NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 118:
Otto waited patiently until Head Maid Olive had finished feeding Quran.
“There, good boy. Ah.”
“Ah.”
Olive finished serving him his porridge and slipped him a piece of Alsatian candy,¹ then looked back at Otto.
“You’re back.”
“Ah, yes.”
“You looked like you’ve been in a lot of mischief, and it looks like you’ve gotten stronger.”
Olive, a member of a northern barbarian tribe, was an enormous woman, so her size and muscle were quite imposing.
*Flinch!*
Otto didn’t dare to meet her piercing gaze and quickly avoided looking at her directly.
Olive’s eyes were like the beady eyes of a warrior described in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and it was a struggle for him to even look at them.
“Uh, what’s the old man’s condition?”
“Neither good nor bad.”
“Really?”
“He’s gotten a little out of it, but he’s still lucid for about two or three hours a day.”
‘Um, isn’t that a bit severe?’
However, Otto didn’t dare say it out loud, as there were no need to scold him.
“It’s bad enough that he sometimes argues that he’s not a Dragon.”
“Haha… hahaha….”
“Anyway, if you’re here to see the Elder, I’ll excuse myself, I’ve already fed him anyway.”
With that, Olive strode away, her footsteps loud and heavy.
“She’s physically like a man, but she’s very detailed and meticulous in her work. It’s not for nothing that she’s the Head Maid of the Arad Empire. After all, one’s outward appearance is not necessarily a reflection of one’s abilities.
Of course, there’s a saying, “Physiognomy is a Science.”
“Are you feeling well, old man? It’s me.”
“Uhh?”
“…….”
“Nuh-uh! I’m hungry! I’m hungry! Give me food! Why aren’t you giving me food!”
‘You just ate a little while ago….’
‘Don’t say you’re hungry with a piece of candy in your mouth….’
Otto was disoriented when Quran started acting up, but he still managed to mollify him.
“Old man, you just had a meal, and you’re chewing on a candy in your mouth.”
“Eh?”
“Look here. Your stomach is so round.”
Otto was very skillful in dealing with Quran.
His grandmother had suffered from dementia in the past, so he was no stranger to dealing with dementia patients.
After a couple of hours of this, Quran stopped fussing.
“Hmm? You’re Otto, aren’t you? What are you doing here?”
Quran woke up.
“Yes, old man. I just wanted to say hello and ask you some questions.”
“Hehehe, you peculiar kid!”
“How are you doing these days?”
“I’m not sure if it’s good or bad because my mind is constantly wandering. Mm-hmm.”
“I’m glad you were able to settle back down, though. I hope you didn’t have anything major, because it’s worse if you’re physically hurting.”
“Look at you, Hahaha!”
Quran was rather happy when Otto worried about him.
In a way, he was like a child to Quran, who had dementia and no one to take care of him.
“By the way, what do you want to ask me? I’ll answer anything.”
“Yes, old man. It’s just that… according to the ancient texts of humans, Dragons are a wise and great race, and capable of penetrating the essence of the soul… is that true?”
“You mean Dragon’s Eye?”
“Yes. That.”
“Of course. We dragons can see the essence of the soul with great accuracy.”
“Then… Do you think you can have a look at me?”
Otto mused as he uttered the words.
‘It’s probably a request for some sort of contemplation.’
The scene came to his mind of an elderly man, always interested in things like the four cardinal directions and the principal stars, saying, “Let me see…” and adjusting his glasses.
“That shouldn’t be too hard. Okay, let me have a look.”
Quran’s eyes lit up and he stared at Otto’s face.
“Huh?”
For a moment, Otto felt as if he was being scrutinized.
How could he describe it?
It was like having one’s soul pierced by a spear.
It was a very strange feeling.
“Hmm.”
Quran frowned slightly, then spoke up.
“You’re….'”
“Huh?”
“You weren’t from this world, were you?”
At that moment.
“……!”
Otto was so stunned that he couldn’t even make a sound.
The ancient texts that said dragons could see through the essence of souls were real!
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“Stop, stop, STOP! Who are you! If you move, we will attack!”
“This is the front of the Royal Palace! This is not a place for just anyone to come in!”
Meanwhile, the guards at the entrance to the palace barred the approach of a beggarly-looking man.
“This is the Royal Palace, where the King resides. So go back.”
The Knights scolded the beggar.
The man was so ragged from head to toe that the knight assumed he was a wandering vagabond who had taken a wrong turn and ended up in front of the palace.
But these guards and knights were very wrong.
“I am Qasim, Chief of the Air Force.”
“Huh?”
“It’s Qasim, Chief of the Air Force, and I want you to move aside now, huh?”
“Well, are you sure about that?”
“Can’t you see this?”
*Rustle!*
Qasim shrugged off his completely tattered outer garment to reveal the insignia of rank pinned to his inner garment.
“Huh? Sa.. Salute! Clear the line up!”
“I have to go report back to duty to His Majesty, so get out of my way, you bastards! You don’t even recognize the Chief of the Air Force, eh? Even though I look like this, my rank is Brigadier General!”
“Im… I’m sorry!”
The knight who finally managed to identify Qasim straightened up and spoke in a military voice.
‘How can I recognize you when you’re dressed like that? This is a complete absurdity!’
The knight was indignant, but he couldn’t say anything.
Why would someone of his rank be a ruffian?
