Chapter 70 – Scripted Fates

April 3rd, Thursday morning in England.

Because of the investigations at Cube from the Djinn interventions and mysterious monster corpse on the Western Sea, classes were canceled for a full two weeks... at least, that was the initial plan.

But late last night, Cube sent out another email saying that classes would resume on Monday, April 21st instead and to treat it as a long break before the nonstop classes until finals.

Lee thought that was pretty sneaky and smart of Cube. More time to cover up any potential liabilities and incidents on campus, free money from tuition without professors having to teach, and everyone got to relax a bit.

Either way though...

"Wow!" Evandel hugged a plushed lion as she looked at the rocky shores of Brighton.

...Lee didn't really care since he'd already decided on his plans.

Evandel glanced back at Lee while standing on a big flat rock and said, "Daddy! The water is silver! Like a spoon!"

Lee laughed and knelt down next to Evandel, smiling. "That's right, Eva. It's different from at Cube, right?"

"Mmhm! It's cool!" Evandel stared at the crashing waves with glittering emerald eyes.

At the moment, Rachel had gone on ahead to the Royal Palace to arrange certain paperwork for Evandel. Droon had gone with her, hiding in her shadow just in case Lancaster tried to do something stupid.

Nayun had gone back to visit her grandfather to put into the plan they talked about.

Which meant that, for once in a long while, it was just Daddy and Daughter time for Lee and Evandel.

Lee smiled, watching as Evandel tottled along the rocky shore, hugging her plushed lion as she knelt down to watch the various crabs and fishes in the nearby tidepools.

'I wonder if this was what Rachel was like when she was younger?'

Lee couldn't help but think about how cute Evandel was... and he couldn't help but think about how cute Rachel must have been too.

'I should try to get some pictures. There should be some around the web somewhere...'

Rachel was the crown princess, after all, and the only living heir to the throne. There were bound to be photos of her somewhere.

But speaking of photos...

Lee pulled out his phone and took some pictures of Evandel playing along the shore.

A picture of Evandel crouched next to a crab, waving at it.

Another picture of Evandel triumphantly holding a rainbow-colored shell over her head.

More pictures of Evandel being motivated to find more treasures, scampering around the water and poking through the rocks with a piece of driftwood...

Lee smiled as he added all the pictures to the group chat in an album called [Eva being Cute].

"Daddy!" Evandel waved and said, "Uppies!"

Lee laughed. "Tired already, huh? Okay." He slipped his phone back into his pocket and walked over, scooping Evandel up to sit on his shoulders. "Better?"

"Yeah!" Evandel giggled and said, "I see e'rything! Shiny!"

Lee smiled. "It is pretty shiny, huh?"

Since the sun was just starting to rise, the water was slowly turning from silver to gold, reflecting the morning light.

"Mmhm!" Evandel hugged her plushy while leaning on Lee's head. "Shiny like Mommy's hair!"

Lee chuckled. "I guess so. But anyway." He looked up at Evandel and said, "Ready to go look for a house with Daddy, Eva?"

Evandel gasped. "YES! Housey! Goooo!"

"Alright, alright. Mommy's Royal Pavilion is nearby here, so let's see if we can find a house close to it so she doesn't have to go far to be with us..."

===

Back in Korea, 3 PM local time.

Nayun stretched as she walked back inside her family home. "Didn't think I'd be back so soon."

"Ah, young lady." An aged male voice called out as Nayun entered. The same butler who greeted Nayun the last time she was there.

Nayun waved and said, "Nice to see you again, Gramps."

The butler glanced at Nayun's packed suitcase, as well as the bow on her back and the sword at her side. Then he blinked, confused. "...Are you taking time off from your studies?"

"Nah." Nayun wheeled her suitcase inside and said, "Something happened at the exams, so we're off until the 21st. Is Grandfather around?"

The butler took the suitcase from Nayun and said, "Lord Chae Joochul is away, I am afraid. The last I heard, he is doing private training in Australia."

"Really?" Nayun sighed. "I wanted to talk with him a bit."

At that time, a calm male voice echoed from the office upstairs. Chae Shinhyuk, Nayun's father. "Welcome home, Nayun."

Nayun's eyes lit up and she let out a warm smile. "Dad!" She quickly ran over to hug him.

Shinhyuk smiled and hugged her back. "Did you miss me that much?"

Nayun finished her hug and then looked up. "Of course I did! You've been so busy with work that I haven't seen you since the new year!"

Shinhyuk chuckled and said, "Well. I'm happy to see you too. And I'm sorry it took so long. I wanted to watch your exams, but there were a few things that came up..."

Nayun waved her hand and said, "It's fine. My exams were pretty boring anyway. But you should have seen the others! A looot of crazy stuff happened at mid-terms."

The butler saw that Nayun was occupied, so he quietly left with Nayun's suitcase, heading to her room to prepare it for her.

