Chapter 141
Chapter 141
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 141
Chapter Title: Insulin (7)
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“Uh, that’s…… If we do it there…….”
One of the Dark Elves backed away, overwhelmed by Suhyun’s intensity. This wasn’t part of the original plan. They had intended to subdue the mercenaries in the room with poison first, then call in the others outside and do the same to them.
But things had gone wrong, and the chieftain he had ordered was writhing on the floor after getting beaten by Suhyun.
Clang—
“Hey!”
The Dark Elf next to him panicked as the incense burner hit the ground. If it dropped now……
“Hah, you idiots.”
The scent spread, but it meant nothing. Suhyun had preemptively used his poison technique to neutralize the poison in the air. He yanked the fleeing Dark Elf forward and grabbed both their throats.
“So, what are you going to do about it?”
“Gurk…… Ack…….”
Bam!
Suhyun hurled the Dark Elf aside and kicked the door open. The Blue Bear team had said they’d wait outside while the others retrieved the elixir. A quick scan with his original sight confirmed they still had no idea what was happening.
“Get in here right now.”
“What’s going on?”
Scott sounded confused by Suhyun’s sudden signal.
“The Dark Elves put poison in the car.”
“…!”
* * *
The Dark Elves loyal to Chieftain Nepel were a decent force in their own right, but compared to the power Suhyun had brought, it was like a giant fighting a child.
Thoroughly pissed off, Suhyun subdued them mercilessly even if they just pretended to reach for a weapon.
“Everyone, get down on the ground! Anyone who lifts their head or stands up will be treated as an enemy!”
He smacked the Dark Elf he had by the collar one more time, then moved on.
“What’s happening?!”
The Blue Bear team members who came running in confusion were less panicked than the other Dark Elves. They had been calling people over to celebrate the ogre being dealt with when suddenly chaos erupted from inside.
Serina called out to Zanarobel in a flustered voice.
“What’s going on? Why?”
“Nepel caused trouble!”
“?!”
It was clear they saw the ogre being handled as their chance. Serina realized the situation immediately. She should have kept a closer eye on the radicals. To think they’d pull something like this right after things were resolved…!
‘These idiots!’
Strike when the enemy is weak. It was common sense that always worked. They must have thought the humans were exhausted and pumped up from fighting the ogre, so now was the time. Serina had been a hot-headed Dark Elf herself once, so she could practically read their minds.
But sometimes, common sense didn’t apply to certain people.
“Stop them right now!”
“Me? You want me to go in there?”
Zanarobel sounded incredulous. In the distance, an energy beam created by a superpower shot up into the air. One of the Dark Elves had used an energy shot superpower, only for Suhyun to blow them away entirely.
“Into that mess?”
“…Go tell Sha-ina.”
* * *
He was rampaging like a madman, but he wasn’t actually crazy. Suhyun was acting with precise calculations. If he wasn’t going to make enemies of the Dark Elves forever, he needed to draw a clear line.
He kicked the wriggling Dark Elf on the floor one more time and sat down in a chair. Spotting a Dark Elf approaching from afar with both hands raised, Suhyun signaled his team to lower their weapons.
“Do you have something to say?”
“Serina has something she wants to tell you…….”
“You’ve got something to say first.”
“We apologize for our chieftain’s mistake.”
“Good. Apology accepted.”
“…?”
“What, you got a problem with that?”
“N-No, it’s not that…….”
She hadn’t liked Suhyun much to begin with, but she couldn’t argue in this situation. Zanarobel inwardly cursed as she bowed her head. Of all places, in front of Sha-ina.
“I’m not holding everyone accountable for one idiot’s actions. Every group has its crazies. But…… you’ll handle the cleanup properly, right? You’re not thinking of just letting it slide?”
Dark Elf trials weren’t systematic or rights-protecting like human courts. They were mostly decided by raw power and the interests of those involved.
With the humans who slew the ogre glaring daggers from outside, no one had the guts to defend the attackers. That would be tantamount to declaring all-out war.
“I vote for execution.”
“I cast my vote for execution.”
“Execution’s a bit much…… Maybe hard labor…….”
“Execution.”
Less than an hour later, the decision was made. Normally, there would have been fights with dissenters, but all the objectors were currently down and couldn’t even stand.
“Execution it is.”
While that conversation unfolded in the meeting hall, Suhyun was carefully examining the elixir handed to him from outside. A liquid in an emerald-green glass vial. It was absurd to think of all the hassle just to get this amount—not even a full cup.
‘It’s not fake, is it?’
Unless the Dark Elves had two heads, they wouldn’t dare. The issue was it still needed more time to fully mature.
‘Can I speed it up with time acceleration?’
He had first applied it only to himself, then even to his power armor successfully, but that worked because it was an extension of his own image. Once he was wearing the power armor, it strongly felt like part of himself.
Applying it just to this vial was another matter entirely.
‘If I accidentally age it along with myself, that’d be hilarious…….’
“No, I said no?!”
“Why not!”
“You seriously don’t get it?!”
“?”
Suhyun looked up. Zanarobel was grabbing Sha-ina’s wrist, trying to drag her somewhere.
“What are you two doing?”
“Uh, she won’t give up!”
“She just says whatever and…….”
Spotting Suhyun, Zanarobel bolted. Watching her flee after mouthing off, Suhyun muttered in disbelief.
“What’s her deal? Being a pain? Want me to handle it?”
