## Chapter 1305 – 1305. The Plum Blossom Swordsman Reincarnated Into The Baek Family
I walk through the secret passage.
It’s not very pleasant. It’s dark and damp. What I dislike most are the bugs. Spiders, cockroaches, centipedes, and more are visible everywhere.
*Crack!*
A bolt of lightning flashed. A poisonous spider that was rushing at me was electrocuted and burned to death.
*Crack! Crack!*
Besides that, bugs died every time they approached me.
Thunder Heaven Style (雷天流) Electromagnetic Barrier (電磁氣幕).
An invisible electromagnetic barrier was protecting me. The electromagnetic barrier is disappointing in terms of durability, but it’s perfect for electrocuting and killing bugs that rush toward the light, like now. Right now, I’m a walking electric fly swatter. Well, the output is incomparably higher than that of an electric fly swatter.
“There’s filth everywhere. Does the Argen Duchy not manage their secret passages at all?”
“Only the direct line of the Argen Duchy knows about the existence of the secret passage. Do you think the direct line would do something like cleaning the secret passage?”
“Even so, there are too many bugs.”
*Crack! Crack! Crackcrackcrack! Crack!*
The bugs rushing toward the flashlight were so loud that my ears were ringing.
“Isn’t this level bearable? Hmm. I’m glad I came with Master.”
“If I weren’t here, you would have used magic. I heard from Yuria. You reached the Master level recently, right? In both swordsmanship and magic.”
“Hmm. Madam is too loose-lipped about Master. Thanks to that, my plan to surprise Master has gone down the drain.”
“I was surprised enough when I heard it. It’s not easy to master both paths, is it?”
“I received Madam’s help. If it weren’t for her teachings, it probably would have taken me decades. And Master’s help was also significant. I felt myself getting stronger and stronger after eating the elixirs Master gave me. You were giving them out to the maids and the Golden Rose Knights… How many elixirs do you have?”
“That’s a secret.”
Most of them are elixirs I brought from the [Ascension to Light] world. In that world, you can obtain elixirs over time. When brought to reality, their effects are less than half, but in the [Baekhwan] world, they show decent efficiency.
“I’m bored, tell me about the Argen Duchy.”
“Hmm. There’s nothing particularly interesting about the Argen Duchy.”
“Like about your family. You have a younger brother, right? What’s he like?”
“You mean Berdo. Well… I don’t know. We weren’t that close to begin with.”
Melisa has a much younger brother. Originally, she had been thoroughly educated as the successor of the Argen Duchy, but she was stripped of her position as successor when her younger brother was born. Simply because she was a woman.
It was a common occurrence in this world.
If it were another noble family, a woman might have been able to maintain her position as successor, but the Argen Duchy is a family that values old-fashioned traditions.
“After Berdo was born, I became a second-class citizen. I lost all the privileges I had enjoyed as the successor. From the retainers to the servants, their attitudes changed in an instant. My successor education ended immediately.”
“Isn’t that a good thing? You didn’t have to do the annoying education.”
“It is now. Back then… the sudden change in environment was a huge shock. The Argen Duchy. I had been working my whole life solely for that goal. But when that goal disappeared, I became useless. All that was left was to marry into the royal family.”
“Do you resent your younger brother?”
“I think I did back then. But not now. I feel sorry for him instead. He’s probably spending most of his days studying for the position of successor. Training in both swordsmanship and magic, learning management and history that make your head ache just by reading them… Hmm. The most annoying thing was etiquette.”
“Etiquette?”
“The Cobalt Kingdom basically considers asceticism a virtue. It’s natural to maintain chastity, and you shouldn’t eat too much food. Asceticism from the smallest things… that is, they force etiquette.”
“If you’re saying that, how bad is it?”
“Hmm. Let’s take dining etiquette as an example. In the Cobalt Kingdom, when a meal starts, you must first take a sip of water. It’s etiquette to cleanse your mouth with water as a sign of respect for the food… or something like that. And you must always hold your fork with your right hand. There are no exceptions for left-handed people. And you can’t open your mouth until you’ve tasted three dishes. You shouldn’t eat too quickly, and you shouldn’t make noise while eating. And in the middle…”
“Stop, stop. I know how shitty the Cobalt Kingdom’s etiquette is, so stop.”
Just listening to it makes my head ache.
“It’s the etiquette of the Cobalt Kingdom, but you don’t actually have to follow it all. Most high-ranking nobles don’t follow every detail. It doesn’t affect their lives, so they don’t obsess over it. But the Argen Duchy is an exception. They obsess over even the smallest things.”
“That’s messed up.”
“It was only after I entered the Gold Way Academy that I realized it was strange. Until then, I had always been in the Argen Duchy, so I thought it was natural to follow all the etiquette. Well, after I realized it wasn’t, I intentionally ignored the etiquette.”
“It must have been hard since it would have become a habit by then.”
“It wasn’t hard at all. I threw away the etiquette in a day. Habit? It’s nothing in the face of convenience.”
*Step step.*
She, who had been leading the way through the secret passage, stopped.
