Chapter 257: Let’s Go, My Beloved…
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 257: Let’s Go, My Beloved…
[Quest - Vengeance! Vengeance! Vengeance Upon the Sword Saint!: You have long harbored a desire for revenge against the Sword Saint of the West, Ha Yuri. Now is the time to reap the harvest of those suppressed feelings. Return to her exactly what you have suffered. (0/1)]
[Reward - Access Rights to the Secret Store, ???????]
“Oh…”
It wasn’t a bad reward. Access rights, not just an entry pass. It meant I could enter whenever I wanted, so the five million points weren’t a waste. It felt like a success, in a way. If this war ended smoothly, I’d likely have a surplus of points, which meant I could pick up a few more decent pieces of equipment.
The other reward was still hidden, and I figured it would only be revealed after I dealt with the Sword Saint.
My best guesses were an evolution into an entirely new species or a weapon enhancement. But there was no point in worrying about it now, so I decided to stop thinking about it.
As I let out a small sigh of satisfaction, Jung Hayeon smiled as well. Seeing her face, I felt a sudden urge to be mischievous. I channeled mana into Mystletainn once more and began to move her.
Just as Lee Wanyong had done atop the wall, I made her flash a V-sign with both hands. Jung Hayeon ducked her head, embarrassed. It was an uncharacteristically shy gesture for her.
She didn't say anything, but she must have known it was because of this spear.
“T-Taesung… c-could you please explain?”
“Of course. It’s only natural, since this weapon was made possible thanks to you. It has the ability to grant me control over any surrounding plants for a certain period of time.”
“Ah… I… I see.”
“I’m not certain, but it seems your body is also being classified as a plant. That’s probably why you’ve had trouble conceiving.”
“Ah… I see.”
Jung Hayeon’s expression fell slightly. She might have been thinking that there was no hope for her body. But her gloom vanished in an instant. As if struck by a brilliant idea, she looked at me with an intensity I rarely saw in her.
“Taesung.”
“Hm?”
“Do you think… it might be possible?”
“Possible to what…?”
For some reason, I had a feeling I knew what she was thinking. A spear that grants control over plants—that control naturally extended to her. If that was the case, then…
“S-s-s-so that I can accept… T-Taesung’s seed… m-m-my… my ovum…”
“…”
It was a revolutionary method, to say the least. Something I had never heard or seen before. I didn’t know if she’d been backed into such a corner to come up with this, but I couldn’t say it was impossible. If I circulated my mana through her body, it would be a simple matter to understand its structure. I’d have to check if her anatomy was completely different from a human’s, but considering that interspecies pregnancy was possible, I assumed the internal structures were mostly similar.
‘Control the ovum.’
It was an absurd notion. Jung Hayeon’s idea was so startling that it made me let out a dry cough.
“If… if it’s too much to ask… b-but… I… I want to have a child, too.”
For her, who had never asked me for anything before, this was a huge gamble. I wasn’t keen on having too many children myself, but since I had already accepted them as my family, I found that I didn’t mind.
More than anything, I was incredibly curious to see how the ‘half-breed’ from her quest reward would be born. Laveua had parts of me in her, and Jang Ye Ri’s future child would resemble me as well, but Jung Hayeon’s child had a high chance of being an entirely new species. In the world of Green Skins, where offspring almost always followed the mother’s lineage, the concept of a ‘half-breed’ felt special. I couldn’t help the slight flutter in my chest.
I took a deep breath and spoke softly.
“After the war is over.”
“Y-Yes!”
With a war looming, I hadn’t even been with Choi Seulgi yet. If this attempt succeeded right here and now, Choi Seulgi might actually beat me up this time.
The thought that this attempt might succeed, that I could definitively have another child, felt strangely profound. It meant I would have one more thing to protect.
While Jung Hayeon and I were going back and forth, the low voice of the goblin manager cut in.
“If you’re done with your business, you should get going.”
His attitude was completely different from before, as if to say that since I was out of points, our transaction was over. I nodded and immediately closed the item shop window. My vision shifted, and I felt a sensation of falling. Jung Hayeon had probably been returned to her original location as well.
“Hoo…”
I checked my condition. I reread the quest one more time and, most importantly, gripped Mystletainn tightly in my hand.
Levatain, Dainsleif, Mystletainn. These three were weapons of an entirely different caliber. In the past, I probably wouldn’t have even been able to handle this greatsword. I gave the spear a tentative swing and felt its undeniable weight and power.
I drew Levatain, then switched back to Mystletainn. In an instant, Levatain was replaced by the spear in my hand. I idly spun it and struck the ground once.
CRACK!
A rather large crater formed with a deafening sound.
“Hmm…”
Leaving the humans of the North staring at me blankly, I started walking. I thought it would be best to spend time with my clan members before the war began.
The Blood Dagger Clan’s temporary settlement was set up in a corner below the fortress wall. It was quite small compared to the Brother’s Land, but seeing them living reasonably well filled me with gratitude.
“For Blood Dagger!”
As I passed, the faces of the Orcs who turned to look at me came into view.
‘Hazaku.’
