Chapter 198 MERIT CEREMONY (1)

Ah.

She slowly opened her eyes and let out a blank voice.

Because she was actually in a stupor.

lia?

She heard a voice in her ear, but she couldnt understand it properly because her head was in a daze.

As her blurred vision gradually turned clear, Cordelia blinked a few more times.

ss?

The voice became more audible. At the same time, Cordelia felt thirsty. Her mouth was dry, and it was difficult to swallow her saliva.

Haa.

She let out her breath after she groaned.

Her vision still felt cloudy, but she could somehow see ahead of her.

An unfamiliar ceiling.

But it wasnt completely unfamiliar. She felt like she had seen something similar to it.

The ceiling had a flashy and luxurious feeling.

Where did I see it?

Duke Spencers mansion?

My room in the royal palace?

Miss! Can you hear me?!

The voice.

Cordelia shifted her blue eyes and saw.

The teary-eyed Dahlia was beside her.

Dahlia?

As soon as she spoke while struggling a bit with her pronunciation, a response came back.

Yes, Miss. Its me. Its Dahlia. Are you awake? Are you okay?

Cordelia nodded a few times at the others fervent response. Frankly, she was still in a daze and didnt know what was happening, but she didnt want to worry Dahlia.

Wate

Water? Please wait, Miss. Ill give it to you right away.

Dahlia immediately answered at the words she mumbled, and after raising Cordelias upper body halfway up, she grabbed a cup with her empty hand.

Here it is, Miss. Slowly. Slowly.

Cordelia still had a blank face because she didnt have much strength in her body, so Dahlia brought the cup to Cordelias lips and tilted it slowly, and Cordelia closed her eyes and drank the water like a baby.

Slowly but steadily.

Fuuaa.

After drinking all the water, Cordelia opened her eyes again. Although she was still lacking in energy, she felt a bit refreshed when she moistened her dry throat.

Ahuh

Are you feeling better now?

Yes

Ill lay you down again. Slowly.

Dahlia gently whispered and laid Cordelia down very carefully, and Cordelia opened her lips after closing her eyes tightly.

Ah.

Aaaaah.

Huuu.

She felt like the water she had just drank was circulating in her body.

Her blurred vision finally became clear.

Dahlia?

Yes, Miss. Its Dahlia.

Dahlia grabbed Cordelias hand and smiled with a tearful face.

Since she was a knight, Dahlias hands were rough but warm.

Cordelia somehow felt better and grinned, and she soon realized.

Dahlias hand.

What about Judes hand then?

Jude?!

Cordelia became conscious and shouted, sitting up and reflexively raising her right hand.

Her hand had always held Judes hand, but it was alone now.

Jude.

She remembered it.

She recalled it.

The last situation before she lost consciousness.

After all sorts of hardships, they defeated the Lord Protector and then she talked with Jude with their eyes.

They threw up blood and fell into a deep sleep while holding each others hands.

And now.

She didnt see Jude. That fact made Cordelia very worried.

What about Jude? Where is Jude? Is Jude okay?

As she poured out words and tried to get out of the bed, Dahlia hurriedly stretched her hands and pressed on Cordelias shoulders.

She said as she softly smiled to reassure her.

Lord Jude is okay too. Hes resting in another room now.

Another room?

Yes, another room. Please dont worry since Maja is taking care of him.

Maja.

Judes exclusive maid.

A person who was not just a servant for Jude, but was like a real sister to him.

Haa.

Cordelia let out her breath, and Dahlia asked as she carefully laid her down again.

Have you calmed down?

Eh? Yes. Uh-huh.

From her answer, it seemed like she had not yet completely calmed down, but Dahlia was satisfied for now. She held Cordelias hand and continued.

Hes really okay. So please dont worry.

Okay.

Because Dahlia never lied.

Moreover, Jude had absorbed the Sphere of Life and boasted about it whenever he had a chance. He was a guy with a regenerative ability that was better than Cordelias, so he should be fine and not in poor health.

Haa.

Thats a relief.

Im really, really glad.

Cordelia sighed in relief again before she turned her eyes and looked at Dahlia.

Is Dahlia okay?

Me?

Yes.

Dahlia was also in the grand banquet hall.

Im okay. Count Chase protected everyone.

Father?

Yes, not only did he support with his magic the palace that was destroyed, but he also defeated the zombies and traitors. Without the count, many people would have died or be injured by the collapsing palace.

