Chapter 403: Special Episode - Sir Asrahan's Wish
“So! Did I! Or did I not! Tell you to bring it!”
Crash!
A candlestick flew across the room, smashing into the buffalo horn decoration hanging on the tavern wall.
…It’s starting again.
That hopeless troublemaker.
The man who spends his days drowning in alcohol.
I had hoped he’d behave himself today, but no.
‘How much longer are you going to live like this, Lloyd-nim?’
I let out a long sigh. This is exactly why I kept warning him that alcohol and this guy don’t mix. I had even scolded him, pleading for just one day of peace.
‘It was no use.’
That’s right. Lloyd Frontera. The moment I let that man set foot in this tavern, I knew it was a mistake. He had sworn he wouldn’t drink, promised he’d just have some snacks for dinner, and even threatened to quit his guard detail if I tried to stop him. All of that happened barely two hours ago.
‘I should’ve stopped him then.’
But I didn’t. That was my mistake.
Or rather, the real mistake might’ve been…
‘Taking on this assignment from my lord in the first place.’
I suddenly recalled a few days ago when the Baron of Frontera summoned me, his face full of concern, and entrusted me with the task of guarding his eldest son. I had nodded without hesitation—it was natural. The Baron was my lord, the person I had sworn to serve for life, someone I deeply respected. But his eldest son, Lloyd Frontera…
‘Why does he live like this? If only he inherited even a fraction of his father’s generosity, he wouldn’t be like this.’
As I was immersed in those bitter thoughts, another glass flew through the air. Of course, it was thrown by Lloyd Frontera.
“Hey! Catch this!”
…
Thud!
Catching a flying glass is easy. I can see and feel everything, even with my eyes closed, because the slightest shifts in the air are perceptible to me. My senses are always heightened, thanks to this curse called Swordmaster Syndrome, which torments me every hour of the day.
“Sir Asrahan? Please…”
The tavern owner pleaded with me, almost in tears. The place was in shambles. Lloyd had knocked over tables, smashed chairs, and broken bottles and dishes without a care. At this very moment, the drunken fool was grabbing whatever was within reach, throwing it, smashing it, and reveling in his little display of abuse of power.
…
I can’t let this go on any longer.
I made up my mind to put an end to today’s mess. I walked toward Lloyd Frontera, who was just about to smash another bottle. I grabbed his wrist mid-swing.
“Lloyd-nim. That’s enough.”
“…Huh?”
“It’s time to stop. You’ve gone too far.”
“What’s this?”
“Lloyd-nim.”
To be honest, I wanted to punch him in the face. His drunken, bleary eyes, the way he staggered and couldn’t even stand properly, the stench of alcohol on his breath every time he spoke—it was disgusting. And yet, I felt pity. I swallowed my feelings and said:
“This behavior is unbecoming. You need to be aware of your position and responsibilities.”
“My position? Responsibilities?”
“Yes, Lloyd-nim.”
“Ha. That’s hilarious.”
Lloyd squinted at me with half-closed eyes and, without warning, jabbed his finger against my chin, poking at me.
“Hey. Who do you think you are, butting in?”
…
“If you’re a bodyguard, act like one.”
“But Lloyd-nim—”
“Tch. Acting all high and mighty.”
…
“Hey. Don’t you think I’m pathetic?”
…
“I mean, seriously. I feel so damn sorry for myself, you know? Being born in this backwater. Can’t even show off my noble status. You get me?”
“No, I don’t.”
“What?”
“You’re just being ungrateful.”
“Hah! What are you talking about?”
Slap!
His hand struck my cheek, but of course, I saw it coming. I didn’t dodge on purpose—it didn’t hurt anyway. It was just pathetic.
Maybe it was my lack of reaction, but…
“…Oh.”
Lloyd looked bewildered, as if he hadn’t expected to actually hit me. But the expression quickly faded.
“Ugh, what a mood killer.”
Gulp, gulp, gulp!
