I'm Not the Final Boss' Lover Vol. 2 (novel): I'm Not the Final Boss' Lover, #2

By KEN

Secret meetings. Establishing hierarchy. Slanderous rumors.

 

After she assumed her role as the newly-appointed vice-captain of the Dark Knights, Jun Karentia had a plethora of tasks to accomplish every day. From managing the expedition corps to hunting down traitors and selecting the best agents, she barely had a moment to herself. Moreover, she had to weed out any operatives that wouldn't be of any help in the future.

 

Yet, when she stumbles upon her captain's secret, she finds herself with an additional responsibility. Mayer Knox needs her help, and Jun cannot refuse, even if it means sacrificing her precious nights. As Jun works tirelessly to assist Mayer, the inhabitants of Nochtentoria Castle begin to whisper about the nature of their relationship. This time, Jun has no one to blame but herself for the rumors.

 

Despite the awkwardness they provoke, gossip is the least of Jun's worries. All of her apprehension is reserved for the terrible disaster that looms on the horizon. With time slipping away, can she find a solution before the hourglass empties?

 

In every RPG, you must choose your allies carefully.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Astral Rabbit
• Release date: Sep 22, 2022
• ISBN: 9781954707443

Book preview

I’m Not The Final Boss’ Lover

I’M NOT THE FINAL BOSS’ LOVER

VOLUME 2

KEN

TRANSLATED BY

ASTRAL RABBIT PUBLISHING

Astral Rabbit Publishing

KEN © I’m Not The Final Boss’ Lover, Volume 2

Copyright © Shinyoung Media Services, Inc., 2023

English translation copyright © Astral Rabbit Publishing, Inc.

Translator: J.H. Lee | Editor: Mariana Barreto

Published by Astral Rabbit Publishing, 2023

All Rights Reserved.

This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

English translation rights arranged with Shinyoung Media Services, Inc. First published in the Republic of Korea by Shinyoung Media Services, Inc.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the copyright holders, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Astral Rabbit, Inc. supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.

ISBN 978-1-954707-44-3 (digital)

CONTENTS

Act 5: Mayer Knox's Secret

Act 6: Memorial Service

Act 7: A Time of Harvest

Act 8: The Dragon's Orb

Notes

Publisher’s Note

About the Publisher

ACT 5: MAYER KNOX'S SECRET

With Sevi, Julieta, and Nova added to my plate, I was busy every day. If anything, Sevi's awakening as a mage was a relief. He no longer needed to go back and forth between the training grounds and the castle spire. The boy was ready to learn spells. Meanwhile, Julieta could move on to sparring and I thought it would be fine to pit her against Nova. I often pondered on ways to develop the special unit, even while I moved through corridors. Because of that, I sometimes ended up going the wrong way, such as now.

I clicked my tongue, annoyed. Darn… I got on the wrong floor. I considered going back the way I came and drew a rough mental sketch of the castle structure. If I kept going straight and down the stairs, it'd be faster. I suppose I’ll memorize the castle structure while I’m at it, I murmured jokingly as I began moving.

That was me taking Nochtentoria Castle too lightly and it showed soon enough. I should have come across a staircase, but I was going somewhere completely different. Is it because I’m in the main castle? The structure is like a maze…

It must have been designed to prevent assassination attempts. Considering how hard a time I was having as a pathfinder, its complexity wasn’t hard to guess at. At this point, I had wandered enough yet I refused to go back. I came this far; I might as well keep going to the end.

Voices of people came from outside the windows, yet the inside of the building was quiet as the dead. The sunlight shining through the windows illuminated exactly half of the hallways. I walked the border between darkness and light, heart thumping with adventure. As I walked through the corridors, I didn't come across a single person. It was odd, considering how many servants and Dark Knights worked in the castle. Had I set foot in a place I should not have? But if such a place existed, Mayer, the butler, or even Mary would have warned me. I paused for a moment, many thoughts flitting through my mind. That was when I saw a door slightly ajar before me. Believing it to be the exit, I opened it in delight. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a room that was completely closed on all sides. There was a small window high up, through which a sliver of light dimly lit the place.

I looked around with a frown. The lack of proper sunlight made the room dark. I assumed it was to preserve the paintings on the wall, but apparently, that wasn't enough for the owner of this room. Someone put curtains over those paintings. My eyes were drawn to the largest painting in the center. The end of it was visible because the curtain wasn't hung properly. What kind of painting was it to be so strictly cared for? I felt as if I had discovered a hidden treasure chest at the end of a long adventure. Curiosity welled in my chest.

