The king had brought the queen and the second princess to visit my home—and now they even wanted to stay for dinner.
But she's the second princess, why didn't they bring the first one?
"If you don't mind commoner food, we'll keep things simple. By the way, Your Majesty—the princess is the second. Who's the first?"
"The Crown Prince, Steve Aimebisalon. I left all the work to him while I'm away."
No wonder the king could relax and stay until evening. So he basically dumped all his duties on his successor. Looks like the country will have a new king in a few years.
"I see. Please follow me and don't wander."
"Karen, we're not going inside the house?" the king asked, confused. He must've expected me to invite them indoors, but instead I was leading them straight to the barbecue pavilion I finished building yesterday. There's no way I'm letting the king step into my house—if he does, I'll probably end up giving him the whole place.
"Outside is fine. There's a roof, so you don't have to worry about the sun."
The sun was harsh today. Without proper protection, you'd definitely get tanned. Luckily, the weather was still cool enough not to feel suffocating.
"Did you use dungeon technology in there too?"
The king immediately understood what I meant. As expected of the sharp-eyed king I had high hopes for.
"Yes. Because I'm afraid you'll ask me to tear down the royal castle and rebuild it afterward."
"Is it really that good?"
The king reacted like I was exaggerating, so I replied in a lighthearted tone.
"Just kidding. I'm only worried you'll fall in love with it after seeing the inside."
Although I said it as a joke, I wasn't joking at all. That last part was strictly the truth. And sure enough, the king was already curiously peeking inside through the window. Thank goodness I installed curtains.
But he was getting a little too bold. I shot him a warning glare—look one more time and I swear I'll bury you. He seemed to get the message.
"Oh, it is so bad. We should stay outside."
I led them to the barbecue pavilion. The king took one seat, the queen and the princess shared another. The sword saint stood beside the king, while the two knights stayed a little farther away. Then I began serving the royal family.
"I'll go get the cake. But I don't have any fancy tea—just simple lemon tea. If that's not acceptable, the only alternatives are water and milk."
I loved lemon tea, and both Lina and Lani became fans because of me. Even though I used good-quality tea leaves, what I really wanted was for everyone to fall in love with lemon tea.
"I'll drink whatever," the king said.
"I don't mind either," the queen added.
"I… I want milk," the princess whispered.
So the king and queen wanted lemon tea, and the princess wanted milk. Trying to grow tall, huh? How nostalgic… Back in the village, Lina and I drank fresh milk every morning.
"Alright. Duke Somart, knights—what about you?"
For a moment, I felt myself like a cafe waiter. All I was missing was a notepad and pen.
The sword saint answered for them.
"Mr. Karen, please don't worry about us."
I knew I didn't have to ask—but leaving them out felt wrong. They were close enough for me to notice them; ignoring them completely, I cannot do it.
Since they insisted, I decided not to bother further.
"Alright then. I'll be back soon."
I went into the kitchen, cut the leftover birthday cake into four pieces, placed them on plates, added forks, and stored everything in the storage hole. Then I grabbed a jug of lemon tea from the fridge along with cups, and prepared the princess's milk. All of that went into the storage hole as well.
Returning to the pavilion, I placed the cake before them and poured lemon tea for the king and queen, handing the milk to the princess.
"Your Majesties, if you want a refill, please help yourselves. Princess, here's your milk."
"Th… thank you," the princess said timidly.
Was I really that scary? Whatever—she was just a kid.
I poured lemon tea for myself and for Lani, then placed her little metal straw in her cup. She sat on the sofa, holding the cup with both tiny hands, sipping happily. Absolutely adorable.
"Mr. Karen, this cake is wonderful. Which shop made it?" the queen asked after one bite. Women really do have a thing for cake.
"I made it myself."
Not to brag, but it was good enough to sell. Especially since all the ingredients were homegrown.
The queen looked surprised. Maybe she thought I was joking—or maybe she was silently comparing me to the royal pastry chefs. Before I could figure out her expression, the king spoke up.
"Karen, you really are talented. By the way, where's Lina? Aren't you two always together?"
While feeding Lani a spoonful of cake, I answered casually.
"Lina's working at the guild. She's not home right now."
Lani's tail wiggled happily as she ate. No matter how many times I saw it, it never stopped being cute.
The king continued,
"Karen, don't you work too?"
Why did that sound like he was accusing me of being a lazy freeloader living off Lina…? That annoyed me. My reply came out slightly louder.
"I do work. When I have free time, I wait for Lina at the guild, and the guild master always gives me quests."
