Chapter 204 I Will Find You
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Translator: JayM
Chapter: 204
Chapter Title: I Will Find You
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In the quiet inn hall.
Vice-Guild Master Nelia stopped as she was approaching the counter.
'Strange.'
The half-breed barbarian's expression was chillingly calm.
He didn't seem like a person who had had a terrible experience in the swamp area.
There was a common trait among explorers who had been through a few crises.
They found it difficult to control their emotions, were full of paranoia, and acted violently.
Of course, the degree of difference varied from person to person.
But explorers were also human, so it was inevitable that they would become unstable after facing several shocking crises.
There were also the side effects of using excessive narcotic painkillers and antipsychotic drugs to prevent the encroachment of madness.
But the half-breed barbarian in front of her was the same as usual.
A rumor about Skar had spread, centered around the taverns in the southern district.
Nelia herself had heard it.
When she heard the news that he had dragged a ghoul around to block the 'Solitude' law of the swamp, she had gotten goosebumps.
It was a method that one couldn't think of without being mad.
How could he survive by breaking through the swamp with a malevolent monster by his side and remaining sane?
She was already uncomfortable with having to face the employees she didn't want to see at work.
Was Skar a person who was used to receiving malice?
Perhaps that was the case.
He must have been treated harshly as a half-breed barbarian until he had settled down in the southern district.
Nelia abandoned her intention of casually negotiating.
'This won't be easy.'
The fact that Skar's mind was intact was the first reason.
The second reason was…
Ingrid, who was standing next to the half-breed barbarian.
It was difficult to pull any tricks in front of a person who was a key member of the Labyrinth City Council.
To be honest, it was surprising.
Ingrid, who had a slender figure and always maintained an ice-like expression…
Emotion was showing on the face of the woman who was called the Iron Empress among the beast-people.
Anger.
On top of that, her face was slightly flushed, perhaps because of the lighting in the inn hall.
Was she holding back her anger?
Nelia opened her mouth. It was difficult to maintain her silence any longer.
"Skar-nim, our guild's management of magic tools was inadequate and has caused you serious damage. I'm sorry."
Nelia bowed deeply.
Whatever the backstory was, it had happened at the headquarters. Because of this, the trust in the Explorer's Guild, which was already in a precarious position, had fallen to the ground.
"It's alright."
Jeong Yoo-shin answered calmly.
"What?!"
Nelia hurriedly raised her head and looked up at Jeong Yoo-shin.
Why was he forgiving her so coolly?
"K-Khm!"
Suddenly, Ingrid coughed. Her eyebrows were furrowed, as if she were very angry.
Nelia's heart sank.
[Eye of Truth]
She immediately used her imprint ability.
The ability that had led her to the position of Vice-Guild Master.
It was the ability to determine whether the other person was telling the truth or not.
"Ingrid-nim, are you alright?"
"I-I'm fine. Don't mind me and continue talking."
Ingrid answered while turning her head at Nelia's question.
Nelia realized it immediately.
Ingrid was not fine.
'I've walked into a trap.'
The half-breed barbarian had no intention of coming to the negotiating table.
He just wanted to use Ingrid to draw out the maximum benefit for him.
To try to gain an advantage like this without lifting a finger.
She had thought that he was just a warrior, but she had been mistaken.
"Khm!!! Then, what can we do to make you feel at ease, Skar-nim?"
"What can you do for me?"
At that moment…
Ingrid whispered in Jeong Yoo-shin's ear.
"S-Skar, stop it. How far are you going to harass me in front of the Vice-Guild Master?"
The words Karin had said flashed through Jeong Yoo-shin's mind.
'I agreed not to oppose her when Mom chooses her partner.'
From this, one fact could be deduced.
Ingrid was looking for her second partner.
Ingrid's 'desire' was righteous.
Just as his own 'desire' was.
He tilted his head and brought his mouth close to Ingrid's ear.
"Harass you? I'm helping you, Ingrid-nim."
"Helping me?"
"I heard that you’re looking for a partner. To do so, you need to know about the current dating culture, but you don't know much, do you?"
"Ridiculous. Where in the world is harassing a woman's body called dating?"
"It's not harassment. Have you ever heard of it? The story of a warrior and a female mage who met at a tavern, hit it off, and left for a room to make love in? Love blossoms when the bodies are a good match. That's how it is these days."
"..."
Ingrid's eyes trembled once.
Nonsense.
It was a baseless statement without any logic.
She knew that the culture of Labyrinth City had a particularly progressive tendency, different from other places.
From food to clothes.
There were many strange things here that couldn’t be seen in the outside world.
Even so, it hadn't been this bad when she was active as an explorer.
"What does that have to do with you touching my butt?"
"It's bride training. I think you'll find a good partner, Ingrid-nim."
"..."
The fingers that had gone inside her dolphin shorts grabbed the strap of Ingrid's panties and slightly lifted it.
"These are rather small panties. The straps are also thin."
At Skar's whisper, Ingrid bowed her head deeply.
Anger welled up inside her at the excessive harassment. But her anger soon subsided, and only shame remained.
Ingrid regretted it.
She had worn a thong, which was popular among female explorers these days.
It was uncomfortable, but after getting used to it, there was no underwear as comfortable as this. And in the midst of that, such a disaster had occurred.
'What?'
Nelia was surprised.
The distance between the two was very close. So much so that one of Ingrid-nim's breasts was pressed tightly against Skar's chest.
There was a suspicion that there was a friendship between the two.
If there had been no friendship, Ingrid-nim wouldn’t have stayed in the southern district like this.
But…
'They were this close?'
