Chapter 89
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: Loving to Stir Up Chaos #2
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“Fuck! The Stone Dragon’s loose!”
“Bring the ballista!”
Kuwaaaaa—.
The Stone Scale Dragon spewed a gray beam from its mouth, turning every knight it hit to stone.
Creeeeak—.
In the midst of this utterly one-sided slaughter, the women following behind me shouted as if it were utterly satisfying.
“Serves you right!”
“Sneaking peeks at us bathing every damn day!”
“Die, you bastards!”
They even kicked the petrified knights—thwack thwack—with their feet.
It probably only hurt their own toes, but their expressions looked so much more refreshed.
“Everyone, this way!”
I needed to refocus the attention of the women who were getting distracted.
Weaving through the gaps between the statues that used to be people, we climbed up to ground level. There, on the palace rooftop, the terrifying monster dragon sat with its wings spread wide, unleashing its rage.
【Kobolos filth, perish—!!!】
【I am the calamity of this era, Isidore—!!!】
“Fire!”
“Loose!”
Pew, psssh—!
Arrows and spells flew from all directions.
But they all bounced harmlessly off Isidore’s rock-hard scales.
‘What kind of insane monster even is that thing?!’
Perfect pandemonium.
I slipped out of the palace with the women through a crumbled section of the outer wall.
Most of the guards were fixated on the Stone Dragon perched on the roof, which made it possible.
No matter how you sliced it, that Stone Dragon had been a huge help to me.
Without it?
Frankly, sneaking this many people out of sight would’ve been downright impossible.
Everything was falling into place so perfectly.
‘Yeah, my life’s been nothing but misery since birth, so it’s only fair I get a stroke of luck like this every now and then!’
The problem was where to take this dwarf and these women.
Hauling around a group this size—especially all women—was bound to draw eyes.
‘Looks like there’s only one option, huh?’
A place where a bunch of young women wouldn’t raise eyebrows.
A place that actually benefited from having lots of young women!
A brothel.
I headed for Cunning Town’s brothel.
Its name: “Fairy’s Revelry”.
Business must be booming, because the building had been expanded to three stories. Beautiful music played inside, mingled with the sounds of laughter—haha ho ho.
It might double as a high-end inn beyond just the girls-for-hire gig.
“New faces, huh?”
The brothel’s owner was a man.
A burly, muscle-bound bald guy caked in heavy makeup, with lipstick smeared on his face.
A total freak of nature.
He took one look at me, the women, and Umbatu, then let out a thin, drawn-out hng hng laugh.
“These faces scream backstory.”
His voice was strikingly androgynous—feminine, even—belying his menacing build.
Something about him instinctively creeped me out, but I pushed it aside and asked,
“Mind if we rent some rooms?”
“Ten million Ether per night.”
Fuck! That’s insanely expensive!
I’d have to empty my entire wallet for that.
As I hesitated, the man tapped his lips with his index finger.
“The priciest room’s the only one left. But this price includes a secrecy guarantee. No matter who stays in the room or what they get up to, our lips are sealed!”
Secrecy.
Perfect for a shady crew like ours looking to lay low.
Still, ten million felt like highway robbery.
“If the young man gives my cheek a little kiss, I could knock off half.”
A kiss for five million off?
Fuck! Tempting offer, but no way was I puckering up to this perverted creep.
I’d regret it for life.
Might kick the blankets in agony every night.
So I pulled ten million Ether from my bundle and slapped it on the table.
“Check it.”
“Hng, ten million confirmed. What a shame.”
Fuck off!
I snatched the key from him and headed up to the second floor’s luxury lodging.
Red carpet lined the hallway from the jump—befitting a ten-million-a-night spot.
The room was huge and spotless, with a neatly made bed.
Solid wood furniture like wardrobes and desks gave off a pleasant aroma.
The walls were decorated with paintings, and there was a massive bubbling bathtub.
“Wow, a tub!”
“I’ve been dying to wash up.”
The girls were thrilled.
But they started glancing at me, clearly not keen on bathing with me around.
Fuck—. I paid for the room, so why do I have to leave?
That’s when Umbatu nudged my side.
“Youngster! Step out and let’s talk!”
“Sure.”
I had some things to discuss with Umbatu anyway.
Out in the hall, Umbatu burst out laughing—puhaha.
“Never thought I’d get to stick it to that Vane so satisfyingly! Bet he never even dreamed the underground prison would get busted open!”
Boom, kwarang—.
Even now, if I listened, I could hear crashing and rumbling from Narakje’s palace.
Probably Isidore the Stone Dragon wrecking the place.
‘As payment for getting him that Bloodwood root, he said he’d give me an item from the palace.’
‘Surely something worth taking survived?’
As that thought crossed my mind, Umbatu spotted the key-shaped tattoo on the back of my hand.
“Oh, don’t tell me that’s the ‘Star Key’? Looks like you’ve made a pact with that goblin!”
