I leapt to my feet. The crown prince, surprised, followed suit.
All eyes turned to us, emerging from behind the rock.
Three more men, brandishing swords, stood before the figure who I assumed to be Bike.
“What’re you guys… doing here?”
“Oh dear? This is a private conversation, it appears! Apologies! We’ve intruded!”
Bike waved at us with a broad smile.
As expected, geniuses are eccentric, but he was even more so than I thought.
Even the crown prince’s expression soured at his words.
“Heh… well, I’m in a bit of a pickle. Is this big guy here gonna help me out…?”
He nudged the crown prince, who didn’t even respond with a look.
The crown prince sighed and glanced at me.
“If I help him, what’s in it for me?”
“What do you want?”
“Well, don’t you want to help this guy out?”
“…what do you want in return?”
After a moment of silence, he turned around. When he turned back around, he had produced a wooden stick.
“We’ll chat later.”
“What?”
“Just remember, you owe me today.”
He strode toward the men, ignoring any response I would’ve given.
The three men eyed the crown prince warily.
But they wielded swords. Though, they knew that if they unsheathed them, they’d pose a threat.
Yet, the crown prince, former head of the Imperial Knights, could handle any blade they swung.
‘But why… Why do I feel like he’s being pushed back?’
“This might be a tough one. Those swords have a spell on them. They can track your moves and learn your patterns.”
“What?”
“I’ve dodged those blades… they must’ve splurged on some fancy swords this time.”
Before I knew it, Bike, standing right next to me, spoke up.
He lounged, as if he were watching the crown prince’s fight on TV.
“…you accepted our help knowing that?”
“It’ll be tough, but he’ll live. Not easy for someone like him to kick the bucket.”
“You’re quite the character.”
“What?”
The oblivious Bike scratched his head.
Indeed, the crown prince was slowly losing ground in the skirmish.
Their swords, anticipating his moves, struck and parried first.
Not just one sword, but three. Armed with just a branch, of course he was at a disadvantage.
“Hey! What’re you doing?”
“I’m helping you.”
“Just stay put. That’s the best help.”
“No, I can’t do that.”
I scooped up a jagged rock lying at my feet.
“What if your girl gets hurt?”
“Not gonna happen.”
With all my might, I hurled the rock. It sailed through the air, striking one of the men squarely on the head, sending him crashing to the ground.
“Your aim’s as sharp as ever.”
I had honed my skills in my youth. Archery was my sport, but during breaks, I’d throw stones around—anything from pebbles to bits of glass or plastic bottles.
And I always won.
“Hey! Find me some more rocks!”
My call spurred Bike into action. He scanned the ground and handed me a hefty stone.
Once more, I took aim, targeting the broad expanse of another one of the men’s back.
“Take this!”
I let loose the stone with all my strength. Another direct hit.
Two assailants down, leaving just one for the crown prince to handle. He trembled, darting his gaze between the crown prince and me.
“Uh…. Ugh!”
Abandoning his sword, he bolted.
The crown prince emerged, weariness etched on his face. He approached me, ignoring Bike.
“How do you throw so well? Did you practice?”
“It’s just intuition.”
I spoke proudly, wiping a drop of sweat off my forehead, locking eyes with him.
“You must’ve practiced.”
“Let’s just say my grandmother taught me well.”
He fell silent, discarding his stick.
Once the coast was clear, Bike dashed over to us.
“That was incredible!”
“…let’s go.”
Without a word, the crown prince resumed the hike, with me trailing behind.
While Bike tagged along behind me.
The crown prince glanced at him, assessing his presence.
“You’re going somewhere else, right?”
“That was amazing… truly!”
“You can go now…”
“How can you be so rude?”
Bike cut me off, but ran ahead so he could stand before me.
With wide eyes, he looked at me. He became a bit bashful, though, taking a step back.
“That was so cool! Teach me how you did that! How did you hit them?”
“It’s just a matter of calculating the distance between you and them… But why are you asking?”
“Because you’re so cool!”
“You’re serious?”
Bike shook his head vigorously.
