Seventy Seventh Seven

Days passed, and Seven did nothing but swing his wooden sword and did miles of running. He pushed his body to its limits. 

Today, as he swung his wooden sword, the weapon shattered mid-swing without even hitting a target. 

He stared at the broken hilt in his hand.

"Overload…"

He exhaled, closed his eyes, and shook his head. He activated Theia's Eye. Too much aura. The flow from the First Gate was faint but chaotic, struggling to regulate the surge, making it clear why the wooden sword couldn't handle the strain. 

"This is the limit of the First Gate."

The First Gate was never meant for raw power. It existed to refine movements, to guide the trajectory of the sword.

He frowned, but he was still thankful. Aura wasn't something common. Only 25% of the population had access to it. Another 25% wielded mana for magical arts, while the remaining 50% lived as ordinary citizens.

Tilting his head, he gazed at the endless sky above. His thoughts wandered.

"System." 

There was no response.

He sighed. The system was silent ever since Eden left the estate. It didn't flash any anomalies, nor flash his character information even when he looked at the mirror.

But he could feel that it's watching him.

"System. What day is it?"

Then, finally, the familiar text screen appeared before him.

[Date: 47th Day of the Seventh Season, Year 775.]

"Seven days…"

He counted the days, even without the system's help. Seven days have already passed since Eden departed for the North. 

"She must have arrived by now."

He gripped the hilt of his broken wooden sword. 

"I wonder if she met the protagonist already."

Slowly, he stood. But instead of picking up another sword to continue his practice, he dropped the hilt of the broken sword and turned toward the mansion.

As he entered his room, he found himself staring at its familiar interior, though something about it felt different.

"So much has changed…"

In the original novel, the Hart household's fate was sealed. They declared treason against the Seventh Kingdom, igniting a war that would scorch the continent and lead to its downfall. 

Again, it all started because the Archduke discovered that the assassin who killed Seven was hired by the King himself. It was an act to prevent Seven from marrying the princess in a politically arranged union.

But now, none of that happened.

"Because I'm alive…"

He stared out of the window. 

"How much have I already rewritten?"

For a moment, his reflection was caught in the glass, and he smirked faintly.

"Doesn't matter. I just need to get through this ceremony and start the Sevenfold journey to become the protagonist."

Ceremony.

An event where Seven would officially become a flag bearer of the Hart family and finally gain the right to leave the estate, to carve out his own destiny.

"Six days…"

He paced the room. It wasn't just about leaving the estate; it was about stepping into the world of the novel he followed for seven years.

After a while, his gaze shifted toward the system interface. He blinked to focus.

[Date: 47th Day of the Seventh Season, Year 775.]

"I still have time to prepare…"

Slowly, he sat down on the edge of his bed, resting his chin on his hands. The wooden sword he'd shattered earlier leaned against the far wall. He wanted to train, but for now, he simply stared at the system.

"Time…"

Softly, he repeated. He couldn't hide his nervousness. His gaze wandered the room. Then, something clicked in his mind. 

His eyes narrowed back to the system one more time.

"Narrative points."

[Total Narrative Points: 31,108 NP]

He leaned forward, reading it carefully. Thirty-one thousand points. It sounded like a vast amount, but to Seven, they were nothing more than useless numbers without any use.

"What the hell am I even supposed to do with these?"

There was no guidance given to him, nor any hint to suggest how these points could help him—or even what they meant. He leaned back, staring at the glowing digits as they mocked him.

"Shop." 

With a calm voice, he said. Nothing happened.

"Shop?" 

This time tilting his head, trying to mimic the questioning tone of a command. 

Still, the system remained silent.

"Narrative shop."

No response.

"Seventy Shop. Seventh Shop. Seven's Shop. Point Shop. Story Shop."

Still nothing. He frowned.

"The Narrative Emporium."

His voice grew more frustrated with each word as he continued throwing out combinations.

"Shop of Seven. System Shop. Please, System…"

He ran his hands through his damp brown hair.

"Open a Damn Shop!"

But the system interface floated serenely before him.

"Of course. You give me a progress bar and useless points, but when I actually need help? Silence."

He clenched his fists, glaring at the screen as if willing it to respond. But it didn't. All it did was hover, glowing faintly.

But he didn't give up. Again, giving up is not his forte.

"...Shop!"

Creak.

Instead of a system window, the door creaked open. Iria stepped in, carrying a small brown pouch and a sealed letter in her hands as she walked towards the desk.

Without a word, she placed the items neatly on its surface.

"What are those?" 

"Lady Eden asked me to give these to you." 

Iria brushed nonexistent dust off her apron.

"Why now?"

"Because you were busy training."

Seven began to move toward the desk, but before he could get too close, Iria leaped in front of him and outstretched her arms.

"No. No. No." 

She shook her head furiously, and her twin pigtails were bouncing as she stood firm.

"Why not?"

"Because Lady Eden told me so! She said you can't read it until after the ceremony."

He stared at her as her lips pressed into a firm line and her cheeks ballooned slightly

"That's ridiculous."

"Rules are rules!"

"Fine."

Slowly, he leaned against the wall. His gaze turned serious.

"Iria, what happens after the ceremony, then? What should I do?"

"Well? What do you want to do?"

He glanced out the window. 

"Explore the outside. Visit the seven kingdoms. Travel the seven continents. Wield a sword as someone unmatched."

"That's so like you!"

But inside, as Seojin, the man behind the role of Seven, his thoughts were far from romantic dreams of adventure.

'Fill the protagonist bar, make a perfect ending, and go back to Earth.'

But Iria's voice snapped him back to reality. 

"That adventure. Can I come with you?"

"What?"

"You're the only one I serve. If you leave the estate, I… I might lose my job. Your siblings all have their own personal maids, and no one else needs me."

Before he could answer, Iria straightened as she suddenly jabbed a thumb to her chest.

"But I'm not just any maid! I'm special! I can heal wounds faster than anyone else!"

She raised her hands and chanted softly, a golden glow enveloping her palms. Her energy warmed the air, and she grinned, proud of her ability.

"There! See? You'll need me!" 

Seven blinked at her.

"I'm sure I'll—"

"And one more thing!" 

She lowered her hands and her gaze softened, and she clasped them in front of her. 

"I like you."

"...?!"

"I like you because of that promise you made when I first joined the house. 'You're gonna be my personal servant forever.' That's what you said."

Seven opened his mouth to reply, but Iria was quicker. She pressed a finger to his lips, silencing him.

"Shh. No need to say anything now."

She turned on her heel and skipped toward the door.

"Think about it, okay?"

Seven stood there in silence as he glanced at the letter and the pouch on the desk. the pouch shifted slightly. A soft clink broke the silence, and something shiny slipped out and fell into the wooden surface.

Thud.

Curious, he stepped forward and picked it up.

It was a black necklace with a pendant shaped like the number 7. The edges gleamed faintly under the light.

He glanced at the sealed letter sitting beside the empty pouch. For a brief moment, he was tempted to break the wax seal and see what Eden wrote for him. 

But then Iria's words echoed in his mind. 

"You won't be reading them until after the ceremony."

Sigh.

The pendant dangled from his fingers as he stared at it one last time before he clasped the chain around his neck.

He shifted his gaze back to the window.

"...What are you trying to tell me, Sister?"