“Umbatu, you know about Ashibar?”
“That bastard and I go way back—bitter enemies for ages. But for his contractor to come rescue me and let me cash in on the favor? World’s full of surprises!”
Ashibar was an ancient idol.
Not even recorded in history.
What was Umbatu’s deal, claiming such a long-standing grudge with an idol like that?
As curiosity gnawed at me, Umbatu introduced himself.
“I’m Umbatu, the one who hammers iron. Long ago, I ascended to idolhood, only to lose my worship and fall back to mortality.”
“You were an idol, Umbatu?”
“Ancient history!”
Idols were all powerhouse existences.
Umbatu being one of them?
This guy was a way bigger deal than I’d imagined!
My trust in him skyrocketed.
“So, Umbatu, think you could forge some armor from these scales?”
“Ho ho, aren’t these the scales of that dire serpent? Bringing me such a rare material. Give me a forge and tools, and nothing’s impossible!”
“Come to our Great Wall whenever you’re ready!”
The Great Wall had an armory.
A workshop making gear for explorers.
Plenty of materials there for whatever Umbatu needed.
“The Great Wall, eh? Let’s go.”
Umbatu was hugely grateful to me for freeing him.
Things falling into place like this felt amazing.
Soon, Cheperi—one of the girls, freshly bathed—approached me.
“You’re Yor, right? My mom and dad will definitely reward you properly for all this. And... thank you.”
That’s when chaos erupted downstairs.
Peering down, I saw knights in black cloaks—Narakje’s men—storming the brothel’s first floor, causing a ruckus.
“Seen any women fleeing this way?”
“We’re searching in the name of Narakje.”
Fuck, already hunting for the missing people?
The palace was still under siege by the Stone Dragon—total mayhem.
Guess those underground prisoners were that valuable.
Especially a former idol like Umbatu.
“I can’t stand rowdy men.”
The brothel owner scowled.
The black-cloaked knight drew his sword threateningly, but the owner flicked it with a finger—kriiiiink—bending it like paper.
“...What? A Tolorance steel sword bent like tissue...?”
“Don’t think Narakje’s name scares me. I’ve been running this place since before that punk started playing emperor.”
Fuck, the brothel owner’s badass!
No wonder he charges ten million a night.
“...Let’s pull back.”
“Yeah, good call.”
Narakje’s knights slunk away, helpless.
Worth every Ether of that room fee.
Still hurt like hell, though.
Dawn. Wolf Nimble showed up covered in blood.
I wiped her fur with a towel—no injuries on her.
And the blood wasn’t hers.
“Blood stench is so thick my nose might fall off. Why’d you have to hole up in a place like this?”
Nimble clearly despised me staying at a brothel.
She was fiercely wild and independent, despising women who lived off men like parasites—saw them as bugs.
Even without Nimble complaining, we had to leave today.
No cash to extend another night.
Sunrise was moments away.
I checked out Narakje’s palace with Nimble.
The once-grand imperial palace, fit for an emperor’s glory, lay in ruins like it’d been bombed.
Most guards turned to bizarre statues.
“Where’d the dragon go?”
I asked a guard clearing debris.
He stuck out his tongue in disbelief.
“That crazy fucker! Wrecked everything, then flew west!”
“...Where’d a dragon even come from outta nowhere?”
“Narakje had it locked underground. Heard he ordered the smiths to make chains that could hold a dragon. Guess the pricey shit didn’t work!”
Faulty chains for binding the dragon.
That’s how people saw the incident.
No one suspected I’d smashed them?
Then a masked woman appeared.
Blue-eyed thief.
Wore a ring marked with a “2” on her finger.
“There you are. His Majesty sought you last night.”
“...Huh? Why?”
Sudden dread hit me.
Did he notice I’d bailed with the prisoners?
Or that the “root” I gave him was fake?
Tense as hell, but the woman handed me a key.
“Vault 7”.
The tiny tag read as much.
“With all the chaos yesterday, His Majesty worried your promised reward might get delayed. So he personally picked this out as compensation. Be grateful.”
Payment for the Bloodwood root?
My heart nearly stopped thinking my scheme was busted—then relief flooded in.
No one clocked my perfect crime.
Thrilling.
“Ahem, so what’s this key to?”
“No idea.”
“Where’s Narakje now? I wanna ask him about it myself.”
“Not your business.”
Glance—.
Her blue eyes glared at me.
Loathing.
‘Maybe she suspects I’m behind the breakout.’
Either way, better bail. I vanished in a flash.
“Hehe, one more thing wrapped up.”
Everything going smoothly put me in high spirits.
Wolf Nimble growled at me—grrr.
“Everything’s a total mess! What’s ‘wrapped up’?”
Nimble didn’t get it yet?
As long as I wasn’t bleeding out, it was all good.
That’s when a voice echoed in my head.
【—My Blessed One—.】
【—I have an urgent request—.】
Sabrannik.
His voice sounded utterly strained.