Chapter 63
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: Regular Customer Summon (2)
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I decided to give registering him as a regular customer a shot, just in case.
Since he was a non-awakener, he naturally wouldn't have a nickname, so I used the real name I'd overheard earlier.
Not that I was even certain it was his real name.
It could have been a trick to mislead us, or maybe they hadn't even bothered asking his name.
Anyway, with nothing to lose, the moment I entered his name...
Would you like to register 'Francesco Dante' as a regular customer?
"No way this actually works...?"
"What works?"
Kwon Yena approached, asking me what I was talking about.
I immediately turned my phone to show her.
"If I register him as a regular, maybe we can finally communicate?"
Of course, it might not work, but the fact that this feature applied even to a regular person made it seem plausible.
No, I actually thought the odds were pretty good.
I quickly requested the registration.
Now all he had to do was accept, and I could use regular customer service to try communicating again.
...
"Did it go through?"
"No..."
"Bummer. At least we know it works on civilians too..."
"It's not that. He hasn't accepted the request."
He knew as little about us as we did about him.
So he wouldn't know I was the Boastful Blacksmith, and even if he did, it made sense that he wouldn't accept rashly.
"Guess I should go over and convince him to accept it somehow?"
We didn't need a deep conversation—just get him to tap the accept button.
Though that might be the hard part.
Still, it was the only option right now, so I'd give it a try.
Thud. Thud.
'Why hasn't he accepted?'
If I could figure out his reason, I could change his mind.
...
"Yena."
"Yeah?"
"Did you release the Wind Shackles?"
"Huh? No...?"
A question popped into my head as we headed to the room with Francesco Dante.
Kim Hyeji had been affected by Yena's wind magic and got summoned along with her, so why was the old man still here?
Of course, it could have been a coincidence based on some other criterion.
"I'll take point. Subdue him right away if he tries anything."
"Wait, that's not... Fine."
I pulled out my A-rank shield, and Yena—who had started to protest—reluctantly agreed.
"I've watched enough anime to know: in situations like this, never assume he's sitting in the chair. Check the ceiling or behind the door. Or he might jump out suddenly."
"..."
It wasn't exactly something to brag about.
Having binged so much anime, I should have anticipated the classic trope: play weak at first capture, then break free from loosened restraints for a surprise attack.
"Hoo... You open the door?"
No matter how trained he was, a non-awakener couldn't beat me.
But...
To win without taking even a scratch against a non-awakener, I shouldn't fight to win.
Bang!—
Whoosh!—
I flung the door wide open, then flattened myself to the floor, curling behind the shield to hide.
Everything from here was Yena's job.
Me? Just secure line of sight and pull aggro—that fulfilled my role.
So I waited like that until Yena's voice signaled it was over.
Thump—
Thump—
Thump—
'Why isn't there any noise...?'
I wanted to peek out and check, but I held back.
In real combat, idle curiosity gets you killed.
...
"Yujun..."
"All clear?"
Stay vigilant until Yena confirmed it was safe.
Safety first, always.
As I waited for her response, a different voice—not Yena's—rang out.
"Yujun, what are you doing back there...?"
Boom!
"Mm...?"
Kim Hyeji, dozing on the bed next to the saintess, jolted awake at the loud noise from outside.
"Ugh... So noisy..."
Wondering what was going on, she hopped off the bed and headed to the living room—empty.
The voices came from farther away, the opposite end from the saintess's room: the guest room.
"What's happening...?"
Only then did Hyeji remember the mysterious old man who'd been summoned with the saintess.
Gulp.
It might be a fight, so she gripped her kukri tightly and headed toward the noise.
...
What she saw upon arrival:
The old man sitting meekly in a chair, Yena watching him.
And Yujun, curled up tight behind his shield.
Sizzle—
I sprayed potion on the old man's wrists, scarred from forcibly breaking Yena's Wind Shackles.
We still didn't know his full story, but that meant he could be friendly with the saintess—and potentially us too.
Potions were plentiful, so no regrets there. The real worry was how to coexist peacefully until the saintess woke.
