Chapter 36
Chapter 36
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 36
Chapter Title: Swordsman and Lady
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Before long, the sixth and seventh executives of the Mafia Alliance had fallen.
By this point, even Dominique had realized one fact. (Though it was a bit late.)
'Aren't they all beasts?'
To be precise, they were beastkin.
Beastkin with a particularly high ratio of fur.
Beastkin were already discriminated against by hairless humans,
but even among beastkin, discrimination existed based on the amount of fur.
They claimed to be closer to humans.
Thanks to that, beastkin were treated as discriminated slaves, while furry beastkin were untouchables.
Such beastkin had become family bosses who secretly controlled an entire city in this marquisate.
'Is this success or depravity?'
They had seized power, so it was success, but they had abandoned righteousness and become closer to beasts.
Accordingly, Dominique defined them as beast passers.
In any case, all the family bosses had one thing in common: they were beastkin.
One fact could be gleaned from this.
'Ah. The Godfather is a furry.'
No, that wasn't it.
In this world where loyalty was hard to trust, especially in the underworld, the Godfather had chosen persecuted beastkin as his limbs.
He bound them with fear that leaving his shadow would return them to their past misery, and gratitude for saving them from it.
But Dominique's mind hadn't reached that conclusion—no, it hadn't bothered.
Even if he figured it out, with seven already slain and the time to take down the father approaching, nothing would change.
However, Jane, who had begun to regain her reason after partially shedding her obsession with revenge, thought differently.
'It feels... familiar somehow.'
The Godfather's actions felt familiar to her.
His face unknown, his identity unknown.
But his deeds evoked a sense of familiarity.
And from the executives of the alliance who refused to betray the Godfather even in their dying moments, she realized the source of that déjà vu.
'It's like me.'
Herself, saved by an unknown swordsman whose face she didn't know, chasing his shadow; and the family bosses finding solace in the Godfather's shadow.
What they enjoyed and pursued differed, but they both sent blind loyalty from a sense of debt to one person.
That didn't mean she felt pity for the bosses she had killed so far.
They had killed her precious person.
If she somehow assassinated the Godfather, they would have cried out for a bloody last stand too.
Thus, she would continue her revenge.
Those who chased the nameless swordsman's footsteps had all met their natural ends, leaving only her, with her longevity trait. She would fulfill this duty to the end.
And now, she had a sliver of possibility.
'I've reached the 4th realm now too.'
Through repeated marches of hardship, she had entered the 4th realm.
Following Dominique's advice: honing techniques, tempering the body, and achieving pure enlightenment without relying on killing intent.
To her, Dominique was akin to a fateful encounter.
However, she wasn't arrogant about her achievement.
'I don't think I can match the Godfather.'
Her guess was that the Godfather was in the 5th realm.
It was a reasonable estimate for someone manipulating the marquis from the shadows.
For her, merely at the early 4th realm, the odds of matching him converged to zero.
'The final battle might require the butler's help.'
She wanted to complete her revenge alone.
If a third party intervened and stole her final revenge, she felt she would go mad before them.
That was why, at the journey's start, she had made it a contract condition to handle it alone.
But Dominique had become half a soul family to her.
Sharing pasts was part of it.
Thus, completing revenge with him would still count as fulfillment, with bonds formed to that extent.
'Come to think of it, only two are left now.'
Seven down, and only one of the Godfather's executives remained.
At this rate, just take down the last two, submerge the Godfather, and liberate the marquisate.
She had considered if the marquis protected the Godfather or stepped in, but that was already settled with the squinting tax officer.
- "If the marquis's side acts that way, we'll step in directly."
The marquis wasn't her revenge target anyway, and with public authority meeting public authority, she had solid backing.
Of course, neither she nor the squinting tax officer rated that possibility highly.
With cities being nibbled away from Count Rex without reaction, he was either incompetent or indifferent.
(For reference, Dominique knew nothing of the situation and just nodded.)
Still, the words were appreciated, so in her heart, the squinting tax officer had risen to somewhat trustworthy—though not quite at Dominique's level.
(For reference, Rex hadn't heard this either, but it was within the discretion of the secret knight Duke, so not overstepping.)
Finishing her thoughts, she prepared for battle with the boss before the eighth city.
'Who is the eighth executive?'
His title, realm, and combat style were known.
Yeolho (裂虎) Camilla.
Among the alliance executives, she was infamous for her especially cruel disposition—a wicked woman.
True to her name meaning "Rending Tiger," she was a tiger beastkin who tore people apart with a saw the size of a greatsword.
Beg for life? She sawed ankles. Beg for death? Sawed the lower body. Lose in fight? Sawed the waist.
Her city's punishments were an SM theme park of such cruelties, making Camilla well-known.
Paradoxically, she wore a mask, so no one knew her past.