At Dahlias explanation, Cordelia slightly smiled.

Because she was proud of her father.

But youre not hurt anywhere, right?

Yes, Im not. So please dont worry about me.

Okay, I wont be worried.

When Cordelia faintly smiled, Dahlia also brightly smiled.

By the way, Dahlia.

Yes, Miss.

How long have I been asleep?

Two full days.

Eh?

Cordelia was surprised and unconsciously asked again.

Two days?

Not half a day or a day, but two days?

Yes, Ive been worried about you not waking up for two days. Everyone around me said that it was fine because you were so tired that you fell into a deep sleep, but But its not normal to sleep for two days straight.

Indeed.

Cordelia nodded her head and looked back at herself.

She was wearing a white and loose dress that seemed comfortable and resembled a patients clothing.

Let me check for a moment.

Cordelia briefly said and closed her eyes, checking out her bodys condition.

By lightly circulating her mana, she was able to know her condition.

My mana has been exhausted.

Perhaps when she released that last divine lightning, all the mana in her body was released too.

Add to that was her physical fatigue, so it was understandable for her to sleep for two days.

Are you all right?

Yeah, Im fine now.

It wouldnt originally take two days of sleep to recover her depleted mana, but it seemed to have somehow recovered due to the increase in her angel rank.

Dahlia, what about the others?

She was not only worried about Jude.

There were a lot of people she was worried about too.

To the extent that she didnt know who she should ask about first.

At Cordelias somewhat awkward question, Dahlia replied with a smile.

Ill tell you about the royal family first.

Okay.

They were the most important people in this fight.

His Majesty The King and the three queens are all safe. Crown Princess Daphne, Prince Dion, and Princess Darianne are also safe.

Cordelia breathed in relief at Dahlias statement.

In fact, she wanted to slightly question if Crown Princess Daphne was really fine since her right hand was cut off, but it wasnt life-threatening anyway, so it was good news to her.

Shes royalty, so she can have it reattached with healing magic.

Her severed hand was surely at the scene.

What about

father

? I mean,

my father

.

Instead of immediately answering Cordelias question, Dahlia laughed Ufufu before she furtively smiled and teased her.

Miss,

your

father

? Or

his father

?

F-father is father, whyyy?

Dahlia giggled as Cordelia responded with a slight blush on her face.

T/N: The father part here is a wordplay in the formal and informal ways of calling your dad in Korean. Abeoji is the informal/casual way of calling your own dad. Abeonim is the formal way of calling your own dad, but it is also used to refer to a friend or someone elses dad.

So when Cordelia asked, what about father?, she used the formal abeonim but corrected it later to the informal abeoji, which is my father because she was only referring to her own father. But Dahlia teasingly asked Cordelia if she was referring to Judes dad (because abeonim could be used to refer to someone elses dad or your father-in-law) or her own father (Count Chase). Dahlia used both abeonim in her question of your father or his father.

Dahlia was subtly teasing Cordelia if she was only interested in Judes father because of Jude, even though Dahlia knew that Cordelia was only referring to her own father. Cordelia replied that she was only interested in her own father, but that blush on her face hinted that she understood what Dahlia was teasing her about.

Miss.

Why?

Can I pinch your cheek? Youre so cute that I want to pinch it.

No.

Why? Because it belongs to Lord Jude?

Yes- NO! Why are you mentioning Jude!

You asked about his father, right? And you unconsciously answered yes, right?

No, I did not, okay? My cheeks are mine, okay? It doesnt belong to Jude, okay?

Then, can I pinch it?

No! Why arent you listening to me!

As Cordelia became annoyed, Dahlia chuckled again.

Miss is so cute.

Dahlia is not cute at all.

Really? Is that really true?

Ueueue Why are you doing this to me? Why?

Cordelia asked if she was crying, Dahlia replied with a smile.

Because I like miss so much. Plus, youre so cute. Its not my fault but my ladys fault for being cute, okay? Who said that you can be so cute?

Dahlia has become weird.

Whats wrong with you today?

When Cordelia was at a loss on what to do, Dahlia giggled for the last time before she corrected her expression.

Anyway, this is enough lets go back to the main point. Does miss like me too?

I hate Dahlia.

I like my lady.

She had been really worried for the past two days.