Meanwhile, Shinhyuk naturally started walking towards the kitchen with Nayun, a warm smile on his face. "I heard a bit about it. Jonghak and Yeonha had interesting times?"

Nayun laughed. "You have NO idea. I can't find any clips about Yeonha since she deleted all of them, but Jonghak lost to Kim Suho. It was super funny seeing him grumble and call Kim Suho crazy."

Shinhyuk nodded. "That's good. And... I'm happy."

Nayun paused. "Huh? Why, Dad?"

Shinhyuk stared at Nayun, a soft smile on his face. He looked like he wanted to say something. But then he shook his head and said, "It's nothing important. I'm just glad you're having fun."

Nayun nodded. "Of course I'm having fun! Why wouldn't I?"

Shinhyuk raised an eyebrow and said, "Well, you always complained about school work at that Agent Military Academy..."

Nayun blushed and said, "Th-That's because it was boring. I'm motivated now, okay?"

Shinhyuk glanced at the training sword sheathed at Nayun's side before glancing back up at her. "I can see that."

Nayun noticed and then she let out a soft smile. "...Yeah. Oppa isn't around right now. But..." She placed her hand on her sword hilt and said, "...It kind of feels like he's with me when I train with a sword. You know? Like he's watching me in a way."

"...Yes."

Nayun paused, noticing the strange tone in her father's words. "...What's wrong, Dad?"

"Ah. That's..." Shinhyuk rubbed the back of his neck. "...It's complicated."

Nayun frowned. "Complicated or not, I want to know. Does it have to do with Oppa?"

"...Let's sit down first."

===

At the kitchen table, Shinhyuk quietly started preparing a meal. And not a traditional Korean meal, but spaghetti. The same meal he always made for Nayun and Jinyoon when he wanted to spend time with them.

That was what made Nayun worried. "Dad?"

"...I'll explain in a bit, Nayun. I need to gather my thoughts." Shinhyuk ran the water to fill a pot to boil the spaghetti noodles. As he did, he said, "Why don't you tell me how your classes have been going?"

Nayun was still worried. But it was clear her dad wasn't going to say anything else for now, so she nodded and started talking about her time at Cube. "Well... I've made some new friends. Rachel- I mean, Lady Rachel and I have been getting along pretty good. I also met a crazy guy called Lee Shin. He's American and it definitely shows in the way he acts."

Shinhyuk chuckled and said, "That's good. But did you stop hanging out with Yeonha then?"

"Nah, we still chat and hang out. But recently she's been busy with her hubby, you know?"

Shinhyuk paused in the middle of setting the pot on the stove. "...Hubby?"

Nayun gasped. "You don't know?" Nayun laughed and said, "If YOU don't know, then Yeonha's dad DEFINITELY doesn't know. This is gold... pft."

Shinhyuk added the spaghetti noodles to the pot and said, "What don't I know then, Nayun?"

"Yeonha accidentally on purpose married a guy in our class. Kim Hajin, another crazy guy who swapped from a sword to a gun when he joined Cube. We all thought it was stupid, but apparently his Gift makes him pretty crazy with guns and other stuff."

Shinhyuk laughed, amusement clear on his face. "Well, I guess I have something fun to talk about with Jinwoong later." He paused. "...I hope that this Kim Hajin is strong. Eloping with the daughter of The Berserker is a bold move."

Nayun paused. Then she burst out laughing. "OH MY GOD! I forgot about that!" She wiped the tears out of her eyes and said, "Yeonha's dad is going to genuinely try to kill Hajin."

Yoo Jinwoong, Yeonha's father... he was a famous Hero who doted on his wife and daughter.

Because of that, Nayun just saw him as a goofy uncle.

But he was definitely a crazy strong Hero. That was apparent in how his Gift was called <War God>, an ability that let him discharge crimson lightning... and one that grew stronger the angrier he got.

Nayun could already imagine the practically divine retribution levels of lightning that would be crashing down on Hajin in the near future.

Yeonha would definitely try to explain it to her father... but she got her habit of coming to her own conclusions from one of her parents, and it definitely wasn't her mom, so...

Nayun chuckled and finished wiping her tears away. "God, I hope that Lee's wrong and they didn't stay the night and drink together."

Shinhyuk froze in the middle of stirring the spaghetti sauce. Then his eyes widened as his lips twitched in amusement, already envisioning the chaos. "...I'll light some incense sticks for this Kim Hajin friend of yours."

Nayun laughed. "Yeah, me too. Try not to die, Hajin... But anyway." Nayun clapped her hands together and said, "I'm doing good! The written exams were easy since I've been studying, and the combat exams were easy too. You don't have to worry about me, Dad."

"That's good." Shinhyuk smiled. "And it's good you have people you can count on too."

Again, Nayun noticed that her father's tone of voice was weird. She gave him a worried look and said, "You don't have cancer or something, right?"

Shinhyuk laughed. "Of course not. No. It's just... Well." He sighed. "It involves you. And Jinyoon."