For a brief moment, I struggled with my conscience, but wouldn't it be fine to take a peek? I quietly flipped the curtain. It's a portrait, I murmured out loud.

The painting of a family. A handsome man with silver-gray hair in a uniform, a lady with light brown hair, and a young boy with black hair who looked about five years old. Based on hair color alone, they didn't look like a family, but the face of the boy resembled the other two a lot. And the face of the silver gray-haired man was familiar. He looked just like Mayer Knox.

I should've expected a portrait of the Knox family in Nochtentoria Castle. This man was likely the previous grand duke, Mayer's father. Then the dark-haired boy had to be the captain. I stared at the boy in the painting, marveling at this unexpected meeting with a young Mayer Knox. He looked so stern at such a young age… What a heavy aura! With a giggle, I shifted my gaze up. The moment my eyes reached the previous grand duke and duchess, I gaped. Staring blankly at the painting, dazed, I realized something. Neither of the two had black hair, but Young Mayer's face resembled them. His hair color was genetically impossible, and that left only one answer. Mayer's black hair... was due to his mana?

It was evident that the mana of the demon lord he possessed had turned his hair black. I didn't notice at all—black was one of the common hair colors.

Who’s there? A hostile, elderly voice called out from behind me. I panicked and turned around, letting go of the curtain. Butler Vince stood by the door, glaring until he recognized me. …Vice-captain? His face eased up a bit, but he didn’t let his guard down. This room is off-limits, Vice-captain.

Oh, I’m sorry. I didn't mean to come here. I just got lost... The excuse slipped off my tongue like someone caught doing something bad. My heart raced; I had broken the taboo of seeing something I shouldn't have.

Butler Vince walked over wearing an unreadable expression. I stood still as he smoothed down the curtain over the portrait. I went away for a moment in the middle of cleaning the dust and did not expect a visitor to come by during that time. My lack of caution is to fault, he murmured.

I-I didn't know this place was off-limits.

I should have informed you beforehand, but this old man assumed His Excellency would have mentioned it. I presume he did not tell you anything? The butler inquired.

…Yes.

Then perhaps His Excellency hoped for you to come here someday.

I didn’t think the captain wanted me to face the truth so quickly, though. I let out a sigh, feeling perplexed, and Vince glanced at me. It appears you have seen the portrait.

…Yes, I admitted.

And it also seems you have realized His Excellency's secret, he continued. I nodded again, more cautiously this time. I wasn’t foolish enough to not know that I had seen something I shouldn’t. Blinking his wrinkled eyes as if he couldn’t understand my reaction, Vince added, Do you not feel afraid?

…Huh? Of what? I couldn’t help but ask. What reason was there to feel afraid? Was Mayer going to get angry that I entered an off-limits area?

Of His Excellency's hair... The identity of his mana.

Only then did I realize how this world perceived demonic power. Faith in Saint Marianne awakened the holy element and opened the path to priesthood. Demonic power, on the other hand, was only bestowed to demon kin. In other words, it was proof of being tainted by the demon lord. It wouldn’t be strange to feel fear when you discovered that the captain you followed had demonic power. However, I already knew about that. What shocked me was learning that the captain’s hair wasn’t genetically black. I had believed that Mayer would never understand the feeling of being judged by hair color, but I was wrong. To think that his hair was the mark, the brand of the demon lord that he carried since birth... I sighed and shook my head. Because there's no reason to be afraid.

…Is that so?

Yes. The captain is someone very important to me. Someone that can't be replaced by anyone else. Something like that can't make me fear him. I explained to Vince in a strong tone to ease his concern. The butler stared at me, wide-eyed, and I realized how suggestive my words were. I made it sound as if Mayer was my precious, uh, special... No, I was talking about ability! What I meant was, uh… I tried to correct myself, but it was too late.

…I was afraid. Vince began speaking hesitantly as if beginning a confession. I couldn't bring myself to cut him off to try and make an excuse. No, all of Nochtentoria Castle feared His Excellency. All except for my wife.

Your wife?

She was His Excellency's nanny. Even the duke's mother, the former grand duchess, avoided him. My wife had lost our child at the time and so she came to rear him.

Was this okay for me to hear? I felt it was far too private for me to know. Deciding that I had nosed in enough, I shook my head and said, …I don't know if it’s okay for me to know this.

