Chapter 113
When my ancestor used his chukjlbeop1—no, when he merely flicked a finger—teleportation magic unfolded in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, we were standing in the bustling heart of the capital.
Not dropped in the middle of the street, thankfully, but tucked away in a quiet alley with barely a soul in sight.
“Come on. From here on out, call me ‘Orte.’”
“Yes, Orte-nim!”
“Drop the ‘nim.’ Call me uncle.”
“U-Un…cle….”
Uncle Orte? It fit him so poorly I felt faint just saying it.
“And you should disguise yourself a little. Your hair stands out too much. Come here.”
“…!”
He lightly brushed a hand over my hair. From the spot his fingers touched, the color began to deepen—slowly shifting into a dark green.
I hurriedly pulled out a hand mirror from my inventory and checked my reflection. Dark green hair looked terrible on me.
“Orte-nim— I mean, Uncle….”
At some point, he had changed not only his hair but his eyes as well. A deep green, like a shadowed forest.
Like this, the two of us actually looked somewhat related.
“Shall we?”
Orte held out his hand. When I slipped my fingers into his, he gently drew me closer.
A short while later, we arrived at the main shopping district.
‘Whoa…!’
Stores packed tightly together, people streaming through the streets—everything pulsed with life.
Like a student on a field trip, I kept craning my neck, looking everywhere at once.
A fountain pen workshop. A shop selling an array of inks. A luxurious boutique dealing exclusively in gold and silver jewelry. A designer’s salon….
‘This is incredible. And the storefronts are all so pretty!’
Perhaps because the imperial family paid special attention to city planning, not a single gaudy signboard was in sight.
As I took it all in, I glanced up at Uncle Orte and asked carefully,
“Your bonded… I mean, the First Emperor, Lady Rubellica, right? What kind of taste does she have?”
“Call her Sister Rubellica.”
“U-unnie….”
If she was his wife, wouldn’t that make her my aunt? Why unnie?
Did she prefer being called that?
“Rubellica dislikes anything overly ornate. She prefers something simple, but elegant.”
“Th-That sounds kind of difficult….”
Flashy tastes are easier to cater to. Just pick the most dazzling thing and you’re done.
But simple and elegant—yet not too plain, not excessive, refined without being overdone?
That was the hardest kind of taste to satisfy. People like that always had their own “standards,” and nothing less would impress them.
‘Is that why he asked me to choose? If Lady Rubellica doesn’t like it, he can just blame me for picking it!’
Uncle Orte… I hadn’t taken him for it, but he had a sly side. Truly Lysian’s ancestor.
‘The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree….’
“What’s wrong?”
“O-Oh, nothing.”
In any case, I needed to stay on my ancestor’s good side, so I diligently went from shop to shop in search of the perfect gift.
And Uncle Orte tried his best too… sort of.
“What do you think of this hat? Not bad, is it?”
“…I think the design’s a little questionable….”
“Really? Hm. Then what about this?”
“Um… what color is Sister Rubellica’s hair?”
“A pale violet, like the dawn sky. Her eyes are the same.”
“Then I’m sorry, but… a bright orange hat with pale violet hair is absolutely not going to work.”
“Is that so? Now that you mention it… perhaps you’re right.”
“…….”
This dragon had atrocious taste.
‘So that’s why he asked me to choose!’
I had a very reasonable suspicion that every gift he’d presented her so far had ended in failure.
I’d better try harder. Clenching my fists, I focused again.
An hour later.
We finally found something suitable.
“Thank you. It’s an excellent gift. I think Rubellica will like it.”
“Haha… well… that’s a relief….”
All my energy had drained away. I was exhausted, while my ancestor looked thoroughly pleased.
Physically I was fine—my stamina had improved a lot—but mentally? Completely spent.
Because Uncle Orte kept picking up bizarre items from who-knew-where and asking what I thought.
‘What do I think? I think even if you gave it away for free, no one would take it, you giant reptile!’
