Chapter 201 The Half Breed Barbarian's Tale of Woe
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Translator: JayM
Chapter: 201
Chapter Title: The Half-Breed Barbarian's Tale of Woe
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The next morning.
Mion sat by her room's window, watching the rising dawn.
After checking her imprint last night, she hadn't been able to sleep a wink.
Mion clasped her hands tightly.
'What should I do?'
Mion's heart was filled with anguish.
As a servant of the gods, she should be sharing love and mercy with others, but it was hard to endure the sinister desires welling up in her heart.
It was because of the evil and shameless imprint.
Knock, knock.
Mion came to her senses at the sound of a knock on the door.
"Mion!"
Her brother's voice.
Even though he was the Knight Commander in charge of protecting Labyrinth City's inner castle, he came to visit whenever he had time.
For him, it wasn't burdensome. Time with family was precious.
But…
'Isn't he visiting too often these days?'
Since her brother came to visit her whenever he had time, regardless of day or night, she had no time to be with Skar-nim.
"Mion!"
Just as Mion was about to get up…
Cain burst through the door and entered her room.
"You went into the labyrinth?! Why in the world?! No. That's not it. Are you hurt anywhere?"
Cain made a fuss.
Mion shook her head with a calm smile.
"Brother, I'm fine. I didn't even go that deep."
"Don't tell me it's because of that black-haired half-breed bastard?!"
Cain growled.
A question that hit the mark.
While Mion was briefly flustered, Cain immediately noticed something was strange.
"Really?! Because of that bastard, you went back into the labyrinth...?!"
"B-Brother!"
Mion quickly approached Cain and took both of his hands.
"You trust me, right?"
Mion's voice echoed through the room.
"Of course! Uh... Um. Uuh?"
Cain was answering coolly, then he made a dazed face, as if he was possessed by something.
"I went into the labyrinth because of Karin-nim's request. There's no other reason. And how about you reduce the frequency of your visits? You don't have much free time because of your work in the inner castle, after all."
"A... Alright."
Cain answered with a dazed face, and then he quickly came to his senses.
"O-Oh my! Mion! I came to have a meal with you today, but I forgot I have something important to do. I think I have to go back to the inner castle. I'm really sorry."
"It's alright. We can have a meal together next time."
Mion replied with a faint smile.
Cain hurriedly left the room.
Creeak.
Thud!
Mion, left alone, placed her hand on her chest to calm her pounding heart.
She had ended up using the ability of her 'imprint' in the heat of the moment.
Though her guilt was short-lived.
Skar-nim's face flashed through her mind.
Her heart pounded even more.
Gulp.
"I-If I have this imprint, I might be able to hear Skar-nim's true feelings. Hehe."
Mion muttered to herself with her back to the sunlight streaming in through the window.
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Jeong Yoo-shin, who had woken up, just turned his head and looked out the window.
It felt like he had just closed and opened his eyes, but the sun was already setting.
He had spent the entire day in bed.
He got out of bed, changed his clothes, and when he went down to the first floor, he only saw Eru.
Karin and Ingrid seemed to have gone out on some business.
He hadn't been able to talk to Eru yesterday because he was too tired, but he felt that he had to ask this.
"Eru, has everything been alright?"
"Yes!"
Eru answered with a smile. It seemed like he had eaten and been well while Jeong Yoo-shin was gone.
'That's a relief.'
Although Eru was a beautiful boy, Jeong Yoo-shin had expected that it would be difficult for the former to adapt to the southern district because he was an incubus. But his prediction had been completely wrong. Still, he felt good. The inn had become a resting place for someone.
Eru was still wearing a skirt.
Jeong Yoo-shin gritted his teeth and ignored it.
'Is he at an age where he's confused about his gender identity because of puberty?'
He didn't know. It probably wasn't a problem he should step in to correct. That was the job of Eru's parents.
"Skar-nim."
"What?"
"A guest came a little while ago."
"Oh?"
"They left a message asking you to go to the Dragon's Tail tavern."
Eru politely handed him the note.
Jeong Yoo-shin opened the note and read it.
It was written that the Huntsmen clan was holding a drinking party to distribute the reward and celebrate the subjugation of the Fly Count.
"When did they say I should go?"
"By tonight."
