Don't Be Kind Rashly (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 4
Returning home with a heavy coin purse was always a pleasant feeling.
But Lu barely noticed the weight of her purse, instead mulling over the words the lord had spoken.
If one person says, “The barrier has been breached,” it’s nonsense—but if many say the same thing, it must be true.
No, it was still hard to believe, but at the very least, it was worth going to see for herself. So she had to go to the northern barrier, the one rumored to have been breached.
‘And then there’s Hayden, who suddenly appeared out of nowhere…’
He had shown up alongside the rumors of the breached barrier and was now crammed into Lu’s modest cabin, living with her.
The Demon King, said to be as beautiful as an angel; Hayden, who had appeared with black hair instead of his former golden locks; the unstable state of the empire…
All of it churned chaotically in Lu’s mind, enough to make her forget even the satisfying heft of her coin purse.
On a day like today, when things had gone so well, she ought to bake cookies rich with expensive butter and give a bag to each of the children.
‘…I need to pack my things first, but what if I go back into the empire…?’
Was it even possible for one’s skill to decline?
Yet Rustica Jenus’s abilities had truly diminished. For a noble knight to suddenly lose her strength and become unable to fulfill even a single person’s worth of duty was a tremendous shock—and a disaster.
It was a disgrace, something that should never have happened, and she couldn’t bear it herself. As a knight once hailed as a once-in-a-generation genius, it was even harder to endure.
But what would happen if she, of all people, returned to the Calleta Empire?
‘What if I run into someone I know?’
Lu lowered her gaze. Many took pleasure in the fall of someone who once shone brightly, treating it as entertainment. Especially the downfall of a “pretty” “female” knight—it made for even more exciting gossip.
And the one who had fallen into the mud feared others’ joy more than the fall itself.
She still hadn’t overcome the stares of people, their mocking laughter, or the sight of others gleefully laughing at how someone so capable had ended up wallowing in filth. Remaining in such a pitiful state made her despise herself.
‘So I ran away like a coward.’
As Lu entered the edge of the forest where she lived, she suddenly stopped in her tracks.
“You’re here?”
Hayden, seated behind a tree, lifted his head. Sunlight filtered through the leaves, falling upon his face—he sat in a spot so hidden that only someone deliberately heading to Lu’s cabin would find him.
“Why are you here?”
“I was waiting.”
His tone seemed to be missing an implied “Of course.”
Lu had been about to scold him—how could someone with broken ribs just wander out like this?—but she closed her mouth.
He’d probably healed completely by now. If so, that arm wrapped loosely in bandages and splints must be fine too. Even the wounds torn open by the bear must have closed.
Not even an imperial knight possessed such recovery speed. Yet Lu didn’t ask who exactly Hayden was.
“Got anything heavy?”
Hayden asked as he rose lightly to his feet. Beyond where he stood, the forest began to darken.
“Why?”
“To carry it for you.”
That was hardly something a man who’d just fought two bears should say.
“Don’t talk nonsense—you’re injured.”
Lu stepped onto the familiar path. The forest, thick with trees grown dense over many years, was dark enough to hide someone perfectly.
She was used to this level of shade and these pitch-black trees—so why did the shadows feel heavier now?
Lu was already a has-been, her senses dulled to the point where she couldn’t even grasp the reason. She muttered bitterly,
“I sold the bear pelt you caught and got paid for it.”
Truthfully, the gold coin purse felt the heaviest of all.
“It’ll be good funds wherever you go.”
“You’re leaving? That’s a wise decision.”
“No, why would I leave?”
A cold wind rushed from the dark forest as if to engulf her.
“You’re the one who should go.”
His tousled black hair danced near Hayden’s gray eyes.
Between those seemingly soft strands, his unreadable gray eyes looked down at her.
Just who was this man who’d appeared so suddenly, and what was his purpose? Could the Emperor—who had merely watched as she fell—have sent him? Was he sent to check how pitifully she was scraping by? Did it have anything to do with the breached barrier? What on earth was going on?
Ah, she didn’t want to know. It was already hard enough managing this wretched, powerless body alone—she didn’t want any more interference, nor did she want to suffer again. The news of the barrier’s collapse was already making her dizzy.
“Lu.”
He shifted his body slightly, as if blocking the wind blowing toward her. His solid muscles, thick torso and limbs, and sharply squared shoulders clearly marked him as a warrior.
“Why are you so irresponsible?”
Lu pressed a hand to her forehead and turned away. It was her fault for trying to have a serious conversation with him.
