Chapter 301: I Want to Kill Her
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 301: I Want to Kill Her
—It must be love.
I nearly choked at Isaac’s words. The Holy Sword required love? I considered it a mission bordering on the impossible. The condition was just too absurd. I glanced back at Isaac as if to ask if he was serious, but his resolute expression remained unchanged.
“Is there any other way?”
—There may be a method I have not yet found, but other than this…
With Isaac’s firm declaration, Choi Seulgi also wore a dumbfounded expression. She must have been briefed beforehand, but it seemed she hadn’t expected this conclusion. Jang Ye Ri also muttered in disbelief.
“That woman… love… I wouldn’t recommend it. I suspect it might be impossible…”
She’d said exactly what I was thinking. This would be more difficult than any quest I had ever faced. To begin with, Ha Yuri was practically a psychopath. While it was true that almost every human who fell into this continent lost their humanity, Ha Yuri’s case was particularly severe. She thought nothing of killing the master who raised her or betraying the people who trusted her.
She was utterly devoid of humanity.
It was likely no coincidence that the Holy Sword had chosen her. In that sense, I was not a suitable master for it. It was impossible for me not to love my women. Even if the Holy Sword were to be separated from her, there was no guarantee I could become its new master.
As I swallowed hard, Choi Seulgi’s voice cut through the silence.
“This might be simpler than you think.”
“What?”
I was naturally startled by her remark. Before I could even look at her to ask what she meant, she continued.
“Well, um… it’s embarrassing for me to say this, but for someone like… like Kim Taesung…”
“What?”
“I don’t like it, but seducing Ha Yuri should be simple, don’t you think? To be… to be honest, even Ha Yuri wouldn’t be able to… to handle your charm.”
The way she avoided my gaze in embarrassment was even more bewildering. Even though I’d realized I’d gotten a little more handsome lately due to the effects of Customization, I knew my place. I didn’t possess a face or charm so great that it could make the sworn enemy who shattered my life fall for me. I became intensely curious about how Choi Seulgi saw me.
“He’s decent-looking, but objectively speaking… not that much.”
The one who answered was Jang Ye Ri. It was the truth, but it still hurt quite a bit. I caught a fleeting glimpse of Choi Seulgi’s uncomprehending expression, but when I also adopted a contemplative look, she seemed to realize her idea was flawed and muttered again.
“I guess… no matter what, making an enemy fall for you wouldn’t be easy, would it? Thinking about it that way is a bit of a relief. The mere thought of Ha Yuri and Kim Taesung together makes my teeth grind. To seduce her, you’d have to try, and to try, you’d have to be close to her… and I hate that.”
She wouldn’t fall for me no matter how close we were, and she wouldn’t come to like me no matter how much effort I put in. I really wanted to know how she saw me. As I continued to ponder, Isaac spoke up again.
—It will not be easy. But that is the only way. If you choose a more roundabout path, you could continuously evoke other emotions, but I personally would not recommend it.
“Um… what about mental magic? Like with Eunju-unni…”
“Impossible. Choi Eunju was a gamble on my part, and the probability of success wasn’t very high. With Ha Yuri, of all people…”
“Wouldn’t that mean you’re the one who might be consumed?”
I nodded. Ha Yuri’s mind was incredibly resilient. Even though I possessed the Seat of Sorrow, she also possessed a Seat. Of course, she might have lost most of its power by now, but a real battle and a battle of wills are completely different. If I went in unprepared and Ha Yuri did to me what I did to Choi Eunju—making me believe she was Choi Seulgi—it would become a huge problem. For the real Choi Seulgi, it would be nothing short of a disaster.
Choi Seulgi must have imagined something similar, as she scowled.
“Fuck, just thinking about that pisses me off.”
Seeing her tremble with rage, it seemed she had imagined me clinging to Ha Yuri’s side.
To be honest, her appearance was beautiful enough to have captivated the old Kim Taesung. But just because she was beautiful didn’t mean I wanted to do anything with her. On the contrary, I didn’t want to face her at all. My honest feeling was that I wanted to get my revenge cleanly and put an end to it one way or another.
“What should I do…”
Truthfully, the thought of sexually tormenting her had crossed my mind, but that method was just as ambiguous. Far from hating it, she’d probably thank me.
Emotional love and physical love are two different things. The Holy Sword was likely demanding the emotional kind from Ha Yuri. It wasn’t entirely unheard of for a physical relationship to turn emotional, but Choi Seulgi would probably never allow it.
In fact, Ha Yuri had used her position to indulge herself quite a bit in the past. During the post-war cleanups, it was revealed that she had used boy slaves to satisfy her sexual desires, and she had even shown the meticulousness to ensure their silence against any possible future trouble. Some of her subordinates were tasked with handling her libido.
“What about destroying her mind? After destroying it, implanting something new seems to have the highest chance of success.”
“I’ve tried that before, but it was no use. Even with the potion Lee Jihee made. It would be correct to assume she’s under some kind of mental protection.”