“No, it’s not that bad. Family stuff.”
“Oh, right. Didn’t you say you had to meet your family?”
Sha-ina’s expression visibly darkened at Suhyun’s words.
“That much against it? Then just say screw it and let’s bail.”
“No, it’s not that I hate it……. They’ll bring up the old stories again, and we’ll fight…….”
“Old stories? Like what?”
“Ughhh…….”
“If it’s hard to talk about, you don’t have to.”
“No, it’s not that!”
Sha-ina groaned, messing up her hair. She really seemed troubled.
“Ugh. So, our clan used to have a deep history, but lately our numbers have dwindled a lot. Our influence weakened accordingly.”
“Yeah.”
He’d suspected as much. Serina’s position in the clan wasn’t random.
“So my parents tried to bolster our status through marriage.”
“Arranged marriage?”
“Something like that.”
“No wonder you’re dragging your feet.”
“And they piled on every responsibility imaginable, telling me to step up as the clan’s heir. With so few young people and no other candidates……. They’ll start up again if I go now!”
“You worry about the weirdest things. Just go in confident?”
“I can’t help it in front of family.”
“Can’t exactly beat them up, so let’s try another way.”
“?”
“Beat up your fiancé. They won’t keep pushing the marriage after that.”
“H-How could you suggest that!”
“Why not? It’s easy. Best way to deal with pushy people is to throw a wrench in their plans.”
“Zanarobel’s hot-tempered, sure, but you can’t just hit her!”
“?”
Suhyun tilted his head, confused.
“Zanarobel?”
“Yeah, Zanarobel.”
“That Dark Elf from earlier?”
“Yeah.”
“Why’s she popping up here?”
“Why? She’s the one in the story.”
“Huh?”
Zanarobel was a female Dark Elf. Unless Suhyun’s eyes were wrong, that was certain.
“Weren’t you talking about your fiancé just now?”
“Yeah, Zanarobel’s the one…….”
“She’s a girl Dark Elf, right? Oh…….”
Suhyun finally got it. Sha-ina spoke with an awkward expression.
“Same-sex marriages happen among Dark Elves sometimes. Didn’t know?”
“How would I?”
“You knew every little detail about other stuff…….”
Suhyun’s knowledge of Dark Elves was like a hunter’s of prey—only what mattered for the hunt. He had no reason to know about that.
“Wait. Kids?”
“We just adopt from relatives. Problem solved. Zanarobel’s clan is solid. She’s already acting as chieftain, after all.”
Suhyun recalled the look Zanarobel had given him. The subtle hostility made sense now.
“She likes me, but I’m not into that!”
“So you can’t bring yourself to hit her?”
“How could I? She’s the one who likes me.”
“Then figure it out yourself.”
As Suhyun turned to leave, Sha-ina grabbed his arm. She flashed an awkward smile that didn’t suit her.
“You’ll help, right?”
“…….”
* * *
When Suhyun entered with Sha-ina, the seated Dark Elves gave him subtle looks. Hard-to-read expressions.
‘Hostility?’
Suhyun tried to gauge their feelings. Even if they felt negatively, it wasn’t incomprehensible. Humans were their ancient enemies, despite helping with the ogre, and he’d caused a huge ruckus inside.
Plus, parading around with Sha-ina. No surprise if they resented him for it.
Before coming in, Sha-ina had pleaded desperately.
-Please talk for me!
-Why should I?
-I won’t take my cut this time!
-……
-F-Fine, even next time!
-Forget the money……. Just say it yourself.
-I can’t with family! Just play the bad guy for me.
She wanted him to be the villain. Suhyun didn’t care about earning their ire. He could do that much for Sha-ina after working together this long.
“That human? The human mage?”
“Yes.”
“The one who killed the ogre?”
“Yes.”
Sha-ina was shrinking like a mouse before a cat, head bowed. The older-looking Dark Elves blinked at Suhyun.
‘Hmm, what insult would work best?’
Suhyun pondered how to throw the biggest fit to ensure they never called him in like this again. He was an expert at killing vibes. Unaware of his thoughts, the Dark Elves murmured among themselves.
“Well, he’s not bad…….”
“Decent. And we can expect real offspring, unlike with Zanarobel. Blood heirs beat adopted ones.”
“Pheasant in place of pheasant? No, pheasant instead of chicken.”
“A mage’s seed. Already looking forward to it.”
“?”
Sha-ina’s ears perked up at the odd turn in conversation, and she glanced at Suhyun in panic. Expecting him to react, but he was lost in thought and didn’t.
“Hey, hey, hey!”
“Hm? What?”
“You didn’t hear what they’re saying?”
“Oh, sorry, wasn’t listening. Was it worth hearing?”
“So anyway.”
A male Dark Elf interrupted, stroking his mustache with a satisfied grin.
“When’s the wedding feast?”
“What?”
* * *
Suhyun learned the hard way not to zone out in front of people. Only after listening to the chattering Dark Elves did he grasp what they meant.
“What are you talking about? Suhyun and I aren’t like that! We’re just colleagues!”
“Colleagues become lovers, lovers become spouses. That’s how it was with your father and me.”
“You too, huh. Ahem.”
“…….”
Suhyun felt genuine bewilderment for the first time in ages as the Dark Elves showed an unexpected side. Dark Elves were the ones who ambushed humans from cover, not this warm and fuzzy.
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