Already, Hayden—with his fair but firm, sturdy build—was gazing at her as if deeply wounded. His gray eyes shimmered as if tears might spill out at any moment.
“Since it’s not working, just drop it.”
He stared straight at her.
“It’s not working?”
“Yeah.”
“That’s unfair. Even looking like this, it still doesn’t work?”
That question was rather underhanded. Her conscience pricked at her chest, but Lu swallowed hard and lied.
“Yeah.”
Any passerby hearing that would’ve thought the woman was mad. Hayden’s features were perfectly ideal. And as for his body—having seen him naked herself—there wasn’t a single flaw.
“So was being with me really that bad?”
It had been incredible.
“It was just a one-night thing. I don’t attach meaning to fleeting encounters.”
No, she knew she’d never forget it. In all of Rustica Jenus’s life, where else would she find a man so handsome and well-built?
It had been so long since she’d felt another living warmth in the same house—it had felt even more precious, but she had to cut it off. She wasn’t in a position to live with anyone.
Hayden looked at her, lowering his long, thick eyelashes.
“What if we meet again someday?”
“Though it’s unlikely, I’d pretend not to know you then too.”
But he didn’t answer—only smiled.
“Since that’s your wish, I’ll withdraw for now. Take care. I’ll see you again soon.”
Huh? Wasn’t he supposed to pack up and leave? As Lu approached him, puzzled, the tall man vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye.
“What?”
Lu looked around. Hayden was nowhere to be seen.
Silence returned once more to the cabin.
There was no trace left of the injured man who’d briefly stayed there. Hayden had cleaned up thoroughly, left her the money from selling the bear pelt, and disappeared right before her eyes.
‘This doesn’t make any sense.’
That enigmatic handsome man had vanished instantly without any warning. No matter how much she searched the area, she couldn’t find him.
‘So he was a mage—a highly skilled one who can even use teleportation magic.’
But for such a mage to be defeated by two bears? That made no sense. Had he deliberately gotten injured, then?
Gripped by uneasy thoughts, Lu rummaged through her meager belongings—though there was nothing worth taking—and, as expected, nothing was missing. All that remained was the gold coin purse she’d received from the lord.
“What kind of person is he, really…?”
Should she go back to the forest where he’d vanished? No, it was pointless. He’d said he’d leave and gone—what good would it do to chase after him now?
Even her muttering had faded from the cabin; not a sound remained. Silence settled once again.
Lu lowered her head. This was the loneliness she’d have to bear for life—listening only to the sound of passersby beyond the thin cabin walls, foolishly stirred by approaching footsteps.
Wait—approaching footsteps?
“Oh, seriously, what a sight.”
It was so quiet that even his muttering outside the cabin, as he looked at it, rang clearly in her ears.
Recognizing the voice from memory, Lu instantly and silently gripped her sword. Her movement was so swift and silent that anyone witnessing it would’ve been more unnerved than impressed.
The voice’s owner was a man. He bounded up the roughly hewn wooden steps in one go and pounded loudly on the door.
“Imperial Knight of Calleta, Rustica Jenus! Come out and receive the Emperor’s decree!”
What nonsense was this now? Lu frowned and peered outside through the palm-sized window. It seemed there was only one visitor—she saw no one else.
“Ruuuusssstiiicaaa! I know you’re in there, you drunkard! Stop sleeping and come out!”
His voice, impatiently calling her name at length and banging on the door, was full of annoyance.
Lu thought for a moment, then hid her sword, wildly tousled her hair, and hastily wrapped a blanket around herself.
She looked exactly like someone who’d just woken up—then opened the foulest-smelling bottle of liquor, splashed some carelessly on herself, and clutched the bottle tightly. She’d perfectly matched the image expected by whoever was pounding on the door outside.
The door opened.
“Oh dear…”
Lu closed the door behind her, having opened it only slightly to avoid revealing the cabin’s unusually neat interior—completely unlike a drunkard’s.
She deliberately frowned and lowered her head, spotting a pair of impeccably polished boots. Definitely not a local.
“Oh dear, seriously, oh dear!”
Slowly raising her eyes, she recognized the face. The man looking down at her with an exasperated expression was about half a head shorter than Hayden. Then again, Hayden was unusually tall.
As for his looks—well, he wasn’t as handsome as Hayden, but still quite presentable. Brown hair, gentle brown eyes—the typical handsome man from Katat, capital of the Calleta Empire.
“Why are you here?”
