Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: Silver Dragon
Chapter: 30
Chapter Title: Great Hero!
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“Great Heeeerooo~!”
The voice brimmed with overflowing emotion. Baek Yeonhwa came dashing down the hallway, her face lit with a radiant smile.
The moment moonlight from the window shone on her, I flinched involuntarily and took a step back.
“……Great Hero?”
Baek Yeonhwa's footsteps slowed to a halt as she reached me, staring right into my eyes.
“You're not telling me you just backed away from me, are you?”
Her voice dropped dangerously low.
Baek Yeonhwa looked up at me, her eyes hazy like moonlight veiled by clouds.
“Backing away when I came to you? Surely not.”
“…….”
“I'll assume it was my imagination.”
What was I supposed to say to that?
No matter how hard I racked my brain, nothing came to mind.
Even as I stood there frozen, Baek Yeonhwa smiled and poked my chest with her finger.
“Great Heeeerooo~, I never dreamed we'd meet again so soon~.”
A faint seductiveness laced her words.
Her poking finger now traced slow patterns across my chest.
“Your letter wounded me in so many ways, but seeing you like this again has my heart racing.”
“Yeah, well. Mine's racing a bit too.”
“Really, Great Hero!?”
How could it not race?
Listen to that thunder outside.
One wrong word, and she'd smash this inn to pieces—a blatant threat.
Pleased with my answer, Baek Yeonhwa threw her arms around me. Unlike her soft, calming scent, the grip of her arms was fiercely strong.
“I won't let you slip away, Great Hero. Why not just settle down here on the fifth floor while you're at it?”
“That's a bit—”
“We can run the marriage agency from here too. Of course, I'd respect your decision, Great Hero, but still—”
She stood on tiptoe and whispered in my ear.
“Stay with me, Great Hero~.”
Squeeze.
Look at her nipping my nape.
What the hell had changed in her?
“Did you join some kind of class or something? You seem different.”
“Ever since I started thinking of myself as your woman, Great Hero, I've been steadily reading books on romantic relationships.”
I had no idea what books they had in the Old Martial World, but maybe it was because she'd followed the words in books for 23 years?
She was following the advice in those romance books to the letter.
Right then, the sliding door opened just in time.
The herbalist who'd been with Aul finished the treatment and stepped out.
“……Huh?”
The startled herbalist bowed hastily. I hurriedly pried Baek Yeonhwa off me.
“Ahem. All done with the checkup?”
“Oh, yes, yes~. He's just fallen asleep, so let him rest soundly.”
The herbalist bowed so deeply it was like he'd seen something he shouldn't have, exposing the crown of his head.
Seeing him react like that made me feel genuinely sorry.
“Alright, I'll pass it on to the next shift. Thanks for your hard work.”
“Th-th-then, I'll be going—!”
He fled down the hall, head still bowed the whole way.
Baek Yeonhwa tilted her head at the herbalist, then turned back to me.
“You didn't come to the Old Martial World because of me, Great Hero?”
“No, not that.”
KABOOM!
Ah, for real.
“I did plan to talk to you, Baek Yeonhwa. Seems like there's been a misunderstanding between us.”
“Oh, that again.”
Her voice chilled once more.
“I lost to you fair and square, Great Hero, and by the rite of duel marriage, I became your woman. Wasn't that it?”
“No, it wasn't.”
KABOOM!
“No means no. Strictly speaking, Baek Yeonhwa, that fight wasn't about beating you. It was to protect Seoul.”
“…….”
“You know that yourself.”
“But—”
Baek Yeonhwa pursed her lips and started grumbling.
“I fell for you, Great Hero! That day! The day you awakened something new in me!”
“…….”
“I'll be honest with you. The forcing it? I know. But I want to force it! These new days you've given me are truly delightful!”
She was hopping mad with excitement—it didn't seem like a lie.
Baek Yeonhwa looked just like a kid utterly thrilled.
Catching me off guard with her bold positivity, she hooked her arm through mine and clung tight.
“So, Great Hero, yeah? Let's live together~.”
“No, I have work—”
“Work, money, house, clothes—I'll handle it all. You just stay with me. Geez, maybe I should get a rope—”
“Whoa……”
A low whisper cut through, followed by a voice dripping with astonishment.
Ryu Seram had come down the hall for the night watch shift change, marveling at the scene.
“Hitting on a woman during duty? As team leader, how should I handle this? Get on the floor and give me fifty, first.”
Her cheeks bulged with barely contained laughter—she was clearly itching to tease.
Baek Yeonhwa, meanwhile, clung tighter to my arm, on her guard.
“Great Hero, who's she?”
“Ha.”
Explaining would complicate things again.
I could only sigh.
Slurp!
Slurp!
“Ack!? It's, it's spicy!”
Still in front of Aul's room in the hallway.
Ryu Seram, Baek Yeonhwa, and I were eating cup ramen she'd brought separately.
“Spicy? This is the mild one.”