It’s true that he didn’t recognize him in the first place, so he’ll just have to accept the consequences if Qasim starts bullying him…
“Damn it, I’m supposed to be the Chief of the Air Force, and I’m being treated like this, what a bastard!”
With that, Qasim grumbled, and strode past the entrance to the palace to his personal office.
Now that he was back, he would have to report to Otto.
He wouldn’t dare meet the king in this disheveled appearance.
His first priority was to wash up, get a haircut, and shave, as well as change into his proper uniform.
While he was heading to the executive office.
“Wait, where the hell have you been?”
One of the magic swordsmen from the Kuntachi family who had participated in the last operation recognized Qasim and asked him.
“What happened to you, and what’s up with your face?”
“What?”
“No, you were pulled out of the operation due to an on-site variable, and since you haven’t been seen for a while, everyone thought the King had assigned you a secret mission.”
The reason the magic swordsman thought so was simple.
After being taken to the mines and completely removed from the operation, Qasim had only to return to the Kingdom of Lota in the subsequent days.
It was natural for the magic swordsman to be curious about his appearance at this point, more than ten days after the Imperial Mausoleum operation had been completed.
It was also quite sensible to assume that Otto had given him a special mission, as there was no way a magic swordsman from the Kuntachi clan and the Chief of the Air Force of the Kingdom of Lota would have defected.
“…Don’t ask.”
Qasim felt a pang of sadness at the realization that no one was worried about him, but he couldn’t show it.
After all, he knew he’d only make himself look like a weirdo if he acted like he was upset about something they didn’t know about.
*Sniff!*
Qasim wiped the moisture from his eyes and made his way back to his office.
He had come back from the brink of death so many times, but no one had ever seemed to notice….
‘I should go to a famous fortune teller and get a reading. I mean, is this my fate?’
Qasim walked away, lamenting his unfortunate fate.
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It was exhilarating!
His heart leapt.
For the very first time.
A being that realized that Otto wasn’t actually from this world, but from another.
Maybe the secret that brought him to this world.
And whether this world was real or if it really was just a game.
It was like being presented with the answer to a question he’d never been able to ask anyone.
“I am….”
Otto asked Quran in a shaky voice.
“You mean I’m not from this world?”
“I see it now, huh? On closer inspection, yes. Your soul, essentially from a different world, has been possessed by a body from this world.”
“Ha!”
“Somehow, from the moment I first saw you, I sensed that you were foreign, so there’s a reason for that.”
But Quran didn’t seem surprised.
Otto thought that was odd, so he asked him again.
“Doesn’t that surprise you?”
“What do you mean?”
“That I’m not a native of this world, but someone who’s been transported from another world?”
“I know it’s not common, but it can happen, so I didn’t think much of it?”
“What?”
“Otto.”
Quran smiled and spoke to Otto as if he were tutoring his young grandchild.
“Do you think your world is the only inhabited place in this vast universe?”
“That’s….”
“In this universe.”
From Quran’s mouth flowed a secret known only to dragons.
“There are more planets than you can count, and on each of those countless planets there are many different kinds of life.”
“I see.”
“Among them would be this planet where we are now meeting, bonding, and talking, and the planet from which you came.”
“Ah…!”
“Think about it.”
Quran turned to Otto with a question.
“Otto, how long do you think it would take for you to get to this planet from the planet you came from?”
“Well, I don’t know, it’s not like we have an address in space, and besides, it’s pretty far away, isn’t it? Even traveling at the speed of light, it might take hundreds of millions of years?”
“Right?”
Quran smiled at that.
“So, would it be easier for you to travel all the way there, or just your soul?”
“That’s… huh?”
“The body is a precious vessel that allows us to live our lives as living beings. However, the body limits us. The shackles of the living. It binds us to the laws of life and death.”
“I’m not sure I quite understand, but I think I do.”
“The soul is much freer than the body to travel from planet to planet, world to world. Because the universe is so vast, you’d have to travel an awful lot of distance to get from one world to another physically.”
“I see.”
“That’s why it’s so rare for a being to travel to another planet. It’s just not physically possible. But it’s not uncommon for souls to move, although it’s rare.”
To be honest, Otto didn’t entirely grasp what the Quran was saying.
The universe, traveling between planets, time, souls, etc…..
These concepts are so advanced and abstract that it was impossible for the human mind to comprehend what he was saying.
So Otto decided to put aside his other questions and ask one first.
“So… is this world real, and not just in a game?”
“A game? In what way?”
“I mean….”
Otto told Quran the story about Earth and about the game.
“Hmmm, I see.”
Quran nodded as if understanding.
“I see what you’re saying. It must have been very confusing for you, I understand.”
“Are you saying this is the real world and not a game world?”
“Of course….”
Quran replied, smiling at Otto.
“Baby, why are you whining again?”
“……?”
“Is it because you’re craving that minotaur you ate last time, and you want your brother to get you another one?”
Otto silently covered his face with his palms.
** ** **
TL/N:
1. Alsatian or Alsace is a part of France. Its borders have not always been clear. The region has been passed between French and German control several times since 1681, when Strasbourg was conquered by French forces. As a result, Alsatian culture is a unique mix of French and German influences.
At least you now know why some names are from French and why those like Elise and his Grandfather have Von in their names.
[Updated: 12/12/2023 – Typo Kuran changed to Quran, and some other stuffs]