If it is you, Vice-captain, I think it will be fine. It is something you must know. The butler insisted.

I’m not so sure about that. What will the captain say about me knowing the truth?

The past was perhaps Mayer's sole weakness. Not to mention, he had yet to reveal to me that he possessed demonic power. This had to be his sore spot so I had to approach the matter with utmost caution. Vince seemed to think otherwise, though, as he clung to the subject. I am sure His Excellency will be averse to you learning about this. He is, after all, a man of strong pride who refuses to show weakness. However, I still want you to know, Vice-captain.

Why?

Because you are the only one His Excellency trusts and relies on.

My mouth went dry. Trusted and relied on? That was all pretense. I fought the urge to tell Vince that he was wrong and, unaware of my feelings, the butler continued. His Excellency shared a glass of drink with you alone, did he not? He is not one to let people get so close.

Mayer Knox, you rock of a man. Just how much were you distancing yourself from others? How could I have become the most dependable person just by drinking some wine with you? Shouldn't this be the moment where I must swear to keep a secret? Never did I hear of being begged to know a secret.

Besides, you are the only one who thinks of the duke the way you do. Despite finding out that His Excellency has the same power as the demons, you do not mind in the least. Your strong conviction and faith give you the right to know about his past. Vince explained.

He had misunderstood: I didn't mind it because I already knew about the captain's mana, yet I couldn't tell him this. I made one wrong statement and ended up being mistaken as Mayer Knox's loyal follower. For a minute, I reminded myself over and over of the saying weigh your words before speaking.

As I bit my lips, distressed by this bewildering situation, Vince let out a deep, remorseful sigh. I am old now and do not know when I will leave this world. And yet, I am the only one left who knows what His Excellency went through. I am certain that the duke will never speak about it and shall continue to live while harboring that pain alone... Do you not think it too sorrowful? I ask of you, Vice-captain. Could you please take over this old man's memory?

I had joined the Dark Knights only a few months ago. Was I qualified to receive that precious memory? I tried to persuade Vince the best I could. The captain and I could fall apart later, and I could use the past you tell me to threaten him. You never know what'll happen. What is it that makes you believe in me?

That would mean that I was mistaken in my old age. But, in my experience, those who would act as you suggested are usually prone to prying in on secrets. Vince stared at me and his gaze seemed to ask if I really would do such a thing. Besides, there would be nothing better to threaten him with.

I gave up. Since he wanted to tell me so much then okay. Outdone by Vince's stubbornness, I sighed and held up my hands in defeat. Alright... But it's not my fault if His Excellency gets angry later.

This old man will take full responsibility, Vince promised with a nod. He then took a moment to steady his breath and began recounting the past with a faraway look in his eyes.

Mayer Knox was black-haired from birth. The duke had silvery-gray locks and the duchess had light brown waves. it was an impossible hair color to give birth to. No one in the family tree had black hair either. Grand Duke Knox and the people close to him were confused by the unprecedented situation.

Isn't it possible that the grand duchess was unfaithful?

She is not the kind of person to do such a thing!

Moreover, the young master perfectly resembles His Excellency. That is preposterous speculation.

Then that means his hair color has changed. Then... the young master must've been born with awakened mana.

The grand duke had been listening to his vassals discuss. Are you saying that my heir is a mage? he asked gravely.

The vassal who had explained nodded. Yes. However… only fellspawn have black mana.

Fellspawn! Are you suggesting that the heir is a monster?

That is impossible! The fellspawn have disappeared since the sacred war.

This must be a curse of the demon lord.

Heresy!

Noise filled the grand duke's office as unease set in and spread like wildfire. After a long while, Grand Duke Knox made a decision. We will confine the child and hold a period of observation. No one is to speak of this sinister matter.

And thus, the newborn Mayer was confined to the castle spire. His mother, the grand duchess, grew to loathe Mayer for drawing doubt to her chastity. She felt chilled by the thought of having birthed a suspected monster. After sending her child to the spire, she never went to meet him. As a result, most of Nochtentoria's residents believed that the grand duchess' child was stillborn. They thought Mayer was an illegitimate child. A bastard would hardly be viewed well upon, even if he was of the grand duke's blood. If it wasn't for Mayer's nanny Yonata, he would've been left to indifferent neglection. While everyone else shunned the child, Yonata raised him as if he were the child that she had lost.

