headed to the slums as soon as he woke up.

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2491 words