Chapter 9

Son-con – Vol . 3 Ch . 09

“You want to participate in the deer hunting festival, your highness?”

Lucia looked at me feeling slightly surprised, put her cup down and said: “Your highness, the deer hunting festival isn’t fun . It really isn’t . Killing a white deer each month is hell for me . A white deer king is even tougher to kill . ”

I threw two berries into my mouth and asked: “But it can definitely be killed . Lucia, don’t you kill a white deer every month?”

“Yes, but white deer and white deer king are different . The white deer king is an animal with intelligence . Its feeding zones are not fixed while deer themselves don’t have lairs . They’re very sensitive to mana, so they flee as soon as they detect an elf in their vicinity . Also, a white deer king will retaliate when it’s cornered . Its horns are incomparably sharp . A white deer king is tough to deal with . ”

“Wait a second… Are you talking about a unicorn?”

“Unicorn?” Lucia tilted her head to one side out of puzzlement, thought about what I asked and nodded with approval . She then said: “Uhm, that’s a befitting name . Your highness, you’re really good at naming . ”

“…Alright, let’s just say I came up with the name then . ” I smiled wryly and then asked: “How did people kill a white deer king in the past then?”

“They used a variety of methods… Traps, poisons, hitting them in the arrow from a distance, ah, the previous king slayed it with a sword up close . He was great . No . he was amazing . ”

Lucia shrugged and then said: “I’m okay with accompanying you, and I’m fine with killing the white deer king too . I just don’t understand why you want to participate in the festival though . If you just wanted the experience, I think you should lose the idea . Sleeping on lawns, squeezing into caves and fighting off hunger aren’t pleasant experiences . ”

“I’m not doing it for the experience . I truly want to kill a white deer king…”

“Why? All the people who want to kill the white deer king all have their own wishes . Someone like me who has no wishes wouldn’t participate . So I want to know what your wish is, your highness . ”

I looked at Lucia . I felt my face get warmer and warmer as I looked at my crush sitting by the dinner table in her milk-white long skirt with her hair tied up into a simple ponytail .

The early morning sunrays shining onto Lucia’s white skin made it glimmer with a faint golden colour . She looked at her shoeless small feet kicking underneath the table with a lazy gaze . Her white stockings looked like an angel’s wings under the sunlight . She lifted up her cup of milk and slowly brought it to her pink, cherry blossom like lips .

I looked at the beauty, Lucia, who was as beautiful as an angel from heaven and in a bland tone said: “I want…to get married with you . ”

“Pffff!!”

Lucia spat her milk out . She panicked as she placed her cup of milk down and wiped the milk off the corner of her mouth . She coughed as she desperately tried to look at me . Her face went red, but I wasn’t sure if it was because she was coughing or because she was shy . She took in a deep breath to stop her coughs, and then gasped for air as she looked at me . She stuttered: “Wha-…what did you say…? I… I won’t…won’t…get married…will get married… will…”

“But I want to let you have a wedding where you receive everybody present’s blessings… You do realise you’re the wife of the prince? As such, you have to have a different wedding… I can’t get everybody to respect the wife of the prince, but I believe that everybody will respect the wife of a hero . ”

As I looked at Lucia, Nier’s words came back to me, echoing in my ears . Nier helped me understand that that night . I’m a prince . I’m different to normal people so I should naturally be respected by everybody . It’s normal for me to feel happy to have a person kneel down before me because I was someone who was supposed to be deserving of the respect of others .

I wanted to hold a wedding for Lucia that would make everybody envious because she’s a prince’s woman .

“I… I… I… I will get married to you, your highness! It’s just… It’s just… It’s so embarrassing…”

Lucia lowered her head and nervously pulled her legs together . She lowered her head and snuck glances at me . She muttered: “If…if that’s the case…there’s…there’s no need to… I… I don’t have any desire for a grandiose wedding… I’m happy as long as I can be with you . Honest… And then… And then have a few kids… I want three… I don’t mind if they’re boys or girls… And then… And then I won’t need the buffs provided by the wind elves… I’ll learn to cook… Look after our children… And then you’ll ascend the throne… And I’ll hold a lantern as I wait for you to return each night…”

A tranquil and happy smile crept up onto Lucia’s face . She clasped her hands tightly, raised her head, smiled and said: “Therefore you don’t need to prepare any wedding ceremony for me, your highness . I can’t be any happier as long as I can be with you, and as long as I can be with your forever . Your gentleness is warmer than the sun . I’ve always found my happiness from you, your highness . ”

“Lucia…”

I walked over lightly and gently hugged Lucia . Lucia followed along with me and rested her head on my chest as she listened to my heartbeat . As I gently hugged her, I pressed my hands onto her back and stroked her head, relishing in her warmth and fragrant scent . Perhaps it’s the memories of this body . Perhaps I really have fallen for Lucia . But in that moment, I just wanted to hold her tightly, never letting go .

I rejoiced . Coming here, I feel differently to other people who travel through dimensions . Others want to grow and create something grand . If it were somebody else, they might have already held power in the elf and human nation, and would probably be carrying out a revolution right now . Or maybe they’d already have a harem and be enjoying it . I’m different though . I don’t want to chase or create anything grand, nor do I want to hit on girls left and right . I just want to lead a peaceful life with Lucia and then peacefully pass away .

Is a story like that really boring? Well, that’s my dream though . I wasn’t gifted with any cheat skills when I came to this world . I don’t understand the intricacies of this society and so I can’t create democracy . I don’t understand the financial technicalities here so I can’t create a wealthy country . I only know how to create guns, and I have to face limitations of the time period when creating guns too . Hence, I can only hold Lucia tightly . This is already a great blessing and happy outcome for me .

“Back then, I hugged Lucia and shared her dream to have kids and lead a happy life . But it looks like it’s a reality now . ”

Many years later, I sat in a lighthouse by the seaside, breathed in the smell of the sea breeze, and looked at the slightly mottled face opposite under the fire amidst a tornado and reminisced with a smile .

“But you are different to how you are now . Back then you insisted you didn’t want to change the world . But now you are bringing justice to everyone with your body on the scale . ”

I smiled and picked up my tree-leaf tea on the table . The veins on my hand that held the cup trembled . The prophet across from me looked at me, knocked what originally was sheep hooves and asked: “In that case, your highness, could you tell me what caused you to change your mind? What made you go from the king who led a peaceful life into becoming the ‘Hero King’ that everybody in the mainland sings praise about?”

“Don’t mention that name . The mention of it annoys me . ”

I placed my tea cup back down with a smile, looked at my hand which was like tree barks, lowered my head and continued: “That was around when the deer hunting festival was held I believe… Yes, that was when I made up my mind… I’ll never forget what happened that month even though bigger and more tragic events took place afterwards . I’ll never forget that deer hunting festival…”