So she was really happy to see Cordelia open her eyes.

Dahlia continued as she stroked Cordelias hands.

Both Count Bayer and Count Chase are safe. They both did very well in this incident.

Count Bayer defeated First Sword, one of the traitors, and Count Chase saved everyone in the grand banquet hall.

A catastrophe would have occurred if neither of the two were there.

Haa Thats a relief.

Because her father-in-law was safe.

She was honestly worried since First Sword was his opponent.

Because Count Bayer is strong. It seems like he wasnt overwhelmed at all by First Sword that traitor, Ill rip him into shreds.

Dahlias voice was mixed with various emotions.

When she talked about Count Bayer, she was proud of him as if he had already become a family member of theirs, and when she talked about First Sword, she revealed her blatant hatred for him.

I guess they all know now.

Two days had already passed.

Everyone must have already exchanged information to figure out the full situation.

But its kind of shocking.

She had never thought that First Sword was a traitor.

I never even imagined it.

He had always been kind to Jude and Cordelia.

Above all, there was no story of a traitor in the game.

But that did not mean there was no traitor.

First Sword only existed in the background setting, so there were still a lot of things they didnt know about.

Hmm If I think about it, he might have faked his death and was not actually killed by one of the 7 major calamities.

And after that, he might have changed his name to his demonic human name like the other Ten Great Swordmasters who were traitors too.

Haaaa.

Either way, it was something unpleasant.

Furthermore, when she heard the story from Dahlia, it seemed like First Sword had escaped.

What about unnie? What about brother-in-law Gal?

Instead of answering Cordelia question right away, Dahlia shrank her lips and spoke in a cautious tone.

First of all Adelia-nim is safe. She was really exhausted, but she wasnt that hurt.

Cordelia was relieved to hear that Adelia was safe, but she did not breathe in relief for now.

Because she felt like there was something wrong with Gal with the way Dahlia talked.

As for Lord Gal his life is not in danger.

Life?

Yes, he was a bit he was hurt a lot. He had a lot of injuries all over his body, and he lost his left arm.

Cordelia blinked her eyes.

Because she could not understand.

Le-left arm?

Yes, its impossible to regenerate it so I think hell have to wear a prosthetic arm.

His situation was different from Princess Daphne who was able to secure her severed hand and immediately reattach it.

To begin with, the severed arm was discovered too late, and the damaged part itself was so large that reattaching it was impossible.

W-wait a second. Wait. Unnie and brother-in-law were outside the royal palace. How would they get hurt in the first place

That was it.

Because she realized it while she was talking.

The capital. The royal capital was also attacked.

At Cordelias words, Dahlia nodded with a troubled expression and spoke again.

She told Cordelia about the royal capital that had suffered more damage than the royal palace.

No way.

She thought that they had stopped the terror plans of the Black Moon, but she didnt expect that there would be a bigger incident.

Were we wrong?

Should we have just let the Black Moon commit terror?

If that happened, the Devils Hand wouldnt have directly attacked the royal capital, right?

She was confused.

She couldnt come up with an answer at that moment.

There was a lot of damage, but we were able to overcome it. In particular Velkian, one of the five heroes of the Paragon Kingdom, played a huge role in that.

Cordelias eyes widened at Dahlias words.

Because an unexpected name came up.

Ve-Velkian? Necromancer Velkian?

Yes, Velkian-nim.

Woah.

Just as the Devils Hand attacking directly was unexpected, Velkians assistance was unexpected too.

She didnt expect that the letter they left in the Temple of Life would help them in this way.

W-wait a minute. Is he trying to find Pink Bomb then?

There was only one reason for Velkian to come to the royal capital in the first place.

Ughmy head hurts. Still, it was worth it for us to run wild this time.

They did a lot of things to prevent the genocide of the royal family.

Among those were some that were rather harmful, such as the betrayal of First Sword and the direct attack of the Devils Hand, but there were some helpful ones too, such as Velkian and the Rogue Master.

In the end we just have to do our best.

They didnt know if the results of their efforts would be good.

They were just trying to do everything to get the best results.

Haa we have a lot of work to do.

The fight was over, but there were so many things to do, such as the cleanup and so on.

We have to meet Velkian and check on Scarlet too

Come to think of it, is Lucas okay? It seems that it wasnt that bad in the grand banquet hall, so hes probably fine, right?

