Chapter 448: Tightening the Noose
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 448: Tightening the Noose
“So, what happened next?”
“Next?”
“Yes. I’m so curious about what happened with you after that, Ms. Seulgi.”
“You think I’ll tell you for free?”
“If… if there is anything you desire, I will do my best to provide it within my means.”
“Oh, really? In that case… ahem… how about you build me a new one?”
“Ah…”
“No good?”
“There is some construction already scheduled, but… if you wish it, Ms. Choi Seulgi…”
Sitting in her chair, Choi Seulgi tapped the armrest and slowly began to speak. Her gaze was incredibly arrogant, her posture that of an absolute ruler who stood above all others. With her legs crossed and chin held high, she looked like a demon lord straight out of a story. My face slowly began to turn red.
“The numbers are a bit high.”
She tried to modulate her voice to sound deeper, but anyone could tell it was Choi Seulgi.
“There are quite a few of them.”
The hall fell silent.
“Isn’t that right, Ann?”
Baek Ahyeon’s eyes were sparkling. Even Choi Eunju was swallowing hard as she stared at Choi Seulgi. It was a bit rude to say, considering her age, but she looked like a young girl engrossed in a drama.
“The choice is yours.”
With that, Choi Seulgi finished her performance.
“Kyaaaaaaaaaaah!”
The moment she finished, Baek Ahyeon let out a scream. I had no idea why, but Choi Seulgi, the one who had just been speaking, was screaming right along with her.
“Kyaaaaaaaaaaah!!”
“As… as expected of the Savior. It pains my heart so much to have missed that moment.”
“Right? Right? You really should have seen it in person, it was incredible. I can still see it so vividly. It was a sight that made you want to serve him unconditionally… If it weren’t for those bastards from the West, I could have seen it in more detail… Shit…”
If it weren’t for the West, she wouldn’t have been able to see it at all.
“Just… just hearing about it makes my heart pound, Ms. Seulgi. If I had been there, I don’t think I could have handled it. E-Even now, I want to offer my service…”
“I was so disappointed that the redhead was sitting next to me… It felt like I was the evil demon king’s favored concubine… Fuck… Ugh… I should have gone over to that side… Hayeon-unni was the closest, but even she was a little too far away, so it didn’t have the right atmosphere…”
“Still, you were able to see him up close. I’m a little envious, unni. By the way, that woman named Ann…”
“I swear… it was ridiculous. She must have realized how handsome he was, because she kept staring at him the entire time we were eating after it was over. She definitely fell for him. I’m sure of it.”
“I see.”
For a moment, Baek Ahyeon’s eyes turned cold. Of course, Choi Seulgi’s words had no basis in reality. From what I saw, the emotion in Ann’s eyes at that time was unmistakably terror. I had no idea how one could interpret a gaze steeped in fear as a sign of infatuation, but even Jung Hayeon seemed to be nodding in agreement.
“Her eyes did look similar to me. They were just like the ones I had when Blood Dagger and I first met.”
My first meeting with Jung Hayeon was not exactly beautiful. I remembered her looking at me with eyes full of terror. So yes, they were similar eyes, but it seemed the memory had been romanticized in her head.
Jung Hayeon, who had been smiling faintly at the other two’s fussing, blushed slightly as the excessive attention turned to her.
If this story hadn’t been about me, I probably would have joined in with the same joyful tone. But seeing Choi Seulgi describe me so openly, I was so embarrassed I couldn’t even lift my head. I couldn’t believe I had actually acted like that. Watching Baek Ahyeon and Choi Seulgi’s excitement only made it worse.
No, more than that, I was surprised no one had said anything about my behavior back then. Even I had to admit that I might have gone a little overboard.
The words Choi Seulgi had told me when I pulled Ha Yuri out of hell still remained in my memory.
‘If you’ve got it, enjoy it. Beat the shit out of the bastards you don’t like and help the ones you want to help. That’s how you find peace. Don’t just get lost in your emotions, act on them. You’ve earned that right. That’s what you fought for. And that fight isn’t over yet.’
I had decided to live a little more freely, but even I felt that my actions that day were out of character. Of course, I didn’t regret it or think it was wrong. In fact, I remember rather enjoying myself as I watched them.
It wasn’t that I had no idea what caused it.
‘Dain.’
The influence of becoming one with her had manifested directly. When I became one with Gram, the Sword of Sorrow, tears would flow from my eyes against my will. I hadn’t yet experienced any side effects from uniting with Levatain, but I did feel a slight burning sensation in my chest and head.
But that was Gram and Levatain, weapons that had accepted the Seats of Sorrow and Wrath, respectively. It was rude to say, but I didn’t think Dain’s influence was that strong. Compared to the other two weapons, she was still lacking. I only ever brought her out when I had an overwhelming advantage or when I was taking a gamble. Naturally, I hadn’t felt this way when I fought Goff before.
It was just a guess, but I could only assume that it wasn’t just me being influenced, but Dain as well.
‘The Seat she can embrace might be nearby.’
