Chapter 271 Her Voice You Don't Know
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Translator: JayM
Chapter: 271
Chapter Title: Her Voice You Don't Know
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Astaroth, who had finished her story, stood up.
"I'll be going now."
"Alright."
Jeong Yoo-shin stood at the inn door and saw Astaroth off. Since a dark elf woman who seemed to be her secretary had come to pick her up, there was no need for him to accompany her.
Luke stood next to Jeong Yoo-shin.
"Skar, you seem to be in great shock."
Jeong Yoo-shin looked at the dark street and nodded.
Definitely.
After cooling his head, several puzzles came to his mind.
Why hadn't the Eastern Alliance abandoned Labyrinth City?
And…
The Vaisis clan leader, who had spouted excessive words at the 1st-ranked clan in the Eastern District and had still returned unscathed, was also one of them.
It was hard for him to understand.
If he was Astaroth…
He would have killed that clan leader on the spot.
Was that all?
He would have sent all the inhuman bastards gathered there to hell as well.
"Luke-nim, it's still hard for me to understand."
At Jeong Yoo-shin's question, Luke stroked his beard.
"What is?"
Jeong Yoo-shin briefly explained what had happened in the Eastern District.
Luke blinked.
"No. You killed an intermediate-rank high explorer who had achieved an Imprint Synergy? How?!"
"I killed him with a dagger. It was manageable."
Jeong Yoo-shin replied calmly and thought to himself.
'I didn't kill him.'
The crowd had killed him.
To be more precise…
Johannes had felt pressured by the crowd's gaze, and his pride had been wounded as a result. Because of that, he lost his composure and had lost the psychological battle.
"You're truly terrifying. You haven't even achieved an Imprint Synergy yet and your level must still be low, but you managed to kill an intermediate-rank high explorer."
Jeong Yoo-shin felt that Luke's gaze was burdensome, so he turned his head away.
"That's enough. Please just answer one of my questions."
"What is it?"
"Why did Astaroth, who’s a member of the Labyrinth Council, let that rude Vaisis clan leader live? If it was me, I would have just wiped them all out..."
Luke shrugged.
"Then does it make sense that you survived after spitting in the face of that same Labyrinth Council member?"
"..."
Jeong Yoo-shin scratched his head.
'That leaves me with nothing to say.'
Luke looked at Jeong Yoo-shin silently and then opened his mouth.
"I can guess a few reasons. The Vaisis clan leader is a high-ranking explorer, and there's a rumor that he has connections with the hard-liners of the Eastern District."
Hard-liners?
Jeong Yoo-shin had heard of them.
In the Eastern District underworld, there were neutral, moderate, and hard-line factions.
"Are those hard-liners that great? No matter what, the 1st-ranked clan is still walking around."
Luke scratched his head.
"The 2nd-ranked clan is in the hard-line faction. They have a lot of clan members, and there are many strong people with strange imprints among them, so it's often said that it's difficult for Pandemonium to handle them."
Jeong Yoo-shin let out a deep sigh.
"Hoo. Why are there so many stories I don't know?"
"You have to be interested in how people live. You can't know these things just by going in and out of the labyrinth. And there’s one more secret in the Eastern District, but you won't be able to hear it."
Jeong Yoo-shin frowned.
His head was throbbing.
'Another secret?'
It seemed that there were many things hidden in this city.
And it was already a city with many things that were difficult to understand.
Luke, seeing Jeong Yoo-shin's expression gradually harden, moved away slightly.
"You seem to have a lot on your mind, so get some rest today."
"The Eastern District guys told me to be careful on the night streets."
"Lock your windows well. And you can put a sword by your bedside."
"Take care."
Jeong Yoo-shin saw Luke off and collapsed into the counter chair.
'I'm dizzy.'
Jeong Yoo-shin quietly closed his eyes…
To soothe his anger toward Gibson, who had crossed the line…
And to organize the new questions that had arisen in his mind.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
At the same time.
Astaroth was walking the streets with her dark elf secretary.
289.
The number of Eastern District clans she had torn apart and killed for various reasons. She hadn't bothered to count since then.
'You persistent bastards.'
When she annihilated them, it would become quiet, and then after some time, other guys would fill their places.
They weren’t just some ordinary guys either.
Stronger and more vicious guys would push their way in.
Dayflies who would burn not only the lives of others but also their own for profit.
The rudeness of the Vaisis clan leader a while ago had been on her mind.
She had been about to kill him, but she had stopped herself.
Because she was always seeing blood.
Lately, she was tired.
In fact…
Although she had tried to sugarcoat it…
She didn't really care about what happened to others.