“Baek Yeonhwa here survived 23 years on nothing but rice pills.”
“I-I'm trying all sorts of foods these days…… but this is insanely spicy.”
Cup ramen must've been too stimulating for Baek Yeonhwa, whose diet had been strictly controlled.
Ryu Seram handed her some water and crossed her arms, summing up.
“So, to recap what you told me—this one's your client? And you just happened to run into her here?”
“Something like that.”
“But she doesn't seem like just any client? Did you start the agency just to marry her?”
“There's a reason for that too. Bit much to explain right now.”
Slurp.
I finished my ramen and started getting ready to leave. She'd given me the cup ramen so I'd chat with her during her shift—that's why we were hanging out.
“Whew…… My tongue's all swollen, Great Hero.”
Baek Yeonhwa gulped down water from the plastic bottle.
Growing a bit urgent, I tugged her along.
“Alright, let's go then. Sticking around just bothers Ryu Seram.”
“Ah, yes!”
“Hold up.”
Ryu Seram stopped us as we tried to hurry off. Her expression turned serious as she asked,
“The herbalist came?”
“Yeah. Checked him out for about thirty minutes and left.”
“Any issues?”
“Issues? Nothing special.”
I couldn't be totally sure with Baek Yeonhwa popping in midway, but probably no big problems.
Ryu Seram nodded without dwelling on my answer.
“Fair enough. You always have good instincts. You wouldn't miss something like that.”
Hm?
“Head back and rest. Send your client home. You're on the clock right now.”
“Got it. Let's go, Baek Yeonhwa.”
“Eek! It's spicy!”
Baek Yeonhwa trailed behind me with a pouty frown.
Out in the inn's garden.
With the roof gone, the gazes pouring from the sky felt even more intense.
Actually, perfect timing.
“Great Hero? You seem in a rush.”
“I am. It's not good for you to be around.”
“Pardon?”
Baek Yeonhwa tilted her head, not getting it.
It pained me, but since she was involved—
“The VIP I'm guarding right now—Aul, that is—”
Neither she nor the Blue Dragon had meant it.
But you couldn't dodge responsibility, could you?
“He's one of that day's victims.”
The protection detail continued the next day too.
Today's sightseeing spot: Blue Dragon Falls.
A popular attraction even on the third floor, it was packed despite the early hour.
As our carriage arrived near the falls, Beta Team's faces darkened sharply.
“Section Chief, protection here's gonna be tough.”
Deadral, the only fourth-floor native on Beta Team and a dwarf, spoke up.
His short stature made navigating crowds a nightmare.
Especially here—trying to secure space for protection would spark controversy fast.
We didn't want to be news fodder for streamers.
“So what do we tell the VIP?”
Section Chief Gang Baram shot back coldly.
“'Too hard for us, so let's skip it'? Want me to remind you how much he's paying for this detail?”
“……Sorry.”
“We took the money. Clients pick the spots, not us. We got paid, so we keep him safe.”
Normal guards avoided tough venues.
But Blackline Risk must've taken a massive fee to shoulder this risk.
'This much for sightseeing?'
Some famous singer, apparently—money to burn.
From a marriage agency standpoint, green lights all the way. Big spenders meant high ranks.
“Eyes sharp, everyone. Team Leader Ryu Seram's here, so no major incidents.”
The carriage halted.
But their worries didn't come to pass.
The crowd buzzed.
The throng parted, forming a wide path. Beyond it strode martial artists in flowing white uniforms.
Harmony of yin and yang.
Disciples of the Tai Chi Yin-Yang Sect marched straight for our carriage, embodying the taiji symbol.
“Whoa—!”
“What's that?”
“It's Baek Yeonhwa! One of the Ten Great Masters!”
A tourist spot, sure—but this was Tai Chi Yin-Yang Sect territory.
Instead of complaints, people cheered like it was a parade, snapping photos.
“Wha—? Wh-what's goin' on—?”
The protection team and Aul disembarked.
Aul, who'd picked the spot, gawked in shock.
Ryu Seram hid a smirk, while Gang Baram—still clueless—stepped forward.
From their side, one of the Ten Great Masters, Baek Yeonhwa, bowed gracefully.
“Greetings. I am Baek Yeonhwa of the Yin-Yang Twin Veins. A humble bearer of the title of Old Martial World's Ten Great Masters.”
“An unexpected welcome.”
“When the one I admire arrives escorting honored guests, it is only right I rush out barefoot to receive you.”
The crowd murmured.
Ryu Seram bit her lip to stifle laughter.
The silence stalled things, so Gang Baram spoke up.
“The one you admi—? Are you a fan of Aul, by chance?”
“Pardon? No, I do owe him a debt, but the one I admire is—”
Of course.
Baek Yeonhwa's gaze landed on me, standing with Beta Team.
She stared openly, a shy flush on her cheeks.
As teammates gaped at me, Deadral smacked his thigh and said,
“Mind if I get your card again?”
“…….”
“That's some serious game.”
Customers are always welcome.