It was pure speculation, but that was my theory. Other hypotheses were that my synchronization with her had improved, or that my own mind was becoming twisted, but a check-up with Alisha had confirmed that there was nothing wrong with my mental state, at least.
If anything, the problem was with the people surrounding me. I slowly looked around at Choi Seulgi and the others, who were getting excited over my tale of valor.
The problem was that I had brought Baek Ahyeon here with Jane, so that Jane could meet the people who had broken in from the right side of the ice wall. It was a considerate gesture for Jane, who was still not used to life here, but I never imagined it would turn out like this. What I thought would be a small gathering had turned into a family meeting, with Choi Eunju and Jang Ye Ri joining in, leaving only Mev and the children absent.
And of course, we were eating together.
“...........”
The incident began when Choi Seulgi, who hadn’t taken her eyes off me even during the defensive battle, started recounting the events of that day. Jang Ye Ri and Choi Eunju, who had been focused on the battle at the time, were now listening intently to Choi Seulgi and Baek Ahyeon, nodding along.
“Indeed, a look befitting a king. If only Ratga could be a little more like that…”
“I’m a little disappointed as well.”
“He just spread his hands like this, and thorns came raining down from the sky, fshshshshk… Ugh… Ahh… It felt like justice was raining from above… It was no joke, seriously.”
“The Savior is truly different! As expected of the Savior! We… we must commission a statue of that pose…”
“That’s exactly what I was about to say. Hayeon-unni should remember it, right?”
“As I thought!”
“Yes. I remember it, more or less.”
Jung Hayeon even nodded in agreement with Choi Seulgi and Baek Ahyeon’s discussion-that-wasn’t-a-discussion. I sighed, thinking that if Mev had been here, this place would have been an even greater pit of chaos.
“May I request one as well?”
“I’ll request one, too.”
The absurd thing was that Jang Ye Ri and Choi Eunju were also showing interest in a product that hadn’t even been made yet. It was especially surprising to see Choi Eunju acting this way. When I stared at her, she ducked her head in embarrassment, as if she thought she was being foolish.
“Mm… it melts in your mouth.”
Jang Ye Ri, however, didn’t even flinch at my glare and swallowed another piece of the recently popular meat. I wanted to tell her to maintain her dignity, but it was impossible to bring it up in this atmosphere, as the women were still lost in their chatter. I was glad that they had grown closer with Choi Seulgi at the center of it all, but I had a feeling the result would be something terrifying. Mev had been unintentionally left out, but I found myself hoping she would never join this group.
When you’re embarrassed, the best thing to do is change the subject. It was difficult to cut into the ever-escalating mood, but I watched for an opening and managed to speak to Baek Ahyeon.
“How is Jane?”
“Ah! There seem to be no problems. I was a little worried, but she doesn’t seem to mind the idea of moving with the people over there.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Yes, it is. It seems Saint Jane was feeling a little uncomfortable around the others… She said she is ready to depart at any time.”
“It would be best to leave soon.”
“Yes. I will tell her so, my Savior.”
It wouldn’t be a bad idea to slowly start making our move now. The troops on the front wall had completely withdrawn, pulling the front line back. It wasn’t that they had abandoned the prisoners and remaining survivors. They were continuously trying to negotiate for the prisoners’ return and seemed to be thinking about a rescue, but our side met the West’s proposals with stony silence.
On the contrary, after we made a show of not stopping our offensive and pretending to advance over the wall, their next move was obvious. They started to flee with their tails between their legs. For a large army, retreating is just as much work as advancing.
They must have wanted to pull their frontline troops back as safely as possible, but news kept coming in that Green Skins were hunting them down even at this very moment.
Both externally and internally, the mood in the West was at an all-time low. It would be strange if an unconditional surrender wasn’t offered. Of course, I had no intention of accepting it even if they did. The golden-haired saintess and the survivors were there to completely collapse them from within.
They would become the core of the future revolutionary army and would utterly sink their command structure.
If I had to give the operation a name, it would be Joan of Arc. Of course, my Joan of Arc will absolutely not die, neither during the operation nor after it is over.
I tapped the Iron Throne and smiled.
*
“So, it’s my turn tonight, right?”
“Ms. Seulgi, d-do you perhaps remember our promise from last time?”
“Ah… did we have one?”
“Yes.”
“Then let’s go in together.”
“Th-Thank you, Ms. Seulgi.”
“.........................”
“......................”
“....................”
“Oh, my. How scandalous. Kids these days… so precocious and bold.”
“That… that must be embarrassing…”
“Hmph. The very idea of three people sharing love is nonsense. I shall retire for the night.”
“Rest well, Your Majesty.”
“Hmm… instead of that, why don’t we have a cup of tea and talk about the children?”
“Oh, I’d love that.”
“M-My Savior! I’ll be in your care.”
“You’d better be grateful. It’s a special service today.”
The conversation was moving quickly. My Joan of Arc might not die, but I suddenly thought that I might be the one to die first.