Nayun tilted her head. "...Oppa? What about him?"

Shinhyuk was quiet. Then he sighed and said, "...Father suggested that we stop."

Nayun blinked. "Stop what-?"

A fragment of a memory came to mind. The words that her grandfather had said when he greeted her the last time Nayun was home.

*I was simply confirming various details regarding succession with your father. There is no need to pay me much heed on your relaxation.*

Nayun froze. "...No." She stood up, her eyes wide with fear and anxiety. "No, no, no. Don't tell me Oppa is already-!?"

"It's not that." Shinhyuk calmly spoke. "Relax. Nothing's been decided yet."

"Then why do you look like you already have!?" Nayun glared at her father and said, "Are you giving up on Oppa?! After all this time?! After I...!?"

Shinhyuk turned off the heat on the stoves. Then he let out a long sigh and looked at Nayun. "...It's been years, Nayun. And there's been no improvement. I've pulled every resource I can and even asked Father to look into it. But this past weekend, he confirmed it. Nothing in this world will wake Jinyoon."

Nayun shook her head, her long light brown hair scattering around her as she did. "That's not true! It can't be true!" Her brown eyes shimmered hazel as her emotions stirred up her magic power. "Grandfather has to be wrong! Maybe... Maybe he's mistaken! Or... or it's just some curse! Or-"

"Nayun." Shinhyuk stared at his daughter and quietly said, "We've done everything." He quietly walked over and pulled Nayun into a hug. "Every healing Hero. Every magical item. Every artifact from Towers. Nothing's worked. I think... it's about time we let Jinyoon go meet your mother."

Nayun's breath hitched and she shoved her dad away. "You can't just SAY that! Mom...! She would never have...!" Emerald light began crackling around Nayun as her emotions flared.

Shinhyuk looked pained at seeing Nayun react like that. But he remained calm and said, "We've already done the paperwork. Father and I transferred everything to your name. If a miracle happens and Jinyoon awakens, then you can give it back. But if not-"

"I DON'T WANT OPPA'S THINGS! I WANT OPPA!" Nayun screamed, tears scattering as she shook her head. "I-!"

At that time, a soft buzz echoed.

Nayun's phone.

She blinked, caught off guard at the sudden interruption. But she reflexively pulled it out to check the notification. And when she did, she saw the photo album that Lee sent.

Evandel running along a rocky shore, playing in the water and looking as happy as she could be...

Staring at that, Nayun slowly calmed down, her magic power gradually settling down.

"Nayun..."

Nayun wiped her tears away and said, "...How long?"

Shinhyuk stared at Nayun.

Nayun glared at her father and said, "How long?!"

Shinhyuk was quiet for a bit, but then he said, "...Even if I push it, the latest would be Chuseok in September. But realistically... Memorial Day in June."

Nayun slowly sank down into her chair. "...So two months then."

Shinhyuk pursed his lips and said, "No. If I-"

"Don't lie to me, Dad. I know Grandfather. If he says something, then it's happening. And if it's something involving the Chae family name, then he doesn't budge." Nayun let out a helpless laugh. "Inheritance... Is this because I've been doing better...?"

Shinhyuk was silent.

But that was answer enough.

Nayun had improved her grades. She had worked her way up to Rank 2 when she joined Cube, falling behind only to Rachel. She even beat out Kim Suho and Jonghak.

"...I did it because I wanted to make Oppa proud. But because I did it, Oppa's going to..."

"It's not like that, Nayun-"

"Don't lie, Dad." Nayun quietly spoke and said, "...You know it too. If I had done just a little worse, Grandfather would have held out more for Jinyoon. But now..."

Shinhyuk sighed.

Nayun sniffed. Her vision blurred as the tears came back.

It wasn't fair.

She had come home feeling like she was on top of the world.

Nayun had been studying magic with Rachel. She had been talking about potential dungeons that had useful items that could help her Oppa with Yeonha and Hajin. And she had been training hard too, so, so hard to try and find a cure.

And now, everything was coming crashing down around her.

Two months wasn't anywhere near enough time for her to do anything.

Even if she asked Lee for help-

Nayun froze.

A flash of inspiration cut through her despair.

"...Evandel."

Shinhyuk blinked. "What was that, Nayun?"

Nayun wiped her tears away, feeling hope in her heart.

Not because of Evandel.

Although the cute toddler would always give Nayun hope, it was more because of what Evandel represented. What proof came along with her.

Specifically, with the fact that Evandel possessed Excalibur.

"Dad."

"Yes, Nayun?"

"...I need to go to England. Right now."

"Huh? But you just got-"

"There's no time."

Lee had said it.

Excalibur wasn't a magic sword.

That meant that there were things in this world that were true miracles. That myths weren't all myths.

And Lee would be able to sense which were wish.

Magic couldn't help Nayun's older brother.

But if it was something that was a real miracle, something like Excalibur...

Nayun clenched her fist, determination welling up in her heart.