Mayer Knox lived in confinement for nearly 10 years. If anything, he was fortunate that he was the sole child of the grand duke. Because of it, he could receive an heir’s education. Mayer absorbed all the knowledge given to him and produced superior results. Literature, politics, arithmetic... But all his efforts were in vain. His father, Grand Duke Knox, was very suspicious of his outstanding achievements. Unwilling to give Mayer due credit, he believed it was all a sinister ability of the fellspawn. And that wasn't all. He feared that demonic energy would leak from the spire Mayer was confined to. Grand Duke Knox donated a large sum to the church and built a huge monastery in his province. Then, he gathered priests and acolytes to fill his lands with the grace of Saint Marianne.

Yet that wasn't enough. He made Mayer pray six hours a day without fail, believing it would purify the demonic power in him. When no one desired to get involved with the young heir, his nanny Yonata alone gave him great praise. She caressed his hair, consoling him. Everyone's acting like that because they don't know what a kind person you are, Young Master. They'll find out later for sure, don't worry.

Young Mayer nodded and replied, I don't care, so long as you're by my side, Nan. When I become grand duke later, I'll definitely repay this favor.

Favor? I'm the one who should be repaying you. You don't know how happy I am to spend time like this together, Young Master.

But even those small, fleeting moments of peace disappeared when Mayer turned ten. Yonata died from an infectious disease. The vassals who knew the truth about Mayer whispered that her death was his fault.

It's all because she touched that accursed hair! Yonata must've been cursed as well!

Yonata's husband, Vince, climbed up the castle spire after his wife's funeral. Even as she lay on her deathbed, Yonata worried for Mayer. "Look after him... Look after the young master, honey," she had implored him. Vince couldn't refuse his wife's last words and headed to the top of the castle spire. There he found young Mayer sitting expressionlessly, cutting his hair without hesitation. 

What are you doing, Young Master! Vince cried out, rushing to stop the child. The boy's hair already sported a jagged cut, his scalp grazed by the scissor blades and welling with blood. 

Why? Mayer asked in confusion.

Why...? You are bleeding. You must not do something like this. You must cherish your.... Vince trailed off then, at a loss. He didn't know how to calm Mayer down. The boy stared at the butler, who saw himself reflected in the boy's golden eyes and felt as if he was being seen through.

Mayer asked again in a clear voice. Why? Even though Yonata died, cursed because of my hair?

No. That is wrong! Vince shouted. The butler didn't think Yonata died because of Mayer. His wife was merely unlucky. Even so, he couldn't bring himself to reach for Mayer's hair. The best he could do was to hastily take the scissors away from the boy and look after his injuries. Through all this, he avoided physical contact. Mayer appeared to understand Vince's feelings as he didn't say a thing.

Since then, Vince had carried on his wife's will and taken care of the boy, but that was all. The butler could neither replace Yonata nor was he shameless enough to try. Eventually, Mayer completely closed off his heart. From that point on, the boy disliked physical contact and avoided having his hair touched. After his thirteenth birthday, a dimensional distortion appeared in the Knox dukedom. It was the first dungeon, which began to spit out monsters. The abrupt phenomenon took everyone by surprise. The Dark Knights spared no effort to defeat the monsters that escaped the dungeon. And yet, there were severe civilian casualties. The dungeon was a sign of the demon lord's arrival unto the world, a sign of the second sacred war in a thousand years.

Grand Duke Knox believed with all his being that it was all because of Mayer. No sooner had he received a report of the dungeon opening, he had climbed the castle spire in a craze. You accursed thing! He howled to his son. You summoned the demon lord! I should have killed you as soon as you were born!

Your Excellency the Grand Duke! You mustn't! Vince tried to stop the grand duke, but the other man was faster. He drew his sword and swung down toward Mayer—but at that moment, mana burst from the boy's body. The threat to his safety and unstable mind lead to his magic powers going berserk.

Gaargh!

Mayer's mana was dark, sinister, and violent. The demonic power consumed Grand Duke Knox, rapidly desiccating his body. The sight of him bereft of vitality was like death itself. The boy was appalled by what he saw happen before his very eyes. Although he had only met the grand duke a few times since birth, the man was still his father. Mayer stared in a daze, shocked at his parent's attempted murder and the man's death because of him.

What? The grand duke...! The grand duchess staggered, on the verge of fainting, at the news of the grand duke's death. In a frenzy, she blamed everything on Mayer. "A son killing his father? What a monster! Clearly, he