Chapter 144: Jang Ye Ri
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 144: Jang Ye Ri
“Push the payload! The payload!”
“I want to fight, too. It's not fair that I have to push the payload just because I'm a Half-Ogre. I can shoot arrows, too.”
“Our team has no one else to push the payload. You have to do it. We have plenty of other Green Skins to shoot arrows!”
“Nicole isn't doing anything. I, Harjo the Great Marksman, have already taken out several Green Skins with this bow. Nicole should push the payload since she's not doing anything.”
“Wha... What!”
Leaving Jung Hayeon sleeping soundly inside the tent, I stepped outside, and the first thing I saw was the young ones bickering, as usual. It seemed they were playing on a ‘push the payload’ battlefield today.
I'd been so busy for the past ten days that I hadn't been able to watch them closely, but it seemed the most talked-about kid recently was Harjo, the Half-Ogre from the Goff Clan. Unfortunately, not in a good way. Because he refused to push the payload and insisted on shooting arrows from the rear, Nicole's team was constantly losing to Kim Yoora's.
It was the same on the other playgrounds. He had the body of a frontline fighter and should have been charging forward, but instead, he just plinked away with arrows from the back. I could understand why Nicole would be angry.
I was curious to see the future of a Half-Ogre so obsessed with the bow, but even Kim Yoora was starting to avoid being on his team. His shots were powerful enough, so I figured it wouldn't hurt to watch him a little longer.
Only ten days had passed, but the settlement had changed immensely. To be more precise, it had developed immensely. The Green Skins who had struggled to adapt to things like the water supply and septic systems were gradually getting used to them, and the place was livelier than ever, thanks especially to the blacksmiths Goff had captured a few days ago.
“W-Well, I'll be getting back to work then.”
“Carry on.”
Unlike at first, when they were terrified and trembling, the human blacksmiths had also adapted to their new lives to some extent. Managing the captured herbalists and blacksmiths was Lee Wanyong's job. Hakajin should have been the one in charge, but since he couldn't speak their language, I'd just shoved Lee Wanyong into the role. Of course, I always had two Orcs and one of Baek Ahyeon's followers stationed around him, though he seemed to have interpreted them as his personal guard.
Hakajin was currently learning the human language, so Lee Wanyong would have to step down eventually, but for now, he seemed to be enjoying himself.
The treatment of the human blacksmiths was quite humane. In fact, it was a stretch to even call them slaves. Contrary to what they might have feared, their welfare was excellent.
The idea that slaves should be worked without rest was an outdated one. I believed that to get high efficiency over the long term, you needed a combination of proper rest and rewards. Fortunately, this strategy was paying off.
Their treatment seemed to be better than what they'd had in the great city of Hadum, as one by one, the blacksmiths began to work with genuine motivation. On top of that, Baek Ahyeon had started proselytizing to them with great enthusiasm, and she had already gained one new follower.
“For Blood Dagger!”
“For Blood Dagger!”
With all the settlement's labor entrusted to the blacksmiths and other craftsmen, it was only natural that the clan members could focus more on their training. Watching Gark, Hark, Orbo the Minotaur, and the other Green Skins train, I couldn't help but nod in approval.
I caught Gark's eye, who was closest, and gestured for him to come over. He seemed pleased to have been chosen from among the many Green Skins, and a huge grin spread across his face as he ran toward me.
“Half Blade is ready to heed Blood Dagger's words!”
“Where is the hunt planned for today?”
“I heard Chieftain Ragia is moving into the forest behind us with the Goff Clan.”
“I expect good results.”
I patted his shoulder, and Gark beamed. I couldn't let the clan rest just because I was away, so I had entrusted almost the entire schedule to Ragia. Deciding to move with the Goff Clan seemed like a good decision.
Occasionally walking through the clan and boosting the members' morale like this was my duty as chieftain. Normally, I would have been in a hurry to move out, but humans hadn't been showing themselves much lately, so I was gradually reducing the frequency of my excursions.
The number of weapons piled up in the warehouse was now well over a hundred. Except for the items that seemed truly useless, I hadn't sold any to the shop yet. This was because I hadn't completed the quest yet, so there was nothing I needed to buy, and also because the sheer number of them made it difficult to sort through properly. Of course, I had already given a few to the clan's executives and to members who had shown decent performance.
Recalling how happy they were—whether they knew the items were stolen or not—made me feel good for some reason. Baek Ahyeon's reaction to receiving the priest's staff I'd taken on the first day was especially beyond imagination. I still couldn't forget the look of pure joy on her face.
‘M-My Savior! Thank you! Thank you! My Savior!’
Recalling her voice from that day, I made my way to Mev's tent. Visiting Mev before heading out was also part of my daily routine. If what I'd just done was the duty of a chieftain, what came next was the duty of a father.
Entering Mev's large tent, I saw her with the Goblin Three Sisters. They were engrossed in a card game.
“I summon Ibar and attack Mev directly!”
“Eek... The Ibar card has to go!”