Jeong Yoo-shin stroked his chin. It was too late to go and check his imprint now.
Since he had to receive the reward distribution anyway, it wouldn't be a bad idea to attend.
"I'll have to go. I'll be late, so you can go to sleep first."
"Yes."
Jeong Yoo-shin just took his bastard sword and headed to the Dragon's Tail tavern.
Creeeeak.
He opened the tavern door and went inside.
The tavern was filled with boisterous laughter and the smell of alcohol.
A cheerful lute sound.
The foam of beer in a wooden mug.
The smell of sizzling grilled meat.
All these things, combined with the chatter of the explorers, radiated an enormous heat.
The Huntsman clan members recognized Jeong Yoo-shin at a glance and waved at him.
"Skar!!!"
"Come quickly!!!"
The Huntsman clan members were sitting in the center of the tavern. Their faces were all red, as if they had drunk a lot.
"Nyan nyan!!!"
The cat beast-person Lumi had also drunk a lot, and her face was like a carrot.
Jeong Yoo-shin lifted his head before sitting down.
The head of the giant fly monster was hanging in the center of the tavern.
As if it were a great spoil, the clan members were pointing at the fly head with their fingers and talking.
Jeong Yoo-shin shook his head and sat down among the Huntsman clan members.
Grilled meat with bones and beer were placed on the table.
"Skar, eat up!"
"Yeah! We survived thanks to you! Thanks a lot!"
The familiar faces of the Huntsman clan members gathered around Jeong Yoo-shin as they talked.
Just as Jeong Yoo-shin was about to grab a piece of meat and tear it…
The cat beast-person Lumi, who was tipsy, got up on the table.
"Nyan nyan!!! I will now introduce the hero of this Fly Count hunt!!! The one and only handsome half-breed barbarian, Skaaaar!!!"
"Waaaaaaah!!!"
The Huntsman clan members stood up and clapped. A few of them danced.
Jeong Yoo-shin looked around with a blank expression.
'What's with this energy?'
The people who had been going back and forth with tired faces just yesterday were now flapping around like fish out of the water in the tavern.
A few of them grabbed an explorer sitting in a corner and swung their fists.
"Hey! I saw it! That barbarian went ‘shuk!’ and got on top of the fly's head. And then ‘whack!’, he cut its head off with one stroke of his sword!"
The other explorers sitting in the tavern looked up and glanced at the fly monster's head hanging from the ceiling.
Another one raised a question.
"That head? I heard that its neck was quite thick. Does that even make any sense? It seems like it wouldn't be possible even with a greatsword."
"No, really! I saw it with my own two eyes! Skar!!! You tell them!!!"
Not only the Huntsman clan members, but all the explorers in the tavern looked at Jeong Yoo-shin.
The explorers who were having a drinking party on the second floor as well as the tavern owner and the serving staff all fixed their gazes on Jeong Yoo-shin.
"I didn't do anything that great."
Jeong Yoo-shin answered while scratching his head.
A Huntsman clan member beat his chest in frustration.
"I went home yesterday and laid in bed, but I was so curious, I couldn't sleep! How in the world did you survive?!"
The majority nodded as if in agreement.
"That's right! It's normal to die in your situation, but to appear in perfect condition and cut off the Fly Count's head?! Does that even make any sense?!"
"You have to tell us how you survived alone without going mad from the insanity!"
"What's with that ghoul? Why in the world were you taking it with you?!"
The Huntsman clan members shouted and threw various questions.
The people in the tavern looked at Jeong Yoo-shin with interested gazes.
They were like children who wanted to hear a great adventure story.
'I don't know why they're so interested in such a story.'
Jeong Yoo-shin tilted his glass, took a sip of beer, and leaned back in his chair.
"You want me to tell you?"
""Quickly!!!""
The people shouted in unison.
Jeong Yoo-shin chuckled and slowly opened his mouth.
"So let's see. Where should I start? When I passed through the red portal on the 10th floor..."
Jeong Yoo-shin began his story calmly.
The tavern immediately became quiet.
The sound of the lute had stopped, and not even a breath was heard.
People who had finished their explorations came into the tavern while talking, but they quickly read the atmosphere and quietly sat down.
Jeong Yoo-shin continued his story in a calm and low voice.