It was Hazaku, an elite Orc swordsman. For some reason, his skills had skyrocketed recently, and he had been appointed as a squad leader in the 1st company. Interestingly, he was an Orc who got along quite well with Lee Wanyong. He was probably the happiest to hear that Lee Wanyong had joined the clan. I clapped him on the shoulder once and continued on my way. Perhaps because Hazaku had shouted my name, the temporary settlement suddenly became busy.
Clan members began to emerge one by one from their tents, and the elite Orc swordsmen stood up even straighter.
There was Gark, fulfilling his duties as a sub-leader, and Hark, supporting his brother to the best of his ability.
Their bodies and weapons had changed slightly as well. Everyone was making their own preparations for battle. Gark’s sword was longer, and Hark’s twin swords seemed a little heavier.
“For Blood Dagger! A clan meeting…”
Seeing me approach, Gark seemed about to call a clan meeting. I waved my hand at him.
There was no need for a formal meeting.
“My life is…”
It was Orbo of the Shield, who still hadn’t forgotten the debt from Somorah. I was, of course, incredibly grateful to him. I knew better than anyone how much he had endured since joining this clan.
Whenever Gark, Hark, and I were away, it was always Orbo of the Shield who protected the clan alone. He must have wanted to fight, too.
“I owe you much.”
As if understanding my meaning, Orbo of the Shield opened his mouth.
“To protect is also to fight.”
“…”
“You’re right. That was my mistake.”
His words were true. To protect is also to fight.
Turning my head, I saw Hakajin. He, too, was always working hard for the clan. His combat abilities weren’t high, but he surely had his own way of fighting.
The Goblin Three Sisters were peeking out with Mev to see my face, and Baek Ahyeon was looking at me as well.
Jung Hayeon was desperately bowing her head, probably remembering our conversation in the shop. I could also see Choi Eunju looking at me with a worried expression.
My gaze swept over them all—the clan members who had been with me since the Tutorial, those who joined us from Somorah, and all the others who had become part of our clan for various reasons.
When the war begins, some of them might die. To them, it might be an honor, but to me, it would be a sorrow.
“……!”
Jung Hayeon chanted a spell, and a chair made of roots shot up from the ground. I sat down quietly, and everyone’s eyes turned to me.
Their eyes were filled with trust. They respected me, believed me to be honorable. I felt the same way about them. They were respectable and honorable. Even if I had been born a Green Skin, I never would have grown this strong without them supporting me from behind. I wouldn’t have met Choi Seulgi. I wouldn’t have been able to build a family, and I wouldn’t have come this close to the desire I held in my heart.
Being with the warriors of the North and the other humans was comfortable, of course. But being with them truly put my mind at ease. I opened my mouth to speak to them as they watched me.
“I respect you all.”
No answer came back.
Just…
A roar like thunder erupted.
And so, we spent our time together in that place.
Each of us must have passed the time with an unknown emotion stirring in our hearts.
A day passed like that.
The next day was the same. The occasional taunts from Lee Wanyong made me laugh, and the sight of the elite Orc swordsmen clashing their blades delighted me. The clan members didn’t retreat to their tents but gathered in one place, creating their own spaces and preparing for the coming battle in their own ways.
Orbo of the Shield had his eyes closed in meditation, while Gark and Hark clashed swords. Mev and the Goblin Three Sisters were still playing cards. Jung Hayeon, Choi Eunju, and Baek Ahyeon were chatting amongst themselves, and other clan members occasionally shared a drink while talking about the battle to come.
And so another day passed.
Around that time, Choi Seulgi came and began to mingle with the clan members. With the battle against the Sword Saint Ha Yuri just ahead, she too must have had a lot on her mind.
And then…
When the promised three days had passed, just as expected, the Sword Saint’s voice began to ring out. The time had come for them to knock on our walls.
It was a rather clear voice.
- The promised three days have passed. We have taken up our swords for the suffering people of the East and the North. We have endured your vicious and immoral provocations time and again, believing that humanity is still good. We do not want this fight.
Listening to the Sword Saint’s bullshit, I opened my mouth to address my clan. I wasn’t as eloquent as some, but I wanted to say a word to those who were about to participate in this great battle.
“I want this fight.”
- You have betrayed our trust. For the prosperity of humankind and for the land our descendants will walk upon, the time has come to make an unavoidable choice. Esteemed citizens of the West and the South, the North and the East are a cancer on this continent. If we continue to let them be, their ideology and values will eventually spread across the land and threaten us all. There is no battle without sacrifice. As the scoundrel on the first day said, we will make sacrifices!
Bullshit. I spoke again.
“We will not die.”
- I will be watching over all of you.
“I will be the first to fall.”
I will fall before any of them.
- For our ideals.
“To live.”
- …
“…”
- All troops… advance!
“Let’s go. My beloved brothers.”
As I heard the Sword Saint’s booming voice, I murmured to my clan members in a very small voice. It was quiet, but I had no doubt it reached every one of their ears.
An immense roar came from beyond the walls. It was probably the war cry of the humans from the West and the South.
But…
Interestingly, their roar gradually faded until it could no longer be heard. It had been completely swallowed by the voices of the Blood Dagger Clan.
It was only natural, since my clan was much closer than those distant enemies, but it made me smile.
I opened my mouth and spoke softly once more.
“Victory.”
As if they had been waiting, the voices of my clan members answered.
“For victory, and victory alone!”
“For Blood Dagger!”
And so, the long-awaited war fired its signal flare.