“The world of competition is cruel! I'll attack with the Wolf Rider, too!”
It looked like they were using the tactics they'd learned from Kim Yoora against Mev. Mev, who had been watching the triumphant Goblin Three Sisters, saw me, flipped the game board, and started running over.
“Chieftain!”
She tried to fly over out of habit, but the Goblin Three Sisters desperately blocked her path. As she was carrying the chieftain's child, she had to rest, no matter what.
“We heard you're not supposed to fly!”
“Mev! No flying!”
“And besides, we won that round!”
She puffed out her cheeks, but I also didn't recommend flying around. Watching Mev sit down with a pout made me smile a little more. I glanced to one side of the tent and saw the bow I'd recently acquired for her.
“How's the bow?”
“Yeah. I haven't had a chance to shoot it much, but it seems great. Thanks, Chieftain!”
A little more time had passed, but the fact that Mev was pregnant still didn't feel real. It was probably because her belly hadn't started to show yet, but seeing her occasionally stroke her stomach gave me a strange feeling.
“Are you going out again today?”
“Yeah.”
“Hehe. Be safe.”
She didn't say much else, but she seemed happy that I'd stopped by her tent, and she gave me a light peck on the lips. I stroked her head in return, and Mev saw me off with a small smile.
Today's goal was five high-grade items. Lately, more and more people were carrying items that were bound to their owners, which was a bit of a pain, but there were definitely still those who carried unbound items.
It was quite a distance from here to the forest of Hadum, so I rode Ibar at a continuous run and soon arrived.
There had been times when skilled rangers had laid traps and waited for me, so I had no choice but to be cautious. They might be wary of me, but for both the summoned and us Green Skins, hunting was an essential activity.
Naturally, the easiest targets were parties that were already in the middle of a hunt. I occasionally ran into parties on the road, but those who weren't specifically targeting me were too busy hiding their weapons and running away.
My most profitable days had been the first three. I had figured that just waiting around for the Reaper's Scythe to show up would be a waste of time, so I decided to go for quantity, and so far, that strategy had been working well.
It was then, as I was keeping low with Ibar and searching for humans.
From a distance, I began to hear the shouts of humans. I had found them not long after setting out. I hadn't used this route in a while; it seemed my return had been worthwhile. I decided I should get closer first and was about to move slowly forward when it happened.
“I would advise against going.”
A voice came from somewhere. It was the voice of a woman, and it sounded incredibly cold.
Grrrrrr.
I looked around, but there was nothing to be seen.
‘Damn it.’
It felt as if the very spot I was standing on was a trap. Just as I was about to get on Ibar and escape, the voice came again.
“There is no need to be on guard. I simply have business with you. Weapon Thief. No, it would be better to call you Blood Dagger.”
From ahead, a figure quietly emerged—a woman wrapped in a large robe. Despite the loose fabric hiding her body, her voluptuous figure was faintly visible. Contrary to her dark appearance, she had no killing intent. To be precise, she seemed to have no will to fight.
She continued to speak in Korean, as if she knew I could understand. She even seemed to know that I was Blood Dagger. I began to wonder how I should react.
Judging by the aura she gave off, I couldn't be sure if she was stronger than me or not. But the fact that she had hidden her presence so perfectly made me hesitant to attack. It wasn't in my nature to engage in fights with uncertain outcomes, so for now, I remained wary of the woman and prepared to withdraw at any moment.
First, I needed to confirm that no one else was around. As if sensing that I was slowly spreading my magic in all directions, the woman spoke again.
“There is no one else around. I will say it again: I have no intention of harming you. I merely have a request.”
“...”
“I am already aware that you can communicate with humans in some fashion. If you can understand my words, I would appreciate it if you would nod.”
I made no move. It was possible the mysterious woman was just bluffing, so I decided to remain on guard.
“If that is your wish, then you may simply listen. It would be polite to introduce myself first. I am Jang Ye Ri, daughter of Jang Gi Young, the Guildmaster of the Fallen Throne Guild in the great city of Hadum.”
“...”
An absurd encounter. No, for me it was an unexpected encounter, but for the woman in front of me, I was certain it was an intentional one.
She had a great deal of information about me, and for some reason I couldn't fathom, she seemed to feel a strange sense of affinity for me.
When I heard the name Jang Ye Ri, the first thing that came to mind was a massacre. Her class and nickname was Witch. The incident where she gathered the powerful figures of some of the East's smaller cities and large guilds—and even their citizens—and beheaded them all at once with the Reaper's Scythe was an anecdote famous enough for even me, who had been in the West, to remember.
“To put it simply, you could say I am the daughter of the man who rules the great city before you.”
I nodded before I even realized it. It was as good as indirectly admitting I could understand her, but I judged that it wouldn't hurt to hear her out.
And so,
Confirming my reaction, Jang Ye Ri gave a faint smile and spoke again.
“Let's get straight to the point.”
“There is something I need you to steal.”
I could only think that this situation was taking a very strange turn.