Jane was immensely curious about the face and history beneath that mask.
But the eighth executive's past held no importance for revenge, so it remained pure curiosity.
No matter the pitiful circumstances, it changed nothing: that bitch deserved death.
"I'll count on you today too."
Before the eighth city, she asked Dominique.
The old butler drew his two swords and, as always, charged openly at the gates.
Now, even Jane silently cheered while watching his back.
And as always, she prepared for battle with the eighth executive.
Unaware of what would unfold in that city.
Forcing through the city gates and streets, the group reached the mansion where the boss awaited.
While the squinting tax officer cleared the grunts with large-scale magic, Jane confirmed the plan with Dominique.
"I'll take that one. Meanwhile, the rest..."
"I'll handle them."
The old butler Dominique discarded his worn swords and took new ones from corpses.
No real plan needed.
While Dominique handled the family boss's aides, she handled the alliance executive boss.
Lately, other family bosses sometimes joined for a double-boss setup, but then Dominique pinned the intruders.
Recalling that, before full battle, she glanced at Dominique.
"Now, if another one intrudes..."
...you can handle it.
Even if Dominique took her revenge proxy, it wouldn't feel bad.
But she couldn't finish the sentence.
Kwaang!
The wicked woman Camilla burst through the wall with a huge circular saw, striking first with a double-edged saw in her other hand.
'Oh. The boss jumping the field. New gimmick?'
As Dominique had such useless thoughts, Jane groaned and blocked the assault with her sword.
Gagagak!
As the tiger wicked woman withdrew the saw, Jane's blade sparked and notched.
"Krut!"
Dominique stood blankly, spectating.
His role was ensuring no interference in this duel, and from that one exchange, he was certain Jane would win.
'Whoever raised her, she's a real beast.'
Dominique assessed Camilla as a beast incarnate.
Not a feral warrior, but the beast itself.
A feral warrior he knew had at least rational instincts in battle.
Thrust here and die, flee there and die. Swinging body or weapon under such instincts—that was a savage warrior.
Camilla, by contrast, was a beast.
Thrust when she shouldn't, adding a gash.
Withdraw when she shouldn't, adding another.
Actions meaningless, pure waste.
Unlike Jane at the same 4th realm, Camilla's was just brute strength.
She seemed to have practiced diligently with saws self-taught, but to Dominique, it was a monkey flailing with a saw.
'Must've raised her realm by only drowning weaker ones.'
Crush with power, and those below somehow fell.
But against same realm, the bottom showed.
'About to end soon.'
No sooner had Dominique predicted than Jane discarded her sword, gripped a dagger reverse, and slashed low to high.
The technique Dominique used to slice her mask when they met.
Unlike his precise mask-only cut, Jane's left a clear gash across the flesh beyond the tiger woman's mask.
Witnessing it, Jane again realized Dominique's greatness.
'No matter how I think, he's not 3rd realm.'
Even now, with superior strength and reflexes to his, she couldn't replicate his technique.
Thus, she believed Dominique had once reached lofty heights but, for some reason, wiped all realm and insight to descend as an old man.
Jane gathered her wandering thoughts and checked the unmasked Camilla's face.
Her pupils dilated to full moons upon confirmation.
"K?"
"Long time no see, J."
Camilla was one of Jane's comrades who once rebelled against the mafia boss.
*
100 years ago, when news spread the nameless swordsman died, those indebted to him across the marquisate rose in arms.
Most resisted to the end but, entangled with lifespan limits and realm lacks, only Jane remained.
So she thought.
Until a comrade thought dead appeared from beneath the mask.
"How is this..."
A vertical gash, but Jane was certain the tiger beastkin before her was Camilla.
Yet, vastly different from the Camilla she knew.
That tiger beastkin had been an upright warrior despising hypocrites, wielding greatsword and spear.
A forthright heroine far from sly cruelty like Camilla.
Jane hadn't imagined her transforming thus.
"...How did this happen?"
"What do you mean, how?"
Camilla grinned ferociously, licking dripping blood.
Questions abounded.
What happened? Why this madness?
Jane knew the encapsulating sentence.
"Why have you changed like this!?"
As if awaiting, Camilla slammed her two giant saws into the ground, leaning crookedly to answer.
"I haven't changed."
"What?"
"I just kill those who betrayed Him, and those who defy Him."
Camilla's reply sufficiently confused Jane.
Him.
The name K used for the nameless swordsman back then.
Betrayers of Him? Defiers of Him?
Jane's mind filled with confusion, unable to follow context.
Reading her state, Camilla gave a pitying look to the ignorant and spoke.
"Just for you, I'll tell. The Godfather... is the swordsman we chased so fervently."
Clang.
Jane's sword rolled on the floor.
'Whoa, this is juicy.'
And Dominique watched the two with thrilled eyes.