Whether they were engaged in slave trade in the Eastern District…
Or conducting various bizarre human experiments in a secret place…
Or performing human sacrifices to learn the secrets of black magic…
Or becoming a ruin at the end of indulging themselves in pleasure and lying around in an alley.
Because she had seen such things for a long time already. It was all the same, and it was just a dull, gray landscape for her.
The dark elf opened her mouth.
"What will you do about the Vaisis Clan? It seems like they’ll harm Skar-nim."
The dark elf asked.
"Just leave them be. I saw Aldein and Vlad watching from a distance earlier. There was no place for me to interfere."
"Still, your actions, Astaroth-nim, are questionable. By any chance..."
The dark elf paused for a moment and tilted her head.
"By any chance, were you enduring the insult to appeal your delicate femininity to Skar-nim?"
At that moment…
Astaroth's face turned red.
"Not at all?!"
"..."
The dark elf let out a deep sigh.
"Hoo. Astaroth-nim, human males these days prefer a different type of woman than a delicate one."
Astaroth's eyes widened.
"What?!"
"Yes, the popular type of woman in Labyrinth City these days is…"
"What?"
"A young woman who flaunts her overwhelming power and ends every sentence with ‘weak’."
"..."
"But she also has a trait of liking to be corrected by the man she likes. Should I say that she's strong on the outside, but weak on the inside?"
"...That's difficult."
"I think you're a perfect candidate, Astaroth-nim. You just need to practice saying 'weak' well."
"I-Is that so?"
"Yes."
Astaroth, who finally seemed to have regained her strength, raised her black spear and smiled.
"Nghuhut. Weak Skar."
"Excellent."
The dark elf also smiled and agreed…
While cheering on the love of her pitiful superior, whose heart was gradually being worn down by blood and tragedy.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The next morning.
Jeong Yoo-shin sat in the counter chair and rubbed his eyes.
He had stayed up all night.
It wasn't because he was afraid of the Eastern District guys.
He needed to organize the shocking stories he had heard all at once.
The head of the Ezdras family would come out of the labyrinth one day.
He didn't know when that would be.
Coincidentally, various strange things were happening in the labyrinth right now. Because of that, the council's attention was entirely focused on it.
And just then…
The holy knight of the Empire who was called a hero had also come to this city under the pretext of protecting the peace of the labyrinth.
Jeong Yoo-shin was lost in deep thought.
Why now, of all times?
No way.
Could it be that the Emperor of the Empire had noticed what was happening in the labyrinth?
If so…
The reason he had sent the hero was…
'To deal with that family head?'
Jeong Yoo-shin scratched his head. He wondered if his imagination had gone too far.
Come to think of it, he hadn't even been paid for the last labyrinth trip yet.
'I should at least see her once.'
Jeong Yoo-shin stood up, closed the inn, and went out.
He asked around the central area and found Cian's residence.
It was an inn that exuded an old-fashioned and aristocratic atmosphere.
When he went inside, the employee at the reception desk recognized him at a glance.
"I'll guide you to Cian-nim's room."
Jeong Yoo-shin went up the stairs to the 4th floor and reached the hero’s room.
Knock, knock.
After knocking and waiting for a moment, the door opened.
Cian, with her golden hair tied to one side, saw Jeong Yoo-shin and her eyes widened.
"Skar?"
"Have you been well?!"
At the booming greeting, Cian smiled faintly.
"Yesterday, Astaroth-nim gave us an emergency request, so I was guarding the front of the labyrinth. It would have been nice if you were there too."
"Next time, be sure to call me too! By the way, where's the rest of the party?"
"They're all tired and asleep because they overdid it a bit while guarding the labyrinth exit last night."
"Is that so?"
Jeong Yoo-shin smacked his lips.
What a shame.
He had been planning to check on Gibson's condition.
He didn't know if it was fortunate or unfortunate, but it seemed that guy hadn't been in the Eastern District the night before.
"Um..."
Just as Cian was about to open her mouth.
Creeeeak.
The door to the next room opened, and Sebastian, with a haggard complexion, peeked his head out.
"Why is it so noisy… Barbarian?!"
"Oh!"
Jeong Yoo-shin smiled.
"Mage!"
Sebastian's eyes narrowed.
"What brings you here?"
"I came to get my pay."
Sebastian, who had a dazed expression for a while, finally came to his senses.
He had completely forgotten about the reward for the request.
"Wait a moment."
Sebastian went into his room, rummaged through the pouch containing the party's funds, and took out some gold coins.
A total of 15 gold coins.
It was 5 more gold coins than the reward for the last request.
Just as he was about to leave the room with the pouch.
He heard Skar and Cian's whispers.
"How's your body? Any tight spots?"
