Chapter 69 – Nice.

An emergency family meeting.

After Lee convinced Evandel to not casually hold her fancy sword and cup and to just use plushy versions instead, Lee, Rachel, and Nayun sat around the kitchen table to discuss the situation while Droon distracted Evandel.

"So." Lee slowly said. "...Evandel is, unironically, the rightful heir to the Kingdom of Britain by virtue of literally having Excalibur. And not just a copy or the myth of Excalibur. Like, ACTUAL Excalibur. Pulled from the water and everything."

Rachel stared at Evandel, still stunned with what her daughter did. Then she nodded and said, "Yes. The moment she pulled the blade, I felt the pull in my blood. I think anyone from the Kingdom of Britain- No. Anyone who has even a trace of blood from Logres would be able to sense it."

Nayun tilted her head. "Logres?"

Lee waved his hand and said, "Ancient word for King Arthur's territory. Camelot and England came later. But either way." He laced his hands together and leaned forward. "...This complicates some things and makes other things simpler."

Rachel nodded, looking simultaneously proud and worried. "...The entire kingdom will see it as a return of King Arthur. The promise of the Once and Future King, fulfilled at last. It is a good thing, but..."

"But they'll place expectations on Eva," Lee finished. "And you don't want that for her since you've already experienced it yourself."

"Yes." Rachel quietly said. "It was already... difficult for me. If the people learn that Eva possesses Excalibur as well as the Holy Grail..."

Nayun frowned and said, "Is it that big of a deal? Eva's just Eva. And she's a toddler right now. Nobody would be stupid enough to rely on her to carry all of Britain, right?"

"Child monarchs have been a thing in the past." Lee frowned. "...And people will see it as an opportunity to control the fate of Britain. As it stands, Eva's claim to the throne is stronger than Rachel's. And while the world is waiting for Rachel to come of age before she claims the throne, since Excalibur represents the King itself..."

"It matters not who wields the blade, only that the blade chose the wielder. And Excalibur chose Evandel." Rachel quietly finished.

Lee nodded. "Yeah."

Nayun looked between Lee and Rachel's worried expressions and said, "Is it really that big of a deal? It's just a magic sword, isn't it?"

Lee shook his head. "It's not a magic sword."

Nayun paused and looked at Lee. "...What do you mean it's not a magic sword?"

Lee pointed at himself. "I have a magic disrupting physique, remember? Thankfully, it's not COMPLETELY indiscriminate. Portals still work, after all. But it makes me keenly attuned to mana and what is and isn't magic." He glanced towards Evandel and said, "...When she pulled out that sword, it wasn't magic. There wasn't mana. It just WAS."

Silence.

Nayun stopped to process Lee's words. Then her eyes widened. "Wait. You mean like, that's not something that was made from the Outcall?"

Lee nodded. "Mana is a result of the Outcall incident. It's kind of like a contamination from another dimension. But Excalibur isn't. It's real. The sword of legends granted by the fae to the rightful ruler of Britain." He let out a disbelieving laugh. "I don't know how or why Eva has it, but she's clearly been chosen. That's not a magic sword or a myth wrought into existence by dungeons. It's the real Excalibur. Like, a proper holy sword. And the Holy Grail is real too."

Nayun gave Lee a blank stare. "Lee."

"Yes?"

"ARE YOU TELLING ME THAT KING ARTHUR WAS REAL?! AND FAIRIES ARE TOO?!"

"Apparently?!"

===

Droon fidgeted with the sleeves of his black hoodie as he watched Evandel stick out her tongue in focus as she tried molding a tiny dragon out of the strange material she always carried with her.

'I wonder what that is?'

Droon wanted to say it was some sort of magical artifact or a reward from a Tower. But it wasn't.

The Chameleon Troupe dealt with rare items, elixirs, and magical equipment from all over the world. Part of that was because Jain had a hobby of 'collecting' things.

Because Droon's Gift let him recreate things he had experienced with his five senses, that meant most things that the Chameleon Troupe got came through him first, just in case they needed a copy of it later to refer back to.

But this...

'I don't understand it?'

Evandel finished and then held out the tiny dragon to Droon. "Here Doon! Dragon! Rawr!"

Droon let out an awkward smile and gingerly took the dragon from Evandel. "Thanks, Eva?"

The dragon was a small Western-style dragon with shimmering white scales and blue eyes. Faint bits of lightning crackled around its maw. But the moment it sat in Droon's palm, it settled down and let it a content purr.

Evandel giggled and said, "Cool?"

Droon idly ran a finger along the dragon's back, watching as it purred like a cat. "...Very cool."

And it was.

Droon liked dragons. And it was definitely cooler than Mimyo.

Not that he didn't like Mimyo. The bunny was adorable, and the fact that it was super strong in fighting was cool too.

But this was a dragon. A real dragon.

Which was why Droon was slightly concerned.

Considering everything else that Evandel had showed already...

Droon cautiously looked at Evandel again and said, "What's the dragon's name, Eva?"

"A'byon!"

"...Albion?"

"Mmhm!"

"...Right. Albion." Droon slowly looked back at the blue-eyed white dragon... Which was undoubtedly the infamous dragon from the British Isles and Camelot.

