32 - The Bookworm’s Second Life

## Regeneration Life of a Devoted Reader - Chapter 32 > Book Rabbit - Web Novel Archives ### <To the Land of Promises Where Politics and Manipulation Flows> “Lord Sion.” And once again, like a magical girl, Raid disappeared with a swish! I almost wonder if he's going to transform with some strange music soon. After that, Lucia spoke to Sion for the first time. "If it's not too much trouble, could we talk for a moment?" “Well...” Sion stopped himself from answering and instinctively glanced at Lilith. Despite holding the position of Succubus Queen, she was cautious of Lucia. It seemed odd to attribute it to jealousy, given the overwhelmingly advantageous situation for her. Although Lucia merely watched Lilith attentively, she hadn't actively approached Sion, leaving him puzzled as to why Lilith was so wary of her. “Why are you looking at me? It's your decision. Why are you, a man, worried about what a woman thinks?” However, Lilith coolly replied as if she had never given such an uneasy look before. Amidst the curiosity of what this was all about, just when Sion was about to nod and agree— "..." Rishika was glaring at Lucia with an extremely wary gaze. It was like a house cat carefully observing a new feline brought home. “Rish.” “Yes, my lord.” “I'll talk with Lucia for a moment, can you wait?” “...Of course.” Though she said that, the gleam of vigilance was still evident in Rishika's eyes. Sion was genuinely worried she might even follow them. Suppressing that anxiety, he stepped out into the garden within the castle walls with Lucia. Lucia walked silently, while Sion sank into thought again. ‘I've been more focused on Lilith and Rish, barely paying attention to Lucia.’ Under normal circumstances, he would have tried to strengthen his relationship with Lucia right after the war. However, with Rishika's sudden arrival, his attention was diverted for a while. "Are your wounds okay?" Lucia asked, snapping Sion out of his thoughts, eliciting a soft exhale of 'Ah.' “There’s no problem. Thanks to you, Lucia, the enemy's attack was perfectly crushed.” “That doesn’t erase my mistakes. It's been ages since my father got angry.” “...” Sion rubbed his cheek, thinking it was absurd for the old man who used to beat enemies randomly to get angry over a magical mishap. He repeatedly assured Lucia it was really nothing significant. Her mistake was indeed substantial, but a single attack had already shattered the enemy's fierce momentum, more than making up for it. “Is there something you wanted to discuss?” “...Yes, I did have something to say.” Lucia hesitated as if contemplating her words, then took a deep breath before speaking up. “Do you think I'm strange?” “Strange in what way...?” “The way I act towards you, my lord. To you, I’m just the daughter of Raid, the wizard, yet I can't help but wish you'd see me differently.” “...I don't think it’s strange. It’s natural when feelings toward the opposite gender are involved.” “I’ve always been somewhat vulnerable to people like you, my lord. My father always says that I have a soft spot for scrawny men like my mother.” I see now. But if that’s the case, Raid is definitely not a scrawny guy, right? For a wizard, he has an excessive amount of muscle—not to a grotesque level, but certainly not the stereotypical lanky wizard. “Oh, by the way, Dad used to pursue Mom non-stop, 24 hours a day. He says it's his pride, claiming that despite her refusals, he couldn’t live without professing to her about dying from love and the impossibility of loving if dead. So, he pled, ‘Can't we just love each other?’” “...” Sion felt chills hearing that such a crazy old wizard was such a romantic. What had that poor woman done to end up married to him…? “But, well… my mother didn't dislike him. She thought that a man as persistent might be worth trusting her life to, after all.” “...” So it seems couples don't become alike after marriage, but rather, similar people marry each other from the start! Your mother mustn't have been entirely sane either! “In that way, I think I resemble my father.” Yikes, that was scary for a moment. Sion felt a shiver run down his spine without realizing it. What does she mean by resembling her father? Is she good with her fists or something? Is she going to say, 'From now on, you’ll marry me,' while beating me up? “Is there any way this could work out?” “...What?” “I know you don’t have any feelings for me, my lord. In the end, this is all my unrealistic fancy, and perhaps it’ll only lead to an unhappy ending.” Lucia's clasped hands trembled with unease, evidence of the immense courage it took for her to speak these words. “The nature of human emotions is that the one who falls in love is bound to lose. The fault lies with them. Still, there's that hope the other would notice them, even just once.” “Lucia, I...” “I’d just like you to smile at me occasionally, walk together sometimes, and at rare moments, smile just for me. Is that too much to ask?” Unconsciously, Sion swallowed his words. This dialogue Lucia was using was something she would later use when speaking to Kim Yoo-hyeon! The uneasy feeling of snatching someone else's woman settled in, yet it wasn't entirely unpleasant. In fact, he felt a strange sense of exhilaration. Is this what some readers refer to as NTL (Netorare or stealing someone else's partner)? 