"Seriously... If you're just gonna sit there quietly, why force the shackles off...?"
"Maybe they were uncomfortable?"
"Hmm... Yena, can you restrain his movement without binding his body—just keep him near the chair?"
Whoooosh—
"Nothing's impossible for you, huh."
"Heh."
For all our tension, nothing happened.
Maybe he just hated the bound position...
Or perhaps he'd let himself get "subdued."
Either way, his calm patience suggested he was waiting for the saintess too—reassuring.
Good enough for another regular registration request, I figured. I tried again.
"O.K.!"
"Mm... Touch!"
The message had to be floating in his view, so I pointed at likely button spots, doing every silly gesture imaginable—but no dice.
"...Let's just give up and wait for the saintess."
I spammed requests endlessly, hoping annoyance would make him accept. Nope. Stonewalled.
Might as well wake the saintess by shaking her.
Of course, I didn't actually wake the saintess forcibly.
I knew roughly what had gone down in the gate—she needed rest.
Just frustratingly stalled.
Still, plenty of ways to gather info. No sitting idle.
—
[Holy Kingdom Clears S-Rank Gate wtf????]
[Saintess Veronica Estelle Dies During Gate Raid... 11 Dead, 2 Injured Out of 20 Raiders]
[New Saintess Emerges?! Prays to God and Commands the Heavens.]
[Does God Exist?!! Highlights from the New Saintess's Raid. Holy Kingdom Releases Partial Gate Clearance Footage]
[Veronica Estelle, Former Saintess, Becomes a Star in the Heavens... Waves of Mourning]
I'd half-expected it, but the Gallery was in absolute chaos.
The Holy Kingdom had released partial raid footage and officially acknowledged the saintess's death.
The clip was short but jaw-dropping:
A downpour from one awakener blanketing the hellfire-ravaged gate interior.
They withheld her name, abilities, appearance—everything—stating they'd focus on mourning for now.
World's first S-rank gate clear lololol they actually pulled it off???
World's first S-rank clear, no less—and without World Hunter Association support, just straight-up opposition. Insane.
Italians can finally sleep easy.
Fr, why not have the Holy Kingdom roam around clearing all S-ranks?
That looks like a historic S-rank awakener;; No wide-area ability like that exists.
For real, drop the full vid...
TBH excluding the saintess, highest casualty was B-rank. Clearing S-rank with one saintess? Solid ROI.
What a psycho;;
Anon guarantee got these idiots spewing crap ffs
Coldly, not wrong tbh. Last disaster couldn't even clear and lost two S-ranks.
Blame World Hunter Assoc and other guilds. If they'd supported instead of opposing, no saintess sacrifice.
Fr, Holy Kingdom was dead sure they'd clear, but no support so they padded with B-rank scrubs ;;
Gregorio <<< this era's true sigma chad lmao
100% trusts his judgment and pushes through.
Whole world opposes? If he thinks he's right, he is.
Some crown-like gear he pulled out? S-rank reward?
Maybe, maybe not. Didn't wipe all monsters—backdoored the gate shut, so maybe no rewards. Or since it's cleared, guaranteed drop.
But how'd the saintess go down...? Release the full clip pls ;;
Asking for death scene footage??
Unexpected accident, they said. Just accept it.
Clear our S-rank, drop footage, do ours too lmao. Demands never end.
The reaction to the Holy Kingdom's S-rank clear was explosive.
Overwhelmingly positive.
The saintess's sacrifice was tragic, but coldly weighing humanity's benefit, this raid was a massive success.
Not only resolving a real threat with the world's first S-rank clear, but inspiring possibility and hope.
Thus, her noble, honorable sacrifice wove seamlessly into the Holy Kingdom's epic tale of honor and selflessness.
And despite global opposition—including from the World Hunter Association—they'd become the guild that saved the world.
[Disband World Hunter Assoc and Let Holy Kingdom Handle Everything lmao]
With the world's full backing, the Holy Kingdom ascended to super-guild status—the pinnacle of guilds worldwide.
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