She couldn't know the content of their conversation because the two were whispering.
What were they talking about?
She didn't know.
But it probably wasn't a story that was to her advantage.
Nelia quickly racked her brain.
"Vice-Guild Master, I have something to ask you."
At Skar's question, Nelia quickly came to her senses.
"Yes. Skar-nim, please speak."
"What happened to the guild member who gave me the broken Bracelet of Unity?"
"He's dead."
"What was the cause of death?"
"Suicide. He hanged himself in his room."
"Was there a particular reason?"
"No. A large number of alcohol bottles were found at his place, but there was no suicide note."
"..."
Skar looked down at the table.
Nelia spoke again. For some reason, she felt that the negotiations were just scratching the surface.
"Our guild will compensate you. If there’s anything you need, by all means…"
Skar shook his head and cut Nelia off.
"I heard that it's the Eastern District guys' doing. They bribed a guild employee and made him hand over a defective Bracelet of Unity to me."
"..."
Nelia closed her mouth.
Goosebumps ran down her spine.
This man…
How much did he know?
It was information that could barely be known at a rank higher than a Vice-Guild Master.
'Don't tell me it’s Ingrid-nim?'
Ingrid-nim was also so angry that her face was redder than before.
Although Nelia didn't know that Jeong Yoo-shin was actually harassing Ingrid's butt behind the counter.
He raised his fingers and gently scraped Ingrid's butt.
The fingernails that gently brushed past her butt…
A dizzying goosebumps, enough to make the hair on her whole body stand on end…
Ingrid naturally lost her strength. It was sweeter than the massage she had received last time.
Jeong Yoo-shin read Nelia's expression.
Although not as much as his ghoul friend Johnson, he had no trouble reading Nelia's troubled expression.
"You already knew, Vice-Guild Master."
"..."
Jeong Yoo-shin's tone was full of conviction.
Nelia was silent for a moment, then she spoke.
"...It's just a guess. We can't cause a conflict with the Eastern District without any evidence."
'As expected, they weren't a trustworthy organization.'
Jeong Yoo-shin decided not to push Nelia any further.
Since Labyrinth City was also a place where people lived, various mistakes could happen.
Even in modern society, countless accidents and murders happen all the time, let alone in this other world.
But he couldn't just let this go.
'It's human nature to return the favor when you've been screwed over.'
Jeong Yoo-shin made a plan in his head.
If the higher-ups of the Explorer’s Guild were reluctant, then he could just work with the people below.
"I understand. Then I'll take the heartfelt apology in money. I think my heart will be at peace with 500 gold coins."
"What?! F-Five hundred gold coins?!"
Nelia said with wide eyes. It was too much compensation for one person.
"What's wrong?"
Jeong Yoo-shin asked while tilting his head.
He had gotten 1000 gold coins from Saul, so there was no reason the guild couldn't give half of that.
But there was one fact that Jeong Yoo-shin had overlooked.
The fortune of 1000 gold coins was an investment asset that Saul had saved up and grown, one penny at a time, since he was an elf.
"S-Suddenly, 500 gold coins..."
"Khm!"
Ingrid suddenly coughed and twisted her body.
As Nelia flinched and stopped talking, Jeong Yoo-shin immediately cut in.
"No. A person almost died, and you're saying you can't give 500 gold coins?"
"W-Wait a minute. Still, 500 gold coins is too..."
"600 gold coins."
"Ah."
"Ah? 700 gold coins."
Nelia quickly looked at Ingrid and sent a look of appeal, but Ingrid just bowed her head and trembled.
"A-Alright. 700 gold coins! We’ll pay."
"Come to think of it, I think my worries will disappear with 800 gold coins."
Nelia bit her lip hard.
She had messed with the wrong person.
Even though a huge accident had happened, he hadn't come to the guild to protest and had just been quiet, so she had thought that she could resolve it nicely.
How wrong she was.
He was making an unreasonable demand with the Labyrinth City Council backing him up.
And even more than she had expected.
And she had to grant this man's demand to recover a little of the guild's trust.
Boom!!!
"Th-That's enough! Up to here."
Ingrid slammed the table. Nelia's heart grew cold at the sight of Ingrid, who was bowing her head and gritting her teeth.
It was also true when she looked with her Eye of Truth.
"I understand. Then I’ll withdraw for now. We’ll send the compensation separately later."
Nelia bowed deeply again and withdrew.
Creeeeak.
Thud.
The inn's door closed, and Jeong Yoo-shin and Ingrid were left.
"Let go of my butt."
Ingrid growled.
Jeong Yoo-shin lifted his hand off Ingrid’s butt.
"I'll ask you about the crime of harassing my butt later. What are you thinking? What in the world are you going to use so much money on?"
At Ingrid's question, Jeong Yoo-shin smiled faintly.
"Labyrinth City wasn't originally like this."
"..."
"Anyone can see that it's abnormal. Since a tragedy lurks in every dark alley, how can you consider it righteous? That tragedy has even blocked my path in the labyrinth. I can't just stand by and watch."
"So?"
"I have a few friends I know. They're friends I met at a small and medium-sized clan meeting, and they were decent. I'm thinking of borrowing their strength."
'And talk to Aldein as well.'
Jeong Yoo-shin's eyes, which were filled with lustful energy, shone bewitchingly.
I will definitely find you.
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T/N - Liam Neeson over here. Well, the MC does have a particular set of skills.
Also, lol, the misunderstandings in this chapter are *Chef’s Kiss*. Nelia folded like a house of cards, and I have no clue if the MC did it on purpose or if he’s just one lucky SoB.