Miss.

Yes?

Cordelia was in the midst of her thoughts, so she raised her head and responded when Dahlia called her and smiled.

Would you like to see Lord Jude?

Jude?

Yes, hes still asleep, but I think youll be very relieved if you see that hes all right.

At Dahlias words, Cordelia nodded without realizing it.

Yes, I want to see him.

Her answer also came out unconsciously.

And in response, Dahlia grinned and stood up. There was quite a lot she wanted to say to tease Cordelia, but she put Cordelias wish first for now.

Let us go, Miss. Its not that far because its right next door.

She helped Cordelia stand up before taking out a large shawl and placing it on Cordelias shoulders.

Well, will this be all right?

Yes, frankly, its not a situation where you need to get dressed properly.

Cordelia slightly pulled the shawl around her shoulders, and left the room while being supported by Dahlia.

Judging from the decor and structure of the hallway, it seemed like they were in the main palace and not a different palace.

This way please.

Count Bayers knight who was guarding the door opened it right away, and Cordelia entered the room, pressing on her slightly pounding heart.

My lady.

Maja.

It was Maja whose face had become thin from her excessive worry for the past two days.

But she smiled as if she was very relieved to see that Cordelia was fine, and she immediately pointed towards Jude.

The young master is all right. He has yet to wake up, but they said that his life was not in danger.

There was an awkwardness in the way she talked, which was unlike the usual Maja who spoke perfectly, but Cordelia didnt mind it. Without realizing it, she took a step closer to Jude.

You idiot.

When she saw his face, a curse came to her mind first.

She couldnt help it.

She was angry.

At the same time, she was very relieved.

Haa

Cordelia let out a long breath and plopped down on the side of the bed to look down at Jude.

His pale face didnt look good, but when she saw that his breathing was even, she thought that his life was not in danger.

The count said that he used too much energy, so he is like that now. The count said that he would get up soon since there are no problems with his life.

Cordelia nodded at Majas explanation.

She was at the scene herself, so she knew better than anyone on what happened to Jude and why he wasnt waking up.

Sixth door

He didnt lie down like this simply because of overdoing it.

It was the consequence of forcibly opening the door, so he was unable to wake up.

Stupid idiot.

You always boasted about your physical strength.

You always bragged about your Cheonmujiche.

Cordelia felt her vision blur again. Without realizing it, tears flowed down along her cheeks.

Its because of me.

Cordelia herself was the one who came up with the idea of opening the sixth door.

Cordelia herself was the one who pushed Jude into doing it.

I-its all right, Miss. He will wake up soon.

Yes, my lady. Count Bayer said the same.

As Cordelia shed tears, Dahlia and Maja were flustered and quickly spoke.

Instead of answering, Cordelia bit her lips and sniffled, but she soon nodded her head.

Because it naturally occurred to her what Jude would say if he was awake now and what she would also say to him.

My lady, arent you hungry?

Yes, Miss. You woke up after two days.

Maja and Dahlia spoke again when the still sniffling Cordelia looked a bit calm now.

And Cordelia realized it.

The fact that she was really hungry.

Perhaps because she had realized it, she felt so hungry now that her stomach was growling.

Please come this way. Since you woke up after two days, I will prepare something soft to eat.

Maja smiled and spoke, leading Cordelia to a table before leaving the room, and she soon returned with a few dishes on the tray.

Soup, bread, and water mixed with fruit juice.

It was a very simple meal compared to the ones she normally ate, but she was drooling because she had an empty stomach.

Please eat.

Thank you for the meal.

Cordelia immediately said and lifted her spoon before she looked back at Jude.

Because she was worried about Jude who had not yet eaten.

Wake up quickly, okay?

Lets go eat something delicious together.

After muttering a slightly childish wish, Cordelia focused on eating again.

And a few minutes.

Around the time when Cordelia emptied the soup and swallowed the juice with a gulp.

Cordelia, so you were here.

A handsome man appeared after the door opened.

He had a face that resembled Count Chase and Adelia.

And Cordelia realized.

That she had completely forgotten about the man in front of her.

Ah.

Ah?

Edward Chase.

The eldest son of Count Chase and the older brother of Cordelia herself.

He was also at the grand banquet hall and attended the ball, but she somehow forgot about him.

Why does it look like youre feeling very sorry about something?

