TMHLBQ_ARCHIVE_INTERMISSION CHAPTER 16: DETERMINATION

 

DETERMINATION

(RESOLVE) 

“This is the room, Gilbert. Use it as you like.”

“Thank you, sir.”

After becoming a servant in a middle-class household, I managed to earn the master’s favor thanks to my quick thinking. He gave me a room to stay in on the estate. In actuality, the room served primarily as a storage area.

It had once been a library, from the look of it. Except for a narrow space where I could lie down, the entire room was packed with towering piles of books.

Ever since I heard about Maria’s engagement, I had spent every moment we weren’t together—morning and night—devouring those books. I taught myself to read and write. I searched desperately for any way, any skill, that might let me build a future with her. I absorbed every scrap of knowledge I could get my hands on, no matter the subject.

---

It happened exactly one week later.

That day, the lady of the house had invited guests over for a party. I worked as a server, clearing plates in the banquet hall while watching elegant women clad in glittering gold and jewels dance, their hands held by well-dressed men.

Later that night, after the guests had gone and the cleaning was done, I returned to my room, thoughts drifting back to Maria.

Just the day before, she had told me how her two older sisters had boasted about the accessories their father had given them. She’d said they were beautiful… and that she envied them.

—How thrilled I’d be, I thought, if one day I could grow up and give her something just as beautiful.

I had begun to dream of such a future—one where we were both adults.

And then… it happened.

My body suddenly began to change—rapidly.

It was as if I were stretching, growing. My arms and legs lengthened. My clothes—of which I only owned a few—started to tear at the seams.

A special ability.

Unique to our country. Each person’s power was different, and its value was often judged by how rare or useful it was.

Heart pounding, I rifled through the books I had read on special abilities, recalling every scrap of information.

There had once been a single person in recorded history with the ability to manipulate age—an “ageless one,” capable of even altering their own lifespan. This was an exceptionally rare power.

One passage stood out: those in positions of power in this nation weren’t chosen by bloodline, but by the strength and rarity of their abilities.

This was it.

This was the answer.

With this power, I might be able to rise to the top. I could finally live a better life—maybe even one worthy of Maria.

This ability was a gift from the heavens. A divine hand, reaching out to save her.

---

“I won’t be able to see you for a while.”

I told her two nights later.

She looked stricken, tears welling in her eyes. “There’s not much time left,” she whispered.

So I held both of her hands in mine, looked straight into her eyes, and made a promise.

“I’ll come for you. Before you turn sixteen—I swear it.”

Then I used my ability.

Her eyes widened in shock as she watched my body grow before her eyes. Since awakening this power, I had practiced nonstop—and within just two days, I could already control my age with precision.

Slowly, I transformed into an adult right in front of her.

“With this power, I’ll make it to the upper ranks of the royal court. And when I do, Maria… I’ll come back for you.”

That’s why I couldn’t see her. I needed every day—every hour, every second—to study, to learn everything I could.

She nodded, tears streaming down her cheeks. Over and over, she whispered, “I’ll wait.”

---

That night, after our temporary farewell and our promise, I devoted myself to my studies.

Knowledge, martial arts, self-defense—I started with books and theory.

Truthfully, I wanted to quit being a servant and focus entirely on my education. But if I gave up the job, I’d lose access to the estate’s library—and I wouldn’t be able to afford any new books either.

So I continued working, sacrificing sleep, pouring every ounce of energy I had into learning.

For one purpose alone:

To make her happy.

 

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EUN: I've been trying to add and submit IC 15, c63, c64 on Novelupdates for the past three hours and it still is not there.... 

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