—I swallowed that irreverent thought. I valued my life, after all.
“It’s already been an hour. Aren’t you hungry? I’ll treat you, so if there’s anything you want, don’t hesitate.”
“Oh, um… if I had to choose….”
All of a sudden, I craved something spicy. Maybe it was the stress.
Come to think of it, I hadn’t eaten anything spicy since coming to this world.
‘Let’s see… the place I noticed earlier….’
I peeked out and looked down the street. The sign still read Open.
I tugged lightly at Uncle Orte’s sleeve.
“That one! Let’s go there, please!”
The restaurant was bustling inside.
‘Ooh, the interior’s nice.’
Solid wood furniture, hanging plants—it had a cozy, tasteful charm.
“Table for two? This way, please.”
After being seated, I scanned the menu and ordered the dish I was most curious about.
My ancestor, apparently unable to make sense of it, simply ordered the same.
“I’m not familiar with human food. I have no need to consume anything.”
Of course not. You’re a being practically equal to a god.
“After Rubellica became immortal, she gradually stopped eating as well. So I’ve had even fewer chances to taste human cuisine.”
“I see….”
As expected. The First Emperor, Rubellica Grastea—
‘Having been engraved by a dragon who lives through eons, her lifespan is effectively limitless.’
Though some claimed that she, a genius of the century and a grand mage, had attained immortality by reaching absolute truth through her own power.
Rubellica excelled in every field. The currency now used throughout Altera—the rubel—had been created by her.
“Do you want to meet Rubellica?”
“Huh? Um… a little?”
In truth, very much so.
A legendary grand mage. The hero who ended the Great War a thousand years ago—who wouldn’t want to meet her?
“Rubellica is different from ordinary humans in many ways.”
“I can imagine….”
“Humans forget. The ability to forget is a blessing bestowed by time. But Rubellica forgets nothing she has ever seen or heard.”
“…!”
Perfect memory?
“Within her inner world lies an infinite library. At any time, she can retrieve and revisit any memory she wishes.”
Th-That’s incredible…?
‘So someone like that really exists.’
“As a mage or a researcher, there is no greater gift. But as a human being… it cannot be called an unqualified blessing.”
“…….”
A thousand years…. An unfathomable stretch of time to humans who struggle to live even a century.
Those Rubellica cherished—and those who cherished her—would have long since turned to dust.
Even if one lives forever, does that mean the life itself is happy?
‘Humans often dream of immortality, but maybe dying at the proper time is better.’
If forgetting is time’s blessing, perhaps death is destiny’s blessing as well.
‘Not that I want to die unfairly or painfully from illness, obviously.’
A solemn silence settled between us.
Then a waitress approached at an easy pace and set down our dishes.
“Spicy stir-fried clams and potato potage. Enjoy your meal, and have a lovely time.”
As she did, she winked at my ancestor.
At the same time, she slipped a small note beneath his water glass.
‘Oh? Ohhh?’
Don’t tell me—
“[I get off in an hour. Meet me at the tea house in front of the restaurant.]?”
Uncle Orte read the note aloud in a flat voice. He looked utterly baffled.
“Why would she give this to me? Has she mistaken me for someone else?”
“…….”
No. No mistake.
I almost told him why, then decided against it.
Instead, before leaving the restaurant, I left a tip—and wrote this on the back of the note.
[My uncle is a married man….]
The married man and I returned to the imperial palace.
The same greenhouse clearing as before.
Facing me, Ortemius summoned something onto his palm.
It was a golden gem shaped like a droplet.
‘Dragon’s Tear?’
My eyes widened. Was this the item I’d been hoping for?
“I have fulfilled the conditions I set. As promised, this is yours.”
With trembling hands, I respectfully accepted the Dragon’s Tear he offered.
The golden droplet shimmered with a brilliance no jewel in the world could ever imitate.
Footnotes
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축지법: Classical East Asian technique for covering great distances instantaneously - literally “earth-shrinking method” ↩