Project: Sound of Music (1)

There is no country that does not need a hero.

Adonis Hupper, the unparallel warrior, was the hero of Cohen.

Her nickname and trait, the「Giant Slayer」explained everything about her heroism.

Adonis Hupper was undoubtedly the next king of the Hupper Kingdom, and no one doubted it.

Although Adonis didn’t show it, she was conscious of the throne and always kept her behavior modest, striving to be an inspiration for others.

She was a warrior who would be the first to step forward if monsters threatened the kingdom.

When reports came in of goblins forming a horde in the mountains northwest of the Hupper Kingdom’s capital, Cohen, Adonis took on the extermination mission without a moment’s hesitation.

Now, having completed the extermination mission, she returned.

She was on her way to report in person to King Morgan Hupper.

“Lord Adonis, there’s blood on your cloak.”

In front of the royal chamber, the minister spoke. Adonis looked at her own cloak.

Green blood was heavily stained on the red cloak.

She silently took off the cloak and handed it to a servant, then asked the minister:

“Is there any other part of me that’s not neat?”

“No.”

The minister courteously bowed and stepped back, and Adonis opened the door to the royal chamber.

A long red carpet stretched out in the middle, and at the end sat King Morgan Hupper.

Adonis knelt down at a certain distance, taking the proper knightly stance.

“I, Adonis, the commander of the 3rd Knight Order, have returned from the extermination mission.”

His eyebrows, as white as fallen snow, twitched as his eyes looked down at Adonis.

“Have you returned?”

“Yes.”

“You’ve worked hard.”

“…Thank you.”

Upon hearing that, Adonis rose from her position.

The conversation was over.

A moment later, Adonis stood in front of the closed door.

From inside, she could hear Morgan’s voice, little by little.

“Where is Morgan and what is he doing?”

“His Highness is studying in the library, Your Majesty.”

“Is that so? Make sure he takes good care of himself.”

“I understand.”

Morgan the Second.

Morgan had never called her by her name since she became a knight.

He called only that child by his name.

“Commander, is there anything bothering you?”

“…”

At the words of the Royal Guard, Adonis said nothing and moved her feet to the hallway.

‘Don’t think about it.’

There’s nothing more disgusting than competing against your own flesh and blood.

Adonis brushed her chest and headed for her office.

Wasn’t there a saying, ‘Speak of the devil, and he shall appear?’

Adonis saw the man standing in front of her office and froze.

“Big sister! cough, cough.”

Morgan the Second.

A man so beautiful that others might mistake him for her sister.

Unlike his similar appearance, he had a fragile body, prone to illness from birth.

A glass flower-like child who couldn’t be sent outside alone.

Adonis approached Morgan with an expressionless face.

“Why are you outside?”

“I wanted to see you, big sister… We haven’t been able to talk much lately, have we?”

“Is that so?”

Adonis replied curtly.

However, Morgan, the Second laughed heartily.

“I haven’t seen you for a whole week, sister. I almost forgot what your face looked like.”

“Why did you wait here instead of going inside? You’ll be scolded by His Majesty again.”

“I didn’t want to make it difficult for you, sister. I just wanted to see you for a brief moment…”

For some reason, Morgan the Second knew that his father didn’t like him being with Adonis.

That’s why he had been waiting here, pretending to have bumped into her while taking a walk.

Adonis looked down at Morgan the Second and closed her eyes.

Morgan, with a smiling face, looked at her and offered a polite greeting.

“You seem to be in good health, sister. I’ll take my leave now.”

“…Yes.”

Adonis responded to his greeting, and Morgan the Second passed her by, still smiling brightly.

Entering her office, Adonis covered her face.

“…I’m like a jealous woman.”

She found it ridiculous that she was jealous of the king’s affection for her younger brother.

Adonis knew deep down.

That Morgan cherished her brother more than her.

That despite her constant achievements in public, the king did not appreciate them.

That he might not pass on the throne to her.

If she said she had no desire, it would be a lie.

She was human too, a person with the will to strive for a higher place.

She wanted the throne more than anyone else.

But she despised her own greed that reached out to her younger sibling.

“Don’t think about it.”

Being a knight was Adonis’s path now.

As a knight, she was the sword that protected the country and the shield of the king.

***

Meanwhile, Reed began to ponder in his office.

-You will be king.

After sending a very brief anonymous letter, he had been thinking about ways to approach Adonis Hupper, but no good excuse had come to mind.

‘Adonis will fall, and she will become corrupt.’

The root of that downfall was her father’s greed.

Morgan was currently seeking eternal life by possessing his child’s body.

‘Ultimately, I have to approach Adonis Hupper to help her.’

However, the way to approach her was the biggest problem.

‘But if I show interest in any way, she will become suspicious.’

It was impossible for a tower mage to meddle in the affairs of the kingdom.

It was like holding up a sign saying, ‘I’m suspicious. Please investigate.’

‘I’ll approach her secretly.’

The Tower Master of the Black Sky, Freesia, would undoubtedly be secretly in touch with Morgan.

To counter their conspiracy, joining hands with Adonis was the most ideal option.

However, Adonis was now an unwavering knight.

From their first encounter, Reed could feel it with certainty.

That she was loyal to the king and followed him blindly.

Even if he approached her covertly, there was a high chance that Adonis would report him.

No, maybe she would even join forces with the king.

“Ugh…”

Was it because he had seen her turn the victims of the「Desire Massacre」into a bloody mess?

Just thinking about her made him shudder.

‘If I can’t approach her secretly or directly, then I have to subtly get close.’

He would subtly approach her.

In other words, he would make her feel like this was some kind of fate while being aware that it was a scheme.

There might be some minor misunderstandings, but the risk of those misunderstandings was not greater than other methods.

If he explained it well, most people would just let it pass.

‘The best way to approach her like that is to show off my technical skills…’

Magic Engineering products were items specialized for ordinary people rather than mages, so they could serve as a good excuse.

However, the gauntlet Reed was making was not intended to be shown off somewhere.

It was merely an item to improve Reed’s ability, who couldn’t use magic properly.

Reed examined his magic engineering projects one by one.

‘They’re good and innovative, but there’s nothing that really catches the eye.’

Most of them were items used in wars.

In other words, they were unnecessary in times of peace.

The Hupper Kingdom wouldn’t be interested in these war tools either.

As he wondered what to do, someone knocked on the door of his office.