She shined her flashlight on the uneven wall.
“……What’s with the sudden stop?”
“There’s a trap ahead. It’s a rather troublesome trap, so I was going to deal with it before moving on… Hmm. I can’t figure out how to deal with it.”
“I don’t feel anything… Is it a physical trap?”
“It’s an artifact. An artifact that manipulates people’s minds. It’s fine when going from the inside to the outside… but it’s a problem when going from the outside to the inside.”
“So it’s a trap to prepare for intruders.”
“And when escaping, you can manipulate the artifact to mess with pursuers.”
“Mess with them? That’s vulgar. Duchess’s daughter.”
“I don’t want to hear that from Master, who thinks about things like a ‘vagina stamp’.”
Melisa stared at the wall. She kept staring. After 10 minutes in that state, beads of sweat formed on Melisa’s face.
After another 5 minutes passed. Melisa spoke with difficulty.
“…I forgot.”
“What?”
“It can’t be helped. It’s been over 15 years since I heard about this secret passage. Humans tend to forget trivial things after such a long time.”
“This isn’t a trivial matter. And Yuria wouldn’t have forgotten, would she?”
“Don’t compare me to Madam. That’s like comparing a candle to the sun.”
I nodded. Certainly, comparing her to Yuria is a bit much. When compared to Yuria, most people are…
“Let’s just smash it and go in. Step back.”
“I told you earlier that you’ll go crazy if you fall into the trap.”
“I’m immune to mental attacks.”
If I were alone, I would have just passed through the trap. Mental attacks are meaningless to me, who has an absolute mind.
Melisa, realizing that I was serious, stepped back and created some distance.
“This wall is the artifact, right?”
“That’s right. If you touch the uneven parts in a specific order, you can disarm the trap… but I don’t remember the order.”
I casually ignored her excuse and approached the wall.
I ran my palm over the uneven wall.
*Wooooooom.*
The wall vibrated and emitted an intangible energy.
*Zzzzzzt.*
The electromagnetic barrier I had deployed because of the bugs blocked the intangible energy.
‘…It’s called intangible energy, but it’s similar to electromagnetic waves? Is it a method of affecting the brain with electromagnetic waves?’
*Wooooooom.*
*Zzzzzzzzt!*
Energy was emitted from the wall again. This time, the electromagnetic barrier also blocked the energy. The output itself seems to be low.
“Melisa. I don’t think we need to destroy it. Let’s go as it is.”
“I think so too.”
We passed the trap.
“It’ll take about 10 minutes to arrive.”
“10 minutes… I don’t trust you because of what happened earlier?”
“I said ‘about’. Wait, don’t time me.”
*Crack. Crack.*
Those damn bugs are still rushing at me and Melisa, meeting their demise.
“Melisa. Do you regret following me?”
“I don’t regret it. It does make me a bit angry when I think about what Master did to me at the academy… but it’s much better than becoming Dulibard’s wife. If I had married Dulibard as I was… I probably would have become a canary trapped in a cage.”
“A canary trapped in a cage… That’s not bad.”
“Don’t think strange things. Anyway, I’m satisfied with my life now. The house is warm, and the food is more delicious than anywhere else. The work I’m doing suits me, and I’ve become close with the maids. I’m living happily.”
Melisa smiled and playfully moved the flashlight.
“And Yuria… no, Madam also said this to me. That Master’s side is hers, but she can give me a concubine position.”
“Yuria said that…”
“I’m satisfied with that position. No matter what, my rival is Madam. I don’t have the confidence to compete and win. And I don’t want to.”
“I didn’t know you loved me that much…”
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I don’t actually like Master that much. I like Master’s dick.”
Melisa said with a serious face. It was hard to tell if she was joking or serious.
“…Well, okay. After I get Yuria pregnant, I’ll get you pregnant too.”
“Impregnated with Master’s baby. That’s not bad.”
The end of the secret passage was visible. A steel door blocked the way.
“Master. I have a request.”
“A request? If it’s a request to kill the Argen Duke… that’s impossible right now.”
“That’s absurd. Why would you think I’d make such a request? I’ve cut ties with the Argen Duchy, but cutting ties doesn’t mean they’re completely severed. I’m still visiting the Argen Duchy like this. I don’t particularly hold a grudge against the Argen Duchy.”
“Then what’s the request?”
“I want to mess with the Argen Duke… my father. I want you to tease me in front of my father.”
“You want me to violate you in front of the Argen Duke?”
“No, I said tease me.”
“I understand what you mean. But will it have an effect? You’ve cut ties with the Argen Duchy. Ah, you said they value etiquette, so it will have an effect.”
Melisa touched her own hair with one hand.
Dark blue hair.
It’s a characteristic of the Argen Duchy.
“I inherited the blood of the Argen Duchy. That’s a truth that no one can deny.”
“…Indeed. Was that why you wore such revealing clothes on purpose? Okay. I understand what you mean. I’ll grant it.”
“Thank you, Master. As a reward, I’ll serve you properly later. Now, shall we go?”
Melisa pulled the handle of the steel door.
