Solo Swordmaster

Chapter 56: Caged Bluebird

Chapter 56: Caged Bluebird

Standing afar, Limon slowly turned his head and took a look around.

“Hey, princess. Didn’t you bring me here because there was something you absolutely needed me to do?”

“I did.”

“Then what is this?”

He looked more confused than before.

“Why, it's an inspection.”

“An inspection?”

“Yes. documents can’t tell you everything, after all.”

“I mean, I know that too.”

Limon scratched his cheek.

He, too, preferred action over thinking. He believed a single swing of his sword was better than reading a swordsmanship book a hundred times, and in that sense, he understood where Li Chingwei was coming from.

The reason he was so perplexed was the location.

“But I’m asking why you’re making me do an inspection in an amusement park like this…”

From a glance, the rollercoaster was beat up and worn. The haunted house looked legitimately haunted. The museum of magic was as shabby as an old warehouse, and there were sparsely any shops on the streets.

Looking well over 30 years old, the vast amusement park looked as archaic as a historical relic.

Dumbfounded, Limon looked around again and added on,

“Not to mention, you made me bring the kids too.”

That’s right. Li Chingwei did not come here with Limon alone.

To put it nicely, there was some delightful company.

Bluntly speaking, however, there was just a crowd of useless parasites.

“Look there! It’s a merry go around! I’ve never seen one before!”

“Woah, I didn’t think I would ever come to an amusement park.”

“Thank me, you guys! We’re here because it’s my birthday next month!”

“But today is my birthday!”

“Oh? It is?”

Those parasites were the children.

All 23 of them from the Hanbit Orphanage ran around the amusement park in excitement.

Limon found himself getting kidnapped with the children to this place while he went along without much thought. He couldn’t help but be baffled.

Li Chingwei casually responded.

“Well of course, I came here for the Master of Swords and the children.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Didn’t you say before? To make the place of Yoo Na-kyung’s death into somewhere children can play.”

“Oh, that? What about it?”

He needed some time to reload his memories, as he’d said it so lightheartedly that he forgot it used to be the Liberation Brigade’s main base.

“I’ve been thinking, and decided the best place for children to play in is an amusement park.”

It’s just that her answer itself was not so simple.

Limon stopped to think with question marks above his head due to the unexpected answer as his face turned into a look of bewilderment.

“…So you’re inspecting other places before making an amusement park there? To use it as reference?”

“It's basic to consider profitability before starting a business.”

“You lost all profitability the moment you considered my empty idea seriously…”

“It’s all right. It’s the way of the Seven Dragons Association to make the impossible possible.”

Li Chingwei nonchalantly said it was easy to turn a doomed business around with the power of the Seven Dragons Association.

She smiled seeing Limon’s begrudging expression at her playful, yet oddly serious claim.

“Of course, there is the pretext that I can earn points from the Master of Swords.”

“That was your real plan all along?!”

“It’s just a little extra while I’m at it.”

“While you’re at it? It sounds like you’re just putting the cart before the horse.”

Limon’s expression turned peculiar.

Anyone who had raised even a single child would know just how much work it is, let alone going to an amusement park with 23 of them. But to have an inspection on top too? No matter how he looked at it, this seemed personal.

“So do you not want to?”

Li chingwei asked with a bright smile, as if she could read his mind.

He stared at her. Turning his head, he saw the children bickering over which ride to go on first, ultimately deciding over rock paper scissors.

He let out a chuckle.

“I never said that.”

Enjoying the amusement park with the children and his bride. The familial, heartwarming thought was the decisive moment his plans for that day were determined.

Although… There were quite some differences from that of a normal family, considering the age difference to his bride was at least centuries apart and there were 23 children.

But Limon didn’t care much for those minor issues. He simply reached a fist out to where the children were.

“Rock, paper, scissors! Rock, paper, scissors! All right, I’ll choose the ride since I won.” Anyone got a problem?”

“Heyyyy! No fair, you only just came in!”

“Grandpa Limon is foul!”

“Cheater grandpa, cheater!”

Flick—

“Owww!”

“Any more problems? Letting you all know in advance, anyone who goes astray better brace themselves to get a hundred flicks to their sorry little forehead.”

Thanks to his experience, reflexes, and brazen-face, Limon easily won rock paper scissors. Snickering, he led the children around the amusement park.

Some of the children who wanted to play more freely puffed up their cheeks. But as they went on, bright smiles soon appeared on their faces instead.

Of course. Hanbit Orphanage had never been very well-off, and most of the children had never been in an amusement park. If they had, it was too long ago.

On top of that, Limon led the way surprisingly well.

“Grandpa! I wanna ride the bumper car! The bumper car!”

“The bumper cars? Hm, the line’s gonna be a 30 minute wait. Let’s go somewhere else first.”

“But I like bumper cars…”

“Jeez, I told you we’re going later. Eunsoo, you can ride the red car since it’s your favorite color.”

“Really?”

“Do you want me to swear on my sword?”

He was skilled at handling the children.

Not only that, he minimized the wait times as he gave them balloons and toys, pictures, and ice cream. He was so adept at it, in fact, it was like he’d worked as an amusement park guide for at least a decade.

While they were walking around he noticed the childrens’ faces getting flushed. He clapped his hands.

“All right. Time for a 30 minute break.”

***

***

“Huhh?”

“No break! More play!”

“Hey brats, stop whining. Old people like me need their rest.”

Of course, there was no way Limon was actually exhausted. He was just being considerate to the children.