'Damn, was I always this kind of guy? Could there still be remnants of Sion Clauzen left in me?' Lilith’s advances, or Rish calling him “Master,” didn’t quite stir Sion like this moment did. Of course, his interactions with Lilith were in a league of their own. Sion mused whether this excitement stemmed from something inherently unethical. Even though Kim Yoo-hyeon and Lucia's relationship would only develop much later, Sion, familiar with the novel's narrative, felt as if it had already transpired. “Lucia.” “Yes, my lord?” “This question might be awkward for me to ask.” “Don’t worry, go ahead.” “What exactly do you like about me? I'm struggling to understand.” Lucia paused, contemplating her answer. It wasn’t a question she had anticipated, and vocalizing her thoughts suddenly felt embarrassing. “At first, it was just a simple attraction. But then, I grew curious about the way you humbled yourself for a cause, contradicting the rumors. And then… when I heard that speech. Something struck me. Like, ‘Ah, this person doesn’t take anyone lightly.’” The mention of “that speech” made Sion inwardly slap his forehead. He never imagined Lucia would harbor the sensitivity typically understood by military veterans. “To be honest, I thought they were just the usual fancy words spoken by nobles. But on that day, in the midst of a battlefield turned inferno due to my mistake, watching you rush into that hell for an unknown soldier, I suddenly wondered—if I were the one lying there, would my lord have come to save me?” Of course, he would have. He’d have leapt in, unless it was clear suicide to do so. If Lucia were harmed or worse, Raid might become uncontrollably violent. He had to prevent a future where Raid lost control before war erupted with the celestial beings. “And, you know. I still haven’t forgotten.” “Haven’t forgotten… what?” “That day, the day we first met. The look in your eyes after you defeated my attacker and gazed at me. How much concern you held for me, the slight fear in your eyes about how deeply I’d been frightened.” “...” Sion couldn’t bring himself to admit, ‘Actually, that was because Kim Yoo-hyeon terrified me too. I was so moved I nearly cried from relief. My arm was okay, and more importantly, I was alive.’ “Does that answer your question?” “...More than enough.” This wasn’t the Lucia who, from the novel’s beginning, radiated romantic vibes with Kim Yoo-hyeon. She was merely the daughter of a master and he, the pupil. Over time, her heart warmed to Kim Yoo-hyeon’s gentle strength and suffering for others, drawing a stark contrast that became the foundation for her affections. It was probably around then that Lucia’s popularity soared. Unfortunately, Sion Clauzen had inevitably broken that bond by cleverly exploiting opportunities to separate the two, ultimately resulting in Lucia’s tragic death. ‘I remember his words—“Experience it too.” What madness… Nothing to experience. It was pure chaos from start to finish, acting irrationally and ending up bitter and alone.’ Fortunately, that future was no longer destined to happen. Yet the despair remained, because this world's collapse seemed inevitable regardless of Sion’s foolishness. “Is it hopeless, my lord? I only wanted to become closer. I hope I didn’t cause discomfort…” Those words echoed the novel’s script. Despite the timeline differences, the sentiment remained unchanged, and Sion solidified his resolve. Apologizing in his mind to Lilith, Sion realized he had to prepare for Lucia’s situation as well. “If you promise not to incinerate me again, Lucia.” “Ugh! Th-that was an accident. I'm sorry.” “Don’t worry. Your magic is strong, Lucia. And perhaps wielding magic is not the full extent of your abilities.” “...What do you mean by, ‘not the full extent of my abilities’?” She couldn’t possibly know yet, but Sion did. Unlike her father, Raid, a royal mage in his own right, Lucia possessed ample mana and skill with spells, but she struggled to contain its output. A mage controlled by her own magic—a fatal flaw, making her a liability in Kim Yoo-hyeon’s party. This led to annoyed glares from party members in the novel and derogatory remarks from readers. ‘But that’s before her awakening during the battle against the celestials, where she finally gains understanding. Soon after, she gets kidnapped by Sion, suffers horrendous experiences, then ultimately exits the scene…’ Considering this, Sion speculated perhaps the author removed Lucia to maintain the world’s balance—in light of her potentially destabilizing power. --- The war with Nudia officially concluded. Unlike Count Lichten’s cautious anticipation, Sion busied himself with preparations for a trip to the capital. “Do you really think Count Basura will honor the agreement, Sion?” “Don’t worry. Count Diše will have no choice but to uphold it.” Sion had Count Diše’s weaknesses in his grasp. He even knew how to exploit them to utterly ruin him. Count Diše yearned to ask how a noble from Hispania knew so much about the political machinations within the kingdom of Nudia, but he dared not. Sion's wicked smile seemed to silently ask, ‘Think you can handle the truth about my sources?’ “Though I’ve informed the capital of your accomplishments, I still find myself worried.” “Because of my zero mana sensitivity?” “That is quite a significant weakness in this world.” Sion understood this aspect well. In the novel, Kim Yoo-hyeon mentioned that this world’s mana, or energy, was far richer than the qi in the martial arts world he originally inhabited. This abundance explained the presence of many strong individuals. Thus, it was easier to leverage this power. However, Sion was entirely unable to do so. “Don’t worry, Father. While some may fight with swords upfront, I’ll fight from behind the scenes using different methods.” He didn’t plan to sacrifice his own strengths to become an unbeatable warrior like Kim Yoo-hyeon. It was regrettable he lacked the minimal force necessary for self-defense, but it wasn’t an immediate concern. “Have you decided on your companions?” “Rish will be handling the escort duties. Alongside her, Lucia will have Kim Yoo-hyeon accompanying her for protection, and Lilith will join us as well. I’m planning to fill the rest with knights and soldiers.” “That seems reasonable enough.” ‘Reasonable’ is an understatement—it’s practically an understatement to call this reasonable. What level of understatement is this? With a high-ranking knight, someone who would eventually surpass that rank, and a top-level demon, it's nearly at a level where you could describe it as a group of terrorists intending to blow up the royal palace. ‘This is where the real beginning lies.’ In the novel, the Clausen Margrave’s domain was merely the early stages. The real stories, the trials and events, were just starting, and Sion would encounter all sorts of characters. Previously, Kim Yoo-hyeon played the central role, but now, it was Sion Clausen—he himself—holding that position. ‘Let’s go! To the promised land where politics and manipulation are everyday occurrences!’ --- [Author’s Notes] Instead of Sunday quadruple updates, today we have 4 updates... If the recommendations are high, shall I provide further multi-chapters? ?