“Your throwing was as deadly as their swords! You should need a spell on those rocks to do what you did. That kind of damage isn’t easy to come by. Yet, all you did was throw a rock!”
“No, that was just a fluke.”
“Ha…! You’re so modest. Impressive! Teach me to fight like that! Huh?”
Something was amiss once more.
“Teach me to fight, and I’ll make you anything you want.”
“Anything I want?”
“Yeah. What do you want? I’m a genius. I can engineer anything.”
He beamed. Though, he should’ve said this to the crown prince.
I glanced at the crown prince.
He sighed and asked:
“Then… Well, can you craft us weapons capable of fighting on their own?”
“Of course! You can’t outmatch a spell-bound sword!”
The crown prince’s expression turned grave at Bike’s words.
“You can craft weapons…”
“Yeah. I used to make weapons for them. But they no longer pay me. They wanted me to churn out weapons in bulk.”
“To produce weapons in bulk?”
“Yeah. It’s absurd. They were talking up a war? That’s why I fled, taking my secret recipes and materials and whatnot.”
As he spun his tale, the crown prince nodded thoughtfully.
“I see…”
“I’ll make whatever you want! Just ask. Anything! In return, teach me to fight! Hmm…. And maybe give me a little room! And board! I’ve got nowhere else to go!”
Bike seized my hand, not the crown prince’s, pleading. For a moment, the crown prince’s expression hardened.
I simply shook my head and sighed.
Why do things always go awry when I just try to do the right thing?
* * *
“…so…you’re saying he should stay here with me, too…?”
Seated on the sofa, I nodded at David.
David stared at the cheery Bike in disbelief.
“This engineer… Why should he work for us?”
“Well…. I think he could be useful.”
“In what way? Can he bake as well as Irene?”
“Oh! Your name’s Irene! Thank you, Miss Irene!”
Bike had been addressing me only, and only speaking when David’s back was turned.
‘How do I fix this?’
He’d asked me to teach him to fight by throwing stones, instead of asking the crown prince, who was genuinely a remarkable swordsman, nothing short of remarkable.
“Would he truly be helpful? No, Irene… We don’t have any more spare rooms…!”
“There’s a shed outside. I can use that!”
“You’ll use it? You impudent boy! And since when do children speak so out of turn?”
“I want to use it! I can even renovate it for your needs! A spacious shed is perfect for crafting.”
Bike responded to David in a tone that was enthusiastic, though neither casual nor overly formal.
David didn’t take kindly to the frail-looking inventor.
With gleaming golden eyes and tousled yellow hair, he towered over me, though his physique was quite slender.
To others, he might seem younger than Rosie.
“Miss! Miss, you bake?”
“Yes.”
“If you’re baking… then you must knead, too. Then shall I make you a kneading machine?”
“A kneading machine?”
He had intrigued me.
In truth, the process of baking was sluggish without any machinery at hand.
Maybe an oven… or, maybe he could fashion baking pans for me?
If they could be mass-produced, then they could also be sold affordably.
Then I could start a franchise… If only I could secure that royalty…!
I looked at Bike and vigorously nodded my head up and down.
“Yes! Please make me a stand mixer!”
“Okay! Whatever you command, Miss!”
“Do you know what a mixer is?”
“Well, no. But enlighten me! I’m a genius, as I’ve mentioned, so I can grasp anything instantly!”
“Well…. A mixer is like…”
I explained the shape and function of the stand mixer I’d used in Seoul to Bike.
He pulled out a pen and notebook, sketching out a plausible design.
“Two days should suffice for this. Trust me!”
“Wow. Impressive.”
“But, Miss, I’m famished. I need a full belly to think.”
“Yes. I’ll provide you with a hearty meal.”
With a sudden wave of maternal energy coursing through my veins, I ruffled Bike’s hair.
The crown prince shook his head at my sudden change, and David looked perplexed next to him.
“Of course, anything to rake in profit.”
“Irene… Are you saying that you’ve brought home a money-making opportunity, not a person?”
I walked into the kitchen, their voices fading behind me.
*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･:.｡..｡.:･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*
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