“Hmm…”
What Jang Ye Ri said was true; I had tried it once before. Ha Yuri had indeed been in agony, but after it was over, she appeared quite composed. I thought it was possible her weapon was truly taking care of her.
The more I thought about it, the more my head began to ache. For now, I decided the right answer was to go to the settlement myself and check on Ha Yuri’s condition, so I gave a rough nod and spoke.
“For now, we should return to the settlement. We don’t have a lot of time, but it wouldn’t be a bad idea to try a few things.”
Everyone nodded at my words. After that, we said our goodbyes to Mev and her group and immediately set off for the settlement.
Iseong, Mev, Jung Hayeon, and the Elite Orc Swordsmen departed for the Spirit Dungeon. After learning that I, Isaac, and Choi Seulgi were mulling over various ideas about the Holy Sword and Ha Yuri, Jung Hayeon smiled brightly.
From her perspective, she had been desperately hoping for Mistilteinn to be removed from Ha Yuri’s body, so her reaction was only natural. The information Iseong would bring back about Ha Yuri after the dungeon expedition could also be helpful, so I decided to be patient, though I felt anxious. And so, after quite a long time, I set foot in the Brother’s Land again.
As soon as I arrived, the ones who greeted me most enthusiastically were, of course, Laveua, Hakajin, and Gark. Kim Yoora and Nicole were currently staying in the East, and the Green Skin Training Camp run by the Goblin Three Sisters was on a short break, so I thought it would be a bit quiet. I was relieved to find it was still quite lively.
“Well then, I shall take my leave. I have work to attend to as well… If I happen to uncover any clues on my end, I will send them immediately.”
“Alright. Thank you.”
Jang Ye Ri and Choi Eunju immediately headed for their city. Upon her return, Choi Eunju began teaching Laveua magic. After talking with Hakajin and Gark for a short while, I set off with Choi Seulgi and Isaac.
Today’s destination was, of course, the underground prison built beneath the Brother’s Land.
It was a special space prepared solely for the Sword Saint, and as such, security was quite tight. The only people allowed inside were me and Choi Seulgi. It was a necessary precaution; if any of the young Green Skins were to wander in unknowingly and make the mistake of pulling out the spears, all hell would break loose.
“For Blood Dagger.”
I nodded to the Orc swordsman who quietly raised his hand in salute. The warrior immediately began to open the door. An Orc shaman also undid the simple spell he had cast on it. The path to the underground was quite long. As we walked and talked about various things, Choi Seulgi spoke to me quietly.
“By the way, Kim Taesung.”
“Yeah?”
“You’re not thinking of anything stupid, are you?”
“What kind of stupid thoughts?”
“You know… like ‘training’ her and playing with her, or taking her as a new wife… I’m warning you once. Even if you manage to do something about the Holy Sword, I’m going to kill that bitch no matter what. So don’t you dare try anything funny.”
“Why would you think that?”
“Because you, you bastard. You had a crush on the Sword Saint for a bit, didn’t you?”
It was true that my heart had fluttered for her once. I was a man, after all. At the time, she was an idol to everyone, including me. That was before I knew her true nature, of course. But the feelings I had when I died were also real. Now, Ha Yuri was nothing but disgusting to me. At a glance, Choi Seulgi’s eyes seemed to be thinking of revenge, but they also seemed to hold a hint of jealousy.
I didn’t know for sure, but she was probably quite pissed off about that in our past life as well. I never expressed it directly, but after spending so much time together, she likely sensed a dissonance in my changed demeanor. I sighed and spoke immediately.
“Don’t worry about pointless things. That’s not going to happen.”
It was a ridiculous thing to be jealous about, but it was cute. I gently took Choi Seulgi’s chin and kissed her, and she accepted me without hesitation. The sound of someone gulping from somewhere was, of course, Isaac. He had covered his face with his hands, but he was definitely watching me and Choi Seulgi through the gaps between his fingers. Watching very, very closely.
Getting into the mood, I wrapped my tail around Choi Seulgi’s thigh and gently caressed her waist with my hands. When our lips parted, I saw Choi Seulgi’s smiling face.
“There… now I feel a little more at ease.”
“I’m not looking at anyone else, so don’t worry.”
“I know. When I look into your eyes…”
I smiled at her words. In truth, I was looking at the others who had already entered my embrace quite a lot, but I was grateful that she seemed to permit that much.
This place was fundamentally dark. When Isaac chanted a spell, a bright light appeared before us, but it couldn’t hide the gloomy atmosphere. It was well-maintained and not dirty, but there was a definite stickiness to the air.
However, the deeper we went, the brighter it became.
Ha Yuri. She was emitting holy power.
“We’re here.”
—We have arrived.
Isaac, who had been here once before, also nodded. In a way, she was the person who had brought me back to this world. In my past life, I had unknowingly relied on her name, and it had allowed me to feel a sense of pride as a citizen of Aia.
After I realized she was a rotten bitch, a lot of things changed. Come to think of it, it’s been a while since I’ve visited this place.
I calmly opened the door.