The desperate struggle with the group of ghouls.
Breaking through the swamp that was covered in a thick red fog while weary from exhaustion.
Luckily finding a resting place and meeting a labyrinth wanderer.
Racking his brain to overcome the 'Solitude' law of the swamp level.
Leaving again to join Mick's party.
Wandering the swamp again with the ghoul Johnson.
Obtaining a magic sword and joining the Huntsman clan members.
As the story continued, the people's mouths gradually fell open.
"...!"
It was unbelievably grim.
It was a story that made one doubt if it was something a person could experience.
Wouldn't an old hero's tale be much more realistic?
But the worries and emotions contained within it added truth to Jeong Yoo-shin's story.
Although he wasn't aware of it, Jeong Yoo-shin's handsome face also played a role in adding credibility to the story.
"...When I picked up the magic sword, a loud roar erupted from nearby. I ran to where the roar came from with Johnson. That's when I met the Huntsman clan members. As for the rest, as the Huntsman clan members had said, I fought the fly monster. Ah! I didn't cut its head off. I stabbed the sword into the top of its head."
"..."
When Jeong Yoo-shin's story was over, silence fell over the tavern.
It was a tale of woe so terrible it sent a chill down one's spine.
"...Crazy."
Someone muttered.
"He took a monster with him to overcome the swamp's 'law'? Huuuh."
"...That's a groundbreaking idea. We might see various attempts in the future."
"Who would have that kind of courage? It's only possible because it's that man."
"Tsk. A problem with the Bracelet of Unity? How will the guild respond?"
"The guild's credibility is falling lately. It seems like the factional struggles are getting worse."
Various stories were quietly exchanged.
Someone asked Jeong Yoo-shin.
"Skar, how did the ghoul listen to you? I don't understand that part."
Jeong Yoo-shin held out his fist.
"You just have to 'educate' it until it listens obediently."
"..."
The explorers stared blankly at Jeong Yoo-shin's fist.
Did he mean that he put his fist in?
Did he mean that he hit it?
They couldn't get a feel for it, but no one had the courage to ask.
Someone let out an awkward laugh.
"Ah...! And here I thought you were taking it with you to use its hole. Ahaha!!! Kugh!!! My head?!! The darkness of the labyrinth?!"
"...Actually, I thought so too. But how could a warrior like Skar do such a thing?!"
"By the way, he's a really amazing friend. His ideas and courage are on a different level!"
The explorers began to talk one by one.
The quiet inn was once again filled with heat.
The tone of the lute became even more cheerful.
The drunk Mick and the brothers Pete and Meat rushed over and put their arms around Jeong Yoo-shin.
"Sex!!! I believed in you!!!"
"Sh...shit!!!"
They seemed to be quite moved by the fact that the half-breed barbarian had wandered the swamp to find them.
The drunk Jeong Yoo-shin also laughed.
While laughing, talking, and clinking glasses…
Jeong Yoo-shin realized why they gathered and drank together.
Sharing a drink was an act of washing away the sticky evil of the labyrinth by sharing the stories that had piled up in their hearts.
At least, that was how it was in this city.
Jeong Yoo-shin tilted his beer glass.
He had lived in a world where people would be frustrated if he shared his grim experiences. Criticism, ridicule, and contempt were a bonus.
But this place was different.
His story became nourishment for some, a stepping stone for others, and even a comfort for many.
That fact…
Was more valuable and pleasing to Jeong Yoo-shin than gold and treasure.
"Puha!!! I'm paying for everything today!!!!!!"
The flushed Jeong Yoo-shin raised his empty glass and shouted.
"Waaaaaaah!!! Skar is the best!!!"
The people in the tavern cheered in response.
It was an autumn night.
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T/N - Holy shit! Mion got a brainwashing imprint! It’s both ironic and fitting to give such an imprint to a nun, of all people. Maybe now, Mion can finally have some action. Though it would be really funny if the MC’s new imprint was some sort of mental resistance.
Also, I’m glad the MC is now getting these sorts of moments. Before, all he got was ridicule, disdain, and fear because of his weakness and black hair and eyes. Now, he is getting the respect he deserves. Luck or not, the man has gone through a lot, and he deserves recognition for it.