Chapter 378: Mev! Awakening!
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 378: Mev! Awakening!
This was the limit. That was the one thought that filled Mev’s mind. She had been listening to the conversation, but to be honest, she couldn’t understand a single word of what was being said. The woman before her was unsettling, but there was no time to meticulously search for her flaws.
Her mind was completely focused elsewhere.
She was in a situation where she couldn’t move a single step. No, it was worse than that. If she so much as moved a fingertip, she would surely earn a dishonorable nickname.
‘Of all the Great Tribe Leaders in history, who would you pick as the most honorable?’
‘Why, the third Great Tribe Leader, Blood Dagger, of course! Krrrk.’
‘The third Great Tribe Leader, Blood Dagger… A truly honorable and respectable Green Skin, but… his wife is not so honorable.’
‘Ah… right. I forgot about Mev. Is her name not too shameful to even speak?’
‘Seeing as she pissed her pants so spectacularly…’
A similar situation would definitely occur. If she did it here, it was bound to happen. And that wasn’t all.
‘Laveua…’
‘I’m not talking to you, Mommy!’
‘M-Mommy was just so busy… so nervous… and so tired… that’s why…’
‘I graduated from that after I turned one! Mommy is a dummy! My friends tease me all the time!’
‘L-Laveua!’
‘Mev. From now on, you will live on your own.’
‘C-Chieftain!’
‘You have left a stain on my life!’
‘Hic… sob… I’m sorry, Chieftain…’
She could end up all alone like that. Various scenarios flashed through her mind, and in the end, she was certain that even the tombstone erected upon her death would be inscribed with humiliating words. Queen of Piss, Mev, Rests Here. Words like that would undoubtedly be written.
‘N-No! No!’
She could not become the Queen of Piss.
She could not become the Mother of All Wetters. No matter the method, no matter what it took, she had to break through this situation.
It was then that she felt her mind clear. The breakthrough wasn't far away. It was very close, and the method was simple.
If she couldn’t move, she just had to make someone else move. It was a very basic, incredibly simple thought.
And in the current atmosphere, it somehow felt possible.
‘I can do it! I can do it, Mev!’
Brain at full power.
Her brain, which felt like it had never been used before, began to whir furiously. Crisis was opportunity. The time had finally come to break through the limits she had created for herself.
With a resolute gaze that vowed to turn the situation around, Mev surveyed the room and quietly opened her mouth.
*
A quiet but powerful magic enveloped the tent. Mev’s sudden action surprised me, so it was no wonder that Choi Seulgi’s and Jang Ye Ri’s expressions also hardened slightly. They, too, knew very well what kind of Green Skin Mev was. This was likely the first time they had ever seen her like this.
“Wh-what is the meaning of…”
Jeong Jina’s expression stiffened slightly.
Truthfully, it was understandable why Jeong Jina would think that way. There was no way she could know about the bond between Choi Seulgi and me. She was also surely unaware that Jang Ye Ri was actually a demon, or how she and I had become entangled.
That was why she believed only what she could see.
The North and the East were receiving benefits, and I was at the center of it all. She might have thought that if she could somehow win me over, she too could join the fold.
In fact, there were quite a few humans currently trying to get on the good side of the massive and powerful group that was the Green Skins. This was even more true after the love story of Park Ajeong and Storm Shadow had spread.
The woman before me, Jeong Jina, had a similar objective.
She must have already investigated me and Mev, and her every action was likely calculated. To state her intentions clearly and directly without beating around the bush—it might have been influenced by her personality, but it could also have been the result of her investigation. After all, this was a manner of speaking that Green Skins couldn't dislike.
She must not have considered it a risk to send me various signals even with Mev sitting right next to me. The information she had on Mev probably painted her as a lucky fairy obsessed with card games, so it was no surprise she didn’t see Mev as a threat.
“I am saying that you are not qualified. Those who have forged bonds with us are not the privileged, but those who have fought and earned their place.”
That same Mev was now trembling with rage, speaking in a composed voice.
“B-but… to make the continent a little more equal…”
Jeong Jina was looking at me, but there was no reason for me to deal with her. It would probably be fine to leave it to Mev.
“There is no equality for those who do nothing. Some of the humans here are… a-are those who have fought alongside us since they were first born onto this continent.”
“…”
“We fought against each other, making one another stronger through c-constant struggle.”
Though she kept trembling and stuttering, there was no issue in conveying her meaning.
“We joined forces in the face of great crises and ultimately earned these… these things. The East-North-West-South War and the battles fought alongside the undead in the Northern Continent are prime examples. There were many sacrifices. Humans suffered great losses, and many Green Skins d-disappeared into the arms of the God of the Battlefield.”
“…”
“The third Great Tribe Leader, Blood Dagger, has, as you said, opened everything to the Green Skins. The same goes for some humans. But that does not mean that what we did was… was wrong. Just as there are humans who still cannot trust Green Skins, there are Green Skins who cannot trust humans. There is a clear reason why we do not open the Eastern Continent, which we have earned, to people like you. And we have entrusted this matter to the trustworthy humans who fought alongside us.”