"I-I'm fine. I'm loosening it up by myself. Eek...?!"
"I don't think so."
"S-Skar! You can't do this here."
"Don't worry. A massage..."
Sebastian stopped in his tracks. Because the two's voices were getting softer, he couldn't hear them well anymore.
'A massage?'
No way…
Sebastian threw the door open and went in.
"Skar?!"
At Sebastian's shout, the barbarian's eyes widened.
"What is it?!"
"A-A massage. What do you mean by that?!"
Skar shrugged, as if it were no big deal.
"Doesn't Cian have the Muscle Stiffness imprint? I just suggested a massage to loosen up her tight spots."
Sebastian's face contorted viciously.
"D-Does that even make sense?! How dare you touch the Hero-nim's body?!"
"Sebastian, be quiet. Our comrades are sleeping."
Cian suddenly interjected. Sebastian's face went blank.
"Pardon?"
The barbarian looked at Sebastian with his arms crossed.
"It's just a massage to loosen up the muscles, aren't you overreacting?!"
Cian made a bitter smile.
"Sebastian, has Skar ever harmed our party? In fact, hasn't he been showing us goodwill all along? Is it so hard to believe?"
Sebastian was at a loss for words.
The hero's words were true.
Up until now, he had been the one who had disliked Skar and had been picking on him.
Sebastian hurriedly spread his hands.
"S-Still, how can this guy touch the Hero-nim...? I-I'll do it instead! Yes! I, a comrade, will give you a massage!"
In that brief moment…
A disappointed light flashed in Cian's golden pupils.
She, who had been silent for a while, avoided Sebastian's gaze.
"I'm sorry, Sebastian. You've been working all night, so please rest today. I'll call you if I need anything."
Skar grinned.
"She said so."
The flustered Sebastian waved his arms, but…
"Ah! You brought the pay!"
Skar approached the mage and snatched the gold coins he was holding.
Skar, who had put the gold coins in his pocket, smiled and put his arm around Cian's shoulder.
"Then let's go in! Hero-nim!"
Cian blushed and removed Skar's hand.
"D-Don't just put your hand on my shoulder."
"Hahaha!!! You're so shy!"
The two went into the room while bickering.
Thud.
Sebastian stood in front of the closed door and reached out with his empty hand.
"Ah."
He was bewildered and dazed.
He was dumbfounded.
Soon, a dark thought came to his mind.
Then…
Thump!!! Thump!!! Thump!!! Thump!!!
Suddenly, his heart began to pound violently.
Sebastian hurriedly went into his room and pressed his ear against the wall.
Because he was using the room next to Cian's, he could sometimes hear a faint sound from beyond the wall.
"Relax... it's just a massage..."
"P-Please be gentle..."
Because it was a high-class inn with good soundproofing, the conversation from beyond the wall was cut off.
Sebastian, with his ear pressed against the wall, swallowed dryly.
Gulp.
For a long time, he couldn't hear anything.
'Is it really just a massage?'
He wasn’t sure.
Just as he was about to take his ear off the wall after a long deliberation…
"Hnnnnnng."
A strange sound echoed from beyond the wall.
'What?!'
His heart began to pound violently again.
Sebastian's mouth opened and closed like a goldfish, and then he hurriedly held his breath and pressed his ear even closer to the wall.
What in the world was this sound?
It was a woman's hum that he had never heard of before in his life.
'W-was that the hero's voice?'
Had he misheard because his suspicion had deepened?
Sebastian unconsciously bit his lip hard.
He couldn't believe it.
'She definitely said before that my massage felt good...'
But his thoughts couldn’t continue.
"Haaaaaaa♥"
Once again, from beyond the wall…
At the alien and alluring sigh…
Sebastian's pupils widened to their limit.
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T/N - Hey guys! I have a new novel I'm translating called "Spacetime Trading: Starting Off by Exchanging Food for an Elf Princess". It's a Chinese web novel about a guy who gets invited into a mysterious platform called "Spacetime Trading Platform". It's not as action oriented as the Barbarian novel, but it's pretty good too, perfect to read while just chilling. Check it out! Who knows, you might like it. ♥️
Lol, the MC has to be doing this on purpose, fucking with Sebastian like this. To be honest, though none of the three men of the hero’s party are likable, Sebastian, at least, was the least guilty of them. So I find myself pitying him a bit. Only a bit though.
Also, I can relate to Astaroth a bit. Putting in so much effort, yet nothing seems to change. I’d be tired too if I was her. Good on her for having such a dependable secretary.
Lastly, so Aldein was protecting the MC from the shadows. And so is Vlad, apparently. He’s really interested in the MC, huh? Will he be another mentor to the MC now that Ashur’s currently away?