He chugged down more of his drink. It was a particularly strong liquor. I watched Lloyd’s expression, his color, and his breathing with a growing sense of disgust. I waited.
It wasn’t a wasted wait.
“Urgh… damn it… It’s all crap… Hic! I’ve got so many things I want to do… but we’re broke… hic! Right?”
Lloyd’s speech became increasingly slurred, his eyes unfocused, his balance worse.
‘Got him.’
He was thoroughly drunk now. Whatever happened from this point, he wouldn’t remember in the morning.
I made eye contact with the tavern owner, who was clutching his broken buffalo horn decoration, his prized possession. He gave me a resigned nod, signaling his cooperation.
I swung into action.
“Lloyd-nim.”
“…Huh?”
The moment he turned to face me, I lightly jabbed him in the stomach.
“Oof!”
His whole body convulsed.
“Ugh… Ugh…”
For a moment, he grabbed onto me, but soon collapsed into unconsciousness.
The once-rowdy tavern fell eerily silent.
I felt a strange sense of satisfaction.
‘Maybe I should’ve hit him earlier.’
But he wouldn’t have forgotten that. That’s why I waited until he was completely drunk, so that when he woke up tomorrow, he wouldn’t remember. His hangover would drown out any pain from the punch.
I slung Lloyd Frontera over my shoulder and, feeling like I’d just returned from a battlefield, turned to the tavern owner.
“Are you alright?”
“Huu, how could I be?”
…
“My mother is sick, and now this… how did it come to this?”
The tavern owner looked like he was on the verge of tears. I felt genuine guilt and offered:
“I’ll speak to my lord about what happened tonight.”
“About compensation?”
“Yes.”
“But I’ve heard rumors that the Baron’s finances aren’t great these days…”
“I’ll speak with him regardless.”
“Huu, alright then. I’d appreciate that.”
“Now, if you’ll excuse me. I’m sorry for all the trouble tonight.”
I couldn’t bear to look at the tavern owner any longer. I hurried out of the tavern, carrying Lloyd with me. The cold, early spring night greeted me as I stepped outside. Dew from the night air clung to me as I walked.
“Huu…”
I sighed again, feeling a deep sense of helplessness.
‘What’s going to happen to the future of the Frontera family?’
I had no idea. None at all. Why did it have to be this troublemaker who was the eldest son? The one set to inherit the family’s title and estate? I didn’t want to understand it, and I certainly didn’t want to accept it.
‘If only Julian had been the eldest.’
If that were the case, there wouldn’t be any issues. Julian was diligent, smart, and kind. He had all the qualities of a great lord.
‘But that’s an impossible wish.’
Julian couldn’t become the next lord. He was the second son, and in this family, only the firstborn could inherit. That’s why he had gone off to study at the capital’s academy.
‘No matter what, this man is the one who will inherit this estate.’
The thought left me feeling utterly defeated. I couldn’t even begin to imagine how much of a disaster the estate would become under his care. The future of the family I had sworn my loyalty to seemed bleak beyond measure.
“Huu…”
Another sigh escaped me. Frustrated, I stared up at the night sky.
And then, suddenly—
‘…What?’
High in the sky, a shooting star flashed and disappeared.
Seeing it reminded me of something I’d heard before.
‘If you make a wish when a shooting star falls, it’ll come true.’
Honestly, it’s a childish belief. Something only kids would believe in. But tonight, for some reason, I found myself wanting to cling to even that bit of nonsense. I suppose it was because I felt so desperate.
I gave myself a bit of leeway, staring up at the night sky, waiting for another shooting star.
Finally, as one streaked across the sky, I quickly whispered my wish.
‘For the man on my back to…’
Whoosh…
Shooting stars always fall too fast. Before I could even finish the thought, the star was gone. I hadn’t managed to voice the full wish.
‘…I hope he comes to his senses and becomes a better person.’
The rest of my wish hung uselessly in the air, a half-spoken hope that only echoed inside my head.
I clicked my tongue bitterly.