“They are taking advantage of what the Green Skins have given them. O… O Mother of the Green Skins.”
“We are n-not fools!”
A fierce surge of magic erupted from Mev. I had never imagined such words would come from her mouth.
‘We are not fools.’
It was a line that didn't suit Mev at all, yet she delivered it perfectly. Perhaps it was because of the fairy dust falling from her wings, which trembled with rage, but she looked almost divine.
“We, too, know what is right and wrong. Are you not the one treating us like fools?”
‘What’s gotten into her?’
Every single word hit its mark. Even Jang Ye Ri was suspicious, immediately sending me a telepathic message.
[Did Mev eat something strange?]
[No… it’s not that.]
[Could it be Lee Wanyong in disguise?]
[You know it’s not.]
[I’m just asking, just in case. Isn’t this suspicious?]
Choi Seulgi was also staring at Mev, her mouth agape.
“I would appreciate it if you did not forget my position here. He has many wives, and I am not in a position to force him regarding his… his other relationships, but… I am the mistress of this Land of Glory and the mother of all Green Skins. To send him glances in my presence is a great discourtesy and an in-insult to me.”
“That was never my intention… I-it’s n-not…”
“I told you not to think us stupid. I am not as smart as other humans, nor have I lived a long time, but I can understand everything you are saying.”
No, the Mev right now was smart. I didn’t know what kind of buff she had received, but the Mev at this moment was incredibly intelligent.
“I… I apologize.”
Finally, Jeong Jina slowly began to bow her head. She had admitted her mistake. Mev’s appearance right now was literally that of a Spirit Queen. I couldn’t quite understand how things had turned out this way.
“And I believe this is a gathering for celebration, not a place to discuss various agendas.”
“B-But Lord Blood Dagger…”
“He was merely testing you.”
“…”
I hadn’t been testing her. I was just genuinely curious about what she wanted. But for now, I kept my mouth shut.
“It is not just you. I will not name names, but there are humans here with something else visible on their faces. This is clearly greed. We did not form bonds with humans to be caught up in such things. I re-respect your intentions, and I respect them again. However, you should not have spoken of them here.”
“I’m sorry.”
“You should never have brought this up at a place meant to celebrate the father of my precious child.”
At Mev’s words, Jang Ye Ri and Choi Seulgi also fell silent. From their perspective, they had just been swept along, but they seemed to feel sorry for getting worked up over the provocation. Because, just as Mev had said, this was a place to celebrate and be celebrated.
“However… it is not that there is no way for you to get what you want.”
“I-is that really true?”
“You must prove yourself. Just as we who have fought did, and just as they who have struggled did, you too must prove yourself. Though I am lacking, I believe I can help you prove your qualifications.”
A shape quietly began to appear behind Mev. It was something I had only ever heard about. Transparent water slowly took form out of thin air. What started small grew bit by bit, eventually exuding a presence that filled the entire tent.
Someone looking at it muttered.
“A… a Spirit King…”
“To think the Fairy Queen… could c-control a Spirit King.”
‘Huh…’
I was so curious as to when she had become capable of handling something like that; even I hadn’t known. As if aware of what was behind her, Mev stared at Jeong Jina without even glancing back.
The being called the King of Spirits drew a massive water bow, warning the woman before it. There was no way a greenhorn who had just arrived, talented as she might be, could handle such a presence.
As Jeong Jina stared at the Spirit King with trembling lips, Mev muttered once more.
“E-everyone, p-please leave.”
“Y-yes… that is.”
“Today does not seem to be a t-time for p-pleasant conversation. H-hic…”
“…”
Perhaps because of Mev, who was trembling as she stated her intentions so clearly, Jang Ye Ri and Choi Seulgi were the first to stand. The good atmosphere had been instantly chilled because of the greenhorn, so Jeong Jina likely had nothing to say.
[Please tell Mev I will thank her separately. I don’t know if it was intentional, but that was refreshing. Things should be quieter now.]
[Got it.]
Even Jang Ye Ri and Choi Seulgi had this reaction. There was probably a reason they were the first to get up.
“I apologize for causing a disturbance. Let’s continue our talk tomorrow.”
“I’m sorry. We apologize as well.”
Watching the people suddenly leave, Jeong Jina’s expression continued to harden. She had realized what a mistake she’d made.
“P-please forgive me…”
“I am not blaming you. A t-tent has been prepared, so please leave quickly. I hope to see you tomorrow with a smiling face. Sob… hic…”
“Y-yes.”
She looked like a drowned rat. Her move to improve her standing had produced the worst possible result. I thought that because of today, that woman might lose the position she had built up until now. It was painfully obvious that the people who had pushed her to do this would now turn their backs on her. I swallowed nervously.
In an instant, the people had cleared out, leaving only Mev and me in the tent. Curious about the giant Spirit King, I activated my eye, and information began to fly in and lodge itself in my mind.
Naturally, Mev’s current status also came into view. It was laughable that I hadn’t noticed it before.
“C-Chieftain… hic… sob… h-help me.”
A desperate cry.
I immediately reached out my hand toward Mev, and she looked up at me with a tearful expression.