N-no, Im not. Oppa is also fine. Yes, yes. Im glad. Oppa is also safe.

As Cordelia quickly laughed ehehe and said, Edward narrowed his eyes in suspicion but fortunately, it was only for a moment.

He sat in front of Cordelia who unconsciously began to sweat coldly, and he glanced at Jude once before looking at Cordelia again and saying.

First of all, let me say this an older brother who share Count Chases blood like you. Im really glad that you woke up fine. I was very worried.

Yes, thank you, oppa.

Im really, really sorry for forgetting about you.

Edward narrowed his eyes again when Cordelia awkwardly smiled, but this time, it wasnt that long.

Next as a noble of the Slen Kingdom, I would like to express my gratitude. You and Jude saved this country. You really contributed well in this fight.

Having said that, Edward bowed his head.

O-oppa?

Im very proud that youre my younger sister.

At Edwards words, Cordelia blushed in shyness and joy instead of embarrassment.

Because she felt a great sense of satisfaction deep in her heart.

We did well this time, just like we did in the wild lands.

We did a good job for everyone again this time.

Ehehe.

As Cordelia shyly laughed, Edward smiled as he found it to be very cute, and he spoke again.

Then let me get straight to the point. Cordelia, I have good news and good news. Which one would you like to hear first?

Huh?

Good news and good news. You want me to choose from one of those two?

Cordelia blinked her eyes and asked, and Edward said again.

There are good news and good news. Ill leave it to you on which one you would like to hear first.

What kind of nonsense is this?

Come to think of it, Edward was originally a person like this.

Uh Then I want to hear the good news first.

Good, thats an excellent choice.

Oookay.

I dont know in what exactly I chose, but anyway, good news is good news.

When Cordelia faintly smiled, Edward got to the point instead of dragging it on.

Gals condition is rapidly improving. Perhaps he will open his eyes tonight or tomorrow morning at the latest.

Really?!

Yes, really. So dont worry about it too much. Ill make him a very cool prosthetic, of course.

If Adelia was a combat-type wizard, Edward was a research-type wizard who specialized in crafting magic tools.

It was reliable if the prosthetic arm was made by Edward and not anybody else.

Haa thats a relief.

Yes, its a relief.

Edward happily smiled and waited for a while. So that Cordelia could pay her full attention to the second good news.

Are you ready to listen now?

Eh? Yes. I want to hear it.

The second good news.

As Cordelia brightly smiled and looked excited, Edward suddenly stood up and courteously greeted her.

Edward Chase from the Chase family greets Viscountess Chase.

Huh?

Cordelia blinked her eyes with a blank face, and she soon stood up from her seat.

Viscountess Chase?

Yes, Viscountess Chase. Because you made a huge contribution. Wouldnt it be natural for you to raise in rank?

He was right.

They made a really, really big contribution, so they deserved to have their titles raised.

Wow, viscountess.

Viscountess Chase.

Not Baroness Chase but viscountess.

Hehehe.

Cordelia chuckled with a happy face, and Edward giggled before he slightly raised Cordelias hand and touched his lips on the back of her hand.

Countess Chase, Crown Princess Daphne has already given her word that she will be holding the merit ceremony herself.

Is that true?

Yes, indeed.

When Edward spoke in a theatrical manner, Cordelia responded as if they were in a play.

And a few seconds.

Cordelias eyes widened and she asked.

W-wait a second. Countess Chase?

Yes, countess. After being promoted from baroness to viscountess, youll be promoted to countess again.

Because they had all saved the lives of the king, queens, and their children.

It was not an exaggeration to say that they were literally heroes who saved the country, so it was natural for them to be promoted to the count rank.

Wow, countess. What about Jude?

Yes, he is Count Bayer.

Countess Chase and Count Bayer.

A couple who were both counts.

My goodness.

Cordelia sat down again and giggled with a face as if she didnt know if this was a dream or reality, and Edward lightly pinched Cordelias cheek then. He was a bit surprised at its softness that Scarlet also liked, and he said.

By the way, Countess Chase.

Yes, Lord Edward Chase.

I have better news.

Huh?

You have news better than this?

Cordelia widened her eyes in surprise, and Edward smiled like a mischievous kid and drew his face closer.

He whispered in a small voice to Cordelias ear just like how Jude did.

The third good news.

Surprise and joy spread on Cordelias face at the same time.