...—Because of that, even Lien's mother could not break her daughter's stubbornness. After finally obtaining her mother's permission, the place Lien headed to with a wooden sword in hand was the smithy on the outskirts of the village.
Bang bang! After a formal knock, Lien flung the door open and shouted toward the hunched old man.
"Gramps! I got permission!"
The old man who had been sitting hunched over grumbled briefly, saying she had finally persuaded her, and stood up. As the shoulders that had been curled up spread wide and his back straightened, Lien faced the old man who instantly became gigantic, grinned, and held out the envelope she had brought.
"Today's training fee is two breads!"
"You are really working an old man to the bone for free, aren't you?"
Even while grumbling as if it were the most unfair thing in the world, the old man picked up a wooden sword, looking quite pleased.
#2. Prologue (Part 2)
When I opened my eyes groggily, the surroundings were bright.
It felt like I had dreamed a quite long dream, and also felt like I had met someone I missed.
'A dream... was it? Huh? A dream? What kind of dream was it?'
I definitely felt like I had dreamed something, but I couldn't remember. The dream I must have been dreaming until just a moment ago faded and evaporated, and at the same time, my consciousness became clear.
Blinking my eyes a few times in my foggy and blurry vision and squinting, I saw an unfamiliar ceiling, a staple appearance in the introductions of novels.
While asleep, I had vaguely sensed the smell of wood and grass which, although faint, made me feel at ease. So naturally, I imagined a cabin made of wood....
'...Marble?'
I didn't know if it was marble or not, but I saw a ceiling neatly fitted with polished stone.
Rolling just my eyes slightly, furniture that would perfectly fit the description of European-style came into view. Thin curtains were fluttering in the vertically long, arched window that was half open.
I tried to lift my head but couldn't budge. Giving up on moving, I rolled my eyes to the opposite side of the window and saw a man sitting in a chair with his legs crossed and arms folded, his head bowed deeply.
The man had long straight hair hanging down. Seeing shampoo commercials, they often use the expression that hair is like silk; I thought that expression suited this man.
The dark black hair that flowed slightly forward looked truly fine. Watching it was so mesmerizing that I felt an impulse to touch it, but of course, I didn't do such a thing.
First of all....
'I can't lift my hand....'
My body was heavy. I tried putting a little strength into my fingertips, and fortunately, there was sensation. I just didn't have the strength to move.
'Did this person nurse me by my side? But his neck will hurt if he sleeps like that....'
My father used to sleep like that often in the hospital, and the next day he would always massage his neck saying he had a cramp.
I opened my mouth to let him know I had woken up.
"Ah... Awoo...."
'My voice still won't come out. I must have really possessed someone else's body.... I definitely saw a red moon and a blue moon floating at the same time, so it must be the Wizard of the Forest novel.'
Wizard of the Forest was a Western-style romance fantasy novel set in a fictional world called
Many characters become intertwined through a mysterious existence called the Wizard of the Forest, who grants a wish just once if a price is paid, like the Sea Witch in The Little Mermaid. The protagonist, a female knight character named 'Lien', was particularly popular.
Also, the supporting characters were each full of personality, and there were even plot twists that left readers bewildered. It was a novel that wove a solid story focusing on the fantasy itself rather than just romance.
It was so popular that it maintained the number one spot in romance fantasy throughout its serialization, and a webtoon was released after its completion.
A BL spin-off focusing on the popular supporting characters along with the protagonist was also being serialized separately.
In the case of the original work, which is a romance fantasy, outwardly, the kingdom found peace after achieving victory in the war against the demon race who stole the red moon.
Afterward, the story ended happily with the races of Middle Earth mingling together, and all that remained was a peaceful kingdom and prosperity.
'Even if it's a point in time before the ending, the Middle Earth wins anyway so it should be fine. First, I think I need to grasp the current situation. Who is this person beside me?'
"Awoo...."
'Hmm. As expected, my voice isn't coming out. Can't be helped.'
My body felt heavy as if crushed, and after checking my throat condition again, I gave up on waking the man.
Come to think of it, he would wake up eventually, so I judged there was no need to wake a sleeping person.
'I'll just wait.'
As I thought leisurely, everything became comfortable, and buried between the cozy bed and blanket, I rolled my eyes to look around the room. Then, feeling the limit of my vision, I looked at the man again.
'Wow~ He's really handsome....'
If I can clearly feel that a person is handsome even while I can't even control my body properly, then he is really handsome.
No, simply saying he was handsome couldn't express that man's beauty. Even the word beautiful was insufficient.
There was a slight fatigue on the beautiful face that even I, a fellow man, couldn't deny. Watching the man breathing slowly, it felt like a museum statue was breathing.
Using the excuse that I couldn't move my body or speak, I lay still and observed that handsome face.
'Seeing that his ears are slightly long and pointed, is he an Elf? No, they're short for an Elf. At that length, is he a Half-Elf? Huh... Half-Elf?'
After becoming conscious of the race Half-Elf, and looking at that elegant appearance and long straight black hair, one character immediately came to mind.
'Hull? No way?'
I was about to check point by point to see if it was really him, but the sound of footsteps approached from outside.