"But you two don't seem short on money. Why does Lina need to work?"
"Because one of the counter staff quit, and they needed someone to replace her. As for why Lina took the job—well, we didn't have anything better to do."
"So you're working just to avoid boredom?"
"Exactly. Staying home every day is boring."
The moment I said this, the sword saint suddenly joined the conversation.
"Excuse me, Mr. Karen, do you not practice swordsmanship?"
Sword Saint's question made me feel a little guilty. He trained every single day, yet I had beaten him without practicing at all. Feeling a bit sheepish, I answered honestly.
"I… I don't really practice swordsmanship…"
The moment those words left my mouth, the sword saint visibly snapped.
"What?! Then how are you that good with a sword?!"
He darted away from the king and got right up in my face. I had no idea what to say. I only ever used a sword during hunts, so I went with the only explanation I could think of.
"Uh… real combat?"
I wasn't sure if that was even true. But right now, I was too nervous to think straight. The Sword Saint looked like he could explode any second.
"…Real combat?"
He repeated my words through clenched fists, his whole body shaking. Oh no. He's gonna blow.
"Anthony, calm down!"
The king stand up, trying to stop him. But it was too late—Anthony was already seeing red. With a sharp flick of his arm, to refuse the king.
"Your Majesty, please don't stop me! I can't accept this! Mr. Karen, Please spar with me again!"
Looks like I had no choice. It was my fault he blew up, so I had to be the one to put the fire out.
"Fine. But I don't have any training swords here. Ah—let's use our swords with the scabbards on. It'll still hurt if we hit each other, though."
I had wooden sticks, but they'd break instantly. Using sheathed swords was safer. But they still made pretty good blunt weapons, and getting hit would definitely leave bruises.
The moment he heard my agreement, the sword saint ripped off his armor and urged me on.
"Good! Mr. Karen, bring out your sword! I'll prove that effort does pay off!"
We stepped out of the barbecue pavilion and faced each other under the blazing sun.
Everyone watched anxiously. Lani called the start, and our match began.
Just like last time, I beat him with the same decisive move. Neither of us took a hit—thank the goodness. But then the sword saint dropped to his knees and started crying. I froze.
"Uuugh… effort should mean something…"
His emotions really were all over the place. Actual tears were rolling down his face.
Should I comfort him? I guess I should… The king and the others were already turning away in embarrassment.
"Um… I know effort can pay off. I really did put in some effort too."
"Mr. Karen, you just don't get it! I've trained with a sword since I was a child. I've been through countless real battles. Yet I was defeated by someone who doesn't even practice, someone who isn't even sure if he got strong through real combat! I thought you were some dedicated swordsman who trained daily—that's the only reason I accepted my loss the first time! Uuuugh!"
Wow. He started crying even harder. This was exhausting. How old was he again? And he was throwing a fit like this? He came from a noble family—surely he had other life options.
Being a sword saint was just a title. On a battlefield without rules, it meant nothing. I walked the path of revenge—training alone could never make someone strong enough for that. Even if that path turned into the "Brave's path," the purpose was the same… just a longer journey.
Forget it—thinking any further is pointless. I might as well give the sword saint some advice on how to actually get stronger.
I leveled a flat, emotionless tone at him as I asked:
"…Duke Somart, have you ever challenged the dungeon?"
The dungeon is the best place to grow stronger. Fighting beasts toughens you up faster—no rules, no limits, only live or death.
"…No."
He answered without the slightest interest, as if the dungeon had nothing to do with him. Hearing that, I continued:
"Why not?"
"Because there are no sword-wielding opponents inside."
"So you only fight swordsmen?"
Unbelievable.
Trying to get stronger, yet still picky about who you fight?
No wonder I defeat him so easily—it's over in seconds because he limits himself like this.
"Of course. Only by facing other swordsmen can I refine my swordsmanship."
"So you only train sword skills? Nothing else?"
"Naturally. The sword is the strongest weapon. Mr. Karen, you use a sword as well—you should understand."
At that, irritation sparked in my chest.
The sword is the strongest?
He look down on every other weapon?
Looks like he needs a real lesson—and this time, I won't use a sword.
I'll beat him with nothing but my bare hands.
I rose to my feet and said, displeasure clear in my voice:
"Duke Somart, pick up your sword and stand up. I'll fight you again—barehanded."
As soon as the words left my mouth, I began warming up.
If I'm going to do this, I'm going to dodge everything he throws at me and hit him with everything I've got.
"W–What…?"