As if sensing Droon's thoughts, Albion looked up, its eyes twinkling with mirth. But even so, it just nuzzled against him, clearly satisfied with him as an owner.

Owner? Master? Friend?

"...So. Is Albion... mine, Eva?"

Evandel nodded and said, "Mmhm! Shadow friend, strong! So, A'byon, training! Strong, together!"

"...Boss is going to have a heart attack." Droon let out a mischievous smirk as he nuzzled Albion's jaw with his index finger. "But this is going to be sooo much fun."

"Yeah!"

Droon laughed. "Alright then, Eva." He tucked Albion into his hoodie pocket to rest. After that, he smiled and said, "Wanna see a magic trick?"

"Yes! Magic! Fwoosh!"

Droon chuckled and held up his hand, projecting an anime he was watching recently.

As for what that anime was...

*Frieza! You'll pay!*

*You monkey... Do you truly think you can beat me?*

Evandel's eyes sparkled as she watched with rapt attention. Especially as a certain saiyan's hair turned gold with crackling lightning. "WOW! He's like me! Gold! FWOOSH!"

===

After some more discussion between Lee, Rachel, and Nayun to think about what to do regarding the fact that Evandel was, by definition, lore, and culture, the current ruler of the Kingdom of Britain...

"So." Lee nodded. "On the books, Eva is still my daughter. But she's a collateral descendant from one of Rachel's lost relatives. Since Rachel found out, she's adopting Evandel as her child... which is weird, but there's precedent for it. And that naturally means me and Rachel are a thing and Eva can call Rachel 'Mommy' officially. People will be less worried since there's a spare heir in case Rachel dies, all the attention gets put into people digging into a woman who doesn't exist, and we just debut Eva as Arthur's true descendant when she's a teenager."

Nayun gave a thumbs up. "Sounds like a plan! And I'll ask Grandfather to tell people that Eva's under the Chae family's protection too. He's surprisingly interested in her, so he should be up for it."

Lee nodded again. "Right, having your grandfather- Wait." He paused. "...Your grandfather? Like, Chae Joochul? The Immortal? He's interested in Eva?"

Nayun nodded. "Mmhm. He met Eva when I went back to visit my home last weekend... Did I not mention that?"

"DEFINITELY forgot to tell me that. Rachel?" Lee glanced at Rachel. "Did you know?"

Rachel paused. "...It came up? But I forgot."

"...Actually, fair." Lee nodded. "Eva's so cute that it's easy to forget things around her."

"Right?" Rachel smiled.

Nayun rolled her eyes. "You two are hopeless parents... But alright." She clapped her hands together and said, "In summary... This is a future problem."

"Yep." Lee chuckled. "It's surprising... but also not a problem we have to deal with right now. Especially since your grandfather's willing to use his name to protect Eva."

Rachel gave Nayun a grateful smile and said, "Thank you, Nayun."

"Psh." Nayun waved her hand and smiled back. "I'm practically Eva's second mom at this point with how much you two keep asking me to watch her."

Lee gave Nayun an amused look and said, "That's because you're probably the most normal person we know. Yeonha is... well, Yeonha. Hajin is Hajin. And Suho... Well, he's reliable, but I am very concerned about Eva learning swordsmanship from him and wondering if she could cut the moon."

Rachel gave Lee a pointed look and said, "Do not even joke about that."

"...Right." Lee rubbed his neck, looking worried. "That's not out of the realm of possibility for our daughter since she has Excalibur."

Nayun glanced over at the corner of the room where Droon and Eva had built a makeshift fort from the sofa cushions and were playing knights and dragons with plushies that they had pulled out from somewhere. "Well, it's a good thing Eva has a friend her age now to distract her."

Lee watched too and nodded. "It really is. I have to thank Boss for being on top of things."

Rachel watched Evandel for a bit, but then shifted her gaze back to Lee. "...So, about this Boss of yours, Lee."

"Hm? Oh, I was scouted by a famous mercenary group. We chatted a bit, and they said that I could freelance for them to get experience and money before I join Rachel's Guild."

Rachel paused. Then her eyes softened as she lightly punched Lee's arm. "Dummy. You don't need to do all of that. You know that I wouldn't let you go even I you wanted to leave at this point."

Lee chuckled and said, "I know. But I figured I should get some proper experience in. Also, they're helping deal with Lancaster."

Rachel furrowed her brow. "Sir Lancaster..."

Droon spoke up and said, "Boss is on it! We almost got him last time, but he slipped away. Don't worry!"

Nayun looked amused and then crossed her arms. Leaning back in her chair, she said, "Just how much did you impress this woman? And who is she anyway to have the resources to hunt a crazy guy like that down?"

"She's the leader of Jeronimo Mercenary." Lee paused. "...The name and grammar of the name is bothering me. A lot. But they're the real deal, at-"

Nayun jumped out of her chair and said, "YOU GOT SCOUTED BY JERONIMO?!"

Lee blinked. "Uh. Yes? Why?"

Rachel's eyes widened as well and slowly said, "Lee. Jeronimo Mercenary is the most famous mercenary group in the world. Their mission success rate is 99.7%. And their casualty rate is zero."

"...Huh." Lee placed his hand on his chin and said, "...Explains the benefits."

Nayun pulled her hair and said, "WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS?!"

Lee shrugged.