Seeing the man's eyelids tremble slightly at the presence, I felt embarrassed about being caught stealing glances, so I closed my eyes and pretended to sleep.
The moment the man, who had been breathing slowly the whole time, took a deep breath, a knock was heard.
Knock knock—
"Come in."
'His voice is cool too....'
It was a soft yet low-pitched, so-called cave voice. Following that, along with the sound of the door opening quietly, a thin voice was heard.
"Young Master Karzen. Should I bring the meal to the room?"
'As expected! It was Karzen after all! The sub-male lead Weiss Karzen, who beat the main male lead and took first place in the popularity poll in Wizard of the Forest!'
He was my second favorite character in the work. In my gladness at meeting my second favorite, I forgot I was pretending to sleep and almost snapped my eyes open.
'Calm down. Calm down, me. Haa, still, to see Karzen as soon as I open my eyes....'
In the story, it was described that Karzen went around with his black hair long, which the female lead had braided for him. I recalled the content that even afterward, he often let the female lead have his hair whenever she wanted.
'I had just imagined pitch-black hair, but it was hair with a luster like black pearls....'
My fingertips flinched for no reason at the welcome name called Karzen. As I began to worry about how to open my eyes naturally, a low and soft voice tickled my eardrums.
"Yes. Something simple, please. And please bring a clear soup that is easy to digest."
"Yes."
The owner of the voice left the room immediately after answering. While I was needlessly nervous and just gauging the angle to open my eyes, Karzen spoke.
"Since your consciousness has returned, you should be able to eat clear soup at least, right?"
"...."
'He noticed a long time ago....'
Out of embarrassment, I slowly opened my eyes.
Karzen was still sitting on the chair with his legs crossed. The eyes looking down at me were a blue so clear it felt transparent. He tapped his knee with his long fingers and asked.
"Do you know where this is?"
"Woo eu... Ah...."
'Oh right. My voice didn't come out.'
Possessed, I was about to answer but tried to shake my head, but even that was feeble. Seeing me manage to shake my head slightly somehow, Karzen spoke quietly as if to himself.
"As expected, you cannot speak...."
This time too, I answered by nodding with difficulty.
"First of all, it seems there is no problem with hearing."
Nod nod.
"What is your name? I can read lips, so try speaking."
'I don't know who I am either....'
For a moment, I was about to say something but closed my mouth.
'It's not... Kim Hyun-seo....'
My name... Hesitating because I couldn't say the name that no one would call anymore, he asked back.
"Do you not remember your name?"
'No, it's not that....'
Since I stayed still not knowing what to say, he must have thought it was an affirmation, as he nodded saying "Indeed..." quietly.
"Then, do you have absolutely no memory of what happened from yesterday to three days ago either?"
'Huh? Three days ago? Wasn't it yesterday that he saved me?'
Unknowingly, I opened my eyes wide and stared blankly, and Karzen reached a conclusion on his own again.
"Right. It's not unreasonable that you don't remember. Still, it's a relief you woke up. I was just getting worried because you hadn't properly regained consciousness for several days. You suffered major injuries to your head and body. The doctor said that when you properly regained consciousness, you might show symptoms of short-term memory loss due to shock. He said if you develop a headache, you definitely need treatment; does your head hurt by any chance?"
Headache or whatever, it seemed all my senses were dulled. It was similar to the feeling of being on strong painkillers while the anesthesia hasn't fully worn off after surgery. Since there was no pain for now, I answered by shaking my head slightly.
'I haven't regained consciousness for several days!? No, but I don't have memory loss....'
As I was confused about how to explain this situation and worried for a moment, he misinterpreted my expression and comforted me.
"You don't have to worry so much. Recovery of the body comes first. Stay at my mansion while recovering your body first. I don't kick out sick people, so you don't have to be so tense."
"Awoo...."
'Wow, truly a character worthy of shining in first place in the popularity poll....'
Moved by the words that he would take care of me without a shred of suspicion even though he didn't know who I was, I moved my lips toward Karzen and said.
[Thank you.]
His eyes, having read my lips, curved gently and softly. He only smiled faintly, but that face was too dazzling.
I mean, it wasn't just a figure of speech; it was literally dazzling.
'My god, how handsome does a person have to be to shine like that?'
Unable to endure the glare from the light spreading softly around his face, I ended up closing my eyes.
"Are you okay?"
'I'm okay. Except for the fact that you are so handsome it's blinding....'
Since I couldn't possibly say that, I nodded with my eyes closed, and a worried voice came.
"Oh dear. It seems a headache has developed, just as the doctor said."
'What? Headache?'
"Wait a moment. I will bring the doctor."
'Huh? N-No! It's not! It's not that!'
Surprised, I opened my eyes immediately and tried to speak to Karzen with my lips, but he was already standing up and throwing the door open.
Since I wasn't a critically ill patient and didn't even have a headache, I felt sorry that he was going out so busily and tried to stop him, but because I lacked the strength to reach out or call his name....
"Ugh...."
By the time he returned with the doctor, I squeezed my eyes shut and began desperately pretending to suffer from a headache.
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