Li Chingwei watched as Limon called for a break in good timing and bought the children drinks. She smiled.

“You really are good with children.”

“I’m old, after all.”

“Not all elderly people are good with children, though.”

“They’re not a swordmaster.”

“Does being a swordmaster make you skilled with children?”

“No, but you won’t get any back pain no matter how much you play with them,” Limon snickered.

As if moved by his statement, Li Chingwei slowly nodded her head.

“So you say, masters are different no matter what they do.”

“…Please don’t be so serious when it’s a joke. Unlike the masters in your Seven Dragons Association, I’m just a swordsman.”

Limon was astringent. The masters of the Seven Dragons Association were beings who reached the top in multiple fields. Depending on their innate Psionics and trained secret curriculum, they not only had the power of a high-level player, but also superhuman abilities in their fields of expertise.

That was the reason the Seven Dragons Association continued to exist over several centuries.

Mind reading politicians.

Particularly seductive celebrities.

Chefs with shocking skills.

Businessmen who knew how to hit the jackpot.

Veterinarians who could communicate with animals.

Having the superhuman ability of Psionics, the masters of the Seven Dragons Association showed their prominence no matter which field they were in.

Of course, they were only active within the shadows, but many still came for them in pursuit of their strengths.

That was the potential of Psionics—the power that came from the Seven Dragons who once overthrew the very Gods and ruled the world.

“Do you really think so?”

That was why Limon looked confused seeing Li Chingwei tilt her head.

“What?”

“Nothing, I was just wondering if one should really call a swordmaster a mere swordsman.”

“Swordmasters aren’t all that much. We’re just a little bit better at swinging a sword around, and don’t die when we’re old.”

“I don’t know…”

Li Chingwei had a peculiar expression.

Limon wasn’t being very persuasive when he was the very person who slayed the Demon God and achieved eternal youth and immortality.

But Limon wasn’t trying to persuade her. He simply looked at her instead.

“By the way, I didn’t know you could dress like that.”

“Do you not like it?”

“No, it fits you well… I just don’t think it’s something a princess would wear.”

A loose, boxy t-shirt and a baseball cap, with shorts that showed off her lean legs.

Instead of the oriental dress she always wore, Li Chingwei’s casual attire was so out of place that she looked like a different person.

Did it not look good on her? Not at all.

Thanks to her beauty, she showed the cuteness of a popular idol. The immutable law of natural beauty, so to speak.

“Haha, I have times when I want to wear something else as well. Of course, I was also intending to disguise myself.”

“I don’t know if you can really disguise anything when you’re out with me…”

She seemed excited to hear that it fit her well, as she spoke with a brighter smile than usual. Limon scratched his cheek. Just then, a girl with eyes as dead as a corpse came up to them.

“Are you done with your conversation?”

“What? Something else you wanna eat?”

“No, break time is almost over.”

“Oh, really?”

Limon scratched his head as he looked back to where the children were. He got up and took out the map of the amusement park.

“Where were we headed to again?”

“The place that traps empty-headed babies who only look cute on the outside and sells their bodies.”

“…Just call it a zoo. People are going to give us weird looks.”

“It’s the truth.”

“A truth kids don’t have to know.”

All while grumbling about Shia’s comment, Limon led the children to the zoo. The zoo was as battered as the other facilities, with only a few animals roaming around in basic metal cages.

“Wow, it’s a lion! A lion!”

“Over here, lion!”

“Grandpa, can I give the lion chips?”

“Nope.”

But even with the sorry number of animals, the children were ecstatic.

They would argue whether an animal was a squirrel or a mouse, and get shocked to find out it was actually a monkey.

They would get caught trying to give the animals food and get their foreheads flicked.

A pair of dead fish eyes without a single change in expression would scare the animals.

How happy they were! He was almost starting to feel regretful that he didn't bring the children here sooner.

‘They would have gone crazy if Na-kyung was here.’

Was it because they were from the same orphanage, or because they’d been influenced by Na-kyung? They were so excessively vigorous that they looked childishly foolish. Limon put on a bittersweet smile when—

“Grandpa. Bird, bird.”

“What? You need to go to the bathroom?”

“No! Bluebird, bluebird!”

“Hm?”

The child reached out their arms. Their fingers pointed to a small baby bird sitting in the middle of a roomy birdcage.

Limon had an inexplicable look on his face.

The fuzzy feathers were as blue as the autumn skies. On the top of its head was a single white feather sticking out.

It was small, like it was still just a baby.

It was cute, and it particularly stood out among the few birds in the zoo.

But Limon’s expression was inexplicable for other reasons.

‘Why does that thing look so tired?’

As if it was tired of being a spectacle, the baby bird slouched its wings with its back turned to the visitors.

It looked so fatigued that if it wasn’t for the fuzzy baby feathers, it would have looked like an elderly bird who was living past its intended lifespan.

“Grandpa, I want that!”

“Hey, brat. You can’t buy animals at a zoo.”

Thanks to the children being so noisy, the baby bird turned its head around ever so slightly. Seeing Limon and the children, it was just about to turn back around apathetically until it suddenly shot back around.

It was so vigorous that it felt like it could have broken its chubby neck.

But the baby bird didn’t care. As if flaunting how flexible its neck was, the bird swung its head back and forth between each of the 23 children. Its eyes grew wider and wider after each child, and after scanning past Shia it met eyes with Limon. Its beak opened agape.

Squeaaaak?!

A cry of astonishment rang through the air.

——

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