To Aldwin Rochester, knight of the Calleta Imperial Knights, Lu asked in a deliberately hoarse, fabricated voice. Aldwin himself, however, couldn’t speak further—his eyes were already red-rimmed.
Leaning against the doorframe, Lu sighed as she looked at her old comrade.
He’d always been the kind-hearted sort who’d stubbornly refused to give up on her in the Imperial Knights, but he’d also been the pampered young master who could afford to sing such flowery songs.
“…What’s with that look on you?”
Aldwin sniffed and wiped his eyes.
“What about me? You’re the same as ever.”
He was still the upright imperial knight. Unconsciously, Lu felt her mouth go dry.
That sharply tailored gray knight’s uniform symbolized the honor and ability she could never wear again. Before it, Lu instantly felt shabby and utterly insignificant.
“Have you eaten?”
Instead of answering, Lu shook the bottle she held.
“What kind of meal is that? Seriously, you…”
“If you’re going to whine, just leave. Go cry by yourself.”
She grimaced and tried to step back inside, but Aldwin quickly grabbed the blanket.
“No! It’s urgent—good news! Lu, you have to come back. His Majesty the Emperor has summoned you.”
This time, Lu scrunched up her face completely and turned to Aldwin.
“…What nonsense are you spouting?”
Bear-sized Aldwin sniffled, reached into his chest, and pulled out a white envelope he’d carefully carried with him.
He must have tried his best to keep it from creasing, but after such a long journey, some wrinkles were unavoidable.
The envelope, sealed with red wax bearing the Emperor’s personal stamp, was unmistakably an imperial decree from the Calleta Emperor.
“Did you hear the barrier’s been opened?”
“This is the countryside too. All news eventually reaches here.”
Lu set the untouched bottle on the outdoor table and tore open the decree.
“So we’ve ‘unavoidably’ started interacting with the nation on the other side. Honestly, it’s less interaction and more mutual surveillance and restraint.”
“The story’s gone that far? It must be the land of monsters.”
“It’s swarming with monsters and ruled by a Demon King—but the funny thing is, they call themselves an empire too.”
“Really?”
She read through the decree astonishingly fast—impossibly so for someone supposedly drunk.
Aldwin saw the sharpness glinting in Lu’s green eyes. Seeing such wisdom and quick wit only made him feel all the more regretful.
Rustica Jenus was a genius—not just in swordsmanship and magic, but in many other things as well.
If only she’d use her remaining talents—those not tied to physical skill like swordsmanship or magic—for the Calleta Empire. She was still in her vibrant twenties, famed for her beauty and intelligence—it was such a waste.
“‘Knight Rustica Jenus’—oh, am I still a ‘knight’?”
Aldwin sighed at Rustica’s teasing remark.
“Once a knight, always a knight—what are you talking about?”
“I quit. They’re appointing me as a diplomat to represent the Calleta Empire on some grand mission and sending me to the Perseita Empire.”
Perseita. She remembered asking Hayden if he’d ever heard of Perseita. When he said no, she’d scolded him for how long he must’ve been stuck out in the countryside.
Beneath the vague phrasing in the decree was the sender’s name.
Emperor Carlos Arthur Ingram. And the imperial seal. End of message.
Though she’d dropped the drunk act, Aldwin—who’d been half-convinced—beamed with delight.
“Congratulations!”
Lu tossed the decree beside the bottle, grabbed the liquor, and took a long swig. Ugh—the strong alcohol burned down her throat like fire.
“Damn it.”
When the male lead is punished by carrying the female lead’s child and having periods like a woman
“I’ve given birth to two children for you, yet you still think about him.
Was I nothing but his substitute to you from beginning to end?”
Synopsis:
Meng Huan, a scumbag who has dated countless girlfriends, transmigrates to a female-dominated country.
Day 1: Whether it’s female dominance or not doesn’t matter. The beauties here are passionate and amorous. Isn’t it easier to date them than in modern times?
Day 2: After a night, Meng Huan discovers the differences in the female-dominated world. Men here actually have chastity locks and menstrual cycles. This hinders his ability to perform, damn it!
Day 3: What’s wrong with sleeping around? I don’t want you to marry me. I’m meant to be a playboy. I don’t care about male virtues… What? You want to drown me in a pig cage? Marry, I’ll marry!
Day N: Meng Huan inexplicably vomits and receives the shocking news of his life… He’s pregnant.
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I’m not sure where Lu gets the patience to deal with Hayden. He’s like a bulldozer. He seems convinced he’s helping her yet he doesn’t consider her opinions throughout it all.