Unconsciously, a small laugh escaped me.
“What am I doing?”
Even I couldn’t believe it.
Walking through the night, carrying a drunken fool on my back, staring up at the sky, and making wishes on shooting stars? And I hadn’t even been able to finish the wish properly.
‘Let’s just get back.’
Suppressing my frustration, I quickened my pace toward the estate. Lloyd, still slung over my back, mumbled to himself.
“Ugh… I’m so sick of working all the time… That damn tiny room… so annoying…”
…
What the hell is this idiot even mumbling about?
“Tch.”
What an infuriating man.
I hurried back to the mansion, tossing Lloyd onto his bed as soon as we arrived. Then, I took a seat in the chair by the side of the room and prepared to spend the night watching over him.
Of course, there was no chance of me sleeping.
Swordmaster Syndrome wouldn’t let me.
…
The sound of the wind brushing past the window.
The faint flutter of an owl’s wings in the distance.
The pulse of blood rushing through the veins in my ears.
All of these sounds constantly hammered at my overactive senses, giving me no respite. And yet, among them all, the most irritating was Lloyd’s drunken muttering, or perhaps, his sleep-talking.
“Um, excuse me, boss? I need to get paid for the days I worked this week…”
…
“No, it’s not that… You said you’d pay me by next week… remember?”
…
“If you do this again, I’ll really get kicked out… I’m way behind on my rent for that tiny room already…”
…
“Boss, seriously… how’s getting paid all at once even helpful? I really need it, you know? Huh?”
…
I had almost dozed off, but Lloyd’s bizarre sleep-talking woke me right back up.
‘What is this?’
What kind of dream is this idiot having that he’s begging so desperately in his sleep?
Even as I pondered this, Lloyd’s muttering continued.
“Mom… Dad… I’m sorry…”
…
“If I had just gone home a little earlier that day… or hadn’t taken that part-time job…”
…
“But Javier Asrahan…”
“What?”
“That wall-climbing scene… so cool… haha…”
…
What the hell is he saying?
I couldn’t help but be dumbfounded. Judging by the nonsense coming out of his mouth, it seemed that Lloyd, in his drunken stupor, was having some wild, incoherent dream.
I resigned myself to the fact that sleep would evade me once again tonight.
All because of Swordmaster Syndrome.
When will I finally overcome this and get a good night’s sleep? When will I be able to escape these days of barely surviving by catching catnaps here and there?
Leaning back in my chair, I gazed up at the ceiling cloaked in darkness.
Meanwhile, Lloyd’s strange sleep-talking continued.
“I just… want to live normally… I’m sick of this… tired of it… hurts…”
…
“I just want to live easy… but honey’s expensive… Maybe I should just buy some honey water… they sell it at the convenience store… But that’s probably just sugar water… Still, it’s too expensive… I should just buy a triangle kimbap instead…”
…
“Quuuuu…”
…
What on earth is he going on about?
I covered my ears, but of course, it didn’t help. His voice still reached me, clear as day.
And so, I waited for morning to come.
Lloyd, oblivious to it all, mumbled again.
“Javier Asrahan… so cool…”
…
Was that an insult?
I’m not sure. But one thing’s for certain:
‘At least this is better than his usual drunken sleep-talking.’
His tone, his expression—somehow, he seemed more peaceful than usual.
Yeah, that’s enough for me.
Even though I hadn’t been able to fully voice my wish to the shooting star earlier, maybe, just maybe, a small part of it had come true tonight.
That thought lightened my mood just a bit.
“Sleep well.”
I gently pulled the blanket over Lloyd’s body, which he had kicked aside.
And I made one last small wish to myself.
When morning comes, and this man wakes up—when a new day begins—I hope he’ll be a little different. I hope he’ll be a slightly better person.
It was a wish that I knew would never come true.
But when morning finally arrived, a miracle happened.
Lloyd Frontera really had changed into a completely different person.
(TL Note: It was Javier all along! He was the cause why Lloyd was transported here. lol)
